Since 1978, here since 1996, with a hiatus. (It's allowed.)
"the stokes"
Thanks to a mix CD I gave her over Christmas, my mother Betty now enjoys punk and post-punk. She likes Wire and Fugazi and the Ramones. Recently, she proudly pointed out that the "hey! ha! ho! ha!" song (meaning "Blitzkrieg Bop") is being used in a telephone commercial. That comment came a few days after this discussion:

Betty: I was reading that magazine Details—have you heard of it?—and they had an article about male body image and how now, men are feeling too fat. And they blamed it partly on how the Stokes are all skinny—

Me: The Strokes?

Betty: No, the Stokes. You know, that band with the cute singer.

Me: Yeah. They're called the Strokes, mom.

Betty: Nnnnn... I don't think so, honey. I'm pretty sure they're called the Stokes.

I love my mom.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
nader and tattoos
Don't get me started about Nader. My dislike of the vanity candidate was relatively mild in 2000, and back then I was polite about his candidacy. Now I will say what I really wanted to then: This man is an egotist! He is out of touch! This candidacy is lunacy!

Last night I talked with Tom, who was in the process of getting two tattoos. Both are on his left arm. I'm looking forward to seeing them. It's always exciting when I see what somebody's skin looks like before and after a tattoo. It makes me feel secretly lucky, because I know that after the tattoo is there, nobody else will ever see the skin unmarked, unscarred again.
Monday, February 23, 2004