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United States, North Carolina, Carrboro, English, Paul, Male, 56-60, All Music, All Food.

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Tuesday, November 19, 2002

Read His lips! Reflecting on his own personality, he described himself at various points as "fiery," "impatient," "a gut player" who liked to "provoke" people around him and someone who likes to talk -- perhaps too much -- in meetings... Either side! "I'm a patient man. And when I say I'm a patient man, I mean I'm a patient man." "Nothing he [Saddam Hussein] has done has convinced me—I'm confident the Secretary of Defense—that he is the kind of fellow that is willing to forgo weapons of mass destruction, is willing to be a peaceful neighbor, that is—will honor the people—the Iraqi people of all stripes, will—values human life. He hasn't convinced me, nor has he convinced my administration."—Crawford, Texas, Aug. 21, 2002 7:29:36 PM    comment []

Haggis Exonerated! This summer, Britain's Food Standards Agency asked the European Commission to look into the possibility of a link between mad cow disease and sheep and whether it might make haggis consumption dangerous. In mid-September, the commission concluded there was no evidence of any link and therefore no danger. 4:50:22 PM    comment []

Pedro the mailburro! You can Google your way past even the most thoroughly toasted brain cells, way, way back there! My sister gave me a subscription to this Boy Scout magazine a very long time ago. The arrival of each issue was a joy. Once, also a long time ago, but not quite so long, in Lima, OH, a boy came running up the sidewalk to a friend and I while we were on our way to Stryker's for a breaded veal cutlet. My friend had established himself as the "town artist". The breathless boy opened up an issue of Boys' Life to a centerfold illustration and asked him "what is this?" It wasn't representational, but with a little imagination you could see that it was a face-on close-up of a competitve swimmer, done exclusively in purple and aqua colored pencil. I say "you" in the strictest sense. I had no idea what it was; I was just as baffled as the child. The story was about a swimming competition, which should have been a clue, but wasn't to me. Put on the spot, the Town Artist delivered without hesitation. He pointed out the goggles, the waterline, and the prominently positioned swimming arms. Suddenly it wasn't "just abstract" at all. You just knew he was right on the money. From the looks of this cover, the tradition of non-mainstream illustration continues at Boys' Life. Unlike the scouts organization itself, the magazine doesn't care who reads it. It makes me Think & Grin. 3:26:34 AM    comment []

I've been reading the blog of Ian Eletz at urban kayak with more than distanced curiosity today. Ian is in Seoul, Korea, teaching during the day and reflecting on Joyce and Barthelme in film noir Korean bars at night. I filled out a visa for Korea today. I'll be going there sometime in the next couple of months to attend new product training. My traveling companion, who goes there frequently(and Japan, where we'll also attend some training), said "Trust me - you don't need a visa". I relayed this wisdom to the folks at Visa Express when they told me I should get one. The pleasant-sounding (what a joy these days) woman on the line told me that while my friend is technically correct, you don't really need one, it is highly recommended so the American Consulate can be of assistance if anything goes wrong while you're in Seoul. Given the current state of world politics, that was a clincher. I relayed the recommendation to my travelwise friend and dropped copies of application forms on his desk. He too was instantly convinced. 2:43:03 AM    comment []