Dan'l's Multiapostrophic LiveJournal

3:58pm: Unemployment Journal: Week 24
It's hard to believe that it's been almost six months. Yet, in another way, it feels much longer than that.

There's a contract looming on the horizon that might or might not get me two months' work, which isn't much but is better than a poke in the eye.

We are reaching the end of our financial reserves. Soon, we will have to either find another source, or sell the house. Neither is attractive but the latter is more unattractive.

1:13pm: Memery
Haven't done one of these things in a while. The conceit is simple: answer all the questions using the titles of songs by one artist. Try not to repeat yourself.

Pick Your Artist: Todd Rundgren (with and without Utopia)

Are you male or female: Who's That Man?

Describe yourself: Just Another Onionhead

How do you feel about yourself: Sometimes I Don't Know How To Feel

Describe where you currently live: Hideaway

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Road to Utopia

Your favorite form of transportation: Black Maria

Your best friend is: My Angel

Your favorite color is: The Seven Rays

What's the weather like: The Surf Talks

Favorite time of day: When I Pray

If your life was a tv show, what would it be called: Magic Dragon Theatre

What is life to you: Wailing Wall

What is the best advice you have to give: Fair Warning

If you could change your name, what would it be: Mister Triscuits

Your favorite food is: Hamburger Hell

Thought for the Day: It Takes Two to Tango

How I would like to die: The Last Ride

My soul's present condition: Saving Grace

The faults I can bear: Parole

My motto: A Dream Goes On Forever

1:49pm: a manifesto for tourists
as if it were not already sufficiently obvious or blatant that several species of bioform from other spheres of existential dominance have, preceding the writing of this manifesto, invaded the terrestrial or human, the following evidence came to our attention during a transcontinental leisure-oriented excursional venture of the commercial genre, as demonstrating or otherwise indicating or showing that the entire leisure oriented complex known as walt disney world is in fact and or actuality a beacon or lure for said and aforementioned exoteric bioforms

the question (and it has always been a question of top priority in these investigations) concerning the reason for non-terrestrial or alien bioforms entering or invading the terrestrial or human sphere of existential dominance is thereby much clarified if not indeed fully made comprehensible to the enlightened mind, which is to say the mind which will read and understand this manifesto

you should be aware to begin with that possession of this manifesto will probably shortly be outlawed and treated with extremely prejudicial options of the terminal variety if indeed it is not already done so prior to the distribution or even writing of this manifesto

the evidence is clear

in the first place the single common thread among bioform encounters of the abductive variety has long puzzled investigators not only for its commonality but also for its bizarre nature by which the author of this manifesto presumes the reader to be aware of this common feature which is to say that the bioforms for reasons hitherto unknown or uncomprehended the bioforms almost inevitably subject the encounter subjects or abductees to a painful and humiliating proctoscopic or rectal examination resulting in the question among investigators of why or wherefore bioforms should in fact find such fascination with the human colon

theories suggesting implantation of alien devices or bioforms have been thoroughly examined and investigated and in the final so to speak analysis have been discarded on grounds of untenability due to the complete absence of any such devices or bioforms in the recta of encounter or abduction subjects when examined further by investigational teams of medical and forensic specialists in the aforementioned areas such subjects being if necessary terminated prior to such investigation due to intransigence and or reluctance to be subjected to further such examinations

incidentally the possibility that such negative results might have resulted from the incompetence or negligence of the examining teams has been eliminated along with the aforesaid teams by the replacement of the aforesaid teams with others which have produced similar if not identical which is to say negative results in such examinations of living and or terminated subjects

now if there is any question as to the relevance of this consider the nature of the cartoonic or animated so called entertainment broadcast to the universe under the disney name since shortly before the first so called encounters or abductions commenced in the nineteen fifties, which is to say the so called wonderful world of color as brought to you by the disney corporate entity then still under the chairmanship of the brilliant but erratic walter elias disney

as more than one critic of filmic or cinematic entertainments has observed the common element or thread in such entertainments as produced by the disney organization has been the invariable inclusion of humorously intended sequences involving pain or harm to the posterior or posteriors of one or more characters in the entertainment due to impact fire cold stinging and et cetera

these repeated themes have been variously interpreted as infantile and homoerotic however these interpretations are irrelevant to this manifesto

