This is noteworthy. And for your information, I've been watching Dirt since the beginning. Yup, I watched the 1hr 5 minute pilot which was played without commercials. That was my main draw to it. And yes, I'll be watching the season finale.
Originally I was going to do a pros and cons list for re-enlisting. It's about that time, 1 year left in my contract. But this drew my attention and plus now I've got to get to work. There's stuff to do!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
more at 11
I hate local news. What's more, I hate the promos for local news. The Kentucky Fried Movie spoofed the local news at 11. Still, in real life, I just hate the way that they try to build suspense. They're not running a thriller movie are they? It's news, a public service (as hard as it is to imagine). "Is the drinking water safe? Find out at 11." Oh, that's great. That's five hours from now, what am I supposed to do in the meantime? Then they report that it's safe, but just a little on the high side. All that build up for that?
A couple of nights ago (before it started to snow) the news commercial came on. "Will it be an icy drive into work? Find out at 11." Well great, but if it's an icy drive in I might want to leave earlier. Staying up to 11 is not acceptable if I got to wake up at 4am to scrap ice off my car. Tell me now. Is it? No. OK, that ate up another 2 seconds of air time. In fact, if they'd just substitute the answer for "find out tonight on Fox 32, your blah blah blah" that'd solve a lot of problems. And I bet more people would watch commercials too if you insert a 10-30 second news story like that.
A couple of nights ago (before it started to snow) the news commercial came on. "Will it be an icy drive into work? Find out at 11." Well great, but if it's an icy drive in I might want to leave earlier. Staying up to 11 is not acceptable if I got to wake up at 4am to scrap ice off my car. Tell me now. Is it? No. OK, that ate up another 2 seconds of air time. In fact, if they'd just substitute the answer for "find out tonight on Fox 32, your blah blah blah" that'd solve a lot of problems. And I bet more people would watch commercials too if you insert a 10-30 second news story like that.
Monday, January 29, 2007
napalm and silly putty
Taken from George Carlin's book.
Haven't I been saying this for awhile? Eating less and exercising takes off weight. But they had to do a study to find this out. It's mathematics people. Less intake, more output equals less weight. So while we're spending money on stupid things let's do another study OK? Here's the topic, tossing a ball up into the air. Where does it go? Seriously! *bleep*ing morons!
Not enough for me. I say give the guy the chair. Or I say we try to launch him into the sun. It just pisses me off.
I like cats. This superintendent is a moron. Yeah, some people mistreats cats and some are allergic, but to take them away all together? That's not very smart is it? How about segregating cat-lovers and non-cat-lovers. I realize that they're inmates but at this facility it's not like they keep prolific child molesters or triple homicide murderers.
This is a great answer to a stupid question.
In follow up news, Shetty won. Hmm, I guess the publicity helped huh? Maybe a little guilt too? Well played! Bravo!
Haven't I been saying this for awhile? Eating less and exercising takes off weight. But they had to do a study to find this out. It's mathematics people. Less intake, more output equals less weight. So while we're spending money on stupid things let's do another study OK? Here's the topic, tossing a ball up into the air. Where does it go? Seriously! *bleep*ing morons!
Not enough for me. I say give the guy the chair. Or I say we try to launch him into the sun. It just pisses me off.
I like cats. This superintendent is a moron. Yeah, some people mistreats cats and some are allergic, but to take them away all together? That's not very smart is it? How about segregating cat-lovers and non-cat-lovers. I realize that they're inmates but at this facility it's not like they keep prolific child molesters or triple homicide murderers.
This is a great answer to a stupid question.
In follow up news, Shetty won. Hmm, I guess the publicity helped huh? Maybe a little guilt too? Well played! Bravo!
a funny thing happened
One of my Sigma Nu brothers got married this past weekend. Now, I hate weddings because I always feel like such a loser. Even amongst all my good friends. Still, it was an open bar so I dealt with it. I got reacquainted with my friend Jack. Jack Daniels. Yup. Started out the night with a Jack and Coke. Five minutes later I was up at the bar again for another. Then the whole evening became a blur alcohol-wise. I don't know how many more drinks I had but if there was a frequent-flyer program I'd be at the top.
Chicken was the main meal. That'll come up later in the story, but for now I'll tell you this. Besides the bride and groom, I was the only person in the room that had a parent there. Nothing like getting totally plastered with your dad there. That would usually be enough to keep me drinking in moderation but apparently Jack thought otherwise. Suffice to say, I was so drunk by the end of the night that I was out on the dance floor (drink in hand) just pulling people to dance. Well it was kind of lame, not a lot of people wanted to dance. Alcohol dictated that I change that. So I'm sure I made a complete ass of myself. No, I know I made a complete ass of myself.
Well, after that, I had to top myself. Not getting behind the wheel of a car though. Pfft, like that was going to happen. No we have a designated driver. Still, you'd think that they would know where to go and not depend on the ramblings of a drunk (me). The hotel was only about a mile away. Down the road, on the other side of the highway. No problem right? We drove around for an hour looking for this hotel. Travelodge or whatever. An hour! There's like twelve hotels in the area, but we're looking for the one that doesn't exist. So we finally end up at La Quinta. Before we reached there though, the effects of dancing and drinking hit me. As soon as I sat down in the car I started to feel sick. We got to a gas station and I just opened the door and leaned. BAAAAAARRRRRFFFFFF. BAAAAAAARRRRRRFFFF. See? I told you that the chicken would come up later.
And of course at La Quinta there's two patrol cars outside, running with their operators inside talking at the front desk. For a split second I got an idea from Varisty Blues when Tweeter drives off in the sheriff's car, shouting as he's running towards the car "Time to go to jail!" But I realize that I wouldn't do very well in jail. So I tried not to act like I was a puking drunk guy stumbling in. So we get a room and I crash on the bed. Good night!
Chicken was the main meal. That'll come up later in the story, but for now I'll tell you this. Besides the bride and groom, I was the only person in the room that had a parent there. Nothing like getting totally plastered with your dad there. That would usually be enough to keep me drinking in moderation but apparently Jack thought otherwise. Suffice to say, I was so drunk by the end of the night that I was out on the dance floor (drink in hand) just pulling people to dance. Well it was kind of lame, not a lot of people wanted to dance. Alcohol dictated that I change that. So I'm sure I made a complete ass of myself. No, I know I made a complete ass of myself.
Well, after that, I had to top myself. Not getting behind the wheel of a car though. Pfft, like that was going to happen. No we have a designated driver. Still, you'd think that they would know where to go and not depend on the ramblings of a drunk (me). The hotel was only about a mile away. Down the road, on the other side of the highway. No problem right? We drove around for an hour looking for this hotel. Travelodge or whatever. An hour! There's like twelve hotels in the area, but we're looking for the one that doesn't exist. So we finally end up at La Quinta. Before we reached there though, the effects of dancing and drinking hit me. As soon as I sat down in the car I started to feel sick. We got to a gas station and I just opened the door and leaned. BAAAAAARRRRRFFFFFF. BAAAAAAARRRRRRFFFF. See? I told you that the chicken would come up later.
And of course at La Quinta there's two patrol cars outside, running with their operators inside talking at the front desk. For a split second I got an idea from Varisty Blues when Tweeter drives off in the sheriff's car, shouting as he's running towards the car "Time to go to jail!" But I realize that I wouldn't do very well in jail. So I tried not to act like I was a puking drunk guy stumbling in. So we get a room and I crash on the bed. Good night!
Friday, January 26, 2007
the roof is on fire
I just wanted to share this with all. I may not live in Texas any more, but after 3 years I feel a connection. I like the people down there, I especially like this cab driver that was interviewed for a story about a 911 call he placed. Another guy that rocks.
party up
Ugh. The last straw. In a world where we're worried about the future, there's a guy in Finland that's published a book written entirely in text message. lol, lmao, and whatever else people are texting. Sorry txting. Soon it'll be commonplace for people to say "LOL" at work and mean it. When does it stop? It'd be cool if we started to talk binary but otherwise stop it. Stop being stupid people. A little extra work never killed anyone, in fact if you don't start doing the little extra work I'm going to pay you a visit!
Suicide bomber kills two. Well, he only killed one other person beside himself. Still, we get the message. I can't believe people write "the suicide bomber killed himself..." Whoa! Really? A suicide ends with the person killing themselves? *gasp* That's like, a skydiver falls towards the ground. This is news! Quick someone call the New York Times, I've got a Page 1 story! What would really be newsworthy is a suicide bomber that detonates himself and lives. I bet they go to extraordinary measures to save the bastard too.
OK, the skydiver crack was because I read this story that someone's probably going to make into a TV movie. The things people do for love.
(bleep) save the Queen! Ha. (bleep)damnit! I'd do something like that just to do it and get fired. So I could fill out the reason I got fired from my last job as, "I bleeped out the word (bleep) in movies.)
(bleep)damnit. I'm serious now. This is just (bleep)ing retarded, those dumb(bleep) mother(bleep)ers. State-funded same-sex schools? How does that solve anything? Except maybe take us back to the 1800's. "Oh, it gives the girls a chance to voice themselves in class." REALLY? Well then maybe we can put all the blacks in their own school so they can be taught in ebonics. And how about putting all the Mexicans in a Spanish speaking school? Hmm. Look, I'm not saying that girls should be oppressed in class by their male counterparts, but sadly it's the real world. They should learn how to compete for things, because in their future they'll be going up for jobs against men and won't know how to handle it and get all emotional and cry and stuff. Yeah, that was sort of sexist but it's better than going on a shooting ramage like a guy would. Look Leonard Sax, executive director of the National Association for Single Sex Education, pull your head out of your (bleep) and get your (bleep) together. Competition is healthy. Being competitive is a good thing, that's how advancements come about. But put girls in a class by themselves makes as much sense as having a pro football player go up against a bunch of Special Olympics athletes in some flag football.
Suicide bomber kills two. Well, he only killed one other person beside himself. Still, we get the message. I can't believe people write "the suicide bomber killed himself..." Whoa! Really? A suicide ends with the person killing themselves? *gasp* That's like, a skydiver falls towards the ground. This is news! Quick someone call the New York Times, I've got a Page 1 story! What would really be newsworthy is a suicide bomber that detonates himself and lives. I bet they go to extraordinary measures to save the bastard too.
OK, the skydiver crack was because I read this story that someone's probably going to make into a TV movie. The things people do for love.
(bleep) save the Queen! Ha. (bleep)damnit! I'd do something like that just to do it and get fired. So I could fill out the reason I got fired from my last job as, "I bleeped out the word (bleep) in movies.)
(bleep)damnit. I'm serious now. This is just (bleep)ing retarded, those dumb(bleep) mother(bleep)ers. State-funded same-sex schools? How does that solve anything? Except maybe take us back to the 1800's. "Oh, it gives the girls a chance to voice themselves in class." REALLY? Well then maybe we can put all the blacks in their own school so they can be taught in ebonics. And how about putting all the Mexicans in a Spanish speaking school? Hmm. Look, I'm not saying that girls should be oppressed in class by their male counterparts, but sadly it's the real world. They should learn how to compete for things, because in their future they'll be going up for jobs against men and won't know how to handle it and get all emotional and cry and stuff. Yeah, that was sort of sexist but it's better than going on a shooting ramage like a guy would. Look Leonard Sax, executive director of the National Association for Single Sex Education, pull your head out of your (bleep) and get your (bleep) together. Competition is healthy. Being competitive is a good thing, that's how advancements come about. But put girls in a class by themselves makes as much sense as having a pro football player go up against a bunch of Special Olympics athletes in some flag football.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
surfin' usa
More moronic fun. Like my microwave totally burned my sponge! Hmm, let's think about it for a second. It uses microwaves to heat water in an object to heat it up. No water means what? No heat? No, it just means it heats up other things. *gasp* OK, a read the original article about this experiment. It said that they soaked the sponge and scrubbers in raw wastewater. Uh, soak, does that mean it's wet? Well I know when I wash dishes sometimes that sponge doesn't get wet. So people, to kill bacteria in your sponge YOU MUST HAVE A SPONGE WITH BACTERIA.
