Erin's my new favorite sister!

My sister Erin gave me a book for Christmas this year. We don't usually exchange gifts, and considering that I'd gotten her nothing, this year was no different. It was a her copy of a book that she and her man (the brilliant Todd of Railroad Earth fame) had both enjoyed tremendously, but she couldn't think of anyone else that might like it other than me.
I was in the middle of three other books or whatnots at the time, so I put this one to the side for the time being, vowing to get to it. It's rare that someone gives me books as a gift (I give them often), and I think the kind of book you give someone says a lot about what kind of person you think they are.

The book is Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder (Buy me!) and I've just spent the last 3 hours finishing it.
It's the true account of an Gold Rush era shipwreck and the attempted salvage of the ship's contents in the 1980s. If Tom Clancy novels are you sort of thing, read this book. If you enjoy a good yarn about good people doing great things, read this book. It's a fascinating snapshot of the time of the wreck, a techno-thriller race between rivals, and an informative peek into a revolution in deep sea exploration.
Mind you - I don't like any of these things. At least I didn't think I did.
But I loved this book.
Now I have to email Erin...

Mind you , I prefer the alternative...

but being stuck at home these days has led to a great appreciation for the sport of curling.
It's fascinating. It's a strange melange of shuffleboard, chess, and bocce. On ice. I'm addicted. I just wish the little girls on Team USA weren't a bunch of chokers. They're so perky and cute. And of course, one of the girls is the obligatory pudgy friend. They would be a great reality show that nobody'd watch.
And women's hockey. Team USA's captain, Krissy Wendell, has moves and hands that remind me of Denis Savard. She humbles all men.
Now that men's hockey has started, the 7AM - 5PM area of my day has a purpose. I go through the job boards and apply, apply, apply. I do some minor project work for a friend. And I flip around on NBC's coverage of the Olympics. (The daytime coverage is a billion times better than the primetime stuff. Sure, they're only showing curling, biathlon, and hockey, but it's all live and you don't have to put up with too much "Up Close and Personal" bullshit. It's all action, baby.)

As some of you know, I was laid off a week and a half ago, in a maneuver as cunning as anything on Survivor. I only wish I was carrying a torch when it happened.
In any event, I have been furiously submitting resumes to potential employers, most of them online. I have become very tired of admitting that I'm a white male and I'm not disabled, and no, I'm not a veteran.
I wish they'd abolish the Equal Opportunity laws just to save me the extra mouse clicks. Geez.
(Of course, this post was prompted when I had to redo an entire submission because I closed my web browser before answering the additional page of EEO questions. Dur.)

Every fiber of my being....

wishes that I was still working in NYC -
so I could waste an evening and $15 going to see Heddatron!<\a>

Could be great, could be a disaster

From Rufus Wainwright's website:

Rufus performs Judy Garland's songs! June 14, 2006.

Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Mark your calendars for June 14, 2006. Rufus will be performing the songs from Judy Garland's legendary 1961 Carnegie Hall live recording - at Carnegie Hall! Please check back for ticket information.

disturbing things to do with children's toys.

This is immensely amusing.
I particularly enjoy the authentic scripts they've written...
(much love and thanks to for the link.)

I'd say that it's amazingly beautiful in NYC today

... but it's 60 degrees in January, and I'm just about certain that means Jake Gyllenhall and Emmy Rossum are going to the New York Public Library very soon, and it doesn't look so good for Ian Holm.