Artsy

Music: Dust, "Walk in the Soft Rain"

Hey, lovelies (I've taken to your usage of that -- seems nicer than "bloggies" or the equivalent)! Among other things, I've been playing around with hand-coloring black and white pictures. Very low-tech, but yields good results more often than not. I may do that with some of your portraits, ones that I really like.

Invariably, as fall approaches (my favorite season, even though it works over my allergies), I get the urge to do more art -- probably manifested by the inability to go outside and play! Anyway, I want to fill the apartment's white walls with creations. If anything looks good, I'll photograph it and post it for your viewing pleasure, my friends!

I'm partial to conceptual art -- I keep notebooks where I jot ideas down, things I'd like to make, but lack the discretionary income to create. Always a frustration, although lately I've thought about making them using other materials, simpler, cheaper things, and still hopefully honoring the original idea. That way, it's not just stuck on paper (or in my head), and it lets me try the idea out almost as a model of the actual piece I have in mind.

In other news, I sent out five stories this week to various publications; fingers crossed! We'll see. If anything wonderful happens, you'll be the first to know!

Have a good weekend, lovelies! Oh, and here's a fun toy, getting you ready for winter...

Line Rider

Enjoy!

Big boy

My older son (and me, in the mirror). He's looking very serious.

Yes and No

I took this from Amy...

ARE YOU:

1. A Cuddler?
Yes. I'm a hugger, too -- I love hugs, including getting them.

2. A morning person?
Yes. I'm also a night person. You figure it out.

3. Are you a perfectionist?
Definitely not -- inspired improviser, that's me! Always a tactician, never a strategist!

4. An only child?
Yes and no. I have no biological siblings; I have two older stepsisters, but they're 6+ years older than me. So, kind of both an only and also not. It gets lonely sometimes; I wish I had a blood sibling.

5. Catholic:
No, although I've been to plenty of Catholic masses.

6. In your pajamas?
Nope.

7. Currently suffering from a broken heart?
Maybe halfway broken; like a crack without a complete split.

8. Okay styling other people's hair?
Baahah. Not.

9. Left handed?
Yes.

10. Addicted to MySpace?
No. MySpace is really boring.

11. Shy around the opposite gender?
It depends if I am attracted to them or not. If yes, then yes; if no, then no problem.

12. Loud?
Yeah; I try not to be, but years of rock music probably didn't do my ears much justice.

DO YOU:

12. Bite your nails?
Nope.

13. Get paranoid at times?
Always; I remember a quote that stuck with me, saying that anybody living in the USA who wasn't paranoid must be crazy! Nowadays, more so than ever!

14. Currently regret something that you have said/done?
Not in recent memory; I can rationalize almost anything away, although I feel guilty for almost everything I do.

15. Curse frequently when you get mad?
I've been cursing steadily and reliably since 1979, when I was at summer camp, and reasoned (to my fellow tentmates) that since our folks weren't around, we could swear with impunity; so we all began doing it.

16. Enjoy country music?
Only old Country music.

17. Enjoy jazz music?
Some. Like Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" -- and only in certain moods. I respect Jazz, even though I'm much more of a Rocker at heart.

18. Enjoy smoothies?
Yes. Jamba Juice rocks.

19. Enjoy talking on the phone?
I'd rather be in person.

20. Have a lot to learn?
I dunno; if I'm ignorant of things, then I'm ignorant of them, and am not aware of needing to learn them, eh? A very American condition.

21. Have a pet?
Two old cats.

22. Have a tendency to fall for the "wrong" person?
Not a chance; I'm too picky.

23. Have all your grandparents died?
Yes; they're all gone, now. Last one died on Labor Day. He was 100 years old.

24. Have at least one sibling?
Still no blood siblings, you tool.

25. Have been told that you are smart?
Yeah, they have. I've also been told I'm smart-assed, so there you go.

26. Have had a broken bone?
I think I broke my left middle finger, but never got it set or anything, because the damage was right at the joint.

27. Have Caller I.D. on your phone?
Yes.

HAVE YOU:

28. Changed a diaper?
Of course. Many, many diapers.

29. Changed alot over the past year?
God, yes.

30. Had friends who have never seen your natural hair color?
Hahah -- such a girlie question, there. My hair's always natural.

