"The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously." -Henry Kissinger
What do you call that time right after Christmas and right before New Years? It includes my birthday, but it should really have a name. Maybe I'll just continue to call it the holidays.
Here is a quote I read that made me start to shift towards Edwards, though I'm still in the Hillary and Obama camp. I wonder what I would vote if I had to vote today. Would my vote change if it were for president instead of the democratic nominee. Do I pick who I feel is best or who has the best chance of winning? How does one determine who is best?
It is rare to have John Edwards go straight after Barack Obama. Here's the key excerpt of his speech: Why on earth would we expect the corporate powers and their lobbyists -- who make billions by selling out the middle-class -- to just give up just because we ask nicely? Nobody who takes their money and defends the broken system is going to bring change. And, unfortunately, nobody who thinks we can just sit down and talk them into compromise is going to bring change either.Compromise and conciliation is the academic theory of change. It just doesn't work in the real world. Fighting for conviction is the historic reality of change.
When I got back to Austin on the 27th we had a small birthday gathering at Oscar's house with close friends. It was nice and we didn't do too much because it was a work night. The next day we had a surprise party for Oscar that went very well downtown. There was the dealing with a towed car but nevertheless a good night. Maybe I should stop talking all my shit about what great parking spaces I get.
I was thinking about people remembering my birthday and what it truly means. It doesn't bother me when friend forget because it happens and I forget a lot of people's birthdays, but you wonder who actually remembered yet still didn't contact you. I probably shouldn't have to many external tests of how much people care.
Since I was back in town for New Year's, Cynthia came down to Austin to visit. I wish I could of been a better host, but most of my plans involve drinking. We hung out and went to a comedy show. We saw Joe Rogan just a day after his UFC night, so he was sick and getting over a cold, but still very good. I was very impressed with the guy and had a great time. Sam was in town to pick up his girlfriend, but I didn't get to hang out because Cynthia got in too late. I hope they had a good time at J's. I saw the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks. I loved them growing up, so it was worth watching. Cynthia left on New Year's Eve to celebrate with other friends.
I have to highlight watching the Patriots finish their perfect regular season. I am hoping for them to get to the superbowl and lose to the Cowboys there.
The topic of delaying the inevitable has continued to be on my mind. Is it better to embrace the inevitable on your own terms or to just let things play out as they may? It is the type of decision you want to make with the most amount of information and the less you have the harder it is.
no one can tell me what I know exists can not exist
"It takes a deep commitment to change and an even deeper commitment to grow." - Ralph Ellison
Today is my birthday! I bucked tradition and made a last minute decision to return to Austin for my birthday to celebrate. Today is Oscar's birthday too.
I'll be quick. Went to the Valley for Christmas. Christmas eve was lonely due to most of my family being gone. Celebrated my Dad's 60th birthday on the 26th.
I also had to deal with the reality that my grandfather is going to die soon and see the emotional and physical impact on my grandmother.
"I love you. I'll wait for you. Come back. Come back to me." - Cecilia Tallis in Atonement
I finished the book Atonement today. I am now ready to watch the movie and have much anticipation in doing so. I’m glad that I didn’t have the end ruined for me, but don’t yet know how I feel about it. I feel like something must have gone over my head or that something was lost in listening to the book rather than reading it. I wasn't as emotionally moved as I felt I should be. I even made sure to get the unabridged version so that I would be able to fully grasp the story. I enjoyed it I did, but for the obvious reasons of the story of Robbie and Cecelia. Then again, I feel there could have been more about the time they actually got to spend with each other. This I thought was supposed to be a tale of love, a tale of two characters who are brought apart by horrible circumstances, yet I feel that you don't get to see if their love from away is similar to the few times they get to spend together. Also, I didn't like the way Cecilia and Robbie's death was handled - it was was too short, more like "I got you - they didn't live happily ever after - they both died never saw each other again." I understood that their deaths were all too real and like any real tragedy would make lousy fiction—and it would as in my case not fulfill the reader's expectations. It is great writing, don’t get me wrong and did keep my attention the whole time. Not to mention that the book itself is supposed to be representative of Briony's penning of that very story within the book itself. Here is the part that I am hoping the movie clears up for me. I didn't think Lola was as bad as she was described, but I never truly understood her character and I don't understand why she would marry Paul Marshall (I didn’t understand her motivation behind that), Oh and why Briony seemed to dislike her so much in the end. Maybe the movie or further reflection will change my opinion. That is it for book club Marty.
Thursday feels like a normal work day and another day in the life of Marty type of experience. I have to remind myself that I'm going home for at least a week and I'll need to make preparations. From washing my clothes, to picking what I'm taking down, to figuring out how I'm going to transport my pets down, and other loose ends. Sometimes the future does sneak up on you. I think I'll wait until I'm home to wash my truck and put in the much needed windshield wiper fuild the blinking light has been begging me for for weeks.
For lunch I decided to go to the mall, mainly because I won't have the opportunity to go when we change offices. I wish I had my watch on me because I need a new battery and the mall is the only place I can get one. I ate in the food court and then looked for a bookstore. I'm probably late in noticing that bookstores have almost all completely left malls. Either you go to a big Barnes and Noble or a small used bookstore, but the medium sized mall versions I haven't seen in years. That is probably Amazon has been my new bookstore. I miss lunches where I sit with friends and just chat about tv or random topics, getting my mind away from my daily tasks.
A good friend of mine decided to be a Christmas blessing for me and I wanted to note that I am much appreciative. Pay it forward I will do. You hope that people can count on you just as much.
There are dates that just stick in your mind. They bring back memories from the past. Be it the 3rd, the 12th, or today. You usually don’t think about it, but when you look at the calendar you feel an unconscious reaction and have to think why. What is it about today? Then it comes back and you wish that the day might of passed going unnoticed. As time passes, you start to forget the days and have new days that you being to cherish.
"Today, there are three kinds of people: the have's, the have-not's, and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-have's." -Earl Wilson
Wednesday I was not the model employee. I just didn't have concrete projects to work on, so the work I did do wasn't as productive as I wanted. It really showed in the hours I was able to log. I sit by a window, I think I take that for granted. I remember how at my old office in DC, a window was something people fought for. There was a lot of politics on who got those offices. I look outside and it makes me long for the holidays. It gets dark so early it feels.
I have never been great, nor even good at sending Christmas Cards to family and friends. I just don't do it. I feel like it is a real grown up thing to do, but I don't think I'm at that stage yet. It does make me feel guilty when I do receive one and I know I didn't take the time to send one out. Maybe next year...wow that sounds like my motto for everything. Is life too short for Christmas cards? I don't know, but if it was important enough I'm sure I'd be doing it.
I got a new pair of glasses a while back and sunglasses as well. I've had a lot of problems with the sunglasses. First they were too thick and I had to get different lenses, then they didn't fit and now when they do come in I won't be able to get them until after new years because I'll be out of town. Not that I need sunglasses in the winter, but this is Texas and I've gotten used to just wearing glasses. I've never had prescription sunglasses before.
I went on an advice seeking mission talking to friends trying to get feedback on my decisions. It is true, usually people don't truly want advice they just want confirmation or validation for their decisions. All the advice was similar and probably the same I'd give to myself. I got some interesting advice on my decision to get a dog, which was similar to what I had gotten before I made that decision. For me, my thought was that no matter how it turned out, I'd always take care of my dog and make sure he had a backyard. I never thought that therein lied the problem, that now I'd have to pick a place that accommodates a dog whereas I could of picked a place that didn't have a backyard that I might rather have. That aside, I'm still happy with Max, but not sure how happy he is. I can tell you this, he is better off with me than where he was previously.
