"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it." —André Gide
Today marks Obama's 100 days in office mark, a completely arbitrary number of days to take inventory of how well he is doing. There are many views out there. Marty's assessment? A- Now the only reason he has a "-" is because he was worried too much about the party of No and their distractions. I wish he would fight back a bit more. We should be investigating Torture and not watering down his economic policies for political reasons, and not claiming states secrets as they have done in court. The economy is going to be his real test, but my main hope is that we get healthcare. That is my #1 issue. But, Enough With This ‘100 Days’ Nonsense. Also, when Americans feel less ‘positive’ about Bush since he left office I'm thinking we are going in a great direction.
I've been trying to study music theory on my free time thinking it might help me learn to sight read better. So far well, not so good, but practice and time right? Oh and patience.
April Ratings: FNC Beats CNN and MSNBC Combined Did you see that? Combined! I just don't understand. I know I keep saying this a lot, but I'm always floored. I mean, I get it if you don't want to watch MSNBC (even though I'm a HUGE fan), but then why not just watch CNN (as I did), but FNC? Really? Don't you want news? The majority has spoken I guess. I won't talk about this anymore.
Ok, well it is a slow day when it comes to random thoughts. Maybe the less going on up there is a good thing. Oh, tomorrow is Abram's last day of work. We plan to go out after work to celebrate. It should be fun.
"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do." —John Ruskin
I went to Best Buy during lunch to make a return. While I was there, it became apparent that I was wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants. I was asked by two different people for help, thinking I was an employee. The first person was kind of upset at me for how long she had to wait to get some service, which was a bit funny because she was going to need to keep waiting. The second lady actually helped me find what I was looking for, so that was cool. Instead of browsing more, I decided to leave. I think the last time this happened was when I wore a red shirt to Target.
On my way to my car, I saw this car. I don't know why, but I want one. It is so small and kind of ugly, yet cool, but it just seems like a great cost efficient way to get around. Now, I wouldn't want to be going too fast in one.
I feel like I should talk about the swine flu. For now I'm not going to worry too much and try to be careful, but the media is really over reacting I think. Maybe if they were calm we could be calm too. Instead they sensationalize and then tell us to be calm. I wonder when we will start closing schools.
I was talking to Abram about my pull up chart and how I can do a whole 2 pull ups right now. He asked me what goes though my head when I clearly used to be in shape and able to do many pull ups among other things, and now that I can only do two. It was a good question. I told him that for a long time I was comparing myself to my hypothetical ideal self or my former self and it made me feel like such a disappointment. I need to just accept myself where I am at and go from there. So lets say I used to be able to do 30 pull ups easily. If I move up to 4 pull ups, then I'm +2 better than I was and not -26 from where I should be. Apply this logic to everything from running, to bench to all my former stats. Yeah, it sucks to have to start all over, but it is that self pity that has kept me back for so long. This applies to so many aspects of life, from relationships, love and money.
Today we won a big case. Well, we won a proposal for decision, but nevertheless, it is the first case I have worked on since the beginning. It feels good to have been a part of that. Now it is time to defend that win. I really do enjoy what I do.
I figured I'd practice taking candid shots of things while out in the real world. This magazine is something that caught my eye. "Look Great Naked." How do you say no to that? Ladies, I think you should pick up this months (weeks?) issue of Women's Health. I wonder how they find so many ways to say the very same thing. I mean even on top it says, "Get a strong and sexy beach body." I wonder if next issue they will take the swine flu? or maybe just more about weight and looking sexy.
Arlen Specter Switching Parties From Republican To Democrat I was very happy to hear this. I know this doesn't mean we will get his vote, but it is still better than him being a Republican. Does this mean we have a chance for healthcare? Now if only we could get Franken seated. A little history, Specter was originally a Democrat before running as a Republican to become Philadelphia’s district attorney. According to Wikipedia, Specter also co-authored the magic bullet theory, which argued that a lone gunman assassinated JFK.
Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water: Health Spotlight According to a study by the Environmental Working Group, bottled water is just as polluted as a tap water. In fact, twenty percent of bottled water has more chlorine than California's state regulations will allow in tap water.
"Maria Elena:You're still searching for me in every woman. Juan Antonio:That is not true, Maria Elena. I was in Oviedo some weeks ago with a woman who was the antithesis of you. An American, and something beautiful happened with her. So you're mistaken. Maria Elena: You'll always seek to duplicate what we had. You know it. " - Vicky Cristina Barcelona, selected quotes.
"Juan Antonio:I devote all my time to you - pampering, nursing our tics and phobias. My work suffers. Maria Elena:It is not my fault." - Vicky Cristina Barcelona, selected quotes.
The weekend went by just as fast as I thought it would. I feel good about it though, like I got a lot of things done that I have been putting off for quite some time. It all started after work on Friday when I went on what felt like a spending spree at Walmart. I didn't mean to, but once you factor in $30 for dog food, a contraption to hang clothes, some supplies for the pull up bar, work out clothes and a weeks worth of groceries, things start to add up.
