born_stubborn

I have to admit I'm amused with the my local officials' and business leaders' reaction to the following remarks from President Obama:

“When times are tough, you tighten your belts. You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices.”

(emphasis mine)

Yeah, they have their little chones in a wad. Why, though?

First of all, what did the President say that wasn't true? People come to Vegas as tourists because they have the money to do so. All President O was saying is that it's not wise to blow money on luxury items and trips when you don't have enough to pay your frickin' bills. All anyone is talking about is the fact that he dared name Las Vegas in his remarks. No one wants to talk about the context in which Obama was speaking. I appreciate the revenue tourists bring to our economy as much as any local. I also understand that, in these times, I can't expect them to keep coming when their homes, livelihoods, and financial standings are in jeopardy. When you're broke, splurging is a bad idea, whether it's in Vegas, NYC, Asia, Europe, or wherever. Furthermore, a dad from Ohio blowing his kids' college savings on strippers and blackjack would be tragic, am I right? Sorry, but the President nailed this one.

However, Senator Reid made a good point, seeing as this is Obama's second time invoking Las Vegas as an example of irresponsible spending. "The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn’t be spending their money,” he said in his statement. Okay, true that. I agree with him, though you won't hear me pissing and moaning like some local officials are.

Example? Our own mayor, Oscar Goodman needs to grow the hell up already.

"Oscar Goodman, the Mayor of Las Vegas and an independent, described Mr Obama as “a real slow learner” who had a “psychological hang-up” about the city.

“He has to step up right away and say, you know, he wasn’t thinking.

Sometimes when he’s not using his monitors and reading what he says, he doesn’t think. And this is one of those times he didn’t think, and he should straighten out the record because he’s been here, he knows Las Vegas is a great place.”

Last year, Mr Obama apologised and during a visit to Nellis Air Force Base outside Las Vegas said that it was good to get out of Washington and “there’s nothing like a quick trip to Vegas in the middle of the week”.

But Mr Goodman said that this time an apology wouldn’t be enough. “I’ll do everything I can to give him the boot.”

Yeah, Mr. Mayor, real professional. I generally agree with him - as well as his policies - but he can be a real douche-bag sometimes. This is one of his bad days.

Folks around here should settle down because I seriously doubt the President's remarks are going to keep those who can afford it from visiting.

Tomorrow would have been Granny's 72nd birthday. Instead, she will be interned at a national cemetary in Pensacola. I can't stop thinking about her. Today would be the day I'd normally give her a call. :-(

I'm a year older today. I wish I were a few years wiser.

1. Elaborate on your default icon.
It was taken right outside the garage in December 2006.

2. What's your current relationship status?
Married for eleven and a half years

3. Ever have a near-death experience?
no

4. Name an obvious quality you have?
i'm chubby

5. What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now?
Bite the Bullet by 64revolt

6. Name a celebrity you would marry?
none

7. Who will cut and paste this first?
No idea

8. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity?
Robert Downey (?) and Jim Breuer

9. Do you wear a watch?
no

10. Do you have anything pierced?
no

11. Do you have any tattoos?
no

12. Do you like pain?
hate it

13. Do you like to shop?
not particularly

14. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?
a gatorade

15. What was the last thing you paid for with your credit card?
door locks

16. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
cris

17. What is on your desktop background?

-centered

18. What is the background on your cell phone?
a pic of my kids

19. Do you like redheads?
matches are pretty useful

20. Do you know any twins?
not anymore

21. Do you have any weird relatives?
define "weird"

22. What was the last movie you watched?
I'm watching Snow Dogs right now

23. If you had $100 to spare, who would you give it to?
Me I'm broke and selfish

24. What was your favorite book as a child?
Encyclopedia Brown

Yeah, I said it -

Happy Holidays.

Not Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Eid Al Atha, or anything else exclusive to any one creed. I wish the best to you all for any of the dozen or so holidays you may be celebrating based on your faith - or lack thereof. To me, it's not politically correct to say Happy Holidays, but COURTEOUS. It leaves room for everyone at the table - anyone who may be celebrating one or more holidays this time of year. Whether you're celebrating Christmas, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving (some countries), Kwanzaa, Eid Al Atha (islamic new year), Hannukah, Saturnalia, Solstice, etc, etc, etc, you all deserve a place at the table. Just because you don't agree with someone's beliefs doesn't give you the right to deny their right to have their beliefs. Whatever your holiday/diety/non-diety/lack-of-diety of choice, please keep in mind that there are hundreds of religions and belief systems - probably right in your back yard. We all have the right to our beliefs.

