Who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?

"How many times have you bust, Jane?"
"I don't know, I don't think I have yet," replied the dealer with an apologetic smile.
I think she was right. But it came as no surprise. The previous night had seen the start of a quite impressive losing streak, one which I'm sure would have contended for some kind of record, had it been recorded. Yet all around me seemed to be raking in the chips like the clean up guy in a Pringles factory. For instance,
"You sure you want to split them?" asked the dealer looking at the pair of two's in front of the guy to my right, then at her ten.
"Ummm, yes, I think so..."
Needless to say he won both hands after she (and I) went bust. But this was how it went all night.I was finally persuaded to quit after losing my last two chips to consecutive blackjacks.
I consoled myself with "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". Or so I very much hoped.

My mood level was elevated (lets say to pink on a totally arbitrary and meaningless color scale) when, while walking through Mandalay Bay, I discovered that Le Tigre were playing that very night at the House of Blues. Woohoo!
They totally ROCKED! And the delicious irony of seeing them play in Vegas made it even sweeter. If you know Le Tigre and you know Las Vegas, I think you'll know what I'm talking about.

In other news there seems to be a veritable dogfight going on for bronze medal position on the counter on the right, between UK and Taiwan. Familiar territory for the brits, but, I suspect, less so for the Taiwanese.

Okay, clearly this is one of those filler posts. Next up, continuation of Fox Force Five!

BTW - what's YOUR take on Cassavettes?
Misogynist? Genius?
Alcoholic? Messiah?

The creative element of the blog ("What creative element, Cali?") is temporarily in limbo (who's limbo, Foxy?).

In the meantime, I just finished watching tonight's Daily Show - the only consistently excellent TV show in a lake of pond scum. Tonight's guest was Robert F. kennedy Jr., who seeks to increase awareness about the danger of childhood vaccination. In particular he points toward a "scientifically proven" link between the use of thimerosal (mercury) based vaccines and autism, which he claims to account for frightening increase in autism incidence in kids over the last twenty or so years. As I've discussed before, the increasing rate of autism diagnosis is truly alarming, but there simply is no good scientific evidence, as far as I'm aware, that it's linked to thimerosal-based vaccination. The simple fact that autism and autism spectrum disorder diagnoses are continuing to skyrocket, while thimerosal-based vaccines have been used for more than twenty years, argues against a causative link.

People need someone or something to blame for that which they don't understand and which hurts them; mercurial vaccines seem to be the moslem vehicles of the medical world. There's no doubt in my mind that Kennedy's heart is in the right place, and research should still be rigorously applied to the possible link between vaccines and autism, but such strident rhetoric can only deflect from real research into the causes of these disturbing developmental disorders.


After quite a few weeks, and one postponement, I saw my therapist today; 9 am appointment, as usual arrived at 9.30 with an excuse. It was a short session to catch up with a few weeks of being "off schedule". I explained, or excused, myself about the wedding trip and pointed our upcoming trip to Vegas this weekend (we have an old friend staying - we're driving there). Bottom line? Back on schedule next Sunday or we talk about detox. It is a very scary prospect for me.

K. asked me again about how I would feel living without alcohol. Out of the blue I mentioned a few blogger friends (not by name!) who were bipolar. The descriptions I've read from them of being bipolar and off the meds, and the reluctance to go back on the meds seem to mirror so closely what I can only imagine it will be like to live without alcohol. It should be no surprise, after all, addiction and psychological disorders are controlled by the relative levels of certain neurotransmitters (fuck you, Tom Cruise!) It's the sense of loss, the feeling you'll never experience THAT feeling again. But, more than anything, its about being prepared to endure the unendurable lows for those ephemeral highs. Or is it? Let me know, hee hee hee!

Amazing Anonymous was kind enough to ask Fox a set of five questions. My answers and the mandatory instructions are below. I'd be quite happy to ask anyone else who wants to play another five questions.

Instructions.

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying "Interview me." "Blow me" or "Eat me" are not acceptable substitutes.

2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different. I'll post the questions in the comments section of this post.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.


1. Most important discovery of the last century?

Penicillin.

2. Candy is dandy, but liquor quicker. Which do you prefer, though?



Kandy Kiwi Mousey. Yummy!

3. What do you have in your pockets right now?

The 8 ball. (Don't ask me what that means, I've no idea).

4. 'Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe. Explain.

I'm going to let Scully handle this one.
"Oh, freakin' great! You couldn't give me the most important discovery question?"
Just thought you'd be familiar with Jabberwockies and Jubjubs, that's all *smiles pathetically*.
"Loser."

5. Who is your favorite Bob?

I'm torn between "yer uncle" and the great Sir Bobby Charlton. But glancing across at the nationality hit counter, it seems pretty unlikely that anyone will know either of them.

I'd planned a post about our week in TN, and M and J's wedding.
Somehow I can't do it.
It was a wonderful week though.
To share with two very special young people entering a new life, to enjoy being part of a large, new(ish) family, to sneak out for cigarettes with a whole bunch of new friends.

Priceless.

See what I mean? Blogger's block.

We're off to Tennessee tomorrow - family wedding. Back in a week or so, not that that will affect post frequency! Still in the stone age of photography (no digital) but maybe I'll post pics.

Happy Canada Day, Canadians!

Happy Fourth of July, Americans!

Happy, well, just Happy, Spirit Of Owl and any other non-North American visitors!