2003 In Review (stolen from Jon who liberally borrowed from Chew)

1. What did you do in 2003 that you’d never done before? I wrote a novel.
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I resolved not to make resolutions and failed because of my resolution to not make resolutions. I’ll probably do it again in 2004
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nephew #2 Matthew Wallace was born.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No one really close, no.
5. What countries did you visit? The United States
6. What would you like to have in 2004 that you lacked in 2003? A college degree. But I can’t get that in 2004 either…
7. What date from 2003 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? None in particular.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting back into school.
9. What was your biggest failure? Failing to make and keep a budget. I suck ass with cashage.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Uh… a cheap hooker for new years? No, wait, that was bad. And probably falls under illness. At least the aftermath. Um… can’t think of anything, really.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Mine.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Mine.
14. Where did most of your money go? Me.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Politics as usual.
16. What song will always remind you of 2003? Hail to the Thief by Radiohead. Because the album came out this year.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Happier. I’m in school, I’ve got a new apartment, I kinda know what I’m doing with myself over the next few years, everything’s as good as it’s gonna get at the moment.
Older and wiser? Well of course I’m older, it’s been a year. Wiser? Sure. I know how to tie my shoelaces now!
Thinner or fatter? Fatter. Not FAT fatter, just weightier.
Richer or poorer? Same, still broke.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Knockin’ boots.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Wishing I was knockin’ boots.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? In the past.
21. Question 21 seems to have been left out… Well, I think that when you look at it it’s really there, just hidden behind secret meanings and code for various things. Perhaps Question 21 wishes to ask us to be retrospective over our entire lives and ask “what are we missing? What has been left out?” Or, perhaps it wants us to tell it what we think we should have been asked so far, what has been left out of this questionaire and why? Fill in the blank. Think Mad Lib only not nearly as cool and with fewer options for cuss words.
22. Did you fall in love in 2003? I remained in love for the duration of 2003.
23. How many one-night stands? None. *sob!* I’m so pathetic!
24. What was your favorite TV program? The Daily Show
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Paris Hilton
26. What was the best book you read? Fortress of Solitude by Jonatham Lethem or Honey Don’t by Tim Sandlin. It was a good year for books.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Uh… More Ryan Adams music?
28. What did you want and get? Schooling.
29. What did you want and not get? University level schooling.
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Toss up among Pirates of the Carribean (my spelling sucks), Once Upon A Time In Mexico, and Kill Bill Vol. 1
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I did nothing as I turned twenty four.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? University level schooling.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003? Clothed.
34. What kept you sane? Jenn
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Nicole Kidman. Mmmm…..
36. What political issue stirred you the most? The War In Iraq.
37. Who did you miss? Friends of years past who I have failed to keep in touch with. All of them.
38. Who was the best new person you met? My nephew Matthew.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003: Having a girlfriend who pushes you to do stuff rules because then stuff gets done. It’s even cooler when she doesn’t push you too hard if you say know, so she’s not forcing you to do anything you really wouldn’t be doing.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Why don’t we get drunk and screw…

New At Artifice Comics - http://digitallymystic.com/sites/fiction/ac/

Bush43 #14
“This City Ain’t Big Enough…”
By Jason Kenney
http://digitallymystic.com/sites/fiction/ac/archive/bush43/bush43_14.html

“Jeffery, I believe you feel threatened by this Jet Bastard.”

“How’s that?” I asked as I ducked and then pulled back as Alfonse swung and then kicked at me. I pushed my leg out and he leapt over my kick, coming down with another jab that I had to roll out of the way of to dodge.

“You are going awfully far out of your way to talk him out of his heroics,” said Alfonse, “meanwhile you are on a team with quite a few young heroes that you have not even mentioned talking out of their work.”

“That’s different,” I said, coming at Alfonse with a barrage of punches that he deflected for the most part, but I got a quick one in low and caught his gut. He pulled back and I slackened but that was a mistake. As soon as he was back he sprang forward with a jab into my face followed by a low kick that sent me on my ass.

“How’s that?” he asked as I lay there.

“They’re New Mages,” I said, staring at the ceiling of the cave. “Romanov’s passed some sort of judgment on them and if I tried to talk them out of it I’d be contradicting him. Her.”

“It,” said Alfonse, reaching out a hand to help me up.

“Or it,” I said as it stood with his help. “Still, I don’t want to step on any toes. Jet Bastard, meanwhile, has not been sanctioned by anyone other than Virgil Rock who’s opinion is about as valuable as my shit.”

“How do you really feel about Mister Rock?”

“Ha ha,” I said as I bent to touch my toes and stretch my back and legs. “Still, this kid’s flying around with probably little to no training of any sorts and is really putting his ass on the line and for what?”

