So about those options…
I mentioned 3. I had ordered three. Showed up to pick up the Taco?

Saw two. Suh-weet.

The Running boards & Roof Rack made it on. The Skid Plate? Not so much. Didn’t actually exist on the Tacoma. I figured what happened was this: The original new truck was ordered but had the skid plate pre-installed when they got it, so they didn’t order it. However, when the original new truck was returned and the NEW new truck was ordered & then delivered, no one caught that little detail.

Until, that is, random bob showed up on the scene.

Found the sales manager – who was not happy to see me – and got it straightened out. He pretty much verified that what I thought was probably the issue was indeed the issue. Yeah, he was a little worried at first sight of me. He’s been well-trained that seeing the ‘bob ususally means that something is the matter. But it wasn’t that bad this time, and he was on top of it. Should be in by Monday. Suh-weet.

It sucks a Tad. Not this Tad. But just a little bit.

Doesn’t matter too much however, as I’m not putting the truck to the test until I get the Shell, anyway. I mentioned it before, but I’m not going anywhere in it for too long without the dogs. Especially now with the new guys. Yeah. Little bastards. I’m out eating right now. They’re probably eating more speaker wires as I type.

Dammit.



What the funk: Politics
I don’t get it. The public has an abysmally-low rating of the current presidency, led by monkey-boy Georgie Bush. Like, abysmally-low. Yet somehow, McCain’s not only running, but according to one pole at least, is in the lead?

So let me get this straight: The American People don’t like bush anymore, feel they’ve been lied to & misled for the last 4-8 years, and want change. Then see fit to essentially re-elect him? In the form of McCain? Who’s essentially the Bush Candidate reincarnated, but older (is that possible?)?

Holy f*ck. Canada, come save us. Apparently, we’re too stupid to do it ourselves. We need an intervention.

You know, I really think we should re-think that whole Civil War thing. The South may have been on to something. I sure as hell don’t want them dragging me down. Let them be their own collection of idiots, I say.

I say a lot, I know. But I definitely say that.

Tags: Vehicles, Animals, New Family Members

How sweet.



DPReview.com: Negativity is frowned upon? Way to keep it honest, guys
After my recent tirade about our horrible experiences with Canon Elphs, I went to this site to write my reviews/experiences on both the SD870 model & the SD1000 model. I wrote the reviews, but they never showed up on the site.

Apparently, you’re not allowed to create a truthful review pointing out actual issues with real hardware. Which I think is horrible. How the hell do you have a site composed of user reviews, but censor/delete/not post reviews by those users? It’s doubly as bad, having read their ‘rules’ on reviews, first of which is “don’t write reviews about hardware you have not used,” and one of the first reviews I saw that day was a review by someone about a just-announced (and not released) camera that so much as said “I haven’t used this camera, but there others are good so I’m sure this one will be too.”

Anyway… The Girl got hers back yesterday, and all seems dandy. They replaced the whole optical unit and it seems to be working flawlessly anymore. Mine was sent away, and if Canon can fix the issues and make them not come back, then I’ll be satisfied.

We went and looked at other brands of cameras, just in case. Truthfully, none of the others are anywhere in the neighborhood of Canon’s equipment. So I’m still pulling for them.



Holy f*ck, Canada’s becoming America
Found this sad news on another blog I stop by occasionally. Holy cow, is it not totally horrible? I linked it to a friend of mine over IM, and his response was to “never send me anything like that in the future.”

So, having just read that, why don’t you go ahead and hop on over and read it? And then you, too, can wonder: “no one bothered to – I don’t know – help?”

Hope you had a wonderful 4th (you Americans, you)
I lounged, slept, and then…. Got up and went to work. Yeah, I had to work on the evening of the 4th. Yeah, it sorta sucked, since it was such a beautiful day outside. Perfect day for barbecuing, wouldn’t you know.

Work makes me question being American
The soundtrack for today could easily have been “songs that sell out America for monetary gain.” I know that it’s supposed to be patriotic, but really? It’s just annoying as hell. One thing I loved about it was the way that these high-priced, hoity-toity Country singers sing about being on the “front lines,” “fighting for America’s Freedom” and stuff. You know, as if; “as if” they were actually anywhere near the front lines. “As if” they were anywhere close to fighting anything except the alarm clock at noon in a soft cozy bed.

Motherf*cker, don’t try to sell me a song about how much a hero you are and how much fighting for America you’ve done; all you’ve picked up is a guitar and a paycheck. F*ck off.

