My home

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Here is an image of where I live. I'm in the light brown rectangle there.

This guy made me aware that Google is now offering maps that can be converted into satellite images. Mapquest used to do this in a partnership with GlobeXplorer. It used to be quite handy, especially when I was planning my trip to Florida a few years ago. The satellite images of Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, really helped me navigate the interstate lanes.

So I tried Google's new service (it's still beta.) Their image bank is nowhere near as complete as it should be. I couldn't get images of other notable sites such as Michigan State. I could with GlobeXplorer. I'm glad that Google has decided to pick this service up since Mapquest no longer offers it. I just hope that this beta won't take as long as their gmail service. (Oh BTW, I have almost a 100 gmail invites to give away. If you want one, just leave a comment or email me.)

I'm loving my day off

The past few days have been extremely rough. When I got moved into my current job position, I didn’t expect to be so drained. This past Wednesday, I started my first day as an unloader. Basically, I unload the freight trucks, then sort the boxes by department, and move the pallets into the storage bins as needed. When the trucks are unloaded and swept out, we then move the pallets out onto the sales floor, and then we are assigned to a department to help stock. So far, I’ve been in paper/chemicals, and pets. Now I’ve been a desk jockey for the better part of four years (and I intend to return that way ASAP) so all this physical work has been a shock for me. Four days out and I still want to tear out my muscles. They are that sore. But it has been getting better.

Working for Wal-Mart seems like a low point. After receiving a college degree, I’m working retail--again. I don’t get to see my friend Adam, who also works there, because the Wally World way of doing things doesn’t allow much mingling with workers in other departments. My shift is from 4pm to 1am. I have yet to leave on time however. Last night I had to work until 3am. But in comparison to my time with K-Mart, there are some positive things. 1.) I don’t deal with customers. 2.) I don’t deal with managers. 3.) I’m getting one hell of a work out. 4.) It’s another compelling reason to find a better job.

So now that I have a day off plus the fact that I don’t feel like passing out from pure exhaustion and pain, I can finally tell you what has been going on. Oh, and by the way, I don’t think Vicodin does anything for me.

In a few days, I’m going to have to post some of Sam Walton’s quotes. I swear to you, joining Wal-Mart is like joining a cult.

[Moanin' & Groanin']

Sorry for no updates but I've been feeling like total crap the last few days. I think I'm finally on the upswing so check back in a day or two.

Attention travelers...

...please have your passports ready for inspection.

Well, it looks like that it is going to be more of a hassle to get into Canada. By 2008, the U.S. government is going to require that both Canadians and Americans have their passports to cross the border. Currently, we only need a driver’s license or a Nexus to cross the border. There’s not much thinking involved since everyone who crosses the border is driving, and most drivers have their license on them. Want to go to Canada? No problem. Other than the toll and check, it’s just like going to another state. We go through Canada to get to New York. It’s more convenient and interesting than going through Ohio. It’s great for 18 year olds looking for a drink (It’s pretty much how Windsor’s economy stays afloat.) Also, there are lower prices for cigarettes and prescription drugs. Canadians can come over for jobs, warmer vacation areas, and quicker medical attention.

This is complete crap. Not because the border is undefended and vulnerable, but because requiring passports isn’t going to solve the problem. It’s not hard to get a passport. All they need is some simple forged documents like a birth certificate and they’re issued one.

Eileen Byrne was talking about it today on WLS. Did you know that 2/3 of Americans don’t have a passport? People make such a big deal that Americans aren’t “cultured.” They don’t travel. They don’t have an appreciation of other cultures. As if a passport is going to cure that! The reason why 2/3 of Americans don’t have passports is because they don’t travel! Mostly because they can’t afford to travel. If they did travel, they are most likely to travel to someplace within the US or Canada or Mexico, where they don’t need a passport. And face it, the only other place that Americans feel comfortable visiting are other English speaking countries and Europe. And at the moment, they’re not feeling too welcomed in those places—like France. They don’t like dealing with foreign languages (because Americans can barely speak English.) And they don’t like visiting other countries whose standard of living is significantly lower than their own. If Americans feel like experiencing other cultures, they’ll just go visit the local ethnic restaurant. If they are really curious, they just might visit the World Showcase at EPCOT.

A Tuesday night

I came back from work today and saw that my parents were gone and my sister was just leaving. I go up to my sister and ask where Mom and Dad are and she said that they were at some special dinner. My dad was accepted into some honor society. I’m not sure what it was. I notice that she’s primping a little more than usual so I ask her what she was up to.

“I’m going to Curt’s.”

Curt… otherwise known as #1. There are so many guys that she knows that sometimes a designation is just easier. I like to rib her about when she leaves to go visit him just because of what our mom says about it. She’s a little conservative when it comes to my sister’s behavior. In her view, the boyfriend should be visiting her, not the other way around. Mom wonders that other people are thinking that Kris is acting like the boy in this relationship- as odd as that sounds. But the situation suits me just fine; I’d rather not know that she and him are having a make-out session in the next room.

With everyone gone, I just head back out to find some fast food. The leftovers weren’t too appetizing. There wasn’t much that I had an appetite for so I just headed for Hardee’s, a place that I haven’t been to since they were changed into a Carl’s Jr. clone. I tried one of their 1/3lb thickburgers. It was really good. It probably shaved 20 minutes off my lifespan, but it was good. It kind of reminded me of the burgers that I made at Fuddruckers when we passed through Chicago.

When I got back, I checked my email and settled in for a night of television. I had two choices: the girl’s MSU v. Baylor game or the Amazing Race. Sorry gals, but after a few minutes of watching you lagging behind Baylor, I went with the Amazing Race. Not that that episode was much better. I was rooting on the brothers to make up some lost ground, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. The old couple is doing pretty well considering and the boyfriends are still providing a good source of entertainment. I’m surprised the POW/Beauty Queen are still at the top of the running. Given the idiocy of both, I was thinking that it wouldn’t be long until they were eliminated.

At 10:30, there was nothing that interesting left on TV so I texted Kris to tell her to come home before Mom blew a gasket. Then I just settled in with my Sherlock Holmes book that I am slowly but surely getting done. When I originally bought the collection, I thought it was going to be dry and boring but almost all of his stories are quick and easy reads.

Now it is time for bed.

Damn It!

SON OF A BITCH!

(c) Chicago Tribune, by J. Prisching

Illinois lost to North Carolina.

I'm walking away. I'm walking away. [cursing]

I hate tests

After getting a job offer with a well known retail store, I had to drive into South Bend and pee in cup. That sucked. Every job that I have applied for had warned me that I could be subjected to a drug test. None of them ever gave me one though. So I walk into this small medical facility that you would probably never notice. After filling out the forms, I took a seat and waited my turn. It didn’t take long, maybe ten minutes, but it was enough time to get a look at the staff. All women. All short. All big. All wearing some sort of orange. My God, they were pumpkin ladies! Maybe they were clones, just wearing different hair styles. It was rather creepy and I was glad to just do my business and get out.

Cheer on IL!

I figured that I would write something about State before heading off to church. Then I remembered, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Well if not this, I can at least savor the Duke game and to a lesser extent, the Kentucky game. Duke because… well, it’s Duke, and Kentucky because it was a great game. I still am proud of how they played through the tournament.

It would have been great to have a Big Ten game but… oh well. GO ILLINOIS!

The game is going...

Oh crap...

What the fuck are they doing!? Stop trying to take the long shots- or at least do them outside the 3point line.

Death of the Pope

The Vatican announced that Pope John Paul II has died. Although I am not Catholic, nor would I see eye to eye on some issues with him, I am sad to know that he will no longer be around. I deeply respect his faith and realize that he has a conviction that I could only dream of attaining.

It's a beautiful day

Remember that scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off where he gets up out of bed, opens the window and asks how anyone could go to school on a day like this? That's exactly what I was thinking as I got up this morning. Within two days, the temps have shot up to the mid 70's (or 22-23 for you metric people). I love it and had to go out an experience the sun.

I went over to the Niles library and sat out on their out door tables and did some of my job search work. I made my call to MI Rep. Hansen's office to see if that Legislative Assistant position is still open. The office must not have been open because I kept getting their messaging system. When I was through, I went into the building briefly to check my email. While I was checking my MSU account, I saw an odd message that came from a guy I knew from AFROTC. Totally odd. I thought it might be a virus but I sent him a message on my own. Who knows maybe he'll respond. I haven't spoken or seen him since I left 3 years ago.