the further encoded messages in the shortly following disney broadcast enertainment product known as the mickey mouse club ensures the high content of rectal or posterior oriented humor in messages broadcast from the human or terrestrial sphere of influence as to which nonterrestrial or alien bioforms might receive in highest variable format

that several disney entertainment zones exist is of no significance to this investigation as only the one and singular walt disney world the others being lands of various varieties contains the key and extremely significant word world which is to say a visible sphere of influence and thus attracts further the attentions of bioforms already drawn to the disney name and or logo by their known proclivity for the proctological or posterior

in addition to the above it is worth noting that in recent years the disney name and logo at the walt disney world leisure oriented complex which has long been associated with such objects de leisure as so called space mountain so called mission to mars and so called captain eo all of the above which have coinhered in the so called tomorrow land along with the so called epcot center and star tours has added to their associational exhibits the so called alien encounter object de leisure which has been demonstrated to not exist in the form of entertainment for familial organization units containing smaller immature persons despite its existence in the so called tomorrow land of the so called magic kingdom

the presence of this so called alien encounter must be understood in the context of the long term disney corporate organization game plan of contacting and or encountering on a disney controlled basis the bioforms which their broadcast entertainment products have titillated with their proctoposterior content although for what purpose we can only speculate at this time

the primary and most fruitful area of speculation in which in fact speculation among investigators since this primary discovery has been rife is regarding the alleged cryogenic preservation of if not the entire cadaver of the terminated walter elias disney then at a minimum the cerebral organ of said disney in which case it may be postulated that the organization has hoped that bioforms capable of transspherical travel for no purpose more significant than investigating human recta might possess technology capable of reviving or otherwise recommunicating with the brain of the aforementioned disney for purposes of which we again can only speculate but of course to speculate about the cause of an action or proposed action or planned action which is itself only speculational bears very little potential for further investigative action at this or future times

therefore we recommend at this time that all investigators adopt and or adapt disney logo wear and other disney logo products to a maximum or maximum feasible degree which will have the added benefit of allowing investigators to recognize each other in the field by the aforementioned disney logo wear and products

if you have questions concerning the purpose or implications of this manifesto you are encouraged to contact the authorizing agency in the usual manner unless you are not aware of the usual manner in which case you are not cleared for such contact

end of transmission

2:56pm: Unemployment Journal: Week 23
The thing with the sf writing didn't pan out. They wanted a part-timer at 1/3 what my lowest contracting rate has been in the past. And at that rate they want someone to write their business plan. Oh, well.

Meanwhile another interview today for a two-month contract. Cautiously optimistic, with emphasis on the "cautious."

4:52pm: We have always been at war with Eastasia.
Today (so saith Wikipedia) is the sixtieth anniversary of the publication of George Orwell's masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four.

1:05pm: Unemployment Journal: Week 22
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Well, this particular Jack would like to be a bit duller right through here. I've given up on the County job - no official notice that I am not getting it, but I'm pretty sure they've notified the people who are by now. Internal rumours suggest that the jobs went to people with advanced degrees, which descriptor does not fit Your Humble.

Lots of applications this past week though, for what that's worth.

There's one peculiar possibility -- I've applied for a contract job writing SF. I'm a little leery of the whole thing but I'll look into it with both eyes. Money's money, and if the money's good enough I'll write work-for-hire, no problem. We're reaching the limits of our financial resources and Something has to give soon.

Meanwhile, creeps on in this petty pace from day to day. Tuesday last was our 31st wedding anniversary and we spent a few hours at the San Francisco Zoo to celebrate, but mostly to hang out together. Watched Saving Private Ryan, which was very good, and Superman Returns, which was good as long as I kept my suspenders of disbelief in order. (Spacey makes a fine, fine Lex Luthor.) Read Mieville's King Rat, which I think I actually liked better than Perdido St Station.

And onward ...

10:54am: Unemployment Journal: Week 21
No news from the County job, which is probably bad news.

Nothing much else happening. Lots of applications, all of which vanish into the aether with the occasional roboreply telling me that my resume has been received.

This sucks.

4:13pm: Le Sigh
There is so much, and at the same time so little, to be said about the decision of the California Supreme Court upholding - though just barely - our accursed Proposition 8.