I want a Palm Centro for Christmas. Unfortunately, I'm not getting people gifts this year, so I also have no means to get it for myself, but it doesn't mean I can't still want it. The way I look at it, I truly do want an Iphone. My contract doesn't expire for at least a year. So I have a year to save up and wait for the 2nd generation version and then join everyone else. Everyone who has one seems so happy with it.
I have no real big news to talk about. Here is some randomness. The MCP got 29 entries up in 4 months. You add one more and that is 30*4= 120 entries a year on average. I had 129 last year and am at about 150 for this year I think. Before that, (this being my point) I had only 48 entries for the past two years (crazy how it was the exact same number both years.) So in 4 months MCP almost matched that feat which took me a year. For 2008 I'm hoping for about 80 or so, I wrote too many this year, but there were a lot of changes going on and the writing really helped me out. I'll save my resolutions for another time though cause we all know that entry is coming soon.
Huckabee said recently, "It's so politically incorrect to say 'Merry Christmas' anymore.... It's just beyond ridiculous. You can't even say "Merry Christmas" without people getting all sensitive about it."
It is that type of self-righteous martyrism talk that really gets me heated, and the inferred hatred of the term "politically correct." (Hypos) "Oh its so 'politically incorrect' to use racist and sexist terms, look at where our society has gone to." It isn't politically correct, it is just fucking offensive to call Hispanics (or Latinos) all Mexican, or Asians all Chinese, to call women bitches. You wouldn't call those examples PC, but it only changed because it just stopped being PC to refer to Blacks in racist terms (oh and the it being wrong thing.) "Why do I have to call a cripple a 'disabled person?'" Once again, just fucking offense. Find me a PC term that isn't offense and then I'll say, well then just use that term, no harm no foul right. But just labeling something PC doesn't make it by nature an overly sensitive reaction. And on the Christmas thing, really, you can say Merry Christmas, it's not a problem, but going out of your way to include other people celebrating their own holidays as well isn't an attack on you, it's just a way of being inclusive. You don't have to do it, but don't have to make walmart do it just because it offends you that they want to include more people. I've always said Merry Christmas ON CHRISTMAS and Happy Holidays at other times, before to include New Years (cause at the time I really didn't know much about other holidays), but now I don't mind including Hanukkah, Three Kings Day (What? a day about Jesus?), Kwanzaa and the whole non-christian Santa Claus, tree, wreath stuff. My Jesus is that kick ass guy in the Bible that cared about all people, not the one some preachers try to sell you that loves America and would die for his right to carry a semi-automatic weapon. In short, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
"A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." - George Moore (1852-1933)
Why is everything a countdown? Today is December 18th, a full day not unlike any other. Sure the 25th will be Christmas, but it doesn't mean that that day is guaranteed to be better than the 18th, if even guaranteed at all. Well, maybe if I just rush through the 18th on my way to the 25th missing out on all the experiences that are possible for today it will come sooner I unconsciously think. Maybe always looking forward to the next countdown is a way of excuse for not pursuing what we want today.
That said, my countdown right now is for Friday, the day I plan to go home to the Valley. I'm looking forward to it. I'll be taking koki and mia along with Max down, so that shouldn't be too fun for them. The break is just too long. I'm still trying to decide if I'll let Max just hang out in the front seat or put him in a kennel. I'd almost rather him be free, but any doggy accidents (he isn't trained) would just devastate me no matter how much cover I put on the seats.
Tuesday we had our first office lunch, I'm guessing for Christmas. We went to a nice Mexican restaurant. I had a good time and it was very nice of my boss to take us. He metioned the possiblity of a christmas bonus, I've never had one before, yet the idea seems really cool.
I recommend watching An Unreasonable Man on PBS tonight from 9-11 (maybe 8-10) on Ralph Nader. I enjoyed it and think it gives good context for this man.
I got new shoes. For those of you that know, I have these walmart work shoes that I have been wearing that are beat up beyond repair. I wear them daily and they remind me of my dad's old mud shoes he used to keep in the back to wear outside when he did work. The idea was to upgrade to a nice pair of shoes, but I'm still not at that point. So I just brought the same pair of walmart shoes again. One day I'll be ready for some nicer shoes.
Reading Update: I'm halfway through my book. I saw a preview for the movie on TV and it helped give me images for the characters, but also previewed things to come, which made me regret not changing the channel. This writers strike is actually increasing my reading now that I have nothing to watch on TV.
I was watching the update on MEAN KITTY sparta on Youtube (I had the video up a while back - It has over 4 million hits.) It inspired me to give an update on Koki and Mia since I know everyone is so interested. Here is my first problem, I buy them expensive food mainly because it is weight management food. Koki is at a good weight, but Mia is still overweight. It makes me think that Mia is eating more than Koki, but I feed them equal amounts in different bowls. Should I start giving Mia less? I mean I already favor Koki in other ways, I would just feel guilty. Also, Koki has been having accidents. I'm not sure it is Koki, but I have a feeling. It usually happens when I take too long to change the litter. Koki has always been finicky about litter ever since she was a kitten. Getting her to cover up her mess was and still is a problem. So she has these accidents in a home where I am a guest and the only person I can blame is myself. I need to get more regular about manually changing litter, man I am a slave to these cats. They still don't get along, but now Koki will lay on my chest while Mia lays on my legs and they both purr as I pet them. I finally got what I was waiting all these years for. Ironically, I end up pushing them away since I kind of don't really want it now. Go figure.
So I still owe people money. I don't know why I mention this but out of a form of self torture. It is the worst feeling to have, like having unpaid rent. This is why borrowing is such a bad idea. Everyone is understanding so all my guilt is self imposed. I just wanted to put the karmic word out there that I am on it.
“Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the 8-color boxes, but what you're really looking for are the 64-color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I fancy myself to be a 64-color box, though I've got a few missing. It's ok though, because I've got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. I have a bit of a problem though in that I can only meet the 8-color boxes. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation.. so when I meet someone who's an 8-color type.. I'm like, "hey girl, magenta!" and she's like, "oh, you mean purple!" and she goes off on her purple thing, and I'm like, "no - I want magenta!"" - John Mayer
This was quite a weekend to say the least. There is so much to explain and talk about, yet I really don't have the words for it at the moment. I've had to do a lot of thinking. There are so many things going around in my head I worry that I'm just going to over think it. I think I'll just take things day by day and wait until a later time to see where I'm at. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to and even a blog isn't much solace.
Glow In The Dark Cats: I saw this on the news on Friday (though I was forewarned to keep an eye out for it). I think I could go for one of these cats. Doesn't seem to be a very good hunting adaptation. Part of me is like cool, the other part is, hey we don't need to be playing Island of Dr. Moreau with animals. Change genetics to help find cures, go for it, to make cats glow, albeit neat, just something I feel uneasy about. Seriously, my cats are still cooler than those glowing ones.
I'm at Chapter 9 of Atonement, and so far I'm intrigued. Angie gave me shit for reading a Romance Novel. I never saw it that way. I don't know how much I like it yet, but the characters I can really identify with. I'm trying not to read about the movie so that I don't ruin anything. What sucks about audiobooks is that you can't look back on that passage from earlier to fully understand what is happening now. You know, like when you read a part and don't really pay attention and later it becomes very important. I have about 9 hours to go, but I'm too deep in to justify buying the book now. I think if people recommend books, they should also hand you a copy.