31. Had surgery?
Three times.

32. Killed anyone?
Nope.

33. Had your haircut within the last week?
Yes.

LAST PERSON WHO:

1. Slept in the bed beside you?
Wife.

2. Saw you cry?
Wife.

3. Went to the movies with you?
Coworkers.

4. You went to the mall with?
Wife.

5. You went to dinner with?
Wife.

6. You talked to on the phone?
Wife.

7. Said 'I love you' to you and meant it?
Wife and sons.

8. Broke your heart?
Muse.

9. Made you laugh?
My sons; they crack me up. That picture I posted of Mister Strawberry Face cracks me up.

WOULD YOU RATHER?

1. Pierce your nose or tongue?
Nope.

2. Be serious or be funny?
I am funny and serious; best of both worlds!

3. Drink whole or skim milk?
Soy milk. I hate real milk; it grosses me out.

4. Die in a fire or drown?
Christ, what a nasty question. I'll say "fire" if it means I can fly into the Sun. That might be interesting.

5. Spend time with your parents or enemies?
Parents, I guess. I have few enemies worth associating with.

ABOUT YOU!

1. What time is it?
2:45 p.m. CST

2. Name?
Dave.

3. Nickname(s)?
Davis. Davey. Dude (people tend to call me "Dude" or "the Dude" and it sticks).

4. Where were you born?
St. Louis, Missouri

5. What is your birthdate?
April 16, 1970

6. What do you want?
Early retirement based on my bestselling fiction, which has given me fame and fortune and a kickass Asian-themed minimalist place by the ocean on a glorious beach, perhaps in Hawaii.

7. Where do you want to live?
Anyplace is good, so long as I can do what I like.

8. How many kids do you want?
Two boys is what I have. Kinda wish I had a daughter, but can't imagine a third kid, frankly.

Pretty day

Lovely Sunday, my lovelies. Mild temperatures, mostly sunny sky, no rain, at long last; made up for yesterday's dismalness. I was trying to take some pictures, but nothing jumped out at me as being worth sharing, so you're left with my words.

I'm feeding diced strawberries to my secondborn, who's gobbling them down with the relish he applies to all edible things. He's humming as he eats, and is pretty darned happy. Here he is...

Cryptic sign

What do you think it means, my lovelies? Any guesses?

Healthcareless

Man, this is both an embarrassment and an outrage -- Just a sign of how ill-served our country is by for-profit healthcare, how the insurance industry has made a killing (literally) in the process. Outrageous.

U.S. Health-Care System Gets a "D"
By Catherine Arnst
Thu Sep 21, 3:08 AM ET

The U.S. health-care system is doing poorly by virtually every measure. That's the conclusion of a national report card on the U.S. health-care system, released Sept. 20. Although there are pockets of excellence, the report, commissioned by the non-profit and non-partisan Commonwealth Fund, gave the U.S. system low grades on outcomes, quality of care, access to care, and efficiency, compared to other industrialized nations or generally accepted standards of care. Bottom line: U.S. health care barely passes with an overall grade of 66 out of 100.

The survey was carried out by 18 academic and private-sector health-care leaders, who rate the system on 37 different measures. The poor grade is particularly discomfiting, the researchers note, because the U.S. spends more on medicine, by far, than any other country. Approximately 16% of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) is devoted to health care, compared with 10% or less in other industrialized nations.

Health care is also responsible for most new job creation, according to BusinessWeek's Sept. 25 cover story (see BusinessWeek.com, 9/25/06, "What's Really Propping Up The Economy"). Yet the U.S. ranks 15th out of 19 countries in terms of the number of deaths that could have been prevented. The study estimates that each year 115 out of 100,000 U.S. deaths could have been avoided with timely and appropriate medical attention. Only Ireland, Britain, and Portugal scored worse in this category, while France scored the best, with 75 preventable deaths per 100,000.

Below Potential. The U.S. ranks at the bottom among industrialized countries for life expectancy both at birth and at age 60. It is also last on infant mortality, with 7 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with 2.7 in the top three countries. There are dramatic gaps within the U.S. as well, according to the study. The average disability rate for all Americans is 25% worse than the rate for the best five states alone, as is the rate of children missing 11 or more days of school.

The report found that quality of care and access to care varied widely across the country, and it noted substantial gaps between national averages and pockets of excellence. The authors concluded that, if the U.S. improved and standardized health-care performance and access, approximately 100,000 to 150,000 lives could be saved annually, along with $50 billion to $100 billion a year.

