Monday, April 25, 2005

Honky has gone to far


Damn crackers!! Posted by Hello
It's pitifull the lengths some cultures will go to bring different elements of other races into their lives and fold it in with their own. I can forgive the White Devil for adopting "Fo-shizzle" and "Whaaazup?". I can even look past frat boys sporting dreads and listening to YBT and Phunk Junkeez. What I can't look past is the Sweet Valley High teen club telling us how they love to 'bling' their cell phones, laptops and MP3 Players...even mom 'blings out' her sunglasses! Oh those wacky valley people in California. They are so in the now and their fingers are square on the pulses of America.

Hey everybody!! Let's ride that wave of commercialism!! Just go here and sell out your culture in place of one you don't understand. All the kids are doing it!

Word to ya mother!

Far, a long, long way to run!


Ain't I pretty? Posted by Hello

Sometimes, I just want to run away...

Sunday, April 24, 2005

So close it's scary

Patrick pointed me to an online personality test you can find here and here. I urge everybody to take a little time (even those that don't comment) and give this a shot. I think you will be very surprised at how accurate these types tests can be. Mine was uncanny. It pegged me down to a 'T'. I'll explain further.

Mine came up as an ISFP. That stands for Introverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving. For my scores, my Sensing score was at 100%, however Feeling was only at 12%. The other two were both middle of the road. Obviously there is a flip side to each factor. Either you're Introverted or Extroverted, Sensing or Intuitive, Feeling or Thinking, Perceiving or Judging. Sixteen different ways you can come up, and that's sixteen very distinct personality types.

I won't go into great detail, but here's a run down of ISFP type people. "ISFPs have a characteristic stout or chubby, rounded figure. They often have short legs and a bouncy gait, giving the impression of a big springy ball. Their faces are usually smooth and round without any obvious projections. Sometimes ISFPs can have slightly upturned noses. Their eyes are often round. Their mouths sometimes have an uneven line. In moments of passionate conversation they often swallow air like a fish.
ISFPs do not usually try to push friendships. If they feel that a person does not want to establish contact with them they do not insist. They usually make just one attempt and if it is not successful they hardly ever try again. They maintain contact only with people that they find interesting. ISFPs find it fairly difficult to interact with people that they dislike, even if it goes against their interests. In these situations they lose their personal magnetism, and their speech may become unintelligible." You can read the rest here.

Come on, tell me that isn't me in a nutshell. Un-freakin'-canny. That is what this is. My type of person is known as an "Artistic Composer". Not limiting to just music composition, but just the general bringing together of different things to achieve harmony. Songwriters, chefs, choreographers, film makers, or painters. If I had the nerve, I would either got to NECI for chef schooling or NYU for cinematograpy. I find both something that I think I could excell in but lack the money and nerve to do either.

Some of the ISFP's strengths are "Warm, friendly and affirming by nature, Usually optimistic, Good listeners, Flexible and laid-back, usually willing to defer to their mates" Some weaknesses are "Bad at long-term planning, Extreme dislike of conflict and criticism, Focused on enjoying the present moment, they may appear lazy or slow-moving at times" See? Scary... if you know me, then you know this is me.

ISFPs are warm and giving people, who have a depth of emotion and caring which is not often obvious to others, except those who know them extremely well. They are usually intense people, who experience their emotions on an intense level. Although they may appear to be light-hearted, they are in fact extremely serious, and take their relationships seriously. Unlike other SP types, people with the ISFP type desire and seek lifelong, committed relationships. ISFPs need positive affirmation to be happy and feel good about themselves. They need to be praised, although they are usually uncomfortable with "gushy" praise. The greatest gift their partners can give them is the expression of their affection and admiration.

Please please please give this a chance. I urge everybody that comes across this post to take a few minutes and give those two tests up top a chance. I am curious to what my friends and online buddies have in their personalities. If you wish, tell me what you tested in the comments section, or post your results on your own blog, but please give it a chance.

