I propose Pfizer or some other drug company gets to work on a motivation pill ASAP. I have wasted today. I’m at work and it is quiet and I could have gotten lots of stuff done so I could enjoy my days off. Instead, I’ve been messing around on the web. The motivation pill would change everything. Honestly, isn’t it the one thing holding us all back? I’m fat. Here, pop a couple of these and you’ll get motivated to make a salad instead of hitting McDonalds. I’m lonely. Pop a few pills and get motivated to go out and meet people. I hate my life…get motivated. I think the overlying ennui that my generation wears like a bad aftershave will always hold us back. I guess the “greatest generation” title skips more than one generation. Our kids will have to make the world a better place, because clearly we’re lacking in that department. That is until the new “pill” comes out and causes a bigger revolution than the last one. Instead of a sexual revolution, we’ll have a productivity one. Then we can all be fit with PhDs and color coded sock drawers. That’s my dream.

Operation enduring apathy is in full swing. I made a point to take note as too how often we here about Iraq these days. I was sitting in my office at one point and realized I had overheard the same news report on my office neighbor’s radio without even taking notice. It mentioned soldiers died today. There was a time not too long ago when I use to get outraged about all the death in Iraq. Instead, my response was to research the selective service and see what my chances are of getting drafted. Apparently the cut off is 26 and I’ll be 29 in a few weeks. Not that I wouldn’t take off to Australia and live in my Mum and step dad’s spare bedroom if I were to be drafted. In fact, I called her last night and accidentally dialed the wrong number. So I decided I would see if I could pull off not sounding remotely American. Apparently, I was spot on, since this unsuspecting lady thought she was on the line with a local who misdialed and not some Yank. So I know I could possibly pull off a defection. “Oh yes, this is our son. He has been at university in Sydney for the past two years.” A close shave and a Franz Ferdinand tee and I’ll blend right in.

I think I may suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. If that is the case, it is good I live in Florida. I’ve just always been drawn to places like Seattle and Scotland. So if I can not cut it in the dead of winter here in Florida, then I’m screwed. This week has been an emotional roller coaster. Perhaps we do cycle with women or maybe the fact they are all irritable at the same time rubs off on us, but I am not going there since most of my readers are of that persuasion.


So here is my blog entry. Lackluster! I don’t fake happiness well. Blame it on my Piscean nature. Exercise is a good antidote to the winter blues. So I’ll just keep running and hope for the best. In the meantime sorry if I am a bit of a tool. In March I go back to having only two grad school courses left, my 5k run will be over, I will begin my last year of my 20s and the sun comes back out. So then I will write of puppy dogs and ice cream. Right now, I’m fighting the natural inclination to catch some salmon and retire to my cave for a few months.

Freaking hippies. Seriously…get angry.

Too bad the peaceniks aren’t armed, because I don’t think Michael Savage would make it out of San Francisco proper after these statements.


He lives in San Francisco and Rush lives in New York. I’m curious as to why too moronic right wing cholos like them would pick such Blue states to call home. Honestly, if liberalism in America had a home base, it would be one of these two cities. Take a minute to listen to his comments about the tsunami and then explain to me why this idiot has a radio show.

I just got tickets to Bright Eyes last night. He’s playing February 5th in Orlando at the House of Blues. It should be a great show. Then this morning, I had an awesome run (flexall free I might add) and now I’m drinking a tasty cup of coffee. So today is the anti-thesis to yesterday. I’m also going to get the new Bright Eyes CDs.

I hate having to educate white people. No doubt, Lil Jon is laughing right to the bank. So before you sing along, read this.Just as you say "Beetlejuice" three times to make him appear, you just might get the same results with skeet.

Yo hipsters!
Got a minute!? Tired of all your bands becoming the fodder for the OC sountrack. Peep this. My friend Jesse is in a band and they make good music. Give them a listen.

Two things I’m really not into.

