Monday, July 30, 2007

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Word of the Day: Weltschmerz

Word of the Day

Weltschmerz (n)

Sentimental pessimism

"Lilly's Weltschmerz, as Frank would come to call it. 'The rest of us have anguish,' Frank would say. 'The rest of us have grief, the rest of us merely suffer. But Lilly,' Frank would say, 'Lilly has true Weltschmerz....'"
--John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire

I don't mind realistic pessimism per se, but I find people who cherish their pessimism hard to take. They get really angry when you try to make them feel better.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Rob's Amazing Poem Generator

Ultra Random Act of Poetry

Untitled

Zootaxa? Great Lakes
entomologist. Possibly
near
the road...er, rails.
Posted at the
slightest attention
to be a beach
in Cassandra.

Generated from text on this page by Rob's Amazing Poem Generator (via boynton)

Saturday, July 21, 2007

BEING SURE OF YOURSELF MEANS YOU'RE A FOOL

A STRONG SENSE OF DUTY IMPRISONS YOU

Maybe that's why I haven't posted here in a while.

Anyway, check out more canny statements from text artist Jenny Holzer (or someone claiming to be her) on that Twitter thingamabob. Some of my faves:

SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON SELF-IMPROVEMENT IS ANTISOCIAL
FAKE OR REAL INDIFFERENCE IS A POWERFUL PERSONAL WEAPON
SELF-AWARENESS CAN BE CRIPPLING

Saturday, July 14, 2007

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Just call me...

Most Noble and Honourable Michael the Philomath of Midhoop St Giggleswich

You can get your own "peculiar aristocratic title" here.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Way I Feel

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Way I Feel

Forgot to take my cell phone with me today. Felt naked and oddly...unsafe. Strange, considering I thought cell phones were silly indulgences a few years ago.... So I'm driving along on the New York State Thruway last weekend, and a man in a passing car with a frightened expression on his face makes odd hand signals to me out of his open window. At first, I thought he was trying to tell me that I had a flat tire, or had run over something, which alarmed me a bit, but nothing was wrong with my car. Now I think he must have been just another lunatic.... I was walking past a Jehova's Witnesses temple the other day. There was a large crowd of well-dressed people outside, a very diverse bunch, all wearing name tags and frozen smiles. They wanted to give me The Watchtower, but I refused. I imagined they were thinking "heathen" or "doomed".... Hot, humid weather here. Men without shirts sit on stoops or walk nonchalantly down the street. Most don't exactly have the body for it. Hard to imagine being so unselfconscious.... Why don't I.... find a loophole I could drive a Hummer through?

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Simpsons Avatar

Simpsons Me



Here's my Simpsons avatar. I'm so generic! It sort of looks like me, or as close as I could come, although I do have a chin. You can make your own avatar here.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Word of the Day: Gobemouche

Word of the Day

gobemouche (n)

A fly swallower (a type of bird); by extension, someone who keeps his mouth open -- i.e., a silly and credulous person.

"The sweepstakes people had unearthed a true gobemouche in Cassandra. Every time she got a piece of junk mail telling her she had 'already won a million dollars,' she hopped on a plane and flew down to their headquarters to pick up her nonexistent winnings."
--Peter Novobatzky, Insulting English

Ever have a bug fly into your mouth? This is an intensely icky feeling. Good source of protein, though, I've heard. But I believe this is one of those rare occasions when it is considered permissible to spit in public.