starting the new year right with an all-day beer buzz is the mark of a good start to 2004, or twenty-oh-four as dfactor would like us to address it.

the guided by voices rock show/party, aka "new year's hoot" underwritten by local radio station 94/9, was a book-end to a totally imbibed turning of the years.

where are my drunken phone call audblogs from last night's party?

this is gonna be the year for mars planetary exploration. the red planet has taken the front seat as the new object of my interest. last year two nasa probes--spirit and opportunity--were launched and this month they are scheduled to both land on the planet. they're on the search for liquid water. if there's water somewhere on the planet, humans can someday inhabit there. maybe.

one big reason why the moon isn't looked upon as habitable for us humans is because of the water issue. mostly it's lack thereof. no water. no subdivisions.

when i think of inhabiting another planet, or anywhere for that matter, topography is important. mars doesn't appear to have any san diego qualities--beaches, mountains, deserts (well maybe) and tijuana. how does one get inspired on a planet like mars? the arts will undoubtedly suffer on a settled mars. there will be colonies, but very little of those artist colonies.

this year i resolve to not drink bare knuckle dark beer. well maybe. it's less expensive than guiness (good), but made by the makers of budweiser (not too good). this year i resolve to be conflicted by dark beers.

this year i resolve to drink more manhattans and less beer.

go forth and do great things.