Mackenzie's Weblog

Decaffeination

Every once and a while, I feel like I've been having too much caffeine.  When that happens, I cut it completely.  I think I've only had to do it three or so times in my life--once I was drinking an entire pot of coffee just by myself every day.

It hasn't been that bad lately, but I've still had more than I think is good for me.  I'm not worried about most physiological effects--they're pretty innocuous--but I think it has affected my sleep.

So yesterday was my first day in a very long time without caffeine.  I don't mind saying it was hell.  It felt like I had a hangover all day.  Not fun.  I expect the same today, though perhaps a bit less severe.  I hope.

Eventually, I may go back to having one or two cups of caffeinated tea in the morning, but I'm going to go without for a while.

Friday Catblogging!

The before and after edition.

In the time that I've been in my new house, Jupiter has slimmed down considerably:

Sebastian, on the other hand, has gotten--if anything--fatter.

(That ain't all fur, folks.)

I'm not looking forward to the day when I'm forced to put them on separate "food plans."  Meh.

I'm Currently Reading:

American Legal Thought from Premodernism to Postmodernism: An Intellectual Voyage

Have a great weekend!

Far Cry

This weekend I finally finished Far Cry, the precursor to the recently released Crysis.  Far Cry was fun, though its portrayal of the one female character was pretty offensive.  The gameplay was difficult, insanely so at times.  It was fun to play, though, especially considering that my PC at the time the game came out wouldn't really run it in any playable sense.

I also played through Portal again.  That's a game that I can unequivocally recommend to everyone, even those who don't usually play first-person games.  The gameplay is so innovative and fun that just about anyone can enjoy it.  Plus, it has really great humor tying it all together.  For all that, the game engine is "mature," so it will almost certainly run on whatever system you have available.

Check it out.

I've been back to Supreme Commander again, when I'm not at the book club (Tuesday), the film series (Wednesday), or just hanging out with friends (tonight).  It's slow going because I tend to take about three hours per level, so by the time I finish a level I'm ready to walk away for a while.

For new games, I'm hoping to grab a copy of Sins of a Solar Empire in March.  Then I'll probably wait until May, when the PC version of Mass Effect (which I've been really looking forward to) comes out.

It's a good time to be a gamer.

The New Phone Books Are Here!

Finally, I am somebody!

Actually, it's just the new printed bar directory, in which I now appear.  Of course, the impact is lessened because I've been in the online version for some time, but there you are.

On another note, apparently this bird appearing on the cover of our latest bar magazine is so endangered that they can't get a photo of its head!

For more, check out Wyomingbar.org.

Review: Middlesex

I recently finished Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugnides.  It's the same guy who wrote The Virgin Suicides, which I loved.  I loved Middlesex, too.

In brief, and oversimplified, the story follows three generations of a family culminating in the narrating character's genetic makeup.  Cal has 5-alpha-reductase deficiency.  While initially appearing to be a female, and raised as a girl, the narrator's genetic makeup is XY (male).  Once puberty hits, she doesn't develop as a girl, but instead, begins exhibiting male secondary sex characteristics.

But the story really isn't about Cal.  In the end, I'm not sure it's about anybody, except maybe Cal's Grandmother, Desdemona.

There's a lot I could say, but I'll limit my comments to one particular thing that struck me.  At one point, Cal discusses being able to move in both worlds, male and female.  The comment reminded me about something I'd thought of before: our society's need to categorize people (and, to a certain extent, things) as either masculine or feminine.  This appears in a lot of other cultures, as well.  Note, in the romance languages, that everything has a gender--tables, chairs, foods, and cars (though, in the US we may talk of a masculine or feminine car, in France all cars are one or the other--I forget which).

Does it have to be this way?  Why must we emphasize differences so much when, at the core, men and women are far more the same than different?  It also seems like this divide getting worse in our culture.  I saw a study recently (I'm too lazy/short on time to find the link) that said that while book-reading overall is declining, the drop in the male population is precipitous.  This makes a certain amount of sense--to a large extent reading narratives is about connecting and relating with other people, a task our current culture seems to put in the "feminine" category.

Back to Cal.  I find it interesting that rather than try to be himself, a mix of the raised-a-girl and genetically-male, Cal must choose one or the other.  Our society simply will not tolerate someone who doesn't fit in one category or the other.  Some gender-bending is ok, even being gay or lesbian is more accepted.  But even then, a person is a man or a woman.

Maybe there are larger implications, maybe not.  I'll leave those for people with more knowledge than I.  But Middlesex reminded me of all these thoughts I'd had before, and made me reexamine my own feelings on this issue.  For that, if nothing else, I highly recommend it.

Friday Catblogging!

You've gotta love the windowsill perch:

I'm Currently Reading:

Middlesex: A Novel

Have a great weekend!