Other than that, everybody enjoy their weekend!! Remember to bring your towel with you next Friday!! All the hoopy froods know that secret...

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

A sore, but sleepy Bib

Just got the call from Brigette's mom Margie. They just got out of the hospital, and although she's very groggy, she is doing well. They are going to pick up her medicine and head on home. I suspect she won't be online for a day or two, but she is doing ok. The doctor's took out her gallbladder with no problems, they didn't find anything cancerous, so all our prayers were answered.

Just a little FYI for you people.

Saturday, April 16, 2005

"Anagram for Mongo!"

Got A Silver Jet, Bye.

Later Gators

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Reposting of FURY!

I had already posted a blog about things that set me off, but what the heck, I'll do it again.

1: Top of the list: People who leave their carts in parking spaces.
Come on, how hard can it be to spend 30 seconds to prevent from being a jerk? There is precious little I hate in this world than either pulling into or pulling out of a space where someone has left their cart. More often than not I will return it myself, that's how much I hate it. Voluntary exercise!! Grrr! Make Jay Smash!

2: Toilet paper on the toilet
Ok, I know there are some misguided germaphobes out there that like to either use the toilet sheet, or make one by placing pieces of TP on the seat. But it would seem to me, to be of courtesy to the next stall guest, that you flush that stuff away. I don't what to have to deal with a person's inability to use a public seat. Women are different, as Bib has explained to me. They hover, so I guess that excludes them...

3: Ball bouncing outside my living room window
Come on. That's just being a dick. Stop it

4: 80% of ECC
I work in what is essentially a big room, and as such we are spread out quite a bit. But sound travels very well in here, and different groups have a hard time of keeping their laughing and music and conversations about nothing down to a level where they don't bother me. Maybe it's my Archie Bunker nature, but the more I listen to these people bray like donkey's, the more it irritates me.

Ok, not a long list, but four that get my blood boiling quick. I had thought about making tomorrow's post about things I like, but after kitten kisses and rainbows, I have a short list. We'll see... ;-) Have a good one!

Monday, April 04, 2005

You're money, baby, and you don't even know it.

Had Michael up this weekend, got to go out and hit Kilkenny's on Sunday night. Deb from work joined us and we spent the night harrassing the waitress (who secretly hated me) and drinking many beverages. Had fun and got to catch 'Sin City' as well. Despite what some people may think, I loved it. I've read a few of the comics and I couldn't have been happier with it. That's definatly going to wind up on my DVD shelf.

Tonight I went to Pat's house and we viewed 'Swingers'. Without a doubt the best movie about swing-dancin', hipster, all-around cool and lonely guys. I was thinking back to the first time I saw it, the weekend in Norman and what was going on in my life then. Oddly enough, almost 8 years later, not much has changed. It's not that I'm in a rut, but my life certainly has a pattern to it.

Was going to go on about much more, but don't have to the drive to do it. Just listening to some Thelonious Monk and drinking a Pepsi. Nothing like a frosty beverages and excellent jazz to cap off an evening.

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Wishing she was with me....

Tonight, Michael and I met up with Patrick at a local hamburger place. We chowed down and made small take until I was about to fall asleep in my onion rings. We made our way back to Cade de Cusher and had coffee, more small talk and watched some Dennis Leary stand up. Good times.

Got to work with less than 5 hours sleep today. Coupled with yesterday's 3 1/2 and it's going to be hard to stay awake I think. So far I'm doing good, but it's only 1:40 in the morning. I've still have a ways to go.

Bib had a special visitor tonight when she got home from work. I won't go into details, but suffice to say I'm worried for her safety. I'm confident that she can take care of herself, but still, when a loved one is threatened, you tend to worry more than usual. And I tend to worry enough on sunny days as it is...