Friday I had that Divorce Basics Seminar I had mentioned. It was very informative, but I felt almost guilty for not volunteering. I have to tell you, most of the people there were women. Are women just more prone to volunteering and wanting to help people? I really would not mind volunteering a year from now when I feel like I know what I'm doing, but right now I feel like I have a lot of learning to do. I did learn a lot and hopefully we will be able to use those skills helping people with family law issues. No matter what I end up doing, I want to be versed in Family Law.
I got to visit with my cousin Rino and I think I was able to really get a handle on where I'm at by just talking about how things have been going. It is cool having family near by, but I really need to be more proactive in expanding my social circle. I don't have a problem making new friends, it is just the maintaining these friendships with larger circles when you don't commonly see each other (like college) makes it a much larger task. Hence, I focus my effort on a few valuable friends instead. I think there is a balance though and I'm still too much on the few people I value and need to move more towards expanding my social circle.
I just saw the movie I am Legend. After seeing the previews, I really wanted to see this movie. It looked really good and I was truly sold from those previews of him aiming to shoot the deer and the part with the dog on the treadmill. Well those previews were the first few minutes of the movie and the highlight for me. Other than that, it wasn't too great and there wasn't much more of what I was looking for. I'm not saying it was a bad movie, but just another zombie movie that was ok. The dog was awesome. For whatever reason, it reminded me of Signs, hard to explain, but I felt like I went in expecting one thing and got another.
This weekend I went to see the Austin Trail of Lights. It was very cold, but very worth it. It so far is the highlight of my holidays. I highly recommend it. Too bad I get dizzy spinning.
I hear Billo claims he won the "imaginary" War on Christmas. I kind of ignored that issue, but recently I had heard some people in real life complaining about "Happy Holidays" signs and the general where is the "Merry Christmas." What I don't get is why Christians who truly feel there is a war on Christmas, don't notice and fight the fact that Christmas itself in its current tradition IS THE WAR on Christmas. Happy Birthday Christ, so we are going to celebrate with pagan Christmas Trees, lights, decorations, Santa, snowmen and so many things NON-Jesus. How much about Christmas is truly about Christ and how much about Santa, jingle bells, presents and the traditions we all have come to celebrate and enjoy. (Presents shouldn't even come until 3 Kings Day in January, but that would be too logical.) So to truly fight for the true meaning of Christmas, you have to attack all non-Jesus Christmas celebrations and at that point, then all of America and its traditions is a war on Christmas. This just underlines the fact that this is such a ridiculous allegation. So, Billo and Co. leave my Savior's birthday alone. And this is ignoring the fact that there are other holidays going on and the rest of the very logical arguments on how wasteful this is.
I'm really looking forward to going home for these Christmas Holidays. Each year I don't know what to expect, but there is nothing like the homey feeling and the feeling of celebration. I won't really be buying presents this year, but I know I'll make up for it in the years to come. I don't have set plans yet, I don't know if I'll stay or come back, but I have a feeling I'll know what is best.
If I didn't fall for her I just would of walked away
"While the police have the right to request citizens to answer voluntary questions concerning unsolved crimes they have no right to compel them to answer." - Davis v. Mississippi, 394 US 721, 727
Well I'm going to have to revise my claims about my plans concerning the book recommendation Atonement. I was laying in bed watching tv and I saw a trailer commercial for the movie with Keira Knightley (Love Actually still my favorite role she has played) and I was sold for the time being. See what a pretty girl can do. I still can't read the book because I don't have a used copy anyone will lend me, but I do have the full 14 hour unabridged audiobook in hand. It would be nice to do my combo reading where I read at home and listen while I drive. After I'll watch the movie.
I'm watching Countdown on Wednesday night and I can't believe that a lot the same topics I brought up in my blog entry were discussed on my favorite news show. (Please come back Daily Show - Someone pay the writers already.) My warning - avoid death link was featured and a few of the news stories I discussed like Lawyer of the Year. Then it hit me, well I tend to follow the news from the same places that Countdown sometimes uses as inspiration for some of their commentary, so of course the stuff I read on news sites throughout the day will sometimes be featured. At least I know that if I don't keep up with news online, I will still get the highlights later on TV.
The story‘s ahead, but time now for COUNTDOWN‘s best three persons in the world. Number three, best in rationalization: I received this today from a colleague. Why Cornell should get a shot at this year‘s college football championship game: Ohio State lost to Illinois which lost to Michigan. Michigan lost to Appalachian State which lost to Walford. Walford lost to Elange. They lost to Ferman and Ferman lost to Hostra. Hostra lost to Northeastern. Northeastern lost to Rhode Island which lost to Fordham. Fordham lost to Bucknell and Bucknell lost to Cornell. My alma mater has not won the national football championship since 1939. We need all the rationalizations we can get.
Go Big Red! Bill Maher and Olbermann from my alma mater, something must be in the water for such a conservative school. The older I get the more I think I want my kids to go there, but I don't think me still owing student loan bills will be too helpful.
Friday I have a Divorce Seminar that I am going to take. It is an all day event and hopefully I'll learn a lot about the topic and have a good time. It is like education for education's sake almost. Things are still interesting at work. It must be the competitive person in me.
Did you know that a 42-inch plasma set can consume more electricity than a full-size refrigerator -- even when that TV is used only a few hours a day? I still want a big one.
Speaking of wanting things, I've gone back and forth on what my dream car is. I'm in no position to buy one, but it doesn't mean I can't dream. It used to be an F-150 back in the day, but that is too large and I'm done with trucks, then it became the Passat, after that I moved to Acura and the TSX (which is still high on the list.) But I didn't want to limit myself, so I more recently thought bigger. I thought Mercedes. After a few days of day dreaming, I just found out that I really didn't want one. So now I'm at a dark blue BMW. I used to really want a BMW, but then moved to Miami where everyone had one. It was a car that kind of annoyed me, but now I'm over it and I think that when I can afford a new car and am on my feet, I might be going the way of the BMW. I'll never forget when my uncle got one, to me it was the coolest thing ever, this was like the 80s.
I want to give a quick shoutout to Maria, today is her birthday! We are not young anymore friend, but you are still older than me. :) Enjoy!
“Sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually on a battlefield.” - George Orwell
Ok back to blogging now that that whole beauty debate is over with. Next time I'll come up with a topic I'm more emotionally invested in. I am happy for the response and argument though.
I've been thinking about the holidays and how I plan to spend them. Right now I have from the 22nd until the 1st off. My thoughts are that I will drive down to the Valley that Saturday the 22nd and stay until the 26th (Weds) after Christmas. Then the decisions come into play. Where do I want to spend my birthday (27th) and New Year's Eve? My options are the Valley or Austin. The thing is that Abram isn't coming down for Christmas, so on the 26th my mom is going up to Ft. Worth to see him. I'll still have my Dad and sisters down though. The question pretty much comes down to where I have more friends to celebrate with I think. Every year I go have a beer with my friends for my bday and I've always enjoyed that (plus my Red Lobster lunch with family), so if I came up to Austin I'm thinking it would be about the 28th or so. I need to think about this more. Now if people would come visit me in Austin, well then this would be a much easier choice.
