Poppies, poppies

Trip to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve on Sunday, along with every other amateur photographer in the L.A. area. It's been a dry year, so the show wasn't as spectacular as it's been in years past, but there were still some respectable shots for the photoblog.

Poppies make me sleepy! Now I'll sleep... sleep... *rubs hands, cackles, yawns*

yami · 22:52 · 29 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: Diary

Pasadena: My Neighbors Have Nice Flowers

Okay, so Kieran Healy made fun of the Macy's building, prompting Amy Lamboley and Professor Bainbridge to leap to Pasadena's defense. They both recommend the Huntington, foolishly ignoring the desert garden while extolling the virtues of roses and herbs.

You can't defend a city against a charge of distasteful urban experience by playing up a tiny handful of cultural attractions. The Norton Simon is lovely, but it's not a part of daily life like discount stores and banks. So those of us who actually live in Pasadena are to be forgiven, I hope, if we consider its sidewalks and strip malls to be of greater import than its Rembrandts and Gamble Houses, and the Huntington is in San Marino anyway.

Despite how it might look on the Crooked Timber thread, I like living in Pasadena. I see roses and camellias every day (for free!) in my neighbors' yards. I walk past several endearing bits of architecture and neighborhood enterpreneurship on my weekend errands (which are indeed within walking distance!). Even though it took a degree in geophysics to shake my native Midwestern skepticism, I've finally learned to appreciate the mountains in my bedroom window. And much as I deplore suburban sprawl, I think Amy is on to something important in her final paragraph:

What makes a Southern California city like Pasadena seem less like a real city than a typical Eastern or European one is that these attractions are spread across the city, rather than concentrated in one city center. And instead of banishing the ugly, utilitarian buildings to the periphary (as Paris, for example, does) they are instead interspersed with the gems. It's not a style of city planning I particularly wish to defend, but I will say that the Descanso or the Huntington are peaceful and isolated in a way that Central Park will never be.

Oh, and it's important to give some respect to the cactuses in the desert garden. They are as awesomely fascinating as they are malevolent, and when the Big One destroys all the aqueducts we will need their secrets to survive.

yami · 23:00 · 25 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: Uncategorized, Ineffable

The Neon Leg Warmer of the Caribbean

Remember Haiti? The one with the coup (which we will not at all suggest was supported by our own Federal Democratic Republic because that would have been undemocratic) that is already retro-chic even though it happened less than a month ago?

Haiti is still fucked. No, really, fucked. Just FYI.

The problem with listening to news on the local Pacifica affiliate during NPR pledge drives is that at Pacifica, they tend to see history (and history in the making) as the story of life rather than the story of political leadership. While the story of wartime politics can be interesting, the story of wartime life is awful, and usually ends up with someone hogtied in barbed wire and raped or shot or both.

Or perhaps awful is an overstatement; how's about a vacation in Somalia?

"Tourists can still go and see the former beautiful sights," [Somalia's minister of tourism Abdi Jimale Osman] says. "The only problem is they're all totally destroyed."

...
For those who remain unconvinced, Mr Jimale is reassuring. "I'm sure tourists would leave Somalia alive and I'm hopeful they wouldn't be kidnapped," he says. "At least, we would try to make sure they were not kidnapped, although it can happen."

(link via Alas, A Blog)

yami · 21:20 · 25 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: Global Politics

Imaginary Robot Pathos

I've been weeding out duplicate data from a spreadsheet. I have it set up so that duplicates are automatically marked with the words DYSFUNCTIONAL ROBOT at the end of the row, so I can quickly scan for points that require further attention.

When I mark duplicates with things like BLAAAARH or ZUT ALORS!! I tend to delete the marked row, rather than the unmarked "original". Today, I've been deleting the unmarked data. I feel sorry for the robots.

It's time to give up on bonding with the little ceramic frog and find a better desk friend; my emotional targetting has become very haphazard.

yami · 13:24 · 23 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: Whimsy

wanky web thing again

Oooh, I'm all with the geourl. Looky looky neighbors.

yami · 21:57 · 22 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: Links

Al Qaeda Wuvs Widdle Georgie-poo?

Just in case you're thinking of using the "Al Qaeda wuvs you!" line of political attack: a letter received by the London-based quotidien Al-Qods Al-Arabi claims that Al Qaeda does, in fact, wuv widdle Georgie:

En fait, il n'y a pas de diff�rence entre toi et Kerry mais les d�mocrates sont suffisamment rus�s pour maquiller l'infid�lit� et la faire passer pour de la modernit�, pour tuer notre nation arabo-islamique. C'est pourquoi nous voulons ta victoire, Bush le criminel

[In fact, there's no difference between you and Kerry, but the Democrats are sufficiently tricksy to make unfaithfulness pass for modernity, in order to kill our Arabo-Islamic nation. That's why we want your victory, Bush the criminal]

Of course any schmoe can write a letter and sign it "Brigades Abous-Hafs Al Masri/Al Qaida" but if we don't assume that all Arabic-speakers have intimate insight into the hopes and dreams of terrorists, what kind of journalists are we? What kind of Americans are we? I'm shocked that this letter hasn't gotten more Anglo press (Desbladet excepted, of course).

yami · 12:15 · 22 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: Global Politics

Attraction Science

I can't remember where I saw this Ph.D.-formulated physical attraction test- but anyway, it seems that I prefer men with straight wavy dark light brown hair and rugged, manly button noses. Go, Science!

yami · 20:22 · 21 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: Links

Double-Spacing After Periods

Here's something I wish my boss would read. Our corporate house style is incredibly un-stylish.

Sometimes I rebel by putting internal documents in Helvetica instead of Arial.

[thanks to G for the link]

yami · 21:47 · 18 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: English

Because I Had A Coupon

Attn: Kraft Foods

Today I purchased two containers of Philadelphia cream cheese. The foil seal on the strawberry cream cheese invited me to find something that helps me "slip into relaxation" and reminded me to express myself. The seal on the garden vegetable cream cheese said nothing. Is the garden vegetable cream cheese really so indifferent to my mental health and creative fulfillment? I hope not -
I expect a great deal of emotional sensitivity and empathy from all my bagel toppings.

Sincerely yours,
Yami McMoots

yami · 21:13 · 18 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: I Hate Everything

Customize Your TV Dinner!

Sorry for the politics, we will now return to our regularly scheduled complaints about food packaging copy. My frozen meal was all excited about how the "flavorful sauce" came in its own little tray compartment, enabling me to customize my lunch experience by dipping the vegetables into the sauce, or pouring the sauce over the vegetables, whichever I prefer, and really, how dumb is that? It's like the tomato soup ads (to pick on Campbell's Soup again) urging your children to "express themselves" by sprinkling on some grated cheese, setting the bar for creativity so low that I finally understand why some people are impressed with my crappy homemade grocery-tote (I'm impressed because it hasn't fallen apart yet, but that's another matter entirely).

Can I decoupage tupperware without destroying its non-toxic, freshness-sealing essence? I'd really like all my lunch containers to have baffling ad copy, not just the ones I get when I'm too lazy to make real food.

yami · 12:34 · 17 Mar 2020 · #
Filed under: I Hate Everything