1) The super bowl. I’m sure it will be a good game. I’d imagine New England will win, but you never know. They’re a decent team and no star really jumps out at you, so they are a good role model for teamwork. Enough football talk. Anyway, I’m not a huge football fan and guess what; the super bowl is in my backyard this year. So to me, it represents a bunch of annoying tourist, a spike in crime and lots and lots of traffic. So I’m lying low that weekend.
2) Valentine’s day. I’m sure as the day approaches I will dedicate an entire rant to this most dreaded of holidays. Seriously, its main purpose is to sell more crap. In this case it is flowers, candy, fluffy bears and cards. What it really does it make those of us who are single feel like crap instead of buying more crap. Last year, I remember my friends and I got the bright idea to go out that weekend. Surely there would be lots of single women out on the town sans date. I guess they all gathered for viewings of Bridget Jones and the consumption of unhealthy things like cookie dough. So I lost one buddy to a relationship and another to teaching overseas this year. So this VD, I’m really going to be a lone. I often find myself alone, but rarely am I “lonely.” I’m just afraid this night might be one time in which I actually have to entertain those feelings. Maybe I’ll rent a Huge Grant movie and get a bucket of ice cream.

This really makes sense. I didn't know real genuine depression until I quit smoking.

Sometimes you just have to admit the well has run dry. Some days I have a lot to say and others, I just don’t feel motivated. It really hurt to run today. I hate to say I had to stop, but I figure if the pain gets through Aleve and Flexall it is bad enough to warrant a break. I may move my operation to the treadmill. It is lower impact, but also is not the same as hitting the street. Maybe I should lose weight before I go full force into running. The only way to effectively lose weight, as far as I can tell, is a three part strategy

A) No sugar
B) Lots of smoking
C) Lots of coffee.

Not healthy by any means, but I’ve tried a laundry list of dietary regimes and these three are the one tricks that have ever managed my weight. The problem is I feel healthy now. I’m just also overweight enough to really hurt myself when I try something crazy like running. I have more the body of a gopher than a gazelle.

Muy tight! This is two favorites blended together!

I just got my own policy.

Those were simpler times. I love the fact these little kids are probably in the 20s now. Seriously though, somebody please bring the baby doll dress/combat boots look back. I miss those naughty but nice girls.

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Till then I walk alone

Funny how people think you are negative or depressed when you tell them you are happy alone. I genuinely am happy alone. Sure I have lonely moments, but I also have zero tolerance for human drama and relationships bring those out. If I want human drama, I’ll rent “Terms of Endearment.” I guess unattractive people usually draw the conclusion they are happy alone. So maybe I am just ugly and that is my problem. If I’m not ugly, then I’m just happy alone. I like to think I have a lot to offer, but I’m not about to go settling for whomever happens to be around. Seriously, so many people reach their late 20s and all their friends are getting married and buying houses and squeezing out kids. I know in my heart it would be a great husband and father and I know I would gladly carry both titles tomorrow if it felt right. The only problem is I have zero real desire to be in a relationship. It confuses the crap out of everyone and it confuses me. I’m certainly not having any identity crisis or anything. I know I am attracted to women and yes, for the record, all equipment is functioning. It just seems like I’m hyper perceptive and I usually pick up on the drama and the bull$hit most women carry within about 5 minutes. Once I’ve honed in on that, it’s a done deal. Which in many ways makes me just wish I was ignorant to how ready the world is to take advantage of someone with a good heart. I guess maybe I should have considered the priesthood more thoroughly.

On the category of people I love to hate, Britney Spears has to rank near the top. Of course, I have her back on this one. I’ve been hearing a lot of “chatter” on the radio that she has gotten fat. So, if in fact she is “fat” by society’s standards, this is the only picture I can find that indicates some weight gain. Honestly, I like her a lot more now. I like my Britney chunky with a baby on her hip and Pabst Blue ribbon in her other hand. That’s my dream for Britney Spears, but seriously, if she qualifies as “fat”, even by Hollywood standards, then something is wrong. I find her a lot more attractive than Hollywood’s current crop of stick figures. Come on Brits, let’s get a Royal with Cheese. Just leave the goofy side-cocked hat wearing husband back at the double-wide.