Here is another common topic for me, sleep. Usually I try to justify my insomnia or discuss ways to try to beat it, but I've been sleep relatively well in the past few months. I haven't even taken any sleep medication at all to help. Here is my new problem. The last few days I've been falling asleep way too early. I never thought this would bother me, but it does since I'm a night owl and those are my hours. At around 9pm, sometimes 8pm, I'm in bed asleep. I don't mean to, I lay down and watch tv and then push pause, roll over and take a short nap that goes longer. I do wake up during the night, usually at 12am, 1am, and 3am because my body feels like I should be waking up for work or something. So Sleep doctors recommend 8-9 hours of sleep per night. I'm one of those people that at least needs 9, but let's pretend I'm tough and can do the minimum at 8. (Most people get 7 sometimes only 6 hours, but I don't think I could pull that even though I tend to get that much usually.) I wake up at 6:30am, that is a time that is set because I have work at 8am and it gives me time to shower, dress and enjoy Austin traffic for almost an hour. So working backwards from 6:30am - in order to get 8 hours of sleep I would need to get to bed at: 10:30pm. (I hope my math is right there.) To fall asleep at 10:30pm I'd probably have to get in bed at 10pm. A 10pm bed time, I guess it isn't unreasonable, but that is when I watch the Daily Show (or used to before the strike - Go Writers!). Yeah, looking at these numbers, I don't have much of a case here. I guess I just needed to think that out loud.
"It seems that well-read women are more comfortable in bed than men - the more educated a female is, the better she sleeps at night. In case of males, it's just the reverse. Yes, according to a study carried out by a team of international researchers, women have higher rates of insomnia than men and the more they are educated, the more likely they are to sleep through the night. Conversely, the better educated a man is, the less likely he is to get a good night's sleep, the Science Daily has reported. "Globally, women are up to twice as likely to be insomniacs as men. But, higher educational attainment improve women's night time sleep quality, it has the opposite effect on men," according to the researchers. "
I've been posting my entries much earlier during the day because I have an hour for lunch and I haven't been leaving the office too often. I could solider on, but this hour break gives me some time to read news and the such. Go Time Management! It is not as fun writing when I could be chilling.
Here is a topic I'd like some feedback on: Is TV more important than Sex? (of course on face the answer is no.)
Reported as TV In Bedroom, Problems For Your Sex Life "A new Italian study has found that couples who have a television set in their bedroom have sex half as often as those who don't." It is an old 2006 study, but I haven't forgotten about it. Maybe it is just me, but I think it is important.
So I think about this issue since I have a TV in my room and have had one since I was like 12. It doesn't really matter right now since I'm not married nor in a relationship, but I think when I'm older and if I go that route, would I still want a TV in my bedroom and I still think the answer is yes. Does that mean I'm relegating myself to having sex half as often? It is a cost benefit analysis I think, I mean you have to look at how much sex you will be having to know if cutting it in half would be acceptable. I understand that more = better, but if half is still a lot, hey maybe you can still have both. I just can't see myself watching a movie or late night TV and not being in bed. I mean that is why there is a sleep button. Then there is waking up on a weekend and turning on the game while you try to get up. Maybe I'm just thinking too much in bachelor mode. Oh, maybe I could just be an exception to the rule. I like that last idea.
Evolution keeps pregnant women upright - Insert Jesus if it makes you feel better since he created evolution and all. Wait you don't agree with that either. Angie told me about this article, stating, "This must also be the reason why my breasts don't make me topple...."
"Evolution provided slight differences from men in women's lower backs and hip joints, allowing them to adjust their center of gravity, new research shows."..."But what about men with stomachs the size of babies or bigger? What keeps them from toppling over?" - Read the article to find out.
Gonzales Named Lawyer Of The Year - no really it isn't a joke. Is this kind of like the Medal of Freedom you get when you royally fuck up, but a Lawyer version? The editor of the American Bar Association Journal did say in their defense, kind of:
“Think about Time magazine’s Person of the Year,” Adams said in an interview. “In years past they’ve named people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin. So we’re not suggesting by these awards that these are the best lawyers in any sense of the word. We are saying they are the most newsworthy—and perhaps also the best.”
Bush League Justice: Click Image to play. I'm not a big Dan Abram's fan, but this story on the politicization of the Civil Rights Department of the DOJ under George W. Bush is great. I can't believe the Civil Rights Division isn't supporting Civil Rights of Minorities any more. It is really worth a watch...look at the people hired and cases taken.
"To address these problems, the goal of Federal policy should be to emphasize abstinence as the only certain way to avoid both unintended pregnancies and STDs."-- White House, 2002
VERSUS
"The birth rate rose by 3 percent between 2005 and 2006 among 15-to-19-year-old girls, after plummeting 34 percent between 1991 and 2005."-- Washington Post, 12/6/07
"The most difficult secret for a man to keep is his own opinion of himself." - Marcel Pagnol
In my last entry I shared -- well let's let the MCP explain, "At any rate, a quick shout-out to Marty, who for some misguided reason thinks girls with "long hair = good / short hair = not as good as long hair." I think this is a shallow oversimplification of the wonderfully nuanced subject of female beauty." Maria also jumped in with a comment that expanded on and supported this view. He countered with the example of Dana Perino which was very strong I have to admit. Now this is the way you learn right, you set out a hypothesis and not only try to prove it, but also look for counter-examples. I've often hear that one counter-example negates a hypothesis. I also know that anecdotal evidence isn't enough to disprove a generalization.
I will not cave so quickly my friends. Before giving up this life long paradigm of being "Pro-long-hair," I want to look into why I might have the propensity..... [Really?... "wonderfully nuanced subject of female beauty," could it make me look any worse? Touche. I'm just going to chalk that up to pandering MCP.] I decided to do some research on hair and found many sites similar to Yahoo Questions where people asked Are girls with long hair more attractive or those with short hair? It is mainly just full of opinions, but some are quite funny I think. I then decided I'm start with the true authority of all knowledge, Wikipedia "Hair".
Not too much could be learned to answer my question, but here are my highlights:
"Cultural attitudes- Long hair was almost universal among women in Western culture until World War I. Many women in conservative Pentecostal groups abstain from trimming their hair after conversion (and some have never had their hair trimmed or cut at all since birth). The social revolution of the 1960s led to a renaissance of unchecked hair growth. Healthy hair indicates health and youth (important in evolutionary biology) Long hair is considered to be the most attractive part of a womans body in India."
So I do concede that my statement was a shallow over generalization and there are exceptions to the rule. You can throw in the cliche that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for the most part longer hair is more symbolic of beauty than is shorted hair in my experience. I think that it is just my evolutionary drive for a mate with health and youth. I also agree that shorter hair looks more professional in the workplace and that older women sometimes look younger with shorter hair. There is also an argument to be said for face shape and hair style, but I'm not a stylist. Search as I may, I could not find a picture of Dana with long hair that wasn't that terrible looking one MCP found that started this. I'm sure if one could find some college pictures of her, she will have long hair and it will look better than the admittedly cute shorter style she has now. So I will change my statement to "personally, most of the time, long hair = good / short hair = not as good as long hair." It is now just an personal opinion statement. That that solve the problem? So I think despite the clarity of the pictures, Dana looks better with the longer short hair than the shorter version. Also in my defense, she was born in 1972 so she does qualify as old which justifies having shorter hair.