Another thing I loved: A song about how New York is stronger than the terror around us. Oh. My. God. Did you -- did you just try to make a buck off the dead & wounded in the 9/11 attacks? Oh my god, you did. Oh my god. I feel like I may throw up a little bit.

WOW. So let me get this straight: We’re all very American, so long as we buy your guys’ CDs, right? Yeah I think that’s about the message: USBC. United states of Blind Consumers, that’s us now I guess.

I’m sorry, but wake me up when being patriotic doesn’t require buying a whole bunch of sh!t that’s made in China every year.

Peace.

Tags: hate, Animals

What the HELL on earth!?
Why can’t the fucking politicians just pay attention? Why can’t they just get it right? Here, the EPA is told to study whether greenhouse gas emissions might actually be harmful to the environment & the effects it could have on the economy. They find that yeah, we’re damaging the environment alright, but rather than deal with the issues they sought answers to, the government just proclaims they just won’t open their email. Nice.

Politics as usual, eh?

Supreme Court Orders Exxon to Pay for Valdez Disaster – no wait, to NOT pay
What the fuck? 14 years later, after ravaging the whole of the Alaskan coastline and destroying the economy of an area that to this day has yet to fully recover, the Bush-backed Supreme Court lowered the Punitive Damages of Exxon Valdez from the $2.5 billion – or $75,000 per person in Alaska – to not more than $500 million – or about $15,000. Talk about unfair. I mean hell, $75,000 was at best a couple years’ worth of salary. $15,000 is a slap in the face.

Politics as usual, eh?

US Military Campuses forcing religion on cadets
As if we needed more stigma to wipe off ourselves, the US military is thoroughly wallowing us in the correlations to The Crusades.

And people wonder why the separation of Church & State is of the utmost importance… guys, it falls back onto the same principles I wrote about in response to gay marriage: Namely that everyone’s for it, so long as they’re not the ostracized ones, right? But you watch, that group will slowly shrink should you allow that club to form, and before you know it, your slice of religion isn’t quite good enough…

What the hell? Man, the Bushies are all for ruining the very essence of what America was about – namely, the idea that a people can live together without having to conform all their views around the ruling party’s. So much for that, I guess.

Politics as usual, eh?

Senator McCain has plan to Make Gov’t More “Green”
Now tell the truth: You half-expect me to link to an article in which he proclaims that if we paint everything Camo, we’ll save the environment.

Hey I don’t blame you: I sort of expected to read it, as well. But instead, it’s McCain talking about initiating change that is so far below what his opponent has talked about initiating that it’s barely worth mentioning.

Other than to mention it so as to point out how behind the times the Republicans are. Which, uh, is what I’m doing.

Republicans: Politics as usual, eh?

Peace.

Tags: hate

I DO support gay marriage. And it’s not because I’m gay and want to get married, either. It’s because I think it’s highly unfair to say that “marriage is between two people who love each other*” and then prevent two people who love each other from getting married and having the same rights as others. What it does is create a situation with second-class citizenry. It’s the same issue that the civil rights movement was based on, namely that if you create two separate institutions or ideals, but call them different things and allow only certain groups to participate in one or the other based on some trait, then regardless of whether you say they are equal, they are inherently not.

One of my greatest heros, Chief Justice Earl Warren, used this logic to strike down the “separate but equal doctrines” of our racially-segregated past. And he was right in doing so. The conditions of the African-American’s “equal” facilities were anything but. They may have had a coach car, but it was not the same as the white’s coach car. And this idea is important to you, and you should support it, regardless of whether or not you’re gay or not gay, black or not black. The logic here that sends us into descent stretches and encompasses situations in Nazi-era Germany, as well…

Hatred is wrong. Institutionalized hatred never has a good side. The folks in Nazi Germany didn’t bat many eyelashes as the “others” were ostracized from society. They were safe, after all, because they were the same as those making the decisions. Or at least they were for a time. It’s a long idea that to be fully-developed I’d need active debate to provide counterpoints to, which is a little hard on a one-sided blog. But the idea is captured well in this poem from that era. Read it. And then think about what it really means.

You see, we’re all different in one way or another. People often are quite alright with “others” being singled out and denied rights that they themselves have. This isn’t important, because after all, you’re not gay, right? Right. But then at some point, later down the road, when other people’s rights have been trampled on and no one speaks up, you’ll find that you’re on the receiving end of the hate and the denial of rights. Green-eyed? Sorry, green-eyes aren’t allowed service here, move on freak.

