I’m off to help a friend integrate her TiVo into a home theater system. I’m my own one-man Geek Squad, but with much more reasonable rates. I’ll write more later if time permits.

The Pope has been hospitalized again and has had a tracheotomy performed on him. I sincerely hope that he recovers. Despite what the Catholic Church thinks of atheists like me, I admire the man’s endurance and I certainly sympathize with his current situation. I might suggest that he use his convalescence to reconsider his characterization of homosexuality as part of “the ideology of evil,” but that’s probably a futile hope. We won’t even get into his comparison between abortion and the Nazi Holocaust. No, on second thought, I’m not letting that pass, either. I’m willing to recognize the moral qualms people have with abortion. I’m absolutely not willing to let them compare it with the bureaucratized, forced exterminations carried out by the Nazis. And now that it’s come up, I don’t seem to remember the Church having much to say about those events while they were taking place.
I’m wearing a new pair of glasses. They’re much lighter than my old pair and the lenses are a bit smaller. I can also finally see things clearly in my left field of vision without turning my head. I got my new specs at a place called Downtown Eyes, a family-run business not far from where I live. My last experience getting new glasses was less than perfect; my prescription was off because the doctor couldn’t accommodate my wheelchair during the exam and I couldn’t see the chart properly. I was pleasantly surprised when things went much more smoothly this time and I’m happy to recommend Downtown Eyes for your eye care needs.

Andrew Sullivan is a well-known blogger who embodies a mystifying contradiction. He’s a conservative, Catholic, gay man; a combination of characteristics that must leave one feeling deeply conflicted. But I’m intrigued by a recent column he wrote for the Times of London. He observed that the familiar white iPod wires dangling from a person’s ears are becoming a ubiquitous sight on sidewalks, subways, airplanes, cafés, etc. His point is that we are cocooning ourselves in a portable shell of sound and distraction, shielding ourselves from the unexpected encounters and discoveries that used to be an integral part of urban existence. Things like a chance encounter with a stranger or overhearing a snippet of music that you might not normally choose for yourself. I was walking through the skyway the other day and I suddenly noticed all the people who were walking with a cell phone glued to their ears. It’s like we’ve become a nation of hyperactives. It’s no longer acceptable simply to be walking somewhere; we have to be walking and doing something else at the same time.
Even though I own an iPod, I don’t wear it when I’m walking around. Couple reasons for that. First, I want to be able to communicate in case I need something. Second, I think it would be kind of rude to the person accompanying me. And besides, I’m well aware of my own isolating tendencies. I know I spend way too much time in front of the computer. That’s why I try to make a point to get out and listen to the madding crowd. Unfortunately, I can’t do much of that now when the temperature is below freezing and snow drifts block every other curb cut. But when spring finally does return, I’ll be hitting the streets with my ears wide open.

Constantine was one of those movies that left me feeling conflicted. I liked a lot of what the film does. Reeves gives a more substantial performance than he did any of the Matrix chapters. The movie provides some effective thrills and scares but the CGI doesn’t overpower the movie. And I really liked Tilda Swinton’s embodiment of the androgynous angel Gabriel. The ending, however, irritated me. It seemed to sputter and hiccup towards a climax and resolution, with way too many lengthy exchanges of dialog interrupting the pace. I’ll probably need to wait until I see it again on DVD before I can form a more concrete opinion.
I have a three-day weekend because of President’s Day, so I’m trying to get the most out of this extended break. I should do a comprehensive backup of my data using my new DVD burner, so that might be my goal for today. I also need to get off my ass and critique a friend’s manuscript.

Warner Brothers is redesigning their classic Looney Toons characters for a new show called Loonatics. And, holy fuck, are they frightening:

It looks like something out of a nightmare of a meth addict who fell asleep in front of the television while eating really spicy Indian food. Except meth addicts don’t eat, so I guess that simile doesn’t work. I realize the suits at WB feel like they have to update their catalog of characters for today’s EXTREME kids, but does Bugs have to look like Satan’s pet bunny?