That's why I say HAPPY HOLIDAYS, unless I know what your particular belief system is. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, Kwanzaa, etc. And I don't care what you say to me.

I know it's the thought that counts - and I appreciate it.

Love,
J

Go back through your journal over the past year. Take the first sentence from the first entry of each month throughout the year and copy it.

January:
Maybe it's my point of view talking, but I like it here so far. (of Mexicali, BC)

February:
There's comprehensive list up of what the Republicans consider "wasteful" in the Democrats' economic stimulus bill.

March:
How many skinny people do I have to eat to find a size 44 belt?

April:
Ropes, Chains, Walls, Bars cast a moan
they yield to the pending collapse

May:
Mom is 55 years young today.

June:
Among those overrides were a bill that funds K-12 education for the next two years and on that extends the rights enjoyed by legally married couples to those with domestic partnerships (long-term, living together), to include same-sex couples (the bill specified that). (of the congressional super-slap our incompetent sorry excuse of a governor received.)

July:
Seriously, Jenny and Blake, WTF?

August:
Well, it's about time to go on back, but we've experienced a lot of things on this trip we'll treasure.

September:
Imagine the worst of human nature coming out.

October:
Laura at Daily KOS breaks down what it means, and what it's done for victims/survivors of domestic violence.

November:
Reading this again solidified my notion that Rand was a raving lunatic and that objectivism is sociopathy written into a mad person's political philosophy.

December:
I think "skeptical" is a good word to describe how I feel about this plan, chiefly because these religious extremists don't only exist in Afghanistan.

I'd like to know, if you have a smartphone like a blackberry or droid that is web capable, what you pay per month. My provider wants to charge $30/month extra for their blackberry web plan. I say f*ck that. Those with an iPhone need not answer because I ain't going to AT&T.

I think "skeptical" is a good word to describe how I feel about this plan, chiefly because these religious extremists don't only exist in Afghanistan. We are, just like back in the Vietnam era, fighting ideology against ideology. I just can't see much good coming out of this because I don't see fighting an ideological war with military might as being, in any way, successful. Did we defeat the regimes in Vietnam and Cambodia? No. It took the people becoming fed up with their treachery for things to begin to turn around. I think the same applies here - except in this example we're contending with 1400 years of history.

Read the article.

But I think it applies to many women over 30, assuming they have their shit together like my partner:

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.

Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it .

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.

Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk, if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!

Good stuff, and true. :-)

This shit pisses me off, though it doesn't surprise me in the least coming from the owners of one of the most racist, sexist, heteronormative, and homophobic entities in the known universe.

ABC Books Chris Brown After Dumping Adam Lambert: Convicted Felon More Appropriate for TV Than Unpredictable Gay Man?

ABC's Good Morning America is under fire for booking convicted felon Chris Brown immediately after dumping Adam Lambert over his American Music Awards performance:

"Brown will do a taped tell-all with Robin Roberts, followed by a performance of songs from his new album. But TV insiders say the appearance, slated to air the week after next, has outraged feminists and gay activists who wonder why a convicted girlfriend abuser is more palatable to the network than an openly gay man (shocking, really) who broke no laws with his raunchy performance on the American Music Awards. An ABC source said, 'The network is giving a mixed message -- that it doesn't trust someone who shocked with an unpredictable show and a gay kiss, but then it is happy to go ahead with Chris Brown, who was convicted of felony assault.' ABC News has insisted that Lambert's sexual orientation did not play a role in its decision to pull the plug on his 'GMA' appearance this week. ABC insiders said they ruled the 'American Idol' star's sexed-up shenanigans on Sunday's awards show -- which included him groping a female dancer, kissing a male musician and shoving a male dancer's face into his crotch -- were inappropriate for morning TV. One said, 'He was not canceled over a gay kiss. He showed himself to be unpredictable on live TV.'"