OUCH!!!

Today has a put a strange political slant on this Postal Service Song.


the district sleeps alone tonight after the bars turn

out their lights

and send the autos swerving into the loneliest

evening

and I am finally seeing why I was the one worth

leaving

See, I didn’t leave America. America left me. I remember an America with integrity. There was a time when Wal-Mart purchased American made items. Those were the days, because not only did that bring jobs to Americans (which I think is pretty darn patriotic) but it also prevented sweatshop made goods from saturating the market. We all know how the story ends though. Sam Walton dies and the family takes over. Sure they keep the same drab and cheap layout to their stores, but they start using sweatshop labor to make their products and begin underselling everyone and their brother until every downtown in small town America has become baron. Yes, maybe in a free market economy, you need to run with the big boys. Yet when you are buying 50 units locally and Wal-Mart is buying 7,000,000 from Taiwan, who do you think will be cheaper?

So today, as old w gets another shot at not bothering to win the doubters over, I keep scratching my head. What is American about giving big businesses like Wal-Mart more rights than individual people? So far, this right wing agenda has done its part to drive small business into the ground, dissolve our surpluses in everything. In Bush’s first term, we have lost millions of jobs to cheaper overseas labor. Those ventures are financed by Americans in places like Texas. Never before in history has the division between the rich and poor been such a decisive gap. At least during the depression, everyone had to tighten their belts. Now it seems the ultra-rich are richer and the rest of us are in for leaner times.

OK, you wacko communist, go move to Cuba. Easy enough I suppose, but I still LOVE this country. I love everything it stands for. I love the fact we have saved the world once or twice and we have been the birthplace of ideas like the assembly line. There aren’t many places where every religion is tolerated and you can speak your mind without being tossed in jail. It is far from perfect, but it is a start. So why then is the nation moving away from the very values we founded it on? I would say life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are three things we can all unite behind. Our forefathers had it down better than we do. Their faith was a personal conviction they shared and they founded this country as Christian men.

Many presidents have been religious. While Reagan was far from perfect, he didn’t flaunt his faith on “20/20.” He quietly went into his office and prayed for guidance. Today I turned on the television before work and there was W making nice with people coming to his pre-inauguration service. He’s pompous display of “faith” turned my stomach. He could have had a simple prayer service on the white House lawn and taken all the money blown on this gala to assist the tsunami victims or, perhaps, the sizable homeless population he has grown at home on his own watch.

The truth is W has a team of puppet masters. They have used the last 4 years to craft a consensus among our citizens. I can not fathom how the majority of people can believe there is a connection between Sadamm and 9-11. It makes absolutely no sense and if you think you can explain it, then please do. The tool of the Bush White House’s trade is fear. People are afraid of terrorists. People are also afraid of homosexuals and abortion doctors. Trust me when I tell you gay people are not planning a mass exodus to South Carolina. Nor are any abortion doctors going to set up shop in the local high schools and guess what, people of Kansas, you are not a terrorist target. I can not make all these statements with 100% certainty, but common sense should tell you they’re all true.

The last time a leader got his people afraid for their national identity or afraid that "deviant” sub cultures were looking to destroy their way of life, World War II started. Will it take death camps for people to realize how ridiculously out of hand the right wing agenda has gotten? I certainly hope and pray not. Yes, W, I pray. I also follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. He placed value on things like humility and helping the least of God’s children. He also turned over the tables of wealthy merchants and rebuked the Pharisees for being so absorbed with themselves and their own agenda disguised as “pious” work. I have a feeling God himself would smite you W, if you weren’t so keen on bringing this whole story to its inevitable end. Like it or not, maybe W really is the wrecking ball that will destroy everything but the corner stone. If nothing else, I know that if Jenna or Barbara got pregnant by someone their daddy considered “unsavory”, they would be in stirrups before the day was out.

No surprises on the least affordable places. I actually kind of like Ohio. I've never been to Lima though.