Here's a great story. The 8 million dollar car. It's a Maybach. The funny part of the story is that reporter that did the story was allowed to drive the car. Cool right? It's a chick. I'd be a nervous wreck if a chick was driving.
And the perfect followup to the 101 Dumbest Moments in Business is this segment of Where are they now?
Here's a great story. The 8 million dollar car. It's a Maybach. The funny part of the story is that reporter that did the story was allowed to drive the car. Cool right? It's a chick. I'd be a nervous wreck if a chick was driving.
And the perfect followup to the 101 Dumbest Moments in Business is this segment of Where are they now?
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
bandwagon
"Hounddog" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Now it starred 12-year old Dakota Fanning, but what's getting all the attention is one scene in particular. There is a scene where Fanning's character, Lewellen, is raped by a teenage boy. If I read the description correctly it was done tastfully and suspenseful. What gets me up in arms is groups like the Catholic League that get all huffy and puffy without ever seeing the film. Yeah, rape is bad. Rape is really, really bad. Should it in a film? Depends, what's the film about? Oh, a rape victim? Yeah, that's kind of important to the storyline. Dumbasses. "Oh, we think Ms. Fanning may have been exploited just like her character." To which I say, "Oh really? So you think it got past her publicist, agent, assistant, and her parents?" Now sure she's probably the most powerful 12-year old but the keyword is 12-year old. Don't tell me no one in that list I named off couldn't kick a 12-year old girl's ass.
OK, while I'm on the subject of people that should shot on sight. Just look at the psycho. It gives me chills.
On the dumber side of news this morning...amputee wants to become a firefighter. City says no, because he's got no left leg. While, yes, it is admirable for anyone that wants to be a civil servant, the pay is crappy, the hours are long, and the benefits suck. Still, there are things called limitations. Yeah they suck, but they exist nonetheless. Sure he's run marathons, he played football, but it's always just been his life on the line. As a fireman it would be other people's lives on the line, it introduces a variable into an already unstable environment. Now you'd think it would've been caught before the final medical exam, but the fire department doesn't screen for amputees just like it doesn't screen for mental retardation. There are limits that are inherent to all jobs. Don't bitch about it.
Hehehe, here's what I imagine the screening process for retards is. "Are you mentally retarded? Check 'yes' or 'no.' If you don't know, check yes."
OK, while I'm on the subject of people that should shot on sight. Just look at the psycho. It gives me chills.On the dumber side of news this morning...amputee wants to become a firefighter. City says no, because he's got no left leg. While, yes, it is admirable for anyone that wants to be a civil servant, the pay is crappy, the hours are long, and the benefits suck. Still, there are things called limitations. Yeah they suck, but they exist nonetheless. Sure he's run marathons, he played football, but it's always just been his life on the line. As a fireman it would be other people's lives on the line, it introduces a variable into an already unstable environment. Now you'd think it would've been caught before the final medical exam, but the fire department doesn't screen for amputees just like it doesn't screen for mental retardation. There are limits that are inherent to all jobs. Don't bitch about it.
Hehehe, here's what I imagine the screening process for retards is. "Are you mentally retarded? Check 'yes' or 'no.' If you don't know, check yes."
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
i wish
Now I've lost this not-for-profit job.
So if you still can't access report cards or just have lots of time on your hands... check this out. 101 things to laugh at.
Wow, not exactly the brightest bunch of people live in Surprise, AZ. You'd think they'd be used to it, considering where they live but I guess not. Apparently a 29 year old convicted sex offender was enrolled in a 7th grade class for six weeks. About halfway through the video there's some b-roll footage. One is of "Surprise Police Department." SURPRISE!
And of course the new law that requires you to have a passport to enter the United States. Yay! I can't wait to add that stamp to my passport!
So if you still can't access report cards or just have lots of time on your hands... check this out. 101 things to laugh at.
Wow, not exactly the brightest bunch of people live in Surprise, AZ. You'd think they'd be used to it, considering where they live but I guess not. Apparently a 29 year old convicted sex offender was enrolled in a 7th grade class for six weeks. About halfway through the video there's some b-roll footage. One is of "Surprise Police Department." SURPRISE!
And of course the new law that requires you to have a passport to enter the United States. Yay! I can't wait to add that stamp to my passport!
Monday, January 22, 2007
i can't believe it's not butter
Tonight marked the return of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip from the winter hiatus. I love the show, it is my replacement of Sports Night, another one of Aaron Sorkin's creations. I'll admit though I never got into The West Wing because of the obvious political overtones. I liked American President and A Few Good Men. The dynamics of the show are familiar, an executive producer that's secretly in love with a lead in the show publicly. Hmm, OK, one of the main characters had a problem with drugs in the past that came to affect him in the present.
So what? I like Sports Night. Like a said, this is my modern Sports Night. Plus it's slotted in an hour block. Rocking!
So what made me blog about this right now? Well, first off, it's Amanda Peet's character's opposition to unscripted television (reality TV) and that she referred to it as "illiterate" programming. Yes! Someone else that shares my views on alternative television.
Then there's the reference throughout the show of The 48 Laws of Power and I hate to say it but Kanye West and I have that in common. I need a shower.
OK, speaking of television. A commercial caught my eye. Big surprise there huh? So, I can't remember what the product was, only that part of the audible disclaimer. Who shouldn't handle this product? Women that are pregnant or that may become pregnant. MAY BECOME? Well that's vague! So anyone woman that has hit puberty can't handle it. I guess menopausal women can handle it and very young girls. Does that about cover it? Just say that.
So what? I like Sports Night. Like a said, this is my modern Sports Night. Plus it's slotted in an hour block. Rocking!
So what made me blog about this right now? Well, first off, it's Amanda Peet's character's opposition to unscripted television (reality TV) and that she referred to it as "illiterate" programming. Yes! Someone else that shares my views on alternative television.
Then there's the reference throughout the show of The 48 Laws of Power and I hate to say it but Kanye West and I have that in common. I need a shower.
OK, speaking of television. A commercial caught my eye. Big surprise there huh? So, I can't remember what the product was, only that part of the audible disclaimer. Who shouldn't handle this product? Women that are pregnant or that may become pregnant. MAY BECOME? Well that's vague! So anyone woman that has hit puberty can't handle it. I guess menopausal women can handle it and very young girls. Does that about cover it? Just say that.
it's a beautiful life
This Filet Mignon is my hero. OK, I tossed the filet part in, she's the 'Grammar Girl' but she is a hero of sorts. Me, I use commas too much. I blame me for not paying attention in English class. I'm trying to work on it since I work at a public relations firm. Still, it's hard work to undo years of training.
*drool* Cars. Really, really hot cars. Eleanor is among them.
The true definition of the term: fan.
I'm jealous. This guy actual makes a living of making fun of bad movies. Damn. I wish I could've done something like that. Oh well, I guess I'll just settle for being a bad pundit.
There's nothing funny about death, but it reminded me of the Zucker Brothers' movie Airplane! and how people were getting sick. The pilot must've had the chicken. And perhaps one of my favorite running jokes of the movie:
- Rumack: "You'd better tell the Captain we've got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital."
- Elaine: "A hospital? What is it?"
- Rumack: "It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now."
Where do they come up with names like The Bike Path Rapist? Jeez, uh, let's see. There's a bike path nearby. Was it only the one guy that was raping people along this bike path? Or was it just a popular place to get raped? Ugh, let's get the retard that comes up with these name out of office. OK? You got to come up with something better, otherwise we'll be stuck with watching out for 'The Tall Grass Serial Killer' he dumps his victims in tall grass areas. Or maybe it's a person that kills lots of tall grass. I don't know. Like a lawn mower?
*drool* Cars. Really, really hot cars. Eleanor is among them.
The true definition of the term: fan.
I'm jealous. This guy actual makes a living of making fun of bad movies. Damn. I wish I could've done something like that. Oh well, I guess I'll just settle for being a bad pundit.
There's nothing funny about death, but it reminded me of the Zucker Brothers' movie Airplane! and how people were getting sick. The pilot must've had the chicken. And perhaps one of my favorite running jokes of the movie:
- Rumack: "You'd better tell the Captain we've got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital."
- Elaine: "A hospital? What is it?"
- Rumack: "It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now."
Where do they come up with names like The Bike Path Rapist? Jeez, uh, let's see. There's a bike path nearby. Was it only the one guy that was raping people along this bike path? Or was it just a popular place to get raped? Ugh, let's get the retard that comes up with these name out of office. OK? You got to come up with something better, otherwise we'll be stuck with watching out for 'The Tall Grass Serial Killer' he dumps his victims in tall grass areas. Or maybe it's a person that kills lots of tall grass. I don't know. Like a lawn mower?
Friday, January 19, 2007
boss of me
Ah, kids. Is there anything better? Yeah sure you just want to smack attitude right off them sometimes but you refrain. They get out of control too, but is that your fault or the kid's? This should be on a show called 'Kids Do the Darnest Things.' This kid rocks. I want to party with him. Not only did he steal a car and drive himself to the airport but he also managed to get on a plane, not once but twice. He made it all the way to San Antonio. Apparently he had family somewhere near Dallas because he tried to get a connecting flight from San Antonio to Dallas and that's where police caught up with him. Awesome. That kid was motivated. Me? When I've ran away in the past, the farthest I've gotten to is my cousins in Pearl City. But this kid made it from Seattle to San Antonio, overcoming obstacles without money. Need to get to the airport? No problem, steal a car. Need to get to Texas? No problem, get a connecting flight through Phoenix.
"YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!" I think I remember using this one, once. We're sitting down to dinner, the food was yet to be served and my mom told me to go wash my hands. To which I replied, "You're not the boss of me." My parents said OK, and went to get their food. Yup, no food for me. So we cut a deal, they provide for me, and I do what they tell me to do. Worked out pretty good. Never went hungry.
The headline read, 'Too scared to flee.' A better headline would've been 'Too stupid to flee.' Or perhaps he didn't want to leave. Was he going to school? Because I assume that there's some paperwork that has to be submitted, transfers from previous school or something. So let's assume he didn't. Well, basically, it was 4 years of summer vacation. Give me a TV and a Playstation 2, lots of games, and I'd stay there too. Hmm, if I go home I'll probably have to go back to school and school sucks, so nah, I'll just stay here. The funny thing is he's going to be the oldest 6th grader in school.
"YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!" I think I remember using this one, once. We're sitting down to dinner, the food was yet to be served and my mom told me to go wash my hands. To which I replied, "You're not the boss of me." My parents said OK, and went to get their food. Yup, no food for me. So we cut a deal, they provide for me, and I do what they tell me to do. Worked out pretty good. Never went hungry.
The headline read, 'Too scared to flee.' A better headline would've been 'Too stupid to flee.' Or perhaps he didn't want to leave. Was he going to school? Because I assume that there's some paperwork that has to be submitted, transfers from previous school or something. So let's assume he didn't. Well, basically, it was 4 years of summer vacation. Give me a TV and a Playstation 2, lots of games, and I'd stay there too. Hmm, if I go home I'll probably have to go back to school and school sucks, so nah, I'll just stay here. The funny thing is he's going to be the oldest 6th grader in school.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
danger zone
OK, I'm throwing my two-cents in this argument. First off, I hate reality TV. Everything, from American Idol to The Real Gilligan's Island. Big Brother is no exception. It's not reality, it's edited, partially scripted and planned.
