i was never addicted to coffee, only to sleep. denying myself sleep means intense and life-disrupting withdrawal symptoms without some sort of substitute.
coffee is my nicotine patch.
but straight up sleeping 14 hours a day is far superior. also, fevers make your dreams more fun.
i think all the people who are actually good already tried out for american idol once or realized that it's not the way to any sort of respected success even for the winner, thus the pool of talent has shrunk tragically. i can tell all of this by what i can hear of my roommates watching it downstairs. as a secondary result, paula abdul has become EVEN MORE irrelevant, as if that was possible.
a response to kevin: i did not see any of the oscars or any of the best picture nominees, or even any of the best group-of-nerdy-looking-sound-guys-who-bought-expensive-looking-glasses-for-the-occasion award nominees. thanks to your scathingly humorous review of it all, now i suppose i won't have to.
nothing tastes good except water right now.
(i'm obviously procrastinating)
analogical reasoning and groupthink in vietnam war decision-making? i individualthink not. or DO i???
[edit 1: kerri miller interviewed dr. oz?] [edit 2: emily haines gets away with this lyric:
drive to work to pay for this car buy this car to drive to work drive to work to pay for this car buy this car to drive to work drive to work to pay for this car buy this car to drive to work drive to work to pay for this car buy this car to drive to work drive to WORK!
and makes me feel bad about my future life.]
posted by renee 7:33 PM
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
i thought i might be getting sick. but it took a three digit number on a thermometer to prove it to me.
and then i thought about clinical reasoning. and then i wanted to go to sleep.
posted by renee 11:09 PM
Thursday, February 14, 2008
does anybody know any good bands that fit alphabetically between Jose Gonzales and Justice?
because my musical zone was just demolished by the shift from Broken Arrows on his Veneer album and the first track from D.A.N.C.E.
it was like getting all nice and toasty in a jacuzzi outside in the winter, sitting up out of the water a little bit to cool off and having someone pour a bucket of ice water over your head.
an experience i'd rather not repeat. thus, something must be added to ease the adjustment. suggestions?
posted by renee 11:14 PM
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
too much talk of epistemology makes my head feel fuzzy no matter how big you talk i don't believe you are brave enough to question everything at once you've just learned to talk the talk of vulnerability to not reveal your bias and your faith (in whatever) because to stop believing in everything unprovable would be to stop existing (not to mention the fact that believing in methods of proving is its own kind of faith) but it does seem to be necessary to take one thing at a time and hold it at arms length for awhile to be willing to subject it to testing because if you won't, how can you ever be sure?
also: this whole question of living in the moment is solved by music.
posted by renee 11:54 PM
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Question: Who do you think is easier to trick: a man or a machine?
Comment: I sometimes think that if I were a boy I would be good at doing things like asking a girl out. But judging by how sweaty my palms get when I do something as tiny as go visit the office some guy i have a crush on with a reasonable excuse, I may have overestimated myself. Especially given the effect on men of female cuteness, I might turn out to be pretty chicken after all.
Thought: Pretty sure I want a PhD. Pretty sure.
posted by renee 4:43 PM
2.) giving up something for lent is what you do after you failed to give it up for your new year's resolution. the timing and commitment level involved make this a psychologically beneficial arrangement. you are not totally devoid of willpower, only of enough to make sustainable change.
3.) it is fun when you want something to happen, and then it does.
posted by renee 3:46 PM
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
after feeling completely alienated at my precinct caucus, which compounds my overall increasing alienation due to a composite worldview which no one on earth seems to share, i am starting my own party, of which i may be the only member. however, at least at that point, i'd be able to feel like i'm doing the right thing.
the party will be called "Party for Everyone Staying Alive, and Being Glad About It."
the platform will consist of the following: ---the United States of America will do its very best to avoid you being killed, whether you are born or not, convicted of a crime you may or may not have done, a citizen of a different country, a muslim, a jew, black, gay, a woman, or an illegal alien. also there will be severe penalties for anyone responsible for the threatening of your safety or the carrying out of harm against you. these penalties shall not include, however, the offender's own death. ---in order to increase the odds of your survival, assault weapons will not be legally available and possession of them by anyone will be punished as described above. ---during the time that you are alive in the United States of America, you will not die of a preventable disease because of being uninsured. ---also, you will be given a decent education, as will your peers, in order to improve the quality of life for the average person, even if it is at the expense of a portion of the luxury of the most affluent. ---in this United States, you will not be punished for being poor, for bearing a child after an accidental pregnancy instead of aborting it, for being born into a country where your parents have not obtained legal residency, or for talking on the telephone or checking out library books. ---if you have mental health or chemical dependency issues, there will be enough beds and caseworkers to accommodate you. there will be a way to get your meds paid for and someone to make sure you're staying on track. ---the jails will not be full of people who did things which harmed only themselves, who then become life-long law-breakers due to the inaccessibility of legitimate employment, housing, and education during and after their incarceration. ---we will do our best to make sure that life can continue on this planet by being careful with it - not in a politically charged misread of real science, but purposefully, and with honorable intention. ---in places in the world where the weak are preyed on by the politically and militarily powerful, we will involve ourselves quickly in diplomacy. in places in the world where two equally powerful groups are facing conflict, we will stay out of the way until clear injustice or personal stake make prudent anything otherwise. we will not, motivated by unreasonable fear, available political will, pride, or ethnocentrism, ever involve ourselves directly in combat ever again. ---we will not torture people. this is not television. ---we will account for wildly racist policies in american history by being mindful of their consequences as they live on today and by being meticulous about outlining potential outcomes of future policies, keeping in mind the danger of adverse outcomes. ---the economy will be encouraged toward prosperity, keeping tight reins only on the parts of the market that have the biggest potential for misleading, or taking advantage of vulnerable populations.
i have no snazzy finish. i was really angry before. i calmed down a little bit. that all just poured out, so i'm sure i'll have to go back through and change things. but i'm pretty sure i believe all that, and that's the best i can do for tonight.
i guess i'm an independent, then.
unrelated: the national and modest mouse are going on tour..... in support of the new REM album.... REM? aren't those guys, like, DEAD by now? i mean... not only are they alive, it seems, but they have made a new album. and are touring for it? with the national? seriously?
posted by renee 1:56 AM
Monday, February 04, 2008
on football, or something else who looks like he's winning to you?
