…happened to me this morning at 4:30 A.M. when I woke up with what turns out to have been a kidney stone attack.

I'm fine, and that's something I never want to go through again.

I'm not actually doing much on LiveJournal these days, although I usually remember to read my friends page periodically (it'd be nicer if I could get an authenticated or token-authenticated RSS link to it, since I'm reading so much more in my RSS reader these days, and that way I could see friends-locked posts, too). I am twittering a lot, and I've set that up to show up as a daily digest on my blog on my main site, but the tweets will probably be removed from the front page to their own page, or any time through their category link. I use Delicious a lot. And, while I haven't added new pictures in a while, I am starting to finally use Flickr. At some point, I will make Delicious and Flickr integrate into my main web site in a way that I haven't so far, but that hasn't happened yet.

I'm also on FaceBook, but I really don't do much there. That may or may not change, but I'm really wanting to do more with my own web site and use FaceBook as a portal; I read most of the FaceBook updates about my friends through token-authenticated RSS feeds that they provide. I pull data from my external sources into FaceBook, so if you're there, my profile page tends to link everything together.

Work is busy busy busy; life is no less so in general. We had a partial power outage at home on Monday (the kitchen worked, the TV barely did for the new season of Prison Break and Heroes), and a total power outage on Tuesday due to some missteps by Toronto Hydro. I've been in Canada now for nine years, with Anne-Marie for almost eleven, married to her for almost one, and a Canadian citizen for just over five. I'm planning on a lengthy trip to Alaska with Anne-Marie and my parents in their RV next summer, and not much in the way of holidays or vacations otherwise.

Anyone want to know anything else? Post a comment and I'll try to answer.

By and large, I don't care. I'm shocked to see so many people reacting to the comiquette, but I shouldn't be, I guess. I'm sure there's a lot of sexist pigs out there supporting it. I'm sure there's a lot of women offended.

I was a long-time reader of Spider-Man and specifically sought out some older ones. While the Marvel comic always hewed to the Comics Code, the best description I would give of Mary Jane throughout their history was worldly and experienced. She was always a sexual character. She was always the good-lookin' sexy girl that Peter would never be good enough for.

And she had troubles. It was implied that there may have even been sexual abuse. I think she ran away from home for a while. In the 70s, she was certainly sexually active with the various boyfriends she had over the years. And she always dressed as provocatively as possible given the Comics Code.

This comiquette isn't the movie Mary Jane Watson, who whispers "go get'em, Tiger"; this comiquette is the brash, bold, and sexy Mary Jane Watson-Parker who flirts with everyone and dresses how she wants.

Should Marvel maybe have done a slightly different pose (knees bent; I don't know anyone that bends that way to look in a laundry basket) with the same whimsy? I don't disagree with that sentiment, but the wide reaction—to which I have just added—is odd. But this matches the Mary Jane that I grew up with, in spirit at least.

Have you seen this? Have you played it? Is it any good?

I had to do some searching to be sure, but after I saw a picture of her, I was certain. Leslie Harpold died last week (somewhere around the 7th). I knew her because of my time in alt.society.generation-x (where I ultimately met my wife, Anne-Marie). My time in asg-x was contentious, but Leslie was a great person to know. I had fallen out of touch with her, just as I've fallen out of touch with most people from asg-x.

I'm not sure why, but Leslie's death has affected me today. Maybe it's that she was going to be 41. Maybe it's realizing that there's one less light in the world.

I'll have to see if I can dig up a recipe she shared on the asg-x recipe list some years ago and make it, in her honour.

Pinochet is dead, and another bastard escapes justice. He's dead, which is what he deserved, but he died a free man, which dihonours his many victims.

I simply do not have the words to express how amazing my wedding was yesterday. Not one thing went wrong. We had to adapt things, but nothing went wrong. The ceremony was short, sweet, and poetic.

I had to be at The Old Mill at 12:30 and I spent the time while waiting on Anne-Marie getting the last minute details set up and then greeting guests as they arrived. Harry and Kenneth (my best men) were great as ushers, greeting people and getting them upstairs to the Garret room where we had our ceremony. The time came and Gisela's partner, Rob, pressed play and an instrumental version of "Love of My Life" started playing (from Passing Open Windows). Harry headed the procession while Kenneth (who is my brother) stood by my side. After Harry, Avery (the son of one of Anne-Marie's long-time friends who has become a friend of mine as well, and our ring bearer) came down and was directed to his spot by our officiant, the Reverend Robert Trimble. Autumn, our friend Antoinette's six year-old daughter came down wearing a red velvet dress and a gorgeous crown of baby's breath with an Autumn-sized bouquet of white roses. Antoinette and Gisela followed in black dresses (bought separately, but reasonably well coordinated) and white rose bouquets. My father walked Anne-Marie down to the aisle, and my eyes misted as I saw them. My father was handsome and Anne-Marie was simply radiant. I've never seen her look more beautiful than she did coming down the aisle between our friends. The love in the room for us was palpable.

Mr Trimble introduced the ceremony and brought chuckles from the crowd, most of whom have known us for the last ten years and laughed when Mr Trimble said that we were making our relationship legal and binding. After asking us if we came of our own free will to join in marriage, he called on Harry to read Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 ("Let me not to the marriage of true minds/admit impediments…") and then called on Marc (Anne-Marie's brother) to read a selection from The Velveteen Rabbit about becoming real. This reading drew chuckles as well, and then Anne-Marie and I were asked to recite our vows to one another. We did so, exchanged rings, and then were announced husband and wife and kissed. We signed the marriage license; Kenneth and Gisela signed the marriage license, and then we walked out. We had a group photograph of everyone who was there on the grand staircase at the Old Mill. The photographer's assistant kept us entertained with an impromptu tap dance while he had to run up the back way (the whole group of ~85 guests had arranged themselves on the staircase before he was even ready).

