Feb 28, 2007

A Great Big Dose of Free-Floating Hostility. . .

. . .Isn't that just fantastic? Because I left my laptop at my girlfriend's house, you all get to hear about the things that are just plain getting on my nerves!

How is it that right-wingers can so inconspicuously wrap themselves in the flag and then turn around and bash anything American when they get the chance, including the troops? The story about troops being held in deplorable conditions at Walter Reed Hospital is gaining some momentum, and apparently it's up to "The Drive-By Media" to report only when soldiers get bad care instead of the type of care that they deserve.

Uber-Conservative swine Sean Hannity begged to wonder why all of the cases where soldiers fully recovered weren't covered in the media, like anything positive is ever reported in situations like these. If people like Sean Hannity really Support the Troops, as if some people don't actually do that, then why wouldn't he be outraged by this? Vermin (i.e. rats) and bugs were crawling around in the same rooms as troops in one section of Walter Reed.

People, especially journalists (I'm sorry, journalists, for lumpin Sean Hannity in with you) love the truth until it contradicts what they "believe."

Belief will be the downfall of this nation. Morons and Politicos with "gut feelings" who put themselves first will be the first to set this nation of ours on fire.

Hey, look over there. I see some puppy dogs and flower petals. I can at least try to take the piss out of my anger, but it doesn't seem to work. Good Day.

Communistic Grievances

Today's debate in Georgia is about the new HPV shot that the state legislature is trying to get passed for sixth-grade girls.

HPV, which is a leading cause for cervical cancer in women, now has a vaccine shot that would be mandatory, unless the parents opted out for religious reasons.

Opponents claim that it will lead to higer numbers of promiscuity in teens. Which makes sense, because anytime I got a tetanus shot growing up, I'd immediately go out and start stomping on nails. Because I was immune. Duh.

I think this boils down to controlling women's sexuality, and, since this is my blog, you better be damn well prepared to hear my opinion!

It's very subtle. Opponents are saying that, once these upcoming SIXTH graders get the shot, they're going to get hopped up on Boone's Farm and head to the nearest barn with a slew of guys. You know, I can't count on my fingers and toes the times that it happened when I was ELEVEN.

Of any profession, the medical one, I would say, has the least amount of influence over young women, especially women reaching adolescence. Unless, of course, the doctor, after giving the shot, points at the girl's crotch and says, "Now you should go test that thing out!"

Gross, but true. Look at it this way. The people who oppose this kind of legislation are the same people who think that video games cause violence in teenagers, which is an inherent fallacy. Video Games don't make kids violent. Violent kids play video games. Girls who are more likely to be promiscuous are going to be that way whether or not they have the shot. Most, I would think, would act in a rational manner about this.

And the opinion of people at my work. "I think it's 'communitic' to force all girls to take a shot," one woman claimed. "If you don't want HPV, don't be a slut," she continued.

I guess I can't argue with that logic. Maybe it's for that very reason that over 1 in 4 women have the disease.

Feb 25, 2007

Got the Resume Blues

I've been working on a Resune for the last few weeks - well, off and on - and I finally thought I had a really solid one.

But apparently that is not the case.

I e-mailed it to someone who sees a lot of resumes, and he blasted it! Well, he gave 'constructive criticism' but I still have a lot of work to do on it.

Did I mention that I hate working on resumes. It's one of the most pointless activities on the face of the planet. Employers look at resumes for about, uh, 20 seconds. It's ridiculous.

Okay, now that I'm done bitchin'.

How's the weekend going? Fine, I suppose. They always go by too fast. Hey, but it's Oscar Weekend! I don't watch the Oscars but I can tell you what won't win Best Picture: The Departed. Oscar voters hate Marty Scorsese. He's been gypped for every film he's put out there. And, come on, you can't tell me that Ordinary People was better than Raging Bull. That was a great movie.

Oh well, see why I can't watch the Oscars? It gets me all discombobulated. I hate, hate, hate, hate award shows. I give these morons (actors) hundreds of my dollars a year. That's how I congratulate them. Sorry. There I go again.