You know what, imagine if I said thin = good/ not thin = not as good as thin. I guess there is a good middle ground because long hair to your waist does not = good. Back to my example, then someone pulls out a picture of Nicole Richie. Then you got the whole issue of Jenifer Love Hewitt and Tyra banks and all that media attention over the term fat. You, know, I'm going down a road here that isn't good, I'm going to stop. I'm digging a deeper and deeper hole. Sorry for the picture.
I really want to stop talking about hair (really I didn't plan to say that much), but I've always wondered why the hair on my head keeps growing, yet the hair on my arms stays at a current length and never needs to be cut. How does it know to stop? Why doesn't the hair on our head just do that too?
I'm still pro-NCAA football playoffs. At least I can pretend. Didn't this year prove how flawed the BCS system is? Oh yeah, it's backward looking, not forward looking.
Single and Loving It - very interesting read. About women and how medical studies show that married people are happier and healthier than single women, but it might not be true.
I got a book recommendation recently: Atonement by Ian McEwan. I hadn't heard of it. It's a movie that was out a while back (last Friday), but it isn't showing in Austin or the Valley nor out on video. I get lots of book recommendations, so I think I'm gonna pass on this one and skip right to the movie. Now if the movie is good, well I'll know I missed out and concede I may have not given the recommender enough credit, but I kind of doubt that will be the case. Isn't it a better gamble than reading the book first?
"Never marry but for love; but see that thou lovest what is lovely." -William Penn (1644 - 1718)
Weekends are the fruit of life, the days where you leave work behind and pursue your own activities for enjoyment. Be it watching the Cowboys, going out, enjoying nature or just being lazy around the house. I feel like I have to balance the exciting part of weekends and the resting from a long week of work part. I like the exciting part more, but seem to do the resting part more often.
Sunday I had a late lunch and ran some errands. I think the Christmas Spirit has really struck me. It has been a while since I have had a Christmas tree. Oscar has one, but he hasn't put it up, I wonder if he will. I guess it is time to play the Christmas songs. I used to believe in Santa Claus, but mainly because of TV. My parents never did anything to perpetuate the lie, but I started to put together the lack of presents and as I got older I quickly got it. I do admit there was something about believing though, I wanted it to be true.
So I'm really torn on who to root for in the democratic primary. Right now I'm at Clinton, Obama, Edwards. But I like them all so much for so many reasons that I wish we could have them all. The problem is when I hear each of them speak, my order changes with the person speaking my new #1. I don't care about general electability, or how much Republicans hate Clinton, or the attacks on Obama's experience. So this new approach of attacking I'm not too happy with, but Obama had to do it and Clinton had to respond in kind. No matter who wins, and if they become president, America can't lose. Having the first woman president, the first African-American President, a champion for the poor. I trust all of their judgments, so I don't worry about the war being ended.
I'm getting way too many search hits on my blog for the term "slu-tty nurs-es." Hopefully, that will keep this entry from succumbing to the same googling fate. I feel bad because the entry they find in that search doesn't even have any pictures and I'm sure isn't what they were looking for. I feel like it is false advertisement in a way.
I don't know why I'm in this admiring mood today, but I saw a picture of a friend of mine from college and it just brought back a lot of memories. She was one of my best friends and honestly, I think it was her support and care that really got me through my first two years. We were pretty close. There was a falling out, kind of, which I take responsibility for. I'll always consider her a good friend and she seems to be so happily married now that I know she is getting what she wanted out of life. So here were my thoughts. As a guy I've always held the stance that long hair = good / short hair = not as good as long hair. Just because a girl can look beautiful with short hair doesn't mean she wouldn't look better with longer hair. Well this friend of mine cut her hair short when I met her and pretty much for all the time I knew her it was somewhat short, so my memories of her are mainly with short hair. I had seen pictures of her with hair before. So today as I was catching up, I noticed she has long hair (you know I'm pretty sure she it was long by the end of college, I just didn't pay good attention.) So yeah, it just reinforced the concept for me: Long hair = good. It is a good choice.
So I'm watching Scrubs and there is this guest character named Shannon that I quickly became smitten with. I mentioned before that Rose from Grey's was my new hypo-crush (is that just a weak way of saying she is attractive?), but I was starting to think that maybe this girl would take her place in fictional ranking of actresses I'd like to runaway with. (On the list used to be Natalie Portman, Kate Beckinsale, and Reese Witherspoon.) Well I watch the credits and find out that the character is Lauren Stamile, the very same person who plays Rose on Greys. She isn't credited for the "Scrubs"My Number One Doctor episode in IMDB, but she is in the credits after the show. She is a few years older than me so too bad for her it probably won't ever work out.
Since when do I follow Hollywood gossip, but along the same lines, today I read Report: Ryan Phillippe Dating 'Other Woman' - Ryan Phillippe appears to be dating Australian actress Abbie Cornish — the woman accused of breaking up his marriage to Reese Witherspoon, the New York Daily News reported. There is no excuse to leave Reese Witherspoon, none. She is such a darling.
Rich Silverstein, who created the posters, and his design team culled through the submissions and -- with an assist from our editor, Roy Sekoff -- have created updated versions of the posters. The result is amazing -- and even more damning than expected. To check them out in their full-sized glory, click on the thumbnail images.
“Poor people have access to the courts in the same sense that the Christians had access to the lions.” - Judge Earl Johnson, Jr.
Friday I filed a closing statement. It was a really proud and exciting moment. I can't wait to see how it turns out, but I have to remember to be patient, since you don't get decisions for quite a while. It felt good to have my name on something.
Friday after work Rino and I helped a friend move. I was more than happy to do it. We were able to do it in one trip because we had two trucks, which was great because the trip ended up being much farther than I had expected. I think I got grumpy towards the end because of all the lifting, but I need to not let external stress add to my internal thoughts. Some guys I met just pissed me off, but I think normally it wouldn't have bothered me not one bit.
After we came to Buda and played poker. It was Rino, Oscar, me and some friends. I didn't play too great, but it felt great to get a home game started. I quickly lost 20 bucks and rebought which put me in a spot to lose 40 for the night. 40 I shouldn't be playing with, but I made the exception because it has been months since I have played. I ended up the night about 6 bucks down and me and the chip leader were left, so I sold him the option of ending the game for 5 bucks. His accounting instincts were good because he agreed and I just ended up a few dollars down and had some good times a few beers. Don't get me wrong, usually I'll play all night, but I just didn't want to put to chance money after I already had a good night. It was fun and hopefully we will be able to do it again.
When I was in the Valley I saw this commercial that made me laugh. The white car dealer said, "HablamosInglesTambien." I think I'm going to steal that.
My political section:
Countdown Special Comment: Bush Either “Pathological Presidential Liar” or “Idiot-in-Chief”. I couldn't agree more.
Here is the hightlight for my more busy readers.
We have either a president who is too dishonest to restrain himself from invoking World War Three about Iran at least six weeks after he had to have known that the analogy would be fantastic, irresponsible hyperbole — or we have a president too transcendently stupid not to have asked — at what now appears to have been a series of opportunities to do so — whether the fairy tales he either created or was fed, were still even remotely plausible. A pathological presidential liar, or an idiot-in-chief. It is the nightmare scenario of political science fiction: A critical juncture in our history and, contained in either answer, a president manifestly unfit to serve, and behind him in the vice presidency: an unapologetic war-monger who has long been seeing a world visible only to himself.
Billo thinks I'm a devil worshiper.
Paul Krugman delivers a pretty awesome quote: Back when Hillary Clinton described Dick Cheney as Darth Vader, a number of people pointed out that this was an unfair comparison. For example, Darth Vader once served in the military. Here’s another reason the comparison is invalid: the contractors Darth Vader hired to build the Death Star actually got the job done.
