2005/03/30

Shemekia Copeland

DaGoddess @ 19:47

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A couple weeks ago, Greg Z came to visit. Shemekia Copeland was performing down at Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge and Greg treated me to the show. Shemekia’s a dynamo and man, that chick can sing! I took a few photos, of course. Enjoy!

Overdone-to-Death Central

DaGoddess @ 03:18

Seems like every time I turn on Central anymore, I’m subjected to one long commercial for one show or another. Even during the roast of Jeff Foxworthy, I was made to endure the comedic stylings of Comedy Central castoffs Colin Quinn, Nick DiPaolo, Greg Giraldo, and Patrice O’Neal. Did they bother to include my favorite, Little Jimmy Norton? No. Apparently they didn’t have to fulfill any contractual obligation with him.

The thing that really rubbed me the wrong way about the set up was that there isn’t a natural connection between the Tough Crowd gang and Jeff Foxworthy and his merry band of Blue Collar tourmates. Sure, they’re all comedians, but that’s it. Well, that and the fact that the Blue Collar crew took over the Tough Crowd time slot for a short time.

So why is Comedy Central putting their has-beens on a show with their most recent comedy darlings? Is it contractual thing or is it merely sucking up to the audience that wants Tough Crowd back on the air? I don’t think any explanations are forthcoming, but that’s okay. I’ve seen enough to have formulated my own opinion.

Comedy Central pulling Tough Crowd off the air angered a lot of fans. For once, folks who leaned a little more to the political right had a show that played to them. Colin Quinn mouthed off about everything and didn’t really care who he offended. Throw in Jim Norton and you had a free-for-all. That’s not to say that more liberal comedians didn’t get their shot on the show. They did. But often fell prey to the other panelists who didn’t play that game.

Typical fare from regular panelists:
“Roses are red, violets are blue, let’s hang Saddam by his nuts, and the French bastard too.” ~ Nick DiPaolo on slogans for War in Iraq t-shirts.

“Well, I don’t know what type of car he’d drive, but I do know that he’d drive an automatic because I’d imagine it’s really hard to change gears when you’ve got holes in your hands.” ~ Jim Norton discussing what kind of car Jesus would drive.

The show continued to draw fans right up until the end. When the cancellation was announced, people started a campaign to save the show.

Now, if Comedy Central axed Tough Crowd in favor of the Blue Collar guys and have replaced them with more reruns of Jon Stewart and the Daily Show, why wasn’t Jon Stewart taking part in the roast? None of it makes sense.

Okay, so let’s say that it was the CC-has-beens versus the newer-CC-has-beens on the roast. Fine. The bulk of the jokes revolved around Jeff’s mustache – gay! – and when someone couldn’t think of anything to say about another panelist they were labelled….are you ready for this? Gay. Yep, if something or someone couldn’t be described by someone else as being funny or having a particular niche, they were labelled gay. How witty. Seems to me that these folks have collectively written enough material that they could have mined something from the depths of whatever hell old jokes must suffer and found some precious nugget of mirth and applied it appropriately.

All that I got from the “special”, which, if you must know, was replayed endlessly over the next 168 hours, was the fact that Jeff Foxworthy has sold more comedy recordings than any other comedian ever. He does so without resorting to foul language, and remains grounded in family values. And this is important, because on top of it all, he’s built his empire on one phrase: “you might be a redneck if….”

2005/03/29

Desert Trip

DaGoddess @ 19:42

Flower

Flower

Smash has the of the trip and some photos. Mrs. Smash tooks some glorious pictures – follow the links on their site to see them. More of my photos can be found here.

2005/03/25

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

DaGoddess @ 20:11

Anyone good with lyrics?

“The bars are temples but the pearls ain’t free”

Do you know the name of the song? The play?

By the way, I was born on a Wednesday. Wednesday is fish sticks, green lime jello for dessert.

