Some jackhole is defending "don't ask, don't tell" right now on NPR

"Repealing the law will cause more people to leave the military than the law has."

Sounds like a strong case for repealing it then, if it's leading to people who will only stay in the military if it continues to officially back their homophobia. Repeal it ASAP and get those homophobes away from the GLBT folks who are trying to serve our country. This is one very much needed step toward creating one fewer place where homophobes are free to practice hate. Also, my queer tax dollars continue to fund the military. Set it free!

It's too bad the MacBook doesn't have the camera in the spine

...like some of those handheld stylus-using devices do.

Because I'm sitting here in a cafe in Cambridge, and over the top of my laptop screen I can see this nice-looking woman of advanced age, with pearls and a shirt that my mom would call a blouse, reading a novel, who is totally fellating the straw in her iced beverage. And has been doing so continually for about 10 minutes.

(Don't worry, I would blur the face in the video before posting it. And I do have my iPhone, which of course shoots stealth photos -- and is handy for looking at people's outfits or books or whatever with them thinking you're just staring at your screen -- but a still shot just wouldn't capture this, and this model iPhone doesn't shoot video.)

Home Improvement, eeka style

While searching for more information on mounting cabinets to weird nonstandard 116-year-old walls, I didn't find much other than contradictory advice and things that I already know didn't work with smaller and lighter items I've tried to affix to walls. However, I did find this primer on choosing and installing a cabinet, which might just be one of the most hilarious and awesomest things ever written. How does this person know how my home-improvement tasks play out?!

Are MBTA operators allowed to possess these?

(Because there haven't been enough vehicle-related posts here lately.)

This operator is clearly in possession of a container of Good &
Plenty. Should someone be notified?

(For some reason it's REALLY FUNNY when something like this goes by in
a bus.)

Get those hands at 10 and 2 where they belong!

Yesterday, during an in-car discussion of preferred hands-on-wheel position, I looked down and realized that I hold the steering wheel like some kind of demented birdlike creature:



I wonder what else I do strangely.

Wait, what?

Apparently Brookline reserves some of their meter spots for REALLY SMALL CARS.

What the hell kind of plant is this?

Shown below, about to eat my spouse.

This was a gift, and we have no idea whether it should be indoors or outdoors or what to do with it. It's about tripled in size over the past week and now has big white conical flowers, five petals, no, uh, stamen or whatever you call the things that stick out of some coney flowers. It's really awesome and we want to care for it appropriately. Help?

Map of Fort Hill/Highland Park in Roxbury

Since I couldn't find any maps specifically of the Fort Hill/Highland Park neighborhood, I've "made" these maps showing the general area that makes up the neighborhood. They're just screenshots of google maps with some highlighting; feel free to use them or link to them. Also feel free to comment if you think the borders should be in different places than where I've put them.


Zoomed-out map showing proximity to other stuff.


Zoomed-in map so all of the streets are labeled.

Click on either map for a larger copy. When I get some more time, I'll add in some landmarks of cool places on the hill.

Spotted on Dorchester Ave near Fields Corner

Dude on a bike, older 10-speed type, with an old triangular bright blue iMac balanced on the handlebars. Didn't get a good look at him (was too fixated on the iMac) but guessing Vietnamese based on location and certain brand of resourcefulness. Behind him was an ice cream truck creeping up on him and beeping the horn.