We're just tiny little specks, about the size of Mickey Rooney

..."Xena"?

So, Adam and I recently dusted off the old Magic the Gathering cards to teach Amanda how to play. As if that weren't geeky enough already, I then went on to check out some of the articles on the WotC site. It's pretty cool; there are several columns on color theory, spelling out, for instance, the ideological underpinnings of each of the magic colors. For example, it's easy to think of white vs. black as just a matter of good and evil, but that's kind of an oversimplification. After all, white lends itself to zealotry, fascism, etc, and black...could probably be good, I guess. (Speaking of which, it took her six books, but thank god Rowling finally saw fit to introduce a slytherin who wasn't a total jerk. I just seem to have a general fascination with morally ambiguous fantasy roles, I guess. Back on topic:) The better distinction is that white is communitarian, whereas black is individualistic (and therefore also somewhat anarchic, but for instrumental reasons, unlike red, which values freedom for its own sake). And this helps make sense of how blue can be friends with both of these colors; even though it likes white's thoughtfulness and discipline, it also finds a certain intellectual honesty in black's unflinching nihilism.
...And so on. Long story short, I like that their game designers think about these things.

We all scream

Work is progressing. Slowly, but, y'know.

Ben and Jerry have a new flavor out. They're pairing Cherry Garcia with Fudge Brownie and calling it "Neapolitan Dynamite."
That's...that's just inexcusable.

How cool would it be to be able to get away with wearing one of these ties? I suppose I'd have to start practicing my Uncle Culpepper impression.

Oh and my car is all fixed. I feel like I should drive around a bunch while it is still clean and shiny and now largely unscratched.

Where you goin' with that gun in your hand

I read two more comics: Human Target and Alpha Centauri: Power of the Mind Worms. Human Target was so unbelievably good. AC:PotMW was not especially; I'd say 75% of its quality derived from being a comic about Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, and another 10% came from its title.

So, as the San Diegan segment of my audience is well aware, I am the reigning Dude Who Has Been Suckered Into Always Doing The Philosophy Social Hours. This role is twofold: asking gsa to give us money, and going to Trader Joe's once a month to buy some food. I used to assign the latter task to other people, but I've got the routine down to a pretty exact science, so it's easier to do this myself. Being able to walk into that store and come out with exactly $35 worth of foodstuffs is, in fact, one of my few practical talents, although its somewhat specialized nature limits its marketability.
Some of the food selections remain fixed; for instance, there will be hell to pay if I ever forget the ginger lemon cookies or the tortilla chips and Chunky salsa (it bears mentioning that the quality of TJ's salsa varies inversely with the sophistication of the adjectives that adorn it. Chunky is the best, distantly followed by Chipotle and Double-Roasted. The Roasted Garlic, Fire-Roasted Green, and Habanero Lime are scarcely edible, and upon catching sight of the Black Bean & Corn and Spicy, Smoky Peach flavors, I laugh aloud at the the good trader's audacity). Others vary; for example, I'm constantly fiddling with such low-priority items as the candy and drinks in search of one that will prove unexpectedly popular.
Which brings me to my conundrum. Cheese. It is impossible to figure out the best cheese selection. It's as though the Gordian knot itself were a tangled mass of string cheese. I usually get two kinds of cheese, one brie (the 62% Suprême is the only one worth getting (62% what, I don't know, but judging from the nutritional information, I am guessing it is "62% Saturated Fat")) and one of something else. The problem is that the brie disappears in the first 15 minutes of the social hour, and a significant amount of the other cheese is usually left over. People really like brie. I have tried getting something brie-like as the other cheese, such as cambozola, or champignon, herb, or pesto brie--these receive little more than the suspicious sneers of those who walk past such abominations on the way to partake of their unadulterated brethren. The only cheese that came close to holding its own against this pasteurized Juggernaut was some sort of cheddar with caramelized onions, which, though delicious, is no longer available. I have even tried foregoing the other cheese entirely and getting twice as much brie, but then people just eat it twice as quickly, precariously balancing slices the size of their fist on a dainty wafer of melba toast. I guess the smallness of the normal wedge of cheese is the only thing keeping their consumptive urges under control...as such, I have half a mind to get several small pieces of brie, perhaps scattering them around the department and dispatching everybody on The Great Dairy Scavenger Hunt.

Actually...I may try that. I'll keep you posted.

and marmalade skies

God dammit, did I just make you read a post about insurance?

I am sorry.


...

I'm mildly chagrined to admit that I've been spending a lot of time at Starbucks. But I get a decent amount of work done there, which these days is worth a buck eighty-five for espresso and whipped cream and the creeping sense of soulless consumerism. They had a booth at Comic-Con, where they were giving out free samples of their fruity blended summer drinks. I tried the Tangerine, which is best described by the following analogy
Starbucks Tangerine Thing:taste :: Bath and Body Works Tangerine Thing:smell

I don't think I'll be trying it again.

Oh right, Comic-Con. I'm pretty sure I promised to talk to you about comics. As you've probably noticed, I never actually follow up on these promises, so I will do that for once.

...Man, now I don't know what to say. I guess I'm not very "bloggy" at this hour
Uh, for now I'll just mention what I've been up to, and later I can talk about one or two of them in detail. Some of them are pretty cool. Thanks to everyone who recommended stuff.

Things I've been reading, in very roughly descending order of quality:
Demo, Top Ten, The Rabbi's Cat, Shatter, Heavy Liquid, Emma Frost, Exiles, Mystique

Other things I got at the con:
Channel Zero, Flight vol 3, Human Target, 100 Bullets

Things I am now idly thinking about getting some of maybe:
More of the above, Watchmen, X-Statix, Sleeper, Goldfish, Doom Patrol, Global Frequency, Astonishing X-Men, Days of Future Past, Project: Superior


Lastly, ok now this is just getting out of hand

A tear of petrol is in your eye

A more interesting post will be along in a bit, I'm sure, but for now I thought I'd tell you what just happened with my car. Some months back, a very bad person hit and ran it while it was parked out on the street. Being me, I only now took it in to be repaired. A discussion with my insurance company reminded me that although I do have comprehensive coverage, there is a $500 deductible. Given that the damage (which most of you have probably seen, and can attest to its insignificance) amounts to a scratch along the side and a slightly dented fender, I figured that the repair costs might well not exceed this amount. And so I had been thinking I might well scale back my coverage, since I am paying a lot and not apparently getting very much for it. This was until the estimate came back today at one week's repairs, costing $2400. Do I just have no idea how much it costs to fix a car, or is this part of some shady attempt to get my insurance company to pay some unreasonable amount of money (as happens with, for instance, medical insurance)? I mean, jesus, it's a good thing the guy didn't slightly dent both fenders, or the car might have been a total loss.
Regardless, I'm keeping my current policy.