The Art of War

It's been a long time since I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu or The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, but I wonder what they say about sitting back, shutting up and letting your opponent screw himself. I bet they advise it, probably just not using that same phrasing.

Un-Friendly

There is a tv commercial for Friendly's that shows a woman getting ready for a romantic night out with her husband who, when faced with the puppy dog eyes of her young daughter, decides to tell her husband to cancel the babysitter so that the whole family can go out to Friendly's instead. I don't get it. Why can't they just plan to go have a family night out on another night? Friendly's is pretty cheap and she's putting on pearls and jewelry, so it looks like she and hubby could probably swing the $25 it would cost to take the three of them out for dinner there. And if they ordered right they'd get the FREE sundaes and not even have to pay for desert. The husband is on his way out the door to get the babysitter when the woman tells him about the change in plans. Is she afraid he's doing the sitter? Like I said, I don't get it.
The commerical came on the other night when my honey and I were at home kicking back and I started to say, "I don't know about this ad. It just makes me think..." And my absolutely wonderful and highly entertaining boyfriend finished my sentence with "that they aren't going to stay together?" Exactly. That is exactly what it makes me think.
Yes, dinner out with the child (or children, if you have more than one) is a fun family activitity, especially if you follow the rules. But for god's sake, Friendly's commercial woman, if your husband wants to get dressed up and take you out to a nice restaurant and you've actually managed to score a babysitter, don't throw it all away for a three-year old's puppy dog pout and a free sundae!

Spooky, Creepy, Crawly Songs

It's time to break out the Dan Blakeslee's Halloween Special cd. Yesterday I saw the flyers for his Oct. 15 show at The Press Room up on campus and was going to take one because they're always awesome, but I didn't because I didn't think it was cool to take one before the gig. Then I read the cover article of this week's Foster's Showcase and Dan had made a direct request in the article that people wait until after the show to take the flyers.
See, I do have a conscience!
If you are in Portsmouth tonight, it would be well worth your while to head down to The Press Room for the Dan Blakeslee Halloween Experience.

The Leaves

The leaves are so beautiful now that it makes me wish I could stop time and freeze everything just the way it is. But would it still be beautiful if it was like this every day? Are things really beautiful because they change and fade and die? That's the idea behind the whole Japanese concept of mono no aware, the beauty of the ephemeral. Not sure about that and quite sure I don't feel like getting into it now. What I do know is that New Hampshire has had the right temperature conditions this year and the colors are brilliant. It makes me feel like I want to spontaneously combust.
NewHampshire.com: Foliage: Fall Foliage Report

32,000

Nine bodies found in group suicides in Japan
I don't really want to write about this, but I don't feel like I can let it pass by without comment.
A Japanese university professor is quoted in the article as saying, ""Young people today don't have a sense of reality about death. They are approaching it as an extension of a game in cyberworld." And he says suicide might be on the rise because young Japanese have had little exposure to the death of relatives, compared to previous generations. That sounds like bullshit to me. I don't think it's that they are approaching death as an extension of a game in cyberworld. I think they might lack proof that life has more to offer.

Let's Go For A Ride

There's a solar eclipse coming up on Wednesday night and another lunar one on October 28. Eclipses come in pairs and generally cause a lot of shit to happen. I try to just lay low and let them blow over.
He definitely has his biases, but I still think Eric Francis' essay about the eclipse gives some decent insight into the dynamics of eclipses. That is, of course, if you happen to believe in that sort of thing. If you don't, then it's just going to be another wild two weeks in the lead up to the election and everywhere you turn it will seem like people are going crazy.

Done!

I already finished the fluffy pink scarf I started knitting yesterday afternoon. I swear the whole thing probably took only three or four hours total. It's sitting on my desk next to the computer, glistening in the light of the desklamp like the pelt of some furry pink mammal. If I had a camera, I'd throw a picture of it up here, but i don't.
I hope it gets cold again soon. Now if I could just get my black, leather jacket back from out of the house. I tried today, but it was no longer in the hall closet. hmmm...

In The Spirit of Halloween

If you want to see something scary, look at this.