There was still a couple hours before dinner so I decided to cruise around. Given the current gas prices, it probably was a stupid idea. Yet, the opportunity to drive with your window down, along the back roads and along the lake shore, was too good to pass up.

And of course we come to the dark side of all this good weather... we are under a tornado watch. They've already had one touch down in Illinois and all that good stuff is heading our way. God I love the Midwest.

Movie "Guess Who"

Season and I went out to see a movie at Wonderland last night. There really weren’t any good pickings so I let her decide what she wanted to see. After all, I didn’t care. She went ahead with “Guess Who,” a comedy. The movie is about a white guy (Ashton Kutcher) who meets the family of his black girlfriend. Bernie Mac plays a father who is expecting his daughter to bring home a well-to-do black man but instead gets a white guy.

The movie was entertaining. Most of the comedic situations seemed rehashed but still I got some chuckles out of it. I was entertained by the overprotective father stints. The racial jokes, I still felt uncomfortable with. As some others have already mentioned, this was another “Meet the Parents” movie- just with a new twist.

The issue of interracial marriage is something that still made me uncomfortable. I don’t know why it should since I am the product of one. There was a girl that I would have liked to have dated back in high school. Unfortunately, she wasn’t interested in me. She made a comment way back then that I can still remember with extreme clarity. “My parents would never let me date a black guy. Maybe an Asian…” I didn’t know whether that was good news or not. Should I feel good that I just made her parents’ cut off for tolerance, or should I be pissed that I was near the end of it?

Season has a website dealing with racial issues. If you have the inclination, try out ebonyivoryme.com. They would love to have new signups.

Final Four Baby!

The game against Kentucky was one of the most exciting and gut-wrenching that I have ever seen. The lead see-sawed back and forth but never by much. For most of the game, you could never be sure who was going to come out on top. In the last few minutes of regular, Kentucky attempted a 3-point shot to tie up the game. The first and second attempts bounced but the third attempt they managed to get it in, sending the game into over time. That shot to tie up the game kept me on my seat because for a few minutes, they had to decide whether that was really a 3 pointer or if it was really a 2 pointer because Sparks looked like he was stepping on the arc line. The 3 points were awarded.

In first over time, the wildcats clawed to the lead and my stomach probably hit the floor. As the announcer said, that shot that took the game into overtime had energized the team. And after some mistakes by Hill that gave turnovers to Kentucky, I was about to go to my knees and pray. Final moments and Kentucky was up 81-80 but thanks to a free throw shot, MSU managed to tie the game 81-81. Second overtime. This game had me standing. The Spartans managed to get the first 3 points and managed to keep the lead and win the game 94-88.

Oh... and congrats to the Lady Spartans with their win over Vanderbilt.

Easter (2)

….I’m back.

Church was crowded. I’m such an idiot sometimes. Duh! It’s Easter, of course I have to get there early. The parking lot was full and I had to park halfway down the block. Well at least I was able to find a seat by squeezing in next to a family who I don’t ever recall seeing. It was little nearer to the front than I would have liked, but it would do. Although none of my family was there, my grandmother was singing with the choir. I think she noticed that I was there. She probably talked to my parents at first service and probably wondered why I wasn’t there with them. I wonder what was said.

As for the rest of the day, I’m not sure. I’ll see the game tonight but honestly, my heart’s not in it.

Easter (1)

I went to bed last night, looking forward to Easter service. Interesting, since I always feel like I have to drag myself to church. But there are times, when I feel compelled to go and it is always on Easter. Today, though, I am writing in a sort of stupor. You see, my family left me. It’s 9:45 on a Sunday, and they’ve left for the first service. We always-always go to the second service. I had to blink a couple times at my clock to find out that my mother’s shoes were making clatter at 6:45am. My parents and sister were just leaving as I got up. I saw them pull away from the living room curtain.

“What the hell!?” I said aloud. Maybe they would hear.

I had pushed the issue with me deciding not to go to communion anymore. I suspected that, perhaps, my suggestion of going to Notre Dame for Easter Mass probably didn’t go over too well either. So did my suggestion of going to a Catholic church have something to do with it? Maybe there’s something more than that? I don’t know. Things are in such a funk right now.

I’ve decided that I am going to second service. I may be by myself, but this is important to me. I’ll go it alone if I have to.

State kicks some ass!

I was planning to do a long entry for this, but I decided against it. Plus the headache isn’t helping either…

So last night, the game was terrific. For the first half, Duke remained ahead of State. Although State were always on their heels, for a moment, I thought that this game was following the historical precedent. Once again, we were going to loose. I think it was the State News that mentioned that this was our first win against the Devils in 46 years. 46? I’m glad that I didn’t miss this game (because I almost did.)

So on to the Elite Eight!

…actually, I’m going to go back to bed.

Praying on Good Friday...

...for the Spartans to beat the crap out of Duke!

No. 5 seed, MSU plays the No. 1 seed, Duke tonight. Join me tonight and cheer on the Spartans (hey, we're the underdogs here). It's on CBS.

Then on Sunday, the Lady Spartans will play Vanderbilt. MSU is the No. 1 seed here while Vanderbilt is the No. 5.

If both make it, it's onto the Elite Eight. Go Green!

The American Flag

I was heading to the post office to mail out another resume when I got behind a middle aged woman. Clearly, she was a conservative Republican. She had the Bush/Cheney ’04 sticker (probably on top of her Bush/Cheney ’00 sticker), a yellow “Support Our Troops” ribbon, and a black “POW/MIA” ribbon. That didn’t bother me as much as the two other decorative items she had on her car.

Across from her Bush/Cheney sticker, was another that read, “Don’t Burn My Flag.” Then attached to her rear, passenger side door, was an American flag. Okay, by themselves that shouldn’t have bothered me but together, it got on my nerves.

The “Don’t Burn My Flag” bumper sticker is reference to the ability of the people to burn flags. There used to be state laws that forbade anyone from “desecrating” the flag. Well some idiot decided to burn a flag and was arrested and charged with a crime. The U.S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. Johnson, ruled that burning the flag is protected under the First Amendment’s freedom of speech. It expresses an idea. Fine, I buy that argument but I still have no love for people that do such a thing. So if you want, burn the flag. But don’t expect any help from me when a mob decides to bash your skull in.

So clearly, this woman wants the flag to be respected. But, how can she say that when her flag, that she is zipping down the road with, is frayed at the edges and is dull colored? What she is doing to the flag is just as disrespectful, in my opinion, as burning the thing. I would even go as far as to say that she should not be flying the flag from her car anyways.

Changing the constitutions because of gays

In the last election, Michigan had a proposal that banned gay marriage (worded differently, but it is still the same.) I split from most others in my party, and from a good chunk of the Democrats, to vote down Proposal 2. Unfortunately, however, Proposal 2 passed with over 60% approval. Ingham County, which is where I am registered, was on of only a handful of counties where Proposal 2 was defeated, thank you MSU students. Although same sex benefits that had been established for couples before Nov. 2 are still intact, new contracts will not be offered.

I am still amazed at how easy it was for Michigan to amend the constitution. Think about it. It takes only 50% + 1 of the population to do it. A few hundred thousand signatures and an amendment proposal is on the ballot. Contrast that with the federal constitution and how difficult it is to amend that sucker. There have only been 27 amendments. Interestingly enough, the 27th Amendment was first proposed along with the Bill of Rights but wasn’t ratified until 200 years had passed. Talk about a long time to wait. So that’s partly why I believe President Bush will get nowhere with a marriage amendment. It’s just too difficult.

But today, another state is taking the steps to keep gays from getting married-- the state of Indiana. Indiana has a more difficult way to amend their constitution. Gay interests groups, advocates, and whoever else, have at least until 2008 to launch a preemptive attack on the government. This is because it takes the approval of two separately elected legislatures to pass the proposal before it is presented to the voters. This session of the legislature has passed it. Now they have to wait until the next session does.

Lunch at Arby's

After my family makes spaghetti, we usually have it for leftovers for two or three days. We just reheat the sauce and boil up some new noodles. Today, though, we had left over noodles but no sauce. Not wanting to make something for lunch, I just headed into town an hour earlier so I could pick up some lunch.

I was about to pull into Arby’s when I spied a car that was driving on the sidewalk. It was lucky that I saw it, because I would have hit him. Apparently this old geezer had pulled into the entrance to the next business. So he missed Arby’s. What he should have done was pull out into the road and attempt to come in the correct way but he decided that since no pedestrians were on the walk-way, that it would do. So he manages to pull in and I follow him. Then, this guy stops. Is he still confused? Is he still in the wrong driveway? I see him look over to his wife and they start to have a conversation! I was about to honk the horn at them but his wife noticed me and urged him forward. I swiftly got into a less desirable space rather than continue to follow them.

