Rage, Cornell Unshackle Audioslave
Yah, rock out bros. Altho Radiohead trying out new material for some of their European shows piques my interest more.

ClearChannel can help you figure out artist availability if you want to hire out some good entertainment. P.Diddy? Just $125K for an appearance. Jewel? $50K.

Music stuck in my head: Groove Armada, "My Friend"

Gibson Breaks Hollywood Mold with Film in Latin
Intriguing. What's Mel doing in the picture?

My fantasy football teams deserve a collective paddling. Meh.

Tighten up your knowledge of nuclear weapons with the High Energy Weapons Archive. Since we might as well know what kind of fiery death we're going to pour down on those Iraquis.

It's gotten cold, lately. My mind has to accept that summer is officially over, altho now that I think about it, there is something cozy about weather that makes you break out the comforter when you go to bed. Maybe it's just me. And who's not happy now that Octoberfest is here?

Founder of Dunkin Donuts Dies
Hopefully he won't go the route of the dude who invented the Frisbee, who had his remains molded into plastic discs.

What's in your name?
"The Society of Kabalarians (a registered non-profit society) draws on over 70 years of research and experience in providing name analyses, which offer invaluable benefit to people in understanding their strengths and weaknesses both mentally and physically." Look what they said about my first name: "...Also, you are prone to suffer from weaknesses centering in the head." Dude, they totally know me.

GomuGomu is your friend. When you're sad and lonely, think about him.

ihumpthings.com
Makes me think of James. For some reason.

Song stuck in my head: "Starry Eyed Surprise"

Forbes Top 15 Richest Fictional Characters (Click here for the full article)
Rank Name Net Worth
1. Santa Claus $ �‡
2. Richie Rich 24.7 billion
3. Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks 10 billion
4. Scrooge McDuck 8.2 billion
5. Thurston Howell III 8 billion
6. Willie Wonka 8 billion
7. Bruce Wayne 6.3 billon
8. Lex Luthor 4.7 billon
9. J.R. Ewing 2.8 billon
10. Auric Goldfinger 1.2 billon
11. C. Montgomery Burns 1 billon
12. Charles Foster Kane 1 billon
13. Cruella De Vil 875 millon
14. Gordon Gekko 650 millon
15. Jay Gatsby 600 millon

Fat guy avoids jail because he's so fat. Like a giant, guilty chinchilla.

Look what happens when you put "go to hell" into Google.

An Amish school is ordered to install plumbing, which is ha-ha funny on the surface, but then speaks to some deeper issues if you sit and think about it.

Oh, that job lead I had before? Big zero. It sounds like a cool place (leadership ministry, with an eye toward empowering leaders in the postmodern church) but everyone's working pro bono because it's a startup. Ugh. Totally deflated my Thursday. Back to the drawing board.

9/11 Statue of Falling Woman Covered
Yah, I think something like this brings too many painful memories back.

One of these things is not like the other.

Meet Elizabeth Brady Cabot Winslow, "among the 50 or 100 most intelligent and talented people in the most fields ever." Even crazy people can have websites.

I was flipping through the radio when I heard some station was giving away tickets to the Coldplay concert (Chicago, Sep 24). I was actually thinking of calling in, since I want to go and I don't feel like spending money on them, but who would I even take, and man am I a cheap bastard for not wanting to spend money. Maybe I should sue Walmart.

Normally, I don't post the Onion, because you all should know how good it is. But this is just too good:
Bush Sends Troops to West Nile

Woman trainer rescues Crowe from brawl
A fitting tribute to one of my least favorite actors.

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
...is a new show on ABC. Here are the rules.

Hey, I found out that cigarettes and coffee can lower risk of Parkinson's disease. Figures. I'd rather spend the time making exotic paper aircraft.

Ancient Pyramid Chambers Opened
...only to reveal yet another door. This is the part of the movie where the bogeyman jumps out.

I forgot to mention that I saw One Hour Photo over the weekend. Robin Williams gives a good performance as the loser voyeur, desperately wishing for a life other than his own. Sad and creepy, and well done. I especially liked the washed-out cinematography. Next movie I need to see: Barbershop. Speaking of movies, I found some more news about the Matrix sequels, but do not want to read it. I want to be completely blown away when I see it. Here's the link (from an article in Rolling Stone) if you want some spoilers, but you're ruining yourself if you do, trust me.

If you could change your first name, what name would you like to be called?
Why would you prefer that name?

Stupid Blogger isn't working. Grr.

Chicago Writer Quits for Sex Conduct
Bob Greene?! It's almost the last person you'd think of, considering the human rights causes he wrote about. One of those shocking and sad things that reminds you the world stinks sometimes no matter what.

I found out that my great-grandmother passed away last Friday. She'd reached the grand age of 95, and was surrounded by loved ones during her last moments. I don't think I ever met my great-grandmother since I was 2 or so, before we moved to the States. I know she meant a lot to my mom, and is basically the reason why much of our family is Christian.

Everyone knows that hard work is important. The way I came to fully understand this is so aggravating, mainly because it highlights a lot of my inherent stupidity and laziness.

Most people, me included, go about learning a new skill in the same way: they try it out, see what they're doing wrong, consult somebody who knows better, adjust and try again, etc. Eventually, the skill (hitting a golf ball, cooking, playing an instrument) gets learned, if we put in enough time and effort. Because I am LAZY, I tend to forget that it takes time and hard work to learn something, and just as much time and work to retain what you learned. I tend to try and figure out the quickest way to do something (I call it the "magic" way because I expect it to work like magic), and if I can't find it quickly, my enthusiasm fades away.

I have to remember that people who are good at things are good because they work hard at them, not because they found some foolproof method that works 100% of the time. Good writers don't always write good stuff on the first try; pro golfers don't hit the ball perfectly every time. I have to stop looking for the "magical" way to do things.

This entry is a bit heavy. Unlike the judge who wrote threatening letters to herself to retain her bodyguards, the dog that was saved from a horrid death by its fatness, and some hothead thinks Iraq has 3 nukes.

Went 4-0 in the fantasy football leagues. Somebody tell me when the Bears got so lucky.

I have a job interview today. Think good thoughts.