“Jeffery,” said Alfonse as he walked towards the towels, “if someone had come to you during your first month and tried to talk you out of being a hero, would you have quit?”

I didn’t answer that.

“Or,” he continued as he came back and handed me a towel, “if you knew then what you know now, if you knew what you were going to go through and the effects, would you have quit?”

My silence was my answer.

Alfonse smiled. “But that is a different situation, isn’t it?”

“I’m invulnerable, Alfonse,” I said, looking him dead in the eyes, “and strong. And able to stand up to a hell of a lot more than just some kid with a jetpack.”

I paused and Alfonse just looked right back at me, waiting for me to finish.

“Besides, I’ve done some good things as a hero, saved lives, made a difference.”

“How can you be certain?” asked Alfonse.

And I have no idea what effect he wanted that question to have, but it pissed me off.

“I think we are done for today,” Alfonse said, turning and walking away.

“Yeah,” I said, but I just stood there.

Bush43 is back with a new issue in which stuff is done and our hero does heroic things. Isn’t that supersweet? Hells yeah it’s supersweet.

Go get some.

http://digitallymystic.com/sites/fiction/ac/

Hey, I never went to CalTech…

BUY THIS BOOK

Derrick Ferguson’s great story, “Dillon And the Voice Of Odin” is now available in paperback through Amazon.com. It’s a damn good story and D’s a stand up guy so please think about plopping down a few bucks for this great book.

If you want a taste of Dillon go check out Derrick’s current story, “Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell”. Once you read that and realize how much it rules, go back and buy the first book. It’s worth it. Write Derrick love letters touting his greatness. He loves that shit.

So I took my ColorQuiz. I don’t think the results are entirely accurate…

Your Existing Situation
Insecure. Seeks roots, stability, emotional security, and an environment providing greater ease and fewer problems, but is either unwilling or unable to exert the effort.

Your Stress Sources
Seeks independence and freedom from any restriction and therefore avoids obligations or anything which might prove hampering. He is being subjected to considerable pressure and wants to escape from it so that he can obtain what he needs, but tends to lack the necessary strength of purpose to succeed in this.

Your Restrained Characteristics
Has high emotional demands and is willing to involve himself in a close relationship, but not with any great depth of feeling.

Your Desired Objective
Takes easily and quickly to anything which provides stimulation. Preoccupied with things of an intensely exciting nature, whether erotically stimulating or otherwise. Wants to be regarded as an exciting and interesting personality with an altogether charming and impressive influence on others. Uses tactics cleverly so as to avoid endangering his chances of success or undermined others’ confidence in himself.

Your Actual Problem
Seeks to avoid criticism and to prevent restriction of his freedom to act, and to decide for himself by the exercise of great personal charm in his dealings with others.

Your Actual Problem #2
The tensions induced by trying to cope with conditions which are really beyond his capabilities, or reserves of strength, have led to considerable anxiety and a sense of personal (but unadmitted) inadequacy. He attempts to escape into a substitute world in which things are more nearly as he desires them to be.

Alright, let’s see.

My “Stress Sources” is kinda full of shit as I’m obligating myself to stuff left and right to the point that I shouldn’t be doing it anymore and I still do. Sure I want to escape, everyone does, but the lack of strength and purpose is simply because I feel an obligation to others.

My “Restrained Characteristics” isn’t just kinda full of shit, it’s flat out full of shit. “High emotional demands”? Bullshit. No “great depth of feeling”? Bah.

“Desired Objective” is kinda off as well. I don’t care if people see me as active or a bump on the log. And I could care less about being charming or influential. I hate flattery, can’t stand knowing that people think highly of me and avoid praise.

My “Actual Problems” are off because everything else is. Charm in dealings is not me. I don’t charm. I’m passive. I smile and nod and do whatever. The “Actual Problem #2″ is perhaps the most accurate part of these results in that the stress of over-extending myself is there and I have low self esteem but I’m not about to escape to some self constructed fantasy world.

Now, ColorQuiz is just entertainment value, so whatever. But some folks think it’s pretty accurate. I disagree. But that’s just me.

How’s this for a sweet ass Christmas present? Just got back from signing a lease on a new apartment. Yes, Jonathan and I are now committed to becoming roommates for a year. We can move in as soon as the electricity is in our name, which will ideally be this afternoon but we’ll see how the utility folks want to play it. Yea, shelter.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Don’t write off the net

Writing is dead, they say. The internet killed it: kids r writing SA n txt, grown-ups rely on spell checkers and stylish grammar is punished by green squiggly lines. In fact, listen to the critics and you would be forgiven for thinking the internet is not so much a cultural wasteland, but a vacuum - sucking the very essence of civility and art out of its users.