I went in and gave my order. A Number One—roast beef sandwich, curly fries, and a medium drink. Amazingly quick service for 12:30 in the afternoon. I was just getting seated when the old couple comes hobbling in. They eventually get their food brought out for them and unfortunately, they were sitting in the booth behind me. They had annoyed me and I wasn’t thrilled to still be near them.

A couple of booths down, a woman who looked like she had Down’s syndrome was sitting with a bucket of cleaning fluid. As soon as a table was vacated, she would immediately clean it up. Every now and then she would grunt and make other odd noises that turned all of our heads. The last time I had been to Arby’s, I had noticed another mentally handicapped working. I was impressed that this particular number would hire the handicapped. Although, some people are uncomfortable around them, I am glad that they are doing something. The work isn’t glamorous but it’s something that they can do… and with this particular person, do well.

“Look at that gal,” I heard the guy behind me say. “They shouldn’t let her work here.”

Now I could have taken this two ways: one sorta positive, the other negative. Still I couldn’t help but see that this old coot was somehow knocking on this working woman. At least she isn’t out there causing accidents. She’s here cleaning up our mess.

Terri Schiavo

I am puzzled as to why the Terri Schiavo case has been blown up to this proportion. I have known about this unforntunate woman for a very long time and I never would have imagine that it would have come to this. At the time I first heard of this story, I thought that Michael Schiavo would eventually get his way and let his wife die. I still do, but it's amazing that it had gotten this out of hand.

Most people who know me are aware that I am a conservative. So I am a pro-life advocate. But what I am about to say is going to seem contradictory.

To my satisfaction, I have been convinced that she is brain dead and that she will not come out of this vegitative state. She had not written down that she wanted to be kept alive. So that leaves us with the wishes of the husband. Michael Schiavo, as her husband, trumps the parents in this case. That is the law. This case has recieved due process and the state courts have all said that Michael Schiavo has the right to decide. And he has decided to let her die.

So here is my dillema: On one hand, I believe that Terri should be kept alive. On the other, I believe that Michael Schiavo has the right to let his wife die.

These new developments with Congress and the President has disapointed me. This is a state issue (which as already been decided.) This is not a federal matter and it is inapporpriate to use this case for what I feel is political grandstanding. It's fine that the Republicans want to show their advocation of the right to life but don't use this case to do it.

If I could talk to Michael Schiavo, I would ask that he divorce Terri and give her over to her parents. They are willing to take on the responsibility for her. But if he said no, I have to respect that decision. From what I can see, "No." is what he would say.

What a crazy mess.

Odd behaviors

My meeting with Mrs. Hess went pretty well and she gave me some good advice on how to spruce up my resume and cover letter. I’m still not sure how I will incorporate all the suggestions but I’ll fiddle with it latter tonight and tomorrow. I was hoping to get it out by Saturday, but that’s a little too optimistic. Instead of going back home after the meeting, I drove into Niles to browse through Wal-Mart (probably my future employer.) While I was driving, it struck me that I do have an odd behavior.

Let’s back up…

When I was over in the Philippines in the fall of 2003, I was talking with my friend John. When I first got there, I was the only American there. After a couple of weeks I got really, really nervous and I just had to go find my people. I had to go find some Americans. I was all set to pack my bags and head into Manila… maybe try to storm the American embassy there. I don’t care! I’ll put on my horribly fake Filipino accent and try to ask for a visa just so I can talk to someone. It was so bad. But about a month after I arrived, I noticed a white guy hanging around the dorm where I was staying. I just assumed that he was one of those elusive French guys that I heard about. Later, I figured that he had to be from the U.S. when I saw him wearing a high school football (as in American football) shirt.

He, Lee, and I hung out with a couple others for a little over a month before he had to leave. That month was probably the best time I had while I was there. We had some… unusual… conversations, usually when we went out to drink. In some respects, I know more about him than some of my own friends. Although it’s not an exciting topic, my driving through Niles reminded me of something we got to talking about over some drinks. It was about weird or perhaps obsessive compulsive behaviors.

At the time, I told him that I didn’t have any. Honestly, I don’t think that I exhibit anything that peculiar. Yet today, I realized that I do. Driving! I have an obsession about how I plan my routes from point A to point B. Now, this might not be so bad. I mean, there are plenty of people who will pull out a map and figure these things out for their long distance trips. Well for me, I do it for local trips. I have to drive a certain way while I am in town and only in town. I don’t do this if I go to other cities. But when I am in Galien, Niles, or Mishawaka, I:

1. Avoid four way stops.
2. Refuse to make left hand turns at four way stops that I do have to use.
3. Will attempt to make any left hand turn only with the assistance of a traffic light.
4. Will not exit U.S. 12 at the Business 31 exit. Instead, I will use the back road (3rd Street.)
5. Will only enter Indiana by way of Gumwood Road (to Mishawaka).
6. But will never go back to Michigan by that same road.
7. Will never make a left turn out of a business located on Business 31 from the US 12 overpass to Main Street in Niles.

This probably means nothing to you. After all, to get it, you pretty much have to live here. But if you are extra curious, I would recommend that you go to mapquest.com. Click on [Get Directions]. Enter the following:

1st Address:
1011 Broadway St
Niles, MI 49120

2nd Adress:
1903 S. 11th St
Niles, MI 49120

That will give you a map that will highlight most of the road that I am talking about (Business 31 also known as 11th Street.) You can make the map interactive and be able to find Gumwood which lies off to the east, the city of Mishawaka which is off to the south-east, and the village of Galien which is off to the west.

From the dumps to high heaven.

Well, let me tell you about my St. Patrick’s Day. First of all, I did nothing for the holiday so if you are expecting a story of me getting wasted, you’re wasting your time. Well, you’re wasting more time than you normally would on my blog.

My mom gets up for work early and leaves around 6am. Usually, I’m not awake when she goes but this morning I was. I heard her mumbling and by the sound of it, she was complaining about something to my dad. Then I heard him say, “He’s trying. He’s trying.” I knew what it was about. She’s wants me to get a job now and move out of the house.

She’s is right. I should be out on my own and supporting myself. Since my job hunt began though, there hasn’t been one place that expressed interest in me. Most had never even acknowledged my application. Two were kind enough to at least say, “We’re sorry, but you just don’t have the experience.” Like I said in an earlier post I am this close to just taking a job at Burger King. Okay, okay… it was more like Wal-Mart but you get my drift.

So I was in the dumps when I finally rolled out of bed. When I got on the internet, I checked some job sites again. Nothing that was realistic. I did give some more consideration for the Peace Corps. I know that Professor Bernsten would give me a letter of recommendation for that. But I’m not sure if I want to leave the country for such a long time. Hell I was ready to go home after five months in the Philippines for study abroad. There was also Americorps to consider. If I get backed into a corner I may just go for these.

Things may have turned around however when I received a call on my cell from Derek. I worked with him when I interned for State Representative Neal Nitz. It was a bit surprising since I hadn’t heard from them in a while. It turns out that there may be a job opening happening soon. It has been my best lead yet. The great thing is that the vacancy hasn’t been made public yet.

I shot an email to Mrs. Hess, my old English teacher. She now works at Buchanan High School. I asked her critique my resume and cover letter. I want to make this right. Amazingly, she replied a few hours latter, so I will be meeting her tomorrow after school.

Everyone wish me luck. I’m going to need it. If I get this, my mom gets her wish as well.

The Ides of March

Well, today I am 23 but it feels like another day. I think my family had forgotten about it. It wasn’t until late before anyone said anything. As I walked into the kitchen looking for dinner, I caught them quickly signing my card. I just shook my head. Nice try.

I was thinking about finding some people to out with for the night. Maybe get a few free drinks out of it? But, who does that on a Tuesday night? Damn… I am behaving older. Well, St. Patrick’s Day is coming up…

Ouch

It’s morning and I’ve been up for a couple hours now. I’m so sore! I haven’t exercised since the beginning of fall semester and I started up again yesterday. It was horrible to realize just how much I have declined. After 20 minutes, I was ready to puke. Now, I’m dealing with all the sore muscles. I’ve had worse but still, my abs are screaming every time I get up.

Okay, time for the drugs.

Communion

Communion was held at service today. In our church, communion is given every other week. I’ve decided that I will no longer take communion. It’s a decision that I know will cause my parents and the rest of my family some discomfort. This would be as if I was rejecting my faith, being defiant, living in open sin, yadda yadda. No. The reason is because I no longer believe the church doctrine on couple of subjects. In a way, I suppose that I would be doing the three above, but I don’t feel I am. Don’t get me wrong; I still consider myself a Christian. I’m just not as “Lutheran” as I should be.

