When I was young, I was unfortunately taught to expect a certain bargain out of life. "Work hard," they told me, "be nice to others, always do your best, and you'll be rewarded. Good things will come your way." Of course it isn't true. There is no bargain to be had with life, no contract you can sign that will remove the uncertainties, the unsatisfactoriness, and the occassional crippling blow.

The playa is different. Last year, the playa made a bargain with me: "Go back out there into that crazy, hardhearted, messed-up world, and survive it for just another year. Get through twelve more months of all that frightful bullshit, and you'll get to come back here. You'll get to come back home." more...

My home-grown, bare-bones comments system here on the mahna mahblog has long remained esoteric enough to be untouched by comment-spam bots.

Sadly, it's no longer true. There's been a shipload of comment spam around here lately. I've cleaned up most of it, and, sadly, destroyed a few legit comments along the way. I've also made some changes to the site code so as to perhaps hide myself from these evil bastards once again. We shall see.

When I arrived home yesterday, the following was taped to my front door:



Hell yeah I'm excited! The Man burns in 28 days!

[So much to do, so much to do!]

Here's an amazing collection of photos from subway stations around the world, highlighting some remarkable architecture and public art. Sweet Jesus, I've gotta go to Stockholm!

[been meaning to post this for a while; I've forgotten how I found it...]

We are extremely lucky to live in a part of the world where the water that flows from the tap is potable. (I have a friend in India who's only known that luxury during the years she lived here.) This fantastic op-ed at the New York Times reminds us that bottled water, the trendy alternative so many of us adore, is just plain evil. My brother, a civil engineer who knows a thing or two about what happens to our tap water in this country, told me years ago how big a crock bottled water is, and gave me this fantastic tip: If you don't like the way your tap water tastes, let it settle in a refrigerated, glass jar. And as for any concerns you have that your tap water ain't safe to drink, here's the scoop: It's very likely safer than that designer H₂O you're paying too much for.

[yep, spotted at Boing Boing; use "gatsby" / "daisy" at the Times if you need credentials, and be sure to catch the piece before it disappears behind their darned wall]