Friday, April 01, 2005

Always on the Run

A few days ago I posted a link where you can find the will-never-be-released third album of Fiona Apple. Well, I was tooling around at work tonight and found a site that had the lryics to that album, along with a bevy of other bands that I like that are hard to find lyrics for.

It's owned by this guy who just wanted to put out lyrics to only groups he likes. And while I question why he would like The Breeders and not The Pixies, or why he would listen to Belly and Juliana Hatfield but not listen to That Dog puzzles me a bit, he has some really solid stuff on here. Even the Dresden Dolls! Wow!

Anywho, here's the link. Skim through it, it's good for a look. This person enjoy's a wide range of music. Anybody that lists Dead Can Dance to Stevie Wonder has some distinct tastes, so I know this cat has diversity on his mind. Sorry Smitty, there is no Pedro The Lion on here...

Gay Porn and Vegetables - Not what you think

The following post is heavy with personal beliefs and is edited to my taste. Opinions vary...
Item one: American Idol Sues!
There is a gay adult film ripping off American Idol, called American Porn Star. This is not the news bit, as pornographic films have been parodying new and classic movies for years. What makes this funny to me is that the producers are going after the adult film version's backers. Best of all, the attack is lead by Ryan Seacrest. It seems Seacrest is upset because there is a look-alike in the "light hearted romp" and instead of a microphone, the host has, a, well, use your imagination...
Anyway, attorney Scott Zolke, who represents both the bosses of American Idol and Seacrest, had this to say, "American Idol has become an immensely popular television show. So the value of the American Idol look is something that we cannot allow to get tarnished."

I want to repeat what he just said, because that is the best part of this whole thing for me.

"...the value of the American Idol look is something that we cannot allow to get tarnished."

Who cares if this show is tarnished or not? It's tripe. Pure and simple. People don't care who gets the recording contract and becomes the next Zamfir. They watch because they want to see the embarrassing singing and the tirade of a bitter British has-been. Anybody that honsetly believes that this show has serious merit should really check out the higher channels on the remote. This show is nothing more than the first half of the season of Simon Cowl belittling retards that think they can sing. How William Hung ever got popular I'll never know, and it's all Cowl's fault. In fact, I shouldn't even know who in the world William Hung is. Why the hell do I know his name? He's a little Asian dude that sings really badly. For that reason alone, he became famous. I'm a chubby guy with Tourette's Syndrome and a hangnail. Where's my TV show? Come on Fox and CBS. I'll make you a bazillion dollars by playing myself. I'm comedy gold I tells ya!

Item two: Terry Schiavo

Alright, sit back down. I haven't even started yet.

While it is indeed sad that this woman had passed away, it's not the end of the world. She had a cardiac arrest back in 1990, possibly due to bulimia and had never recovered from it. She could not think, feel, reason or communicate. And sadly, never would again. 1990. That was 15 years ago. 15 years of living your life as a vegetable is a pretty sad existence. I value quality of life very much and I don't want to end up at the end of a tube for my only means of sustenance. If I can't feed myself because my mental capacity is not there, then why live? What purpose would I serve in this world? None. Pure and simple.

This following paragraph is courtesy of the New York Times:
The Vatican issued a statement calling Ms. Schiavo's death a "violation of the sacred nature of life" that had "shocked consciences." Pope John Paul II, whose own health is failing, said last year that providing food and water, even by artificial means, was "moral and obligatory."

The Pope is a wise man. Very knowledgeable, compassionate and well educated. But I'm not catholic and I don't follow the Pope's line of reasoning here. "Moral and obligatory" that's what the Pope said. That means, that regardless if the person was in constant pain and couldn't feed themselves, or if they are brain-dead and cannot complete basic functions necessary to maintain life, then why bother? Honestly? And for 15 years? That's just not stupid, it's horrible.