I got some movie watching in that I had been putting off. Independent films that I have had sitting here in my TiVo unwatched. I finally watched Rachel Getting Married, which I found to be good and then saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona. It has the same male lead actor from Love in the Time of Cholera. I liked that movie for other reasons. I included some quotes I liked from VCB, a movie which I don't know exactly what to think about it. Penelope Cruz was really good, I think she has the prettiest face. The one place in Spain that I wanted to visit, but didn't get to was Barcelona. I really need to go some day soon.
I got home on Friday and gave Max a walk, which is starting to become a more constant happening. I then went for a short jog on the treadmill, something I hate having to start all over at again. Abram and I finished the new pull up bar project we had started last week. I went to the store and purchased new bolts for the pull up bar that would not only go through the beam, but also through the stud behind it. Supporting enough weight is a pretty important safety feature. Abram was the one that put the pipes together, while I just made sure it had the correct support. I'm pretty proud of our project, too bad right now I can't do many pull ups.
This Saturday was supposed to be the airing of the next episode of the series Kings, "Brotherhood." Well like I had mentioned in my last entry, the series got pulled by NBC until the summer. I don't know why they couldn't just burn the episodes off on Saturday. I enjoy the series and thought it was good and was really looking forward to it. My tivo still recorded it, but it was a Law and Order re-run instead. I just wanted to complain about that.
I got in some more lessons on the guitar this weekend. It is coming along very slowly, but at least I'm practicing each day. I need a music stand. I think I have the song Ode to Joy down, which is a big deal for me. I know I might not be musically inclined, but I feel like I never really got the chance to find out if I was. The new lessons I started instead of the ones I had purchased are a lot better. If only I could play a chord where all the strings would sound right instead of just half not being able to vibrate correctly. I guess I just need to keep practicing. I can't wait for the day my hands have the position memory down, the same way they know where all the keys on the PS2 controller is or each key on a keyboard. How cool would it be to be able to play a song on a guitar.
I rearranged my room a bit this weekend, but nothing significant, mainly just organized my closet by labeling all my pants by sizes. I have so many different sizes I don't always know which pants I can wear or which don't fit correctly. It makes me pick the same ones over and over just so I don't have to check. I also did a months worth of ironing. I hate to iron, but it is just so much cheaper than dry cleaning. I have this great steamer, but it feels like double work to steam a shirt and then iron it, even though it works pretty darn well. It is these boring domestic things that must be done from time to time.
Torture Was Used to Try to Link Saddam With 9/11 In order to justify George W. Bush’s illegal and unnecessary invasion of Iraq, Bush administration officials put heavy pressure on Pentagon interrogators to get Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah to say there was a link between Iraq and the 9/11 hijackers. That link was never established.
This was my guess. Torture has historically been used to garner false confessions for propaganda use. Seems like we were trying to get some "connection between Iraq and 9/11" propaganda going. It kind of flies in the face of the new conservative argument, "It isn't moral, but it works." Other than being a lie, why is that party wanting to be the party of torture?
"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." —Lao-Tze
Thursday when I got home from work I tired to do more than I usually would. After a phone call with my Mom and sister, I helped Abram install a home made pull up bar. I think I was able to do two once we had it up. It still needs some work since our science on it was probably not the best, but I think it looks good. I then took Max for a walk. I'm never going to tired that guy out. We tried the bike and walk thing, but he started pulling me and at one point I crashed into a curb. Yes, it was so embarrassing, me, riding my bike with all the neighbors outside and crashing and falling down. I wasn't hurt, but my ego was. Max then ran on the treadmill for 3 minutes and it made no difference when we took another walk. I then tried to put Max in the backyard when Brooks and Memphis stormed the door and go off running into the neighborhood. Max follows suit. Great I thought. It took some time, but we corralled them up and I fed them dinner. I then decided to walk on the treadmill myself and do a very quick job. I guess I have to start with baby steps and that day was as good as any.