Well tomorrow marks the big inauguration here. I'm sure 5 minutes after the deal is sealed, W will announce plans for a draft and kill all the homosexuals. Luckily, the warmth from the library fires will keep us all warm as the new Wal-Marts take all our property and leave half the nation homeless and roaming the streets. Luckily, I'm a straight white guy, so I should be OK. Although I do have a rather large nose and don't exactly look Arian with this beard.

"As the polls close like a casket
On truth devoured
A silent play on the shadow of power
A spectacle monopolized
The camera's eye on choice disguised
Was it cast for the mass who burn and toil?
Or for the vultures who thirst for blood and oil?
A spectacle monopolized
They hold the reins and stole your eyes
The fistagons bullets and bombs
Who stuff the banks
Who staff the party ranks"
Rage Against the Machine

Thank you Flexall.

I smell like I bathed in Vicks Vapo-Rub, but dude, you got the job done.

I think if it wasn’t for you and aspirin, I would be unable to stand. I just hope your powers don’t wear off soon, because you’re safely at home in my cabinet.
Do you remember how happy I was to see you this morning when I got back from my run? God, my legs were screaming and I was in absolute misery. You fixed all that. I just hope our relationship isn’t a long term one, because eventually your magical powers might wear off. I guess I’ll just have to keep running and hope that as I get my time under my belt, it will hurt a little less.

For now, sufficed to say, “I love you!”

A few thoughts on myspace.com…
I just wrote a paper on e-commerce, so I’m all into evaluating web experiences and what not. I’ve been enjoying my space the last few months. My only complaint is that a lot of the advertisers make it a little hard to visit the website at places like work or the library. Mainly because they seem to have ads with girls in underwear or dudes making out. If you’re luckily, you might get that weird dissected toe ad.

Myspace.com is a great idea and it really picked up were Friendster dropped off. The funny thing is I have noticed there are a lot of people on there with an inflated sense of self worth. I’m not saying we aren’t all special in the 21st century touchy-feely sort of way Sesame Street raised us to be. It’s just that a lot of the folks (especially the women) have remarks on their profile saying “I don’t want to be your friend.” OK, fine, get off the website. Honestly, it is there for meeting people.

The more annoying lot are the ones who give you qualifiers. Don’t bother emailing me unless you’re over six feet, hung like a donkey and have a trust fund. As a famous religious leader once said “so shall your treasure be.” If you’re looking for a towering stud who’s dripping with money and has a huge penis, then guess what…he’s not going to make you happy. What he will make you is miserable worrying if he is out cheating or if he’ll leave you if you put on 3 pounds. I just think it is funny that so many women on that website are so conceited.

OK, I just realized this sounds like I have been burnt. I have not. I’ve never been rejected on there, mainly because I wouldn’t even bother contacting some shallow hoochie momma. I find the whole thing amusing, because we all know most guys will sleep with just about anything. So of course, any woman that doesn’t look like Mr. Ed’s obese sister will get lots of unsolicited (and I’m sure sometimes disgusting) email. Just please don't let it get to your head.As a slightly older and wiser person, I know quite a few folks my age who let their shallow hang ups chase off true love. We all get old and ugly and soon enough, you’ll be on the side of the road as Stud Man races off in his Iroc-Z in search of some thinner, younger and cuter action.

Howdy party people.

Well I must say it is about as wintery as Florida gets. Yesterday and today would make a King county resident feel right at home. The clouds hung low and engorged with rain all day and the sun our state is so famous for made a brief cameo before scurrying off to bed. So once again, I ask myself “can I do Seattle?” I don’t mean “do” in the sexual sense. In fact, between the vibrant gay population and the women that resemble lumberjacks, I would dare say the Pacific Northwest is the last place to look for some good old heterosexual fornication.

Alas, I digress, because Lord loves a working man and a pious one at that. So if I can not get any action in the state that contributes the most coeds to the “Girls Gone Wild” series, then it is highly doubtful a move would up the statistics. Perhaps that is a draw to my web blog. Women probably enjoy reading about some guy who isn’t oversexed and obsessed with football. Of course, I have threatened to work on both.