At least we know that ABC likes felony domestic abusers more than unpredictable gay men. We also know that they can piss right the hell off. Furthermore, we know who the media is quicker to forgive and quick to forget about their treachery.

I don't know about you, but when I feast on Thursday, I'll be thinking of the many indigenous lives lost to colonialism and capitalism. I will be thanking THEM for THEIR sacrifices, though they were mostly unwilling.

"Why I Hate Thanksgiving"

I wouldn't normally give a damn because pop culture usually makes my balls itch anyway, but this "scandal" only exists because of people's homophobia: Adam Lambert's performance at the ama show wasn't any edgier or racier than what Britney and Madonna did a few years back. Folks are only bitching and moaning because Adam kissed another man.

First, Lambert's performance - if anything - WASN'T as racy as some of the semi-naked women you see on every single one of these shows. Second, at least Lambert is really gay, instead of just acting gay to please, shock, or otherwise garner the attention of other people - like Madonna and Britney were. Not that I care - even remotely - for his music, but I am a big fan of the fact that Lambert is real about his shit, unlike the impostors that only go gay for the guys. Katy Perry, anyone? Yeah, thought so.

Paranoia and "helicopter parenting" are ruining our children, opines Nancy Gibbs of Time Magazine:

"Refusing to vaccinate your children, as millions now threaten to do in the case of the swine flu, is statistically reckless; on the other hand, there are no reports of a child ever being poisoned by a stranger handing out tainted Halloween candy, and the odds of being kidnapped and killed by a stranger are about 1 in 1.5 million. When parents confront you with "How can you let him go to the store alone?," she suggests countering with "How can you let him visit your relatives?" (Some 80% of kids who are molested are victims of friends or relatives.) Or ride in the car with you? (More than 430,000 kids were injured in motor vehicles last year.) "I'm not saying that there is no danger in the world or that we shouldn't be prepared," she says. "But there is good and bad luck and fate and things beyond our ability to change. The way kids learn to be resourceful is by having to use their resources." Besides, she says with a smile, "a 100%-safe world is not only impossible. It's nowhere you'd want to be."

"Finally, there is the gift of humility, which parents need to offer one another. We can fuss and fret and shuttle and shelter, but in the end, what we do may not matter as much as we think. Freakonomics authors Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt analyzed a Department of Education study tracking the progress of kids through fifth grade and found that things like how much parents read to their kids, how much TV kids watch and whether Mom works make little difference. "Frequent museum visits would seem to be no more productive than trips to the grocery store," they argued in USA Today. "By the time most parents pick up a book on parenting technique, it's too late. Many of the things that matter most were decided long ago — what kind of education a parent got, what kind of spouse he wound up with and how long they waited to have children."

If you embrace this rather humbling reality, it will be easier to follow the advice D.H. Lawrence offered back in 1918: "How to begin to educate a child. First rule: leave him alone. Second rule: leave him alone. Third rule: leave him alone. That is the whole beginning."

Food for thought, though mostly my own.

A zombie motif mixed with Soviet propaganda with english subtitles. Plus, Metallica sounds more like Metallica and less like Nickelback.

Embedding is disabled. Fucking RIAA. Click here to watch.

About the video:

"The music video, directed by Roboshobo (Robert Schober)[3], debuted on December 7, 2008, on Metallica's official website and Yahoo Video.[4][5] The video, which does not feature the band, is an alternate-history narrative done in grainy mockumentary style, depicting a sequence of fictional events following the historic 1908 Tunguska event, at which Soviet scientists discover spores of an extraterrestrial organism, a small harmless thing resembling an armored worm.

However it turns out the incredibly hardy spores are able to reanimate dead tissue, and subjects turn violent sometime after exposure to the spores; the USSR adapts them as a bio-weapon and scatters them from balloons in a preemptive strike against the US, causing a localized zombie apocalypse before intervening militarily to distribute humanitarian aid. At the end of the video, a hybrid US/USSR flag is raised in the now-Soviet-ruled America, and a headless corpse is shown breaching containment and escaping from a Soviet bio-warfare lab.

