I’m one of those people who is comfortable in small circles and, as such, I have a small group of friends whom I’ve known for many years. It once was a point of pride for me to know that the people I’ve known since Junior High School are still amongst my closest friends. However as we’ve gotten older and our lives have become ever more unlike one another’s, I find that the connections we’ve maintained for so long are growing thin and strained. It’s not an active tension, rather it’s more a gradual dissolution. We’ve all grown apart. | Read the rest of this entry …

I know my rants about the ever growing web of surveillance cameras and the “Big Brother” phenomenon tend to fall on deaf ears. I also know that most people out there could give a rat’s ass about a law that seems good on the surface but, in reality, strips yet another right or choice away from the public. But it’s hard not to think that people would be up in arms at the latest government invasion going on in Arizona. Not only is this invasion attempting to bring the citizens of the U.S. one step closer to the CCTV-laden world of Great Britain, but it’s also a blatant example of state government finding a way to fleece their populace and visitors to their state because they can’t reign in their own budgetary excesses. That’s right, Arizona Governor, Janet Napolitano, wants to deploy photo radar and “other speed enforcement technology” on their state highways in order to capture people driving over the speed limit and send them tickets in the mail. | Read the rest of this entry …

It becomes ever clearer to me that I just don’t understand. Somehow people have this insane notion that they’re entitled. Period. Entitled. To cars, to food, to a job, to a house, to everything that anyone else has. People seem to believe that these things are guaranteed to them, as opposed to things that have to be earned and paid for. For example, an eviction was postponed in Dorchester today. Why? Because people got together and protested the eviction with signs that read “housing is a human right“. That’s lovely and it would be heartwarming and meaningful if the woman was being chased off her property for some poorly implement Eminent Domain case, or because she refused kickbacks to the Mayor’s office. Problem is, the woman was being evicted because she defaulted on her loan and was no longer meeting her obligations or paying her bills. Since they weren’t being paid, the bank, which was unfortunate enough to pick up her mortgage, foreclosed on her home. She no longer owns that home, because she didn’t meet her responsibilities. She wouldn’t even pack because “God” was on her side. As far as I’m concerned, she’s squatting on the property and should be evicted. | Read the rest of this entry …

Congratulations to the Patriots on another AFC Championship win over the San Diego Chargers. It was a tough game and the Pats didn’t play very well, but the defense stood strong and prevented the Chargers from scoring any touchdowns. What bothers me, and what inspired the title of this post, is the reaction of the Patriots’ fans when owner Kraft and players like Seau congratulated the Chargers on their hard work and great playing: they booed. That’s friggin’ lame. | Read the rest of this entry …

Going to see a performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and while I regret that I didn’t have a chance to see Seiji Ozawa conduct, I did get a chance to see Sir Colin Davis guest conduct an excellent performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 36, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A and Schubert’s Symphony No. 2. Even better, I was able to see Mitsuko Uchida perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A. Not a bad way to get to know the BSO. Besides, I’d be crazy not to take in a performance at the legendary Symphony Hall, considering I’ve spent most of my life in and around the Boston area. It’s an amazing building with an incredible history, though I do have to say that the seats, original to the building, are rough on the ass after a couple of hours. | Read the rest of this entry …

It’s coming up on the end of Yule and I’ve spent most of it with parts of my family, which is one of the best ways to spend it, only exceeded by having the entirety of the family and my friends all in the same place. So when Yule’s over, that means only one thing: the New Year is here. 2008. And it’s now official: I’m old. Not only have I had a heart attack (that makes ya feel like an old man, let me tell ya) and my own personal odometer will click over once more a few days into January (which is lucky for me, considering the aforementioned heart attack), but I found myself standing in a toy store buying Legos for my nephew and saying to myself, “Man, they don’t make Legos like they used to.” That’s old. Seriously…they don’t. They’re so specifically cut for the model on the box cover that reusing them for any other kind of model is near impossible. And they don’t carry tubs of generic Lego pieces…that’s where you could just pull a pile of Legos and build something that vaguely resembled the object in your mind. It’s crazy, I tells ya! Oh well, if feeling old is the worst thing that happens to me in 2008 I’ll consider myself quite lucky. Anyway, just a quick note from my holiday gatherings to wish everyone a happy New Year.