The funny thing is I have made two new years resolutions and I can not share either with you. Sorry, they are highly personal. Sleep well though, because they involve no one but me. Of course, if I broke either, I doubt you would want to be within a few feet of me (or in the same room for that matter). Still, I digress.


Ok, now I forgot what I was writing. Perhaps SAD has kicked in. I guess that is better than NADs. What about NADs on nads. That is just painful. I need to get out more. No, I NEED to get back to work. In roughly 5 months my masters will be in the bag. Hopefully at that time I will have also finished my 5K. I’ve done one before, but last time the elderly and the crippled were outpacing me. Nothing like a guy in crutches running faster than you.

It’s a memory kind of sky.
What a gray dreary day. Honestly, I don’t know how Jarrod did it. I’ve been eating healthier and when I have to eat out, I opt for subway. The trick to making subway healthy is you order one of their low fat subs and get it without cheese or mayo. Can you say bland? I knew you could. How did Jarrod pull that off? He must have really hated being fat. I’m just trying to be healthier. “Supersize me” was my wake up call.

Could this be an end to jingoisticverbalcockswinging?
Doubtful

It is funny how people are always gung ho about making mixes when they fall in love. Yet there are so many great songs to put into a break up mix. If I were to compile one, it would include


Ben folds 5-Smoke
The Cure-Untitled (off disintegration)
The Postal Service-The District sleeps Alone Tonight
The Rentals-Brilliant Boy
The Cranberries-Free to Decide
The Moody Blues-Your Wildest Dreams
Black Box Recorder-Seasons In the Sun
Counting Crows-Mrs. Potter's Lullaby
And the best one

REM-Leaving New York

Of course they are all relative to how things ended up.

I think this survey is more than a little biased, but pretty darn amusing none the less. I could see where an after shave company would have a reason to say women hate beards. Of course the only time I EVER us aftershave is when I have a beard, because it softens facial hair. So ladies, yeah, ladies, yeah, if you wanna roll in my Mercedes. Ha, good Sir-Mix-A-Lot reference. Anyway, ladies, beards yes or no?



You can see me with mine here.

OK, so I’m going to post it on here. Maybe that way I may actually stick to it. I’ve been dabbling in running again lately. Right now it borders on misery. I did a decent pace yesterday with not a LOT of walking. So I talked with my brother (figuring a little sibling rivalry never hurt) and we are doing a 5 K in March. His birthday is the 10th and mine is the 7th. So the Saturday before them both we are going to run the Fleming Island 5k
Wish me luck. I figure if he can handle it before his 42nd birthday, then I have no excuse to not do it before my 29th.

Note to self
A) Don't write dark poems and
B) Don't write a tongue-in-cheek entry about woman when almost all your blog readers are women and a good number of your friends are.

For the record, this was not a blog aimed at anyone who might read this. It was more just a joke on my part, because I think nice guys get the less attractive end of the stick all too often. I can think of at least two more people that will read this and take offense.


Nor was this some cloaked way to give anyone the blow off. If I have issue with you, I'll let you know. Seriously, and especially, if you know me in the real world, you know I am full of it. I'm not going to Hooters, nor will I start caring about football and most of all, I don't think women are crazy nor do I believe we can not be friends.


Sometimes you write in a moment of frustration about a passing feeling. That’s the beauty of a blog, because 5 minutes later you can look back on it and say "gosh, I don't feel that way anymore." I mean seriously, women change their mind before they finish a sentence.

Just one more shot at pissing you all off : )
I was completely joking with that last statement. Go get mad at Eminem or "The Man Show." They deserve your scorn far more than I do.

