Vitriol

Vitriol

© 2003 by Andersen Silva (4-1-03)

Last updated 6-28-2022  


Here comes the war...
  Put out the lights on the age of reason!

All right, I claimed last time that I was going to try to refrain from discussing here what was then an ominously looming war, and I'm sticking with that. I will say that the American government is making a fool of itself by pointing fingers at Iraq and China and complaining loudly of human rights violations. Agreed, theirs are a lot worse than ours, but we ain't exactly without sin, so I can only imagine that the stone-casting is out of desperation.

Ah, the French toast and French fries I've had over the past two or three weeks have tasted that much better thanks to the stupidity of Congress. Firstly, those items didn't even originate in France. Secondly, if all our allies did exactly what we told them to do, without question or argument, they wouldn't be our allies, they'd be satellite states, like the old U.S.S.R. had in East Germany, Poland, Romania, etc. If our government wants puppets instead of friends, then it should clearly say so, but until then, France, Germany, and every other nation out there is entitled to make decisions for itself without risk of ridicule or retribution from an upset U.S. And thirdly, Americans with their short attention spans seem to have forgotten that, without the help of the French during the American Revolution, there might not have been a United States of America around to bail out France's ass during World War II. Some of our best thinkers and politicians of the eighteenth century spent years studying, learning, and living among the French, and they brought plenty back to help shape the fledgling nation. It's time for the U.S. to grow up and accept that it won't always get its way, and that friends sometimes have to point out their friends' follies.

Def Leppard this month, Metallica in July. And I've already seen Aimee Mann, Sleater-Kinney, and They Might Be Giants this year, too. Definitely going to be an interesting year music-wise. I'm slowly getting back into my own music, too, and overdosing on TMBG, Jonathan Richman, early Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, Peter Gabriel, and Talking Heads over the past month or so has led me to start writing a song entitled "When Giant Giants Attack." I may record it in the near future and put it up on mp3.com as a freebie, but I really have to finish up all the songs I've already written for the CD before I put too much energy into writing and recording new stuff. I did find myself recording a new cover of "Rockin' in the Free World," though, just a few hours before the war started. I added my own little twists, of course; the first few seconds are lifted from the Doors' "Peace Frog," and I changed the last two lines just a wee bit.

Did I mention that I've finally purchased a left-handed guitar? It's a Nifty Aqua Danelectro 56-U2, and it's a pretty cool instrument. I'd been eyeing one for quite a while now, and finally I pounced. I'm keeping Roxanne, my right-handed Strat knockoff, too; the two guitars have distinctly different feels and playability, and there will be times when I'll want to use one guitar over the other. The Dano is so much lighter than the Epiphone! Yes, I'll get a picture or two of myself playing it, one of these days...

Anyone else watch "Children of Dune" on the Sci-Fi Channel? They did an incredible job with Frank Herbert's material, even better than they'd done with the original "Dune" two or three years ago. I hope they continue with the series, and I'm really looking forward to "Battlestar Galactica" at the end of the year!

OK, I think the nation has just gone to Code Plaid, so I'd better whip out the duct tape or something. See you in a month, if we're both still around!
  - A