So the news story is about an Indian (not the woo-woo, but the sniper dot) chick that thinks that because some female contestants mocking her cooking, making fun of her accent, and calling her a dog, is racism. Again I say this, while racism is action it is more about intention. Action can be misinterpreted, like if a white person cuts in line in front of a black person. That action could be considered racism, but was it his intention? Unfortunately it's hard to determine racism because, well, people lie. We're too eager to find racism everywhere we turn. You didn't get a job, but they gave it to a black guy? Well obviously that's racism. Someone at work asks for help on a problem that has math involved? Racism! Just because I'm Asian doesn't mean I'm good at math. Computer problem? Ask the Asian! *gasp* Uh, no. I'm good with computers. Pretty decent at math too, up to Calculus at least.
So Shilpa Shetty, isn't it possible that the other female contestants aren't racist but rather just jealous because you're hot? The heartache of being one of the beautiful people.
This gave me a laugh because I recently posted (see below) about cell phone etiquette. And it did not mention answering calls mid-coitus, or sending out an email. You may think insulting, but I call it multi-tasking. And you get over it after the first few times someone does it to you.
Scientists say that going to Starbucks after a workout could be a good thing.
So the news story is about an Indian (not the woo-woo, but the sniper dot) chick that thinks that because some female contestants mocking her cooking, making fun of her accent, and calling her a dog, is racism. Again I say this, while racism is action it is more about intention. Action can be misinterpreted, like if a white person cuts in line in front of a black person. That action could be considered racism, but was it his intention? Unfortunately it's hard to determine racism because, well, people lie. We're too eager to find racism everywhere we turn. You didn't get a job, but they gave it to a black guy? Well obviously that's racism. Someone at work asks for help on a problem that has math involved? Racism! Just because I'm Asian doesn't mean I'm good at math. Computer problem? Ask the Asian! *gasp* Uh, no. I'm good with computers. Pretty decent at math too, up to Calculus at least.
So Shilpa Shetty, isn't it possible that the other female contestants aren't racist but rather just jealous because you're hot? The heartache of being one of the beautiful people.
This gave me a laugh because I recently posted (see below) about cell phone etiquette. And it did not mention answering calls mid-coitus, or sending out an email. You may think insulting, but I call it multi-tasking. And you get over it after the first few times someone does it to you.
Scientists say that going to Starbucks after a workout could be a good thing.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
press 1 to leave a voice mail message
Finally! Some advice for people that makes sense. And Commandments, but I already am guilty of two out of four. Hey! I'm unwilling to pay to forward my calls to my work cell phone and too many friends and family have my old one. Hence the Texas area code even though I live and work in Indiana (but do my Army Reserve training in Ohio) with a Hawaii driver's license, Texas vehicle registration, and insurance based on living in Indiana. Yeah, my life could be a lot less cluttered but then it wouldn't be any fun!
And this news story explains so much! Genetics. So really to call people dumb is a stretch, because really they're intelligent neanderthals. Gotcha!
And this news story explains so much! Genetics. So really to call people dumb is a stretch, because really they're intelligent neanderthals. Gotcha!
the gift of valor
It's a bit long (almost 8 minutes) but it's worth it. It's an interview with the psych doctor that was with CPL Dunham before he died. CPL Dunham was the most recent recipient of the Medal of Honor. Heroes don't have superpowers, they can't fly around, or are faster than a speeding bullet, or have x-ray vision. Sure, it'd help if they were indestructible, vulnerable only to a special green-glowing rock but most often times it's being at the wrong place at the right time, doing the right thing in a bad situation, and more often than not, being just a little stupid.
It's people like Cindy Sheehan that I can't stand. Yeah, the 'war' in Iraq sucks and maybe it is illegal but that's not for me to decide. Yeah it sucks that your son was killed in Iraq. But don't use your son's death as an excuse to protest. Because if I'm not mistaken your son was grown man, capable of making his own decisions. The Army doesn't take the mentally retarded (although it seems to) and we're supposed to know that the job of the Army is to fight this nation's battles. I guess what the recruiter doesn't tell you is that there's a chance you could die when you fight battles. In all honesty though, they're trying to get people to join, and not scare them off. Still, you'd think anyone with a 6th grade education could figure it out too, so why state the obvious? He's not a matyr, so don't try to make him out to be one. He was doing his job, just like thousands before him and the thousands after him. He surely didn't die from wounds suffered when he willingly jumped on a grenade to save his platoon. So what makes him any more special than the thousands of men and women that gave the ultimate sacrifice? Nada. Now don't misunderstand me, I cherish those that died in combat. It sucks more than a sucking chest wound that they are dead, but it's part of the job when we sign on. I'm just saying that the only difference is how they died. Casey Sheehan probably didn't choose to be harm's way when the IED detonated. On the other hand, CPL Dunham chose to jump on that grenade. That difference is all the difference.
You know, I think I'm going to protest Cindy Sheehan.
It's people like Cindy Sheehan that I can't stand. Yeah, the 'war' in Iraq sucks and maybe it is illegal but that's not for me to decide. Yeah it sucks that your son was killed in Iraq. But don't use your son's death as an excuse to protest. Because if I'm not mistaken your son was grown man, capable of making his own decisions. The Army doesn't take the mentally retarded (although it seems to) and we're supposed to know that the job of the Army is to fight this nation's battles. I guess what the recruiter doesn't tell you is that there's a chance you could die when you fight battles. In all honesty though, they're trying to get people to join, and not scare them off. Still, you'd think anyone with a 6th grade education could figure it out too, so why state the obvious? He's not a matyr, so don't try to make him out to be one. He was doing his job, just like thousands before him and the thousands after him. He surely didn't die from wounds suffered when he willingly jumped on a grenade to save his platoon. So what makes him any more special than the thousands of men and women that gave the ultimate sacrifice? Nada. Now don't misunderstand me, I cherish those that died in combat. It sucks more than a sucking chest wound that they are dead, but it's part of the job when we sign on. I'm just saying that the only difference is how they died. Casey Sheehan probably didn't choose to be harm's way when the IED detonated. On the other hand, CPL Dunham chose to jump on that grenade. That difference is all the difference.You know, I think I'm going to protest Cindy Sheehan.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
because the night
So 72 year old Hylton is aiming for Dayton 500. While I may joke about this, I think it's admirable goal. There's nothing wrong with comebacks, it's one of the more heartfelt stories in sports. With that said... Dude, he's going to have his left turn signal on for 500 miles, that's going set some record right?
In case you didn't watch the Golden Globes (like me) here are the results. I was watching '24' as Jack Bauer was saving the US. *sigh* I wish someone would detonate a nuke in LA.
Am I wrong? Isn't the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just that? A hall of fame for rock'n roll. So why exactly is Grandmaster Flash being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Willie Mays isn't in the Football Hall of Fame because *gasp* he's a baseball player. You don't put a rap artist in *gasp* a rock'n roll hall of fame. Why aren't more people outraged about this? It's rock'n roll people! If it was the Music Hall of Fame, then call it that. So while we're at it, go ahead and put Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, Sousa, Williams, and hundreds of others that belong in such a shrine. No? Why not? BECAUSE IT'S NOT ROCK AND ROLL! I wouldn't want them in the same building anyway. I'm just saying, it's not the Music Hall of Fame. It's supposed to be about rock'n roll. I don't know how Grandmaster Flash fits into that criteria, but then again the criteria is pretty lax. Release a single or album 25 years ago. Hmm. I say let Grandmaster Flash be the first inductee in the Hip-Hop/Rap/Dance/Scratching/DJ Hall of Fame. Leave rock and roll to rock and roll.
In case you didn't watch the Golden Globes (like me) here are the results. I was watching '24' as Jack Bauer was saving the US. *sigh* I wish someone would detonate a nuke in LA.
Am I wrong? Isn't the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just that? A hall of fame for rock'n roll. So why exactly is Grandmaster Flash being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Willie Mays isn't in the Football Hall of Fame because *gasp* he's a baseball player. You don't put a rap artist in *gasp* a rock'n roll hall of fame. Why aren't more people outraged about this? It's rock'n roll people! If it was the Music Hall of Fame, then call it that. So while we're at it, go ahead and put Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, Sousa, Williams, and hundreds of others that belong in such a shrine. No? Why not? BECAUSE IT'S NOT ROCK AND ROLL! I wouldn't want them in the same building anyway. I'm just saying, it's not the Music Hall of Fame. It's supposed to be about rock'n roll. I don't know how Grandmaster Flash fits into that criteria, but then again the criteria is pretty lax. Release a single or album 25 years ago. Hmm. I say let Grandmaster Flash be the first inductee in the Hip-Hop/Rap/Dance/Scratching/DJ Hall of Fame. Leave rock and roll to rock and roll.
Monday, January 15, 2007
don't cry out loud
Can you say, "OUCH!" I'm all for acupuncture but that is alot of needles in the head. And some of the other pictures are disturbing too.
This was interesting too. I've looked at my own charts and wonder how anyone can read a doctor's handwriting. Luckily I didn't have anything complex but it still scared me. I'm glad that someone came up with a feasible solution. Hopefully it'll be enough to curb the amount of error in the current system.
One of my passions has been astronomy. Since I was a kid and I learned exactly what I was looking at, it was fascinating. As an adult I took one astronomy class in college, I passed with a D. I understood the information and even helped other students grasp the concepts that were presented to us, but I couldn't pass the tests to save my life. Still, I keep a mild interest by reading up on the subject in my free time (or whenever I want to pretend I'm doing work). So to know that there are others like me. I think I'll check out the program when I get home tonight.
Pop goes the weasel.
See all the benefits of marrying a serviceman? Or woman in some classes. Sure you live in poverty while they're alive but if they kick the bucket you can roll in the dough. Actually, if they're killed in a combat zone, you can get up to $450,000 with half of it upfront! The remainder gets divided over the next 25 years, in monthly payments.
Whoa, is this just morbid? Or is it me?
For anyone attempting the GAR, here's a snippet. The debate on music and exercise.
The jury (me) is still out on this case. Kid is kidnapped for 4 years, the only way he was found was because the dude that kidnapped the first kid got himself another one. Well, I guess if you can have your own kids, just go out and snatch one up. *shrug* I need to mull over this one for a bit.
On a personal note, while this weekend was boring, I do count it a successful one. Not just because I got to log in over 6 hours on my video game but because I fixed my iPod. Since the warranty on it was expired, I can pretty much do whatever. So I looked up instructions on how to take the cover off. Just needed a flat-head screwdriver to pry it open. Well, for me, I needed that extra help so along with my flat-head I grabbed up my hammer. Yup, the fix-all. Nah, I just used it to get the screwdriver in there. Once it was off, I was able to fix the problem and bam! I can use my iPod again. Whew.
This was interesting too. I've looked at my own charts and wonder how anyone can read a doctor's handwriting. Luckily I didn't have anything complex but it still scared me. I'm glad that someone came up with a feasible solution. Hopefully it'll be enough to curb the amount of error in the current system.
One of my passions has been astronomy. Since I was a kid and I learned exactly what I was looking at, it was fascinating. As an adult I took one astronomy class in college, I passed with a D. I understood the information and even helped other students grasp the concepts that were presented to us, but I couldn't pass the tests to save my life. Still, I keep a mild interest by reading up on the subject in my free time (or whenever I want to pretend I'm doing work). So to know that there are others like me. I think I'll check out the program when I get home tonight.
Pop goes the weasel.
See all the benefits of marrying a serviceman? Or woman in some classes. Sure you live in poverty while they're alive but if they kick the bucket you can roll in the dough. Actually, if they're killed in a combat zone, you can get up to $450,000 with half of it upfront! The remainder gets divided over the next 25 years, in monthly payments.
Whoa, is this just morbid? Or is it me?
For anyone attempting the GAR, here's a snippet. The debate on music and exercise.