I was done with a short jog on the treadmill and I decided to take a quick round at the punching bag. I am one weak gentleman I have to say because that bag was not abused much, yet my wrists were starting to feel the pain. I then went inside and while I was inside cooling off, I had an idea. I asked Abram if he was up for grappling (with no actual punching). I wanted to see if all these moves that I thought I understood in my head were actually possible in real life. We didn't know what we were doing of course, but it seemed like a fun idea. We created a point system very quickly and Rino decided to ref. We both started on the ground and Abram quickly went for my back. It became apparent to me that having another person with an agenda of their own made things a lot more difficult than my imagined scenario. He was finally able to get my back (which counted as a point) as I tried to keep his hands from getting under my neck. He was finally able to get me in a choke, but he didn't have it fasten tight enough for me to tap. While he was doing this he had a low body lock on me and decided to stretch me out, both pulling on my body and tightening his hold on my neck. I tapped. We started again, this time I held him at bay with a butterfly guard and then alternated from half guard to full guard. He kept trying to get past my guard in side control and keeping him there wasn't so easy. I had it in my mind that I would be able to get my arms around him and pull him toward me so that he wouldn't have the space to hypothetically be punching me, but I couldn't even get close to getting my arms around him while I was in full guard. He kept grabbing my arms making it difficult to do much. He did not get in full mount though, but try as I might I still wasn't able to get to the top position or ever get to his back which was the whole reason I wanted to try the idea. He later tried for my back again and I tapped second time. The final time I was able to work my way from his guard to a full mount. In real life I wouldn't be able to do much damage because he kept very good control of my arms the whole time. He ended up changing position on me and I put him in what I would call something like a body lock with my legs which I could tell interfered with his breathing. We ended up giving up not too long after that. I think I might have hit him in the face once, I got hit in the teeth once by accident and I think my left ear might be cut in the back from trying to get out of one of his holds. It was fun, but something I don't plan to try again for a very long time. And the next time with a mouth piece and a head guard. The rug burn I have on my knees and elbows does hurt. I know this all sounds very silly and completely useless, but it gave me an appreciation for something that looks a lot more simple on TV than it really is. It was also kind of fun. I always thought if I got in a fight I'd want to take it to the ground, but it isn't that easy. The plan now is standing up, punch and run from here on out for me. I think the final score we tallied was about 8-2 with Abram being the winner. He did just have dinner, which helped me out a bit.
Thursday I got home for work and spent a good hour talking to my mother on the phone. I was supposed to be about some routine matters, but it always gets to the topic of religion, mainly because of me and my prodding or a response to a religious comment she may make. I can't help it, I sometimes feel like one of those people out on the streets saying, "Have you accepted Jesus into your heart?", but instead I'm saying, "Can you believe the hypocrisy of some religious Christian groups when they did/said X." I don't want to convert her to believe the way I believe, but just want her to question what she hears from these so called religious leaders and do as she has done her whole life and decide for herself with all the relevant facts.
Let's take a break for a second with some interesting random news. I'm not even going to editorialize since I think they speak well for themselves.
Torture Is a Crime, and Crimes Demand Prosecution Obama wants to avoid a long, wrenching legal drama that almost certainly would be partisan and divisive. But I’m not sure it’s possible to skirt the criminal implications of what we already know.
Shepherd Smith drops F-bomb during Freedom Watch: I don't like FOX NEWS, but this video was great, Shepard Smith has been surprising me. We are America and WE DO NOT FUCKING TORTURE!
U.S. Citizens Detained and Deported by Immigration In its zeal to crack down on illegal immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is detaining and deporting American citizens. The Center for Investigative Reporting’s Andrew Becker talks about his investigation into this disturbing trend.
Sexting—and Common Sense Vermont, Ohio and Utah are among the first states trying to back away from laws that treat a teenager with a cell phone as if he or she were a child pornographer. They know there’s a difference between truly dreadful judgment and a felony.
You're Doing It Right, Jon Stewart - Another great song by Jonathan Mann from therockcookiebottom.
Now back to the discussion I was having with my mom:
Our discussion actually started with the notion of whether America was a Christian Nation. I tried to make the point that what makes America great is that we are free to worship in whatever way we please and to make it a theocracy would have disastrous effects, especially with so many differing Christians groups who don't all believe the same thing. Which Christian nation are we? Protestant? Catholic? Evangelical? Jehovah Witness? Mormon? I could go on. I mean certain Christian factions feel other "fake" Christians are doing it all wrong and well, are sinners for that reason. They may have tenets that unite them, but there are real differences. I respect everyone's right to believe as they wish, but my right to believe as I wish isn't always respected by the Christian Right I feel.
Is America a Christian Nation?
The U.S. Constitution is a secular document. It begins, "We the people," and contains no mention of "God" or "Christianity." Its only references to religion are exclusionary, such as, "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust" (Art. VI), and "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" (First Amendment). The presidential oath of office, the only oath detailed in the Constitution, does not contain the phrase "so help me God" or any requirement to swear on a bible (Art. II, Sec. 1, Clause 8). If we are a Christian nation, why doesn't our Constitution say so? In 1797 America made a treaty with Tripoli, declaring that "the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
Now in fairness, The phrase, "a wall of separation between church and state," was coined by President Thomas Jefferson in a carefully crafted letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802, when they had asked him to explain the First Amendment. (via http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/xian.php - for selected source material, but the following thoughts are my own.)
Now God is mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, and that is great, but that isn't enough to say we are Christian nation. Its purpose was to "dissolve the political bands," not to set up a religious nation. I think we can say "In God We Trust" and it not mean that you have to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. "under God" I'm not even going to touch, but note that it is a recent addition to the pledge. Religion is part of our history and part of many people's lives, but it has no place in government.
I'm wading into waters that evoke much argument, anger and sometimes hate from otherwise good moral people, so I won't keep going too long since I know many people do not agree with me. I can only learn when people help correct me and that is why I'm always trying to learn more on this topic.
