Self-deprecation Day

Pretty much sums up the outcome of a (rare) moment in which The Band did some soul-searching:

• Alex Grey is funnier than we are;
  
• Jaffo's more prolific than we'll ever be; and
  
• sapphire blue's design makes us green with envy.

Still, it's all good -- especially if you can take pictures of it. And, since you've taken the time to visit today, enjoy:

• Journalistic photography picks from the Missouri School of Journalism and the Nat'l Press Photographers Assn.
  

• Good stuff, from Women Speak
  

• Soon to be a local classic, we fear. (While you're there, take some time to delve into the rest of the "Best Of" issue to get a real feel for what makes The Natives tick. The results of the "Readers' Poll" are not to be missed; in what other major American city would readers name Red Lobster as the town's best seafood restaurant? Wendy's -- while not in first place -- as second choice for best burger? Why, Pittsburgh, of course. They Note the category for "Best Stripper." Yeah -- it's a classy city. Really.)
  

• On a completely different note, go here for some real hilarious stuff -- recordings of radio interviews with Timothy Leary (or you can check out his palm, if you're into that kinda thing) and Robert Anton Wilson, among others. Listening to these actually made it possible to clean my office!

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the World Wide Web
(But Were Afraid, nay, Terrified to Ask)

Wherein Erin rightly writes:

Friday, March 23, 2001
1:29 PM:

reading the same unupdated bodies of text every three hours or updated bodies of BLAH BLAH BLAH, click-o-mania, checking the message board, checking the e-mail, checking the counter stats, checking the guestbook, you start to think, "MAYBE THIS IS A WASTE." you start to wonder if perhaps there is something better you could be doing with your time.

you start to wonder if all hope is lost, if perhaps you will never find anyone out there anything like you, who can challenge you or inspire you or get you out of your head where you can hang out with people other than the Fictionals all the time (Andy Fictional, Melissa Fictional, SELINA FUCKING FICTIONAL), posting to your weblog about unnamed "you's" and crossing your fingers for feedback or questions of "who who??" just so you can act coy ("annoyingly unforthcoming") and say, "Ohhh, no one in particular," BECAUSE THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT YOU ARE INCLINED TO WRITE LONG PASSAGES OF TEXT ABOUT PEOPLE THAT DO NOT FUCKING EXIST.

Thursday, March 22, 2001
6:06 PM:

pardon my absence. i am not in the mood to blog.

i'm fed up with all this hate hate hate you suck boo hiss fuck bitch damn you're an idiot anger shit. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE FRIENDLY, SUPPORTIVE WEB SCENE? where, you know, you didn't have to feel under fire allthefuckingtime. yeah. that was nice.

i am going to go become a buddhist and leave you all alone to claw each other to death. HAVE FUN.

-- from smileasshole.com

And While We're on that Subject...

Found this bit of amusement over at Slam Media:

Will taking drugs make me cool? No. Unfortunately drugs do not work for everyone, and there is no guarantee that drugs will work for you. There may be insurmountable personal defects which will always keep you from becoming cool no matter how hard you try or how many drugs you take. If this is the case you must simply accept the fact that you are uncool and go with it into full anti-cool, or severely risk moving straight past cool into deep asshole territory.

-- from text accompanying web article, "Drugs Are Cool, You May Not Be," by James Kent, photos from Erowid, embedded links mine.

That should keep you busy for at least an afternoon.