I'm not cut out to write about any sort of social, cultural, artistic, political, religious, or philosophical currents in the world. Why? Because someone else always beats me to it, or, in many cases, I'm not suitably compelled by the goings-on of my fellow humans to throw together a written analysis of what they're doing and why. Note that I didn't say I'm not interested; it's just that I'm not interested enough to write about it, except in the form of fiction. Oh, yeah, I'm also not a particularly good nonfiction writer. I find it difficult to verbalize the occasions when I do feel that I have a grasp on the way some aspect of the world is moving.

Of course, if someone were to offer me money and perhaps paid travel expenses, I'd be more than happy to write about something going on outside my own limited sphere of influence. Ain't gonna happen, though.

Why do so many people continue to get humanities and arts degrees, when they know damn well by their sophomore year that said degrees are usually economically worthless? This is something to look into. Gimme your two cents' worth, assuming you have two cents to spare, my fellow broke-ass, miserable, liberal arts fucktards.

Critical Hits is done. Now I get to spend several months editing and rewriting. I also need to rewrite my column for RPG.net.

I need to read Bruce Schneier's new book about security. I've read his monthly Crypto-Gram for a good while now, and the man's lucid approach to security (mainly computer security, but he covers the spectrum) is impressive. Too bad he can't create policy.

Man, now that I'm done with Critical Hits, I don't know what to do with myself.

I'm all moved into my new place in the Heights with Sara, and I've got no complaints. Actually, I do have some: our heater either overworks itself or lies dormant, I have no internet access, and my computer refuses to accept upgrades or run the program that would allow me to have internet access. That said, all is well.

I was talking to my dad yesterday and he, like myself, thinks China is this century's coming superpower. In my last post I mentioned not being much of a multiculturalist, at least in the common, politically limpid sense, but I do try to understand other cultures that either interest me or stand to seriously change the world we live in. China qualifies as both. The government there is poised to march into and dominate the future upon a road of corpses, mainly those of Chinese citizens. Unlike some countries, China doesn't even seem interested in pretending it's got any other agenda. Whether or not the Chinese Communist Party will ever disappear or at least mutate into something a little less repulsive is a mystery to me, but it'll be interesting to see how it all goes down.

On an unrelated note, I went to Macy's yesterday with Sara, and while she bought makeup, I examined the sheer amount of design that goes into creating a product line. My feelings about consumerism and advertising aside, I was quite impressed by what I saw. Some of those cosmetics were packaged and presented pretty damned stylishly, and I think I can kind of understand the preoccupation with design and packaging some folks I know have. Very interesting.

Lots of prognostication out there about the rise of India, China, and Brazil in numerous ways. I wonder how many of the people talking about it are doing so because Bruce Sterling is. Or, possibly, vice versa.

I'm not interested in multiculture. I'm not particularly syncretic, at least not intentionally. Western culture's got shitloads of problems, but it's still what fascinates me the most. China is pretty enthralling in ways, but the language barrier's a bitch. (You've gotta love the nation that gave us Lin Yutang, Wang Wei, and Li Po, even in translation.) I'm not going to fight the wave of non-Western culture crashing over the US and Europe, because I don't really care, unless said wave utterly destroys everything it hits, and I doubt that'll be the case. I'll take what happens in stride.

now playing: Murder City Devils
now smoking: University Flake
now drinking: Lone Star

This year, I'm going to finish writing and editing Critical Hits, and hopefully sell it to a publisher who'll give me a foolishly large advance.

This year, I want to become the owner of a 1970 GTO Judge, or at least my old coworker's '78 Nova.

This year, I want to be able to stop working and live a pleasantly idle life, and I hope everyone else who wants to do the same can.

This year, it looks like I've actually made some resolutions. I don't recall ever doing so before.

Take it easy in 2004, folks.