I think it is great that our country has so many people that believe in Christ and glad that we have a Constitution that allows us to do so. But at the point we create this theocracy where Christianity is the legal and moral law of the land for everyone, we give up our freedom to worship as we wish. There are so many other faiths out there from Jewish, Hindus, Muslims and well countless others. I don't want others imposing their narrow morality on me or my fellow Americans no matter what their religion happens to be. What I hate about saying all this is that I feel like this should be apparent and not have to be stated in argument form. God Bless You Everyone!
You see now why it is hard for me to not just let it go. It is something I think about.
"Christianity has done a great deal for love by making a sin of it." -Anatole France
I bore myself sometimes with my lectures about the importance of going to college that I seem to always be giving to my family. I wish I knew how to get through. I don't know how to make this important to people that do not want to go or just don't see the immediate benefit. Slightly less than 30% of US adults have a college degree. That makes for a huge advantage. It wasn't even a question for me, which makes it hard to put into terms for others to understand. I understand the excuses, children, having to support family, ability and probably even hidden fear. They still don't sway me. And if you don't have an excuse, just not the motivation to go..what can I say? I have laid off, but maybe I should just give up and live and let live. How does this chart below not speak for itself?
Note: You of course could make more or less in each category and the results are not predictive, but this is what it all comes out to be.
A girl I used to date is getting married in about a week. It wasn't very serious, nor very long, but it still meant something to me at the time. Nevertheless, I would put her in the category of being very happy for her. That is something I can't always say. She posted some pictures the other day and she will be a very lovely bride. Maybe I just like the feeling of it not affecting me...this is the way it is supposed to be.
So guess what I learned yesterday? Kings is exiled to the Summer NBC must really not want this show to succeed. They never gave the show a chance. I was really looking forward to watching the next episode on Saturday. Did no one learn anything from Firefly? The princess on the show is a great character. Everyone wants a princess just like that. Too bad I haven't learn her secret yet, which might change my mind...wait, I may never will considering.
I was talking to a friend who told me that I should think about writing a book. About what? is the question...probably the main question I have for myself. I don't care about writing a good book, but just A book. It is one of my vague goals. I think that the accomplishment of doing it would feel really good just in itself. I'm not uniquely qualified to write about any particular subject. As far as Fiction goes, I don't have a story inside of me dying to get out. I'm still waiting for that story, that inspiration. Imagine waking up each morning and working on your book instead of being here writing about what I ate for dinner yesterday. Maybe one day I'll start seriously thinking about ideas. Any as far as the actually grammar goes, I have a really good editor in mind.
Torture Memos: Waterboarding : Rockcookiebottom - A good song. I love hearing legal memos put to song. Fits great with yesterday's video on how waterboarding actually works.
"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." - Ernst Hemingway
I never had the experience growing up where I would get in trouble and be sent to my room without dinner. Then again, dinner wasn't a sit down event my house, just a meal cooked for the family and eaten when you were able to, sometimes at the table. Monday night I got home and after watching some TV, I decided to take a short nap. Well if you have ever read my blog, that nap more likely resembled nighttime sleep. I effectively sent myself to bed without dinner. I woke up at midnight super hungry. Eating would making going back to bed harder, but I had a hotdog real quick anyway and then tried to get back to sleep. I hate when that happens, but what I don't get is why on Tuesday morning I didn't feel like a million bucks? I mean I slept a lot more than I normally would. Was it the break in the middle where I was up for 45 mins or so? I don't know, but I hate that I do this. All those hours wasted. Luckily How I Met Your Mother was a rerun. I can fall asleep at 6pm, 7pm , but from 8:30pm - 12:00am I can't sleep for the life of me. I've always said those are the best hours of the day (well until 2am). I'll never understand why I work like this.
Monday I got measured for a tux for Jon's Wedding in June. I have no idea what it is going to look like, but I'm sure I'll find out the day before the wedding. I was told a while back that it is going to be white. I'm sure I'll look sharp in it. Three weddings coming up, pretty cool I think. I wonder if any of them are nervous. There will be a lot of traveling soon.
Today is Earth Day. I may be a progressive liberal, but when it comes to the environment, the douchebag Texan in me really kicks in. I just don't care as much. I mean, I'd love to have a hybrid car and I don't go around trying to make problems, like turning on extra lights, but I'm just not gung ho about recycling and conservation. I know I should be. I do it, but I am not a good example of an environmentalist. If you knew how many plastic water bottles I drink a day. I think if I had a Tesla I would totally change...well probably not. The thing is that I would support environmental groups above business interests nevertheless. I hope everyone has a happy Earth Day. Go plant a tree. I have a dead one in my front yard.
I was at Walmart the other day returning a pair of pants. (I'll skip the story on how they were defective since it doesn't help my point.) I have some good clothes, but there is some work clothes that I have from Walmart that is super cheap and not too shabby looking. It is kind of embarssing to talk about it though. I picked up two pairs of pants and two shirts while I was there. When I was checking out, the lady at the checkout counter told me that I must be a very neat guy. I assumed she meant neat by tidy and not by awesome. It was a nice complement worth writing about.
