This is a vague title

I do this, at least on the rare occasions anymore that I write a long enough post. In fact, this is the two-sentence version of the same thing.

H/T to Patrick.

How is it possible...

... that these people once ruled a quarter of the globe?

I'm beginning to agree with Kathy Shaidle's assessment of modern Britain - "Dear Luftwaffe: Please come back. All is forgiven."

I'm evil

Clark and Vivian, wherever you are, forgive me.

I can't believe how much I enjoyed this

My Lovely and Brilliant Wife said, "That must have been the second box of wine." She also pointed out with some asperity that everybody who makes this kind of video is a guy. Well, yeah.



Akubra tip to SondraK.

I don't say this about many people. I don't believe I've ever said it of President Obama, nor of Ted Kennedy, nor of any number of politicians I'd love to see out of office.

But Martha Coakley is evil. Just plumb evil. She kept a man in prison for a crime that not only was he innocent of, but that had never even occurred. She let a genuine child rapist go, one whose crimes I can't even bring myself to type, because he had political connections that might affect her. This woman is not only unfit for office, I'm inclined to think she's unfit to share a planet with mildew.

I don't know Scott Brown from Adam. But I can damn sure tell the difference between him and this despicable waste of skin.

Musical weirdness

The original song was pretty good, at least the first thousand times. Even if only for the now-classic opening riff. But everything becomes exponentially cooler when you play it on a sitar.

A Blonde, a Bookstore and Bogie

There is a lovely young woman I work with who occasionally wears glasses around the office. Now, superficially she doesn't resemble Dorothy Malone, but for some reason, every time I see her in glasses I get a mental picture of this scene from The Big Sleep:



I tried to explain that to my beautiful co-worker, but it's hard to describe if you don't know the film. Update: After re-watching it, I'm amazed at how much they got past the censors. I'd forgotten how... charged it is.

(For the record, she is actually very ladylike and completely unlikely to lure a shamus into a bookstore with whiskey for some stockroom boom-boom.)

I guess I know what I was doing wrong

I'm modifying this post, because my personal experience doesn't need to be a part of the equation. (Although it does fuel my resentment a great deal.) But contrast the treatment given to Lisa Miller, whose child has been handed over to her ex-girlfriend (who has tenuous legal and no biological connection to the child), with that accorded Shannon Phillips, who stole Donald Tenn's daughter with the active and passive aid of the same authorities now pursuing Lisa.

Lisa is far from innocent here. She should have complied with the court's order to allow her ex to visit with the child. I share her moral position on the woman's lifestyle, but I don't think it would have been overtly harmful to the little girl. Isabella is going to encounter family (and pseudo-family) members that her mother doesn't approve of all her life anyway. Back when I was a single dad, I often thought my ex-wife's living arrangements weren't a good influence, but that wasn't enough reason to keep Wharf Rat from seeing her. Lord knows Long Drink's mother hasn't always approved of me, but she still sent him faithfully for his time here.

But even if she hadn't, do you honestly think the state would have taken her custody away and handed it to his father? (Hollow laughter) No, but this is a special case. It's meant to prove that Lisa's failure to approve of homosexuality is so harmful for the girl that drastic measures must be taken.

Seems to me, if the gay ex wants actual equality, she should get used to being treated like a father. Which often means writing a check and staying out of the way.