For quite a few years now, I have been realizing that my own personal beliefs were at odds with what the church was preaching. In some way, it had to deal with the Trinity. I’m actually quite closer to the Judaic or Islamic view of just one God. Sure, I believe in Jesus Christ but if he is God, then what difference would it be if I prayed to God or if I prayed to Jesus? None. Why do I need an intercessor to God, when that intercessor is God? Sounds redundant to me. In addition, I refuse to accept that God would eternally damn most of the world because they didn’t believe in him correctly. And I aim this at the followers of the Abrahamic religions and particularly to the Christians. I find it incredibly arrogant that my church believes that only the followers of a certain Christian denominations will have salvation. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses? They are not Christian enough and will burn. Well, I reject that. When I look at a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew, I see a person believes in the same God that I do. They just go about it a different way. God knows that we are nuts in the head, I can’t imagine that he would be such a stickler for a specific way of worship.

In respect for the customs and expectations of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, I will no longer be participating in the Eucharist.

The Weekend

Sorry to say that I didn’t do much over the weekend. Saturday was my highlight. I hurried to get my chores done so that I could get to the Niles Federal Credit Union before it closed at noon. With my wallet fattened, I was now ready to go get some drinks or whatever. In the end, I ended up hanging out at Rachel’s (Adam’s sister) house. There, I watched the second Kill Bill film. I’m not into mindless killing films but since there was nothing else on, I watched it. Still, I can’t say that I am compelled to watch the first one. Hell, I figured out how Bill was going to die as soon as I saw the seen where they were talking about that pressure point move.

I made some loose suggestions that Season and I should make plans to go see Europe. Lately, I’ve been itching to do some traveling. Assuming that I get a job within the year, I’m hoping to see a plan to go by 2007. Since I’m probably only going to get about a week, I was thinking about sticking mainly to England, France, and maybe Germany. I’d have to do some good research to make sure that most of my time isn’t spent traveling from place to place. If I can get others to hop on this idea, it will be even better. Given my past dating history, I’m not counting on a relationship so I would be doing this alone or with friends. I’d like friends please.

For this summer though, Season said that she was planning to go to Chicago. She said that I could tag along if I wanted. We’re anticipating trips to the local museums and sites. Chicago has some great places to visit if you are interested. There’s the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, and the Art Institute of Chicago. I’m looking forward to going to the top of the Sears Tower which is the tallest office building in North America. It used to be the world until the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur were built. It still holds one world record though: the largest antennas. (Everybody: Ooooh)

Still looking for something cheap, I was thinking about taking a trip out west for 2006. I’ve already been to California and wouldn’t mind going back, but I was thinking about the west—not the west coast. I’ve been to most of Midwestern states, some in New England, and all of the ones between Michigan and Florida. What I have yet to see is out west. I’ve always wanted to see the Grand Canyon. That is at the top of the list. If I had the time, I would also make an effort to see Yellowstone in Wyoming, Craters of the Moon in Idaho, or Yosemite in California. The problem with this plan, though, is that I would want to drive there rather than fly. If I do that, I would only have time to drive out, take a day, and then drive back. (Ahh, the problems when your country is so damn big.) It may be more expensive, but I could fly out and then rent a car. Time vs. money.

The picture below is from Lee, a friend from Korea who was a study abroad student to MSU. While he was here, he took a trip out to the canyon and gave me a copy of this picture.

Courtesy of Sang-Hoon Lee 

Coca-Cola with Lime

A product review:

My dad came back from the store today. (Geez, I made that sound as if he goes away to shop for days at a time.) Normally, he or mom will get some pop that will last us the week. For those who aren’t in the know: “pop” is the Midwestern term for a carbonated beverage. In other places it can be called “soda-pop,” “soda,” or “coke.” Anyways, usually we’ll get whatever is the cheapest or on sale. Most of the time, it ends up being Meijer brand. Today, however, we tried something different. Coca-Cola has come up with something new: Coca-Cola with Lime. The company has been touting the new stuff for a couple weeks now. So we tried it. Dad liked it. Mom didn’t mind it. I didn’t like it. The lime taste wasn’t nasty (unlike Pepsi’s attempt at lemon). My problem was that it interfered with my expectation of what a coke should taste like. My conditioned mind was still expecting the regular coke taste and it just wasn’t happening. In addition, it seemed to me, that the “bite” that came along with the beverage was also missing. Going down, it seemed to be more base than usual.

Overall, it’s not revolting but it also does nothing to make you want to buy the product again.

Hanging Out With the Family

Arrggh!!

I wanted to go out tonight. CMU’s spring break is coming to an end and Sara will have to go back in a couple of days. I was planning to do something tonight with her and some others. Maybe I could have enticed them to try South Bend’s branch of Rum Runners. The Rum Runners in East Lansing has a great dueling piano bar upstairs and a dance floor downstairs. But no, a snow storm decided to come in and fuck it all up. It’s hovering just below freezing and the roads are pretty slick. Sorry, it’s just not worth the trip. Maybe we can get together tomorrow night.

So instead of drinking it up, I’m sitting here watching CSI with my family. Oh well, it’s not so bad. On tonight’s episode, I noticed that Wil Wheaton was guest starring. Yeah… I watch Star Trek; I’m a geek. Anyways, I thought the guy didn’t act anymore. CSI is a great show but I don’t watch any of the spin-offs. There are too many damn copies of that show. Same thing with Law & Order. I tried CSI: Miami, but I can’t stand the main character. I didn’t even bother with CSI: New York. I’ve grown more attached to the Vegas characters and I am interested in seeing the deeper part of their characters. Finally, only Grissom can deliver those cheesy lines.

"You're Rats With Wings!"

Roe had an interesting topic on his show today. He mentioned some news clip about some ornithologist talking about how seagulls have adapted to inland life. It’s something that my family has commented about every now and then. Growing up by Lake Michigan, they were just there. However, I didn’t see them that much around Niles, where we lived. Other than the lake, the only other places that I really noticed them were near the dump or at Grape Road. (Grape Road generally refers to a large shopping district in Mishawaka, IN.) When I went to college in East Lansing, I actually noticed that those birds were there too. East Lansing is in the middle of Michigan. Like the ornithologist mentioned on the program, these were one of the generations of gulls that have never seen the water.

So how did they get here? The guy said that gulls will go anywhere where there is flat land and there is plenty of food. Still, how did they come from the sea coast, to the middle of the country? On ships (that traveled through the Great Lakes)? The interstate? Maybe they just hopped from dump to dump until they invaded every part of the North America. These birds are generally known as the rats of the air. They feed on anything and everything. As Jim said, “Our trash dumps have more food than an Afghan restaurant.” They are aggressive. One lady had a story that we could all relate to: the gulls at Walt Disney World. For those of you who have visited the kingdom where money magically disappears, you can relate to this. While traveling through these parks, you know better than to hold out your food or even separate yourself from it. If you do, a bird is going to scoop down and take it. A flock will just set up bombing runs where they cruise above the crowd waiting for someone to make a mistake. They fly so low, you could practically reach up and hit one if you were fast enough. It’s getting so bad, that you have to wear a hat while visiting the park. Otherwise, you are definitely going to get a surprise on your head.

My friend Adam used to feed Alka-Seltzer tablets to the birds for an obvious result. I used to be appalled. Now, I’m beginning to think he was on to something. Gull hunting anyone?

You too can listen to the Roe Conn show. Go to WLS, click on "Listen to WLS live". I prefer to use the MP3 option and use my iTunes program. Roe Conn is on from 1500-1900 EST or 2000-2400 UT. The program is comedy/commentary on various current events both local and national. Sometimes you hear the most absurd topics on that show.

Ms. Galien/ Ms. Blossomtime

Disclaimer: The following post is a harsh opinion. If you are a local resident of Berrien or the surrounding counties of Michigan, please do not read. This post and the associated pictures do not reflect the official view of the Ms. Galien or Ms. Blossomtime pageants by anyone mentioned in this post other than myself.

Most people in the world are familiar with beauty pageants. They are practically everywhere and unfortunately my hometown is not an exception. Every fall, without fail, the Ms. Galien pageant is held. A half dozen or so girls go out, buy dresses, tan, put on makeup, and sharpen their claws to win a crown.