The Commonwealth Fund, which studies health-care issues, commissioned the report last year as part of an effort to come up with solutions to the nation's troubled health-care system. The report "tells us that overall we are performing far below our national potential," says Dr. James J. Mongan, chairman of the team that pulled together the study and chief executive officer of Partners Healthcare in Boston. "We can do much better and we need to do much better," he says.

Among the reports' findings:

--Only 49% of U.S. adults receive the recommended preventive and screening tests for their age and sex.

--Only half of patients with congestive heart failure receive written discharge instructions regarding care following hospitalization.

--Nationwide, preventable hospital admissions for patients with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and asthma were twice as high as the level achieved by the best performing states.

--Hospital 30-day re-admission rates for Medicare patients ranged from 14% to 22% across regions.

--One-third of all adults under 65 have problems paying their medical bills or have medical debt they are paying over time.

--Only 17% of U.S. doctors use electronic medical records, compared with 80% in the top three countries.

--On multiple measures across quality of care and access to care, there is a wide gap between low income and the uninsured, and those with higher incomes and insurance. On average, measures for low income and uninsured people in these areas would have to improve by one-third to close the gap.

--As a share of total health expenditures, insurance administrative costs in the U.S. were more than three times the rate in countries with integrated payment systems.

Yawn

Music: Iggy Pop, "Candy"

Morning, bloggins! Hope you're all doing well. I watched part one of the Andy Warhold documentary last night on WTTW. It was interesting, although I had two complaints: 1) the ongoing minor-key piano that accompanied most of it, lending this oddly tragic air to the whole enterprise; and 2) the monotone, staccato delivery of the female narrator -- "Everything. She said. Had this. Urgent air. About it."

But otherwise, I really enjoyed it. I love anything about artists, their real lives, how it intersected with their art, how they go from obscurity to fame and immortality. Interesting stuff.

Man, I wish I had a studio. If I ever made good money, I'd definitely have a floor in a building that was pure studio, where I could do sculpture and paint. Our little apartment's too small for anything too fun.

Cloud Mountains

This morning, the clouds looked really cool, like mountains over the lake, obscuring the horizon. The picture doesn't quite do it justice, but it was really neat looking.

60 Questions

Mememememememe...

1) Do you talk in your sleep? Sometimes. I'm far more likely to laugh in my sleep than talk.

2) Ocean or pool? Ocean. I love the ocean.

3) What song is on your iPod right now? The Zombies, "Whenever You're Ready." I love that song.

4) Current crush? She knows who she is.

5) What's your favorite color(s)? Blue. Also, kelly green. And burgundy.

6) Window seat or aisle seat? Window. I like to see.

7) Ever met anyone famous? Actually met them? Not that I can remember. I talked with Noam Chomsky by e-mail a few times.

8) Do you feel that you've had a truly successful life? Not remotely.

9) Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Twirl, of course.

10) Ricki Lake or Oprah Winfrey? Neither. Gimme a break.

11) Baseball or Football? Baseball.

12) How long do your showers last? Ten minutes, almost without exception or effort on my part.

13) Do you know how to drive a stick? Yes. It's fun.

14) Cake or ice cream? Cake, if forced to choose. Cake rules.

15) Are you self-conscious? Sure. What's the alternative, being self-unconscious? Or conscious of others?

16) Have you ever given money to a bum? Why, yes. I've given them food, too.

17) Have you been in love? Three times. First time, I didn't know any better; second time, I just knew it; third time, I should have known better, but didn't.

19) Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No, I haven't.

20) Can you tango? No, but I can fake it admirably. I'm a good dancer.

21) Last gift you received? A CD, probably. Suede's "Coming Up."

22) Last sport you played? Flew a kite over the ocean; does that count as a sport?

23) What would you like to spend a lot of time doing? Writing. Always writing. I could write all day if I didn't have to worry about money.

24) Last wedding attended? It's been a number of years; it was in Wisconsin, where I watched a guy make the worst mistake of his life, but sure couldn't tell him.

25) Favorite FAST food restaurant? Subway.

26) Most hated food? Jello.

27) Can you sing? Yes. And I can harmonize, too.

28) Last person that called you? My mom. She's about the only person who still phones; very old-school!

29) What're your least favorite chores? Having a full-time job; I don't mind chore-chores like dishwashing, that kind of stuff.

30) Favorite drink? Mai Tai, when I stop to think about it.

31) Are your parents married or divorced? They divorced when I was five.

