Welcome to Sad Salvation. Day by day by day by day ... this is my attempt to make sense of the world.

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Saturday, February 18, 2006

Do toilet seat covers provide any real protection?

Have you ever asked yourself, Do toilet seat covers provide any real protection?


The answer appears to be no. This is my favorite quote:

"To my knowledge, no one has ever acquired an STD on the toilet seat -- unless they were having sex on the toilet seat!' according to Dr. Abigail Salyers, president of the American Society for Microbiology, quoted on WebMD."

- Rich, 5:33 PM

Friday, February 17, 2006

Comic Book Blogs

Going to Wonder Con got me thinking about comic books. I grew up reading comic books. I think they were the only thing I read from age 12 to 16. I thought they were the best thing in the world. There was something about comic books that I just loved.

Going to a comic book convertion makes me interested in reading comics. The problem is that comics are too expensive for me to make bad choices when it comics to reading comics. My problem is that I am totally out of the loop when it comes to comics. I have no idea what is worth reading. I need a good way to keep up with comics.

1. Are there any good comics blogs that I should be reading?

2. Are any of my Silicon Valley readers interesting in starting a graphic novel lending program? I will show you what I have if you show me what you have.

- Rich, 5:40 PM

Thursday, February 16, 2006

The Grocery Story

The other day I was walking around a grocery story. It had been a long day at work and I had nothing to do with my evening. I felt tired and empty after leaving work. My iPod shuffle started playing a Mountain Goats song.

That moment felt almost perfect. I was feeling a little depressed. There is nothing that says depressed like the Mountain Goats at the grocery store. They are the band that is perfect for the I'm depressed but I am going to get through it idea.

I left the grocery store with a few things the feeling quickly passed.

- Rich, 5:38 PM

Comments, the web 2.0 currency

pictogram girl
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

There are three currencies on Flickr, Views, Favorites, and Comments. Because of the way Flickr shows you these currencies, you get to see the two 200 photos in each of these categories. It took me 920 photos posted before I have 200 photos with at least one comment. As of today I have 200 photos with at least 2 comments. It has only taken me 1480 photos posted to get to this milestone. I feel that I should keep track of these milestones.

There are a lot of ways to game these stats. I try my best not to game them. The only thing I do is add my photos to groups. I try to avoid the groups that people comment on every photo. I feel that is a little too artificial.

The kind of photos I take and I post are effected by the comments I get on Flickr. I think that is the biggest impact of the Flickr currency. I am never sure what will get comments, but I try my best to post things I think might.

I included the photo Pictogram Girl because it is my most commented photo.

- Rich, 12:41 PM

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

SV Meetup notes

SV Meetup
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

Highlights of the SV Blogger Meetup.

I am live blogging at the meetup. Kevin, Hank, Antwon, and Elkit, where all there. It was a small turn out but we still had a good time.

Here are my notes from the night:

-I am in the derivatives market for Antwon's Soul
-I wish they could all be Californium Girls
-Texting while drunk.
-Lifetime movies about Cyber seduction is Save Until I Delete on Antwon's TiVo.
-We want more star wipes in movies.
-My Three Wookies
-There is nothing engineers like more than free lunch.
-We are waiting for the Bible on Power Point
-clicktoaddtitle.com/
-Kevin has a dry full of other people's clothing
-Antwon is a data plumber
-There is no need to include the adjective 'Bad' when talking about Kurt Russell movies
-Spinal Tap Script - Everything goes to 11
-Cheese is always extra. Bacon makes everything better except Cookies.
-Antwon's New Title, Vixen
-Rich: That CEO only dated women who could sue him for sexual harassment
Antwon: That is the weirdest fetish ever.

- Rich, 9:16 PM

Wonder Con

Troops
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

I am a little bitter about Wonder Con after losing my memory card. It has not turned up yet. My guess is that it is gone for good. I will have to just get over it.

I had a good time a Wonder Con. It is a big comic book show, but it is tiny compared to Comic Con in San Diego. Wonder Con is much more like a comic book convention. Comic Con is much more like a geek culture convention with comics being the belle of the ball. The floor at Wonder Con was walkable. I was not there to spend money, that made the floor less fun.