When I was in high school, I actually liked the idea of the pageant. These things are supposed to showcase upstanding young ladies from our community. Beauty, intelligence, character, blah, blah all rolled up into these select ladies. Yeah right… this was a yearly fight between the girls to see who could be top bitch. The crowd that I hung out with would just sit back and watch the drama and rumors unfold. There were a few that went to the actual pageant, but most of us had better ideas of what to do with our night. We’d find out who won soon enough anyways. All hail the new stuck up queen!

This past fall, while I was at State for my last semester, my sister Kris went out for Ms. Galien. I rolled my eyes back when I heard her say that. I felt sorry for her and all the crap that she was going to have to go through. At the time, I meant the external crap that people, like myself were going to throw at her. Now that Ms. Galien is now over, I realized that it was the pageant itself that was crap. The insults and hassle that my friends and I would have given them was nothing in comparison to the crap that she has had to deal with from the organizers, fellow contestants and their families, and the duties and requirements of her position as 1st Runner-up. That’s right, she didn’t win Ms. Galien. As 1st Runner-Up she won a $300 scholarship plus some certificates for tanning. [sarcasm] As if we Filipinos want to be darker. [/sarcasm]

Kris now has to accompany Ms. Galien and her court for various functions. That means buying and borrowing more dresses, plus time away from her job and in the case of last night—skipping her college class. Tsk, tsk. The organizers seem to be a bunch of stuck up bitches that try to live vicariously through these girls. The court doesn’t get along. Yadda, yadda… it just seems that it’s sucking the life out of my sister. I think that even she realizes that getting into this was a complete mistake. Given the amount of money, time, and effort she has put into it for a measly $300, it wasn’t worth it. She would have been more productive if she just took those hours and continued to work at her job. It’s not like winning 1st Runner-up helped her to get into Western Michigan University. Still, she has to keep going in order to prepare Ms. Galien for the Ms. Blossomtime pageant.

Ms. Galien along with other Ms. [insert town name here] compete against each other for the Ms. Blossomtime crown. Basically, towns from our little corner of Michigan want this title. And again, the claws come out. Ms. Blossomtime was an even better event at my high school. Every year we actually got to get out of class for half the day as the various winners toured all the communities. When they would come to Galien, we would gather in the gymnasium. My friends and I would shoot the shit there until the contestants were brought in. As they came in, we would just rip them to shreds by picking on whatever imperfections that they might have. Yes, we were despicable and we’ll probably burn in hell for it.

http://www.blossomtimefestival.org/

The following pictures were taken by other people. The context in which they were taken are in no way connected to my opinion. Still, I wanted to post them.

F-you.

Sing.

Grin.

How Do You Remove Your Trash?

A few years ago, my dad got sick of paying for our trash removal. One day he just showed up with a fire barrel and we’ve been burning our trash ever since. Now if we were living in town, this could be a problem… ordinances and such. Living out in the country does have its advantages sometimes. All materials that can’t be burned such as cans, metal, glass, and whatnot are stored in our out room. It’s sort of like any regular room except that it links our garage with the main house. It’s not heated or cooled so we just store things in there, including all our frozen bulk food which is kept in a freezer chest. When it gets filled up with junk we then pay for a one time dump.

So, my dad takes out the trash today for a burn and I didn’t think anything of it. I just sat down and watched a movie on Showtime. Showtime and Dish Network are allowing free viewing this weekend and Monday to promote Kristy Allie’s new show. I’m not going to watch it, but since a few other movies are on, I might as well take advantage of it. It’s not like I have anything else to do (cough, cough). Anyways, I quickly got bored and went online to check my email. Dad had already come back in and was reading through the rest of the Sunday paper. Kris, my sister was there too.

“That’s a lot of smoke.” My dad observed.

Now, the way we are positioned is on the opposite end of house facing away from the fire barrel. Or basically as far away from it as possible. That smoke traveled a good 40-50 yards, around the house, and continued out to the road.

My sis and I started getting into a stupid conversation about wind direction. I was bitching that dad should have waited until the wind was blowing out of the east. That way, the smoke would be traveling away from the house and into the open fields instead of towards us. Suddenly, dad got out of his chair. Still, Kris and I continued until she went to her room to prepare for Ms. Blossomtime crap (more on that latter.) I went back to my emailing and Dad came back in.

“Hey, Dave. Come help me put out the fire.” Before I could even ask, he shut the door to go back outside.

“Oh damn.” I said.

I went to the kitchen to see half of the backyard enveloped with a thick white smoke. Mom continued to work at the kitchen counter, seemingly not concerned with the fact that our backyard was apparently on fire. Now… you might think that this is completely messed up. I certainly did. First of all, the snow was melting today. A lot of snow was melting so the ground should have been wet. How could the back yard catch on fire?

I dashed to my room to get my pants on. Hey, even though it’s above freezing, I’m not going out there in my shorts.

“What the hell happened?” I yelled as I came through the shroud of smoke.

“Nothing. It’s managed.” Said my dad as he shoveled snow onto the fire.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the stupidity of the situation. Evidently, my Dad had placed the fire barrel too close to the bagged up leaves from fall. Something had flown out of the barrel and landed in the bags. There it burned through the plastic and got to the relatively dry leaves inside. Eventually the fire was stamped out. The backyard wasn’t in any real danger of catching fire. But imagine if this happened in August (also imagine that we still had fallen leaves then too). It could have been worse.

So lesson of the day: keep an eye out when you burn stuff or, don’t be cheap—pay someone to haul your trash away.

President Bush Visits Michiana

(Pictures at the bottom)

President Bush came to Michiana (the local designation for the region on the Michigan/Indiana border) to deliver a speech on Social Security at Notre Dame today. WSBT did a horrible news cast of the visit. The speech was barely discussed. Instead, they went to locals and asked them about social security. They interviewed kids to see what they thought. What was really covered in detail was footage of Air Force One and how crowds came out to see it. C’mon people, let’s focus on the speech—not the plane that the President arrived in.

While they were interviewing some of the adults, one guy in particular annoyed the hell out of me. He clearly did not like the President’s plan to allow private accounts. He asked, “who is going to manage the private accounts?” --Depends, on what plan gets passed. Could be the individual, could be the government, could be a broker. “Regular people have no idea what to do with the stock market…” --Well, then they should opt out of the private account. It’s optional. Also, doesn’t it say something about our society when you think that “regular” people can’t educate themselves with the basics? I consider myself a regular person and I started to fill out taxes on my own years ago. If can figure out the US tax code well enough to avoid an audit, then I can do this.

Then we come to the kids. They’ve got the right idea, but understandably they couldn’t communicate it that well. Yes Tiny Tim, don’t expect Social Security to be there when you retire. My “regular” friends know that Social Security won’t be around for them. We’re actually kind of bitter that we still have to pay into a system that we know we won’t benefit from. It’s like we’re throwing our money away. Even assuming that Social Security will be there for us, what kind of return should we expect from our money? I’ve heard 3% at best. However, I’ve also heard that we could expect a negative growth meaning that we’ll get less money out of SS than we put in. Is the stock market a risk? Yes, but I’m not retiring for 40+years. With the stock market averaging close to 10% over time, then it’s a no brainer—let me invest.

In any event, no American should be relying on Social Security for retirement. That’s not what it is for. No one should trust the government to look out for them. There should be a natural assumption that the government is going to screw you over. Let’s be honest, do you really think that the politicians are looking out for you? I’ve worked with them and I know the answer to that. Act as if the government is not going to give you money. Assume that the money that you give to the government is never going to come back to you. Set up your own retirement accounts (note the plural). So far, I’ve set up my Roth IRA, and you can expect that I will be doing a helluva lot more to make sure that I have money to retire and pass on.

Since no one probably took the time to read the above, I thought that I would pull off a WSBT and just show you some pictures of a plane. This, my friends, is Air Force 2. Okay, okay, I know that there is no such thing as Air Force 2 but this is the plane that was used by the Vice President and Secretary of State or possibly other important officials. It is in a hangar at Andrews AFB.

Understandably, we weren't able to see one of the modified 747's that the President uses. Instead we had to settle for a view of its hangar. We weren't even allowed out of the bus for this shot.

I thought that there would be bigger bathrooms on these planes. Poor Vice President Gore had to cram himself into this. Incidentally, the officer that accompanied us said that Sec. of State Madeline Allbright had to have one of these planes fitted with larger facilities. She couldn't fit into this one. lol.

Here am I in the office where the Vice President or Secretary of State could sit.

Here we are in the back of the plane where the press were seated. It's not a large section. Right behind the photographer, the offices started.

