A worthy cause

I wanted to use this post to talk about Vishnu and his crusade to raise more funds for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research by biking ridiculous distances across the state of Virginia.
MS is a disease the affects the central nervous system and could result in severe pain and disability in people affected. More about this in the link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis
Vishnu is trying to raise money for MS research by riding a road bike across 150-odd miles (he will probably abuse me for approximating this number, he probably knows the distance down to a millimeter) I strongly encourage all readers to donate using the link below. The National MS Society, which sponsors this event, is fairly efficient at using donations (~15% is used for operating expenses, the law recommends <35%) and uses money to fund research and support groups. Please mention my name in the donations so that I can gloat on how this blog did something useful for once.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=1879196&pg=personal&fr_id=2692

what our readers say

I have decided to dedicate this post to reader feedback. I am always glad to hear back from you guys and decided to post the comments with my take on each. For those of you who read Bill Simmons' column in ESPN Page 2, this should be quite familiar.
Vishnu from Richmond says "come on! the post is not interesting :( who the hell wants to know about the who.." . A very fair and valid point. The Who is probably a speck in the larger scheme of things, but one thing I should point out is that just to be faithful to the blog title, I have to post something about the Who. Also, since I've always wanted more people to experience the Who, this blog presents the perfect chance to publicise this cause without being the asshole who is always making you listen to "his favorite band".
Anand from Oakland writes "gud one abt the who in ur blog. liked it". Thanks Anand for your comments. I will try to follow up with more posts after your encouraging feedback. It is also to be noted that Swaminathan (who calls himself Sam Nathan now) impressed boss and coworkers alike with the best of the Who mp3 collection he copied from me. Just goes to show that the Who can help you build street cred in some quarters.
Harsha from Richmond says "In any case if the number of words in my comments start catching up with the number of words in your blog, you should think of newer and more relevant topics to blog about. I hope you are thinking about some serious writing and not making the comments the big part of your blog.
As for you doing something good, I am waiting to see the funny side of you. It must be really good since you actually feel it could be a great part of you. When will it be that your every day life is comedic enough and for whom will it be comedic?"
There seems to be an urgent need in my readers for my views on "relevant" topics and "comedic" writing. Harsha has no doubt tapped in to the zeitgeist of my readership in insisting that I talk about subjects that are closer to the hearts of my audience. Based on what I know of my friends, who I constantly badger into reading these posts", here is a list of what they'll want me to post about :
1. Porn
2. Something making fun of myself
3. Gossip about self and friends
4. Global warming
I won't post about 1 here, I do 2 anyways and I don't have anything complimentary to start 3. The next post will be "my" controversial views on global warming.
Sudhin from Plano has the last word " So; u too entered this space...". I think that says it all.

an interesting contrast

Snippets from some Who songs ...
Here is a dismal section from "Had Enough" from the album"Who are you?" This song was written by John Entwistle
"I'm gettin' sick of this universe
Ain't gonna get better; it's gonna get worse
And the world's gonna sink with the weight of the human race
Hate and fear in every face
I'm gettin' ready and I've packed my case
If you find somewhere better, can you save my place?"

Here is another misanthropic song from Entwistle in the same album.
" We hum the same old lines to a different crowd
And everybody wants to cheer it
We run on endless time to reach a higher cloud
But we never ever seem to get near it"

On a more cheery note, from Pete Townshend in "The Who sell out" ...
"We try harder and harder, tryin' to get our way
But it's a long, long wait until Judgement Day
So settle your affairs and take your time
'Cause everything in the world is yours and mine"

From "Who's Next" with cheerful yet savage cynicism. Though Pete Townshend says he wrote it more as an introspective song about blind faith. "Won't get fooled again" is the epitome of rock music in my opinion. Catchy hook, great music, angry lyrics and above all, berserk drumwork.

"I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss"

Keith Moon is the best rock drummer of all time. Not necessarily the most skilled or musically advanced. He had a way of doing something unique to each song that very few drummers pull off. Most other drummers are usually subservient to the guitarist, taking 30-second soloes here and there to "do their thing" and playing timekeeper for the rest of the songs. But not Moon. He played the drum like a lead instrument, and had a superb bass player who helped him pull this off! Townshend, who was a brilliant guitarist himself, had to take a back seat in performing so that the band could stick together. By the band's own own accounts, this was not easy.

Why 42?

I am going to attempt a couple of posts today to settle some outstanding questions around the origins of the blog titles.
42 - Is the answer to life, the universe and everything (Hitchikers guide to the galaxy)
The Who - The best rock band ever. Redefined rock in music, songwriting and sheer showmanship
South Park - One of the few TV series that pokes fun at anyone and anything, a list that includes such illustrious names as mel gibson, tom cruise, rob reiner and hilary clinton and otherwise taboo topics like kids dying, child molestation, scientology and adam sandler movies.
The meaning of life -In the misguided moment when I titled the blog, I had the pretentious notion of musing on the meaning of life online, somewhat like solving a huge crossword puzzle clue-by-clue. This idea was quickly abandoned because :
- My readership is NOT interested in sharing thoughts on my musings with me. In fact, not too put too fine a point on it, they are not interested in even reading my musings.
- I have no real inclination to document online the aimless drifting trajectory my life is on currently. This could expose me to the derision of many more people than are openly contemptuous of me now
As always, I welcome comments. I am still waiting for Anand to transcribe KD's story so that the world can finally hear his version of things. More on this shortly.