Ramblin' with Roger

1. When did the Oscars move from February 27 to March 5, and why? I’m in favor, I just am surprised. See BOTH dates noted here– very bizarre.

2. Not gonna ask you who’s gonna be nominated for the Oscars. I’d rather know: Why do we care? I care, and I’ve seen fewer films this year than in a very long time. I will almost certainly have my rooting interests.

3. What do think is the worst (most embarassing, most inept) Oscar moment that you’ve seen or heard about?

BONUS QUESTION: The Washington Post notes: “The board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has chosen the co-star of ‘Death to Smoochy’ and ‘Big Daddy’ to host its prestigious Academy Awards ceremony, which this year will again be broadcast on ABC.”
But if Jon Stewart should suddenly become unavailable to host the Oscars, how about “Fred Hembeck”? Not Fred Hembeck, but “Fred Hembeck”, experienced host of the Fantastic Four Roast?

I’ll answer the third question in the reply section; I’m really seeking information from you folks about the first two and the bonus queries.

Music, of a sort. Sound required.

One of my least favorite tasks at work is something called case reading. Those of us in the Central office have to proofread the information electronically sent to us from the centers across the state. It is an incredibly boring thing to do, made worse by the fact that the centers think I’m just a librarian-in-a-bun fussbudget. I didn’t ask for this task. At the end of the weekly “joy” I invariably say, “There’s an hour/90 minutes/two hours of my life I’ll never get back.”

Until recently, I had to tell the MIS folks that I had completed the venal job. But rather than just write, “Done with casereading”, I would, as my own personal protest, take some music I was listening to, probably something I got from Fred Hembeck, and alter the title with a form of the word casereading. It’s very Loganian. (Loganesque?)

I’ve Got Casereading Under My Skin
Let Me See His Casereading Nose
Casereadin’ on Heaven’s Door
Signed, Sealed, Caseread, I’m Yours
Casereading in the Dark
If You Caseread Somebody, Set Them Free
The Consequences of Casereading
Don’t Think About Her When You’re Trying to Caseread
Casereading with the King
It Was the Casereading Talkin’ (Not Me)
Drops of Casereading
You’ve Really Got A Casereading on Me
I Feel The Casereading Move
Giving You The Best That I Caseread
You Can’t Case Read in a Buffalo Herd
Every Casereading Tells A Story
In Memory of Elizabeth Caseread
The Revolution Will Not Be Caseread
What Casereading Is This?
Hark! The Herald Angels Caseread
Our Casereading Is Here To Stay
Can’t Fight This Casereading
Five Casereaders Named Moe
The Good, The Bad, and the Casereading
Somewhere Down The Crazy Casereading
I’ve Been Casereading You Too Long (To Stop Now)
Casereading Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom)
I Can’t Caseread You Baby
In Memory of Elizabeth Caseread
Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Caseread)
Casereading No. 5
Don’t Case Read in Anger
You Caseread Me Too Much
It Ain’t Over Till the Fat Lady Casereads
Don’t Let Casereading Turn You Around
I’ve Got a Casereading (times two)
Casereading on the Souls of Her Shoes
A Small Casereading of Value Will Come to You, Shortly
That’s Right (You’re Not from Caseread)
This Old Caserereading of Mine (Is Weak for You)
Heaven Must Have Caseread You
Casereaders on the Storm
Old Casereaders at Home
Have Yourself A Merry Little Caseread
Way Over Caseread in A Minor Key
Your Casereading Is Gonna Come
TRYIN’ to throw your CASEREADING around the WORLD
Betcha By Caseread, Wow
It Don’t Mean A Caseread If It Ain’t Got That Swing
Drug Store Case Readin’ Man
All Caught Up In Casereading
Hey Hey (Casereading Comin’)
El caseread pasa
What A Casereading World
Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Caseread)
(Don’t Worry) If There’s Casereading Below, We’re All Going to Go
(You Caught Me) Casereadin’
Casereading Nikki
Lay Your Casereading on Me
I’m Just Talkin’ About Casereading
I Ain’t Gonna Case Read My Heart Anymore
When the World is Casereading Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around
The Last Caseread Evening
There Is Casereading On Your Mind
Song for a Future Casereading
Big Rock Caseread Mountain
Tonight The Caseread’s On Me
Hey Jack Casereader
An American in Caseread
Do Nothin’ Till You Caseread from Me
Caseread Comes Hard To Me
Busy Doin’ Casereadin’
Sexual Casereading in the Workplace
Funkier Than A Casereader’s Tweeter
I Don’t Want To Be A Casereader
The Big Bright Green Caseread Machine
The Old Account Was Caseread Long Ago
The Nest That Caseread the Sky
Like A Songbird That Has Caseread
1st Movement Caseread from the Rach. 3
Gee, Officer Caseread
Beware Caseread
When A Man Loves A Caseread
The Great Wall of Caseread
The Low Spark of Case-Read Boys
Trash, Trampoline and the Caseread Girl
The Miseducation of Caseread Hill
Sit Down, You’re Casereadin’ the Boat
Do You Want to Know a Caseread
Gee Caseread Ain’t I Good for You
I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Caseread
One Case, One Read
Casereading in my heart
Casereading on the Moon
Flushed from the Caseread of Your Heart
The Ballad of Caseread Brown
Shame on the Casereading Name
Dazed and Caseread
Caseread in Vermont
Casereading Mussels (from the shell)
Ruby, Don’t Caseread Your Love to Town
Komm, Gib Mir Deine Caseread
Soul Sister, Brown Caseread
Leave My Caseread Alone
For Caseread, Whenever I May Find Her
Hey Jack Caseread
Mama, He Treats Your Caseread Mean
Casereading the Clouds Away
As Joseph Was a-Casereading
Casereading Letter 23
I Heard the Bells on Caseread Day
Caseread Derby Queen
Caseread in Your Own Hometown
It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Casereading)
Will It Go Round in Caseread
Love’s in Need of Caseread Today
Take Me Out to the Case Read
Casereadin’ Round Crying
Only Casereading Can Break Your Heart
If I Had Possession Over Casereading Day