Perhaps once. But now, with the internet firmly placed in the majority of homes in the English-speaking world, the web is seeing a burst of old-fashioned literary endeavour. Writing, it seems, is very much alive and well on the web.

Old article, but a good one.

Chris Puzak makes a case of mainstream comics selling graphic novels in a Manga size. And it’s a good idea. Anything to make them more readily available, cheaper, easier to carry, etc. Crossgen tried it for a bit (but Crossgen never really made it and I think they recently folded), and there’s really no reason not to see the other mainstream publishers try it out either.

No Work Today Was out not feeling well yesterday and today they call me at 6 in the morn’ to say, hey, we’re closed today! I ain’t complainin’.

Also, seems I may have found an apartment. Barring any freak accidents my cousin Jonathan and I are meeting up with the landlord on Friday and signing the papers to a nifty new place. Woo! It’s good to have a home again. Maybe.

White House: Clinton’s penis leaked CIA operative’s identity

St Nick Shot Down In No Fly Zone. Santa Claustrophobia Heightens

The Crown Office has announced that Santa Claus is now on the list of international terrorists. Button happy fingered U.N. dissident soldiers, long known for shooting each other in “error “ , are not commenting on clear video footage of Santa’s sleigh being shot down by British troops still stationed in the sandy parts of the world.
Commented one admiral, not so admirably on the rumours circulating in the military, “That Claus is a terrorist. He speaks with an accent and wears a funny hat. That is enough for me.” It has also been found that he has an arrests record as long as the arm of the law for breaking and entering. Oddly enough the only thing he steals is cookies, milk and Pepto Bismol.

Fear of the unknown seems to be at the heart of the problem as well as many soldiers whom grew up in fear of the bearded red man. “Back then the suit made it clear he was communist or socialist, but now that we are allies with the Americans I do not think the socialism issue comes into play here,” one jolly man in green was quoted as saying.
Lack of communication , it was later uncovered, was the true reason for the taking down of Old St. Nick. His true mission for starting his rounds early were to arrive in Iraq where the Iraqi citizens were to be forced at gunpoint to celebrate Christmas.

Scratch ‘N’ Sniff

MAD COW! The Moo Of Death!

Funny how we have this domestic Mad Cow scare and talk of it’s effect on beef manufacturers and the economy comes less than a week after the Post ran an article on how the high protein diets have boosted the industry (can’t find it, it was on Saturday). Heh, oops. Jinxed it.

So I took the Find Your Spot quiz again (took it the first time over a year ago) and the new results are pretty interesting. At least a quarter of the places they recomend are in Virginia. Where I am now. Christ, I’m plain.

Do what?
Saddam was held by Kurdish forces, drugged and left for US troops

Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) was captured by US troops only after he had been taken prisoner by Kurdish forces, drugged and abandoned ready for American soldiers to recover him, a British Sunday newspaper said.

Saddam came into the hands of the Kurdish Patriotic Front after being betrayed to the group by a member of the al-Jabour tribe, whose daughter had been raped by Saddam’s son Uday, leading to a blood feud, reported the Sunday Express, which quoted an unnamed senior British military intelligence officer.

The newspaper said the full story of events leading up to the ousted Iraqi president’s capture on December 13 near his hometown of Tikrit in northern Iraq (news - web sites), “exposes the version peddled by American spin doctors as incomplete”.

A former Iraqi intelligence officer, whom the Express did not name, told the paper that Saddam was held prisoner by a leader of the Kurdish Patriotic Front, which fought alongside US forces during the Iraq war, until he negotiated a deal.

The deal apparently involved the group gaining political advantage in the region.

An unnamed Western intelligence source in the Middle East told the Express: “Saddam was not captured as a result of any American or British intelligence. We knew that someone would eventually take their revenge, it was just a matter of time.”

The Sunday Express is a tabloid. Al Jazeera’s all over this story. So is Islam Online.

Novinite.com has something as well with a reader response that kinda sums up my thoughts:

Dir sir,

This article on the capture of Saddam Hussein makes little sense, because Tikrit is at least 300KM from the Kurdish area, and to think for one moment that the kurds would be wondering around unopposed in Tikrit looking for Saddam without being chased away by local poeple, is beyond belief.

I am an Iraqi who fled Iraq some 20 years ago, I have no sympathy with Saddam, but this story is simply hard to believe.

Best Regards,

al-attia.

If the Kurds had found Saddam first we’d be finding him in pieces. The have no love for him. And even if they didn’t kill him they’d have beaten the shit out of him and he looked in pretty good condition all things considered. No, if the Kurds had found Saddam we’d have known it as soon as they did.

How Would YOU Take Over the World?