Car Punching

Dude. A Swiss person PUNCHED my car this evening!! He HIT IT with his FIST (or something in his fist like a STICK. I am not sure)!! I did almost run him over, but it really wasn't my fault. As a rule (and it's just that, a rule, not a law), a driver should ALWAYS yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk. I am seriously awesome about this. If I even THINK someone is maybe contemplating, say next Thursday, crossing the street, I'll stop and wait. But the rule of thumb, for most pedestrians, is to WAIT to ensure the car is going to stop. I've watched people nearly get run down because they meander into the street without looking and expect cars to stop. This is dangerous. In any case, I was crusing along at maybe 25 mph and the sun popped out, and totally blinded me to the fact (N.B.; not figuratively blinded; I was actually blinded suddenly) that there was a guy standing in the median of the street in a crosswalk. Honest truth is that I just didn't see him. But i guess he took exception to the fact that I didn't stop so, and I can't believe he didn't hurt himself, he HIT my car!! I was like, 'dude. you should only hit TAXIS, not PERSONAL cars. Then he started yelling. I just drove off. The GOOD news is that i didn't run the jackass over because that would have been bad. So I guess in the greater scheme of things, a little car punching is a good trade off for not running down a swiss person...Anyway...Stupid car punchers...

Hello

1. Sorry it's been a while, everyone. A crazy few weeks at work and otherwise, there hasn't been much to report.

2. Special thanks to Luddy for his continual commentary. The rest of you need to get your freaking acts together and interact a bit more. yarr.

3. In the states, if you have your fog lights on, and there is no fog (say it's just night), is that illegal? Because here it is. And the flics yelled at me for it. This cop was like, 'your fog lights are on'. And I responded, 'yes. I know. Thanks very much'. Anyway, he finally made it clear that they were not SUPPOSED to be on. Which is lame, because fog lights a) light up the road better at night and b) look much cooler. Anyway, it's just bizarre to me that this is illegal and you can get fined for it (though i didn't, luckily).

LAME.

Movie Premier Delays

One thing I HAVE had a hard time getting used to is the movie premier delays between the U.S. and Europe. In the past, I'm sure it didn't matter as much, but now when you see all the reviews online for films that are being released in the States, it makes one far more impatient over here. Average delay is about a month, sometimes more. For example...I'm sure all my loyal readers are either watching, or planning on watching in the near future, "Snakes on a Plane". Holy mother of god. It's called Snakes on a freaking Plane...Could you pick a better title? i can not WAIT to see this movie...Don't give away the plot either, assholes.

Grammar/style question for y'all (especially you editors who constantly remind me of my mistakes and typos). What is your take on using "and/or" in more 'formal' writing? I hate using it, but at the same time it really is a logical phrase to use. So my questions are:
1. Do you use it?
2. Is it appropriate to use it?
3. What do you suggest instead that retains the short and punchy nature of "and/or"?

"To be considered for this job, you must have five years of relevant experience and/or an MA in a related field"

Without using "and/or", the best I can see is:

"To be considered for this job, you must meet one or both of the following criteria:
- five years of relevant experience
-MA in a related field."

Opinions welcome.

Awesome website

Crooks and Liars...I'm sure most of you have heard of it, but it's got great clips from all the news shows on the hot button political topics. My favorite is the 8 minute video segement from Joe Scarborough titled "Is Bush an Idiot". Brilliant.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/

This happens

Really. It does. It happened to me yesterday...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysg_FoWOue8&search=simon%20pegg

Happy Swiss Medical System

So. For the better part of two weeks, I have been fighting off some weird bug. The doctor FINALLY prescribed (after three visits, blood tests, x-rays and me saying, "Dude, give me some antibiotics") some antibiotics (in the States, for good or for bad, i would have had that a week ago). Anyway, am feeling much much better now, thanks to Mr. Cipro, and I'm struck by a quote from Sam Jackson in "Jackie Brown" that I will now slightly adapt...


"Ciprofloxacin. When you absolutely, postiively got to kill every mother****ing bacteria in the room, accept no substitutes."

Listen up, Pharma companies...I am an advertising god.

The Horror...The Horror

All those poor little penguins running around in the heat...My god.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/08/texas.penguins.reut/index.html

Another Heat Wave?

Woah! The U.S. is getting COOKED this summer. It's supposed to be over 100 in NYC today? Wowsers. Stay cool, friends.

Here, the heat has finally broken as well. Today it's actually damn near chilly out; maybe 65 degrees or so. Which is fine by me, but the Swiss are angry because today is...a National Holiday and it's not sunny out! Day off! Whoo!

August 1, or Swiss National Day, celebrates the founding of the Swiss Confederation in the 13th Century. Which leads me to point something out. The first "Switzerland" only consisted of 3 Cantons (out of 26). The rest, especially those in this area, were added much later. I believe my Canton, Vaud, was not incorporated in CH until 1803. Europeans are always scoffing at the US for being new. Well, when you REALLY look at it, the U.S. has had a much longer lasting and more stable government and country than many other Europen nations.

Also, while we're ranting, I was in Ikea yesterday and I realized that while America is often (and justifiably) blamed for 'exporting bad culture", I started thinking of what the EUROPEANS have exported that has taken over the world. 1. Cheap pressboard furniture (Ikea). That shit is like the plague. 2. Obsession with stupid brands (Prada, LV, Burburry), and a culture that supports ridiculous branding (way more than the US). 3. Crappy euro-trash dance music...The list goes on! :) :)

Finally, this article cracked me up. My favorite quote?

“To be honest, I’m kind of looking for the home run,” said Christopher Priga, who is 54 and has not had steady work since he lost a job with a six-figure income as an electrical engineer at Xerox in 2002. “There’s no point in hitting for base hits,” he explained. “I’ve been down the road where I did all the things I was supposed to do, and the end result of that is nil.”

Dude. Seriously? No excuse to be out of work for four years. Clearly you are a) Lazy or b) severely overestimating your experience. I'm not trying to be insensitive, but if you really are a smart and driven person, you will find work. It may not be perfect to start, but if you are talented, you will work your way up.

And, by the way, i'm not saying it about everyone in this article. I understand not wanting to take a minimum wage job after you worked hard not too. I think a lot of 'blue collar' workers did lose out after working hard for many years. And that's a problem. But for someone who is 'white collar' and clearly educated and trained, there is no excuse for being a bum. BUM!