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Sunday, August 31, 2003 3:29 AM 15 Women But none to be seen except those we came in with. 15 women. More beer and divide by 5. Vodka tonic and the number three. 3:08 AM Southie Go out drinking and up in an apartment in Southie. More beer, more scorpion bowls, more fun with housemate's friends. Saturday, August 30, 2003 10:10 PM Boston A friend of mine has said that he thinks its about time for him to leave Boston. His company is sending him to Chicago for 6 months, and he leaves on Monday, so I took this as a wry attempt at humor. He really means that he might not come back. I understand. I keep feeling that maybe the time is ripe for my farewell to this city, on Monday it will be 8 years of my living in the same house. I have been feeling this way for awhile, it was one of the answers I gave when asked why I went on my cross country trip, I need to see America before I can go live anywhere. There are other factors. It's not likely that I can get a good job here, as the aerospace companies aren't here. There is also the fact that a good portion of my friends are now settled through out the country, which means less here in Boston. I think it is time to really start that job search that I keep telling people that I will get around to. I can't sit around here forever. 3:51 AM Maybe a squirrel or two. And I definitely know that there is an infestation of Lobsters in one of my folders. Just which one is the question. Those lobsters are a tricky lot, always crawling and swimming around when the lights are out. My brother calls them large roaches, but I always tell him that roaches taste horrible with butter. Friday, August 29, 2003 3:32 AM The Plan Scene: The clubhouse, Mike, Jim, Joe, Tom and Tim. Joe is in front of a blackboard with a floorplan drawn on it. "Ok boys, once again. Jim, you take front door, make sure that you keep an eye out, also keep track of our time, shoutouts when we gotta get going. Tim, you...." "Umm, Joe...." "Yeah, one second Mike, I'll get to you soon. So, Tim, you're on cameras, black 'em out so we don't have to worry, then help Tom with crowd control. Mike and I hit the tellers and..." "Joe, we hit the bank on Tuesday, it's Friday." "Friday?" "Yep, we are going on a comic run. Want anything." "Today's Friday? Fuck." "Joe, comics? Last chance." "Uh, yeah. Get me the new Filth and an Archie comic." "Filth and Archie? I am not going to buy you an Archie comic, what are you in 3rd grade or something?" "Mike, buy me the Archie comic." "An Archie comic. Great." Mike leaves clubhouse, end Scene. ---- It's the little things that keep me awake when I try and fall asleep. Thursday, August 28, 2003 1:20 AM Working under the hood Little tune up to the site. Nothing runs faster, and this site will never come close to passing any web standards. (I use font, table and center tags, I use all manor of crap, I'm amazed that things look almost the same on different platforms and browsers) But I did change some minor things around. There is a new link in the navigation bar. Pics. A nice new index of all the Photo Galleries that I have created and links to other photos that I have posted. I should have done that years ago. There is also a new link on the left to my Amazon Wish List. Won't you buy me something? I also finally got around to making the Content page fulfill its function. It now lists all major pages on this site and gives quick descriptions of them. There are also links to other sites that I work on and have worked on, live and dead. Now that the site is where I wanted it to be 2 years ago I can now scrap everything and start over. Hmmm, Movable Type and CSS and RSS and XML, yeah baby, just 3 more years, 3 more years, and then I might be Year 2001 compliant. Tuesday, August 26, 2003 7:05 PM Co-inky-dinks Today, when I finally got around to leaving the house (around 4:25pm) I got in my car and started listening to a NPR report about John Wesley Powell. Having just finished Under the Banner of Heaven Powell was fresh in my mind. I had driven through Cody, Wyoming (which is near Powell, Wyo and mentioned in the NPR story) and also came near to Colorado City, Arizona (which is a featured town in Under the Banner of Heaven). I never went through Colorado City. My route had me going through Zion NP and then to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and so I completely circled the town. I remember thinking how un-Mormon the areas of Utah were that I was seeing. I just noticed the countryside and drove through all the towns. I found it intriguing that I had passed through a large section of Fundamentalist Mormon country with out taking notice. All I knew of Powell before the trip was the man made lake named after him. During the trip I found out that he made the first trip by boat upon the Colorado R. through the Canyon but not much else. Then while reading Under the Banner of Heaven I learned mainly of his dealings with the Mormons and the deaths of 2 members of his team. Now Powell is on the radio. "Maybe it is a sign from God," Ron Lafferty said in my head. "No," I replied. "It is not." ------ Some of you might still be waiting for pictures from the trip, and if you are, you'll be waiting still. There are too many and I just can't find the time in my heavy schedule of sleeping and reading to finish the project. I'll get to it eventually. Really I will. 3:46 PM Lucy gets even in the end "Arrgh!" howled the wolves. "The people have come out of the walls!" "And when the people come out of the walls," shouted the biggest, fattest wolf, flinging aside the tuba, "it's all over!" The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman Monday, August 25, 2003 6:41 PM Book Review <MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/jadedturtle-20" ></map><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">I just finished Under the Banner of Heaven. The book, by Jon Krakauer, is an attempt to trace the paths of Mormondom, Mormon fundamentalists, and the Lafferty clan. In 1984 Ron and Dan Lafferty murdered the wife and baby daughter of their brother Allen. Ron had received a revelation from God telling him to do so, in preparation for the final days. Krakauer does a fine job recounting the murders and the moments leading up to them. He also tries to inform us a little about their upbringing and by doing so has to teach us a few things about the Mormon religion and its history, especially where it deals with fundamentalism. The problem with the book is that Krakauer keeps jumping, chapter to chapter, from the beginnings of Mormonism, to present day fundamentalist sects, to the Laffertys and back again. He gets to his point, in some cases, but my belief is that the book could have been set up in a much better manner and layout. He jumps in and out, back and forth and never keeps any timeline at all. You are introduced to people, told a little bit about their story and then the next chapter will be about something else. Then you will find yourself learning more about the previous person, but the story will start before or during the previous story. Rather confusing. The major problem is that almost every major character, both past and present, are related or have met or admire another major character and so keep popping up even when the focus is on someone else. This could be because, according to Krakauer, this was not the book he set out to write. He wanted to write about the modern Mormon church and how it relates to its past (according to the Author's Remarks at the end of the book). This might be why the book flows so oddly. The other reason being Krakauer's style. In Into the Wild and Into Thin Air Krakauer jumps from past to present from his personal life to that of his subjects, and it worked, it worked very well. In this case there were too many characters and too much history to have his style work effectively. Still, I rather liked the book and will recommend it. As any good non-fiction book will do it taught me and made me wish to learn more about its subject. I am thinking of adding No Man Knows My History by Fawn Brodie to my list of books to read. I look forward to the day Krakauer tries to write History and Belief, the book he wanted to write, and to his next book, whatever it may be about. I would rather that you read Into the Wild first, as that is one of my favorite books, and I really do wish that I had read it again before my cross country trip. It will bring you into Krakauer's style and make Under the Banner of Heaven an easier read. Friday, August 22, 2003 7:47 PM YELLOW Back in Boston. A thunderstorm just passed through and the sky is yellow. As if one were wearing yellow tinted glasses. Friday, August 15, 2003 2:43 PM Traffic New Jersey! FUCK! 15 MPH 2:12 PM Woohoo New Jersey! 80 MPH 2:12 PM Woohoo New Jersey! 80 MPH 1:53 PM Staten Island Hitting 5 miles an hour, almost. Gotta concentrate. 1:30 PM Stuck in traffic 1 hour to get from Queens to Brooklyn. Crazy traffic on the belt. Probably take forever to get to Williamsburg. 11:18 AM AT&T email I sent the previous 2 messages on my cell phone, it said that the message was not sent, so I kept sending it, and it kept posting cause they were sent. Power back on in Long Island. Now off for Andrew's wedding in Williamsburg, VA. Thursday, August 14, 2003 9:55 PM Full of stars This is the first full night sky I have ever seen from Mom's backporch. Good thing I have my headlamp, reading Krakauer 8:56 PM LI, NY BLACKOUT! I come home to relax & do laundry & I can't do the laundry. Bush on the radio. Gonna listen. Wednesday, August 13, 2003 6:40 PM Weekend away I will be going to New York for a day and then onwards to Williamsburg for Allison and Andrew's wedding. I got them a 1 1/2 quart sauce pot from Sonoma that was on their registry. I hope they like it. I am also thinking about buying a small plastic sailboat for Andrew as a joke gift. (We want to sail around the world someday.) I will be in Williamsburg for Friday, Saturday and will leave for NY again on Sunday. Anthony and I will be going to see Radiohead on the 18th in Camden, NJ. Then I will be at Field 5 on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday before returning back to Boston. So maybe some updates, maybe none. Tuesday, August 12, 2003 11:24 PM Book update I have finally gotten around to updating the books page. List of the books that I am reading and those I have read. I didn't update it all during the trip and haven't touched it since I got back. Books read on the trip: Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith: It took me forever to get through this. I started it in May for Christ's sake. I just did not want to finish it. I kept cringing. Watch the movie instead. Life of Pi by Yann Martel: This is great. Perfect book. A boy. A 450lb male bengal tiger. A lifeboat. The Pacific. Read it, my favorite book of the summer. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling: Harry is back. Still has some plot flaws but still a good summer yarn. (Why didn't Harry remember the gift that Sirius gave him when he needs it. Also, if Harry did use it then everything would have turned out better, I thought that when he realized what it was used for he would have realized that if he did use it then he wouldn't have fallen for Voldemort's trick.) Stupid plot holes. Still good read. The Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara: The second and final novel about the Revolutionary War. Just as good as the first and the Civil War trilogy. Great Historical novel. Thrilling Tales (McSweeney's 10) Edited by Michael Chabon: I am still reading this collection of great tales by Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Michael Crighton, etc. I am about half way through. I really think that anyone who likes printed books and reading should subscribe to McSweeney's. Number 10 is the only edition that you can get at any bookstore. It is cross-published by Vintage. Its almost if it was an attempt to bring back the pulps of the 30's and 40's. MUST READ. I used 3 books throughout the trip. I depended on these 3 for any and all weird, odd stops and where to sleep: Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways (Road Trip USA, 3rd Ed): Perfect for US Route 20 and the Pacific Coast Highway. Crossing America: Guide to Interstates (National Geographic, Third Edition): This one was perfect for I-90, I-5, and I-70. When you are on the interstates you could drive forever and might miss some things. Woodall's Tenting Directory, 2003: The must have for any cross-country trip. Will tell you where the nearest campsite is in all 50 states. I used this one every night. I just finished reading gun, with occasional music by Jonathan Lethem. Asking questions is no longer allowed in the USA (I guess Cheeney and Ashcroft get there way) and drugs are free and eventually required. We follow Conrad Metcalf as he tries to get some answers without losing anymore Karma or getting gunned down by an evolved Kangaroo. I love Lethem. Read this. Eventually I will get to the pictures I took. I just don't want to sort through all 2,335 of them. Monday, August 11, 2003 9:01 PM The Acceptance Speech Scene: Rich, Jay and Gina are taking a lunch break in the cafeteria. Rich: "Hey Jay, I had that dream again last night." Jay: "The acceptance speech thing? Fuck No." R: "Yeah." J: "You do know that you are one seriously fucked up dude. You do know that, right?" R: "It's just a dream." Gina: "Umm, what?" J: "Oh this is good. You'll never look at Rich the same way again. Tell her." G: "I don't know if I want to hear this..." J: "Oh yes you do." R: "Ok. Umm, so in the dream, I, ok." J: "Come on get to it." R: "Ok, shut up. I am at the Academy Awards, my name has just been called, and I have won an Oscar, but I don't know what for, I walk up..." J: "The speech." R: "Ok. The speech. 'Thank you. Wow, I never thought, wow. Umm, I would like to thank the Academy, my parents and Joseph Stalin, whom without his warm support and great actions this film would not have been.'" G: "Stalin? Fuck no." J: "He is seriously one fucked up dreamer." End Scene. Sunday, August 10, 2003 11:34 PM The Two Towers Extended DVD with Gollum Statue 3:28 PM Ahnnold is laughing..... ...but not with you. 3:34 AM Driving Tonight I wish to be driving. I want to go back to the Badlands. I have friends who are having a Labor Day party on the first of September in Pittsburgh. I have a friend who is moving to Chicago for 6 months the same weekend. Would it be so wrong to go to Pitt, and then Chicago, and then go on to the Badlands? I might need employment but wouldn't it be better to just keep moving? Saturday, August 09, 2003 12:58 AM You've probably seen this But I still want to know what course this happened on. (And why doesn't it happen on the courses I play?) Friday, August 08, 2003 2:14 PM Random anti-Bush links Gore's Speach at NYU Yesterday. An attack of Bush and his damned Whitehouse. (Is it Ok to attach firecrackers to Navy Bush and blow him up? Or will Secret Service GI Joes arrest you?) Oh and Vote Bush Orwell in '04! "This is the worst government the US has ever had in its more than 200 years of history...This is not normal government policy." - George Akerlof, 2001 winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics in Der Spiegel 1:56 AM Variations on a theme Yes. I am bored. Bored. Thursday, August 07, 2003 7:55 PM Mr. Snuffleupagus and the Black Brain Wednesday, August 06, 2003 5:23 PM Some CDs 8:15 AM 58 Years of fear Tuesday, August 05, 2003 6:00 PM Late summer cleaning I redid my closet last night. For 4 years I kept meaning to add more shelves, and I finally got around to it. I also once again decided that I had to get rid of some clothes, and although I once again kept more shirts then I can ever wear in a month, I finally sorted through the T-shirts. I have enough T-shirts to clothe a battalion of men. Twice. I have T-shirts from 1989. I have almost every concert T I have ever bought. I have T-shirts that have been un-wearable for 5 years. I have T's that are so dirty that they can never, ever be clean. I always had my reasons for keeping them. Sentimental value. I bought this one when I was dating so-and-so. This one was given to me for doing such-and-such. But alot of them were just raggy old crap. Plain white T-shirts that were more yellow than white. T-shirts that I got for free and never wore. I finally sorted through them. I kept all my concert T's and put them in a separate draw. I put the sentimental T's in a chest. Then I threw out any T that was too old, too worn out or just plain ugly. They are all sitting in 2 huge plastic bags waiting for me to bring them somewhere to be donated. So some kid can buy my "man + woman + condom = safe sex" shirt from 1992 along with my "Save Our Beaches" T from 1990 by the pound. Won't he be happy.

		Copyright 2000-07: Michael Patrick Cutillo, jadedturtle *8^p

Sunday, August 31, 2003