32) Are you a vegetarian? Not so much; more like opportunistic carnivore, or general omnivore. I mostly get my protein from soy, but if you put a pork chop in front of me, I'll eat it. However, I don't eat beef -- I stopped eating beef when I was 19, when I read that guys could halve their risk of heart disease by cutting beef from their diet, and you know what: it's true! My heart is in great shape, my blood pressure, tip-top!

33) Do you believe in Heaven? God, no.

34) Favorite Show? Project Runway. Designers amaze me.

35) What jewelry do you wear? A necklace with a shark's tooth on it. A wedding ring.

36) Are you eating? Not right now.

37) Do you eat the stems of broccoli? Yeah, because I abhore wasted, but I don't like'em. I like to get broccoli that's florets only. As a kid, I called that the "Brock" and the stems were the "Lee."

38) Do you keep commitments? If I make them, sure. I'm loathe to make commitments, but once made, my word is good.

39) Can you dance? Yes.

40) Would you ever have plastic surgery? I turned down the chance for a nose job when I was 17 (got a deviated septum operation, and they offered a nose job as well; I said "I was born with my nose; I'm going to keep it").

41) What do you wear to bed? Nothing. If it's winter, a t-shirt.

42) Have you ever done anything illegal? Yes, but nothing serious.

43) Can you roll your tongue? Yes, in a rare way -- I can make both side of it curl inward, making my tongue look kind of like a shamrock.

44) What kind of shoes are you wearing? I'm wearing tan chukka boots. They look sharp.

45) What is your hair color? Ash blonde.

46) Future child's name? I have two boys; they're already named. If you'd like to know their names, I'll e-mail you them.

47) Do you snore? Curiously, only when I'm coming down with a cold.

48) If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Europe. I'd spend a year there if I could, just taking my time, taking it in.

49) Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Hell, no. Women who do that kind of weird me out.

50) If you won the lottery, what would you do first? Quit my job.

51) Gold or silver? Silver. I like silver better, can't quite relate to gold.

52) If you could meet anybody in history, who would it be? Jesus. Why not?

53) City, beach or country? Beach. City. Country.

54) What was the last thing you touched? Besides keyboard? Bag of Sun Chips.

55) Where did you eat out last? Nookies. They make great food. Try'em sometime, but do it after the morning rush, when all the weekenders are having their morning-after breakfasts.

56) When's the last time you cried? Like a real cry, not just some tears? Months ago.

57) Do you read blogs? Sometimes, if I like the people.

58) Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex? Oh, already did that -- my older stepsisters dressed me up as an old lady for Halloween when I was like 10 or something. They put me in actual old lady clothes with panty hose and makeup and a wig and an old hat and pearls and granny glasses. They were very thorough.

59) Ever been involved with the police? Yes, but never my fault -- just as a spectator. Although one time a cop picked me up to take me to court because I'd witnessed him taking down a shoplifter at a department store I worked at, and he wanted me as a potential witness, but it turned out the shoplifter didn't show up at court, so I wasn't needed.

60) Do you have pets? Two cats: Newt and Jinx. They're old, too -- we got them back in 1992.

Ad Hoc Pond, Redux

A picture of it; not as great as what I saw the other day, but what can you do? The other day, the sun shined on it, and there were tons of birds in it. I did like the flooded park bench, however.

Oh, yeah...

I just gave my Firefox skin a Halloween theme. I love Halloween; I know we're a ways from it, but it's too cool! Every day is Halloween!! It looks neat, makes me want to change the color scheme for this blog, make it all Halloweenish and dark. We'll see if I'm that industrious or not! ;)

Medicine Man's Best Friend?

I saw this at Celticfest. Cool statue!

Beautiful sky

The sunrise is almost upon us, turning cloudsd crimson, now pink, soon orange and melon. Beautiful.

Ate a slice of chocolate cake for breakfast. Yum.

I watched "The Gangs of New York" on DVD yesterday, and am always impressed at Day-Lewis's performance as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting. He owns that movie, outacts everybody in it with his gleeful menace. Great actor.

Today: Celticfest, in Grant Park. My younger boy looks like a little leprechaun, anyway, with his red hair. Too perfect. I went to the first Celticfest they had in Chicago, ten years ago, now, amazingly enough. It's gotten so much bigger over the years. Maybe I'll remember my camera, take some pix, even! ;)

Ad hoc duck pond

Music: Alice Cooper, "Ballad of Dwight Fry"

I saw something wonderful this morning, had to jot it down -- in a park in Chicago, an area where, somehow, a heavy rainfall had left a great pool of water in what had been lawn before, creating a great pond of significant size. It's probably one or two hundred feet in diameter (??) and it was occupied by seagulls, ducks, and Canada geese. I wanted to snap a photo of it, but didn't have my camera handy. The way the water caught the light and reflections of the city, the avian congress holding court in peace. It's neat, looked like something Amy would've captured in a picture.

