Yes, one of my favorite movies is coming soon to a theater nowhere near me in 3d. I hope if there is such a theater in your area you will take the time to go and see it.

You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by

Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely night dreaming of a song
The melody haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you
When our love was new
And each kiss an inspiration
But that was long ago
Now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song

Beside a garden wall
When stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale tells his fairy tale
A paradise where roses bloom
Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love's refrain

--"Star Dust", words by Mitchell Parish and music by Hoagy Carmichael, 1929.

For my Dad.

Thanks Chill!

I'm giving everyone jars of peach chutney for Christmas, and tough shit if you don't like it.

An insert was in our local newspaper last week: a little blue flyer advertising that "The 9/11 Never Forget Project is coming to the University of Montana campus." This project seeks to put up a miniature American flag someplace (it doesn't say where, but I'm guessing the Oval) for each person who died on September 11th. Sounds fairly innocuous, right? Wrong! Silly you and silly me for thinking that. This effort is sponsored by the University of Montana College Republicans (They claim this project is non-partisan. Color me cynical.) and a group calling itself Montana Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission. The latter is the state chapter of a national group seeking to tie the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. From their website:

On September 11, 2001, our nation was victim to an unprovoked attack by al-Qaeda terrorists. This horrific assault was the capstone of a series of al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on our country: the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Towers, the 1998 bombing of our U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole. Our President and government leaders were right to defend our nation by aggressively pursuing the terrorists who took refuge in Afghanistan and Iraq [my emphasis].

Montana Familes and Families United list as "allies" the Christian Coalition and the American Conservative Union. I guess, after the last five years, I shouldn't be surprised that the Republican Party is using our military and the dead bodies of our fellow citizens to win elections and spread lies. But each time I read or hear about something like the "Never Forget Project" the outrage twists my stomach into knots. 2008 can't come soon enough.

Judging by the amount of hits this particular search has netted in page views, I have to wonder what the hell these people are searching for; are they looking, as yahoo suggests, for sioux chiefs? sous chefs? souix chief gear (god, I hope they don't make kitchen items)?

If I were Mimi I might close this entry with the following:

- matt reaps what he siouxs

The Satanic Candidate

It being election season in the United States, the average person is bombarded with campaign ads. Next to my desk at work is a radio. No matter what station I tune in, the same annoying ad plays over and over again during the commercial breaks:

"'Person A' has fought for the people of Montana. Unlike his opponent, 'Person B', who receives his orders from Washington DC. 'Person B's' agenda will actually cost the state thousands of jobs. He wants to take all of your money. He personally set the wildfires this past summer. He ran over your dog. He slapped a little baby and then stole its candy. He even slept with Bill Clinton. Call 'Person B' and tell him you think he's a big fat idiot. Then bomb his house.

...sponsored by big multinational corporations with hyphenated names and shady political operatives who hide behind the name 'Regular Folks Looking Out for Montana'..."

Wow. Here it is, six years later. Different desk, different radio nearby, but the same message is blaring in my ear between nine in the morning and six at night. And here's the amazing part (insert sarcastic tone here): it's the same motherfucking candidate.

(Btw, I think currently Spreadsheets is invite only, however I still think that was a rather lame report)

So August is nearly over. I've thought about posting here a few times, but there is something about August that makes you want to wait. A good day in August to me would consist of the following:

• Two naps


• An afternoon of reading


• Eating cake

For the past week, which I spent on vacation without telling most of anyone, I accomplished nearly all of those except... no cake! Not even a "so your birthday was last week but let's have a cake this week anyways" cake.

So, while I won't promise to write you, Blog, I will promise, nay, vow! to eat cake before August has wasted away.

Somewhere in NYC...