Cell phone ringtones that sound like you’re at the zoo. Can’t wait. But it’s probably better than that god-awful Auld Lang Syne ring.
Yes, I know that nation building is not a walk in the park. Nevertheless, the continued barrage of attacks against American troops in Iraq makes it difficult to keep claiming that we are there to liberate them. The Bushies keep insisting that this is the work of a radical few, but I’m not so sure. I think the attacks, at some level, are a symptom of the average Iraqi’s frustration and resentment at not just the American presence, but the inability of the Americans to bring some semblance of normalcy to their lives. I may be wrong, but I don’t think you would see nearly this much violence if the electricity was on and people had jobs to go to. But instead, you have Paul Bremer being driven around like Caesar while ill-trained and homesick American soldiers struggle to calm a hungry and scared populace.
And elsewhere in the world, people still don’t like us.
My friend Charles just e-mailed me. MSNBC would like us to know that Britney Spears is not, I repeat not, a virgin. I guess the whole thing about the President lying in his State of the Union speech just doesn’t measure up to our need to know that some no-talent bubble gum pop star had her cherry popped.
Maybe my next post will be about bunnies and rainbows…

According to the NYT, it is possible to become addicted to the constant flow of information coming through the Web, e-mail, cell phones, handhelds, etc. Attendant with this data crave is a shorter attention span (shocking, I know). I’ll admit to compulsively checking my e-mail and having way too many feeds in my aggregator, but I like to think that I wouldn’t start sweating and getting the shakes if my system went down.
I read a promising review of Krakauer’s new book about the Mormons. And the Mormons are pissed. I suspect that this book won’t just upset Mormons. Judging from the review, fundamentalists off most stripes will be perturbed by Krakauer’s conclusions regarding religion, zealotry, and violence. I’ll have to find time to read this. I keep telling myself I’ll read more nonfiction, but I can’t seem to resist a good story. Just read my copy of Volume I of Transmetropolitan. Great stuff.
On the home stretch of my next short story. It sucks, but I see these as warm-up exercises for, hopefully, better stuff in the future.
The Onion should be declared a national treasure. Read this.

Just got back from the New Pornographers concert at First Ave. The show was great. They played a nice mix of songs from their first two albums, plus one song I didn’t recognize entitled “Action.” The band engaged in friendly banter with the audience between songs and the whole vibe was very laid back. Some of the highlights were their performances of “The Laws Have Changed,” “All for Swinging You Around,” and, of course, “Letter for an Occupant.” Neko Case’s voice absolutely soared. I could make comments about her undeniable hottie-ness, but that would be obvious. Based on my crude estimate, the audience numbers roughly 200-300 people. If you were there there, I was the guy in the wheelchair (the only one I think…nothing new there) sitting right behind the sound board. Simply wonderful concert.
I breathe with the assistance of a ventilator and the vent doesn’t do a great job of filtering out cigarette smoke. So I’m still tasting cigarettes with each breath. Blech. Somebody get me an Altoids.

A friend wanted me to go see T3 with him at noon, but I’ve got a bit of a headache and I don’t think I can handle Austrian accents and serial explosions right after lunch. And it’s just too nice to sit in a dark theater. Which means I should haul my ass away from the computer sometime soon.
Scott McCloud has a new online comic up that you can read by simply coughing up a small micropayment. I haven’t checked it out myself yet, but I think the concept is interesting. I believe that people will pay for content if the quality is high enough. I’m waiting for the day when you can read Astro City online.
I’m trying to boost readership for The 19th Floor in the wake of my guest blogging spot on RCB, so I have a favor to ask. I’d like everyone who visits this blog to e-mail the URL to three of your friends. Better yet, if you host your own blog, consider adding me to your list of links. I’m happy to do the same for blogs that are brought to my attention. I figure that my RCB spot gives me enough cred to claim that I’m interesting/funny/edgy/whatever enough for people to check out on a regular basis. But that’s for all of the collective, anonymous YOU to decide.
And let’s get some comments! C’mon, tell me what a loser I am!