Tuesday evening was much different from Monday. I got home and gave Max a much needed bath. In the process I got water shaked all over me as well. I then decided to try and tire him out. Max has the most energy of any dog I've seen. I knew in picking him it wouldn't be a good energy match, but I was hoping Max would either bring me up to his level or I'd bring him down to mine. Instead we just both just do our own thing. So first I took him bike riding and he got a good run in. Abram's bike is a bit flat and the front breaks don't work. Just saying. Then I walked him around the neighborhood and on the way back we raced home. I haven't done much running in the last few months so that was tough on me. It was a lot of activity, but still nothing. Then we played fetch for a long time and though he did finally slow down, he was still super hyper. Brooks and Memphis were not too happy I took Max for a walk, so then I took them both for a walk as well. Memphis did well, but Brooks was just too much to handle. That old man has so much power. He dragged me all over the place. I tried to walk him correctly, but it was like being on a water ski. If only Cesar were there to help. Either way, it was some good activity and after a quick shower I had a fish dinner. It was a good afternoon.
"without family, money means nothing." - This was a quote I read on my younger sister's myspace. It has probably been there for years, but today I barely read it. It sounds positive and uplifting at first glance, but then when you think about it, it means a lot more, at least to me. First of all, isn't the pre-condition to that statement that one has money. And if so, one must not have family and somehow feel like money is a suitable substitute. Or maybe one doesn't have money, but instead has family. I would counter, "without air, family means nothing." What bothers me is that I feel like there is a false dichotomy here, one that says that having a family is exclusive of money and vice versa. Well I'm sure people would want them both. And well I'm sure if you lost your family, your money would still mean something to you or else you would just give it away. The point of the quote is that family is so important, but why does it have to try to make money seem evil? It is akin to, I'd rather be "poor and happy." It is also not very nice to people that didn't choose family as their lifestyle choice.
Playboy Journo Bets He Can Endure 15 Seconds Of Waterboarding (VIDEO) Do you think he makes it? A video really worth checking out. It is a good video considering all the "Torture is great and needed" talking points the conservatives have been spreading. I like how they explain what waterboarding it and how you can't just hold your breath and be ok.
So I’ll say goodbye I really, really, oh, I really did try God knows you’ve hurt me inside Tonight there’s a feeling that I cannot hide ... Waiting for the light I’m so tired, I’ve gotta keep on Driving through the night To find a home, a peaceful place to call my own My heart has had enough of fighting With the one I love I’m so tired of fighting I don’t know if I love you anymore Anymore, no, I don’t know if I love you anymore - Goodbye, Matt Goss
This past week at work was rough. From case decisions to even more general stuff, it feels like times are going to be more challenging than I had anticipated. Hopefully the storm is over and the sun will soon some out. I really enjoy my job, but sometimes you wish that less fights were uphill battles, especially those that you have worked so hard on.
I had to work on Saturday. That is a good thing about my job, I rarely have to put in overtime and work on weekends. This is a very different experience than I would get at a big firm, but one I wouldn't trade in. If only I could sell my 4 day a week super productivity plan, I'd have the perfect set up, or maybe just some more vacation days for weekend trips. So, I came in to work be a closing agent in a real estate closing. It wasn't the first closing I've attending, but it was my first time playing the role of the closing agent. I think I did a good job and it all went smoothly, thanks to preparation. I was strangely stressed about it, but mainly because I didn't know what to expect. I felt like I didn't have all the contingencies planned for. What if this would happen, or that would happen? I do think too much. I'm glad it went well and hopefully there will be many more in my future. Once I got home, my weekend really started.
So my do it yourself guitar lessons are going somewhat slow, but are progressing. I have half of Ode to Joy down. I wish I had a background in music so that I could at least know the notes and not have to learn everything from scratch. I figure if I do a little bit each day I'll get better slowly but surely. I don't know if I should be trying to learn to play without looking or with looking. Maybe I'll use my free time to study music in general. Basic 6th grade stuff like EGBDF and FACE I'm trying to memorize as well as the guitar open notes of ...humm I think EADGBE. Don't give up Marty, it is so easy to give up. I don't think having perfectly soft fingers helps out much.
I missed the entire 8th Season of Smallville this year. Maybe it was because I deleted CW from my list of channels and thus never noticed it was on. I spent the weekend catching up on the season and I have two episodes left to be current. For a show I once said I was only giving a chance, I must be a real fan considering I'm so far in. Speaking of TV, I noticed that I lost track of the new show Kings. I was intrigued with the show when it came out and saw the 1st 3 episodes (2 of them being the premiere). Now I'm trying to catch up on the ones I missed. It doesn't help that NBC moved it to Saturdays and will probably cancel the series once they air all the episodes they paid so much for.
Dog Bites Man! - not a big story. But, Man Bites Dog! - a huge story. So what about Man Bites PYTHON!
What 420 Means: The True Story Behind Stoners' Favorite Number It wasn't until I ran into this story that I remembered that today was 4/20. I'm sure I would of figured it out as the day progressed. It is probably a good day for the administration to review their drug policies and a create a more intelligent policy that does more than just put otherwise law abiding people in prison for a drug whose health affects are no worse than alcohol, but which creates a criminally organized distribution network that isn't good for our country. Or maybe prohibition does work, the abstinence of drugs.