In a video from the website Metclub.com, Kirk Hammett explained the origins of the video. He bought the film from a fan for $5 in Russia and soon forgot about it. After digging it up and watching the animated film, he was fascinated by it, researched about its background, and asked a friend's Russian girlfriend to translate parts of it. Following this, Hammett had supposedly been trying to incorporate the film into one of the band's music videos. However, as it turned out later, Hammett's story was a fake to produce hype about the video: the film was not made in Russia and Hammett did not actually buy it there, but, as the video's director Roboshobo stated in an interview, the live action segments (including the ending) were especially shot to look like excerpts of old documentary footage from Russia about the Tunguska event and its (fictional) consequences; the subtitles and everything else included in the video are part of its concept

Hat tip to Oliver Willis for his blog post: http://www.oliverwillis.com/2009/11/16/american-puritanism-on-sex-causing-std-infections/

"You don’t have to be gross and graphic but if we keep holding on to this puritanism and this mythology of the pure as snow teenager, we’re effectively giving kids uzis without any instruction as to how to use it and what kind of damage it can cause."

People fuck. It's our nature. So teach your kids as soon as possible, because hoping they'll stay abstinent is like hoping it'll rain 100% pure platinum from the sky. It's the very definition of pipe dream. My suggestion - be frank. Call a penis a penis and a vagina a vagina and tell them how everything works. And, for crying out loud, don't tell them they're gross or perverted for wanting to know.

Please.

I have posted these up on Facebook...

See here, if the link will actually work.

Amusing, going through all this old stuff. hahaha

CNN - "Fort Hood suspect a loner, profiler says."

Great, profiler guy, way to make being a loner seem like a bad thing. Look, pal, just because we're loners doesn't mean that we're going to show up one day and shoot up the place. This "suspect" has a lot more shit going on in his brain that merely being a loner.

Heaven forbid one be a person who enjoys solitude - people automatically assume something's wrong. *sigh* This kind of coverage of any suspect in a tragic act of violence such as Ft. Hood reminds me of the press blaming goths and Marlyn Manson for what Klebold and Harris did. This type of assumption is just plain lulzworthy. Being different does not make one prone to murder. It simply doesn't. I mean fuck, man, way to make folks scared of loners, geeks, goths, wev. Not everyone is a social butterfly. Not everyone runs with the in crowd - or any crowd for that matter.

In two words, Mr. Profiler Guy - BLOW ME.

And he's only ten years old. I'm sharing this article with my boys. No one should ever recite anything for anyone unless (1) they know exactly what it means and (2) be absolutely in support of what they are reciting.

I personally opt out of the pledge of allegiance when I'm in a school at the time it's being recited. I pledged my allegiance once - but not to a inanimate piece of cloth - on June 15, 1994: "I, J**** R***** M*****, DO SOLEMNLY AFFIRM TO SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC, AND WILL BEAR TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAME..."

If that ain't good enough for you, I encourage you to call the law offices of Tough and Schitt.

More about the boy:

It was during one of those drives that the discussion turned to the pledge of allegiance and what it means. Laura Phillips is Will's mother. “Yes, my son is 10,” she said. “But he's probably more aware of the meaning of the pledge than a lot of adults. He's not just doing it rote recitation. We raised him to be aware of what's right, what's wrong, and what's fair.”

Will's family has a number of gay friends. In recent years, Laura Phillips said, they've been trying to be a straight ally to the gay community, going to the pride parades and standing up for the rights of their gay and lesbian neighbors. They've been especially dismayed by the effort to take away the rights of homosexuals – the right to marry, and the right to adopt. Given that, Will immediately saw a problem with the pledge of allegiance.

“I've always tried to analyze things because I want to be lawyer,” Will said. “I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for all.”

After asking his parents whether it was against the law not to stand for the pledge, Will decided to do something. On Monday, Oct. 5, when the other kids in his class stood up to recite the pledge of allegiance, he remained sitting down. The class had a substitute teacher that week, a retired educator from the district, who knew Will's mother and grandmother. Though the substitute tried to make him stand up, he respectfully refused. He did it again the next day, and the next day. Each day, the substitute got a little more cross with him. On Thursday, it finally came to a head. The teacher, Will said, told him that she knew his mother and grandmother, and they would want him to stand and say the pledge.