I'll talk more about the rest of it later, but suffice it to say that it was magical.

The whole day.

In five hours and twenty-six minutes, I will be marrying the woman I have been with for ten years and ten days.

I am so ecstatically happy.

There's a lot of family here to celebrate with us, and a lot of friends, too. This is going to be a great day.

It's far too soon to party over the Democrat "control" of the houses of congress. This may, in fact, be a very bad thing for Democrats two years from now.

1. They aren't veto-proof. Just because the Wanker in the White House hasn't found anything to veto yet (or is it one thing?) doesn't mean he won't. When that happens, the Dems won't be able to amass a veto-override. This means that the amount of actual power they can exercise without seeming obstructionist is minimal. If they can't accomplish anything, they will be punished in two years.
   
2. Most of the returning Dems that have been elected are spineless, gutless wonders who went meekly along with the administration when it was on the rise (e.g., before the quagmire of Iraq, when most of our fellow moronscitizens believed that Saddam Hussein actually had something to do with 9/11).
   
3. Speaking of spineless, gutless wonders, as far as I can tell, Hillary is still planning on running in '08. If she runs and is somehow nominated, the Republicans will win the Presidency again. Period. The longer she holds to this fantasy that she's going to be a serious contender, the more damage she does to Democratic chances. It'd be one thing if she weren't as poll-driven (or more poll-driven) than her husband, but she is and she does not understand how much she is hated by a large swath of the country.

America is a long way from healed, and I am happy that I no longer have to live there.

-austin              

...to good readings and vows for my impending wedding. I'm willing to consider most sources (including SF), but most of the wedding party agrees: no god. AM's taken a liking to the teachings of the Dalai Lama, but I couldn't find anything meaningful.

So far, we're considering a reading from The Velveteen Rabbit (the Skin Horse's story) and possibly Shakespeare's Sonnet CXVI.

I'd love to have more suggestions. I'm screening comments for this.

Snagged from starcat_jewel:

( Which crew? )

I had to answer a tie-breaker, so I could also have come up as:

( Who else? )

I can see either one, really, but the first is more accurate, probably.

Lycos News:

"The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism," said Powell, who served under Bush and is a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "To redefine Common Article 3 would add to those doubts. Furthermore, it would put our own troops at risk."

No, Mr. Powell. The world is not beginning to doubt the moral basis. The world has found the very of the U.S. having a moral basis laughable since the U.S. invaded a country uninvolved in the terror attacks on the United States in 2001.

You know what else? You helped in the destruction of that moral basis. At one point, I had respect for you. Not after you spoke in favour of an invasion of Iraq. Never again.

…that it may not be clear that I don´t update here often except the occasional personal life thing. Most of my blog updates, especially technical ones, will be on my website, http://www.halostatue.ca (RSS, Atom). Occasionally, though, I will also be posting to the O'Reilly Ruby blog. Those are better to keep an eye on what I'm doing than my LJ, which I have mostly to read what others have to write and comment on them from time to time.

Vacation rocks so far. Literally. We left on Friday at 23:45 EDT and landed in London around 12:00 UTC Saturday. ( After landing, … )

( Sunday, … )

( On Monday, … )

( We left London on Tuesday, … )

( On Wednesday, … ) The concert absolutely rocked. It may be just Pete and Roger, but they can still rock a hall. If you can call the Treptower Arena a hall. Pete said last night, “this place is kind of a hole—but it’s our hole.” He was right. The Arena appeared to be a converted hanger with no ventilation whatsoever. It had to be 35°C with 90% humidity in the Arena last night. But it was “festival” and we managed to get about 7–10m away from the stage. The picture here is 3× zoomed and significantly reduced in size, but damn was the concert great. Absolutely worth the trip. (AM got to meet Rachel Fuller, too, and may be able to finagle something for the Toronto concert when it happens.) Great night all around.

Off to pick up the car and drive around starting today. I’ll be contacting a couple of Rubyists today to see what can happen with scheduling of things, but we’ll be playing things by ear.

It’s always pleasant when someone points out the obvious for the hard of thinking.

Gakked from kightp.

( Meme-averse beware! )

The thing is, I know that I have a lot of privilege. There’s privilege that I have which isn’t recorded here. In our two person household, we have three working computers. It was four until January. It’ll be four again when I buy my new laptop later this year (until the current laptop dies). We have a laser printer and a colour inkjet, although the latter is currently out of commission. We have dozens of LPs and CDs. We have hundreds of books. We both have iPods. We both work at jobs that we love, and get paid incredible amounts of money for it. I was able to buy quality appliances a few years back when we needed a new refrigerator and stove. We’re going to New York to see family in May, going to Europe for 17 days this summer, I’m going to a conference in Denver this October, getting married in November, and going on another trip (the “honeymoon”) around Christmas.

I’m not trying to brag here. I don’t give as much to charity as I should, but I try not to throw away things that other people can use. I donate things I no longer need—at least semiannually—to Goodwill or other programs that provide for people in need. Am I spoiled? No. Even though I have a lot of stuff, I am not spoiled. I don’t take any of it for granted. And that is what makes people who are spoiled, spoiled.