My new Adidas. Straight outta Hong Kong.

The Moon has been working on a new song, Sea Sipper, which is pretty slammin’. Of course, just when I get my Ampeg back from the shop, and it actually works, the previous owner wants it back. This comes not long after we had to give back some microphones, cables and other gear to THEIR previous owner. Oh well, I’ll wind up with a new amp, hopefully one without problems. (Could be famous last words there…)

Yesterday while driving to work, a man came on Howard Stern from Mentor, Ohio, pleading for help in finding his lost bulldog puppies. They were show dogs, worth a shitload of money. Howard let the man talk, and give out his name so that he could be contacted. Today, one of the first stories I read was Stolen Puppies Reunited With Owner. Somehow, the dogs had made it down around Columbus. The police didn’t say how they figured it out, but it’s not often you see happy endings like this.

Now that Saddam’s been captured, and the media just won’t shut up about how the UN inspectors found absolutely nothing, Bush must be getting desperate, looking for something to dazzle everyone with. Be aware that the US is already claiming they will capture Osama in the near future. There were about a dozen news stories on the topic this morning, but now (10:16am) I can’t seem to find the same story. If Osama is “captured”, we all know what will happen. Bush will come across as some kind of hero. Once again I’d like to state that “fighting a war on terrorism is like fighting a war on jealousy.” The whole idea is faulty, not to mention that the capture of a leader hardly constitutes any kind of victory. If Osama is the only man in the world who hates America, then yes, all terrorism would come to an end. Enough rambling, here’s a link to a story about how the Bush cartel might possibly use this to their advantage.

This story is in here for Atheir, and my little bro. A German cannibal is convicted of manslaughter, after killing a man who volunteered to be killed and eaten. The most grim part of the tale is that, after cutting off the victim’s penis, they both TRIED to eat it. Even after cooking it, they could not eat it for some reason. Read the article, if that didn’t already make you spill your lunch. They settled on manslaughter charges because there was video footage clearly showing the man wanted to be killed and eaten.

Yesterday I wrote an e-mail to Google News, asking them to please give some attention to the MoveOn.org ad that CBS refuses to air during the Super Bowl this Sunday. Now, of course I wasn’t the only one to write a news agency, and MoveOn has been getting plenty of press, but it has finally made it to some major news sources! The Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times,New York Newsday, and others have picked it up. I read somewhere that CNN might even air the ad during halftime, but I can’t find the story again. Too much news!

The old church on Public Square in Cleveland, on my way to work. The snow was coming down, but you can’t tell in this picture.

Alright, finally I’ve uploaded some pictures from my trip to Hong Kong. I picked 10 pictures, from about 150 or so, trying to get a good selection. Enjoy.

Here’s a shot of a temple somewhere in Kowloon. My girl tells me it was partially funded by some popular musicians in Hong Kong.

Here’s a typical street, again somewhere in Kowloon.

The Buddha’s face. The sun was behind him, so it was better to take pictures from the side.

Or pictures from the back side. Note the clouds sliding over the mountain in the background. I sure did.

This is the Fragrant Harbour, Hong Kong Island side, blowing off some Chinese New Year’s fireworks. The lights on the sides of buildings were animated. For instance, the rocket lifted off every couple of seconds. Really cool.

Here’s the view from the top of the peak. It was still a bit hazy that day, but it was the clearest day I experienced. (The picture is from Hong Kong Island and you can see both sides of the harbour.)

Some typical architecture and signage.

Oh, the humanity. Some of the streets are closed down because foot traffic eventually overpowered car traffic. You definitely get used to walking in crowds.

Here’s a shot from my seat on a Continental 767, as we left Hawaii (on my way there). Look at that damn water!

Finally, a double-decker bus (which we rode quite often), and some nice signs.

I had the last two days off of work because of the snow and ice here in Cleveland. Yesterday wasn’t that bad, but Tuesday, everything was covered in ice. You couldn’t even walk down the driveway without skating all over the place. I used the extra time to fully unpack and walk around the house being ultra lazy.

Michael Moore is back at it again, defending his recent comments on Bush being a deserter. Apparently, GW did some serious skirting around the National Guard back in the day, successfully avoiding all the perils of what he happily sent our troops into Iraq to deal with. Yeah, so you know what it’s like to be a soldier… *rolls eyes*

As always, major scientific breakthroughs take a backseat to anything that stands a chance of helping to rake in money for the media. I bet if we got 10 dogs to defecate on effigies of Bush simultaneously, we’d get more press than the linked story: Scientists Create a New Form of Matter.

Some wayward youth engaging in shenanigans managed to roll a giant snowball in front of a moving train, and successfully stop it. Weed may not kill you, but given that this story came from Amsterdam, it sure as hell can produce side effects such as this.

