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2006

Neither Fair Nor Balanced

Medical Marijuana Issue Returns to Court

Each time the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on medical marijuana, the justices have come down against allowing the sick and dying to use the drug to ease their symptoms and possibly prolong life.

Regardless of your opinion on the issue itself, wouldn’t you have to admit that this is a somewhat biased lead for a story being presented as news rather than as commentary? Granted, it’s not a Fox News level of bias or anything, but it’s a little more than I’d expect from a semi-reputable print publication, even one based in San Francisco.

Geek Hangover

Ah, my old block. I can almost smell the urine.

I hate days like this. I got to bed a little too late last night because I was being an übergeek, but I still got what I thought was a reasonable night’s sleep. Nevertheless, I’ve felt like I have a hangover all day: I’m dehydrated and headachy and I alternate between belching and having the munchies. One of the most appealing things about giving up booze and cigarettes was the fantasy that I’d never feel like this again. Oh well…

1963

After looking at numerous real estate listings in recent weeks, I’ve come to the conclusion that more North Carolina houses were built in in 1963 than in any other year before or since. I assume it must be that the developers were anxiously anticipating my arrival the following year.

The Boondocks

It’s sort of fun reading the early days of The Boondocks while Aaron McGruder is on “hiatus”. I can’t remember for sure if the Chronicle started running the strip from day one or not, although I think it did, since the earliest one I remember featured Riley sighing when he realized he lived on Timid Deer Lane…

You know what’s scary? Right now, my site is number one when you do a Google search on “Timid Deer Lane”, apparently thanks to this post which really had nothing much to do with the comic strip in question.

The big difference between The Boondocks, and even Doonesbury, versus token “conservative strip” Mallard Fillmore, is that the first two usually strike me as funny, even when I disgree with the politics. Mallard Fillmore, on the other hand, shows no subtlety, no characterization, and precious little humor. That’s the kicker: It’s just not funny. It’s a pity, because an actual well-done strip with a right-of-center slant might be interesting to read, even if I disagreed with its viewpoint much of the time.

The Death of HoJo

Sad. They’re about to turn the cool high-rise fomer Howard Johnson’s hotel in my hometown into a bland and generic Doubletree. The restaurant closed years ago and eventually became a Hooters, but the hotel itself remained sublimely HoJo until it lost (or renounced) its franchise last year.

Another nearly-intact HoJo with restaurant was bulldozed in recent years for a freeway improvement project, something Greensboro seems to get way more than its share of.

I miss Howard Johnson’s restaurants. And I’m really mad at myself for not getting to the Times Square location before it closed last summer.

The Lottery

I’d forgotten that today was the opening day for the North Carolina state lottery. I really couldn’t give a damn about the morals of the whole thing; people can do whatever they want with their money, including throwing it out the windows of their cars or wiping their bums with it, for all I care.

As someone who lived in a state with a lottery for thirteen years, my biggest gripe with the lottery is that, as of today, no conveniece store in North Carolina will ever be convenient again. Every time I walk into one hoping to grab a quick soda or candy bar, I’ll be forced to stand behind some moron spending ten minutes trying to sort out his fucking lottery tickets and Powerball scan sheets.

I’m glad I don’t smoke anymore; that at least cuts down somewhat on how much this will affect me personally.

Grups?

Grups (via Scrubbles):

No wonder Grups like today’s indie music: It sounds exactly like the indie music of their youth. Which, as it happens, is what kids today like, too, which is why today’s new music all sounds like it’s twenty years old. And thus the culture grinds to a halt, in a screech of guitar feedback.

I think I have a headcahe…

Clean and Shiny

Happiness is a shiny, sparkling, clean Oldsmobile. I’m really looking forward to having my own driveway and my own hose. I’d forgotten just how nice it is to be able to wash the car properly.