The jury (me) is still out on this case. Kid is kidnapped for 4 years, the only way he was found was because the dude that kidnapped the first kid got himself another one. Well, I guess if you can have your own kids, just go out and snatch one up. *shrug* I need to mull over this one for a bit.
On a personal note, while this weekend was boring, I do count it a successful one. Not just because I got to log in over 6 hours on my video game but because I fixed my iPod. Since the warranty on it was expired, I can pretty much do whatever. So I looked up instructions on how to take the cover off. Just needed a flat-head screwdriver to pry it open. Well, for me, I needed that extra help so along with my flat-head I grabbed up my hammer. Yup, the fix-all. Nah, I just used it to get the screwdriver in there. Once it was off, I was able to fix the problem and bam! I can use my iPod again. Whew.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
full circle
It was a boring weekend, I went over to hang out with Bill and his girlfriend. We tried to go bowling but were unwilling to wait approximately an hour for a lane to open up. So we ended back at his place. Bill offered me a beer he had brought back from St. Louis. It was a Ziegen Bock. Now this is important OK? About 5 years ago I was stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas and Bill was a student at MISSOU. Speaking on IM, I told Bill that I had a four-day weekend, he had a three-day. So logically he invited me up. Just then, my other friend, Andy, walked into my room and I asked him if he'd be interested in going up to see Bill. Of course he was, we've never turned down a road trip. I'm not adovocating drinking and driving, but Andy and I had a beer, repeat one beer a piece, so we sobered up. Before we left, Bill asked me to pick up a 6-pack of Ziegen Bock because it was only sold in Texas. On our way out we fueled up at the Class-6 (the military equivalent to a liquor store) and got a pack. This was at about 11pm on a Thursday night. As we're leaving post, the roads are empty there's just a single car moving towards us. I joked with Andy, "Watch dude, we're going to get pulled over." Sure enough, the car hopped the median and turned on its flashing lights. An MP was pulling us over. I also want to add that Andy and I have an agreement, whenever we use my car, he has to drive. Back to the story. My CRX at the time had an electrical problem, the back side marker light was sensitive so it would die when you slammed the door once, but do it twice and it comes back on. So no big deal, the MP pointed it out and we corrected the problem, then continued on trip.
To give you an idea of our daunting trip that started at 11pm, it takes approximately 12 hours to get to St. Louis, Missouri. But the MISSOU campus where we were headed, was out of the way (about 2.5hours). And to get out of Texas from Ft. Hood takes about 6 hours. The trip up there was not a problem, I couldn't sleep very much because it's not comfortable in my car. Andy wasn't sleeping because he was driving and my job became to keep him awake, smoking cigarettes, and paying for gas. We get to MISSOU at about 1pm, but Bill wasn't going to be done with class until 2:45pm. At 2:50 Bill gives me a call and we tell him where we're at. He finds us and we follow him back to his dorm. Well, what was there to do on a college campus at 3pm on a Friday? Ah, happy hour. We find a local watering hole (it's called Heidelberg or something, I can't remember). Andy and I haven't eaten since the night before, so before heavy drinking, we order some food. I start a tab with one of my credit cards (another part of my agreement with Andy, he gets free provisions) and we start drinking and eating. Now I'm drinking Black Tooths like water, soon after that I'm pretty bombed. I remember making some comment about the dart board, it was a racist dart board. Because there's white, black, and red portions but no yellow! It was probably slurred, but I got my point across (to the entire bar). We continue to order drinks, running up a tab of about $300. I guess it was like 5pm because the bar was beginning to get packed and our waitress was coming around a lot less. I sift through my wallet and find all of my credit cards still there. *shrug* "Hey guys, did either of you leave your credit card with them?" I asked, and the response was no. I shrugged again and in true Ranger form I said "Follow me!" Making a beeline for the door, with Bill and Andy behind me we skipped out on the tab. As soon as we got out the door, I took off in some random direction. Now the hard liquor was kicking in, when we got back to Bill's dorm I was broken. So I pass out on Bill's floor. Before losing consciousness, I remember that Andy grabbed my cigarettes out of my pocket. Billl's girlfriend (at the time) was coming over and they were going out again. I needed to sleep it off. When I woke up again, it was about 4am. And I needed a cigarette to get the nasty taste of the alcohol in my mouth. Bill and his girlfriend were in bed, but I woke them up. "Bill, where's Andy? He's got my cigarettes." To which Bill replied that he went out for cigarettes, and I pressed him for when. Bill said that they got back around 2am and he went out shortly after that. It was 4am, it doesn't take 2 hours to get cigarettes, so I go out looking for him. First, I look in the common area. Nope. Downstairs? He wasn't in the lobby. I didn't want to venture outside since you needed a card to get in, so I went back upstairs. Bill told me how to unlock the doors without a card. When I went out the front door, I looked around to figure out which way was the nearest gas station. As I looked around, I saw someone passed out on the ledge. I walk over and realize that it's Andy. He's covered himself up with newspapers, his hat fell over the other side, there's puke all around it but it didn't touch the hat. That was kind of cool. So I pat him down and locate some cigarettes. After getting my nicotine fix I attempt to wake Andy up. He would bounce up, look around with that glossy look in his eyes and then pass out again. He did that about four times before I figure that this method isn't going to work. I had to take a new approach to the problem. I drapped his left arm over my head and carry him back upstairs to a common area. He woke up at the last part before I set him down on the couch, so I went and got him some water which he drank before he passed out. Then I went downstairs to get the rest of Andy's stuff. I'm able to locate his jacket and hat, but his sandals are nowhere to be found. Ah, screw it, I'm going back upstairs to pass out.
We slept in for a few hours. Bill found us and convinces us that we should go to his girlfriend's place near St. Louis. Another one of my old friends, Tim, was living there too. We all decide that a nice night in was just what we needed. We picked up some beer and we went back to the apartment. Pulp Fiction was on, so we got the idea to drink every time a cuss word was uttered. A cuss word was defined as anything that would have been censored on network television. Uh, yeah, we were all hammered within an hour. I can't remember what happened after that. It was a blur.
Another morning was wasted due to sleeping in. So for lunch we go to a diner and have some food. On a whim, I figure it'd be cool if Andy got to see our college, DePauw University since we were only 3 hours west of it. So after lunch we head out. I can't remember what mile marker it was, but it's pretty much the last gas station on the Illinois side. A little town called, Casey. That's where we stopped for gas. I tell Andy that I'll drive, Andy's be driving this entire weekend, so he can get a few minutes of shut eye as I make the rest of the drive to DePauw. That's reasonable right? So we fill up and I hop behind the driver's seat.
'Ah crap! I missed the on-ramp.' So I figure I'll just keep driving straight until I can find somewhere to turn around. Just then, an unmarked white van closes in behind us. Now I'm thinking it's the Klan, come to enforce their color standards on me. So I gun the CRX, trying to outrun these guys, but they keep on me. I see what looks to be a road on my right, so I slow down and cut the wheels over. Now I don't know if I would've made it, but all I know is that it was a gravel road. I slide right off the road and into the drainage ditch that ran along side the main road. In a miracle, there were two poles cemented in on either side of the car. I'm pretty sure they would've ruined the rest of my day. So we're nose first in a ditch, in Casey, Illinois. I sigh. The odometer read 1.1 trip miles. I drove 1.1 miles on this adventure and ended up in a ditch. We agree that I never get behind the wheel again. You're thinking I should call my insurance company to get a tow truck to pull me out right? Well, I would have but uh, Casey is not the technology hub of the Midwest. There was no cellphone service there. Luck shined down upon us (or so we thought) and a car passed by. It was the cast of Varsity Blues, or at least the people the characters were based upon. I swear there wasn't a whole set a teeth between the five of them and that they were related by both blood and marriage. We had a laugh, but they couldn't help us so they take off. A few minutes later, another guy drives by. He's driving a little Toyota pickup truck. He doesn't have a lot of teeth either, but he did have a chain. So we hook it up to Veronica (my CRX back then) and with Andy and I pushing, we unditch.
At DePauw I pick up my friend Katie and all have a meal at the legendary truck stop. I don't know many people there anymore since they had graduated in May. After dinner, we take Katie back and start our journey home. The weekend was hard for Andy and we had to stop for actual rest. I would've continued to drive, but we felt that it was not necessary to ditch the car again. We get home without anymore ditches, and learning our lesson from Casey, we stop for gas elsewhere (and I still don't stop there).
So what's the importance of the Ziegen Bock mentioned at the beginning? Well, remember Bill had asked for a 6-pack. We gave it to him and now, almost 5 years later, he offered me the same ones. Yeah, a 5 year old beer. Let me tell you, beer does not get better with age. Learn from my mistake. Never, ever, drink a beer that's more than a year old. Especially one that's been cooled then warmed, then cooled, and so on for five years.
To give you an idea of our daunting trip that started at 11pm, it takes approximately 12 hours to get to St. Louis, Missouri. But the MISSOU campus where we were headed, was out of the way (about 2.5hours). And to get out of Texas from Ft. Hood takes about 6 hours. The trip up there was not a problem, I couldn't sleep very much because it's not comfortable in my car. Andy wasn't sleeping because he was driving and my job became to keep him awake, smoking cigarettes, and paying for gas. We get to MISSOU at about 1pm, but Bill wasn't going to be done with class until 2:45pm. At 2:50 Bill gives me a call and we tell him where we're at. He finds us and we follow him back to his dorm. Well, what was there to do on a college campus at 3pm on a Friday? Ah, happy hour. We find a local watering hole (it's called Heidelberg or something, I can't remember). Andy and I haven't eaten since the night before, so before heavy drinking, we order some food. I start a tab with one of my credit cards (another part of my agreement with Andy, he gets free provisions) and we start drinking and eating. Now I'm drinking Black Tooths like water, soon after that I'm pretty bombed. I remember making some comment about the dart board, it was a racist dart board. Because there's white, black, and red portions but no yellow! It was probably slurred, but I got my point across (to the entire bar). We continue to order drinks, running up a tab of about $300. I guess it was like 5pm because the bar was beginning to get packed and our waitress was coming around a lot less. I sift through my wallet and find all of my credit cards still there. *shrug* "Hey guys, did either of you leave your credit card with them?" I asked, and the response was no. I shrugged again and in true Ranger form I said "Follow me!" Making a beeline for the door, with Bill and Andy behind me we skipped out on the tab. As soon as we got out the door, I took off in some random direction. Now the hard liquor was kicking in, when we got back to Bill's dorm I was broken. So I pass out on Bill's floor. Before losing consciousness, I remember that Andy grabbed my cigarettes out of my pocket. Billl's girlfriend (at the time) was coming over and they were going out again. I needed to sleep it off. When I woke up again, it was about 4am. And I needed a cigarette to get the nasty taste of the alcohol in my mouth. Bill and his girlfriend were in bed, but I woke them up. "Bill, where's Andy? He's got my cigarettes." To which Bill replied that he went out for cigarettes, and I pressed him for when. Bill said that they got back around 2am and he went out shortly after that. It was 4am, it doesn't take 2 hours to get cigarettes, so I go out looking for him. First, I look in the common area. Nope. Downstairs? He wasn't in the lobby. I didn't want to venture outside since you needed a card to get in, so I went back upstairs. Bill told me how to unlock the doors without a card. When I went out the front door, I looked around to figure out which way was the nearest gas station. As I looked around, I saw someone passed out on the ledge. I walk over and realize that it's Andy. He's covered himself up with newspapers, his hat fell over the other side, there's puke all around it but it didn't touch the hat. That was kind of cool. So I pat him down and locate some cigarettes. After getting my nicotine fix I attempt to wake Andy up. He would bounce up, look around with that glossy look in his eyes and then pass out again. He did that about four times before I figure that this method isn't going to work. I had to take a new approach to the problem. I drapped his left arm over my head and carry him back upstairs to a common area. He woke up at the last part before I set him down on the couch, so I went and got him some water which he drank before he passed out. Then I went downstairs to get the rest of Andy's stuff. I'm able to locate his jacket and hat, but his sandals are nowhere to be found. Ah, screw it, I'm going back upstairs to pass out.