"War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to profit from it." – George Orwell
I'm all over the map on topics, but I don't think I could just pick one topic (journal, thoughts, politics, TV) and just write about that. Sometimes I really jump around, but I think that is how people are. You would think my quotes would have some connection to my entries, and at times they do, others, well they are just something I read and I liked.
Oh the interesting work life. I actually like what I do. If I could get paid to write briefs and research/learn new things about the law I think I'd be fulfilled. I guess now it is about doing it well. I'm still think I'm an hourly type of guy, don't think the contingency aspect would fit me well yet, but I hope to done day take my leap to that. I get ahead of myself but I'm very lucky to be in the spot I'm currently in. I just like the thrill of there being winning and losing. You have a way to gauge if you are doing a good job.
Here is my MySpace dilemma. Sometimes I get a comment or message from a friend that I haven't talked to in a long time, but then when I check it, it happens to be spam that I know they didn't mean to send, but that their account was hijacked to the point where it sent out this comment to all their friends which is just a link to probably spread this virus type links or program. You know what I'm talking about. My concern is that I just delete the comment and don't bother to inform the person that their account is sending out these messages. I just assume someone else will tell them. I worry that if my account did that, that no one would tell me because they would just assume someone else would. Someone please tell me if that were the case. I hate spam even more than my dislike for forwards. Do you know they have text message forwards now? Yup, everything has gone mobile.
I don't know why I think about this but my name is Martin. The thing is that everyone knows me as Marty and I introduce myself as Marty 90% of the time. In Spanish I go by MartÃn and never Marty. In the business world I usually go by Martin. To be honest, when I hear Martin it takes me a bit to figure it is me, but when I hear Marty my head turns. So I thought, I'm confident enough with Marty to just make that my business name, but then I feel like it isn't professional enough. Sounds like the nickname that it is. Yeah, now that I've thought about it, I'll stick with Martin and just see where the cards fall because I'm sure I'll be known as Marty as time goes on. I once dealt with a lawyer who went by Marty and well it didn't sound right to me. Do you know a person's name is their favorite word? They respond to it very quickly and usually with delight. I think picking a name for you kids is a very important thing. Though I could see some of my ideas like "Shire," "My Lord" and "Your Honor" backfiring.
Below is the trailer for Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay staring Harold, Kumar, and, of course, Neil Patrick Harris as Neil Patrick Harris. (Watch HIMYM!) I was the biggest fan of the first movie, mainly for how smart it was, yet have still to try white castle. I mean how can you make two guys riding a cheetah not only make sense, but be completely awesome.
I can tell you this from personal experience, Mark's warning is very fitting, "Due to adult language and content this video is Not Safe For Work (or Mom)."
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." - Plato
I feel like I always have my epiphanies in the shower. All of a sudden it all makes sense, but I am too wet to write it down, so I tell myself I'll write my thought/idea down when I get out. After washing off the shampoo and drying myself, I just go about my way and forget to do anything no matter how much I promised myself to remember. It is like when you wake up and remember that dream but don't think about it and it fades away when you remember how you wanted to remember it.
So one of those thoughts was about the cliche about truly experiencing the moment. Maybe it is a cliche for a reason. I am rarely in the moment it seems, yet I reminisce about moments all the time. How can I look back with fond memories of a moment I didn't fully experience. Is it that it doesn't have meaning until it has context? My mind is always thinking about what is next, where I have to be, what I'm doing next, my goals, what I'm doing tomorrow, a funny story I heard. It is like when you are excited about something and just want to go to sleep so that it will come faster. My mind is just somewhere else a lot of the time. I wonder if people notice.
Tuesday I got my business cards. I was very excited and proud. I hope the picture is sufficiently blurry so I'm not posting it on the net, but clear enough to see my name and how cool I feel. I've had business cards before when I worked at my old job in DC, but I kind of felt like they were there mainly for my own good feeling and not any true business purpose since I rarely had occasion to pass out a "Program Coordinator" card to people I met. "Here take my card." I'll get to be one of those business jerks. (10 points if you get the Simpsons reference.)
Imagine if HBO instead of CBS had the Victoria Secret fashion show tonight. I'm just saying. (I just saw the commercial.)
I was reading a blogof a friend of mine (well Abram's friend). It got me to thinking about how so many people are dealing with the same thoughts and questions. You know, have the same drive and concerns. I don't know, I like reading friend's blogs, I just feel like most people I know are spending their time living, not just talking about living. :)
I get more views from my MySpace blog link than I do on my blogger page. I've only had this page for years. It is funny how things work. I still like my blogger page more. I still wonder who reads though. Wish people would feel more free to say hello or comment on things they agree or don't agree with. Sometimes other people's insight helps you see things in a better way.
I don't tithe. It is one of those things we decide we will do later, you know when we have a lot of money. Just like giving to charity, paying off those cards and finishing up our to do list. My goal is to tithe my biblical 10% (where in the bible is that again?) but in the form of charity and in my case charity of the people that touch my lives. When I creating my operating monthly budget, I think I will make this a staple. Sadly, I have obligations I need to take care of first, but it is on my mind.
Perfectionists Make Themselves MiserableYet several recent studies stand as a warning against taking the platitudes of achievement too seriously. The findings not only confirm that such purists are often at risk for mental distress, but also suggest that perfectionism is a valuable lens through which to understand a variety of seemingly unrelated mental difficulties, from depression to compulsive behavior to addiction.
If you have ever seen my room you know I'm not a perfectionist, and I have never considered myself one. I remember when people used to say, "What is your biggest weakness?" and the person would respond, "I'm a perfectionist." I think a lot of people consider themselves to be perfectionists though.
Politics: Countdown: Bush’s Nukyular Credibility Meltdown about the revelations from the NIE report that Iran halted its nuclear program back in 2003. I didn't think Bush was serious about invading Iran until I started to hear him repeat the same WMD arguments he made about Iraq.
There isn't too much tv talk since the Writer's Strike. I hope they get what they work so hard for. October Road is still on (not sure how long), and I really like the show even though it is somewhat slow compared to some of my other shows. Maybe I just like the writing. I like collecting quotes, so here are my quote summary from today's episode: Tell me what to do, how to make things better? I want to forgive her, but I can't get the picture ... out of my mind. All the lies they told me. Maybe there is no way back to who we were or what I thought we had. Living inside your head with all those thoughts, it will crush you. The only way to get out is to face what really did happen. Embrace it, own it. I thought I was ok with it, I thought I was fine. He has to let go because she is definitely marrying another dude. The details, what would they do? It is better than all the possibilities going through his head. Who comes to dance? Dancing, it is just so - romantic. I just like knowing what to expect everyday. With Ray you know what to expect everyday. Sometimes people just need someone to say, "I get it and it sucks." It is only six weeks and in the grand scheme of things... All I know is that is the past, and when it comes to past no matter how much it hurts, it's done. I look forward to looking forward. I just wanted to say I'm happy for you.