I was there to take pictures of people in costumes. I was a little disappointed at the number of people here in costume. I would never go in costume, but I am happy to take photos of them. I feel that is giving them the attenion they crave. This is why I am pissed about lossing my memory card. My Favorite costumes were Slacker Green Latern, Sherlock Homes Stromtrooper, Buddy Christ, and Alien. I hope the Alien guy won a prize. I was not sure what to make of this guy.

The programming at the convention was kind of light this year. Last year they seemed to have more panels. This year it seemed to be almost all Spotlights on Saturday. Every year there seems to be more and more movie promtion at comic book convetions. I wonder if it is a cheap way to market a movie. I know I am going to see Mission Impossible 3 after seeing J.J. Abrams speak. I can only spend about two hours watching people speak at a convetion.

referendum on comics

When I go to a comic book convention I feel like it is a referendum on what I want comics to be. I should only pick up comics that I would be willing to buy. I should only buy comics that are good. I want to encourge the good parts of comics. This sounds simple, but it is not.

There is so much crap out there. Most of it is unreadable. At these shows you get to see a lot of different things. Some times I want to tell some people to just stop. I want to tell them that their comics are not any good. I want them to learn something about storytelling. I hate when I pick up an ugly black and white comic because the person does not know how to shade.

I love stuff like Ask Miss Anthropy or The Stereos. These are the kind of books that I want to read. These books prove to me that there is something worth reading out there. It gives me hope that I should pick up books and give them a chance.

My least favorite thing are comics like Bumper. Whenever I see Bumper I feel that the person just created it to sell dolls. I do not want icons for icons sake. I want real content. I do not want to get something that is just meant for a hipster to lust after. I want something that speaks to me.

This year's Wonder Con was good enough that I am planing on going again in 2007. Hopefully I will not lose my memory card next year. Just remember, nerd is the new black.

Labels: costume, flickrpost, recap, tag overload, wonder con

- Rich, 6:54 PM

Wonder Con Reports

I would like to point everyone at Peter S. Conrad's Wonder Con Report. The photos I took of Peter were on the card I lost in the back of the taxi. For a good laugh you should check out his comic Hair Styles of Wonder Con.

- Rich, 11:50 AM

What kind of Photographer am I ?

Flickr Turns Two: Molinchka
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

I have been thinking about photography a lot lately. For weeks now I have been lusting after a digital SRL camera. I just do not have the money to spend on one. I have been playing with other people's cameras at meetups. Each time I take some pictures with one, my lust becomes stronger. Going to all these flickr events is not helping. It seems like everyone there has a digital SLR.

At the Flickr Turns Two Party my ice breaker was, "What kind of pictures do you take?" It was the perfect ice breaker for a party like that. I knew everyone there was into photography. It seemed like the right question to ask. It did give me something to talk about with people.

My answer to that question is that I am a "journaling photographer." That means that take photos of the world I see around me. I take photos when I do something or visit some place. I take photos of the people around me. My photographs are very much like my blog. I am happy to be that kind of photographer.

As a flickr user I try to do two things. I feel that I am rewarded for whimsy. There are three currencies on Flickr, views, comments, and favorites. My funny pictures are rewarded with all three of these currencies. If I only cared about those things, I would only put up funny pictures.

My brother told me that he likes my flickr account because he feels that he can really see me from across the country. He can know something visual about the way I live my life. I think this is a good thing.

I am not sure if getting a better camera would turn me into a better photographer or not. I enjoy taking pictures of people the most. I like capturing something special about a person with a camera. I know I would take more photographs of people If I had a better camera.

- Rich, 8:23 AM

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

State of My Heart Address - 2006

State of my Heart Address

It is St. Valentine's Day. That means that it is time for another State of My Heard Address. I have been doing this on St. Valentine's Day since 1994. For the first time since then I am in a relationship on St. Valentine's Day. My streak of not having a relationship on St. Valentine's Day goes back further than that, but I am not trying to dwell on the past.