I watched Lucky Number Slevin last night. It was pretty good. Also, so was Along Came Polly, but I'd already seen that a dozen times. "Let it RAIN!!!

Feb 24, 2007

The Best Kind of Pizza? Free Pizza.

It's a bummy sort of Saturday night. I don't really plan on doing anything but stuffing my face with pizza and watching mooovies with the gal-pal. But those are good once in a while.

Also, since there seems to be some confusion on the NYC situation, I guess I'll need to clarify: not this year. Hold your boos until I've finished. I know. It's a bummer, but LP and I couldn't get the money 'thing' right. There was no way we'd be able to save the money to move up there anytime soon, so it will have to wait. But it will happen sometime in the near future, I promise.

Phew. It's so hard to say that out loud/not out loud. Oh, and update on my personal accomplishments (Conversely, hold your applause): I hit the 300 page mark on the second novel. In fact, I'm almost 320 pages in now. Awesome!

I ran nearly 4 miles the other day pretty much nonstop. I'm well on my way back to the top.

Oh well, I guess that's it. Not too shabby, though, right? I hope the rest of your collective weekend goes well, Blogosphere. Don't be a stranger. But if you do, be a stranger with candy. I gotta go get a pizza.

Feb 23, 2007

Random - DJ, The Celtics, and Gym Dogs

I'm only a casual basketball fan, but I was adamant about NBA in the eighties. Why wouldn't I have been? Larry Bird, "Magic" Johnson, Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Isaiah Thomas, Dominique from down in Atlanta...

But one of the people who got overlooked is Dennis Johnson. Don't know who he is? Well, if you watch the clip below, from one of the top 10 coolest plays ever, Dennis Johnson - or DJ, as he was more commonly known - is the guy who takes the pass from Larry Bird and lays it up for the win against the Pistons.

Dennis Johnson passed away yesterday, the victim of a heart attack, and it is a shame. He should be in the Hall of Fame. Not because he's dead, no no. No, he should be in for a lot of other reasons.



But anyway, so the weekend is coming up, and I'm going to a Gym Dogs meet tonight. Actually, it'll be in about an hour or so. In addition to Tennis and Equestrian, Gymnastics is one of the things that UGA dominates in. Excuse me: dominates. We don't win national titles in football, baseball, or basketball, by God, but if you meet us in a Gym, we're just about positively going to kick your ass!

No, but in all seriousness, the Gym Dogs are great and I hope we stomp Auburn's ass tonight. You see, the great thing is that Gymnastics blends two of my favorite things in the world: Sports and women. What could be better? And with chicks that could probably kick my ass? Priceless.

Feb 22, 2007

Absolutely Nothing - The End of a Cat's Balls

The reasons my blogs have been so few and far between over the last week or so is because I don't really have anything exciting going on. Work is going well, just plugging along, and my personal life is just peachy. I hit 60,000 words in the first draft of my newest book. That's cool, I guess, albeit a bit pretensious sounding...

Uh...my roommate got his cat fixed. Bob Barker would be proud about that, I suppose. I would sing a song for the cat's lost, uh, junk but I'm terrible at writing lyrics. It would go something like:

Hey Conan, his name is Conan the Cat
I've watched all your falls
I remember when you couldn't jump up on the couch
And now they've cut off your balls

It's a sad, sad world
where people live in straw huts
I've got a sweet-ass house on Milledge
why can't you find both your nuts

La la la la la
La la la la la lotum
You act kind of weird
when you don't have a scrotum


Anyway, something like that.

Oh, I had to pay in this year on my federal taxes. Yep. $4.00. Isn't that kewl? I have to admit that I was extremely put-off at first - I've never not gotten money back - but this past year was also my first year out of school and I get very little in taxes taken out, so I had to expect it. But I'm not against taxes, so it's all right. Had it been, like, two hundred dollars, I probably would have been royally pissed.