We slept in for a few hours. Bill found us and convinces us that we should go to his girlfriend's place near St. Louis. Another one of my old friends, Tim, was living there too. We all decide that a nice night in was just what we needed. We picked up some beer and we went back to the apartment. Pulp Fiction was on, so we got the idea to drink every time a cuss word was uttered. A cuss word was defined as anything that would have been censored on network television. Uh, yeah, we were all hammered within an hour. I can't remember what happened after that. It was a blur.
Another morning was wasted due to sleeping in. So for lunch we go to a diner and have some food. On a whim, I figure it'd be cool if Andy got to see our college, DePauw University since we were only 3 hours west of it. So after lunch we head out. I can't remember what mile marker it was, but it's pretty much the last gas station on the Illinois side. A little town called, Casey. That's where we stopped for gas. I tell Andy that I'll drive, Andy's be driving this entire weekend, so he can get a few minutes of shut eye as I make the rest of the drive to DePauw. That's reasonable right? So we fill up and I hop behind the driver's seat.
'Ah crap! I missed the on-ramp.' So I figure I'll just keep driving straight until I can find somewhere to turn around. Just then, an unmarked white van closes in behind us. Now I'm thinking it's the Klan, come to enforce their color standards on me. So I gun the CRX, trying to outrun these guys, but they keep on me. I see what looks to be a road on my right, so I slow down and cut the wheels over. Now I don't know if I would've made it, but all I know is that it was a gravel road. I slide right off the road and into the drainage ditch that ran along side the main road. In a miracle, there were two poles cemented in on either side of the car. I'm pretty sure they would've ruined the rest of my day. So we're nose first in a ditch, in Casey, Illinois. I sigh. The odometer read 1.1 trip miles. I drove 1.1 miles on this adventure and ended up in a ditch. We agree that I never get behind the wheel again. You're thinking I should call my insurance company to get a tow truck to pull me out right? Well, I would have but uh, Casey is not the technology hub of the Midwest. There was no cellphone service there. Luck shined down upon us (or so we thought) and a car passed by. It was the cast of Varsity Blues, or at least the people the characters were based upon. I swear there wasn't a whole set a teeth between the five of them and that they were related by both blood and marriage. We had a laugh, but they couldn't help us so they take off. A few minutes later, another guy drives by. He's driving a little Toyota pickup truck. He doesn't have a lot of teeth either, but he did have a chain. So we hook it up to Veronica (my CRX back then) and with Andy and I pushing, we unditch.
At DePauw I pick up my friend Katie and all have a meal at the legendary truck stop. I don't know many people there anymore since they had graduated in May. After dinner, we take Katie back and start our journey home. The weekend was hard for Andy and we had to stop for actual rest. I would've continued to drive, but we felt that it was not necessary to ditch the car again. We get home without anymore ditches, and learning our lesson from Casey, we stop for gas elsewhere (and I still don't stop there).
So what's the importance of the Ziegen Bock mentioned at the beginning? Well, remember Bill had asked for a 6-pack. We gave it to him and now, almost 5 years later, he offered me the same ones. Yeah, a 5 year old beer. Let me tell you, beer does not get better with age. Learn from my mistake. Never, ever, drink a beer that's more than a year old. Especially one that's been cooled then warmed, then cooled, and so on for five years.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
orlando rojas
'Sports Night' is probably my favorite show. 'Charmed' comes in a close second. Now I started watching Charmed because of Alyssa Milano but fell in love with Holly Marie Combs. Yet, something keeps drawing me to Sports Night. I don't pay much attention to sports, I'm not a fanatic or anything. I glance at the scores and I could maybe tell you who plays for what team but that's it. The characters aren't well written, but there's a lot of characters that do span across the board. If you watch his movies or shows, there is a distinction in Aaron Sorkin's writing style. "In the interest of full disclosure" is one of his key phrases that gets repeated throughout his writings. I don't mind it, and I sort of expect it. While the characters aren't well written, the script is. And what amazes me is how involved he is. Usually shows require a whole staff of writers just to write a single episode, but he manages to do it all with just a few people.
Another thing that I enjoy about Sports Night is the soundtrack. KC and the Sunshine Band, The Band, and other great musicians.
Well, that's it for me right now. I'm tired and I've got plans for tomorrow that I've got to postpone because I want to sleep in. "You're watching Sports Night on CSC, so stick around."
Another thing that I enjoy about Sports Night is the soundtrack. KC and the Sunshine Band, The Band, and other great musicians.
Well, that's it for me right now. I'm tired and I've got plans for tomorrow that I've got to postpone because I want to sleep in. "You're watching Sports Night on CSC, so stick around."
Friday, January 12, 2007
drops of jupiter
Being a part of the military I do understand why the chain of command has reacted as it did. While she may feel empowered by posing for Playboy, but it does undermine her authority as a non-commissioned officer. Really, how can you respect the orders she gives when all you can do is picture her naked wearing only her dogtags? Me, I wouldn't mind serving with her. Heck, I say use it as a recruiting tool. And that's turning a frown upside-down.
Why is this news? Funny. Yes. I wish all 'crimes' could be this easily solved. Not that what I'm saying is this cat committed a crime.
Seriously. Death threats? Only in Texas. A pizza place is accepting pesos as a form of payment. Obviously the response should be death threats. Yeah. Look, it's not like they're accepting rocks as a form of payment. Pesos is a monetary unit, but it's just not sound financially. It's not like the distributors accept pesos too, so unless they get all of their supplies from Mexico they're going to have to take it to a bank to exchange it for US dollars. Now you've got to deal with the exchange rate. I've heard of people that just make their money from exchanging money. That's too complex for me to figure out, so when pizza chain stops making as much money as they could (I was going to say lose, but they don't lose; just not make as much) because the exchange rate fluctuates daily. Well... I'll just laugh.
Here's another instance of turning a frown upside-down. So while you're going through the inconvinence of taking off your shoes, pulling out your laptop, and emptying out your pockets, you can look down at the tray at ads for stuff that would normally go in those trays.
Spying with a coin has been around for years. The CIA used them back in the day (and I'm sure they still do) but I don't know why I'd have to be alarmed about the use of spy coins. If Russia or China really wants to know what I'm doing, that's fine. My life is pretty boring. As most of our lives are. Unless you're one of those big executives or military contractors working on top secret stuff, you don't need to worry about it. Even then, we got those briefings about SAEDA. They're not very good and haven't really been updated since the Cold War but if you're smart enough, you make the connections.
I hope this guy gets life. Ha.
Why is this news? Funny. Yes. I wish all 'crimes' could be this easily solved. Not that what I'm saying is this cat committed a crime.
Seriously. Death threats? Only in Texas. A pizza place is accepting pesos as a form of payment. Obviously the response should be death threats. Yeah. Look, it's not like they're accepting rocks as a form of payment. Pesos is a monetary unit, but it's just not sound financially. It's not like the distributors accept pesos too, so unless they get all of their supplies from Mexico they're going to have to take it to a bank to exchange it for US dollars. Now you've got to deal with the exchange rate. I've heard of people that just make their money from exchanging money. That's too complex for me to figure out, so when pizza chain stops making as much money as they could (I was going to say lose, but they don't lose; just not make as much) because the exchange rate fluctuates daily. Well... I'll just laugh.
Here's another instance of turning a frown upside-down. So while you're going through the inconvinence of taking off your shoes, pulling out your laptop, and emptying out your pockets, you can look down at the tray at ads for stuff that would normally go in those trays.
Spying with a coin has been around for years. The CIA used them back in the day (and I'm sure they still do) but I don't know why I'd have to be alarmed about the use of spy coins. If Russia or China really wants to know what I'm doing, that's fine. My life is pretty boring. As most of our lives are. Unless you're one of those big executives or military contractors working on top secret stuff, you don't need to worry about it. Even then, we got those briefings about SAEDA. They're not very good and haven't really been updated since the Cold War but if you're smart enough, you make the connections.
I hope this guy gets life. Ha.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
when children cry
So I don't get it. What exactly is the purpose behind swabbing the arm of a person about to receive a lethal injection? To quote George Carlin, "He's going to Hell and he has an infection." And for that matter, why do prisons put death row inmates scheduled for lethal injection on suicide watch? It doesn't make sense. I'm pro-suicide. There are a few stipulations I'd like to include with that statement. It's acceptable in instances where it doesn't really affect the rest of the population. Running the car in a garage. Acceptable. Jumping off a highway overpass. Unacceptable. Like this case, I think it's good if he did actually kill himself. Rather than going to trial, get convicted, go to jail, get released, do it again; he cut through all the crap. On the other hand, if he was murdered to make it look like a suicide then I have a problem.
Yeah, see, you don't want me to talk a jumper down. "Look buddy, life can suck but imagine what the guy that has to clean up the sidewalk after you is going to feel. And you're going to cause a traffic jam if you do. Put that in your pipe and smoke it." Or my favorite. "Look, if you're going to kill yourself. At least line the room in plastic. Show some consideration for the people that have to clean up after you."
OK, maybe that's a little harsh. And faced with the situation, I probably wouldn't really say it but I can dream. Thus this is the perfect forum for me to speak.
The headline is deceiving. In reality it should say something about the stupid parents. Yeah it sucks, you picked the wrong place to live. Schoolbuses do go to schools, that's their purpose. Yes. What they don't do is go to different schools for the same route. Nope. If you live outside the "school's attendance area" you don't get a bus service. The solution is not to stick them on any ol' bus that happens by. Example, if your kids to go Phalen Lake Elementary School, don't stick them on the bus that's going to Phalen Lake language academy. I think the bus driver was cool enough to drop the kids off at their school, but I don't think it's the bus driver's responsibility to pick them up from their school and drop them home too. What confuses me is this: Kids board bus on Monday. Mom picks up stranded kids on Wednesday. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN BETWEEN???? I'd be pissed if my parents sent me to school on Monday but didn't pick me up until Wednesday. I'd probably call Social Services myself. So who's in the wrong here? Because it sounds like we should be on the parent's side, but I don't side with the retarded.
Yeah, see, you don't want me to talk a jumper down. "Look buddy, life can suck but imagine what the guy that has to clean up the sidewalk after you is going to feel. And you're going to cause a traffic jam if you do. Put that in your pipe and smoke it." Or my favorite. "Look, if you're going to kill yourself. At least line the room in plastic. Show some consideration for the people that have to clean up after you."
OK, maybe that's a little harsh. And faced with the situation, I probably wouldn't really say it but I can dream. Thus this is the perfect forum for me to speak.
The headline is deceiving. In reality it should say something about the stupid parents. Yeah it sucks, you picked the wrong place to live. Schoolbuses do go to schools, that's their purpose. Yes. What they don't do is go to different schools for the same route. Nope. If you live outside the "school's attendance area" you don't get a bus service. The solution is not to stick them on any ol' bus that happens by. Example, if your kids to go Phalen Lake Elementary School, don't stick them on the bus that's going to Phalen Lake language academy. I think the bus driver was cool enough to drop the kids off at their school, but I don't think it's the bus driver's responsibility to pick them up from their school and drop them home too. What confuses me is this: Kids board bus on Monday. Mom picks up stranded kids on Wednesday. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN BETWEEN???? I'd be pissed if my parents sent me to school on Monday but didn't pick me up until Wednesday. I'd probably call Social Services myself. So who's in the wrong here? Because it sounds like we should be on the parent's side, but I don't side with the retarded.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
for whom the bell tolls
Well, if I were China and I saw this story I'd change the standards for adoptions too. Seriously, I'd think twice before giving a kid up for adoption if these kinds of stories kept popping up. And these kids are their own flesh and blood, what do you think would happen to an adopted kid? OK, I want to know who's having sex with this crazy people? And why? People, please. Neuter your retards.