This story is too good not to post! A Sperm whale being transported by truck explodes in Tainan! Where’s the video footage?!

A snowstorm and a busted heat sensor circuit in the cockpit window tried to keep me from returning from Hong Kong, but I made it anyway. Just in time too, one night before the coldest day of the year so far. Saturday night in Cleveland dropped to a balmy 0 degrees F. It wasn’t all that warm in Hong Kong either, in fact it made it down to 40 a couple of times, causing the local residents to pull out their biggest parkas and scarves. It’s taken me 3 days to get back in the swing of things here, mostly due to a 6 hour “nap” I took on Saturday. As a result, operating a computer was not at the top of my ‘can’t wait to do’ list. Using American currency in amounts I can comprehend WAS. Along with sitting in a recliner eating pizza and watching shitty TV.

The Captain passed away Friday at age 76. I’d love to see his show again.. it has been a good 15 years since I last did.

So how was Hong Kong? Pretty awesome. It’s polluted, crowded, fast-paced and full of shopping malls. If you don’t have a Mercedes or BMW, then you have a Lexus or Honda (and you probably cry at night about how much you NEED a Benz). I saw lots of the big tourist spots, like the big Buddha, the view from the peak (including the overpriced tram ride to the top), more malls than I’ve been to total in the course of my life, and a couple of Buddhist temples. Frankly, I was trying to avoid the traps. You have to see the view from the peak because it’s incredible, as is the big Buddha. Especially if you’re into Buddhism, as I am. The landscape of Hong Kong makes it even more interesting than most places I’ve visited. It somewhat resembles San Francisco, except that the city avoids using the hills to build upon, compared to San Fran. Of course there are plenty of apartments on hills, but where the big concentrations of city are, it’s more or less flat and near the harbor. It is also gigantic, even compared to what I was imagining after seeing lots of pictures. Nobody has houses, except for some hidden in little valleys and on the outskirts of town. The apartment buildings are all skyscrapers by my standards, and everywhere you turn they managed to squeeze one in. The harbor is filled with huge ships, barges, jet boat ferrys, and boats with cranes and shipping containers. I even saw a few cruise ships.

You get used to bumping into people and walking through crowds, or if not you get run over or spend the whole day in one spot. Almost everyone I met was friendly, with the exception of people selling cheap goods, who ocassionally border on obnoxious. Who in the world likes (or needs) someone suggesting sunglasses for them? Just get out of my way and let me try them on. (I didn’t even buy one pair because of this.) I’m not sure how people make money in all the little shops, either. They’re all selling the same things for the same prices. Also, if you are looking for something specific, you can sometimes find a whole little district with shops that only sell one type of product. For example, there’s the shoe district, pet district, funeral district, antique distrcit, luggage district… etc. etc. When I was looking for shoes, we weaved in and out of about 50-100 shoe stores, seeing mostly the same prices and shoes. After a while, you get tired of the big rush everyone’s in and you have to get back to your place. I feel for the people who can’t really escape the center of the city, but my girl lives a good half-hour out of downtown, which was nice at times. However, having to ride into the city every day became a bit of a chore, too.

Later on, I’ll post some pictures and some captions for them, but for now I feel like I’ve been telling the same stories over and over. I recommend visiting there sometime during your life for sure, it gives you that feeling of being incredibly small and unimportant. Some people don’t want to admit that to themselves, but there, it smacks you right in the head. Don’t expect a western breakfast; just intend on eating a chinese dinner in the morning. Leave extra space in your suitcase, because you’ll want to buy everything.. it’s cheap, and there are lots of things you won’t find in the USA. Maybe get a bus pass too. That was a pain in the ass… finding change every time we had to hop on one. Also, bring as much film as possible. Everything is so different from here that if you really took your time you could fill up a thick photo album with lots of cool images.

Since I’ve returned, I got mildly hammered at the Blarney Stone (where there was free wings and pizza), and helped my friends Katy and Bob move to their new house out in the boonies. It’s around 3 miles from the Pennsylvania border, right up by I-90 and Lake Erie. I can hardly wait to chill out there. It’s so nice and quiet, with plenty of property around.

It’s been a little strange having not read the news for two weeks, but I’m going to try and catch up today. I guess I didn’t miss anything major, except that my stepbrother Jay is getting married, and so is my friend Dan. Jay will be married in like a year and a half, but Dan’s tying the knot in Vegas in March sometime. I guess he’s having a ceremony in September as well, so that he doesn’t have to fly people out there. I guess when I leave the country, it’s proposal time! So, if any of you are thinking of popping the question, stay tuned to see when the most opportune time will be.