I’ve concluded women are crazy. Ha, I got your attention right? I saw a comedian the other night that did a routine about some men and how they always get stuck being the guy friend no one is interested in and he said a good rule of thumb is this “if a guy talks to you more than 5 minutes, he wants to sleep with you.” That is utterly and completely false. Sorry, I hate to burst your bubble. I have always done an exceptional job of getting along with women. I chalk it up to the fact that I was raised by my mom, sister and Grandma. The three strongest influences in my life were all women and I love them and they were not perfect, but they gave me a lot of respect for women. I don’t think most guys have this. Most guys look at women as something to be conquered (IE slept with) or owned (look at my girlfriend, isn’t SHE hot). Women, don’t sell yourself short. Better yet, don’t sell us short. We are not all drooling idiots and I’d like to think I am anything but that.

The down side of not being your typical egotistic moronic drooling specimen of manhood is that you usually end up getting treated like crap. “Sixteen Candles” instilled this lesson early on. If you are a decent guy, you better be ready for some heartache. Lord knows I had my share growing up and now I am a pretty tough egg to crack. So I keep finding myself in situations where there is too much ambiguity. I use to go around preaching the gospel of being friends. We need more understanding between the genders and the best way to do that is to find someone with different genitalia and befriend them. Get inside their head. Try to understand what is important to them. Learn what your own gender does right and what they do wrong. Dear God was I wrong!

I use to hear guys talking about how men and women can not be friends and think “what idiots. Of course we can be friends.” At least, that is what I thought. History has taught me differently. Inevitably, one of you is going to get hurt. There are a few scenarios where you can pull the friend thing off:
1) You limit all contact to something like the internet and there is no expectation of anything more than that.
2) One or both of you is in a very happy and very committed relationship.
3) You’re related (although this can be waived in some regions of the south and Midwest).
4) You have known each other so long you remember each other when you were awkward and goofy kids.
5) You dated so long ago that the though of being anything other than friends turns your stomach.

If you can meet one or more of those criteria, then take a shot at friendship. There’s still always that chance that one of you might desire something more at some point. That is when you are going to get hurt. As for me, I’m going to vow more to do the crap I hate, like hang around with other dudes and drink beer and limit conversation to nothing deeper than football or Hooters girls. Transcending those moronic stereotypes has gotten me into nothing but trouble.

I kind of hoped these kids would make it.

I think “Fight Club” really explained insomnia well. The funny thing is that, as Newton said, there is an equal and opposite effect for every acton. OK, I wrote that backwards, but how cares? You’re just being picky. So what I was saying is that once an insomniac gets some sleep, the results can be frightening. I’ve been zoned out most of the week in the haze between complete exhaustion and that survival instinct of being so tired you are wired. I’ve commuted home a couple of times and thought “how did I get here?” So last night, I decided I had enough and popped two benadryl at 6:30. Never mind I wasn’t congested. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I kept thinking this must be how Elvis started. Uppers in the morning (Coffee) and downers at night (Benadryl). Well I was out like McGreevey by 8 P.M.

I woke up today feeling like I did two lines of coke (editor’s note, the author is only guessing here since he has the drug habits of an Amish minister). So I woke up wired, but with a little regret. The first Friday of the month is when my little burb does the one thing that brings its liberal deviant subculture brimming to the surface. That is the monthly “Art Walk.” Sure it is mostly yuppies out looking soulfully at abstract pieces of art and sometimes they might even dish out a few hundred dollars for a piece. For the most part, it is the one opportunity each month for those of us who don’t (heart) Bush to come to the surface and look around. It is probably how the dead feel on Halloween night when they can blend in or maybe how those sewer guerrillas felt after they were let go when production ended on the final CHUD film.

One of the main reasons I was hoping to get out last night was to show some support to a couple of locals who are being charged with ‘vandalism”. The story is here . I have heard a lot about the case from other locals and apparently the kids confessed, at best, to using a marker to write some poem. If you read the news coverage, these two have been painting everything in the city. In addition, I heard that the police stopped a rape investigation to pursue this. Seriously, WTF? If you don’t live here, you probably don’t understand the climate here in our little town. It is the south and everyone loves BUSH. Most of the graffiti I have seen around is anti-Bush. I’m not advocating graffiti use, but I could see how two kids barely out of high school would see vandalism as the only platform to express their outrage. Yes, if they did do this, it is a crime, but seriously, keep it in context. Solve some rape cases FIRST. It seems once again the good old boy network has spoken. We live in a very redneck and very touristy town and getting political slogans off out streets surely must be priority number one.