“She got a lot more angry and raised her voice and brought my mom and my grandma up,” Will said. “I was fuming and was too furious to really pay attention to what she was saying. After a few minutes, I said, ‘With all due respect, ma'am, you can go jump off a bridge.'"

Young Will has decided not to trade humanity for patriotism. For that he deserves utmost respect and should be held up as an example for the rest of us.

Read this now.

See also: "What's The Alternative To Tucker Max"

This is who we are, and what we have to gain:

"They are on the front lines, but there are legions of progressive men of all ages, all over the country who are struggling to redefine masculinity and live that redefinition every day. They fumble without models but continue on because they know that there is so much to be gained. Guys who reject traditional masculinity, for starters, have a greater chance of finding fulfilling work that isn't just a symbol of their provider status. They might explore the joy of relationships -- being nurturing with their kids, real with their friends, open with their partners. They have the opportunity to shed their socialized skin and all the anxiety that comes with trying to be a "tough guy" and make a happy life defined, not by their paycheck or their size, but by their humanity."

Right the f**k on!

It wasn't always perfect, but I have no regrets. Semper Fidelis.

Bitch Magazine's Meg Stone asks an important question we all should consider: "What if we did as much to prevent rape as we do to prevent H1N1?

Yeah! Seriously. What if all this media hype and hysteria was about rape and the prevalent social attitudes that perpetuate a culture that endemically reduce women to fuck toys and objects?

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."

Whaddaya Mean Obama Hasn't Done Anything?

Posted using ShareThis

Reading this again solidified my notion that Rand was a raving lunatic and that objectivism is sociopathy written into a mad person's political philosophy.

I mean, shit, man. How depraved and cold-hearted can a person possibly be? You keep seeing signs begging to know what happened to John Galt. John Galt was a megalomaniac through which Rand asserted that all of the underprivileged deserve their lot and should be murdered. This is not an exaggeration:

"Rand's disdain for the bulk of humanity was, indeed, so extreme that in the aforemetioned Atlas Shrugged--whose main character and "hero" John Galt has been referenced on numerous tea party signs--she indulges a pseudo-genocidal fantasy, in which virtually everyone except Galt and his few "perfect" producers is vanquished. This happy occurrence results from a "strike of the mind," in which Galt and his superior colleagues of industry withdraw their talents from the nation and hole up in a mountain retreat, rather than submit to things like government regulations. Those whom Galt condemns in the book, and thus, whom Rand is herself condemning, are referred to as "parasites" who are unworthy of life. Indeed, Galt's contempt for the weak of the world prompts he and his colleagues to banish the word "give" from their small utopian "gulch." Giving, after all, much like calls for community service, is for suckers.

Even though Galt feels certain that his strike may well kill the vast majority of the world's inhabitants (because they are simply too stupid to survive without he and the other "perfect producers"), he firmly believes, and thus, so does Rand, that this outcome is moral--more so, than say, taxes or charity. In keeping with his strange morality, he not only withdraws his superior talent, but also sabotages the nation's infrastructure (the roads and bridges) thereby making the transport of fuel and grain impossible, resulting in chaos, starvation and general suffering.

This is what the Rand-bots are reading, the vision of society they endorse: one comprised of better people, and decided inferiors, sub-humans even, who are worthy of death for their laziness, their sloth, their lack of industriousness. No wonder people imbued with such a truly sadistic mindset as this would oppose health care reform. To this way of thought, those without health care deserve their suffering, and that suffering should be of no concern to the rest of us."

That was from Tim Wise.

Frighteningly, though not surprisingly, the right - especially the pretentious small "l" libertarians - has recently been embracing this shit. I'm not sure they realize what they are really embracing. The underprivileged deserve to die?

No. Objectivists deserve to be committed. I'd gladly fund the asylums with my tax dollars.

1. Go to a secondhand store and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots.

2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo Magazine.

3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.

4. Leave a note on your door that reads:

"Bubba,

Bertha, Duke, Slim, & I went for more ammo and beer. Be back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls; they attacked the mailman this morning and messed him up bad. I don't think Killer took part, but it was hard to tell from all the blood. Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house. Better wait outside.