The House has passed this security bill. Good for them. The only problem is the implementation of such a measure. More money needs to be spent in training people for the jobs. Companies may feel justified in raising prices for goods that have to spend extra time getting inspected to offset costs. And then people will complain about the price and tax increase, on top of the fact that 'there hasn't been a threat via shipping,' and all that jazz. It's hard to justify increasing taxes to pay for security, because if it works, then you'll never know. It's only when it doesn't work do you know about it.
I really wonder why this is actually news. Or why anyone would snap a picture of it. Yes, they're public figures like actors, but are valued for different reasons. Unless you're Reagan or Schwarzenegger. Still, I don't think Congress is going to pass a height/weight and body fat index requirement to serve. It's not like they're role models or anything. Right? Who cares if they're fat?
So a school is sending letters with kids that say how you're kid is doing along the height/weight and body fat index. Why is that something for a school do? Uhh... because it's pointing out that the parents might be doing something wrong or just not doing anything. Just like academics. I'm not saying that it's right for the school to do something like that, but unfortunately, parents tend expect more of the education system anyway that this only seemed like the next natural step.
I smell a sequel... Scorpions on a Plane.
The House has passed this security bill. Good for them. The only problem is the implementation of such a measure. More money needs to be spent in training people for the jobs. Companies may feel justified in raising prices for goods that have to spend extra time getting inspected to offset costs. And then people will complain about the price and tax increase, on top of the fact that 'there hasn't been a threat via shipping,' and all that jazz. It's hard to justify increasing taxes to pay for security, because if it works, then you'll never know. It's only when it doesn't work do you know about it.
I really wonder why this is actually news. Or why anyone would snap a picture of it. Yes, they're public figures like actors, but are valued for different reasons. Unless you're Reagan or Schwarzenegger. Still, I don't think Congress is going to pass a height/weight and body fat index requirement to serve. It's not like they're role models or anything. Right? Who cares if they're fat?
So a school is sending letters with kids that say how you're kid is doing along the height/weight and body fat index. Why is that something for a school do? Uhh... because it's pointing out that the parents might be doing something wrong or just not doing anything. Just like academics. I'm not saying that it's right for the school to do something like that, but unfortunately, parents tend expect more of the education system anyway that this only seemed like the next natural step.
I smell a sequel... Scorpions on a Plane.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
can't explain this away
OK, well, there's no easy way to say this so I'll just come out and say it. I'm fat. I'll let that sink in for a moment.
Last night instead of watching the 41-14 defeat of Ohio State vs. Florida, I decided to watch "To Be Fat Like Me." I stumbled upon this little jewel while flipping through my digital TV guide and saw the name Kaley Cuoco listed. *shrug* Again, not a big stretch for me to adjust my TV viewing according to the pretty chicks in them. I was a bit apprehensive about the fact that I'd be watching the Lifetime Channel, but it was a good TV movie so I got over it.
Basically, Cuoco plays a high school jock but because of a mid-season injury her perspective on her life changes. Call it an identity crisis. Teaming up with another girl, they set out to create a documentary film about high school life to win a $10,000 prize. Their angle? Fat. What it's like being the fat kid. Aly (Cuoco) thinks that personality and charm can win over weight when it comes to friends, but she learns lessons she thought she already knew. Plus she knocked out Chemistry in summer school, so there's more learning going on.
With the help of her neighbor, Aly is transformed from jock hottie to dork fattie. She goes through summer school trying to fit in different niches but her only friends end up being the other fat girl and her attached guy friend.
Aly gets her story but loses herself in the process. Her perception changes, the people she thought were her friends weren't, she loses the friends that she made in summer school, and her attitude changes about her family. Her mother and brother both have weight issues (well, their just husky) while Aly is there counting carbs and avoiding anything that could be harmful to her weight. She realizes that she has her own weight problem too and her mom's condition was the source of that.
Once you get past all of the obvious and convenient plot points, and the sub-par acting, it's not a bad movie. Me, I don't care about the stuff I listed because in this instance it's not about the delivery but the content of the movie. Now if this was a romantic-comedy, then it did a really, really, really, really bad job but it wasn't.
Luckily, I was skinny in high school. I was the guy making funny of the fattie. Oh the irony to be the fattie watching this film 10 years later and connecting with it. Eh, it really hasn't changed my perspective on the issue. Me, I'm easily influenced by commercials and ads. Especially about food. I'm fat, I'll admit it. But I don't use that as an excuse to eat more. You don't think I'm tempted to go out to Taco Bell to "eat late" and all that? I guess that I'm more lazy than hungry, so I talk myself out of it. Which is why I hate deliveries. Food with the convenience of never having to leave home. Ugh.
Also, for my weight-in this past weekend, I lost 3lbs for the month. Yeah! So how did I celebrate? Eating at Wendy's (twice) and then going to the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. Ha. I'll show me for losing something. Er, losing weight but that's a good thing right? Hahaha. Yeah, I got to start showing some more self-control. You'd think that'd be a resolution or something.
Last night instead of watching the 41-14 defeat of Ohio State vs. Florida, I decided to watch "To Be Fat Like Me." I stumbled upon this little jewel while flipping through my digital TV guide and saw the name Kaley Cuoco listed. *shrug* Again, not a big stretch for me to adjust my TV viewing according to the pretty chicks in them. I was a bit apprehensive about the fact that I'd be watching the Lifetime Channel, but it was a good TV movie so I got over it.
Basically, Cuoco plays a high school jock but because of a mid-season injury her perspective on her life changes. Call it an identity crisis. Teaming up with another girl, they set out to create a documentary film about high school life to win a $10,000 prize. Their angle? Fat. What it's like being the fat kid. Aly (Cuoco) thinks that personality and charm can win over weight when it comes to friends, but she learns lessons she thought she already knew. Plus she knocked out Chemistry in summer school, so there's more learning going on.
With the help of her neighbor, Aly is transformed from jock hottie to dork fattie. She goes through summer school trying to fit in different niches but her only friends end up being the other fat girl and her attached guy friend.
Aly gets her story but loses herself in the process. Her perception changes, the people she thought were her friends weren't, she loses the friends that she made in summer school, and her attitude changes about her family. Her mother and brother both have weight issues (well, their just husky) while Aly is there counting carbs and avoiding anything that could be harmful to her weight. She realizes that she has her own weight problem too and her mom's condition was the source of that.
Once you get past all of the obvious and convenient plot points, and the sub-par acting, it's not a bad movie. Me, I don't care about the stuff I listed because in this instance it's not about the delivery but the content of the movie. Now if this was a romantic-comedy, then it did a really, really, really, really bad job but it wasn't.
Luckily, I was skinny in high school. I was the guy making funny of the fattie. Oh the irony to be the fattie watching this film 10 years later and connecting with it. Eh, it really hasn't changed my perspective on the issue. Me, I'm easily influenced by commercials and ads. Especially about food. I'm fat, I'll admit it. But I don't use that as an excuse to eat more. You don't think I'm tempted to go out to Taco Bell to "eat late" and all that? I guess that I'm more lazy than hungry, so I talk myself out of it. Which is why I hate deliveries. Food with the convenience of never having to leave home. Ugh.
Also, for my weight-in this past weekend, I lost 3lbs for the month. Yeah! So how did I celebrate? Eating at Wendy's (twice) and then going to the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. Ha. I'll show me for losing something. Er, losing weight but that's a good thing right? Hahaha. Yeah, I got to start showing some more self-control. You'd think that'd be a resolution or something.
Monday, January 08, 2007
kyrie
So when I read this article, I laughed a little. Basically, the Army is trying to bolster it's ranks again by pulling from the pool of retired officers. An admirable cause, instead of trying to train new people, get the old people that are already trained. Good idea. Bad idea. Sending letters to officers already wounded and killed in action. Then I got to thinking about those families. Husbands, wives, sons and daughters that get a letter from the Department of the Army, open it up and find out that the Army wants your loved one again even though they're dead. Yeah. That probably went over well. So they sent out casaulty assistance teams again, made a public apology, and plan to send out 'personalized' letters to the families affected.
OK. Natural disasters suck. Not much you can do about them, just hope you survive. What erks me is the media that try to cover their own asses on the small things. Reading this article, the one that kept jumping out at me was the word 'suspected' used in the headline and in the article itself. Now I've used the word suspected in intelligence reports in order to keep out bias. But how can you suspect something to be a tornado??? What else could've it been? Seriously? "It knocked down trees and homes, but we think it might be Al-Qaida. Homeland Security is looking into this matter." Umm, no. It was a tornado.
My cool piece of news. So if any of you that know me, you probably know that I haven't seen the inside of a library since... yeah. I've heard stories about them, they sound really, really quiet and boring! Man returns overdue book... 47 years late. The article even mentions that there was no record of the book, so he was off, scotfree. Something like a statue of limitation on books. But what I really like is the last line from Sue Zubiena, the librarian. "It's never too late to return your books."
OK. Natural disasters suck. Not much you can do about them, just hope you survive. What erks me is the media that try to cover their own asses on the small things. Reading this article, the one that kept jumping out at me was the word 'suspected' used in the headline and in the article itself. Now I've used the word suspected in intelligence reports in order to keep out bias. But how can you suspect something to be a tornado??? What else could've it been? Seriously? "It knocked down trees and homes, but we think it might be Al-Qaida. Homeland Security is looking into this matter." Umm, no. It was a tornado.
My cool piece of news. So if any of you that know me, you probably know that I haven't seen the inside of a library since... yeah. I've heard stories about them, they sound really, really quiet and boring! Man returns overdue book... 47 years late. The article even mentions that there was no record of the book, so he was off, scotfree. Something like a statue of limitation on books. But what I really like is the last line from Sue Zubiena, the librarian. "It's never too late to return your books."
Friday, January 05, 2007
Survival Under Atomic Attack
Ah. Survival. Did you know that a newspaper can protect you in the event of an atomic attack? Yeah. I bet you also didn't know that simply closing the blinds in your house can protect you from radiation. Had the Japanese known about these little tidbits of information, thousands of lives could've been saved. Oh well, you know it now. So protect yourself! | |
Duck and Cover
| Bert the Turtle says "Duck and Cover!" Just remember if it works for a turtle, it can work for you. Apparently atomic bombs are just like earthquakes in the sense of what can protect you from both. | |
nurds
She could quite possibly be the hottest nerd yet. Ha, it's cool. She's an aerospace engineer and she's a cheerleader for the Houston Texans.
And of course more news of a similar caliber...
If all news stories were like this then I don't think there'd be a problem in the world. Yeah, it's probably all spun like the rest of the news, but I think in a positive direction. And my personal favorite, collegiate-level.
And of course more news of a similar caliber...
If all news stories were like this then I don't think there'd be a problem in the world. Yeah, it's probably all spun like the rest of the news, but I think in a positive direction. And my personal favorite, collegiate-level.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
bittersweet symphony
It's hard to tell but I have some measure of respect for anyone that puts on a uniform and goes to work. Whether it's a firefighter, corrections officer or a soldier. The pay sucks, the hours are even worse but there's something that drives them to show up day after day. Yeah, there's a draw to a salary pay instead of hourly, the benefits are pretty good, and steady work. I don't know one soldier that joined up to 'defend the Constitution' or any of that crap. Sure they might say it but that's because it sounds less selfish than 'for the college money.' Or that 'I was in a crappy situation and needed to get out of it so...' excuse. For whatever their reasons, they're brought together to form the US fighting force.