"Thank you for visiting." Sorry for the bad quality of the pictures. That's what I get for buying a disposable camera.

Death Penalty Abolished For Juveniles

This past Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a ruling that bans the execution of minors. My post, however, is going to be about the death penalty in general. My own feelings on this subject are rather complicated. I respect the rights of the individual states to decide, for themselves, whether they want to have the death penalty. For me, it’s a state issue. Personally however, I do not approve of the death penalty. My distaste for this form of “punishment” doesn’t go so far as to go against the majority view of society, however.

I live in Michigan, which is a non-death penalty state. It is written into our State Constitution. A proposal must be presented to the voters and passed for that to be changed. There have been many efforts by both state legislators and other groups to put a proposal on the ballot. Thankfully, their efforts have failed. Even if they could somehow write the proposal, I don’t think that the state citizens would approve of it. I know I certainly will not vote for such a proposal if it ever comes up.

That said, I still do not think that it is up to the Supreme Court to decide this kind of state legislation. After all, murder is a state crime punished by state law. In that sense, I am in agreement with Justice Scalia. Who, by the way, doesn’t have a problem with people who are against the death penalty as long as that the states can come to that revelation on their own. I am also in agreement with Justice O’Connor who indicated that setting up a cut-off age was unnecessarily rigid. Certainly there are 17 year olds who have every bit of maturity as an adult and cases should be given individual consideration. As to whether this violates the Federal Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, I don’t think so. Society in general, does not view it as cruel and it’s definitely not unusual. Whether that would hold up in a place like Europe, I doubt it. But then again, this isn’t Europe.

While I am happy with the decision, I am not happy with how they came to it.

It's Numa Numa Dance

from MSNBC (Click for original article)

I was browsing through The Geek Crew, a forum that my cousin, Jason, is a member of. Once in a while, I will drop by there and see what is going on. He and his friends are well versed with anything having to do with computers, the internet, gaming, and more. I figured that the guy from the pervious post would probably have been seen by them. It turns out that I was right. One of them actually had a link to a MSNBC article on this guy. So if you are interested, just click the link.

Gotta love webcams

King of computer dancing.

Sara and I were talking on AOL IM this morning. She said, "David, this is my new boyfriend. Check him out."

My eyebrow raised for a second. She did say a while ago that she was going to give online dating a try. I honestly didn't believe that she would actually go through with it. Then I thought that she was just pulling my leg when the page was continuing to load. There must have been a big file on the page because it was taking its time. "Oh damn," I thought, "she's going to give me some kind of embarrassing webpage." I was thinking along the lines of a chimp masturbating himself or something equally disturbing.

What I got was the above. Now that was some hilarious shit although my Dad and sister didn't think so. (I showed it to them later.) I shared it with some of other people but it turns out that I was the last to see this. Why am I always that last to see this stuff? Apparently, it has already made the internet rounds more than once. One guy actually was surprised that I hadn't seen it yet. Okay, so I've got the old stuff, but to quote NBC, "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you!"

If this is new to you please click here and see for yourself. If anyone knows the story behind this guy, I'd like to know. Just post a comment!

Cursed

Wes Craven did this?

Sara’s parents wanted to go see a movie while they were there. I didn’t pay attention when they were deciding what film they wanted to see. Hell, if they were paying my ticket… they can watch whatever they wanted. Unfortunately, the movie theater in Mount Pleasant is Celebration Cinema which is horrendously expensive: $7.50 for a ticket. They dare to sell 2 cokes and a bag of popcorn for $10 and call it a “value combo.” I thought that we were going to see “Constantine” but found out that we were going to watch “Cursed.”

Now normally, I’m not into horror movies. Based on what I saw in the previews for “Cursed,” I wasn’t going to give it much thought. I thought it was about some kind of vampire story the way Christina Ricci took a bite into this one guy’s neck. “Another one of those…,” I thought. At least I was watching it with good people though. Actually, I always got a kick watching Sara try a horror movie. This time, I managed to see her try and watch through her fingers.

The movie, started out as expected. It had the horror thing going on pretty well-- a couple of quick killings where you couldn’t see the monster. It was quickly learned that this was a movie about werewolves. I’m not going to go into the movie specifics. I only want to comment, that while this movie did have the potential to be a horror movie, it failed. It quickly evolved into a comedy. After the first two murders, it was just funny to watch.

I’m not saying that I hated the movie or I regret going. I just think, I experienced a little false advertising. I was expecting horror. I got comedy. No, it’s not at all a good movie. It’s just something that you can enjoy watching once and then never seeing again. It was fun to watch, but if at all possible, either find a way to watch it free or at a substantial discount.

Road Trip

There’s nothing I like better than taking a road trip. I tacked on about 450 miles to my Mom’s KIA over the weekend as I made my journey to State and Central (Michigan State University and Central Michigan University). I’ve driven these routs before, so I know them quite well. I just had to brush over a map and that was all—well except for Mt. Pleasant which is where Central is located.

Gas took a temporary plunge from Friday prices which were about $2.03/gallon. It got down to $1.99 on Sunday. (Man, I miss the day when I got it for 99¢/gal.) Since my parents have this Wal-Mart debit card thingie, I was able to get gas at a 2¢ less/gal, which adds up. So the sticker shock wasn’t so bad for my trip. It was less than $40 on gas plus $5 for a meal, $5 at a casino, and $10 at the bar. $60 for my two day vacation… not bad. Granted, Sara’s parents paid for a good deal of the expenses, so thanks to them.

The weather for driving was just excellent. Everyone was moving at a fast rate. My favorite stretch of the I-94 corridor is between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. On my way back from State today, the roads were nicely packed. It wasn’t heavy traffic or anything, just packs of cars traveling together. I managed to get into a good convoy of drivers. Michigan’s speed limit for the expressways is 70mph or 113kph for you international people. However, between K-zoo and BC, it drops to 55mph in some places. Yet a pack of us, about 10, were going 85-90mph. We never even bothered to get over to the right lane. The advantage of that is that a cop is only going to be able to pull over one of the cars, usually the last one trailing. The rest are safe. So I was happily speeding down the I-94 corridor, never going below 80. It took only 2 hours to get home from Lansing—or about 30/40 minutes less than normal.

Another aspect that I like about I-94 and I-69 is that they are curvy. Especially when you’re going through Kalamazoo, it gets to be fun taking the turns at 80mph and weaving through traffic. It sometimes feels like racing.

Oh, and I happened to see a car with a license plate from Hawaii. --What the hell? I suppose, though, that wouldn’t be as weird as seeing one from Puerto Rico or Guam (which I have not seen.)

I didn't bother taking pictures on my trip, so I ripped the two following pics from another website. To see more, just click on the links.

Taken from here.

On my way home from East Lansing, I take exit 38 to leave I-69 and jump on I-94.

Taken from here.

Here is where I-94 meets the Indiana/Michigan border. With American roads, the States take care of the roads within their border. Here you can actually see the quality difference between Indiana I-94 and Michigan I-94. Indiana had recently repaved while Michigan is still cracked. Also note that in Indiana, their speed limit goes down to 65mph.

Paris Hilton--[shakes head]

from: Tv.zap2it.com

I seriously thought about making a post earlier in the week when the news services reported that Paris Hilton’s cellphone had been hacked into. Private numbers of people such as Eminem, Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson, and Victoria Gotti were released onto the web. I enjoyed the thought that the Hollywood crowd was being…inconvenienced. Victoria Gotti said that her phone was ringing off the hook. Good things. I, unfortunately, tried to watch one episode of her show, “Growing Up Gotti,” and I couldn’t stand her or her kids. And Ashlee Simpson—she never gets a break. Time to go cry to her sister again. Finally, today on Drudge, we find out that she has another little hardcore clip of Fred Durst to share with the public. It’s just sad.

Someone, either a blogger or a fellow student, said that she reminded him of Big Bird. At certain angles with that nose, I can definitely see it. There is a thread on Pinoy Exchange asking whether she is “hot or not.” I think not. But it’s not because of her fuglish face, but because of how she acts. It makes me wonder if she can even operate on the same level as us common folk. I doubt her performance on the Simple Life is any real indication.

So what should we learn from Paris Hilton?

• Rich parents should keep their kids’ allowance at somewhere below the $40,000/year level.

• Don’t keep porn on your cell.

• In fact, just don’t tape yourself period.

• But if you do, make sure it’s high enough quality to satisfy perverts everywhere.

Feeling more normal...

