June 15, 2006
children of a lesser gosh
6/16/06
A quick note before we leave for California - I'm sure most of you heard that George Bush made fun of a reporter wearing sunglasses at one of his press conferences, then learned the reporter suffered from macular degeneration, and called him to apologize.
Two things about this story: one, the reporter in question is Peter Wallsten, who was the last in a long line of great editors I had at the Daily Tar Heel in the Dream Team years of the late '80s and early '90s. He's the one that okayed the article Mondy Lamb let me write about the early '80s mix tapes, some of which I know a select few of you still have. He's also a very tough, excellent journalist who has been fighting the good fight for a long time. GO HEELS!
Secondly, my mom suffers from macular degeneration as well, to the point where I don't know how much longer she'll be able to see how her granddaughter is growing up. There's talk of a radical new procedure - and of course a stem cell solution - but I hope it comes soon enough to help my mom, Peter, and the millions out there suffering with this thing. That's all.
Oh, and GO HEELS!
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check out what a difference a day makes for pre-orders of his book on Amazon!
\" A quick note before we leave for California ... \"
How are you getting to California? Seems like you were in France last week and in Boston just before that.
Oh Jerry, go fuck yourself. Better yet, go try and find somebody who'll do it with you and maybe you'll care much less how somebody you don't even know gets around. What do you drive?
Oh, this harping on Williams family travel is just silly and getting boring. So basically this guy flies what, 5 or 6 times a year? maybe a few more? Why? they are trying to make a living and the main two locales for their line of work lie on opposite coasts. Mostly, all 3 family members are consolidated on the same flight unless he's solo driving his fuel efficient car across country from his solar paneled NY house. Looks like he doesn't really travel for the holidays, his fam seems to come to him. Of greatest note, neither Ian nor his wife have your typical office grind job like most of American with a daily commute where you really rack up the gas mileage. Most folks in my office commute in from the burbs in Explorers and the like over 1 hour each way, though mine is only 15min. Every work day. The Williams' probably can work out of their home for the most part until pitch meetings. If my mathematician self wasn't so lazy, I'd whip up a spreadsheet to say they still come out ahead.
Does anyone else think that Peter looks like Kramer?
The fact of the matter is that all of us in the USA could travel, as much as we wanted, using vastly less energy, but the auto makers and the oil companies did everything they could to destroy inter-urban mass transit in the US. When I worked in Cedar Rapids (30 miles away) I had 80 minutes in the car every day, spewing greenhouse gases. Up until about 1962, I could have ridden the inter-urban up.
It can make you angry when you realize that a lot of the daunting environmental problems we have now didn't just happen, THEY WERE MADE. And to unmake them -- build decent mass transit systems people will actually use instead of driving -- will cost us trillions now.
And JerryD, harping on Williams Family travel is a red herring and you know it. I walk or ride the bus to work. I have a car that gets less than sterling mileage, but I drive it so infrequently that a tank of gas lasts 6 weeks sometimes. When Ian and family are in New York, they're on the Subway.
In other words, I fart in your general direction.
I'm sure Ian won't be too upset by me saying this, but if you go on and on about how you drive a hybrid and about how irresponsible people are who live the regular American lifestyle, then you're leaving yourself open to this kind of criticism.
The truth is that the things we do as individuals aren't going to stave off the coming energy crisis, and they won't stop the adverse reaction that the petroleum based economy does to the environment. Ian talks some shit, and that leaves him open. Most of the shit he talks, he's above reproach, on this he's available for some ribbing.
I've read this blog nearly every day since the 2004 election (both to avoid giving in to political despair and to enjoy the pictures of Lucy), but have rarely commented. When I mentioned to my husband how nasty the comment section got the other day over the Zarqawi photo, he wondered why conservatives would spend so much time reading and commenting on a liberal blog.
I told him that some (e.g. Matt) seemed to just want an intelligent debate, which I could understand. But then it got me thinking about the J.Boog/Jerry D. types and realized that it was pretty bizarre.
In the end though, I figure if they want to spend their time foaming at the mouth and spewing out nonsensical, Ann Coulter-like venom on a personal blog, enjoy. I can easily skip over their comments when I see their name or read them if I need a laugh.
Wow, thanks Lara. Let me commend Ian for not taking an easy shot at the Prez's embarrassing foot-in-mouth moment with a friend of his and noting that Bush called the guy to apologize. It can happen to anyone, as Tim Blair tells:
"The Sydney comedian once bounded on to the set of The Midday Show tossing Minties into the crowd, only to see the solid little sweets smack audience members hard in the face. 'They didn’t even try to catch them,' the puzzled comic complained, until a producer explained that the Mintie victims were guests from a local association for the blind."
Ouch.
Lara, your complaint/observation rings true of almost every blog I have ever visited. Hell, I visit Ian's blog and try to explain to him how nuts he and his crazed liberals are -- shockingly, he has yet to listen.
I visit conservative blogs and tell them they are nuts and they accuse me of being a pinko commie.
I visit my beloved UNC blogs and all of those good people swear I am preaching the God's truth.
I visit dook blogs and tell all of them they are all going to hell unless they confess and repent. Usually, instead of listening to me, they just ban me.
Anyway, my point is that a blog is a blog is a blog is a blog. All blogs attract the lunatic fringe from both sides. Unless, of course, you are talking about the dook blogs. There, the blogs are operated by the lunatic fringe and, again, they are all going to hell anyway.
One of the more obsure songs on my iPod came up on shuffle today: "One Tin Soldier" by Coven (a freaky old band) The lyrics remind me of a lot of military and corporate mentality in recent times, but especially given some of the topics of blog discussion from this week.
I want to read that '80s mix tapes column. Even if it's embarrassing now. ;)
ian - it continues to amaze me how obsessed certain readers are over your mode of travel. next time you post something where you are going from point A to point B i suggest you say something like "A quick note before we start walking back to California" or " A quick note before we start dog paddling to Europe."
have a safe flight/drive/walk/crawl/cartwheel/slither.....whatever.
I knew that name was familiar, but the article I originally read didn't have Peter's picture. Of course, now I know exactly who he is! He looks the same as he did 15 years ago.
Greg, did you get my email? I hope your spam filter let me through!
Boog, weren't you supposed to start your own anti-Ian blog? You said it'd be up last week, and you were going to provide us with the address. I'm guessing you've found that returning to this blog as "JerryD" was much easier than starting your own blog, where your entire life would be on display before the rest of us.
jerry,
you'll be happy to know I spotted ian and family in a coach and buggy on sunset boulevard this morning. they were in full prairie garb, heading west to seek fortune, their commitment to the environment strong as ever!
it was old school, biatch.
CP - did you really? We were there en route to Fathers' Day hoops. Where were you?
no, I was just kidding. though I was at the brig in venice last night for my birthday party. (how I'm physically able to write this, to say nothing of forming coherent thoughts today, I do not know. am realizing it gets harder to recover as one gets older...) anyway, have been itching to take a road trip for some time now but haven't really had a chance, so going to venice was the closest thing, since it's basically hawaii in relation to my usual whereabouts/not being a beach person I'm pretty much never there. and in between all the rowdiness and damage to my liver and general tomfoolery, thought of you guys and really get why you like it.
also, weird how I chose sunset boulevard instead of the 10 freeway, which is what I had first. (sunset just seemed funnier.) happy father's day.