“By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth.”- George Carlin
I'm a big fan of Lost and I hate when they take a week off to do a special episode which to me I consider to be just a clip show. I felt like an idiot not putting together that Miles was the son of the doctor on the island. The race issue was kind of a good hint I think. I feel kind of detached from TV lately, as in not as invested in the story lines as I used to be. This might be a good thing, probably means I'm getting a life rather than caring about this picture show meant to sell me shit. Greys bores me right now, as does Private Practice and the finales for a lot of shows have already aired. I need some good TV.
Today has been a tough day, one of those days where you just want to go home, drink a beer, relax and not think about anything. I'm always amazed at how many problems come from thinking and obsessing. You got an overdue bill for example (which I don't right now thank God), I don't know what is worse, it being over due or thinking constantly about it letting it eat at you. So is the solution to stop thinking about it? Well no, you have to figure out a way to pay that bill, but to beat yourself up about it with your every thought isn't good either. So just block it out. Wait, that is the second source of all my problems, blocking them out while they grow and get worse and worse. Damn it. It is almost like life is trying to get me to face my problems and figure out a way to solve them. What sucks is, life isn't like paying a bill, some problems don't have a clear solution. I wonder if they all even have solutions. I don't know...beer, that has to be it. Enough talking in the abstract.
Parents are moved by instinct to love, nurture, and provide for their offspring. Because our children are so much a part of us, we want to see them blissfully happy. Also, our own desire to be liked, materialist pressures, and a fervent wish that our children have everything we lacked as youngsters can prompt us to spoil them. However, while it might seem that buying your child expensive gifts will give them fond memories of childhood or that you can heal your emotional wounds by doting on your sons and daughters, you may be unconsciously interfering with your children's evolutional development. One of the most precious gifts you can grant your children is the true independence they gain when they learn to earn what they covet and become stewards of their own happiness. Try allowing your children to experience life to the fullest. Let them work and earn what they want. When the time comes for them to go to college and enter the workforce, you will have the confidence that you have raised a child that can both enter and contribute to society confidently.
"How To Break Up" - Tales Of Mere Existence : I ran into this on twitter and it made me laugh. Hope you enjoy it.
"How To Cope With Depression" - Tales Of Mere Existence : Not as funny, but still good I think.
"Boyfriends I have Been" - Tales Of Mere Existence : Let's end this trifecta with this video. There are a lot more, you should check them out on YouTube.
A friend of mine showed me a funny website called FMyLife. It is fun to read and sometimes makes you feel better about your life. Here are a few examples, not the best, but some that quickly caught my eye.
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." - George Carlin
Our internet and phone system went down at work on Tuesday morning and was out until Wednesday morning. It really shows you how internet dependent you really are. I couldn’t do any research or even check and print my emails. Little things you take for granted, like checking the weather or news I could not even do. Now it is true that I had my iphone, so I was able to check my email there, but that is just not a true replacement. I'm glad things are all back to normal now. I can once again be my productive self.
My mom turned 60 years old on Tuesday. My sisters took her out to eat for her birthday. It was the second time she has been out of the house (first time being church) since her surgery. She is doing even better by the way. 60 is a pretty big deal and I kind of wish I had done something big for it. Cynthia has a big party for her mother's 60th birthday party this weekend. Then again, my family doesn't really do big birthday parties...well unless you are a baby turning 1...I'm looking at you Celeste. I hope she had a happy birthday. I'm staring to think that 60 is much younger than I used to think it was.
Today is everyone's favorite day, tax day. I'm glad I got my taxes done long ago, but for sure next year I'm going to pay someone to do them because I paid a lot of taxes compared to last year. I guess that goes along with making more money than you did the year before. So I guess I'm hoping to pay even more taxes next year right. Most of my taxes are withheld from my paycheck, so I'm happy I don't have to cut a big check to the government. Hope everyone got their taxes in on time.
Today is also all the hoopla about the tea parties. Tea Bagging is almost comical if not confusing.Here is one of many articles on the fun. Countdown: Fox News...Supporting the Tea Baggers and Sponsoring the Tea Baggers I don't know if you have been following the protests today (of what still don't understand). I don't know why I don't feel like going out to protest the idea of taxes after the passage of the biggest middle class tax cut in history, including 95% of all Americans. Then again, I, like the rest of the world, hate paying taxes too, but we need roads, schools and Bush and Cheney needed those wars and how else would we pay those military contractor friends of theirs? Wait, aren't these just Anti-Obama, we lost and don't like it rallies? From what I have seen, it looks like. Either way, I'm looking forward to following the protests, maybe I'll learn something. These people below make me so proud we have an adult in charge.
I’m a person that likes to plan for the future, but the future is a complicated thing. Sometimes the path you are on and what you want are not always consistent. It is sometimes hard to wrap your mind around it. So what do I do? I just try to ignore it, put it off for another day. That day is coming. I just need a clearer plan, I can't live my life month to month as well.