Shrek 2

I’ve been feeling a little bit better than I was the other day. I don’t want to go into the specifics of what made me almost loose my sanity. I will reserve that for Sara who I will be seeing on Saturday. I’m actually kind of nervous, yet excited to see her. It’s going to be a long trip up to Mt. Pleasant but it’s for the best.

Anyways, there have been three songs that I have been playing that are giving me a lift. There is “You’re So True” by Joseph Arthur and “Accidentally in Love” by the Counting Crows. Both are from Shrek 2. Then there is “The Weight” by The Band which is played on the AT&T commercials of late. One of my sister’s friends still downloads like crazy so he was kind enough to get these for me. Hey with a 56k connection (Which is usually 46 or 51), I’m not going to spend an hour downloading 3 songs. The ones from the Shrek soundtrack are upbeat while “The Weight” generally reminds me of hanging around here in the heartland.

I Want Some Visitors!

When I installed the web counter from bravenet, I had hoped to find out that I had at least a few viewers per day. Not so. Since it was activated, I estimate that I have had maybe 10 visitors. Of those 10 visitors, 4 or 5 are probably from bloggers whose blogs I had posted a message on. Thanks for those of you who came to my site though. I appreciate that someone at least glanced at this.

None of my friends have blogs to visit. We’re not exactly tech savvy, except maybe Season who has her own website. So, I just go and search for other people and when I come across a rather interesting and stable site, I usually mark it and then come back to visit. Over the past couple weeks, I have compiled a rather short list of blogs that I happen to visit:

A sexually frustratedd couple with kids.
A stoned out teen in Texas.
A gay guy in San Francisco who has ADD that manifests itself in compulsive picture taking.

A Canadian living in Japan.
A lady in the UK.
A guy in Illinois who teaches 2nd graders.
Two nerds: One in England, the other in Kansas.
A soldier in Iraq named Jake.
Conservative Canadians from London,… Ontario.
A German from Berlin who conveniently writes his posts in English.


I’ve posted a message on most of these people’s blogs. Wave if you recognize yours. I hesitate to provide links because most of these people don’t know who the hell I am and I think it’s kind of… what’s the word… presumptuous? I mean, I can see how it may seem weird that this person, from out of the blue, just starts reading your blog on a regular basis—and then provides a link to it for other people.

While the people in the first list provide some interesting posts, I really appreciate the more normal people in the second list. I like getting glimpses into the worlds of others. These are also regular posters so I see something new every few days.

If anyone wants to link to me, I’m all for it.

O Fortuna!

O Fortuna

O Fortuna,
Velut luna
Statu variabilis,
Semper crescis
Aut decrescis;
Vita detestabilis
Nunc obdurate
Et tunc curat
Ludo mentis aciem,
Egestatem,
Potestatem
Dissolvit ut glaciem.

Sors immanis
Et inanis,
Rota tu volubilis,
Status malus,
Vana salus
Semper dissolubilis,
Obumbrata
Et Velata
Michi quoque niteris;
Nunc per ludum
Dorsum nudum
Fero tui sceleris.

Sors salutis
Et virtutis
Michi nunc contraria,
Est affectus
Et defectus
Simper in angaria.
Hac in hora
Sine mora
Corde pulsum tangite;
Quod per sortem
Sternit fortem,
Mecum omnes plangite!

I thought that the above song, O Fortuna (O Fortune) was appropriate for what I have been feeling lately. It’s been pretty shitty and I am seriously thinking of just taking some piss ass job at Burger King. Not only that, but I’ve had some time to take an inward look into my life and I realized that I am not a happy person and that I am pretty bitter. Maybe I’m just in a funk right now. I just need to vent some crap on someone and I don’t have a friend around. The last time that I saw the person I consider my best friend was in December and it was for less than an hour. But enough of the self hate and pity. I just had to write about it. Oh, and the translation:

O Fortune,
Like the moon
You are changeable,
Ever waxing
And waning;
Hateful life
First oppresses
And then soothes
As fancy takes it;
Poverty
And power
It melts them like ice.

Fate—monstrous
And empty,
You whirling wheel,
You are malevolent,
Well-being is in vain
And always fades to nothing,
Shadowed
And veiled
You plague me too;
Now through the game
I bring my bare back
To your villainy.

Fate is against me
In health
And virtue,
Driven on
And weighted down,
Always enslaved.
So at this hour
Without delay
Pluck the vibrating strings;
Since Fate
Strikes down the strong man,
Everybody weep with me!

“O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana.

Daytona 500

My Aunt Julie couldn't join us for lunch today. She had to go home where her husband is probably holding a NASCAR party. If you noticed, I do have a problem calling him my uncle. It's just that I've only given the title of aunt and uncle to people I've actually grown up with. It's kind of difficult to give it to people who have recently married into the family but I do say it when I need to. Anyways, I've never really gotten into the whole racing scene, although I am watching it now as I write. Jeff Gordon is currently in the lead. But hell, I don't know what kind of kick I'm supposed to be getting out of this race. I'm just seeing cars go round and round in a circle with an occasional stop in the pit. Perhaps I've been living in the north too long? Too much of a Yankee? It certainly makes sense, but my Uncle is a Yank as well so that can't explain it.

And that reminds me of something else. I was talking to Lee, my friend from South Korea who again referred to us "Yanks." It positively drives me nuts when I hear foreigners refer to Americans as Yanks. Most of us are not. That's almost as insulting as if I called Lee a South Korean when he is just a Korean. Same thing if I referred to Stuart as English when he's really Scottish. Okay, I'm a Yank. My father's a Yank. But don't you dare call my Uncle Henry a Yank. He's from Arkansas and you'd get a boot up your ass if you ever referred to him as such.

Look! A Weather Topic.

I woke up this morning to fresh snow on the ground. My hopes that we would be able to skip church this morning were dashed by Dad. I told him that we shouldn't go because the roads were dangerous-- an exaggeration at the time. However, the snow fall got really heavy while we were at church. On our way back home, we saw that a car had spun off the road near Dayton Lake. There was also another accident site that we didn't directly see, but by watching another cop speed off down the road, we could tell something had happened.

The whole situation reminded me of an incident that Mom and I got in quite a few years back. We were driving along US 12 towards Niles. We spun off the road near the landfill, just before 12 splits off to become a divided highway. Mom hit a patch of ice and we 360'd, ending up on the opposite side of the road, in the ditch, and facing the opposing traffic. I knew, as soon as Mom hit the ice, that we were going to crash. Surprisngly, I took it quite well. I just held on and enjoyed the scenery spinning by until we were leaning at a 45 degree angle in the ditch. The car following us stopped, as well did the first car that was approaching us from Niles. By good fortune, the car coming from Niles was driven by my friends, Kevin Critzer and Chris Lauer. I kind of rudely dismissed the fellow who was behind us that asked if we were okay. I feel bad about that now. But Kevin pulled out my mother who had to climb out the passenger side to get out. They dropped us off in Buchanan where we could get help. It wasn't until late that night until we got the van out.

As we drove by that car today, I wondered who was in the car and how did he or she get help. Did anyone stop to help? My Mom and I were fortunate that one day when my friends just happened to be driving near us when control was lost.

Finances

Paying bills and checking out your financial situation can be pretty depressing, especially when you see that your balances are sinking. Although they weren't huge, I was going to pay my Visa bills. I've got two Visa cards, one is from Capitol One and the other is from Michigan State Federal Credit Union. A little advice... don't go with Capitol One. I had the bills sitting out on the counter, with the understanding that I was going to pay them today (or tomorrow). My Dad came into the room and said that he had taken care of them. Thanks Dad!

Then there was this issue with Vanguard where I have my Roth IRA. My account couldn't be accessed so Dad told me that I should call the company and get it cleared up. I hate doing that. At first, I resisted by trying to re-register on the site and then trying to troubleshoot using their pathetic online help menu. I had to suck it up and finally call their 800 number. Apparently, they couldn't access it either so after being on hold for a while, they came back to me and asked me to re-register. When I finally got in, I saw a few more bucks in there. Finally, the value has gone up! What a great day.

Distressing Dream

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been having a disturbing dream. Actually, there are various episodes, but they all have a similar tie in: humiliation with the military and perhaps shame.

Before I go into what I dreamt, I have to say that I used to be in Air Force ROTC. At first it was a blast and I actually had high hopes that I would become an officer. By the second year, I realized that I didn't have the discipline to loose and keep my weight off. So I quit. Not my proudest moment. I live with the regret that I will not have the opportunity to serve my country because I can't keep my mouth shut or ass moving. For the rest of university, I just stayed out of the way of all the other cadets that I had known. Today, I wonder where they are and what they are doing. Hannasch, Cherrington, Letzgus, Walker, Nassif, Wiler, Pumford, Edwards, Somsel, Hafstetter, Halicki, White, Bottoms, Saxe, and even more that I can't think of at this moment. In particular, I think about Nassif and Halicki who went into Intelligence, which is where I would have liked to have ended up.