Makes me wonder what my quote selection says about me. It is what the episode was about, so I didn't have a lot of super positive uplifting quotes to share. I just think words that come out as off hand dialogue in a show are actually the words thought out by writers (the one's on strike) so I try to pay a little more attention to them I think.
don't tell me your hopeless infatuation is devolving to pointless jealousy
"A witty saying proves nothing." Voltaire (1694-1778)
December is my favorite month of the year. Not for the same reasons as everyone else, but for the vain reason that it is the month of my birthday. Everyday of this month reminds me of the fact that there is going to be a special day that is totally about me. It is that type of day that really gets you through the year. Oh, then there is the whole Christmas and New Year's Eve thing. I'm also a fan of cold weather. Not cold like Ithaca cold, or even snowing cold, but cold enough to lay under the blanket and feel warm. I used to always get in trouble as a kid for having the air condition really high (and as in high and I mean low) and then being in bed under a blanket. My parents would get mad and tell me that I wouldn't need the blanket if I would just stop wasting electricity to make it colder.
Here is some news I thought was interesting. I actually like Huckabee, but there are parts of his faith and views that are too much for me even considering he is a Republican. (He is my second choice to Ron Paul in that alternate universe where I didn't care about the poor, freedom and civil liberties.)
Huckabee Claimed Jesus 'On The Cross' Supported The Death Penalty At the debate "Huckabee dodged the question that time. But in 1997, Huckabee claimed that Jesus would have agreed with him on supporting the death penalty. Shortly before a triple execution in Arkansas in Jan. 1997, a caller called into Huckabee's show on Arkansas Educational Television Network and asking how he squared his Christian teachings with his support for the death penalty. As the Arkansas Times reported on Jan. 22, 1997: "Interestingly enough," Huckabee allowed, "if there was ever an occasion for someone to have argued against the death penalty, I think Jesus could have done so on the cross and said, 'This is an unjust punishment and I deserve clemency'."
The news just keeps coming: Students Confront Ashcroft Some 150 students donned hoods and turned their backs in silent protest of former Attorney General John Ashcroft at Cornell University on Thursday. Cornell law student and protest co-planner Michael Siegel told Truthdig the demonstrators were meant to represent “the detainees who were arrested and imprisoned without due process under Ashcroft’s leadership.”
I went to school here, I've been in that building. I think a quiet respectful protest makes a bigger impact. I miss those days.
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums in war to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, they will offer up all their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know ? For this is what I have done. And I am Ceasar."
Thursday was the much anticipated and talked about Cowboys Packers Game. There is a long story on my trying to watch it, but I ended up going to Monica's house to watch it with Oscar and Joselo on their directtv. The Cowboys are doing great, but I really wanted them to go against a full healthy team so it could be more clear that they are the best in the NFC, dare I say NFL (shhh be quiet Patriots, you'll meet again.) This is the best time of the year for football.
Things seem to be going well for my brother Abram. He had an interview today to hopefully move from one type of manager to another. I'm sure they are impressed with his loyalty, his enthusiasm and most probably his work. It got me to thinking. So I have so many things I want for my family. It all comes from a good place, but I worry that it might not be the best way to think about things. For example, I want my parents to have a retirement hobby that helps them make enough money to enjoy their golden years. I want my sisters to get their college educations (even if it is online/part-time/community), I want my nieces and nephews to go to college and follow their dreams. I also would like Abram to be a lawyer at some point.
But it isn't about me and what I want. It is about them and what they want and what will make them happy. So my Dad always wanted Abram to be a teacher, as did my Mom. They felt the same way about Eliza, but their point of view was that it is a stable job that they enjoy and it will provide them with the security they wish for their kids. My Dad also wanted my brother to join the armed forces (somehow he never pushed that on me), but Abram followed his own path. Now Abram has his own dreams and I know his current career path is just a way for him to get where he wants to be, not the end in itself. I'm sure part of him is still trying to figure out what he wants, cause I'm sure I still don't know.
So all that being said, it is my advice that he not give up on going to law school. Right now seems like the most inconvenient time to apply and start considering where he is in life (same rationale goes for my sisters and college - it just doesn't seem feasible), but putting something off usually makes it not happen. (this is coming from a guy who knows all about putting stuff off, I promise Dad I'll send you those pictures.) Be it night school, or applying and deferring a year, I just feel like a degree in law will open up many doors for him. There are so many types of things you can do with a JD and who knows maybe he will just end up becoming a kick ass trial attorney. So I need to learn, to share advice and help, but understand that it isn't my life nor my choice and I might just be completely wrong. He might live a happier more successful life without ever going to law school (maybe it is the only way I know that should work). I need to not get married to my ideas when I put them out there.
Then you have the counter argument example. My nephew. It is time to apply for college and I'm pretty sure he is going to college, but the where is a big choice and what I worry about is that he won't give him self choices and that he will just back up into the default choice. Kind of like when you just don't pay the bill and accept the late fee, but still pay it later. I'm sure he is full of young idealism, having hopes that his band will make it big, that his current love will bring him the family life he desires. That might be true and I'm no one to try to shoot down a person's ambitions, but (let not call it what I want, lets call it my advice) my advice to him is you need a back up plan, a generic course that you can stray off of to pursue your own dreams so that you will have something there for you if life hits you with barriers. Part of me wants to say, give your dreams (ie music) your all, sell everything, give it everything, follow your ambitions...but though I think you should devote yourself to your dreams, the process of throwing away any alternatives (or burning the ships as they used to do) doesn't insure success nor do I think it actually helps motivation... I just think it adds undue stress to what is already a stress filled life. He has a good head on his shoulders and I care, that is why I think about him and his well being.
So that is me and my advice and two cents in general. You might wonder why I am writing it here instead of saying it to the actual people. The reason is that I wanted to think it out and sometimes writing something lets me look at the argument and truly see what I'm thinking if indeed it does make sense. It also helps me look at the error of my ways.
Today I picked up my new glasses. They are black rimmed and I think it will take some time to get used to them. The prescription is much higher than my current one, so I worry it might be too much, but I'll give it some time to see if my eyes adjust.
Here is my political talk of the day: The other day I saw an interview (a rerun actually) of the Colbert Report with Naomi Wolf to promote her book "Then End of America" I liked the interview and think it is worth watching. Is fear the best device to combat the use of fear against us? Maybe knowledge is the device.
Here is a more optional YouTube Video going down all 14 signs of Fascism
I've been reading articles on this most probable cancellation of Tucker Carlson's show such as this one on Wonkette. The best part are the comments. One comment gave me the inspiration to write these thoughts since I've had them for a while.
If they actually have the good sense and taste to throw this smug weasel off the air, take heart - here's a capsule summary of every "*ucker" show ever: 1. Gross unsupported generalization 2. Flawed logic applied to above generalization 3. Therefore, Democrats are evil. (punctuated by shrill interruptions of any guest who doesn't agree quickly enough)
He makes these insincere arguments that he thinks are so smart and insightful, but are just smug and actually intellectually dishonest. So today I'm watching a hostage situation on TV and seconds before a peaceful resolution and taking into custody of the suspect, he argues that he doesn't understand why the SWAT team doesn't just crawl in an air condition vent and take out this guy with a gernade, etc. The resident expert tells him that that is the exact opposite of the right thing to do and why not end a situation without violence where nobody has to get hurt. Those type of tactics can put hostages in danger and if the guy really had a bomb might cause him to take action where he might otherwise of just surrendered. It reminded me why I didn't like this guy. Not only did he make a stupid point, reality refuted it seconds later and the expert on hostage situations completely disagreed. Oh, btw I was watching as a holdover from hardball where I was following the breaking news.