On a lighter not, have you ever met somebody you wanted to take under your wing? I saw our weekend computer guy this morning and realized he is the spitting image of Tobey McGuire. The problem is the guy is exactly how you would expect a person who looks like Tobey McGuire to act. He’s quite, shy and seems uncomfortable in his own skin. I want to shake him and say “dude, get an attitude. Do you not know what you have?” I have yet to meet a woman who does not find Tobey McGuire very attractive. I think, secretly, women have these fantasies about nerdy guys. Just ask Steve from “Blue’s Clues.” Some people just don’t realize what they have. The few celebrities I have been compared to (Matthew Perry, Jimmy Kimmel, John Belushi, and Jack Black) hardly qualify as sex symbols.

Don't spend a dime on January 20, 2005 (pass it one)

It doesn't really matter that everyone will be out spending what they
didn't the next day - a point or two will have been made: Since our
religious leaders will not speak out against the war in Iraq, since our
political leaders don't have the moral courage to oppose it.
Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime
Day" in America. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is
happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national
boycott of all forms of consumer spending. During "Not One Damn Dime
Day," please don't spend money. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one
damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases.

Not one damn dime for anything for 24 hours. On "Not One Damn Dime Day,"
please boycott Walmart, KMart and Target.

Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please
don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter).

For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down.
The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq
is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and
that it is their responsibility to stop it.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the
people of the United States of America, not for the international
corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent them and funnel cash
into American politics. "Not One Damn Dime Day" is about supporting the
troops. The politicians put the troops in harm's way. Now 1,300 brave
young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The
politicians owe our troops a plan -- a way to come home.

There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No left or right wing
agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take action by
doing nothing. You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed.

For 24 hours, nothing gets spent, not one damn dime, to remind our
religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to
end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

****Please pass this on, spread the word via email, word of mouth, pamphlets, etc. ***

I have never been interested in surfing until the thought of moving out of Florida entered my head. I would hate to die not knowing how to surf. Crazy, I know. So if and when I decide to take the sport up, there is a spot just a short drive from Seattle.It is semi-secret, but Seattle's small surfer population knows about it.

By Jonathan Livingston

The question has been circulating once again as to the legitimacy of our last presidential election. At least this time Ohio has some of the blame. The true source of the debate is not rested in unfounded fears from paranoid conspiracy theorists, but from the very real and public election results. Exit polls show a huge gap between the actual election results and what voters reported at exit polls.

Jeff Fisher, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 16th District, raised the flag here locally. He stated following the election that he had evidence the vote was hacked and not only knew who did it, but how they did it. He went even further to indicate this was a repeat of the 2002 primary where he accused Jeb Bush of stopping the legitimate threat of Janet Reno in the race for governor. After that, we didn’t hear much from Mr. Fisher.

Rural counties here in Florida where registered democrats far outnumbered republicans, election results showed Bush wining 4-5 times over John Kerry. Did so many democrats vote for George W? Looking at the ratio of registered democrats versus the number of voters for Bush, it almost looks like someone pulled the old switcharoo and swapped Bush’s votes with Kerry's. Would that even be possible? The sad truth is a resounding YES!


The machine that tabulated the votes was a windows based desk top. Hardly the most secure device known to man. Mine has even crashed when I try to play a CD and open a word document at the same time. Of course the software that counted the votes was heavily guarded by security measures by the good people a Diebold. The problem is that the back end of this software is exposed.

Bev Harris, founder of www.blackboxvoting.org appeared on CNBC prior to the election to show the nation how easily the vote could be manipulated. While the Diebold tabulation software is secure, it is overwhelmingly simple to go into the database and tweak the numbers. It also takes all of 30 seconds to change the results.

