Wednesday, September 11, 2002

Well, that was really nice - just watched a world-premiere play at Polly's theater, on the other side of the Concord River from me. It was pretty cool, and felt great to watch. I feel far more human and sane than I did beforehand. Now I need to do some cleaning, and then off to bed...furniture guys show up between 7 and 10am.
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There's some kind of windstorm ripping through southern New England today. I went to feed my mom's cat, and found trees down, branches down, and leaves and small chunks of wood strewn all over the place. The winds are still going on here in Lowell - there's an eerie creaking sound in my apartment. Actually, eerie isn't a strong enough term - it's fucking loud. I'm on the top floor, so I guess that explains it. Megan's fine - she's out of surgery, in the recovery room, on massive amounts of non-morphine painkillers. Mom's alright - she's somehow coping with everything. I broke down a few times today, especially when Mom called me while I was at work and updated me on the situation and plans - if you're at all interested, check the story below. Gotta keep up the No Joanna You Can't Know Yet barrier... Now Listening To: Rocks Off::the Rolling Stones::Exile On Main Street Whenever life gets shitty, I turn to this album...it's working its magic as we speak. The feeling I get that makes me push through any nasty shit? If the Stones could survive the making of Exile, I can survive anything. =)

4:54:56 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Megan went into surgery about half an hour ago, at least in theory. I haven't heard anything from Mom yet, but I don't expect to, at least not until Meg gets to the recovery room sometime late this afternoon. A couple friends of mine are dragging me out for Korean BBQ for lunch, but I'm not sure I can eat right now. I also find myself really, really craving a cigarette for the first time in months...

11:35:14 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

New moon found around Earth [BBC Science & Nature] Here's the really interesting bit: "If it is determined that J002E2 is natural it will become Earth's third natural satellite. Earth's second one is called Cruithne. It was discovered in 1986 and it takes a convoluted horseshoe path around our planet as it is tossed about by the Earth's and the Moon's gravity." When counting moons, you count everything in orbit - that's definitely the case with the outer planets. But I had no idea the earth had a second moon. That is too damned cool.

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posted by humuhumu September 11 6:04 AM | 5 comments. Simon Schama on the last year... Excellent stuff. The article moves from describing the immediate grief to an analysis of where events have taken America religiously, politically, and in its public life. Apparently, the dead are owed another war. But they are not. What they are owed is a good, stand-up, bruising row over the fate of America; just who determines it and for what end? [MetaFilter] With MetaFilter stuff, I rarely have anything useful to add to what they've already provided, so don't be shocked when I post things without saying anything...

11:28:47 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

posted by rcade to Baseball September 11 9:25 AM. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling has won 45 games in 2001 and 2002, the highest two-year total for a pitcher in a quarter century. Can any of his success be attributed to his unusual use of technology? [SportsFilter] Last year (or maybe the year before), Jayson Stark at ESPN.com did a great sequence of pieces on the Everquest rivalry between former teammates Doug Glanville of the Phillies and Curt Schilling, ex of the Phillies, now the Diamondbacks. They're both big geeks - it was one of the most entertaining sportswriting pieces I've read in a long time. In general, his Wild Pitches columns have been excellent - is he not doing them any more, or have I just been missing them, since I avoid baseball these days?

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posted by fold_and_mutilate September 10 9:50 PM | 21 comments. Not In Our Name. "The signers of this statement call on the people of the U.S. to resist the policies and overall political direction that have emerged since September 11, 2001, and which pose grave dangers to the people of the world. . . . President Bush has declared: 'you’re either with us or against us.' Here is our answer: We refuse to allow you to speak for all the American people. We will not give up our right to question. We will not hand over our consciences in return for a hollow promise of safety. We say NOT IN OUR NAME. We refuse to be party to these wars and we repudiate any inference that they are being waged in our name or for our welfare." [MetaFilter]

7:36:17 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

This is strange - I have 'Happy Birthday' stuck in my head. I'm kind of disturbed. Also, I'm afraid to change the channel from ESPN - it's not that I'm particularly wary of watching replays of last year; it's that I really don't feel like watching over-sentimental pap. A year ago, I felt closer to the rest of America than I ever had before. Now, I feel completely out of sync again. All things considered (the anniversery, my sister Megan going for serious knee surgery today, the subject I discussed in the previous entry), today seems like it's going to be pretty hard.

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