the indian wind along the telegraph lines

Ashbelch 2005

Mount Saint Helens erupted about 24 hours ago. Big ash plume that climbed to ~36,000 feet. My woowoo was driving through east Portland at the time, but didn’t see the eruption. I guess it’s good she kept her eyes on traffic, but seeing a volcano go boom would be cool.

Nothing major to report here. The only thing that landed on Portland was apoplectic news coverage. If you’re interested, you can check at woo and me traipsing about MSH back in the summer of 2002.

I Really Want To Touch Your Bod Directly

“Adult English: Porno smallbook speaking, let’s go!” is a handy little book for Japanese speakers. It’s an English phrasebook for intimate moments that contains such useful things as:

Drink some more. It will make you want to go to the john and then you can take them off there.

and

Okay, I’m going to slip it to you in this position. Ha, ha, doing it this way pushes all the fat up to your belly. You really got a lot there. See, you can’t even see your belly button.

and

That bastard! I can’t take him any more. I don’t care what happens to me. I’m going to kill him.

and

When we did it, there didn’t seem to be any blood.

Freakin’ suave.

The Arrival Of Alba

Congratulations to my former office-mate Tanya and her suave husband Dave on the birth of their first child, a pretty little girl named Alba.

If I know Tanya, Alba’s first words will be in Quenya, she’ll learn to knit really cool hats by the age of 3 and will end up being a very hip, spunky chick.

If I know Dave, Alba will have a great sense of humor, will be cooking tasty dishes by the age of 2 and will have facial hair. Well, maybe not that last one.

Congratulations, you guys! Be sure to keep her away from me lest my corrupting influence spoil her forever!

Fear And Loathing In Heaven

RIP Hunter S. Thompson.

The original, uncompromising “gonzo journalist” met his death like he lived his life, on his terms. He was found in his Colorado home by his son Juan today, having committed suicide.

In a nation born of revolution, Thompson was a revolutionary. Perhaps the first “embedded journalist” (with the Hell’s Angels in the 60s) he redefined journalism. It has been said that he is generally regarded as the grandfather of the blogging movement. Certainly a man whose prose was as uncompromising as his mind, his life and his will. A true pioneer.

Hunter S. Thompson wrote about what he knew. And if he didn’t know it, he learned it so he could write about it. There are few people that will go to the extremes he did to ensure their voice speaks with the authority of actual experience.

You will be missed, sir. Pens down for a moment of silence.

“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” – Hunter S. Thompson

Robin Williams’ Pixar Spiritual

Robin Williams riffed on Disney’s decision to drop Pixar (Boing-Boing) in a press junket-y confab for the upcoming film Robots. Sometimes Robin Williams is just annoying. Sometimes he crosses the line from “annoying blabbermouth” to “comedic genius.” I think he crossed that line here. More like vaulted over it and ran away cackling. Hilarious.

What were you thinking, Disney?

Thanks Garamond.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

And in unrelated news …

RIP Shiloh

My father’s pet chocolate lab, Shiloh, was struck and killed by a car this morning. It seems to have been a quick, painless death. He found her broken body while it was still warm (in New Hampshire winter cold) and there was no breath of life. Small blessing, that.

The most egregious thing is that the driver didn’t even stop. No one came to the door. No one made sure she wasn’t suffering. It’s a sad testament to the state of humanity.

For the love of Pete, people. If you hit a pet animal with your car, stop your damned car. Make sure the animal isn’t suffering. Try and find the owner. It’s someone’s companion. Someone loves that animal. Treating it like a fallen leaf or wayward insect is just heartless.

Can’t say that when I was young I used to call Shiloh’s name. Or that when no one else would come Shiloh always came. But I wish she could have stayed.

Rest in peace, Shiloh. I hope Heaven is filled with soft chairs and slow squirrels.

The Batgun

The Batgun.

Or, “when product design has no review committee.”

We Interrupt This Silence

I know, I know. It’s been a danged long time since the last update. I wish I could report that there was some big piece of news that kept me from blogging. But that would be a lie. But here’s a quick run-down of what’s happened since my last entry.

• Got the website for the Oregon Buddhist Vihara up and running.
• Bhante Chandrasiri told me of his plan to open a new orphanage during his current trip to Sri Lanka (he’s doing damage assessment and coordinating relief efforts). He asked me to serve on the Board of Directors for the orphanage. Honored, and somewhat bewildered, I accepted.
• Put up with another bout of herpetic keratitis in my eye. Been subjected to one of these bouts every few years since 1973. All is well.
• Dealing with a nasty head cold that is still wreaking havoc in my sinuses. That Dyson guy should invent some sorta nostrilvac.
• Joined the sysadmin team over at the GNOME Foundation. Love the GUI environment, figured I’d give something back as I can. Use GNOME. Yes, that’s a shameless plug.

So that’s it. Nothing amazingly cool, sorry. Now I’m just sitting here IRCing, doing a little admin work on aten.mneptok.com and listening to The Ocean Blue, a band you should check out (iTMS) if you haven’t heard of them.

The Horror

Herman Melville once wrote, “If not against us, nature is not for us.” It’s easy this week to believe him correct.

The sheer enormity of what has happened in Asia has yet to register completely in my brain. When it comes to processing the human loss, which is about to top 100,000 initial deaths, my mind is not up to the task.

I have been in touch with my Sri Lankan monks. They are in good spirits relative to what has happened. Venerable Chandrasiri has left for California and will be carrying aid directly to Sri Lanka in the middle of January. I don’t want to think about what happened to his temple, monastery and school in Galle. It was one of the places in Sri Lanka hit worst by the tsunami, and the site of the horrific rail disaster.

This is all truly beyond description.

If you wish to help, and want to make a donation that you know will reach Sri Lanka in the hands of a Buddhist monk, meaning not a cent is wasted, consider sending your donation to:

Maittri Buddhist Vihara
Attn: Venerable Pallebage Chandrasiri Thero
10819 Penrose Street
Sun Valley, CA 91352

But you must act quickly, as Venerable Chandrasiri will leave soon. If you do not have time to get a donation to him, consider one of these other charities. All of them have an excellent track record:

Dharma Vijaya Vihara

London Buddhist Vihara (UK)

Mercy Corps

Northwest Medical Teams

AmeriCares

Doctors Without Borders

If donating to a Buddhist charity, remember that clothing, food and such will be difficult to transport. It is better to donate money, and let them help the local economies of affected areas by using your donation to purchase needed items from local sources.

If you cannot afford to give money, consider going to your local vihara, temple, church, ashram or mosque. Be thankful for what you have. Send prayers to those affected.

Anything you do, you do to yourself. – Sakyamuni Buddha