Be right back!
Cooter"

The Winstons released a b-side track called "Amen, Brother" back in 1969 from which DJ's and producers have been extracting a six-second sample for use in their music for more than the last two decades. This sample, known colloquially as "The Amen Break," is a brief drum solo performed by the late Gregory G. Coleman. It forms the backbone of many genres of music we love today.

Watch this video to hear how it's been used in hip-hop, jungle, drum-n-bass, commercials, and other implements throughout the last twenty years.

The Winstons, as well as Mr. Coleman, have received little credit and no royalties for this heavily used sample.

::smile::

With appearances by Tom Hanks and Norm McDonald.

http://thealbanyjournal.com/2009/10/27/obituaries-mrs-emma-polasik-albany-georgia/

"Emma Jarrell Polasik, 71, of Albany passed away Tuesday, Oct. 20 2009 at Palmyra Medical Center. Services honoring the life of Mrs. Polasik were conducted Friday at Hall and Hall Funeral Home. Rev. Wayne Morey officiated and interment will be in Andersonville Cemetery.

Emma Jarrell Polasik was born Jan. 11, 1938 in Sale City to the late Thomas Jarrell and Evelyn Willoo Hasty Jerrell. She was a homemaker and was of the Baptist faith. She was greatly loved by all her family, friends and will be greatly missed. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Polasik was preceded in death by her brother, William Charles Broadbeck.

Survivors include her husband, Casimir Joseph Polasik of Albany; daughters, Velda Ann Schram and her husband, Wade of Orlando, Fla., JoAnn Nanes and her husband, Tony of Loganville, Dianne Simpson of Thomasville and Kim Polasik of Eatonton; sons, Carl Buckhalter of Albany and Myron Buckhalter of North Carolina; brothers, Joseph Broadbeck of Charllotte, N.C., Glynn Broadbeck of Leesburg and Dewey Hatcher of Worth County; and five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren."

The funeral was exactly the way she would have wanted it - a celebration of who she was rather than a mourning of her passing. I am so proud of Grandpa and the way he handled things. I am also glad that Cris could be there with me, and that I was able to see family I hadn't seen in years.

Rest in peace, Granny.

Words can and will never express how much I miss you already. I love you, Granny.

"And wherever youve gone and wherever we might go.
It dont seem fair. today just disappeared.
Your light reflected now. reflected from afar.
We were but stones - your light made of stars."

Granny has suffered a massive heart attack and is in ICU on a respirator. My great uncle says her prognosis isn't very good. I have to catch a flight there - and fast.

*Think back to ten years ago on this month.
*Write truthful answers and ELABORATE. This makes it more interesting!
*It's about personal changes. Have fun with it!

THEN: October 1999

1. Age:
22
2. Romantic Status:
Married to Cris for 16 months
3. Occupation:
IT, K-12 education
4. Fun night out:
a movie, maybe a house party
5. My BFFs:
Cris. I was a loner before I got married. Cris became my best friend not only because she knows me better than anyone, but also because she "gets" me. Plus, she could make me laugh, almost on demand.
6. I spent way too much time:
drinking. i had not yet PROPERLY dealt with a lot of the emotional traumas I had in my childhood and taken responsibility for my own healing and well being.
7. I spent not enough time:
working on my inner demons
8. I wanted to be when I grew up:
i was grown. sort of.
9. Biggest concern:
maintaining employment and getting on my feet. I had just left the Marine Corps.
10. What my biggest concern should have been:
I think I should have focused on healing my wounds more than I did.
11. Where did I live:
Las Vegas
12. Dumbest thing I did that year:
sold all my uniforms when I got out of the Corps. I should have kept some of them.
13. If I could go back now and talk to myself I would say:
Deal with your inner demons. Take some responsibility for how you behave.