But oh well.

Once something interesting comes up, I'll be sure and tell you. Thanks for stopping by. See ya tomorrow.

Feb 20, 2007

Mardi Gras

I've been really slack over the last few days, but I've been trying to crank out the last fifty or so pages of the first draft of my second novel, so...

Sorry. So Sorry.

I hope things have been well in BloggerLand. Mardi Gras is today, and I don't know of any way to celebrate it well in Athens, GA. I'm a half-decade older than most of the people going out tonight, and I just plain don't feel like going through that nonsense. I'm just...so...old now.

Relatively speaking. I'm not old in the, I've got to have my MediLert in case I break my hip, stage, but I definitely have the mid-twenties Blues.

Nothing a little beer-drinking can't handle. But nothing big. I can't handle the thought of looking at co-ed boobs right now. Pity me, huh?

Bear with me while I go through this dark period in my life.

Feb 16, 2007

Melt Your Cold, Cold Heart

My life is such a paradoxical adventure. For instance, take my geographical situation. All indicators point to the notion that maybe I'm a Northern soul. I grew up in the South, hated Country music (though I don't anymore), never really owned a pair of boots of my own, and I hated stereotypes (!).

Okay, so that's not an accurate description of the South, either. But I've always had this feeling I should be somewhere else. New York, I think, has been calling me my whole life, even though in my childhood New York, especially New York City, was like a foreign planet or something.

But, I've got to tell you, I can't stand cold weather. I just can't. I might as well be in Antartica as Georgia right now, and it's only 26 degrees. Well, that's not too shabby. Way to go, Athens!

But, either way, we're not having record snowfall and cold and such down here, and even the mildness of our winter is crazy to me.

But, someday, I do plan on living in New York City, whether I can stand the cold or not. It's not a matter of choice. It's fate, damnit! Sorry, I just wanted to complain about how cold it is for a little while. I hope you didn't mind.

Feb 13, 2007

Happy Heart Day

I probably won't be able to post anything tomorrow, so you get to hear from me tonight instead.

Today I saw a car that actually had a license plate tag that read "FRODO - 1". Can you believe it?

I didn't, so I had to follow that car. I had to find out what a person who has a FRODO 1 tag looks like. It was my first foray into investigative journalism, and I came out looking like a fool.

Turns out, it was an elderly couple gettin out of the car. I felt really pathetic, because I thought, for some reason, that, like, a real-life equivalent of Dilbert would jump out of the car. Alas, no, it was two old people, and I felt like a complete jackass.

But I did get a good kick out of it. Oh, and this post, so I guess it wasn't a complete loss, now was it?

I'll be back to beat idiocy down on Thursday. Until then, you can enjoy all of my previous posts or join MySpace and be a friend.

Feb 11, 2007

Because It's Sunday. . .

. . .You get the Scissor Sisters. Why not, eh?



I don't know why I like this song so much, but I do. It puts me in a good mood, and that's always fun. And, just to be honest, I don't actually feel like dancing, even if I had nothin' better to do.

The Scissor Sisters is? are? a guilty pleasure for me, and for most guys, I guess, so it doesn't make it that bad.

Funny story: I bought their second record while shopping for Christmas presents, so I could keep up the illusion that it was a gift for someone else.

But a friend of mine said he had to buy it on iTunes to avoid getting it in public.

Now, don't mistake me; I'm not homophobic or anything. Some of the band members in Scissor Sisters are gay, and some of them are straight. That's not my concern. It's just way too...something. I don't know.

At first, I thought it would be the equivalent of bringing home a neo-disco record - which is what I thought it was - but I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the songs have a lot of depth and musicality to them. The lyrics are also great.

So now I feel embarrassed that I was ever embarrassed to get it. The Scissor Sisters is not just a party band. Egg on my head.

The Black Dahlia

I just got finished watching The Black Dahlia, and it's late so I thought I'd post something to cheer myself up before going to bed.