I am entering the 8th month of a relationship with a wonderful woman. If you read Sad Salvation you know of her as Dreamgirl. The nickname Dreamgirl comes from an obscure Neutral Milk Hotel Song. I found out that a women I did not think exist.

I could go on for pages about all the wonderful things about Dreamgirl. I could tell you about how I feel when she looks at me. I could tell you about how I laugh when she is being funny. I could tell you about how I love to touch the small of her back. There are so many wonderful things about her.

None of those things amaze me. There is something about the two of us that just clicked. Ever since the moment we clicked, it makes sense that I would feel this way about Dreamgirl. I cannot think of any other way I would feel about here.

What amazes me is how knowing her has changed how I feel about other things. Time seems more precious. I am less willing to waste my time then I was this time last year. I want to make the most of the time I see her and I want to see her all the time. The future is more important to me. I do not want to feel like I am floating through time any more. There are lots of things that I did not treat as important before that I feel I should treat as important now. I feel that I need to work hard to make live up to these feelings.

The hard part is not seeing Dreamgirl everyday. Two years ago I would have thought it would be easy to be in a relationship where I did not see the women all the time. I thought I was the type of guy that would be happy to be on his own most of the time. Meeting Dreamgirl has proved that not to be true. I want to see here a lot more than I am seeing her now.

I feel lucky to have met Dreamgirl. I feel lucky to have her in my life. There are lots of little things that needed to happen. I am not sure if I would have met her if they did not. There are all these little bends in the roads to how we met. My father believes in Kismit. I think that we are often lucky when it comes to love.

I was looking at some of my past State Of My Heard Addresses. (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005). Looking at these entries reminds me of how it is harder to write about being happy than it is about being unhappy.

I am thinking about the future more now then I have been in a long time. I do not know what the future holds. I try my best to live in this moment, but it is hard not to think about the future. When I see my future I see Dreamgirl in it.

- Rich, 10:24 PM

Monday, February 13, 2006

Lost and Broken

I took a lot of pictures Saturday. Between Wonder Con and the Flickr second birthday party, I took lots of pictures. One of the reasons went to Wonder Con was so I could take pictures of people in costumes. I knew there would be lots of good pictures to take. I also knew that I would have a lot of chances to take pictures at the Flickr birthday party.

I took a lot of pictures, but I do not have most of them right now. I left my man-bag in back of a taxi last night. At least that is where I think I left it. Of all the stuff in the bag, the only thing that matters to me are the pictures. I can replace everything else but the photographs. I have heard that before, but right now it really makes sense. I was really looking forward to posting some of those pictures on Flickr.

Yesterday I called the cab companies. None of them found my bag. Today I called the SFPD number for things turned in from cab companies. They do not have a listing for my bag either. Right now I expect that I will never get the bag back. Those photos will never be found. All day I looked at my voice mail light wating for a message. I never got that call.

All day yesterday I was out of sorts. I know it was because I lost my photos. I felt proud about getting some of those shots. I felt bad because I did not have them any more.

- Rich, 5:03 PM

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Wonder Con: Learning from Kevin Smith

At Wonder Con I went to the 2 hour Spotlight on Kevin Smith. I have always liked Kevin Smith. I had a great time listing to him talk. I laughed very hard at time. The clip from Clerks 2 looks great.

Here is what I learned from listening to Kevin Smith:

Kevin Smith Feels really bad about making Jersey Girls.

The Jersey Girl Test Audances thought Jennifer Lopez should have died before the movie started

The X-Men movies are alagories about gay accpetacne (brokeback mutant)

You can never hold Kevin Smith to anything he says he is going to do

Kevin Smith does not want $70 dollars to make movies with other people's characters.

Kevin Smith will only do a Fletch movie with Jason Lee

Kevin Smith is all about cock and fart jokes.

Clerks 2 is about how he feels about being in his 30s.

Kevin Smith is such a target for fanboys.

Kevin Smith really knows how to work a crowd at a convention.

- Rich, 5:30 PM

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