I think about the nature of God. A lot.
There’s something I truly believe that will be considered as arrogant, or irreligious, or cynical in some circles: as a Christian, or indeed as a person of faith, I think one should always be struggling with the nature of God. If you think you’ve got it all figured out, I don’t think you’re really trying very hard.

I’m not talking about silly stuff like:

I’m talking about the story under the headline:

The story reads that people believed that “God is with us” when the miners were apparently found alive. Then what does it mean when only one miner survived? Writer Mark Evanier said it better than I could.
Somehow, I was also reminded of a certain Christmas carol that seems most appropriate.
Of course, there are journalistic issues to address, too, but that’s another conversation.
***
Meanwhile, friend Tim makes it into the TU another time, this time with A Kinder, Gentler Hell
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How Swearing Works: “We all know what swearwords are. Even very young children know which words are naughty, although they don’t always know exactly what those words mean. Learn what makes words into swearwords, how society responds to swearing and how it affects your brain.”
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Friend Don asks: The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear:
“Has anyone seen this documentary yet? It sounds fascinating, but isn’t playing anywhere near me. The basic idea of the film is that the radical Islamic fundamentalists and American neo-Conservatives are mirror images; they employ similar tactics, embrace similar philosophies, and view the rest of the world with similar attitudes. I’ve read a few lengthy reviews and the film appears to be exquisitely well-researched; many of its statements have the ring of truth. One fact it presents, for example, is that “Al-Qaeda” as most Americans understand it is primarily a post-9/11 fabrication of the US government — something I’ve long suspected after researching the organization in international resources a few years ago. As far as I could tell, “Al Qaeda” is an umbrella term like “La Cosa Nostra”. But this is the first time I’ve heard that fact confirmed in domestic media. (Well, almost domestic; I think this film was initially broadcast by the BBC.)
If nothing else, this movie seems like a good rental when it comes out on DVD. But if anyone has already seen it, I’d be interested in a first-hand report.”
So, anyone seen this film?
***
Is THIS the activity of a good Christian man?
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On a considerably lighter note Interspecies romance.
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Religious right says Barbie is secretly promoting “bisexuality” . Really. Here’s how.
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And, just because, a cartoonist played God.