It freaked me out a little, because that sh*t really happened, cuz! But I thought De Palma's adaptation wasn't bad - it was convoluted, methinks - but it lacked in certain areas.

I watched the documentary about it, and that's what really made me uneasy. Talking about the actual crime sent me into a weird little tailspin. Yeeecck. They showed the pictures from the crime scene and everything. How could anyone do something like that?

Okay, I feel somewhat better now. Goodnight.

Feb 10, 2007

An Advocate for NOT Recycling

I don't recycle.

I'm sorry.

In fact, I am a staunch supporter of those who do not recycle.

I am also an advocate for reducing waste in this country, which, I think, is the bigger problem. In another paradoxical statement, I also consider myself an environmentalist. Ha! Isn't that crazy?

Recycling is a bane to the American people's existence, and I just don't see myself doing it in the near future. The truth is, recycling costs taxpayers money and it pollutes the Earth.

What? Yeah, it's true. Well, at least it's true with paper. Paper mills that recycle create more air pollution than mills that just create paper originally.

And so on.

I know it sounds crazy and that I'm really insensitive, but - sadly - it's the truth. I've been researching this issue for quite some time now, and, though it sounds backwards, I'm confident in what I believe.

On January 1, placing more than 10 percent recyclable materials into a garbage bin became illegal in Seattle. An offending bin is tagged with a bright yellow slip that announces, "Recycle. It's not garbage anymore." The un-emptied bin is then left at the curb in hopes that the homeowner will learn the lesson and remove the reusable material by next week's collection. Businesses that offend three times are fined $50.

he truth, though, is that recycling is an expense, not a savings, for a city. "Every community recycling program in America today costs more than the revenue it generates," says Dr. Jay Lehr of the Heartland Institute.

A telling indicator is that cities often try to dump recycling programs when budgets are tight. As Angela Logomasini, director of risk and environmental policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, points out in the Wall Street Journal, every New York City mayor has attempted to stop the city's recycling program since it was begun in 1989. Mayor David Dinkins tried, but changed his mind when met with noisy criticism. Rudy Giuliani tried, but was sued by the Natural Resources Defense Council, which won the case. Mayor Bloomberg has proposed temporarily ending the recycling program because, as Logomasini notes, it costs $240 per ton to recycle and only $130 per ton to send the material to a landfill. The numbers for other areas are roughly comparable. The net per-ton cost of recycling exceeds $180 in Rhode Island, while conventional garbage collection and disposal costs $120 to $160 per ton.


You can also read John Tierney's article 'Recycling is Garbage' by clicking here.

Tell me what you think. I'll be blogging about this more later, as it has engulfed me.

Feb 8, 2007

It's Already in Wikipedia

Man, the world is moving much faster than it used to. I don't want to be insensitive about the death of Anna Nicole Smith, but I'd like to relate it to something else, if I may.

Wikipedia is offering something that was previously impossible: real-time historical chronicling.

Okay, so it's not totally 'real-time' but it is just about as close as it can get. Anna Nicole Smith was pronounced dead at 2:49 pm today, and her Wikipedia has already been updated.

I know what you're thinking: So f*cking what. But it's almost eerie just how quickly these things can work themselves into the Historical Lexicon.

It worries me, but it is also comforting in a way. I mean, her death is already in the books, man. That's kind of scary. She's barely even dead and already her story has been completely told (except for the autopsy, of course). It would frighten the hell of out me...if I were Terry Bradshaw.

Think about what happened a few weeks ago in the Terry Bradshaw 'thing.' Someone could have royally screwed up what really happened there.

If you don't know, someone died in a car wreck on the 'Terry Bradshw Passway' and it got reported on the local news that Terry Bradshaw had 'passed away'."

Now, there is no mention of the incident on the Wikipedia page, but I wonder if there ever was. I don't know any record of it, but I'd be willing to bet that something was placed on there at some point and had to be taken out.

Odd, isn't it?

Feb 6, 2007

Prince: The New Enemy #1?