I'll try to remember next week, in hopes that the pond is still there. We'll see.

Ho-Humming

Music: Nova Mob, "The Last Days of Pompeii"

I have the blues today. Bleah. I'm sick to death of my coworkers, of my current job, I just wear my headphones and listen to music while I edit. I sent my resumé this morning to a place, beginning that whole process. We'll see if anybody's interested.

Totally unrelated, but I got my first rejection from a literary agency! Woo hoo! I figured I needed to move beyond merely collecting rejections from editors of publications, and toward long fiction (actually, a short story collection, in this case).

more later...

What the Hell?

Music: the Stooges, "Raw Power"

How the hell can it only be 1:45 in the afternoon?? The day is dragging, my bloggies! Rainy, chilly kind of day, and slow at work, too, because of server woes. Hmph.

When they ordered us workspace calendars, I ironically picked one with inspirational messages on it. Last month it was "Teamwork" and it said "Working as a team player means winning as a team."

I noticed that the inspirational messages always have words highlighted, I guess so the suits can have quick takeaways: "Working. Means. Team. Got it."

The month before, it was "Success" -- "Success is selecting the right course and sticking to it." Again, "Success. Course. Sticking. Got it."

This month, it's "Inspiration" and it says "Inspiration is the source of creativity." Inspiration. Source. Creativity. Got it.

Hahaha! I love mocking that kind of stuff. Most policy in our country is framed in three-word phrases: War on Terror. Just Say No. No New Taxes. Us or Them.

Got it.

Memelicious

A meme by way of Vesper, the Queen of Memes...


How do you like your eggs? Scrambled or poached.

How do you take your coffee/tea? I drink neither coffee nor tea.

Favorite breakfast foods? Cold pizza or fried chicken.

Peanut butter? Smooth. I also really like Nutella.

What kind of dressing on your salad? Vinegar and oil.

Coke or Pepsi? I don't drink soda so much, but if I had to choose, Pepsi.

You're feeling lazy. What do you make? Toast with butter.

You're feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Mushroom.

You feel like cooking. What do you make? Potato gnocchi with one of my homemade marinara sauces.

Do any foods bring back good memories? Most definitely; I have a fond memory of Carnation Instant Breakfast Squares (they don't make'em anymore -- at least not the ones I remembered from childhood in the 70s -- they were like little chocolate cakes with their own special taste). They remind me of safety and niceness -- I still remember their taste and smell.

Do any foods bring back bad memories? Bean soup. My mom would make it from scratch, but I never liked her recipe for it, and we'd eat it all the time, and I hated it. I like most bean soups, but anything that makes me think of that, ick. Scalloped potatoes trigger that kind of vibe, too.

Do any foods remind you of someone? Grilled cheese makes me think of my stepdad; he made the best grilled cheese sandwiches.

Is there a food you refuse to eat? Anything that is frothy or jiggly -- like jello, whipped cream, souffle, aspic, etc. I like to chew my food.

What was your favorite food as a child? Chicken with rice cooked with cream of mushroom soup. Tuna casserole.

Is there a food that you hated as a child but now love? Tomatoes.

Is there a food that you loved as a child but now hate? I can't think of any.

Favorite fruit & vegetable: fruit -- peaches. vegetable -- Brussels sprouts.

Favorite junk food: Cake.

Favorite between meal snack: Anything I can find that's tasty.

Do you have any weird food habits? Only the consistency issue I mentioned above, but I don't think it's weird.

You're on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? Air-popped popcorn.

You're off your diet. Now what would you like? An ostrich cheeseburger. Ostrich tastes really good. It's the other red meat.

How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? Lightly; I used to really love hot stuff, but have mellowed with age.

Can I get you a drink? Gin and tonic, thanks.

May I get you a drink? You're still here?? Gin and tonic, motherfucker.

Red wine or white? Better red than dead.

We only have beer: That's good. Get me a decent lager or a brown ale.

Favorite dessert? Mint chocolate chip ice cream.

The perfect nightcap? A mint julep.

Guess what?

I'm back! Woo hoo! Great weather, great waves, great beach, fun times. I really need to become a multimillionaire.