The time, it has vanished. I look up and it’s the holidays again. Happily, the local CVS drug store started selling gift cards for other stores. I bought a shitload of Barnes and Nobles giftcards because, with my family, the deafult “I don’t know what to get you but I know you’ll like and use this” gift is the Barnes and Noble giftcard. And given that my family is just as bad at giving gift ideas as I am, this ability to get everyone the same gift card is an excellent out. Being able to dodge the malls and strip-malls in favor of the CVS down the street from my office is a giant bonus as well. All other presents were online, so ever better. | Read the rest of this entry …

Let me preface this little rant by stating that I know that I’m not the best driver in the world. I’ve had my share of dumb-ass moves and been in more than my share of accidents (I’d like to point out that 90% of these accidents were the fault of the other motorist(s), including the policemen with whose cars I collided, which is why my insurance is still low), and will certainly not claim to be holier than the unwashed masses. However, what I experience on a daily basis in this state boggles my mind. I just don’t understand what other people on the road are thinking and can only assume by their idiotic actions that they are, in fact, not. I assume it has to be like this in other states as well, but one thing that the Northeast has is a high density of cars on some outmoded roads. This means that our assclowns are worse than your assclowns only because they have much less space in which to perform their fuckery. What inspired me to tap out this little missive is the fact that my heart rate hit triple digits this morning on my commute into the office. Mind you, due to my recent heart issues I’m on drugs that keep my heart rate down so when I come close to my target exercise heart rate without actually moving, something’s amiss. | Read the rest of this entry …

It’s obvious to anyone who reads anything I write or who has spoken with me for more than a few minutes: I’m a nerd. I’m just fine with that. Part of my nerdish nature revolves around horror, fantasy and sci-fi books and movies. With that in mind, try to imagine my horror when I first saw the trailer for the upcoming Will Smith vehicle, “I Am Legend.” “I Am Legend” is a book published in 1954 by Richard Matheson. When I first heard about the book back in the late Nineties, I had tracked down a copy on a fledgling Amazon.com (back when they still sold only books) and, after reading it, added it to my list of all-time-great horror stories. I won’t rehash the plot here (you can read it yourself), but suffice it to say that the idea of Will Smith in the lead role, having it set in a major city, and the fact that it’s directed by a guy who used to direct a lot of music videos for pop stars bodes ill for this project. I know Will Smith can, on occasion, expand his acting abilities beyond snappy one-lines in over-hyped, under-written action films, but the trailers for this adaptation lead me to believe that the studio is approaching this with less than reverence for the source material and more for the CG department. | Read the rest of this entry …

After getting a bite to eat, I decided to head to my regular bar to catch the Red Sox game. The place was packed, which was expected as tonight was game four of the World Series and a chance for the Red Sox to sweep the Rockies. I sat outside for a bit watching the game on an LCD screen near a large gas heater (a bit chilly tonight). Then I headed to the main bar and snagged a standing-room-only spot at the edge of the bar near the wait staff serving area. I spoke to the owner for a bit as well as several of the staff whom I’ve come to know over the several months I’ve been hanging out there. The owner was nice enough to buy me a beer and I got to enjoy a real pint glass (when it gets crowded they often switch to plastic to keep up with demand and to avoid potential breakage), which always makes the Magic Hat #9 taste better. Then as Papelbon struck out the last Rockies batter, the owner busted out a whole slew of champagne bottles and started spraying. I got drenched in champagne (managed to get my PDA phone into my pocket before it got hit too much), and I have to say it was a first for me. Bar staff then poured the rest of the champagne and handed cups to as many people as they could - many toasts were raised and the bar owner worked the crowd as rowdy as any fan. In a town where I know very few people and where most of my friends are far enough away that I rarely see them, it’s nice to have a place to go where, even though you know it’s business, you’re welcomed and made to feel at home. And tonight, it was good to share the experience of the Red Sox winning their second World Series in four years with a group of excited fans. Yeah, almost as cheesy as the theme music to “Cheers”, but the sentiment is legit.