Yeah that sounds extreme, but the Jews were persecuted for a faith – that thing that cannot be proved right or wrong to begin with – and nothing more. Your green eyes? We can see those. You can’t fake that. And you’ll be on a list someday for it, perhaps.

People need to spend the time to critically assess things like this. No, you’re not gay. But does it harm you to let gay people get married? And more importantly perhaps, could your ideologies allow the impingement of your rights if the tables were turned? Because no matter how white and protestant you think you are, if you’re not the one making the rules, eventually they’ll come for you. And if you are making the rules, eventually there will be mutiny and you won’t be making the rules any longer. We all need to support free & equal rights for everyone, if only for the cause of our own self-preservation.

Because at some point, you’ll be different, too.



Adoption
I do NOT support gay adoption. It’s nothing personal, my homo peeps, OK? But here’s how I look at it: I remember being a kid. It was hard. Not like, “go break rocks or DIE” kind of hard, but a “man I’m so confused about life” kind of hard. And for the most part, I’m normal. Sick & perverted yes, but still fairly normal.

And to me, knowing how difficult childhood can be when you supposedly have all the socially-acceptable faculties, I cannot see putting a child into a possibly more confusing situation, expecting of them to grow up to be “normal.” Why is daddy kissing daddy? Because they love each other? Should I kiss my boy friends? What’s acceptable? Why are MY urges different from my parent’s urges? I am so out of place… Why do I like girls? I am so ashamed of myself…

Now some are going to read that and say “well that’s how gay children feel, so what?” Well yes, that’s valid. But the difference is that homosexuality ISN’T biologically normal, and is thus the smaller percentage of the population. More children are going to grow up to be heterosexual, and ‘normal’ as defined by that social norm is what we see day-in and day-out. They need to be prepped for that, even if to the detriment of the small percentage of homosexual children that do and will continue to come into being.

The idea of society is to raise a well-adjusted, well-prepared “next generation.” Putting kids into a home that is quite contrary to everything that the world is supposed to be built on is – in my estimation – quite a disservice to that next generation of individuals, regardless of their orientation.

Anyway, what I’m saying is that my wish to deny homosexuals adoption rights is not rooted in some weird hatred or ignorance; it’s rooted in what child-rearing is actually about, and a belief that childhood is hard enough to navigate when you’re normal and in a normal environment, and that perhaps we should not make that more complicated than it already is. Normalcy should win out. It’s not a case of denying people rights, it’s a case of protecting the impressionable from ideas they’re not even aware they’re in the midst of.

We should raise our young to be tolerant of different lifestyles for sure, but they need to grow up “normal” and have a basis for what that is to even appreciate what “different lifestyles” really are.

Having said that, it’s not as though I’d deny a child to live in a homosexual home at all costs; if the choice were a safe, stable homosexual home or The Orphanage, then yeah: put them in the home and give them a chance, whatever chance that is. But if there’s ever any hope that they could be placed in a stable, heterosexual environment instead? That first, every time.

No, the ‘bob is not ignorant. Opinionated yes, but not ignorant. He’s given the sh!t some thought, folks.



*Marriage revisited
If you caught the asterisk in the first section, here’s where I explain that away. Many people who support the denial of equal doctrines for marriage for all will fall back to trying to change the definition of marriage to suit their ignorant purposes. Changing the rules of marriage “back to what it was originally intended for” is the common line. But what they don’t understand is history. This is truly an ignorant thing to say, as it shows that they really have no idea what marriage was “originally about” to begin with.

Marriage was not “originally” between a man and a woman who love each other very much and want to live together forever and ever in love. Nope. Marriage was the alignment of two families, to join their resources and form a larger, more powerful clan, by joining their children in ‘wedlock’ to produce offspring and solidity this union into the future. That’s what marriage was originally about. That’s what its intention was. No mention of love. Most of the time those locked in wed had not met before the fateful day. Original definition of marriage ≠ love.

So to try and fall back on that defense is to nullify what the arguer thought marriage was about, as well. It doesn’t support their cause, it shoots them in the face and voids everything they have propped up their lives with. If they were to succeed in rewriting “marriage” into what it was “originally intended for,” then really, their own marriage and the institution that honored it would have to dissolve, as it was not formed in the original intent of marriage.

And what’s more, any definition between that and today’s standard goes right back into the “separate but equal” ideals above, or if they deny it all together, the whole “Nazi” ideals mentioned above as well. It just doesn’t work, sorry, no matter how you spin it.