WTF? Seriously.

This is the point where human evolution ends.  Are we really at a place where we must have this guy in our society?

Literally, he's incapable of managing his life without all his techno-marvels.  I'll admit to enjoying the Internet as much as anyone, but I really would be ok without it.  As a matter of fact, I actually turn off my cell (intentionally) and read a book from time to time.  Wonder of wonders.

Plus, I have the ability to read my own handwriting and show up when scheduled.  What's wrong with this guy?

Quotationy Goodness

Well, I managed to change the quotation. That's a good thing overall, as it indicates a greater degree of control over my web space.

I have to admit, though, I love last week's quotation.  Too bad it'll only be up a few more days.

Noted

Living in a relatively unknown, off-the-radar state means that you take your national mentions when you can get them.  Though I would rather this not be what we're known for, it's interesting that a national legal expert brought up this local story.

Overall, the Casper story is pretty good, I think.

Friday Catblogging

I'm having some significant problems with Movable Type (so the quotation hasn't changed), but I hope to have that resolved pretty soon.  In the meantime, enjoy:

It's an old one, but one of my favorites.

I'm Currently Reading:

Middlesex: A Novel

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: United States of Arugula

I've been working on this book for quite a while:

Here's my review.

I think a large part of why it took so long is that this book is dense.  If you're not already very into food culture, I expect you'll have a bit of a learning curve, as I did.  For example, I knew of some of the later chefs, like Emeril Lagasse (mentioned only in later chapters) and Anthony Bourdaine (ditto).  I also knew of some of the earlier pioneers, such as Julia Child (duh) and Alice Waters.

But I'd never heard of James Beard or Craig Claiborne before.  And the same goes for many of the other people flying around.

That said, the book was a fascinating look at changes in foodie culture over the last 70 years or so.  For those wondering, it really focuses on the increase in gourmet and "picky eating" in general.  It doesn't really get into other topics, such as the rise of fast/prepared food.  For that sort of thing, go read Michael Pollan--he has a new book out which, while it may give impractical advice, gives out some good ideas.

In fact, I think that when David Kamp, the author, gets on that soapbox, the book suffers for it.  After a long read of evenhanded history, the last chapter gets a bit preachy.   I suppose that's to be expected when writing a history of something that's ongoing, i.e., here's where we're going.  But it seems like this is the one place that the author drops the neutral journalistic style.  Maybe it's just because I'm a critical reader, but it just didn't work for me.

Bottom line: if you have some time and can handle some sometimes-dense non-fiction, I recommend The United States of Arugula.

Tune in tomorrow to learn what I'm reading next.

Silver Lining

I'm generally pretty leery of Michael Mukasey, but I suppose at least there's this.  It's not a ton of progress, but at least there's something.

Civics Class Case Study

This is horrifying.  Seriously, I have no words.

For those not clicking on the link, basically a judge in Missouri made a custody call.  But the mother who did not get custody happened to be the daughter of a former state senator.  That former state senator then talked to a state House member.  That House member has now requested that the House impeach the judge.

These attempts to impeach the judge are absolutely repugnant.  Regardless of whether anyone thinks the judge made the 'right' decision, impeachment should not be used to second-guess the judiciary.  The House member is saying that the judge engaged in "willful neglect of duty, oppression from the bench[,] and moral turpitude [pdf]."  That's one of the more ridiculous claims I've ever heard.  It's hardly neglect of duty to make a decision you happen to disagree with.

The incident is also an astonishingly blatant misuse of authority of an elected official.  Here's hoping that the voters in that district realize what's going on here and decide to elect someone who will actually spend time working for good social policy.

Tax Time

I love doing taxes . . . when I only worked half the year!  When they've been withholding as if I actually worked the whole year, they've been taking out a lot more taxes than necessary.  I just did some rough calculations, and the refund this year will be awesome.  The same thing happened when I quit my job in August 2004 to go to law school.

Of course, it's a drop in the bucket when it comes to my student loans, etc., but I'll at least be able to make a dent.  It's not much, but it's something.

Already Rich and Just Don't Know It

Well, it's been about eight months, three weeks, and two days since I graduated law school.  And today I got my first call from the University asking for money (not the law school--I'm pretty sure this is a remnant from my undergrad degree).  I could describe the call right at the first of the month as "cunning," but I can't talk because I'm choking on student loans.

Here's another move: they first say the call is to update my address.  They did actually have my old address (so apparently aren't communicating with the main records dep't), and I gave my new one.  Then came the question: Would you like to donate money to the University?

Props for just being direct, though.  That part was cool.

Friday Catblogging!

Strange, it didn't even seem that cold to me:

And yes, I'm still on the same book--but I expect to finish it this weekend.

I'm Currently Reading:

The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution

Have a great weekend!