I Eat Brains, Therefore I Am

It's good to see that while other people fret over zombies' propensity to eat the flesh of the living, there are some more philosophically inclined folks pondering the epistemological difficulties legions of the undead would pose (for example, that damn "other minds" problem). A taste (of brains?):

The usual assumption is that none of us is actually a zombie, and that zombies cannot exist in our world. The central question, however, is not whether zombies can exist in our world, but whether they, or a whole zombie world (which is sometimes a more appropriate idea to work with), are possible in some broader sense.

Which leaves us with the ultimate philosophical question: What's scarier -- flesh-eating animated corpses, or the fact that someone at a major university took the time to write a scholarly paper about zombies?

(Thanks to Greg for the link.)

I Support More Troops Than You

Tired of those stupid magnetic ribbons on people's cars (and just the stupid "ribbon" concept as a whole)? Make your own swell ribbon on this site to show you can do better.



(Link pilfered from Mark Maynard.)

Vive le Vieux Carre!

The power is back on in the French Quarter, and signs of life are evident -- especially at Molly's (see photo), an establishment in which I once spent a few happy hours.


Photo by DirectNIC.com and Sigmund Solares

And what do the cops think?

Shortly after 9 p.m., two New Orleans police officers pulled up to Molly's in a motorized cart. The crowd of about 18 grew hushed, and the jukebox stopped playing a Van Morrison song. Whether the bar was being shut down seemed an open question.

A moment later, the jukebox cranked up again and the officers were mingling in the crowd. Asked what time the curfew kicked in, officer S.M. Smith exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke, shrugged and said, "Whatever."

"Whatever"? Laissez les bon temps rouler... de nouveau!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like... Cheese-mas?

Leaves are falling. Days are getting shorter. The air is cooler. It's the time of year when Dr. Cheese returns from his summer hibernation and starts watching (and reviewing, for your edification) more terrible horror and sci-fi movies. This year, the Good Doctor has got himself a Netflix membership, and he's informed me he has a long roster of crap added to his queue already. I can't wait.

Should I Be Worried?

Ex-Ann Arborite "Lisa" has this to say about yours truly on her Nashville-based blog:

Suds and Soliloquies seems to tread a nice line between local news and national news, seriousness and humor (not always a given in a politically-aware Ann Arborite!). I felt like Dave (the author) represents Ann Arbor residents well, and reading his blog is the next closest thing to having lunch with an Ann Arborite in the flesh.

I bet the woman I saw driving the minivan with the "Ann Arbor Native -- Right From The Start" bumper sticker would probably beg to differ with my A2 street cred. (As an aside, I wonder if that woman means to say she is roughly 180 years old?)

Indeed, if I were to be a true Ann Arborite, I would probably have to have my sense of humor surgically removed, start wearing "Che" t-shirts, and affix another 20 bumper stickers espousing 20 different cutesy, liberal (and contradictory) causes célèbres to my truck. Not to mention not drive a pickup truck in the first place.

At any rate, thanks to Lisa for the hat tip. I'll continue to monitor myself closely for any further signs of my increasing Ann Arborness.

Lovely Rita, Hurricane

Here's hoping that bitch weakens somewhat and doesn't re-flood New Orleans.



Meanwhile, it wouldn't be Lousiana without a great big dollop of corruption as the AP reports "Donations Found at La. Official's Home."

The donated materials must be processed as evidence but eventually will be distributed to victims. "We have lots of families that are begging for these supplies," said Attorney General Charles Foti, whose office assisted in the investigation.

This is one reason I sent my money through the Church.

Back Online (For Now)

My home Internet connection has functioned the way it's supposed to -- i.e., it works -- since last night, so I'm taking advantage of that fact to do some online catching up. I have a feeling this is only a temporary development and I'll still need to get another lazy/clueless technician out here to lie/scratch his head over the cable problems I've been having for the past month. Most people seem to know this already, but Comcast pretty much sucks as a company. Anyone who had a choice switched from using them, which I guess says it all, eh?

In other personal news... as mentioned, I got my truck back today and it's quite a relief. Not being able to drive where you want, when you want is a serious handicap, even in more-walkable-than-other-Southeast-Michigan-cities Ann Arbor. (Although the mechanic I went to is a matter of blocks from my apartment, so I was in fact able to walk over from home to pick my truck up.)

I also received the court documents from my attorney friend today; the post office's "priority" mail managed to travel the two hours' distance with the package in only four days! I guess it was a low priority. Anyway, the plan is to file my defense, motion for change of venue, and countersuit alleging defamation with the court tomorrow. This stupid suit could end up costing me big or costing them big or both. Either way, thanks to my friend I'll put up a fight and happily look for other ways to make trouble -- Better Business Bureau or what-have-you. I think it's going to become an ongoing side project for me to try to cost this company as much as possible for messing with me, and I admit to a vengeful thrill at the idea. Any of yous out there with nasty (but legal) ideas for how I can accomplish this worthy goal, please feel free to let me know.

And finally, I know no one reads this blog because they care about my stupid personal problems, so here's a link (via Verd) that combines two of my favorite things: booze and zombies .

Still Alive

But still no working Internet at home. Unfortunately, that is the least of my worries at the moment, since so far this week I've been sued and I've possibly ruined the engine of my truck. And it's only Tuesday. Lord only knows what the rest of the week has in store.

On the plus side, I'm done moving and throwing parties for a while. Also, I now have two cats, who showed up at my place the same day I moved in. Anyone know any good cat names? They don't seem to pay much attention when I yell things like, "Hey, you, black one! Get off the counter!"

So depending on how the legal and vehicular issues go, I may have no money in my bank account by the end of the year. So there's fair warning: don't expect any gifts from me this Christmas.

Beer in Brighton

The guy who ran Local Color in Novi is re-starting operations in Brighton, according to the Ann Arbor News.

The French Quarter Lives

Where else would the bars stay open in a time like this?

Mostly Moved

It's been a strenuous week, but at last all my furniture, books, and junk are moved into my new home, and I took advantage of the long weekend to get about 60% unpacked and organized. There's still a lot to do, but I'm confident I will have everything in good shape in time for the party Saturday, especially since I'm taking Friday off of work. No Internet at home for a while, but I suppose that's good since it means I won't be distracted from unpacking.

Anyway, I sent an email about the party to the usual suspects on Friday. I hope everyone who asked to be added to the invite list on here got it, instead of having it sent to the spam folder or whatever. Let me know if you didn't.

New Orleans Wiki

My friend Alan has created a wiki for New Orleans to organize information on survivors, medical help, housing, what's going on in the city, and all manner of other things. I'm unfamiliar with using wikis, and I'm without Internet access at home for at least the next two weeks, but if anyone else knows how to edit this thing and wants to help out, I know Alan would appreciate it. You can also help by reposting the URL on web sites where you think New Orleanians and other concerned folks may see it.

New Orleans Feed

Most of those who care probably already know about this ex-military dude's blog... he is holed up in a building on Poydras St. From his live cam, it appears the surrounding area is not flooded. At this point, I'm not sure he's still online, but better to get information from someone like this who actually knows what's going on than from the smarmy, insufferable jackasses of the national media.