So I'm in line for fast food (don't judge) I see this old van in front of me. It says "MENOS PEINTING" I have blurred out the phone number because I don't want to call anyone out, but I kept wondering, did they mean "painting"? The sign was old, by now they must have noticed that painting was spelled wrong. It made me question my own grasp of spelling and then made me laugh. Either way, I'm not calling them to "peint" my house.
Susan Boyle: Britain's Singing YouTube Sensation (VIDEO) This video is pretty heartwarming I think. People can be pretty cruel I think. Talk about not judging a book by its cover. I wish I could embed the link, but it is worth the click I promise. I wonder when she will get her first kiss.
"There's no present. There's only the immediate future and the recent past." - George Carlin
Last week I came down with a sickness that really sucked. Being sick is an interesting thing, it is something you care about a lot when it is happening, but in retrospect you don't really care much about it and are just happy it is over. I could go back 2-3 years and read about a time I was home sick with the flu and it would mean nothing to me now. Almost like a waste of writing, similar to talking about the weather. The same way that missing work last Tuesday with a terrible cold might still have an impact on me now, coming back to read this a week from now, I'll wonder why it was even worth mentioning. Yet, still I write about it. By Thursday I was feeling a lot better and ready for my vacation. There were a lot of places I could of gone for my 3 day weekend, but I picked home.
I got Friday off from work for Easter. The last holiday in some time it feels like. I went home to the Valley to visit. It worked out great, my boss let me out of work on Thursday at 2pm, so I was able to arrive in the Valley by 7:30pm. This was like having an extra day added to my vacation. It ended up not making much of a difference time wise though. I got in and spent time with Erika and her family downtown. They are always very good to me and I genuinely enjoy their company. We went to a bar and listened to a band I didn't much care for, but I was just happy to be on vacation.
Saturday, I went with Erika to her family's fish fry they hold every year and the food was really good. After, I had wanted to ride bikes, go to Mexico, go shopping for new shoes or visit with my family, but I pretty much didn't do much except watch TV for a few hours. I then left to visit with my family, where I saw my mother, my sisters and my nieces. I have to say, there was a point when I walked in and saw Jamie sitting there at the kitchen table, she looked so much like her mother I did a double take. This is happening more and more. My first instinct was to tell her, but everyone tells her that and I'm sure it doesn't mean as much to her as it does to me. I know this happens a lot, but it still makes an impression every time. I didn't say anything and the chills faded away.
When Eliza got there the girls fought about who would get to take the baby (Celeste) out of the car. I joked around and said, no I'll get the baby and picked up my 10 year old niece Tori and carried her inside. She told me I was crazy and that I would hurt myself. I told her not to worry. After though to be honest, man it hurt. I'm getting too old for that. Maybe if I were in better shape. Whatever, I'm still a great uncle.
Later, I met up with Rick for some dinner and drinks at this place called Jackson's. I had never been there before and the place has a lot of TVs which I think is cool. There was a lot to catch up on, but I didn't really have much that was going on with me. Brad came to join us later. It was a good time shooting the shit about random topics, though I think we must be getting older when topics like kids and our views on marriage actually come up. In all fairness, our friend Jon is getting married soon so that kind of started the whole thing. Rick had to pick up his parents at the airport, so I called it a night early.
Saturday, I was starting to feel sick again, but this time from allergies. I had thought I forgot my medicine, but it had just fell behind my suitcase. I went to my mom's house to visit, but after taking some allergy medication, I ended up feeling really sleepy and slept a lot. At one point, my little sister, Eliza, was over with Tori and Celeste. We ate and talked. It is interesting how people see your world. She was asking me questions about marriage and kids. I think she sees me as never wanting to get married, that I don't like kids and instead am selfish and have commitment issues. I'm not one to dispel people's thoughts of me, so I play along. I was lectured about the virtues of parenthood and her concern that whomever I marry's time might be running out and that I should be respectful of that and not be so self centered. At one point she summed it up saying that she doesn't feel that I should be wasting a girl's time if they had the intention of getting married and having kids and I did not. My first thought was, if she only knew. I agreed with her, saying people should never waste other people's time in general. Then we digressed into how my mom will treat my kids. Quick note though, check out this article ran across today: Kids Marital Satisfaction Study: Children DECREASE Satisfaction
It was getting late and I started thinking about Sunday and our plans. By the time everyone was back from Church in the morning and we met at my mother's house, I wouldn't get on the road until late and be home even later. I would go to bed and have no time to decompress at home before having to go back to work. So, to much of my mother and father's dismay, I headed home for Austin at about 10:30pm on Saturday night. I really just needed to be home. The trip was long dark and rainy, but I made it home safe. I don't think there was much else I could do on the trip, but I didn't get to visit with other friends like my friend Cynthia.