All a hacker would have to do is access the database (which is simply a matter of opening a Microsoft Access file) and move the numbers to favor a certain candidate. Then when Diebold’s tabulation software presented the results, it would show a clear cut win by the hacker’s favorite candidate and Diebold and Diebold’s software would be none the wiser.

If you have seen the movie “Fahrenheit 911” then you know how the film opens. Congress woman Corrine Brown was trying to pursued just one senator to join her in questioning the voting inconsistencies in the 2000 election. This Thursday, January 6th Rep. John Conyers of Detroit plans to object to the vote count in Ohio. If, as in 2000’s election, no senator agrees to let representative Conyers have the floor then once again we will have an election with enough doubts and inconsistencies to make even the least likely conspiracy theorist smell something fishy.

I've made up my mind that if I still want a tattoo at 30, I'm getting one. I'm the textbook Pisces, so it will likely be a fish. I like this one.

FYI

In case you are wondering if real people are doing something to help tsunami victims, the answer is YES!

I went to amazon.com, because I know it is a legit site and saw the totals! They have a link there were you can donate money to the Red Cross to help the victims of the tsunami. Like a lot of people, I was moved by the devastation and when it came time to pick an amount, I did more than I would have expected. I’m just an average person who lives paycheck to paycheck more often than I like to admit. If all of us gave something, maybe we can make life a little better for these people. They didn’t have much to start with and after the devastation of the tsunami, they have even less.

It was two years ago this week that I began the last of many failed attempts to quit smoking. I still want to smoke and I wonder how in a lifetime of new year’s resolutions this one managed to stick. I started out with the best intentions like so many others, but I expected it to fail like every other resolution I have ever made and most of the ones I’ve been witness to from others. The truth is, I gained a bunch of weight, lost some of it and settled at 10 pounds more than when I smoked. I have exercised, dieted and tried everything short of popping Vicodin with Anna Nicole. The ten pounds stuck and yes, I still want cigarettes sometimes. So if you’re giving up the smokes and feel like it is a half hearted effort, just go light up right now. You have to make up your mind this is IT and you are not going back or else, you’ll go back. The desire lessens, but it never goes away. My grandmother was in her 80s and still wanted a cigarette and she quit nearly 50 years earlier. Quitting is not for the faint of heart.



Happy new year

I’ll probably be entering less stuff here for a few reasons

1) I’m censoring myself since too many people I know in the real world IE “Meat Space” read this thing

2) My job is busy

3) I’m taking 3 graduate computer science classes



I’ll miss this thing, but Lord loves a working man.

So I just finished “Amelie” again. If you want to make fun of me for loving that movie then go right ahead. I’ll wait. Ok, it falls squarely in the love story genre and definitely is a “chic flick”, but I love it. It makes me feel a little less alone getting through the world as a super sensitive INFP and a Pisces. I’m thinking whomever wrote that screenplay was of one or both of these persuasions.

I have debated lately if I should close down shop on this blog with the new year. On one hand baring your soul is great, because you have a certain level of anonymity on this thing, BUT you’ll never be fully anonymous and whenever I venture into the realm of poetry I get concerned emails and phone calls from people who know me in the real world and know my blog.

I’m well adjusted. I have a dark and lonely side, but if that was enough to send me to do something rash, I would have never survived high school. So take a deep breath and sleep well in the knowledge that I love life far too much to ever walk away from it. I might disappear from this online journal or drop everything and move to Canada. Heck, I might even become a monk. I’m not going to hurt myself or anyone else. I wonder if Edgar Allen Poe and Trent Reznor get such scrutiny when they write something “dark.”

I challenge and defy my natural inclination to hide away from the world, but I’ve gotten too much out of writing this blog for my own sake and sanity. So it is going nowhere. In my tentative attempts at understanding the world, I’ve learned I’m a little less alone than I once thought. While love, fulfillment and a few other buzz words still exist just out of reach, I have a sense of peace knowing that my story is both wholly unique and completely commonplace.