Last night, after I returned a book at Borders, I drove to LP's house. That's not important, but what I was listening on the radio is.

I consider myself a Progressive Libertarian - I don't know if that makes any sense - but I have a strange predilection for right-wing talk radio. I can't stand it - I think the hosts are, for the most part, wrong - but I can't help but listen to it anyway. I feel as though I am a fly-on-the-wall at the enemy's meetings.

Anyway, Laura Ingraham, who I dislike, was talking about the Super Bowl. She was outraged that Prince, of all people, had played the Super Bowl. She thought that he was too, I don't know, controversial for the Halftime Show, which I think is odd, because Prince hasn't been controversial in two decades, has he?

Whether you like Prince or not (or whatever you want to call him), you have to admit that he's not controversial, right? He's two decades removed from Eminem and 50 Cent and so on. It's not quite Paul McCartney, but it's not Marilyn Manson, either, you know?

So Laura asked for callers on the subject, and many of them were astonished that more people weren't outraged that Prince was playing the Super Bowl. They were suggesting all sorts of artists and bands who should have been there instead of Prince - one lady actuall said Earth, Wind, and Fire - and it was crazy just how out-of-touch these morons are.

And, for some reason, when they talked about controversial artists, they degraded Janet Jackson over and over, but not once did they mention Justin Timberlake. Was he not the one who pulled her bra-ish-thingy off? Was he not performing that night too? Or is it just because it was her breast that was revealed that these people only remember her?

Or is it because Janet Jackson is black and they are Republicans? Just a thought, people. Get your dander down.

I am apt to think that Republicans are becoming the new whiners in the nation, getting farther ahead than some leftist groups, especially when it comes to social issues. They complain and get so appalled all the time, and they use their children as the lynchpins in these arguments.

"We've got to do this for our children!!!" It's sickening. These people don't care about their children. They just want to hop up and down about something and blame their poor parenting skills on other people. Namely, THE LEFT, which, obviously, is a lot more powerful and clandestine than I first thought. The party that couldn't even beat the most unpopular president since Herbert Hoover, and here It is, using black breasts to subvert the democracy.

Maybe I should be committed. I play Doom 3. I played Doom 2 and Doom when they came out. I even played Castle Wolfenstein, fighting to destroy Hitler's regime. I listened to Marilyn Manson...sometimes. I still listen to bands like Cannibal Corpse and In Flames. I used to watch movies on Cinemax at Midnight on Fridays (Yeah!). I've seen The Exorcist, Seven, Evil Dead, and Halloween over a hundred times in my life, probably. I read books about serial killers (and still do), murderers, heinous crimes, and so on and so forth.

Hell, come to think of it, I amd more controversial than Prince.

Feb 1, 2007

In a Dilly of a Pickle

I've been looking at getting a second job lately, mostly because I wanted some extra hours to help pay off my credit card debt. I've been paying monthly minimums for too long, and I don't want to continue doing that. It's just wasting money.

So, jobs that are open in the evening were just about my only options, and, of those places, another bookstore seemed the right direction. It would be like going from one frying pan into the other frying pan, if you get my drift.

I applied at a particular chain establishment a week and a half ago, and I got a callback today, which is a good thing, I guess. I expected a little longer turnaround from application to first call, but that's okay.

The only problem is, the hours for the job are all wrong. I expected to work part-time, evening and weekend shifts, and instead they hit me with an eleven to seven or twelve to eight shift, and I don't know how well I can handle such a thing, especially at a dollar-and-a-half pay cut. It doesn't seem likely that I'll be able to do that, but I'd like the interview experience, since I don't have any "real" interview experience like that.

I go in for an interview tomorrow, so I'm already thinking of the questions they'll ask me. I don't know. I don't know when I should tell them, "Hey, I don't think this is going to work out, because I'll be working odd hours for a pay cut." I can't be rude, I wouldn't be anyway, but I just am not sure when I'm supposed to drop the knowledge on them.

Well, that's good to get off my chest. Thanks.