The other flip-flop drops

I know I'm going to be the bazillionth person to post this, but it's too good to resist:

President Bush, 8/30/04, asked about the war on terror on the Today Show: "I don't think you can win it."



President Bush, 8/31/04, speaking about the war on terror to an American Legion convention: "Make no mistake about it, we are winning and we will win."

This week's McGreevey update

So, Golan "No, really, I'm straight, I mean it!" Cipel has dropped the sexual harrassment lawsuit against Gov. McGreevey. I'm soooooooo surprised. (Get a bucket, the sarcasm's dripping.)

"It's my party and I'll decry if I want to..."

Democrat giving the keynote speech at the RNC—Zell Miller, the senator from Georgia—he gave the keynote speech (or some speech) at the DNC for Clinton; newscaster's teaser: "Why the switch?" ("We'll find out after these messages...")

J.: Because he wasn't a Democrat in the first place?



Me: "We'll see you Ron Reagan and raise you a sitting senator!"

Olympic fever, belatedly

I watched the Olympic closing ceremonies last night, with the athletes all down on the field in the middle of the stadium, waving and holding camcorders and mingling with one another, and all I want to know is...how do I get to be an Olympic athlete? I don't even want to win anything; I just want to be able to stay in the Olympic village and be in the closing ceremonies.* Considering my age (29) and known physical limitations (anemic, not tall), it'd have to be equestrian or weightlifting—and equestrian would take a lot of time and money. (But you can do it into your 60's, so if I ever get rich I can try it...) Hm. I wonder how much weight I could lift?



(J., who used to lift weights in an approaching-serious way but stopped before he hit the really serious way, tells me that weight training takes years, and gym fees and trainers and equipment cost less than horses and stables, but still aren't cheap. Well, sure, if you want to be reasonable about it...)



*I think one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Yale more than any of the other schools I visited on the Junior-Year College Tour is that I visited on moving-in day, when the campus was full of enthusiastic freshmen who were absolutely thrilled to be there. All the excitement and energy and enthusiasm made me want to join in, to be a part of it, to move in right then and to hell with my senior year of high school. (Of course, I did go back and finish my senior year of high school...and then I moved in at Yale...)

Vent like a deep-sea volcano

J. got this link from The Presurfer and sent it along to me: Clientcopia, a collection of stupid client quotes.

There's no getting around it. At some point in your career, your patience will be tested with a client who is so clueless that you'll question your sanity, career choice, and the future of mankind.



You may have dealt with one already, one that just stuns you like a deer in headlights. Dumbfounded to utter anything but an "uhhh…".



[...]



Clientcopia was created to give you an escape. Take joy in knowing you are not alone.

There are 153 quotes as of right now, and you can submit your own. I contributed this one, from—of course—our designated Client From Hell:

We were typesetting a book for a client, and sent them a sample PDF of a typeset page. Client, in a panic: "This looks awful! The proportions are all wrong! It's the wrong size!"



Yes, that would be because they want a 9" x 6" book, but they printed the sample on 8½" x 11" paper.

There, I do kinda feel better now...

This week's slice of Onion

It's the little things in the Onion that make me laugh these days: this week's Infograph lists events at the Republican National Convention, including "a spirit-building game of Pin The Blame On The Donkey."

*crave crave crave*

Is this cool or what?: ThinkGeek is selling a USB optical liquid mouse with a little floating duck or fish built right into it. (They say it goes well with their USB desktop aquarium.) It's simultaneously the cutest and the coolest computer mouse I've ever seen (well, "the coolest, and the only cute"). I think I need this—not in the same way that I need, say, food or water, but in the way that one only needs the impractical, unique, and slightly embarrassing. (I also need the Showgirls VIP Edition DVD, but I'm going to have to buy it under an assumed name or something. Although J. pointed out that it would be fun to get it at Amazon at the same time as something completely unrelated: "Customers who bought this DVD also bought...'Das Boot'! 'Deliverance'! 'Brideshead Revisited'!")