Neanderpundit

I was lying in bed last night, reading a collection of short stories by Arthur C Clarke, (Nine billion names of God) while the wife watched the taped end of “friends”, and I watched with her, or rather listened and peeked over my shoulder at the screen from time to time.

I just don’t get it. No, I mean, I really don’t. I don’t ever watch “network” tv, I haven’t seen a “sitcom” since “all in the family” and then only rarely, and every time I turn on the tv and see a broadcast show I am amazed by how uninterested I am in it.

Oh, I watch tv, it’s on over my shoulder as I type. “Throne of blood” by Kurosawa. A great flick, reminiscent of Macbeth. I like that these old samurai films come on IFC, and I have my receiver set to automatically flick through IFC, History, Discovery, TCM.

I read. I read a novel length book or more every day for entertainment alone. I read technical manuals constantly, I read about fifteen weblogs with regularity, I read several firearms related message boards, and I read a LOT of online short fiction by “amateurs”. If I want to smile, I read something by Mencken. If I want to laugh out loud, H Allen Smith and Patrick F McManus never disappoint. If I want to forget the crappiness of the day I crack open a science fiction novel, or a good mystery.

I can’t see watching TV for hours and hours. It makes no damned sense to me at all. Oh, I’ve seen an episode fo NYPD Blue or E.R. that I liked, but Blue is all about “how can we fuck with Sipowicz’s life today” and ER holds your attention by never letting you focus on one thing for more than 45 seconds. Perfect for the TV generation. The wife watches soaps she TiVos, and frankly, they make me nuts.

My daughter watches a few shows which we carefully pre-screen, and that prescreening is insanity to me. We have discovered a few shows that are intrinsically safe, thank god, and we can let her watch without any concern, but the couple of years of checking out “teletubbies” and “Barney” were toturous.

Now, she as often picks up a book. Yeah, they’re kids books, they’re trite, but she’ll be doing more soon. I read to her still, as well, stuff a little above her but not too much, and she’s starting to look at my library with some interest. She knows I’ll let her get away with murder if she’s reading. Which, in my mind, is as it should be.

Kim Gun Guy, the very first weblog I ever read in my life, (I came to his website doing a google search for “People’s Republic of Chicago“) and a man I greatly respect, has Blogrolled me! Now I have to try to live up to that standard.

I’ve been linked by several fine bloggers; Baldilocks, Chris Muir,recently by Thiefsden, sheesh- everyone who rolls me, I roll them back as soon as I can.. Francis W Poretto even wrote about me once, it blew my mind!

I am weaseling my way into some damned fine company, people with whom I would stand shoulder to shoulder, anyday, anywhere, anytime.

To Kim- and all those who have linked to my pathetic little blog,

Thanks. I’ll try to deserve it.

Well, then go here. Apparently, the Peta crowd is convinced that eating meat will cause impotence.

I guess they were made from whole cloth and dropped on earth in one piece, with no navel. Or could it be that they’ve forgotten they wouldn’t even exist if not for many generations of meat eaters? Could it just be that they are barking moonbats from hell?

I especially like the middle billboard, the one with the two men in bed. Apparently peta is concerned that gays might feel left out.

I think it’s good that patchouli wearing vegetable eating anti-gun anti-violence people are coming together all over America. It will make them easier to find. And cook.

Vegetarian. It’s what’s for dinner.