When I enlisted almost 7 years ago (whoa, that's a long time) I took an oath. It went something like this:
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
Even me, the troublemaker, took this oath seriously. In my military career I have never disobeyed a lawful order. I admit that I stretched the boundaries of some orders, made my own interpretations of others, but I always, always accomplished the task. In doing so, I exercised my First Amendment right to bitch about it, before, during and after the task was completed.
So what's spurring me to write about all of this? Well, I read this article about Lt. Watada, the first Army officer to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq. Now, I don't agree with war and I certainly don't want to go back to Iraq with a huge bullseye painted on my chest, but if I receive orders to go again, I will. And I'll bitch about it too. Loudly, but I'd go. Why? Not because I believe I'm defending the Constitution. One of the reasons I do is because it is an order given from the Commander-in-Chief. I may think that it's an unlawful order (which I don't) but that's not for me to decide. There is a system in place to determine that and so far it hasn't said anything to the contrary. So I go because if I don't, someone else will have to in my place. My friends are my family, if (God forbid) one were to be injured or killed I'd second-guess my decision to stay behind. I'll keep wondering if there was something that I could've done. If things would've been different if I was there. Maybe not, but it's that uncertainity that'll gnaw at me for the rest of my life.
After our first up-close encounter with an IED in September 2003, three friends were wounded. One was my platoon sergeant that had taken my position in the convoy at the last minute. I was supposed to be driving the trail vehicle, but instead I was driving the middle one with another company commander. He was a combat arms officer, used to the discipline of a line unit whereas we were a bunch of REMFs (rear echelon motherf***ers). I could laugh at my first sergeant and call him a doofus to his face, and he laughed but in a line unit I probably would've gotten my ass kicked to the point where I'd need a full face transplant. So riding around with him for the next ten hours was not going to be fun. Anyway, my point was that after that I volunteered for convoy duty, along that same route, travelling one of the most heavily populated IED routes twice a day three or four times each week. Sounds like suicide right? Or at least a feeble attempt at suicide made to look like a homicide. I don't know, I have sort of a biased point of view. What I can tell is that I did it because I didn't want one of my friends out there instead to leave me back at camp to worry and that maybe, just maybe, if I was out there that I could make a difference. Save a life. I'm a chronic worrier though, and I started to wonder if the person that I replaced would make better decisions than me. It was a vicious cycle.
I remember joking with my platoon sergeant, I don't think I showed too much of what I was really feeling (FREAKED OUT!) while it was going on. After the wounded were evac'd, our brigade chaplain was out there and I walked up to him and just brokedown, crying for a few minutes. Afterwards I sucked it back up for the duration we were out there. Then on the drive back I was so panicked and I kept thinking "Holy crap! I'm driving too fast, I can't tell if there's any more IEDs out there." And I looked down at my speedometer, it read 10mph, and I noticed that my knuckles were white and my hands were visibly shaking. When were outside awaiting news about our wounded, some of us were smoking, and I couldn't keep my cigarette lit because I kept shaking the cherry free. I think it took me like 20 minutes to smoke one.
I've gotten a little off-topic. The point is, I'd rather be Iraq where I might be able to make a difference than back here where I know I can't make one. I have a legitimate reason to get out of deployments with no consequences. Yet I choose to be deployable, just like I chose to join the Army. Maybe it's not the smartest idea, but I'm not known for smart ideas.
When I enlisted almost 7 years ago (whoa, that's a long time) I took an oath. It went something like this:
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
Even me, the troublemaker, took this oath seriously. In my military career I have never disobeyed a lawful order. I admit that I stretched the boundaries of some orders, made my own interpretations of others, but I always, always accomplished the task. In doing so, I exercised my First Amendment right to bitch about it, before, during and after the task was completed.
So what's spurring me to write about all of this? Well, I read this article about Lt. Watada, the first Army officer to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq. Now, I don't agree with war and I certainly don't want to go back to Iraq with a huge bullseye painted on my chest, but if I receive orders to go again, I will. And I'll bitch about it too. Loudly, but I'd go. Why? Not because I believe I'm defending the Constitution. One of the reasons I do is because it is an order given from the Commander-in-Chief. I may think that it's an unlawful order (which I don't) but that's not for me to decide. There is a system in place to determine that and so far it hasn't said anything to the contrary. So I go because if I don't, someone else will have to in my place. My friends are my family, if (God forbid) one were to be injured or killed I'd second-guess my decision to stay behind. I'll keep wondering if there was something that I could've done. If things would've been different if I was there. Maybe not, but it's that uncertainity that'll gnaw at me for the rest of my life.
After our first up-close encounter with an IED in September 2003, three friends were wounded. One was my platoon sergeant that had taken my position in the convoy at the last minute. I was supposed to be driving the trail vehicle, but instead I was driving the middle one with another company commander. He was a combat arms officer, used to the discipline of a line unit whereas we were a bunch of REMFs (rear echelon motherf***ers). I could laugh at my first sergeant and call him a doofus to his face, and he laughed but in a line unit I probably would've gotten my ass kicked to the point where I'd need a full face transplant. So riding around with him for the next ten hours was not going to be fun. Anyway, my point was that after that I volunteered for convoy duty, along that same route, travelling one of the most heavily populated IED routes twice a day three or four times each week. Sounds like suicide right? Or at least a feeble attempt at suicide made to look like a homicide. I don't know, I have sort of a biased point of view. What I can tell is that I did it because I didn't want one of my friends out there instead to leave me back at camp to worry and that maybe, just maybe, if I was out there that I could make a difference. Save a life. I'm a chronic worrier though, and I started to wonder if the person that I replaced would make better decisions than me. It was a vicious cycle.
I remember joking with my platoon sergeant, I don't think I showed too much of what I was really feeling (FREAKED OUT!) while it was going on. After the wounded were evac'd, our brigade chaplain was out there and I walked up to him and just brokedown, crying for a few minutes. Afterwards I sucked it back up for the duration we were out there. Then on the drive back I was so panicked and I kept thinking "Holy crap! I'm driving too fast, I can't tell if there's any more IEDs out there." And I looked down at my speedometer, it read 10mph, and I noticed that my knuckles were white and my hands were visibly shaking. When were outside awaiting news about our wounded, some of us were smoking, and I couldn't keep my cigarette lit because I kept shaking the cherry free. I think it took me like 20 minutes to smoke one.
I've gotten a little off-topic. The point is, I'd rather be Iraq where I might be able to make a difference than back here where I know I can't make one. I have a legitimate reason to get out of deployments with no consequences. Yet I choose to be deployable, just like I chose to join the Army. Maybe it's not the smartest idea, but I'm not known for smart ideas.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
hands clean
Like Christy I'm just now doing a review of 2006. Whereas she cited a preoccupation the thought of a substanial posting, I'm going to go ahead with the classic. "Fuck it, I ain't gonna lie. I'm just lazy."
So 2006. Work-wise I started the year as a furniture mover but ended as a researcher at a public relations company. How the two fields are related is strange, but believe it or not I took a huge pay cut to do this job because I feel that there's a good future in this sort of work. I got to reconnect with old college friends through some of the weirdest coincidences (yes, there's a story to be told). Starting seriously blogging. By seriously I mean like on a daily basis, not the content of said blogs. This in turn has reducing my use of profanity probably to a normal level. I was up to a 70% profanity content since 2003. Plus, it's almost been therapeutic to rant about things that were bugging me. Once that was complete I kept my spirits up by doing the news like my own Daily Show.
I made a few new friends, which is hard for me. I'm sort of like Randall from Clerks and Clerks II, minus the Jersey skeez. I only lost 6 friends in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, low compared to previous years. My personal life is getting more organized, all of my DVDs are organized (online) and I picked up one of my favorite hobbies; Legos.
So what do I want to accomplish in 2007...
As always, setting the bar low. Or, baby steps.
1. Get a bed. - Yeah, that's right. No bed. Back is hurting.
2. Complete the most recent game I've purchased, Final Fantasy XII. - This sounds like an easy task right? Look, I haven't completed a Playstation FF game since Final Fantasy Tactics. Yeah, that's right, I haven't finished a game since 1999. So what? In fact, I don't think I've past any game since that point.
3. Continue organizing my life. - Then throw it back into chaos by getting a 3rd shift job.
4. At least consider going back to school.
5. Lose weight. - Yeah, I've been parting it to the side. I may have to start running to accomplish that goal.
That's it so far. I pretty much like my life. I've got cable, internet and food. Take those things away and Daniel go crazy. Yeah, Daniel will start to talk about himself in the third person...
So 2006. Work-wise I started the year as a furniture mover but ended as a researcher at a public relations company. How the two fields are related is strange, but believe it or not I took a huge pay cut to do this job because I feel that there's a good future in this sort of work. I got to reconnect with old college friends through some of the weirdest coincidences (yes, there's a story to be told). Starting seriously blogging. By seriously I mean like on a daily basis, not the content of said blogs. This in turn has reducing my use of profanity probably to a normal level. I was up to a 70% profanity content since 2003. Plus, it's almost been therapeutic to rant about things that were bugging me. Once that was complete I kept my spirits up by doing the news like my own Daily Show.
I made a few new friends, which is hard for me. I'm sort of like Randall from Clerks and Clerks II, minus the Jersey skeez. I only lost 6 friends in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, low compared to previous years. My personal life is getting more organized, all of my DVDs are organized (online) and I picked up one of my favorite hobbies; Legos.
So what do I want to accomplish in 2007...
As always, setting the bar low. Or, baby steps.
1. Get a bed. - Yeah, that's right. No bed. Back is hurting.
2. Complete the most recent game I've purchased, Final Fantasy XII. - This sounds like an easy task right? Look, I haven't completed a Playstation FF game since Final Fantasy Tactics. Yeah, that's right, I haven't finished a game since 1999. So what? In fact, I don't think I've past any game since that point.
3. Continue organizing my life. - Then throw it back into chaos by getting a 3rd shift job.
4. At least consider going back to school.
5. Lose weight. - Yeah, I've been parting it to the side. I may have to start running to accomplish that goal.
That's it so far. I pretty much like my life. I've got cable, internet and food. Take those things away and Daniel go crazy. Yeah, Daniel will start to talk about himself in the third person...
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
nothing left to do
I wonder how many twins can actually say that they were born in different years? Although they were born 2 months premature, it's still sort of cool. I know there's got to be some cases where twins are born on different days, but different years is just cool. How about different months? And what's next? Different states? It's going to be a competition! Different countries! (i.e. giving birth to one in Canada, drive south to give birth in US.) Ha. That'd just be cool. One kid is a Canadian, the other American.
See? This is the news I like.
FYI, if you didn't know, posting a blog like this is not private. *gasp* Really? You mean other people have access to this fancy-doohicky called the inter-net? And they can read this? You mean other people can read letters, put them together to form words and those words form sentences and thoughts? You mean to tell me my personal MySpace page isn't private? Oh no! What am I to do? Oh yeah, not care. I know posting things on the Internet can actually be viewed by the public. Uh, that's why I do it. It's not like I'm doing this anonymously.
Updating adoption news. The Madonna controversy. Yes, she did not adhere to established laws. The cool thing is that this controversy has stirred up some free publicity for Malawi orphans. Which was the purpose of Madonna's original trip. Well played! OK what erks me (surprised?) is the nun that sent the dad $788 (approximately) and was quoted as saying that the boy would be better off staying Malawi. No one can make a comment like that and actually mean it can they? Not unless they're psychic and predict the future. Yeah, there's nothing that can substitute a loving parent, but love just isn't enough. Love doesn't make the hunger go away, love doesn't cure AIDS, love can't keep you warm at night. Love is great, but there's so much things he'd have access to. Medicine. Education. What if little David grew up to cure AIDS? Or at least made a difference in that field. Can you then say that he would've been better off in Malawi? Yeah it sounds more like the "wait and see" theory but I can't travel into the future (yet) nor can I observe two parallel universes simultaneously (yet).
