i don't know why this is funny

from an old "calvin and hobbes," in which calvin tries to draw a comic

suitworld, addendum I

back in the day, i described what it was like to work in SuitWorld. since then, i don't think i've mentioned work much, because (1) it's getting (somewhat) better all the time, and (2) it's not that interesting for people to read, i don't think. maybe it is for people who are in SuitWorld with me, but i see them all the time anyway, and besides, it's hard to get fired for criticizing SuitWorld in print when, well, you don't criticize it in print.

nevertheless, a conversation with T. yesterday reminded me that i needed to amend the original SuitWorld's list of characters. i had described our former manager as The Hammer, which is never more true than it is today ... and i described our current manager as GoodCop/BadCop.

turns out that, upon further reflection, the latter half of that is not accurate. the former half is not enough to suffice, so the search is on for a new appellation.

as always, your thoughts, etc., are welcome below.

for my 'liberal' friends out there

some readers of this blog might be shocked to learn that even sensitive, caring, "i feel your pain" bill clinton is not above a little gay-baiting now and then ...

"... He went to Massachusetts and married his longtime male partner and then he comes back here and announces this," Clinton said at a Harlem news conference.

"I thought, one of two things. Either this guy believes his party is not serious, and is totally Machiavellian in his position, or there's some sort of self-loathing there. I was more sad for him."

what, i wonder, does a GOP activist being gay have to do with said activist opposing hillary clinton?

the bushPod

see what the prez has on his iPod. it might surprise you.

then again, it might not.

all is right with the world

amazing how one little thing can make you happy.

such as getting your watch fixed so that the latch doesn't dangle open, daringly, off the wrist ... looking up "precipitously" at dictionary.com, knowing that it's almost the word you want, but verifying that you are, in fact, a genius ... groove salad with good lighting in your cube in the morning ... realizing that someone else notices the evil force behind a team's mediocrity (see last few paragraphs) ...

of course, it's not yet 8 a.m. on a monday. so all this is subject to change.

stupid ... like a fox!

so was "maxwell's silver hammer" the most annoying beatles-era song paul mccartney ever wrote? or was it so damn smart it just seemed stupid?

buy me some kleenex and cracker jacks

first monday in april: must be opening day 2005.

first monday in april: must be that my preferred team is in turmoil about its starting lineup.

first monday in june: i'll start waiting for training camp 2005.

it's not easy being a pirates fan. in fact, it's not easy being fans in more than a few major league cities. but with the possible exception of tampa and kansas city, it's hardest being a fan in pittsburgh.

"I want a leadoff hitter that hits .330 with 25 home runs and steals 60 bases a year," [manager Lloyd] McClendon said. "A No. 3 hitter [behind Jack Wilson] who hits .340 and drives in 120 [runs], a No. 4 hitter who hits 50 home runs a year, a No. 5 hitter who hits .345."

You get the point. The Pirates don't have that kind of lineup -- let alone that kind of team -- so what difference does it make who starts today? Most likely, the same eight position players won't be back out there Wednesday afternoon in the season's second game.

that's the problem: at some point -- usually after a mid-june swoon, preferrably during a long west-coast string -- pirates fans have to wonder what difference it makes who puts on the uniform. they all are below-average major leaguers. the pirates as currently constituted would tear up some AAA league somewhere. too bad they play in the national league central.

the only hope i can see is that the rest of the nl central is depleted by injuries and/or roster moves. the cubs are damned now that dusty baker and jim hendry have chased off ... steve stone and chip caray. (not the name(s) you were expecting, no?) that team is a shell of its former self, though i do think they will see some psychic benefit from no longer having sosa round.

the cards are depleted and i don't see how they can get by with the pitching staff they currently have -- that's been larussa's achilles since he's been there. the reds and mariners ... blah. maybe the reds. who knows?

all i know is this: it's going to be a typical hover-around-.500 two months for the pirates, then they'll fall apart.

c'est la vie.

only in my sort-of hometown

the nailers sign up for a few more years in wheeling. but they want more saturday games. why?

i don't think she's buying it

i don't think my lovely niece is buying the post below. :)

this is so logical, it's scary.

reminds me of that old foghorn leghorn cartoon, where foghorn's playing hide and go seek with eggbert -- foghorn hides in one place, but the nerd kid finds him in another. foghorn doesn't understand what's going on. but does he try to figure it out?

no.