NOW: October 2009

1. Age:
32
2. Romantic Status:
Happily married, for 136 months. :-)
3. Occupation:
MIS/DP Technology Specialist, Clark County School District
4. Fun night out:
Sushi, a movie, driving around to find some of the weird shit you can only find in Vegas, road trips.
5. My BFFs:
Still Cris, but even better due to eleven years of practice.
6. I spend way too much time:
I try to keep everything in moderation these days.
7. I spend not enough time:
meditating, becoming more spiritual
8. I want to be when I grow up:
I'm grown and feel I'm on the right track. I'm not nearly where I want to be yet, though.
9. Biggest concern:
gaining more knowledge of my true nature, to replace the illusions that society and tradition have given me.
10. What my biggest concern should be:
I think I have the right concerns.
11. Where do I live:
Las Vegas
12. Dumbest thing I have done this year:
Keeping my youngest son out of his summer program for autism. he needs that continuity.
13. What I think I would say to myself in 10 years:
You've come a long way. No use in stopping now.
SUMMARY:

1. What do I miss most from 1999:
nothing really
2. What do I miss least from 1999:
Being fresh out of the military trying to establish myself.
3. What have I accomplished in 10 years that I am most proud of:
Spiritual and emotional enlightenment, limited as it is and as hard (not only on me) as it has been to come by.
4. What have I NOT accomplished in 10 years that I wish I had:
Getting a college degree. Though I read a lot and try to educate myself, I'm not at all motivated by formal education.

Check it out.

You're crazy if you take the man seriously. Seriously. :-/ h/t: O-dub

Why? He's a bigot:


Here's the petition ------> http://bastadobbs.com/video/share/

I've had enough of this talk about "bad" neighborhoods here in Vegas because a vast majority of it is either thinly veiled racism or just plain ignorance.

Based on statistics (rather than innuendo) Rancho High School (73% Latino, off Bruce and Eastern - a poorer, inner city neighborhood) reported fewer incidences of violence towards fellow students, none against school staff, no weapons possessions, and almost no instances of possession/use of illegal substances - compared to Palo Verde High School (59% white, in Summerlin - an affluent bedroom community) - two schools of which the opposite is typically expected from the locals, what with all the comments about wearing a bullet proof vest when you go to Rancho. I tell people all the time - I've worked in both of these schools. Based on the behavior I've observed at both schools, I watch my back when I'm at Palo Verde and feel very relaxed at Rancho.

See it for yourselves:
School Accountability Report - Palo Verde High School
School Accountability Report - Rancho High School

This only drives home the fact that the sentiment of Las Vegas' "scary" (oooooooogieboogieboogie!!!!!!111) neighborhoods is bunk, at best - something I've known first hand for years. So, before you believe all the folks who are quick to talk trash from their insulated worlds in Summerlin, Seven Hills, and Anthem, get the facts first.

Open up a command prompt ant type 'telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl' (or whatever you use to get to telnet). This dude in Holland is hosting an ASCII version Star Wars Episode IV on his telnet site.

Today we mourn the genocide of millions of indigenous Americans and enslaved Africans that happened during the construction of our country and the system we now know as capitalism. Today is not a day to celebrate the achievements of a mass-murderer. That man does not deserve a federally-recognized holiday. He deserves to be recognized for the disgraceful, treacherous person he was.



If anyone deserves a holiday that doesn't already have it, it's the indigenous people of the Americas. They paid, unwillingly, with their lives and their ancestral lands so that we could have a nation. What we have, rather is a system that perpetuates white dominance. Maybe someday...

Until then:
reconsidercolumbusday.org
Columbus Day Celebration? Think Again...
United Confederation of Taino People
resources

The REAL seven deadly sins: apathy, cruelty, duplicity, hypocrisy, false morality, abuse of power, cultivated ignorance.

Yep. I agree wholeheartedly.

I had some killer pre-packaged kimchi and noodles for lunch.

-AND-

It recently occurred to me that my kids inherited my obsessive fascination with facts and figures, so I bought them the 2010 Guinness Book Of World Records. The first record they read out loud was "the world's largest whoopee cushion." Suffice it to say, I wasn't shocked.

The buzz is all over the blogosphere. Florida Congressman Alan Grayson took the GOP and his own party alike to the woodshed in a 4-minute speech concerning health care reform, among other things. I agree with him totally. The time has come to stop coddling the right. They had their chance. They blew it. They are the Official Party of Fail (OPF). Now it's our turn. From YouTube...



DAMN! Get 'em Grayson! The below transcript - as well as the above image - is courtesy of dailykos.com.

( Read more... )