Well, tonight I must pack my things for Hong Kong… I’m leaving first thing in the morning. My mom gave me this HUGE ASS suitcase; one that rolls. I recalled last time I traveled on a plane I had a huge duffel bag with one thin strap across my shoulder. I could hardly walk and I probably had a big red line where the strap was. If at all possible, I may post some pictures on here while I’m in Hong Kong. Actually, I’m sure it’s possible, but I may not want to take the time to do it. At the very least, they’ll be some select pictures on here after I return (on the 23rd).

I think it’ll be nice to get a break from this country! I’ve been getting rather fed up with the way things are going lately. So, umm, while I’m gone, could you guys make sure that Dean is leading the polls, that the CDC and USDA get overhauled, that we pull our troops out of Iraq and get the UN involved, and also, water my plants. Thanks.

If you weren’t sure about the legality of getting a fish drunk in Poland, click here for a clarification. This is one of the best ideas I’ve ever heard of. I know they’re divers, but I wouldn’t have stopped at just fish. I say head to the woods and see what deer and bears think of alcohol. Also, screw champagne. If you wanna get an animal hammered, hard liquor is the only way to go!

I had to post a link to this story, because it’s related to flight simulators. Talk about paranoia! I guess even having flight simulator raises eyebrows these days. At the bottom of the story, it mentions that the FBI said to beware of drivers with maps or reference books! For fuck’s sake! We’re not even allowed to get lost in this country without being a suspected terrorist?

I read a quote the other day that said “Fighting a war on terror is like fighting a war against jealousy.” While I had plenty of reasons to discount the “War on Terror”, I hadn’t yet realized that the whole idea is faulty. However, there is one point that I made a while back, that I don’t think many Americans have considered: as happened in Oklahoma City, white, American citizens can be terrorists too! In fact, I’d say they’re far more likely to perform such acts, although people may not consider it “terrorism”. You just don’t know who you’ve upset, or who’s going to fly off the handle, OR when. There’s no way to predict it. The only way to impact it on a large scale is to refrain from having an evil, corporate-driven, corrupt, narrow-minded administration, and not trying to police the entire world.

This morning’s sky in Cleveland was really cool. You can’t really tell, but trust me on this one.

Just when you thought that the United States government (and corporations) had run out of reasons for sucking, a whole new realm of sucking opens up. I read today that an injected form of birth control for men is going to be available soon that will last for 6 to 15 years, has virtually no side effects, can be reversed at any time, and has proven 100% effective… however, it’s expected to never be released in the United States. Why? Money. The pharmaceutical companies will avoid offering it because it is simply not costly enough. A one time fee is charged for the injection, which means that patients don’t need to return to the office, or refill any kind of prescription. The “good news” is, you can always just fly to India (one place it is likely to be released soon) and get the shot. Here’s the full story. Dammit, this country is filled to the brim with injustice, greed and, apparently, a whole bunch of scmucks I’d like to kick in the crotch.

The recent news of Mad Cow disease may have scared some people away from eating beef, but today I learned that it is very likely that some form of it can be found in pork and chicken as well. The US’s policy of allowing these animals to eat slaughterhouse waste, manure and blood is surely the root of the problem. Yet it’s already evident that the government is intent on keeping this on the down low. Even though South Park has satirically (and sarcastically) portayed America’s desire to “Blame Canada” in one of their episodes, that’s just what the US is doing about this Mad Cow problem. Hey, we’re in NAFTA, too. The article goes on to assert that people are dying from CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) more than is showing up on the public’s radar. It even supposes that some Alzheimer’s sufferers actually have CJD, and that autopsies even confirm those suspicions. Nick, the vegetarian angle is looking suprisingly nice these days. So is leaving this continent, for good.

Once again, my amplifier is “fixed.” I’m picking it up tonight, and we may have band practice tomorrow before I leave for Hong Kong. If it doesn’t work this time, maybe I’ll hold a seance to bring its spirit back. The guy said “oh, well we replaced a distributor that I must have overlooked the first time it was in.” Thanks, I really like driving to Parma and back all the time.

Finally they posted the pictures from the new Mars rover. Click here to see the biggest version I could find. Yeah, it looks kinda boring.. but just stare at it. This is not earth, man… this is another world. That is so fucking cool. Keep your eyes peeled for Martians. I hear there everywhere. *looks around suspiciously*

Temple on Euclid Ave.

It is nuts-falling-off cold outside today. I’m so glad I’ll be enjoying highs in the 70’s this weekend!

Last night, I spent a hell of a long time working on new graphics for the SmittyTour website. You can check out the prototype home page by clicking right here. I think it looks pretty good, but I have some minor things to fix. My dad still hasn’t seen the graphics yet, so consider yourself special.

