These pictures were taken in June, when Mr. Projector threw a Dive-in Theater party at his apartment.

He showed the film Am I Normal? and was about to screen Ski Party (the only beach bunny movie to be filmed *not* on the beach) when apartment security broke the party up.

A few days after Hurricane Ike, Aaron was in a single-vehicle scooter accident. He suffered some nasty road rash, a fractured bone, and was released from the emergency room on crutches. One week later, Aaron was unable to move and was back in the hospital with crippling pain.

It took doctors a few days to determine he had developed a Staph infection that spread to his kidneys, heart, and brain. The doctors performed open heart surgery to remove as much of the bacteria as possible, replacing his mitral valve in the process. His hospital bills piled up at an outrageous rate (close to $500,000) and he has no medical insurance.

Sadly, Aaron is still in the hospital.

Saturday, his friends in the Houston Scooter Battalion and the Sunday Punchers Scooter Club will be throwing a benefit for him at Aurora Theater. Here is the Facebook link for the event.

We’ll be screening some movies from his old 16mm educational film collection, as well as a never-before-seen episode of the Mr. Projector video podcast. There will be a live auction, Mr. Projector gear for sell, and FREE BEER. Tickets are $10. It’s 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 at Aurora Theater in The Heights.

If you can’t attend, please consider donating via Paypal on Aaron’s website. The link is on the left-hand side if you scroll down a bit.

However, I have a dire question regarding the hierarchy of police officers who do not ride in enclosed vehicles. Specifically, where do scooter cops lie in the ranks of the shield? I can’t decide if they belong above or below cops on bicycles. Best I can figure, it goes like this:

1. Motorcycle cops
2. Horse cops
3. Bicycle cops
4. Scooter cops (the scooters, after all, are automatics)
5. Segway cops

Your thoughts please. It’s very urgent.

Tangentially, do you realize the weight that now rests on Barack’s shoulders? Not just in fulfilling the promise of hope he instilled in people like me, but in also doing his best not to eff up the chances of any future minorities who want to run for the Presidency.

I am hungover on democracy right now.

New rule: If a book is shitty, or boring, or too cliched to be enjoyed, I do not have to finish it. There are too many books and too little time.

Linked from Butch, a short (7-minute) documentary about the largest private record collection in the world.

Read my review of the evening at Houstonist.