The little: it is bad politics and good law. Since I support the rule of law over that of demagogues, I am - however reluctantly - taking my stand in support of the Court's decision.

That Proposition 8 should never have passed is, to me, axiomatic. But then, a lot of laws get passed, especially through the initiative process, that shouldn't. As amydmartin pointed out to me years ago, the initiative process is deeply flawed in that it produces poorly written laws, laws whose wording is not vetted by legislative analysts, and so wind up spending court years determining what exactly has been enacted (which may not be what the authors intended).

Granted, that's not the case here. This is just a case of a combo of dirty money and bigotry. But once the law is passed, it's passed, and that's the situation we have to deal with. Asking the courts to throw it out was asking them to rewrite, not just reinterpret, the State Constitution.

As it is, they did a great deal of interpreting. I suspect that those who wrote the proposition are very dissatisfied that the marriages that were licensed before it passed are not being dissolved, are in fact being upheld as legal marriages. Because the proposition creates an exception in the State Constitution, this won't create an opening for future equal-treatment suits (except possibly under the Federal Constitution): but it means that the laws and services of the State will have, for the forseeable future, to deal with marriage in a way that is inclusive of these same-sex couples, keeping the door open for some future date when we join the civilized states like Iowa.

In the meanwhile the struggle for equal treatment under the law will continue. All that has been denied to same-sex couples under this law is the word "marriage." The same arguments that caused the Courts to legalize same-sex marriage in the first place will doubtless cause all the privileges of marriage to be extended in time to same-sex couples, without the name "marriage" attached to them.

As I believe and have believed all my adult life that government belongs out of the marriage business, that marriage is a private or religious affair, I welcome what looks to me like a weakening of the meaning of "marriage" under law in favor of a domestic-partnership arrangement to which gender will be irrelevant. This will take time, but I believe it will come, probably before the State once again gives same-sex couples the right to the word "marriage."

8:33am: Unemployment Journal: Week 20
Gad. Twenty weeks and still no job.

Wednesday I had a phone interview with one company, and haven't heard back from them. Then that afternoon I had the final(?) face-to-face interview with the County and expect to hear from them this week some time. Cautious optimism.

Spent much of the holiday weekend in bed with a particularly nasty migraine. This is now gone and life is much better.

12:27pm: Unemployment Journal: Week 19
This past week was good. Got a letter inviting me to interview with the County - this will be the final interview - tomorrow afternoon. Prayers are coveted from those who pray.

Also, a significant enterprise software company wants to talk to me.

Also, a year-long contract opportunity has appeared on my horizon.

So things seem to be looking up at the moment, though nothing is really "good" until I have an offer in hand.

It was very hot this past weekend. S suggested sitting in an air conditioned theater for a while, so we saw Angels and Demons. Not half bad.

8:48am: Unemployment Journal: Week 18
Very little to report on the job front. Got an official letter from the County saying that I will be interviewed for the actual job but not when or where.

Also, we saw Star Trek, and it was good. Not great, but with the potential for greatness in future episodes.

Actually, I wish they could get this crew to do a weekly show, but it so ain't going to happen.

4:07pm: Just to recap...
...John Scalzi summarizes all the Trek movies to date. In haiku.

1:43pm: Unemployment Journal Week 17
The week began with the interview with the County. It was kind of weird: most of the time I spent alone in a room. "Here," they said, and gave me materials and an assignment -- a vague description of a course that they might want developed. "Tell us how you would go about developing it," they said, "and produce a sample of the materials." Well, since there was absolutly no description of the content I had to pull it out of my butt.

I guess I must have done fairly well. I wound up #10 on the list.

This is better than it sounds. There are 8 positions, and the practice is to call in for final interviews the top n+4 candidates, where n is the number of positions available. So I am what they call "reachable." The only problem is that seven of the positions are pretty well predetermined to go to incumbents who are currently temporary in the position, so I will be competing with four other "outsiders" for the one remaining position.

My former boss at I. sent me a job description (not at I.) today.

Things are looking cautiously up.

How are things with you all?

1:50pm: Unemployment Journal Week 16
Good news: The UIB people caught up with my back payments. So we're able to keep the house for another month-and-counting.

