Starting out with odd items I'm thinking on, doing or considering:

bought the new Hellboy II movie, the golden army---there's nothing better than sitting back with a big cheeseburger and Hellboy on DVD. II is remarkably different than the original movie--i really do not have a handle on this Hellboy II yet, I'm sure it's just me...I'm going to have to watch it several times to get a true feeling for it somehow...i also bought the director's cut, the extended version of Waterworld,---screw you---i love Waterworld---the overall concept that is, with the exception of the whole smoker thing, and i want the Mariner's trimaran--high tech racing sailboats are just appealing to me, even tho i know NOTHING about doing this stuff nor do i want to travel on one...i just enjoy the concept--strange eh?

I read recently about a woman, one eyed, San Francisco artist--(whoa) wants to replace her glass eye with a video cam broadcasting to the web--thinking on this i've found that i like the concept--could be kinda interesting eh?
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/15/2008-11-15_san_francisco_artist_looks_to_replace_lo.html

Staying within the arts for a moment--i also think this is very cool-a British artist who leaves his paintings in public--just on the streets---this is not a starving artist thing--his stuff sells for large money on occasion-the artist apparently feels that art should be out in the world---viewed there instead of a gallery--i like this idea--sort of a banksy on canvas---the world needs more art of any kind available in people's daily back and forth lives...cool.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7730285.stm

An excellent photograph, from the BBC, of a guy, within the recent California fire zone on a Segway Human Transporter---the fact that not only is he on a Segway, but he's mobile texting displays our relationship with technology even in the midst of rabid craziness---i love this photograph, in a nutshell it is our present and our future by those who embrace new technology...William Gibson would be sooo proud of this dude----personally i have'nt done much with my own i2 lately--been too busy on oddjobs--maybe i'll ride some tomorrow...
The automaker bailout---my first thoughts are have the oil companies bail them out with their massive record setting profit surpluses they just squeezed out of the American public..i do believe that there has been a conspiracy (love conspiracy's i do)between the automakers and the oil companies to resist fuel efficiency requirements, technology, and responsibility....

Incompetent executives and designers, advertising filled with lies and deceit-----bribery, absolutely no vision of the future, blaming technological innovation they refused to accept as not their fault... sleeping with the oil companies...they deserve to collapse--but---i worry about the real people, the regular people working on the assembly line, with many,many years invested in this industry losing their jobs, their self worth, their retirement--i say to agree to the bailout but with absolute, time line, stringent requirements to produce fuel efficient vehicles and the EV1 electric car (again!) fire all the executives over a specific command level in the big 3 and--start over...fresh--new. If they want the money make them change--make them!

The last Picture ever taken of Albert Einstein...just before his death...he took a speech he was working on with him to the hospital----

with apologies to the movie "High Fidelity"....

Driving on with the top five:

While on a recent few days off I got to see one of my all time top five science fiction movies, uninterrupted by commericals. The 1956 classic Forbidden Planet..starring Leslie Neilson, Anne Francis, Walter Pigeon---and a great back up crew of supporting actors..and Robby the Robot. Forbidden Planet was the original concept for...Star Trek..a list of the firsts displayed in a science fiction movie--an interstellar ship manned by an elite human paramilitary crew---the Krell---interactive Robotics (with the first nod to the 3 laws)a total electronic music score---beautiful special effects created by an artist under contract from Walt Disney studio's. Forbidden Planet is one of the perfect movies---so ahead of it's time and under appreciated when released

I don't take regular vacations---never have---business travel overseas for ten years ruined any remote concept of vacation i may have once had---

What has evolved as vacations for me are two distinct varieties of time off...

vacation version one:

me working my wrinkled old ass off on the house--

vacation version two:

do nothing, talk not at all, think alot on everything and my relationship to everything, watch CNN for hours, play many SF DVD's, eat poorly but drink alot of coffee.

This week i was off work and did version two..i sooo needed it---just the ability to think without intrusionary demands of the world around me was, well was simply excellent....i feel recharged. At the same time i realize this recharging won't last long term but that does not matter at all...feeling this way for a moment is all there is..

Paint, draw, make a wind chime, clean and organize something that has bothered you for a while, watch anime especially if you've never seen it before, do the laundry really,really well and enjoy it, feed the birds over the winter....and take care.