Saturday Again

I feel like I'm at summer camp; I'm at work with not much work to do, and I've already raided the fridge for leftover freezer pops and gotten my boss to give me a bandaid for a blister on my foot. In the gaps between shows, I'm working my way through a stack of fantasy books Lia brought in for me.

Otherwise, not much to report. People have turned in audition videos, which cheers me up; even when I know I am waiting because the deadline I set hasn't happened yet, I get paranoid that everyone's going to forget or lose interest.

I've instituted a new policy of ten minute dance parties when I get home from work; even though they get me riled up just before bedtime, it's better than sitting in a chair non-stop four days in a row.

Most real news is Ciro's; he had a story accepted to Daily Science Fiction, taught a session of an undergrad writing class, and is even now taking portrait photos for a friend.

[On my way out, the security guard was strumming an acoustic guitar, and a coworker and I held an impromptu belching contest. Like I said, summer camp.]

the ongoing war between me and direct democracy

I am now in the worst part of my week, the "Intelligence Squared" debate on Bloomberg. (I think it's hosted by the Newseum in D.C.) I hate this program. I should like it -- it's a public debate of a contemporary policy issue between two teams that are deeply involved in the issue -- but who "wins" is determined by the audience, and they always pick the wrong side. Without fail, they go for whoever uses postmodern derailing tactics, makes jokes, repeats talking points in the face of contradictory evidence, and shows contempt for the other side. At least one person on this side advances a blue sky solution that would in no way resolve a problem, but that is "obvious good sense anyone can understand." The honest people who care about data and good faith lose. They waste time trying to teach people about complicated things, and the people get bored and vote against them. It's the most depressing thing in my life, and it happens every week, sometimes more than once.

This week, the NSA and some dick from Harvard beat some internet security experts in a landslide through mockery and scaremongering. I can vet what the computer security guys are saying; it aligns with what my dad (also a computer security guy) says -- the same stuff that made me choose not go to into the NSA.

I'm writing this entry to distract myself.