One interesting part of my trip home was late at night, in the middle of nowhere I see a cop car pulled over behind another car and there are two cops running out after a guy into a field. I felt like I should stop and help, but then I thought I'd probably be more in the way than helpful. I was going to call the police, but then I saw a cop car in the distance and I just kept driving. I hope I did the right thing, I mean, I could totally see me becoming a hostage or something rather than a hero I was hoping to be. I totally could of helped catch that guy.
Did you know that Women in red really drive men crazy . The Lady in Red song makes so much more sense now. That was one of my favorite songs in high school from my 1987 Billboard hits CD.
Captain Richard Phillips Freed From Somali Pirates : I followed this story and couldn't believe how long they were out at sea on that lifeboat. I was all for the use of snipers. I love how Republicans were saying how this was Obama's test and then when he goes about it in a Presidential way, they now say he is trying to take the credit (which he isn't.) You have to admit, had that captain died, he would be the first to be blamed. Why was the Somalia pirates saga a referendum on President Obama?
Today I went to Best Buy to get my guitar strung and to be a lesson book so that I can start to teach myself. We will see how long his lasts, but I think it would be fun. Wish me luck.
"Sleep, riches, and health to be truly enjoyed must be interrupted." - Johann Paul Friedrich Richter
Last weekend I went home to the valley to visit my mother after her surgery. She had gone in on a Wednesday and was released on Friday. The surgery was a success, but recuperating would still be quite the challenge. I'm guessing it was a routine procedure. I got home and visited with my sister Eliza and my father as my mother was mainly in bed resting. I probably could of been more helpful, but I didn't exactly know how. I got her water and helped with the stuff I could. I stayed up late talking to my father which was something we hadn't done in quite some time.
Saturday, my mom was looking a lot better, my sister Ana came over that morning with my nieces Bekkah, Jamie and Sarah. Eliza made breakfast and I got to see my 1 yr old niece Celeste walk and laugh when I showed her the "the claw." My mom was able to walk around a little bit and my idea of getting her a bell wasn't quite functional when she could use her cell phone. Speaking of the claw, I created a list of all the digital channels on my mom's TV since the regular ones came in fuzzy. Liar Liar was showing and Tori, who I did the claw with when she was little had never seen the movie. So she got to see it, but I guess thinking their tio is a lawyer who is also a liar might not of been the best lesson. My favorite scene is when the step dad tries to do his own claw. Ironically, I find Jim Carrey very annoying, even in that movie. Oh I got to meet Bekkah's new boyfriend. He was a nice kid and I really liked that he was excited about applying to college next year. He came over to play baseball with JoMichael.
Saturday night, I went with Erika to a BBQ/card game with her parents friends. The food was really good. The card game was fun. Erika leant me some money to play since I hadn't been to the ATM. Erika cleaned up and won well over 30 dollars in a game played with quarters. My "in between" game can really make people lose a lot of money. I started to feel sick toward the end of the night with a really bad headache.
Sunday morning, my dad and worked on installing the wall mount for my mom's TV in the living room that I had ordered for her. It actually came out pretty good and working with my Dad wasn't too bad compared to what I remember as a kid. I took a quick picture with my iphone of the work we had done. I know it is a little zoomed in, but I'm still proud of our work. I need to get one for my TV at home downstairs, but I have been putting it off.
We moved a TV into my Mom's room. How she could live all these years without a TV in her room is hard for me to imagine. I ended up leaving back home later on Sunday than I had planned because I tried to set up a wireless network for my mom, but instead made her internet stop working. It took me some time to get things back to the way they had started. I found an amp that I had been looking for in my old stuff and put that in my car. The trip back felt pretty long.
Sunday after I had left, my grandmother and Tia Amelia arrived from Ft. Worth to spend time with my mom. They were really worried about her, but by Sunday she looked 100 times better than she did on Friday and that is because I didn't get to see her on Wednesday. She is taking 5 weeks off to get better which is very good. I'm glad they got to visit for the week.
On Tuesday my boss came back to work. He has been out sick for over a week. I'm glad to see that he is doing better and it is good to have him back. I'm actually pretty happy with my job. I'm learning a lot and enjoy being challenged. Why Facebook And YouTube Make Better Employees: Study I'm a great employee then. I don't think I would ever try to make that argument.
My cousin, Melba, came into town this week for a speech pathologist conference and stayed with us. It has been a very long time since I have seen her. On her first day, in a conference of over 4000 people, she runs into Erika's mom through a mutual friend who was also attending. It really is a small world. Thursday night, Melba, Abram, Rino, Jess and I met up with Erika's mom and her friend for dinner at the Hula Hut. It was a fun time, but the wait was a bit long. It is a still a great place to go. So what did Zero say to Eight? Nice belt (8). (my favorite joke of the night, yet it was probably one of the few clean ones.)
First Ever NYC Unemployment Olympics (via Texan in the City) My friend Claudia put together a cool video of the event for CNN's ireport. Only stories marked "On CNN" have been vetted for use in CNN news coverage.
11 Unsolved Medical Mysteries This was a neat article. From hiccups to a guy who doesn't seem to feel the cold. I don't understand why he doesn't get frostbite though.