On the job front, I had an "oral examination" with the County of Alameda. They'll tell me how I rated in a few weeks. On the other hand, the boards have been particularly devoid of jobs in my field this past week.

Between (prescription) chemicals and self-management I'm managing to stave off depression pretty well right through here.

Keep on keeping on.

8:46am: There Goes the Sun
So Larry Ellison -- sorry, I mean Oracle Corp. -- has purchased Sun Microsystems, thus producing an effective horizontal trust. (This isn't a serious issue in the computer industry; IBM has had one for years.)

Of more concern is that Oracle now owns the Java programming language. Huge chunks of the internet run on the Java platform, and if Oracle screws with it to make it more Oracle-specific, we could be facing a new kind of monopoly.

Or not. We shall see. I'm not crying doom, just worriting a bit.

8:43am: RIP J.G. Ballard
I went through a "phase" in my 20s when I read every word I could get my hands on by Ballard. I haven't kept up with him so well since, but he remained among my most respected living writers until yesterday, when he disqualified himself.

His writing was angular, complex, and intellectual to the point of frequently excluding emotional reaction. It was also very, very rich in a spare sort of way. In fact, I'm embarassing myself trying to describe it.

Le sigh. I'm sorry the guy's dead. I think I'll go reread Concrete Island or High Rise.

8:42am: Unemployment Journal: Week 15
More not much, but EDD finally responded to me. It appears that I will soon be getting catch-up checks for the weeks since late February. That'll help a lot.

9:00am: Unemployment Journal: Week 14
Another week of nothing much. Still no response from EDD.

2:14pm: The Tolkien Heresies: III
( I warn you once more, this is just silly. )

11:00am: Unemployment Journal: Week 13
Not much to report. Had my conversation with EDD and they said I could expect results in a couple of days, but no hint of what those results would be. We now return you to your previously scheduled life.

1:42pm: The Tolkien Heresies II: The Other Kings
This one isn't so much a heresy as a speculation beyond the ascertainable.

"Three rings for Elven-kings under the sky." Per the Silmarillion, the original Elves were split into three peoples, each with its own king.

"Seven for Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone." Similarly, Aule made the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, each of whom was the lord of one of the seven great Dwarven peoples.

What does that leave? The "Dark Lord on his dark throne" is clearly a unique being, and we have "Nine rings for mortal Men, doomed to die." The origins of Men in the Silmarillion are clouded; they come from the East already fallen. Is it possible -- is it likely -- that Men were created in nine great tribes?

Just curious.

Fair warning: Heresy 3 is just plain silly.

12:06pm: Unemployment Journal: Week 12
Not a lot to report. Had one interview on Friday - obviously, too soon to know how that turned out. This week I have my call with the UIB people to plead for them to restore my benefits.

10:52am: The Tolkien Heresies: 1
Being an occasional series of reinterpretations of The Canon.

Being a frequent reader of both JRRT and Gene Wolfe, it eventually had to happen: I asked myself, who is telling the story, and why? Well, we know who is telling the story -- the received text is a translation of the "Red Book of Westmarch," written by Bilbo, Frodo, and a bit by Sam at the end. More to the point, Frodo wrote the main body of tLotR.

Which led me to question a particular event. Gollum, we know, is extraordinarily nimble. Further, you don't get to be a couple of thousand years old in a cave system without an instinctive caution about where to put your feet down.

So is it possible that Gollum was pushed? And if so, by whom? I'm inclined to believe that Sam pushed Gollum into the Cracks of Doom: Frodo was in shock, and Sam had a heavy grudge against "Stinker" anyway.

Thoughts, anyone?

11:49am: Unemployment Journal: Week 11
The place I had the F2F with called to say "Thanks but no thanks."

On the other hand, I have a new F2F with a company that looks really interesting on Friday.

And, the reason the UIB check was late? They aren't sending one "at this time." I had received a bonus (not huge) from my former employers for the second half of '08, and reported it like a good boy, and now they won't send me any more checks or even forms until I have an interview with them, and they scheduled that for April 1. Grrr. Bloody bureaucracy.

9:46am: Unemployment Journal: Week 10
The company that phone-screened me the previous week called again to set up a face2face, which will be today.

Not many jobs to apply for.

Also, my UIB check seems to be late. Grr.