NAME: Julie Hembeck
BLOG NAME: none that I’m aware of
NAME OF CD: Art Room Mix 2005
NUMBER OF CUTS: 21
RUNNING TIME: 76:24
COVER ART: Typed
SONG LIST:
1 Elliott Smith- amanda cecila 3:10
2 the shins – new slang 3:51
3 rasptina- girls school 5:29
4 le tigre- my metro card 2:56
5 yeah yeah yeahs- maps 3:39
6 killers- smile like you mean it 3:54
7 white stripes- i just dont know what to do with myself 2:46
8 reliant k- more than useless 3:50
9 jefferson airplane- white rabbit 2:33
10 le tigre- phanta 3:16
11 Michael Jackson- PYT 3:58
12 Shins- saint simon 4:25
13 Pink floyd- time 7:06
14 the bravery- no breaks 3 :04
15 Simple plan- one day 3:15
16 modern lovers- dignified and old 2:29
17 Elliott smith- baby britain 3:13
18 SBS- naked birthday 4:24
19 modern lovers- old world 4:03
20 SBS- cocoon 2:09
21 Elliott Smith- independence day 3:04
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED BY:
GENERAL THOUGHTS: Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect. I feared that it would be a bunch of tunes and/or artists with whom I was not familiar and couldn’t relate to. Instead, it was a very pleasant mix of the new (to me) and old favorites.
I was surprised that Michael Jackson was on here; I had heard that she was over Jacko, but the song works here, even though it’s probably my least favorte cut on Thriller. Likewise, the Pink Floyd cut is a winner.
THINGS I PARTICULARLY LOVED: Le Tigre, White Stripes, and the Shins. Also pleased that she included the Modern Lovers.
ON THE OTHER HAND: The disc starts with a couple similarly mid-tempo tunes; I’d be inclined to start a bit livelier. Also, I would have spread out the songs by the last three artists more throughout the mix, like she did with the Shins. But these are minor quibbles about a very nice package.
OFFICE FRIENDLY: Not Reliant K
ONLY VAGUELY RELATED (BY BLOOD): Julie is the daughter of some comic book guy named Fred. My family had the pleasure of meeting her last summer. (She’s the one holding my daughter Lydia.) A less arty rendition of the picture can be found at the August 17 posting, and Julie’s self-portrait is at the same link at August 25.

It seldom fails. I get through the busy choir season, and I develop a sore throat that manages to linger for a week. Started feeling crummy Friday, not “too sick for work” crummy, but that level just below that. So a short post today.

I was on the bus this morning, and the young person sitting next to me was talking to the person in the seat behind.
Person in back: I thought you went to (suburban school district) High
Person next to me: I did, but then I got busted, so now I’m going to Albany High.
Wha?

The headline in today’s (Albany) Times Union newspaper is “Albany leads in tiny realm” – I’m thinking that there are a bunch of Lilliputians in the city, until I read the subtitle: “University’s nanotech resources win it a primary role in new $435 million research alliance that will push science frontiers” (I really DID know what the story was really about, but would others?)

Friends and relatives from out of town are always worried about the Albany weather when they hear about it on the Weather Channel. Well, it’s pretty variable as this story notes.
Additionally, the topography is quite varied with mountains and valleys so that, for instance, one might get a couple inches in Albany and 10 inches in Voorheesville in Albany County, which is exactly what happened this morning.

Fred: Did you know that there’s ALREADY a DVD of the new King Kong movie? Well, not exactly, but King Kong – Peter Jackson’s Production Diaries (2005), which has all the extras, everything EXCEPT the movie, is already out!
Listening to that Sinatra album you made me. I’ll mail the book tomorrow.

Chris: Mailing music tomorrow.

Highly recommended reading: Shhh!!: Keeping Current on Government Secrecy by Laura Gordon-Murnane in the January 2006 Searcher magazine.

Note to ADD : Thanks for the “spam.” Happy New Year to you, too. We’ll talk.