On Independence

DaGoddess @ 17:00

“I Expect Nothing. I Fear No One. I Am Free.” ~ Nikos Kazantzakis

In 1821, Greeks rose up against the oppressive Ottoman Empire which had occupied Greece for nearly four hundred years, embarking on the ultimately successful war of independence. Bishop Germanos of Patras boldly raised the Greek flag at the monastery of Agia Lavras, inciting the Peloponnese to rise against the oppressors. While the exact date probably was not March 25th, it did occur in late March and it was gradually associated with the religious feast of the Annunciation.

The quest for freedom never truly ends.

2005/03/24

Lawn Bowling

DaGoddess @ 03:06

Lawn Bowling

Lawn Bowling

Lawn Bowling

Lawn Bowling

Lawn Bowling

Lawn Bowling

Lawn Bowling

Diego Lawn Bowling Club

2005/03/21

More Photos From March 19th

DaGoddess @ 18:26

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Can you tell who’s who?? Which side is which?

Some of you may recognize faces in the last two photos. The second to last photo is our buddy Bryan* (apologies again for no archives at the moment) who had his windshield bashed in by an angry socialist last August. The last photo is a dear friend of the very radical Left. You know, the guy they want to see back in power.

Is it just me, or does anyone else miss the good old days when radical was a really cool surfing term? Yeah, yeah…I know, it’s always been used politically. I guess what I’m trying to say is: I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then. “Ignorance is bliss” and all that.

The rest of the photos will be uploaded to my temporary gallery eventually.

I would like to thank everyone who came out to join us in REALLY supporting the troops and democracy. I met many wonderful people and am very grateful for all their help. I especially appreciated all the gentle care and concern from my friends as they checked on me and my rotten back throughout the day. (Yes, I should have listened to you and taken more breaks, but honestly, I didn’t think I’d be able to get up again if I sat down. No worries! I tested the limits and discovered exactly what they are.)

Folks who came out to the rally:
Alan, Brendan, Chap, Dan, Darleen, Joe, and many others. If you were there and have a website, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list. I would also like to add that some of our signs were created by a Chicago Dem who believes that our troops need our support. Greg was very helpful and his help on the signs meant that my back was spared that day.

* For those who don’t know, Bryan is a gentleman who showed up at a counter-protest last year and ended up having his car attacked by an angry young man. Bryan is an animated guy…and, while he’s interesting to watch, he’s not someone we see regularly. In fact, none of us have seen him since that episode last year. This time around, he showed up in a suit and claimed to be running for congress. I wish I could answer all the questions you have emailed me, but the fact is, I really don’t know much more about him. This is only the second time I’ve run into him and can’t offer up anything else. Since he’s not a member of our group, I don’t see him at any of our other events. Sorry I can’t provide you with more than that.

2005/03/19

The March Of The Moonbats

DaGoddess @ 22:20

Yes, today was the big parade of poopheads pretend peaceniks. I can’t think of anything nice to say about their gathering. There weren’t any new tricks or treats from them, save for the woman flipping off the Iraqis who voted and Paredes apologizing for his four years of collecting government paychecks and benefits. That little fleabite had the temerity to stand up and claim that his time spent in the military was nothing more than an huge error on his part. This is going to hit big time…just you wait and see.

a couple letters short of a class act

There are others who will provide a better picture than I can of what the day was like. Check out Darleen Click, who live-blogged the event. She and her husband drove down from San Bernardino County to experience the protest community’s version of March Madness. And, Joe Gandelman was there, covering events for Dean Esmay. He was able to look at the day through unbiased eyes and took the time to listen carefully to all sides. It’s never an easy task and he did so with a quiet grace.

The San Diego Police Department deserves considerable kudos for their calming presence. They were fantastic to work with! As the liaison for the San Diego Chapter of Protest Warrior, I have nothing but the highest regard for the professional manner in which they handled the day. Protecting the First Amendment Rights of both sides isn’t an easy job. SDPD, you rock! Thank you for all that you do – today and every day.

While the protesters had a smaller crowd than we had expected, we managed to draw a larger crowd than anticipated. We had over 60 people join us for our 4th of July in March. The rain missed us. In fact, the sun came out to say hello and managed to shine for us the majority of the day. But, our shiniest star of all was Christina. I’m sorry my archives aren’t available to point you to the post that introduced her to you. She’s a very brave young lady who just returned from duty in Iraq. Truly, Christina is a hero and she represents all the good that has been done for the Iraqi people.