So in my dreams, I always end up back in my uniform, feeling just fine in them. That is, until I am caught by a cadet. Then I am embarrassed because I know that I shouldn't be wearing a uniform. I don't have that right. In one instance, I was wearing it for Halloween. In another, I was wearing my PT's because they were the only clothes that were comfortable to wear that day. In one horrifying episode-- one that I actually woke up from-- I actually went to the detatchment wearing my blues. When I walked in, I got harassed and practically assaulted by the cadets and cadre there.

In reality, I have never put on any piece of my left over uniforms. There are two exceptions: my dress shoes and my combat boots. So why am I doing something so stupid in my subconscious? I thought that I had made peace with my failure and accepted the fact that I will stay a civilian. ...Haven't I?

Valentine's Day

[sigh] I hate this holiday. As much as I am relieved that I don’t have to spend money on a girlfriend, I still want to. So Happy Valentine’s Day to all you lucky love birds out there. I hope that you all rot in hell!

I decided to do something selfish for myself. A little self-love if you will. –Not that you sicko. There were some lumpia wrappers in the freezer and I decided to use them. For those of you who don’t know, lumpia are Filipino egg rolls. They are my favorite thing to eat and I can’t get enough of them. So I whipped up a batch, ate my fill and froze the rest. Then for desert, I got some Blue Moon ice cream which my sister found at Martin’s. Unless you go to an ice cream shop, you can’t find Blue Moon around here. So this was a day of fatty indulgence… well at least more than usual.

Lumpia (My version)

2 boxes of Simex lumpia wrappers (found in Asian food stores)
2lbs ground beef or pork
½ - 1 head of cabbage
1med onion
1 or 2 medium potatoes
2 stalks of celery
1 carrot
2 or 3 green onions
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1tbs ginger (option)
2tbs soy sauce
1 egg
2 beef cubes
1tbs pepper
oil for frying

Lumpia wrappers are rice based and are similar to rice paper. I recommend Simex brand but you can find others made in Thailand.

Chop cabbage, onion, green onions, and celery. Dice garlic, ginger. Grate potatoes, carrot, and beef cubes. Put them into the pot and slowly cook until limp. Add in soy sauce and pepper. While that is all slowly cooking, separate the lumpia wrappers. When done, allow the mixture to cool before mashing it together with the raw meat and egg. Spoon a heaping teaspoon into each wrapper and roll it up. Fry until golden brown.

Of course, you can increase or decrease the amount of each ingredient, and even add and subtract. Hell, when I was in Baguio, I got lumpia that had boiled egg and pineapple in it. (Blech.)

My sister's room

My sister's room.
This is actually very clean in comparison to how it usually looks. You can actually see the carpet!

Pictures for Ash Wednesday

I didn't have much to say about the day so I thought that I would post two pictures of Wallace Air Base. I lived, here in San Fernando when I was little. This is where my bio Mom is from. My stepmom also has relatives here. The Philippines is a great place to visit if you are pretty adventurous.


San Fernando, La Union and Poro Point w/ Wallace AB

Wallace AB @ Poro Point 

Brandon Mullins

Lost: Friend

I was going through some old pictures the other day and came across some from when I was little and living in Key West, Florida. I found a picture of my best friend at the time, Brandon Mullins. It has been about 18 years since I last saw or heard from him. One of the things I regret was not taking his mother’s advice and keeping in touch. So now, I wonder sometimes where he ended up. When, I signed up on thefacebook.com, I tried to track him down since the site allows me to search for people by name from a large pool of universities. No luck. So maybe there is a one in a million chance that someone will come across this entry and know Brandon Mullins and let me know. So here it goes, everything that I can tell you.

Brandon is about the same age as me, born in 1981, ’82, or ’83.
Lived in Key West in ’88 and ’89 and possibly longer.
Mother, Sherri, and Father were in the armed forces, possibly Navy or Air Force
Lived on Gilmore Drive.
Played T-ball.
Claimed to be a fan of Michael Jackson.
Went to Sigsby Elementary.
Kindergarten teacher was named Mrs. Allen.
May have some connection to Jacksonville, FL (but I’m not sure)
Was a faster runner than me.

If you know Brandon Mullins, please go ahead and respond to this entry.

Super Bowl Sunday

I’m not going to say much in this post except to say that I am going to be rooting for the Patriots. The reason? Nothing in particular. I don’t care for these two teams so I had to pick one. (Well actually I didn’t, but it’s more fun if you do.) My Dad is rooting for the Eagles. Since he and I are always rooting for the opposite team, I had to pick the Patriots. Besides, everyone else around here is rooting for the underdogs. Me? I’m going for the winner. :P

High School Dances

To my international readers who would have liked to see small high school dances, I would have liked to show you some pictures. However, my sister will not let me post them because apparently I don't have the permission from her friends to publish their images on the internet. Well, I will respect that, even though those images are public domain.

Anglophiles

My sister.

My sister, Kristel, has got to be one of the biggest anglophiles that I know. Who else in Southwest Michigan has the Union Jack proudly displayed in their room? Where is another gal who has a UK hand bag? You would think that there may be an Old Glory somewhere but it is nowhere to be seen. There are pictures, everywhere, of her trip to England, Wales, and Ireland. Occasionally, I even catch her trying to pull off an English accent or insert English words. I bet you, if I looked into her diary (if she had one), I would find that she spells “color” “c-o-l-o-u-r.” And then to top it off, there’s her trans-Atlantic boyfriend that she hopes to see on IM every night. Gag me.

Now, I admit that I do like the British. I find them to be less insulting than the French. Yes, I have met both and they happened to fit their stereotypes quite nicely. I wonder if they thought the same about me. Yeah, I’m arrogant. Anyways, a little of my sister’s enthusiasm for this small area of Europe has rubbed off a little on me. As soon as I find that high-paying job, England is second on my list of countries I have to visit. Sorry to any English visitors who may be reading this, but I’ve got to return to the Philippines first.

When the tsunami story hit the airwaves, I usually turned to Fox News or the BBC to get my news. I gravitated towards the BBC because they have, from what I could tell, more stakes in the region, especially since it was a former colony of theirs that got affected. Since then, I have continued to watch the BBC news as my lead in to the national news on WNDU.

With not much to do since I don’t have a job, I have picked up another show that I like to watch a bit. It’s called “Cash in the Attic.” The British program is about finding stuff in your house and selling them at an auction in hopes of reaching a set amount of money—usually around £1,000. So I add that to the BBC news that I already watch plus “The Weakest Link.” I have come to realize that maybe I like the British broadcasts a little more than I thought. Think about it. I watch the BBC News, Cash in the Attic, The Weakest Link, Dr. Who, Red Dwarf, Coupling, and Monty Python whenever it is shown. Upon further consideration, there is only two shows that I faithfully watch that is made in America and that is Star Trek: Enterprise and Desperate Housewives. The rest are made in Canada (Thank-you Sci-Fi for your wonderful Friday night lineup).

[shakes head] Damn, I need to get a life—or a job.

Enterprise Cancelled

Well, unfortunately it appears that UPN has decided to axe Star Trek: Enterprise which has failed to improve in ratings. I haven't seen any credible article on it, but from what has been going on in the message boards, it appears to be true. I personally liked the show and have been faithfully watching it since it came out (well, except for season 2 which I found to be boring). This past year, I thought that they were doing extremely well and I have found all of their episodes to be engaging and a lot better in quality.

People that I am acquainted with are hoping that Sci-Fi will pick Enterprise up. However, I find that to be extremely unlikely. Too bad. It looks like Friday will solely be devoted to Sci-Fi with their Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica.

Screw Illinois!

Images from valuecarpetonline.com (yeah, it's odd I know)

No. 1 Illinois will be coming to Breslin tonight to meet the No. 12 MSU Spartans. If I am right, I think Illinois is #1 in the Big Ten while State is #2. If the Spartans can manage an upset, it would be step towards clinching the Big Ten Championship once again.

Bring it on ya freaking Illini! (What kind of stupid ass mascot is that?)

New signs in Hollywood

One of the billboards

A fellow blogger wrote about this and it got my attention. Then a few minutes later while I was watching Fox News, they did a story about it as well. So I went to citizensunited.org and ripped an image of these new billboards that will be erected in LA.