Monthly Archives: November 2009

Nov092009

Anniversaries of Note

The Berlin Wall coming down, November 1989

By some strange confluence of historical currents, there seems to be a number of noteworthy anniversaries happening within days of each other this week. The most significant, of course, is the fall of the Berlin Wall on this very night 20 years ago, when ordinary Germans took matters into their own hands — literally, considering they went after the Wall with hammers, crowbars, and even their fingers — and put an end to one of the most powerful symbols of Cold War tension and communist repression, while border guards and secret police stood by and let it happen without firing a shot.

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Nov052009

Continuing in the Same Vein…

I haven’t followed country music very much (read: not at all) since the early ’90s, so I’m only dimly aware of who Taylor Swift is, and I probably wouldn’t even know her name if she hadn’t done that CMT Crossroads thing with Def Leppard a year ago. But then, you really don’t need to know who someone is to enjoy something like this, do you?

taylor_swift.jpg

I don’t have my dad’s uncanny knack for identifying classic cars on minimal evidence — his knowledge of mid-century tail-light design is nothing short of amazing — but I think she’s sitting in a Chevy Bel Air from the early ’60s. A pretty girl in a cool old car… these things make me happy.
(Via.)

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Nov052009

The Conundrum Faced by Every Middle-Aged Male Sooner or Later

Here’s something I was planning to throw into one of those Halloween entries I mentioned earlier, since it’s based on a publicity still from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I figured vampires and slayers and Halloween go hand-in-fang and all. But really, it’s the sort of gag that plays at any time of year:

anthony head and sarah michelle gellar
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Yeah, who among us has not been in that uncomfortable position while in the company of some pretty young thing? I sympathize, Giles, I sympathize…

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Nov052009

The “Handy Substitute for an Actual Entry” Meme

I was planning to do a whole string of Halloween-themed entries last week, followed by some long-overdue business (such as a tribute for the late Patrick Swayze, whose premature death moved me to a surprising degree) this week. But, as it seems to do with distressing regularity these days, work has simply overwhelmed every other aspect of my life lately. Busy, busy days, a few late nights at the office, and a major truckload of job-related stress and anxiety haven’t left much time or energy for anything else.

A few days ago, however, feeling the need to get something posted up here for the sake of my own sanity, if not the pleasure of my Three Loyal Readers, I thought to fall back on the ol’ reliable of the blogosphere, the not-quite-an-entry exercise that you can noodle at a little bit at a time whenever you find yourself with five free minutes. Yes, that’s right, kids, it’s a meme. This particular one is courtesy of Jaquandor.

So, without further ado, let the meme-ocity begin!

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