That was a title of an email I received. They are too {insert hyperbolic adjective here} not to post on my personal forums. They show a very different picture of Iraq, and in my introduction to them, I explain why. Everyone needs a dose of reality, or at least perspective, and it isn't available in the form of mas media. They can be found here, along with personal captions:...

I think we both had a great time. But I'm not posting pics of me beardless. I'm highy unphotogenic. But I did add a userpic based on a blogging friend of mine, "Pork Tornado" (Dusty Scott). I ate a lot of misc. munchies and the music was widely varied. I didn't warm up on the dance floor until much later in the evening. Christina was beautiful. And didn't really dance. But we slow danced at the end, and I held back...

Almost forgot, but thought it worth mentioning, now that one of David's relatives emailed me out of the blue. I saw Jessica shopping at Big Lots the other day. She looked nominally the same on the outside, but seemed like a totally different person. I can't really describe it, but it's like she's been domesticated into middle age hard or something. Like the intense spiritedness she once has was long gone. Kinda...

I shaved for the Father-Daughter Dance tonight. On another note, my computer is freezing up due to RAM issues ... I'm on 256Mb right now while running WinXP, and my needs are greater than most, so I'm limited to one or two larger applications at a time. It may be time for that major upgrade. If only I could afford it right now with tuition and raxes coming up ... geesh.

The ending celebration for the winter olympics was really amazing ... at least what I caught of it. The"skydivers" held in place by the jet of air was an amazing foretaste of entertainment in the future. Andrea was good, and Ricki Martin was ... eh. A little annoying with his apparent beleif he is cooler than he really is. But the one thing I caught was people dressed up in playing cards. My MARSEILLE taror deck to...

Yesterday at the hair salon with Christina, I looking in the mirror in really good lighting and for the first time ever, I can see the grey in my hair. Everyone else says they see it, but I can never find it, or it just looks slightly blong to me. But I could see it near my temples and a slight touch throughout my head of hair, as well as all over my beard. And I also realized I was having the front of my hair cut...

When I think of continental breakfast, I think ceral dispenser, a toaster for bagels, and a plate of danishes. Not any more. The presentation was out of a fairy movie, with roses mixed in with silver plates and bowls of fruits, dates, cereals, a pitcher of milk, a few cuts of pork and lamb (which Moo specially requested for Mer). Oh, and chilled mushrooms and other stuff that I'll probably remember later....

I've played cards since as young as I can remember. I played endless hands of solitaire before there was any such thing as a home computer. I built card houses and structures that would practically meet building codes for California. And like chess, it insipred within me a glimpse of the medieval -- some abstract, simple meaning beyond the reach of the conscious mind. That's why I've had a growing interest in...