"There are plenty of ways to get ahead. The first is so basic I'm almost embarrassed to say it: spend less than you earn." -Paul Clitheroe
I came back from vacation fighting off this seasonal cold and trying to figure out ways to achieve my goals, mainly by creating realistic yet high concrete goals that I need to work toward. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I still need to get a general physical scheduled. That went ok I guess but I think good habits are where I'm going to find my answers.
Mark's blog is getting a lot more interesting. I like it when papers come around, he seems to get more creative. It almost makes me want to tackle the issues of the day, but it is so much easier just to write about my days. I wonder who his two new ghost writers are.
Here is a tidbit from the article: Here’s a Quick Way to Overcome Procrastination Tip #2: You are in control, so replace “have to” with “want to.” "When you tell yourself that you have to do something, you’ll automatically feel a sense of resentment and rebellion. Procrastination kicks in as a defense mechanism. Using the “I-have-to’s,” drives your mind to subconsciously confirm the impression that the task is awful and painful - one you wouldn’t do if you had the free choice. So shift your thinking away from a “have to” mentality into a “want to” mentality. Realize and accept that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Even though there may be serious consequences, you are always free to choose. Make a conscious choice and commitment to either do the task now, or do what is necessary to get out of it. Don’t let it linger around in the back of your mind."
I hate having to do stuff. Sometimes I feel like I cut off my nose to spite my face more often than I should. Maybe that is why I was always bad with chores.
This comic is about my blog today. I think it is pretty funny.
I'm still working on a layout for my page that I am happy with. Since I don't use my website like others would, I have trouble knowing what parts/links are actually used (and therefore should be moved up) and which are just there for show. I added this new slideshow feature, but it is very similar to my flickr badge. Which one do you like better?
I saw the Republican You Tube Debate. I don't know why since most things they say seem to not only upset and offend me, but what really got me was some of the people that asked the questions. There really are people out there with such ignorant and hateful points of view. That is probably overstating it, but their assumptions are what really bother me. I was amazed with some answers from Huckabee and McCain that made me respect them even though I don't agree with them. Guiliani, Romney and Thompson I just did not like.
It seemed to me like a lot of the debate and some of the campaign videos were just hit pieces on each other and on their rallying symbol Hillary. Their attacks just seemed personal, on hiring illegal workers, not supporting troops, defending a women's right to choose.
"Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories." - John Wilmot
I don't know how I forgot, but I came home last year for Thanksgiving. I had thought it had been forever, yet it was only one year. I looked back on my blog and noticed that I flew down to see Erika that year and other than that, my Thanksgiving was very similar. I'm starting to worry about my memory, maybe it is selective.
Wednesday I worked for a few hours and then came home. Corrie's brother Matt was there waiting for me since we were going to give him a ride down. I took care of some things I needed to do while we waited for Abram to drive down from Ft. Worth. We then drove down to Harlingen and met up with Corrie at the South Padre Island exit.
On the way back, we went to pick up my grandmother in Harlingen and drove the last leg of the trip to Edinburg. It was a long day of driving, mainly for Abram since he started before I did. Once we got home, Ana dropped in with her 2nd Turkey she just bought. She made a last minute audible that we needed more turkey and was able to get it ready before we went to bed. You have to have leftovers. Impulse decisions I'm a big fan of.
Thursday was Thanksgiving day and I woke up early. It was one of those days that you take for granted in the moment, but when looking back and seeing everyone together I'm sure I'll have very fond memories. Bekkah and Jamie came over, then Eliza, Gil and Tori. Later my dad, Ana and the kids showed up. Buy the time I was fully awake, the food was almost ready. After visiting, we had a late lunch and the food was good, but our 2nd turkey was a bit dry. Maybe it was just me. We also had a ham, my mom isn't a big fan of turkey, but this year I seemed to have more ham I think. There was a pretty cool article about how the Thanksgiving turkey didn't make you tired.
I watched the Cowboys win their game which is part of the tradition. I have to say I'm really pissed about the Cowboys Packers game next week not being aired on Time Warner Cable. I don't know where I stand on the issue, but not being able to see the game of the season is a pretty big issue for me. I don't want football to go the way of pay-per-view. I also don't want to pay more for cable for what I used to get for free (is you count watching all those ads free) on network TV. Just let us watch the game.
So I did the usual after turkey nap, but this time I really crashed out. My mom was actually worried that somehow I got drunk during lunch and passed out due to that, but I don't think two beers would do that to ya. It was kind of funny, but nice to know people worry about you. When I got up, I made my way to Ana's house to watch Grey's Anatomy. Really, this is exactly what I did last year. I saw my cousin Alex and her two girls. It was a good episode I think, still a big Rose fan.
After, I met up with Cynthia and we went out for a drink. We went to a bar where I had a good conversation with a waitress. There were not a lot of people there and she talked to us in Spanish. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Spanish, but I started shooting the shit with Sylvia and found out that a lot of my assumptions about her were wrong. She was from Mexico and had only been here for 3 months, but she was educated and came from at least some money. She was waiting to transfer credits and become a Spanish teacher, but her long term dream was to write a book about the culture in the border cities and later hoped to moved to NYC. You can learn a lot about someone if you just ask. Cynthia and I caught up but I feel like I could of been more fun. We were going to go and hang out with Rick, but it didn't work out, I'm glad though because the place we were going to meet at ended up having people I'm not too happy to be around. (not any of Rick's friends.) I still need to check out this new place though.
Friday I went over to Rick P's house to watch the Texas/A&M game. I met his girlfriend Kate, she was a really nice person, but I didn't get to talk to her too much. Hopefully I'll get to visit more with her next time. I hadn't really talked to Rick in a while, so we had some catching up to do. We watched the game as my heart was broken that Texas was playing so badly. I was starting to feel sick and thought it was allergies, but I would later find out out it was much worse. I then went over to Ana's Rick's house and watched the end of the game and helped him set up his new slingbox. I love that device. The weather was dreary, though I don't mind it, almost makes me feel in a better mood, like nothing really great is happening that I'm missing out on. I met up with Abram and Corrie there. After, we went out with Abram's high school friends in downtown McAllen. We met up with Elaine and her friend Nancy. I don't know why, but I'm always amazed at how some people can be so happy and full of energy and life. Is it an act? What makes people feel that way? It was a good time and we watched Vargas lose his boxing match and had a few drinks. My sickness started to really kick in Friday night.
Saturday I was useless as my cold fully took over. I woke up and called Ana to cancel on my plans with her. I went with Abram to visit my Dad and saw all the progress he has made. I want to help my family, and I don't want to lose sight of that goal. Giving makes people feel better, so I want to give to those that have given so much to me over my life. After we got back, I just slept as Abram with with Ana and Rick to Mexico. It is my favorite part of my trip home, but I had to skip it. I mainly just watched TV and spent time with my mother. Her house never feels empty when I'm there, but I forget that no one else lives there with her. Seem like when I am down, it is always full.
Sunday morning, my mom made breakfast, we packed up and Abram and I drove up to Austin. I was going to drive, but I was in no condition after a few miles of slow reaction time, so I had Abram drive even though I knew he had to drive to Ft. Worth after. It was a long trip, but we had some good conversations and set up some good goals to work towards. Other people's dreams motivate me to go after my own.
Monday I woke up and called in sick for work. I was in no condition to get anything done. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, but didn't have the money for it. I played a few games of poker and made just enough money, but didn't like the feeling that I needed to win or else I'd be in all kinds of trouble. That isn't the way to run a budget.
that is what happens when you leave the ball in their court
