I’m thinking of copying Jon Stewart and growing a goatee. Well, not really, but I kind of wonder how it would look on me. When one is rockin’ the goatee, the result is either badass (à la Ming the Merciless) or creepy (à la Data in that one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation). I suspect mine would be the latter and several dull shades of gray to boot. I’d probably resemble that guy who’s always loitering outside outside the adult video store and smells like cheese. You know, that guy.
A new poll shows that all three potential DFL candidates for governor are leading the Republican candidate, Tom Emmer. It’s still months before the election and anything can happen, but GOP activists can’t be happy with Emmer’s inability to gain traction against any of his Democratic candidates. Perhaps they’re having second thoughts about ceding the nomination process to Tea Party zealots who couldn’t be bothered to find a candidate that possessed even a thin veneer of moderation.
It’s also worth noting that Pawlenty’s name has been frequently mentioned in DFL campaign ads; almost as much as Emmer’s name. It’s something of a repeat of the 2008 national election in that Dems are trying to portray Pawlenty as mini-Bush, the guy who let everything go to hell and is now leaving us in a big mess. Pawlenty was never that unpopular, but Minnesotans seem to have a diminished appetite for another Republican in the governor’s mansion. If the eventual Democratic candidate can avoid having any paranoid outbursts (cf. Mike Hatch in 2006), he or she might actually win this thing.
I’ve been reading the first few volumes of The Walking Dead comics in preparation for the AMC series of the same name that begins in October. In short, the story focuses on a small group of survivors coping with a global zombie apocalypse that has no apparent cause. The comics, which are drawn completely in black and white, have a kind of narrative spareness that makes the reading experience all the more compelling. Some of the dialogue in the early volumes is a little stilted and obvious, but I expect that will improve as I get into the later chapters.
Now if I could just figure out how to get myself cast as a zombie extra in the AMC series. I already have the skinny look going on.
A man diagnosed with amytrophic later sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) wants to donate his organs even though he’s not facing imminent death. He claims that he’s “dead anyway” as a justification for granting his request. It seems unlikely that he’ll get his wish; no hospital or physician will volunteer to harvest the organs of someone who is still very much alive. And I hope someone tries to help him understand that he could still have several years of meaningful life ahead of him. I’m also a registered organ donor; as with ALS, SMA doesn’t affect the integrity of vital organs. But my organs are off-limits until I’m good and done with them.
I’m also guessing that this set of facts will be written into a future episode of House.
Michael Phillips wrote a great blog post in which he lays out an argument for going on a ventilator instead of giving up the ghost:
If you have to be on a vent, let it happen. Go with it. Once you’re breathing right, and you’re not nervous ALL THE TIME, you’ll be amazed how much clearer your head will feel. Once you’re breathing right, you can rest and get your strength back. You’ll start to feel like you again. You can take your pain meds, get lots of sleep, you’ll get proper nourishment, and before you know it you’re back to your old self again. All that bad stuff I was scared of, none of it actually happened, and it won’t happen to you either.
It’s been so long since I was put on a vent that I can barely remember life without it. But I do remember the many times I was laid up with a respiratory infection and the sheer effort it took to keep breathing. I haven’t experienced that feeling in decades and I certainly don’t miss it. And with vents becoming ever more portable, physicians and other medical professionals might want to rethink their own biases when advising someone who might need such a device.
Comixology, which made a name for itself offering digital comics on the iPhone, is now operating a web-based comics store offering titles from major publishers like DC, Dark Horse, and Image. A healthy selection of free titles are available (such as the first issue of the intriguing and off-kilter Chew) and prices for the paid content are pretty reasonable: $1.99 for most single issues and $9.99 for collected volumes. They’ve even got digital issues of Sandman that they’re releasing at the rate of one per week. The reading interface itself is intuitive and the content looks quite sharp on my widescreen monitor. The only drawback is that Marvel titles aren’t available yet, but hopefully that will change soon.
I dropped over $100 on physical comics over the weekend. As much as I love my local comics shop, I wonder if that will be the last time I spend that much in-store. The convenience and accessibility of the digital version is starting to look irresistible, which is something my friend and owner of Big Brain Comics probably doesn’t want to hear.
Blogger Ben Matlin provides a commentary on today’s Morning Edition regarding the twentieth anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ben is a Harvard graduate who also happens to have spinal muscular atrophy (note to self: e-mail Ben regarding a position in my Revolutionary Cabinet) and he writes about the pervasive discrimination he experienced growing up in a pre-ADA landscape. He also remarks on how the ADA has affected younger generations of people with disabilities:
Many young disabled people are growing up with a marvelous sense of belonging, entitlement and pride I never had.
That may be true to a point. People with disabilities who are my age and younger take it for granted that we will be able to go to school, navigate a store, or go to a movie. But the ability to participate in life’s mundanities shouldn’t gloss over the fact that most of us are still quite likely to live in poverty and social isolation. People with disabilities who manage to achieve even a modicum of economic independence are still the rare exception rather than the general rule. None of this is to say that the ADA is a failure; the recognition of a marginalized group’s right to participate in society is always worthwhile. But individual bias and fear of the other remains impervious to even the most forceful legal dictates. And two decades after the ADA’s enactment, I’m impatient for the world to catch up with my frequently calibrated expectations.
And here I am again, embarking on another journey around the sun. My 36th year was generally a good one; I learned to care a little less about what others think of me and I settled into a career that seems to suit my temperament and talents pretty well. I took a few risks that kept life interesting. I tried to be a good friend and benefitted from the continued generosity of my friends.
One of my colleagues wistfully remarked to me that 37 is a good age to be. I’ll try to spend the next year proving her right.
Dear Antibiotics,
Look, I really appreciate all that you did in clearing up my pneumonia. You worked your magic, just like always. But I think it’s time for you to leave my system. Because I’d really like to eat something without my innards feeling like they’re incubating the chestburster from the Alien movies. I really don’t want to sound like an ungrateful jerk, but I get crabby when my tummy is upset. So how about packing up your stuff and I’ll call you a taxi. Maybe we can do this again someday. What? Sure, I’ll friend you on Facebook. As soon as you leave.
Sincerely,
Mark
Amazon announced yesterday that sales of e-books are outnumbering sales of hardcover books. In related news, I received a Kindle DX as an early birthday present from my much-too-generous parents. In the limited time I’ve had to use it since it arrived yesterday, I quickly grasped why it’s such a popular device. The e-ink screen is easy on the eyes and it bears a remarkable resemblance to paper. The large screen accommodates as much text as two printed pages and I don’t have to ask someone to clip the pages down or bend the binding. If I could find a way to activate the “next page” key independently, it would be nearly perfect. Still, it should last me the next few years until the color version is released. And I’ll likely be purchasing fewer hardcover books, which will probably be welcome news to my sagging shelves.