Here’s my very first blog-posted pictures from my cell phone:

John and the band leaving the practice spot for our crappy show at the Pirate’s Cove. Unpredicted catastrophies await.This is the smallest picture it takes, I think.

A little ceramic deer that got buried in snow, outside of my friend’s mom’s house.

How does this kind of shit get put into action? The USA has further tightened its borders by requiring all visitors with visas to be fingerprinted and photographed. Okay, on the surface this sounds great, but think about it. There’s a time issue… 15 seconds per passenger x 400 passengers… that’s 6000 seconds, or 100 minutes. Now, not all jets hold 400 people, and not everyone will have a visa… but I can guarantee you that even the most experienced traveler won’t whip through there in 15 seconds, let alone foreigners who don’t speak english well, or who simply have difficulty with the directions. Then there’s our image, both domestic and international. Other countries haven’t had to resort to these kinds of screenings, so domestically it appears that we’re at risk of attack at any time. Internationally, it is becoming increasingly difficult to even visit the USA. I should know, my girlfriend has a travel visa. As far as becoming a citizen… ha! Forget it.

Beware when Bush finally starts his campaign, that he will paint the opponent as unable to protect us from terror attacks. Why does this matter? Because Bush knew there was imminent danger of terrorist attacks, and didn’t care one bit. Not only is he still failing to protect us, but he didn’t even concern himself with the whole issue until it smacked America in the face. How do people forget about these things?

Rush Limbaugh is a hypocrite even Bush would be proud of. I think part of his punishment (he’s definitely guilty) should be strapping him to a chair while thousands of people walk past him, pointing and laughing, inches from his face. I was astonished to read he truly believes that there is a left-wing conspiracy to catch him in the act. Guess who else claims there’s conspiracies behind their own crimes? O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson.

Alright, dammit… who are you people? If you like Bush, stand up and identify yourself. Explain your rationale so I can puke on your face. If you still think the USofA is better off with this guy in charge, then I better start packing my things. Not only am I embarassed to live anywhere near people like you, but the polls indicate that there are far more of you than there are of me. I better get movin’!

I’ll tell you what, I am one bitter American these days. Britney Spears gets drunk and gets married as a joke, and we all laugh and forget everything else. While I didn’t get married this past weekend, I DID get drunk… several times. I saw a grand total of ZERO paparazzi. Another thing that’s currently pissing me off is that the Democrats are trying to badmouth one another, as opposed to working out differences in order to get Bush the hell out of there. At this point, I’d vote for a fucking llama if it claimed it was a Democrat. Slap a sash on it, one of those cardboard patriotic hats, and it’d already be doing a better job than Bush.

I had a long weekend because of the holiday, so I took advantage of it and updated the Miranda’s Moon website. It’s not quite done yet, but there’s 4 new songs and a totally new interface to check out. Click the link over to the side and be sure and download all the new tunes!!

Welcome to 2004, people. I rang in the New Year with my friends Bob and Katy, drinking ample amounts of champagne. Prior to that I was playing drinking games with my friend JoAnn, using red wine as ‘the drink’. We played one where you flip over one card at a time and you have to call if it will be black or red. If you get it wrong, you drink. If you get three right in a row, you change turns. I finished half of a (huge) glass of red wine in about 5 minutes. I guess I really had luck on my side that time. I’m sure I’ll be saying this when I’m 45, too… but I can’t believe Dick Clark still looks about 25 (**cough** BOTOX **cough**) and is still dropping the ball every year. That Simpsons episode where he’s actually a robot could be reality in about 10-20 years.

The orange alert proved to bring us nothing but paranoia, unless you happened to eat beef last night. You didn’t… DID YOU? As I said before, do not believe anything the USDA reports or says. You want proof that it’s a bad idea? Check out this article about how the USDA finds “it is not necessary that all livestock be tested for mad cow disease.” Umm, dude, I read last year we tested 20,000 out of 35 million cattle. I think we fuckin’ need to step it up a bit. The Japanese (who rightfully still won’t buy our beef after this recent discovery) test every single cow. The Europeans test a much higher percentage than we do. I think it’s important to note that the Japanese are not only looking out for themselves in this situation, but they’re also looking out for every beef-eating American. If they keep up this boycott (and mayhaps cause other countries to jump on the bandwagon), either beef prices will rise to an insane level, or the USDA will be forced to change their suicidally inadequate testing procedures. Either way, something would get done about it. As a side note, all of my beef jerky has been eaten already, and since it’s New Year’s Day, I plan on eating pork and sauerkraut, NOT beef!

Happy New Year everyone. Hope it’s a good one for you.