Photos? Oh, yeah….those. I got a few. Stay tuned.

2005/03/18

Patriots’ Picnic is ON!

DaGoddess @ 20:38

San Diego Protest Warrior encourages everyone to come to Balboa Park on Saturday!

We will be near the southeast corner of Sixth Ave. and Laurel St., on the west end of the park, from 1 to 4pm. Parking in this area of Balboa Park is severely limited, so arrive early, or you’ll end up walking half a mile from the Banker’s Hill neighborhood. You can also park on the east side, and take the free Balboa Park Tram.

CodePINK, the San Diego Coalition of Peace and Justice, the International Socialists, and all their hangers-on will be setting up camp on the north side of Laurel St. The San Diego Police have assured us that they will maintain a safe buffer between both sides.

The current Saturday forecast calls for rain, but we’re expecting a break in the weather from 9am to 3pm. Bring appropriate rain gear, just in case. An umbrella is good, a raincoat even better. Also, tarps or plastic sheeting might come in handy, so you can have a dry spot on the ground to sit on.

Please bring friends, family, and food (we’re not feeding you). If the grass is dry, there are some excellent athletic fields nearby that can be used for volleyball, soccer, football, or frisbee. Bring also your sense of humor, patience, and a thick hide — not all anti-war protestors are gentle pacifists.

We expect that at least some of the protestors will march past our position around 2pm. We’ll have plenty signs and flags on hand to welcome them to the park. If you want to bring your own, please observe the following municipal regulation for sign handles:

No person shall carry or possess while participating in any demonstration, rally, picket line or public assembly any metal stake, club, or pipe, or any length of lumber, wood, or lath, unless that wooden object is 1/4” or less in thickness, and 2” or less in width. If not generally rectangular in shape, such wooden object shall not exceed 1/2” in its thickest dimension.

The police will confiscate any signs with sticks that do not conform to the above regulation. Also, we’re asking that people leave baseball bats, knives, or anything else that could be construed as a weapon at home.

Last year at this event, Smash was alone in a sea of anti-American sentiment. This year, we’re going to show them that the silent majority will be silent no more.

They have a right to speak out. Here is your chance to respond!

to Smash for writing this up so that I could appropriate it.

2005/03/16

Back and Froth

DaGoddess @ 02:51

Yes, you read that correctly. No, I did not misspell anything.

I’ve been battling with my back and frothing at the mouth over the lack of progress in physical therapy and at home.

Needless to say, my time on the computer has been limited, again, because of the ongoing issues with my grumpy spinal column.

I apologize for not updating more frequently, but I know you understand. I promise…I’ll try harder. Just, if you would, say a little prayer that my MRI from the other day offers some clues about where we go with this.

In other news, I’m really looking forward to sharing my Oprah-like wealth with the IRS. How about you?

2005/03/10

PC BS

DaGoddess @ 12:28

Mt Soledad
Some people are too damn sensitive and require too much special treatment. The San Diego City Council, home of one of the biggest whiners in history – Donna Frye – has buckled under and allowed the PC police to ruin a veterans memorial. Forget that the place is a landmark…..that the cross upon Mt. Soledad has been there for over 50 years….it’s so much more important to let PC BS change the historic landscape of San Diego.

Over the years, there have been many efforts to save the cross. It looked, for a while there, like the dust had finally settled and the memorial would be allowed to stand. But, leave it to a bunch of people with nothing better to do to stir things up again and destroy a symbol of the hope, sacrifice, and dedication of generations past. The men and women whose faces and stories grace the wall surrounding the cross deserve better than this.

Smash says it with lots of juicy links.

2005/03/08

According To Plan

DaGoddess @ 23:31

If everything goes according to plan, this post will signify my return to blogging.

If nothing goes according to plan, I’m moving to Moxtopia and becoming a kept Goddess.