From personal experience, I can tell you that my life would be drasatically different had I not been adopted. I wouldn't have had access to many of the things I did. Plus, I certainly wouldn't have had the same experiences. But even then, I can't say for certain that I'm better off because I'm adopted. I like who I am now and that's all that matters to me. Can't change the past (yet) but maybe I can do something about the future. Probably not, because I assume that's going to take some effort and that sounds like that'd cut into my TV viewing time.
Speaking of TV viewing. The Sarah Silverman Program. I've been waiting for this for like a year. I love her, she's hot for a Jew. The stuff that spews from this comedienne's mouth is just outrageous and her delivery is what sets her apart from others. Just think of my racist comments, beliefs and jokes, and put them in the body of a hot Jew. That's her! I laughed my ass off when I watched "Jesus is Magic." Although I'm predicting that this will be another one of Comedy Central's short lived shows, I plan to enjoy it. Oh, and in the movie "The Way of the Gun" her rant (7th from the top, 'Raving Bitch') is just classic.
Sarah Silverman (on religion and kids): "Who cares? Different religions. I guess the only time it's an issue I suppose would be if you're having a baby, you have to figure out how you want to raise your baby or whatever, which still would not be an issue for us. Because you know, we'd just be honest, and say "Mommy is one of the chosen people, and Daddy believes that Jesus is magic."
See? This is the news I like.
FYI, if you didn't know, posting a blog like this is not private. *gasp* Really? You mean other people have access to this fancy-doohicky called the inter-net? And they can read this? You mean other people can read letters, put them together to form words and those words form sentences and thoughts? You mean to tell me my personal MySpace page isn't private? Oh no! What am I to do? Oh yeah, not care. I know posting things on the Internet can actually be viewed by the public. Uh, that's why I do it. It's not like I'm doing this anonymously.
Updating adoption news. The Madonna controversy. Yes, she did not adhere to established laws. The cool thing is that this controversy has stirred up some free publicity for Malawi orphans. Which was the purpose of Madonna's original trip. Well played! OK what erks me (surprised?) is the nun that sent the dad $788 (approximately) and was quoted as saying that the boy would be better off staying Malawi. No one can make a comment like that and actually mean it can they? Not unless they're psychic and predict the future. Yeah, there's nothing that can substitute a loving parent, but love just isn't enough. Love doesn't make the hunger go away, love doesn't cure AIDS, love can't keep you warm at night. Love is great, but there's so much things he'd have access to. Medicine. Education. What if little David grew up to cure AIDS? Or at least made a difference in that field. Can you then say that he would've been better off in Malawi? Yeah it sounds more like the "wait and see" theory but I can't travel into the future (yet) nor can I observe two parallel universes simultaneously (yet).
From personal experience, I can tell you that my life would be drasatically different had I not been adopted. I wouldn't have had access to many of the things I did. Plus, I certainly wouldn't have had the same experiences. But even then, I can't say for certain that I'm better off because I'm adopted. I like who I am now and that's all that matters to me. Can't change the past (yet) but maybe I can do something about the future. Probably not, because I assume that's going to take some effort and that sounds like that'd cut into my TV viewing time.
Speaking of TV viewing. The Sarah Silverman Program. I've been waiting for this for like a year. I love her, she's hot for a Jew. The stuff that spews from this comedienne's mouth is just outrageous and her delivery is what sets her apart from others. Just think of my racist comments, beliefs and jokes, and put them in the body of a hot Jew. That's her! I laughed my ass off when I watched "Jesus is Magic." Although I'm predicting that this will be another one of Comedy Central's short lived shows, I plan to enjoy it. Oh, and in the movie "The Way of the Gun" her rant (7th from the top, 'Raving Bitch') is just classic.
Sarah Silverman (on religion and kids): "Who cares? Different religions. I guess the only time it's an issue I suppose would be if you're having a baby, you have to figure out how you want to raise your baby or whatever, which still would not be an issue for us. Because you know, we'd just be honest, and say "Mommy is one of the chosen people, and Daddy believes that Jesus is magic."
cry me a river
Oh no! You mean judges don't get paid the big bucks? It's a constitutional crisis! Huh. I didn't realize that $165,000 (yearly) was minimum wage. Frak. I'm only making like 1/4 of minimum wage then. I guess I romanticize what the judicary system was about... justice. So I was wrong and (then) Puff Daddy was right, it's all about the benjamins. In the last 6 years 38 judges have left the bench. I'm guessing for private sector jobs that offered more money right? Well good, I don't want judges that are swayed by money on the bench. They, at least, had the integrity to walk away. Well, if judges are getting paid crap, then so are cops, firefighters, oh heck all civil servants. Everyone from President to the government supply clerk should get paid 7-digit salaries, that'll solve the problem right?
And this is a must for travellers down under. Me, I prefer the universal method of TALKING LOUDER AND SLOWER!
While keeping in mind that I was just stunned about this football game, what drew me to the article was the girlfriend's name: Chrissy Popadics. Popadics? Really? A cheerleader with that name, must be hard to live up too.
Some might say that this was offered 26 (almost 27) years too late for me. OK, so just mainly me. It'd be nice to blame my retardedness on something else.
Kid found wandering I-465 in Superman t-shirt. Takes a whole new meaning to "go play in traffic" which is one of my favorite replies to a stupid comment.
"Can I ask you question?"
"What is it?"
"It's an interogative form of sentence used to test knowledge, but that's not important right now."
And this is a must for travellers down under. Me, I prefer the universal method of TALKING LOUDER AND SLOWER!
While keeping in mind that I was just stunned about this football game, what drew me to the article was the girlfriend's name: Chrissy Popadics. Popadics? Really? A cheerleader with that name, must be hard to live up too.
Some might say that this was offered 26 (almost 27) years too late for me. OK, so just mainly me. It'd be nice to blame my retardedness on something else.
Kid found wandering I-465 in Superman t-shirt. Takes a whole new meaning to "go play in traffic" which is one of my favorite replies to a stupid comment.
"Can I ask you question?"
"What is it?"
"It's an interogative form of sentence used to test knowledge, but that's not important right now."
Monday, January 01, 2007
the sound of silence
Ah, the new year. So what's different now from last year? Nothing so far, unless you count the fact that my iPod crapped out on me. That and my service warranty for it expired three months ago. I can't afford a new one for awhile too. Now I'm going to have to listen to the radio or CDs. And what am I going to listen to at work? Silence? 8 hours of silence? Argh! On the flip side, maybe I'll be more productive and, you know, get work done. Ha!
So my buddy Wes finally gave me the pictures from our big '06 project. Yup, the heater core. So without further ado.
Here is what we accomplished in an hour. It really didn't take that long but we had to clean out the other crap in my car before starting.
This is me and the dash. Yeah, I'm propping it up with my knees to make it look like that. The rumor was that taking out the dash is the hardest part of changing out a heater core. So when we got to this part in three hours we thought that we'd be done by dinner.
What you're looking at is a switch located on the driver's side, under the center console, and behind all the electronics. It's the alarm kill switch. Now what purpose do I have showing you this? Well, this is a story within a story I guess. In Februrary '06 Bill was helping me install my CB radio, powered directly from the car battery. Just as I told him to be careful because the car alarm would go off and it would be difficult to deactivate, he uncoupled the battery connectors and the alarm went off. Suffice the say the car alarm couldn't be deactivated and I couldn't drive it, so it cost me $200 to tow it from Greencastle to Indianapolis and another $20 to have some guy at H.H. Gregg to work on it for five minutes to fix this whole thing. There's more which I'll tell later.
Behind the dash. When we realized that we'd have to replace the weatherstripping too. Oh well, not a bad deal. That thing on the left side, that's the heater core assembly. Only a few centimeters of plastic separated us from the heater core. Again, we thought that we'd be done in a few hours.
So with the dash disassembled, I began working in the engine compartment. The instructions said to drain radiator fluids and disconnect the hoses to the heater core. Yeah, they didn't anything about taking out the air filter and hoses, we also had to unbolt the fuel pump (not shown here) just to disconnect the hoses. By disconnect, I mean slice open and rip out.
It's hard to tell from this photo but it's dark outside at this point. To get the heater core assembly out we also had to take out the fan assembly to give us some wiggle room against the AC unit to literally rip out the heater core. I'm not kidding. The copper pipes had fused with the insulation around them, and there was a bolt holding the whole unit in that you couldn't get to. I mean seriously, I don't know how you're supposed to get to it and we had it all taken apart looking at it. So it's about 10pm, I've only been working on the car for 12 hours and this was the result of those first 12 hours of work. We took some of the pieces inside. We needed to JB weld the broken pieces of the heater core case (from where we removed it from the bolt) and also, the fan was in need of a good cleaning.
That's the pain in the ass.
The proud owner. I'm on my way to disassemble the damn thing because the eight clips around it are deceiving, the vent controllers span both halves.
And of course we reassembled it, with parts to spare! That's not a good thing huh? Well, it was a good learning experience. Next up! The master brake cylinder! Only this time, we're going to do it when it's warmer and more daylight. Like this summer!
So my buddy Wes finally gave me the pictures from our big '06 project. Yup, the heater core. So without further ado.
Here is what we accomplished in an hour. It really didn't take that long but we had to clean out the other crap in my car before starting.
This is me and the dash. Yeah, I'm propping it up with my knees to make it look like that. The rumor was that taking out the dash is the hardest part of changing out a heater core. So when we got to this part in three hours we thought that we'd be done by dinner.
What you're looking at is a switch located on the driver's side, under the center console, and behind all the electronics. It's the alarm kill switch. Now what purpose do I have showing you this? Well, this is a story within a story I guess. In Februrary '06 Bill was helping me install my CB radio, powered directly from the car battery. Just as I told him to be careful because the car alarm would go off and it would be difficult to deactivate, he uncoupled the battery connectors and the alarm went off. Suffice the say the car alarm couldn't be deactivated and I couldn't drive it, so it cost me $200 to tow it from Greencastle to Indianapolis and another $20 to have some guy at H.H. Gregg to work on it for five minutes to fix this whole thing. There's more which I'll tell later.
Behind the dash. When we realized that we'd have to replace the weatherstripping too. Oh well, not a bad deal. That thing on the left side, that's the heater core assembly. Only a few centimeters of plastic separated us from the heater core. Again, we thought that we'd be done in a few hours.
So with the dash disassembled, I began working in the engine compartment. The instructions said to drain radiator fluids and disconnect the hoses to the heater core. Yeah, they didn't anything about taking out the air filter and hoses, we also had to unbolt the fuel pump (not shown here) just to disconnect the hoses. By disconnect, I mean slice open and rip out.
It's hard to tell from this photo but it's dark outside at this point. To get the heater core assembly out we also had to take out the fan assembly to give us some wiggle room against the AC unit to literally rip out the heater core. I'm not kidding. The copper pipes had fused with the insulation around them, and there was a bolt holding the whole unit in that you couldn't get to. I mean seriously, I don't know how you're supposed to get to it and we had it all taken apart looking at it. So it's about 10pm, I've only been working on the car for 12 hours and this was the result of those first 12 hours of work. We took some of the pieces inside. We needed to JB weld the broken pieces of the heater core case (from where we removed it from the bolt) and also, the fan was in need of a good cleaning.
That's the pain in the ass.
The proud owner. I'm on my way to disassemble the damn thing because the eight clips around it are deceiving, the vent controllers span both halves.
And of course we reassembled it, with parts to spare! That's not a good thing huh? Well, it was a good learning experience. Next up! The master brake cylinder! Only this time, we're going to do it when it's warmer and more daylight. Like this summer!
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