All right, since this blog has been accused as “leftist” by some, I thought I’d post something on the other side today. Check out Jonah Goldberg’s column today in the National Review. He lays out an extremely rational take on why this war is different from any other previous conflict and that the criticisms of Bush’s handling of the war shouldn’t necessarily mean he should lose his job–particularly because he thinks Kerry doesn’t get the big picture.

Tawk amongst yowselves.

Ok, so SUAC it ain’t. But here is WNCI’s moving tribute to the OU fight song, in light of our recent designation as a true party school.

RE: post from Friday. Apparently, guilty conscience kicked in for the editor of I Found Some of Your Life. The site is now defunct.

A shame, it was one of the most creative blogs I had seen. Never thought looking through someone’s random photos could be so fun–the concept had great potential for hilarity. At least he revealed the celebrity (Vanilla Ice, aren’t you sorry we missed it?).

So, I finished reading Dan Brown‘s ANGELS & DEMONS last week (a much better book, by the by, than THE DA VINCI CODE, despite my belief that Brown is unable to write expositionless dialogue, and I once again find myself marveling at why some books are swept up by mass audiences while others aren’t) which, as those of you who have read it will recall, is in part concerned with the selection of a new Roman Catholic Pope.

But: did you know that the guy in Rome isn’t really the Pope? That’s right. The REAL Pope lives in Delia, Kansas. He wants to make sure that we don’t read bad books, aren’t addicted to television, and refrain from drinking too much soda pop.

You can check in with him if you like, but you should bear in mind that the Pope is having computer problems and might not get back to you right away.

More Trilogy Zen: check out digital artist Jason Salavon’s “Grand Unification Theory”,

and in particular his abstract re-rendering of every frame of THE PHANTOM MENACE.

(The rest of his work is cool, too, though some is most decidedly Not Safe For Work. View at your own peril.)

So I’m reading AICN, and my pal is raving about PRIMER. Hard, smart, cheap sci-fi flick about… time travel, I guess, but you’d never know it from the very nice but subtle trailer (a 4.3MB QT download, but oh so worth it — there’s different sizes at the main site, as well, bigger and smaller.)

Damn, did that look nice.

Tangential to my inevitable visit to Target tomorrow in search of DVDGeekNirvana: Jason Kottke takes George Lucas to task about his pivot on releasing the STAR WARS Trilogy on DVD now, as opposed to after the theatrical release of EPISODE III in 2005 (Lucas’s reason? The threat of piracy.)

One week until the big swim, and nerves are beginning to set in.

I actually wasn’t really nervous at all until I picked up my wetsuit today–a full body, sleeveless piece of rubber. (I look hilarious in it, by the way. Like a big, freaking seal.) There was another girl at the counter, returning her suit from this weekend’s sprint triathlon in Dewey Beach, which is a mile or two down the road from where we’ll compete next weekend.

“How was it?” asks friendly salesman. “I got in the water, but couldn’t finish the swim,” the girl says mournfully.

Couldn’t finish the sprint swim, which is half the distance of the 1.5K.

I called my friend, Julie, who recruited me to do this in the first place. She was in Dewey, too, this weekend. Apparently, Ivan had fun with the surf, making it one of the most challenging swims for even experienced swimmers. Gulp.

Note to Jeanne: stay the HELL away from Bethany Beach next weekend.

Seriously, it’s not the distance that worries me. I’ve only been training for about a month, but I’m confident I can finish a one mile swim. And not at the back of the pack, either.

It’s the waves that scare me. I get frazzled by the little baby three footers that you body surf in. If the water is at all choppy, it could get dicey. Then again, I’m swimming, not surfing, so it should be easier to get under the waves to the open water.

Either way, I’m counting the days!! Now to actually try out the wetsuit… this oughta be fun in the lap pool…