Agnostic vs. Atheist
Permalink | June 26, 2008 by John in Jillette, Religion
From Crackle:
Interesting distinction. I like it.
Time to ReTire?
Permalink | June 24, 2008 by John in 2002 TBA, Travel
My latest thing to obsess about on my bike is whether I should replace my rear tire before or after (or Zod-forbid during) my trip to Seattle and British Columbia in July. Last year I posted that my odometer read 33931.6 miles when I put the current set of tires on. With my odometer currently reading about 40250 right now, that means I have about 6318 miles on these tires. I usually get around 8-9000 miles per rear tire, and the upcoming trip is at least 1884 miles. It’s gonna be close. I’ll have to watch that rear tire like a hawk. And I’m not riding it very much between now and the trip.
The front is no problem. Typically it lasts 50% longer than the rear.
My House, My Rules
My mother is moving in.
The irony has not escaped me. This is the first time I’ve had anyone close (family, romantic interest, whatever) live with me under a roof I pay for. Last time I lived with anyone it was with her, over 10 years ago when I first moved back to Helena (that was only for two months, hint, hint). I’m resisting the urge to create a bunch of rules, but there will definitely be boundaries.
She got a job in Helena and is in the process of moving back here from Great Falls. TEMPORARILY she will be staying with me, while she finds an apartment. I offered up my place because I feel the need to facilitate this change, for her sanity and mine. The job she just left was shit. Most of the people are shit (lawyers, duh). The upper level management is shit (bureaucrats, duh). The stress was insane. The new job should be stress free and is a little more money to boot. As a bonus, the new job is with a State organization so her pension and vacation surplus stay intact.
So, anybody know of a nice little 2 bedroom house or apartment in a quiet neighborhood?
I’m Evolving, Beeyotchs
Permalink | June 23, 2008 by John in Current Affairs, Science/Darwin
‘Sarcasm Seen as Evolutionary Survival Skill’ by Live Science
Sarcasm, then, is a verbal hammer that connects people in both a negative and positive way. We know that sense of humor is important to relationships; if someone doesn’t get your jokes, they aren’t likely to be your friend (or at least that’s my bottom line about friendship). Sarcasm is simply humor’s dark side, and it would be just as disconcerting if a friend didn’t get your snide remarks.
It’s also easy to imagine how sarcasm might be selected over time as evolutionarily crucial. Imagine two ancient humans running across the savannah with a hungry lion in pursuit. One guy says to the other, “Are we having fun yet?” and the other just looks blank and stops to figure out what in the world his pal meant by that remark. End of friendship, end of one guy’s contribution to the future of the human gene pool.
That’s right. I’m leaving y’all behind…
A Legend Passes
Permalink | June 22, 2008 by John in Entertainment
Comedian George Carlin dies in Los Angeles at 71. His show in Helena a couple years ago may not have been his best work, but the man was a true legend of comedy.
Known for his edgy, provocative material, Carlin achieved status as an anti-Establishment icon in the 1970s with stand-up bits full of drug references and a routine called “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television.”
Carlin’s comedic sensibility often came back to a central theme: humanity is doomed.
“I don’t have any beliefs or allegiances. I don’t believe in this country, I don’t believe in religion, or a god, and I don’t believe in all these man-made institutional ideas,” he told Reuters in a 2001 interview.