April 2004 - The real final Vitriol, Howard Stern, Dubya, etc.
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March 2004 - Dining out with my baby, Virtual PC, and the end of Vitriol... or is it?
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February 2004 - Two weeks between jobs, three new songs, grabbing Panther by the tail
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January 2004 - Ice skating with Gina, sushi at my sister's wedding, war-riding, the pink slip
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December 2003 - Moving pains, goin' places with Gina, Christmas bells
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November 2003 - The looong month of October, finding an apartment, Ozzy's gone
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October 2003 - I'm in love with her and I feel fine, Boston, the Dalai Lama, apartment for rent?
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September 2003 - Andy, happy? it could happen!, taking time off from work, Ringo Starr, "Discworld," the blackout
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August 2003 - (W)here (M)ight (D)ose WMDs be?, gay marriages and the people who fear them, '80s metal bands, Computer Man to the rescue, Philadelphia freedom
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July 2003 - Boondocks.net is back!, rudeness on public transportation and elsewhere, "Hole in the Wall"
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June 2003 - Science fiction movies, where is Boondocks.net?, still no weapons of misconstruction...
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May 2003 - How 'bout them weapons of mass distraction, huh?, Def Leppard, Michael Palin, another Silva, wireless networking, and a damned good raspberry margarita
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April 2003 - They're still French fries, dammit!, a new guitar for Andy, music-music-music
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March 2003 - The buildup for, and the protesting against, war
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February 2003 - The destruction of the Columbia, the National Day of Poetry Against the War, hard and soft atheism, Pete Townshend, and the gift shop
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January 2003 - Christmas loot, "Swingin'," more war talk
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December 2002 - The year in review, moving again?!?, moving world leaders around, too
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November 2002 - "Scarlet's Walk" and Tori's penguin, jackasses, and killing in the name of...
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October 2002 - Boston, Aimee Mann, and Palpatine/Bush
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September 2002 - George Darius Bush and George Xerxes Bush
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August 2002 - Movin' out of Paisan-town, and far away from the Regal Beagle
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July 2002 - Church and state: you gotta keep 'em separated, Dubya still doesn't want to play nice with the rest of the world, John Entwistle's gone
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June 2002 - Movin' on from town to town, Dave Barry and the Rock Bottom Remainders
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May 2002 - Science fiction movies everywhere!, jail time for virus creators, Dubya finally learns to pronounce 'occupation,' Andy gets a promotion?!?
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April 2002 - Terrorism on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, people who don't interact with me or the Web site, "For Dana" to be released on a compilation CD
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March 2002 - Chip implants, the children of God and the followers of Christ commit murder in His name, ultranationalism American style
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February 2002 - Dubya says, "These pretzels are making me- ack!" Sharon continues playing Napoleon, and... the return of Foogar?
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January 2002 - Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne, and other Christmas-related items, stealin' cars, karaoke!
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December 2001 - George meets his sweet lord, terrorists EVERYwhere!, Tomb Raider II finished finally, and the Segway, finally!
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November 2001 - Anthrax (the band), WSOU rocks - but for how much longer? and a minute of silence?
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October 2001 - Osama bin Laden and anthrax and the women who love them
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September 2001 - Five days after the 9/11 attacks
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September 2001 - Governments and armies and the assholes who love them, more misspellings, and a large lack of feedback
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August 2001 - Dubya's isolationism, the Macedonians and Albanians search for peace the Israeli/Palestinian way, 2004 Olympics in Beijing
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July 2001 - Not the Sexiest Geek Alive, war (what is it good for?), murdering citizens American-style
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June 2001 - A dead hitchhiker, the Taliban, and an independent Senator Jeffords
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May 2001 - Joey Ramone's dead, and "Joey Ramone's Dead"
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April 2001 - Brazil (not the Terry Gilliam film), Dubya and carbon dioxide, Yugoslavia begins coming to its senses, Israel and the Palestinians still haven't come to theirs...
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March 2001 - New look for the Web site, upcoming vacation in Brazil!, the pig-headed Taliban, "Hannibal"
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February 2001 - Tomb Raider II, Dubya plays with his new toys, nature plays with El Salvador and India, and the inevitable Chechnya and Israel/Palestinians references
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January 2001 - Snow, a new year/decade/century/millennium, screen resolutions
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December 2000 - The iBook, "The X-Files," the Grinch, the pathetic turn of events in the U.S. elections...
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November 2000 - Got the iBook! the Village Parade, trouble still brewin' in the Mideast, the upcoming U.S. elections...
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October 2000 - Andy turns 30, the Middle East, the anniversary of the invasion of Chechnya...
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September 2000 - A random act of kindness, Great Adventure, new music, new iBooks?
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August 2000 - Palestine and the Israelis, Milosevic, Speight, and breaking the speed of light!
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July 2000 - Israel & the Palestinians, the missile defense shield, and (who'da thunk it?) Chechnya
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June 2000 - Um, Chechnya again, gun-totin' Charlton Heston, misspellings, and xenophobes
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May 2000 - Communism on the last May Day of the twentieth century, and Andy's life ("Don't talk to me about life...")
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April 2000 - Hold on, it's more Chechnya rantin', and an appeal on behalf of a friend caught behind red tape
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March 2000 - Hey, hey, Pinochet, Russia and China won't go away, "The X-Files," the American presidential race, and a prelude to vacation
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February 2000 - Again with the Chechens, and Elián, Pinochet, mp3.com vs. the recording industry, and snow
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January 2000 - Made it through January 1st, Syria and Israel, public transportation, and, er, Chechnya
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December 1999 - Indonesia comes apart, Chechnya (no shit), Seattle's burning, 'n Happy Xmas
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November 1999 - Halloween, my bad knee, Russians? in Chechnya?!? Buchanan and the Reform Party, NIN
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October 1999 - Hurricane on the East Coast, earthquakes in Taiwan, Turkey, and Greece, and Apple Computers
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September 1999 - I'm not getting you down, am I? I'd hate to think I was getting you down...

- - - the Dark Ages (reprise) - - -

April 1999 - the return of Vitriol, Kosovo, a foreshadowing of the Russian invasion of Chechnya (!), and Libya

- - - the Dark Ages - - -

September-November 1995 - the Underground Press Conference, a co-worker bites the dust, Rabin really bites the dust, Remington Bond, Win95, and the Sex Pistols
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August 1995 - the death penalty, the V-chip and violence in pop culture, and "TV Nation"
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June 1995 - Oklahoma City, 'zines, "The X-Files" and "V.R.5"
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March 1995 - I'm sick!, the space program (ha), alt.zines, "Star Trek" and "Voyager"
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February 1995 - the very first Vitriol! Newt Gingrich, political correctness, media overkill, Howard Stern, the Apple goon squad?
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Last updated 6-28-2022