Just In Case You Didn't Know This...

... the Republican Party hearts the Ayatollahs.

Can we finally drop the pretense that these are reasonable people and call them what they are: theocratic fascists?

The Things We Share

One of the things the Sweetie and I share is an intense love for Stevie Ray Vaughan, who passed away 17 years ago today. I was in summer stock at the time, and our Equity Stage Manager was a huge fan. She came into the bar that night with tears streaming down her face and told us the news. We all felt sucker-punched; we had been jamming to "Walkin' the Tightrope" and "Crossfire" on the jukebox all that summer while playing pool. Upon hearing the news, we all chipped in quarters and played those two songs all night long. Nobody objected.

So here's a video (scroll down to the bottom of the page) I found this morning: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Stevie Wonder jamming together on "Superstition" (which is my all time favorite Stevie Wonder tune). The video is not so great, but the sound is pretty good. I suggest turning up your speakers at some point today. SRV would approve.

Status Report

So, how are things going, you ask?

Pretty good. Pretty good.

• Moved a bunch of stuff into my new place yesterday. In 100 degree heat. All by myself. Yes, my knees hate me now.
• All utilities have been canceled and/or reshuffled.
• Paperwork is slowly being completed.

Emotionally, I'm more a wreck than I show the world these days. That's going to get worse before it gets better, I'm afraid. Sweetie's 'bout the same. But we're still talking and that's a good thing.

In a quest to keep myself busy, I'm entering a Fantasy Football league at the office (draft is this Tuesday night--I wonder if I can get that Heap guy from the Ravens) and I'm going to take part in TRP's Underdog pool. I don't know why I didn't do this last year; I'm a big fan of the underdog. My, that's a lot of sports-gambling related activity. How will my moral center cope?

To all those who sent us emails of support and love: thank you. I have no more words to tell you how much that love and support means to both of us. And I've wept over too many keyboards to count, so I'll stop here.

No Easy Way to Say This

Just thought I would publish this here, in case this message was not received.

Greetings,

We wish we had some clever way of starting off a letter like this, but there isn't any nice way to say it: we are getting divorced. This may come as a shock to you, but this has been a long time in coming. Rest assured that we have made every effort to avoid this outcome, but we realized that it is the best solution for both of us. We would like to have told each and every one of you in person, but airfare is awfully expensive.

We're not going to try and answer all of your questions with this letter, but we can say the following with no reservations:

• This is an amicable divorce.
• There is no need for you to take sides. Please don't fall into the trap of "Well, I can't talk to him because I just talked to her…" You can talk to both of us. Really. It's OK.
• This was not the result of infidelity, financial chicanery, or any of the usual reasons why people divorce.
• We still care about each other a great deal. Yes, this is making the process harder, not easier.
  

So, what's next for us? In the Commonwealth of Virginia, a couple has to be separated for 6 months before a divorce can be finalized. So Sweetie is going to try to keep the house and tommyspoon is moving out September 1.

This is a time of uncertainty for both of us. But we both cherish the love and support that all of you have given to us; the certainty of that love and support is what will get us through this rough time. We love all of you very much! That remains certain, always.

Does Microsoft Act Like a Giant Penis? Discuss...

My friend Dave Edelman has written a great post on his blog about Microsoft. I think he gets it mostly right, but my comment still stands.

What? You want it handed to you? Go read the post and the comments!

And while you're at it, go out and buy his dynamite SF debut novel Infoquake. You'll be a better person for it. Really.

Why say this anymore?

Yeah, Karl Rove is resigning his position to "spend more time with his family."

To quote Bill the Cat: "Pffffttt!"

Classical Music?

This is so wrong. But so right, too.

Changes on the way

The look of this site is just the beginning.