I'm willing to bet that most of the people out there that are putting down Terry's husband Michael don't know the whole story. And I'm willing to bet that most of the people that read this blog don't either. That's why I'm here. To set you all straight. Except Adam, who can't even drive straight... ;-)

Terry Schindler was a heavy-set teen, around 250 pounds. She loved animals, so much so that she dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. A shy girl, she enrolled into the local community college, and lost almost 100 pounds by the time she started classes. With this newfound freedom, she meet her first boyfriend ever, Michael Schiavo. This was in 1982. They married in 1984, and even though money was tight for the newly-weds, they did the best they could. They lived at first in the basement of her parent's house, later moving to Florida where her folks had a condo there. Terry had dropped out of college, but got a job doing clerical work for an insurance company while her husband worked as a food and beverage manager at a local restaurant.

Desperate to have children, the coupled tried hard to conceive. By this point, around 1987, Terry was down to 110 pounds. She enjoyed showing off her Florida-tanned body in bikinis and pretty dresses never letting it known that she was bulimic. On February 25, 1990, Terry fell down in the couple's apartment in the early hours of the day. She suffered a cardiac arrest, believed to have been brought on by a potassium imbalance due to her eating disorder. By the time the EMT's revived her, she had suffered severe brain damage.

Michael, like the rest of the family, was devastated. He did everything he could to help his beautiful loving wife. He took her to neurology experts in California and Florida, hoping they could provide answers. He hired an assistant for Terry to take her to museums, beauty shops, different places, all in the hope that this would stimulate her brain into bring her back to her former self. But it was no use. Her cerebral cortex had all but disappeared. Michael even changed professions to become a critical-care nurse, just so he could care for Terry on a more permanent basis. That's how much love he had for his wife.

So, it's been 15 years. 15 years of caring, and emotion and heartache at hearing over and over from every doctor that she would never recover. Now, Terry's family, being the devout Catholics they are, know in their heart, that a brain-dead daughter is better than a dead daughter, so they fought Michael’s very tough choice to remove Terry's feeding tube. They even got the President of the freakin' United States to cut short a small vacation, so he could fly back to Washington D.C. and in case he needed to sign some legislation. The President was on vacation and they got him to come back to save one woman's life. A 15-year brain-dead woman. That was impressive.

I can't speak for Michael Schiavo. I've never had to make the decision to remove life-support or exclude food and water from a person with no means of supporting themselves. I'm sure it was hard choice but one I believe he rightly made. If anyone out there that should be shamed it is her parents and family, for keeping her alive all these years, just to see her life-less, glassy eyes stare back at them for 15 years.

Now, I know there's a flip side to this. There always is. Michael had been living with another woman for a few years, and even had two children with her. Maybe he just wanted a quick out and didn't want to deal with divorce and all that messy stuff. Maybe he was just being selfish and didn't want her alive anymore. To that, I say "Ney Ney". He still loved Terry. In fact, he cradled her head and wept openly in her finally moments while his brother and hospital staff looked on. Her family was not present because Michael feared for a 'potentially hostile altercation" and asked them not to be there. Granted, not the most compassionate thing to do, bar a dying woman's family from being with her as she passed away, but I can't blame him for asking it. He wanted to be with her as she left him, left everybody forever. I know this must have been tough for him to do.

Anyway, didn't mean to get all preachy. Just something that has been on my mind lately. I'm sure the American media will drag Michael Schiavo over the coals for this, and it's an unfortunate thing, but it was inevitable. People are always going to side with saving a vegetable over an intelligent and compassionate choice of letting them go. And that, dear readers, is a damn shame.

Patrick (and I'm sure some others as well) and I disagree on this. We're both getting our information the same way everybody else is, the media. So I guess it depends on who we read that we get whatever spin was given. I'm sure we'll never know the truth in the matter, and in the end it doesn't matter. A beautiful girl died, whether through an eating disorder or foul play (as some suspect). I've given you my thoughts on this and I'm sure everybody has their own opinion on the matter. I've got comments open, so if you want to yell and go on a tirade, let 'em loose.