As everyone knows, today is a special day. It’s a day when we take a little time to think about the brave people who give their all and pay the ultimate price for us to live better lives.
No, I do not mean the veterans. (Don’t you read the right side of this website? We fucking hate the soldiers and we’re huge supporters of the insurgents: I have a picture of that dreamy Muqtada al-Sadr hanging in my cubicle.)
I’m talking about The O.C., of course! Today is episode two of The O.C.‘s second season, and I, for one, am excited.
I’m so excited about The O.C., I can hardly think of anything else. This past week’s news cycle is just a blur to me: Is Yasser Arafat alive or dead? Did someone in Bush’s cabinet resign or get fired or something? Honestly, when I get the paper, I just turn to the TV section to see if there’s an article on The O.C., like a cool lifestyle piece on people having parties to watch the show, or style pieces on fashion inspired by the wardrobe, or some sort of medical study on how watching The O.C. can clear up your skin. How come no one has written these pieces yet? What are journalists focusing on that’s so much more important than The O.C.?
Here’s what I like about The O.C.: It’s an escape, okay? I can put aside my own life for a little while and immerse myself in the lives of some truly amazing characters. You might find this hard to believe (especially coming from someone who puts his thoughts on the internet for the world to read—sans payment), but I’m happy not to think about myself for a little while.
When I watch The O.C., I almost never think about that mole on my shoulder that’s been getting bigger and becoming bumpier, or the fact that skin cancer runs in my family, and I don’t have a doctor or health insurance. I don’t have to think about the fact that I had to buy new pants one waist size larger than my last, or that the last time I did any exercise was in high school gym class, and even then, I mostly faked stomach aches so I wouldn’t have to change in front of all those vicious jocks who’d snap me with towels and call me a “queer.” (Me, a queer? I wasn’t the one who was walking around half naked, patting my teammates on the butt and saying, “Good game, big guy.” I mean, so what if I had a picture of that dreamy Moammar Qaddafi hanging in my locker? I have a soft spot for dynamic, photogenic despots, okay?)
What was I talking about? Oh yeah, The O.C.. I also like that while watching The O.C., I can use my mind to manipulate space and time, opening a portal to an alternate universe better than our own. What? You don’t do that?
Month: November 2004
Make the Pain Stop
Hugh Grant Signals End to Acting Career
I don’t know if I can take any more bad news.
No Comment
Your Page One photograph of the Marine hit me between the eyes (“Smokin’,” Nov. 10).
This guy is all-GI.
That dirty face, the whiskers on his unshaven face, the cut on the bridge of his nose, the dangling cigarette and the 1,000-yard stare in those battle weary eyes tell the story of what’s really going on in Fallujah.
His features are reminiscent of the renowned World War II GI that Mattel replicated to make its GI Joe.
Forget about these Pentagon generals with their spotless dress uniforms, spit-shined shoes, $100 haircuts and shiny, manicured nails.
This guy’s nails and hands are laced with blood. His sweaty body smells from sleeping in the sand. His breath stinks from eating field rations.
As the winds of November blow across Indiana, I sit comfortably drinking coffee as this guy, and thousands of other GIs, bravely and valiantly battle throughout the filth and stench of these Fallujah neighborhoods.
You are the best, and we think of you in the spirit of Veterans Day.
Earl Beal
Terre Haute, Ind.
Related: Everybody’s smokin’.

Hearts, Then Minds: “Mmmmmm…. Daddy’s hungry.”
Related: Separated by the art director?
I’m Really Freaking Out Here, Man
His Very First Patriot Act

Later, Ashhole: John, Done
Attorney General and Commerce Secretary Resign From Cabinet
After reviewing the election results by county, the Bush administration is looking into amending the U.S. Constitution to apportion votes by hectares rather than utilizing the Electoral College:

If that fails to pass the stringent process for amending the Constitution, variations such as “1 Bible = 1 Vote” will be considered.

The Golden Era: Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Chris Farley, Will Ferrell…some old people
Five Stars: “Trivial Pursuit SNL Edition is fun. There’s over 2000 questions about Saturday Night Live. Don’t buy it if you have been watching it for less than 10 years because most of the questions are about old sketches, cast members and characters. The DVD part is a lot of fun because you get clues to the questions, your timed and the game goes a lot faster. If you like Saturday Night Live and you have been watching it for a while you should buy this game.”[empahsis, mine]
–Amazon.com user review of Trivial Pursuit: Saturday Night Live Edition

It’s dark, and far away, but this appears to be a depiction of some sort of assault on Fallujah.
From Madeleine Bunting’s “Screams will not be heard“, the Guardian, November 8, 2004:
In an age of instant communication, we will have to wait months, if not years, to hear of what happens inside Falluja in the next few days. The media representation of this war will be from a distance: shots of the city skyline illuminated by the flashes of bomb blasts, the dull crump of explosions. What will be left to our imagination is the terror of children crouching behind mud walls; the agony of those crushed under falling masonry; the frantic efforts to save lives in makeshift operating theatres with no electricity and few supplies. We will be the ones left to fill in the blanks, drawing on the reporting of past wars inflicted on cities such as Sarajevo and Grozny.