This, I find funny. That people would begin to argue a point that really amounts to the cutting of their noses, to snub their face. It’s so priceless. And yet, so classy!



About the ‘bob
The idea of the website is to keep some amount of anonymity about myself, because is who I am really as important as what I stand for? Well, anyone with some technical knowledge could find out who I am rather quickly, as obviously this is a personal domain name and is registered to someone, probably even me! But I rely on you guys to give that annonymity to me; I keep the name and the face to myself, but I give you what I stand for regardless, and that’s what I think it should really be about anyway, this whole exchange of ideas…

Anyway. In the vein of full-disclosure, I should give you some info as it might be relevant to how you accept the ideas printed above.

I’m close to being a buzzing, stinging kind of guy. I’m kind of a WASP, but not really. I’m anti-religious, though I am not anti-something-bigger-than-we. You might say I am a WAS, which isn’t to say I’m a has-been. No, just the plain-vanilla, everyday White Anglo-Saxon. Male even, if you believe that. And on top of that, I enjoy sexual encounters with beautiful young women (OK OK; woman). And in all reality, I would just really hate to see that someday be outlawed, too.

So you see, my personal policies are based in considerable thought, and in what I would say is a concern for fairness. For all except the ignorant & hate-filled.

peace.

Tags: hate, women, Animals

Apparently he was under scrutiny for having awarded an MBA to a daughter of a big supporter of his. One who donates in sums of $20-million.

So… $20-million bought her an MBA? Sounds like the current state of business to me! I’d say she’s well on her way and May have actually inadvertently earned the degree.



California Denying Developments on Grounds of Lack of Water
WOW.

It’s a step. Now if we could just get everyone to admit and accept that the real problem, the root of all of it is, this an out-of-control growing population. Seriously, stop spitting out the babies, people; limited resources suck, especially when you’re far too numerous and sucking them dry.



Clinton Backing Obama Tomorrow
Clinton lays plans for Obama endorsement

Let me state this again: Was there really any other option? This is so gay; it’s all show and nothing really worth holding on to. Why are people concerned? Obama has the nomination regardless, and it’s not like if Clinton says “don’t vote for Obama vote for McCain” I am going to do that. What could any of this possibly net?

Clinton Lost. It shouldn’t take this long to say “You won, champ” and move on with life. Geez.



Being The oft-bored soul I am….
I spent the last few nights putting up more galleries online. Now that I have a better way to organize them I can afford the long list of entries into my gallery. I am not going to bother putting links here to each of the new ones; I’ll just link you to the home page and you can click and enjoy until you can’t click any more :-)

Random bob’s photos home page.

For your viewing pleasure.

Peace.

Tags: earth conditions, women

Today while messing with my site I decided that I had too many pages. I have my site subdivided a handful of times, what with separate Photo pages, separate Movie pages, my Mac Tips & Tricks, and my blog all handled differently. Used to have “Articles” too, but I decided that not only has it done nothing but NOT grow in any real measure, but most of it was duplicable here in my Random Blog anyway. And in fact, some of them had just been copied & ported over to the Articles area from previous blog entries.

So I deleted them. Seemed like a waste to have a whole separate section that a) required upkeep, and b) was essentially superfluous in nature. I had amassed a whole 5 articles over that time, ranging from using a Mac to Immigration. None of them were life-altering, just basically longer blog entries. Well I think the world would rather 5 longer blog entries than 5 needless articles, no?

Yeah, me too.



Housing Market not on the rise after all...
Despite calls to the contrary, the reports are in and housing prices fell in the last measured timeframe faster and steeper than ever before at a 14.4% decline. The experts say that there’s no reason to believe the crunch is over or that it’s anywhere to go but down.

Glad I didn’t get on board last week! Called it!



Nice Article making my points
For the last year or so, I’ve been lambasting the housing industry and especially house-flippers are being responsible for the astronomical rise in housing costs this decade. I’ve said things such as “we need to view homes as a place to live, not as an investment vehicle: it’s not stock,” and so much as said that that sort of house-flipping mentality & speculation is the biggest problem that affects a home’s value.

I’ve gone so far as to say that bailing out the housing industry and those in foreclosure is a bad idea, and that I’m glad that the house-flippers are stuck with their mistake; they did this, they priced the American dream right out of the grasp of America, so f*ck ‘em; let them sink. Let them sink so that I can afford a damn roof over my head.

Well it’s nice to be vindicated. A nice two-page article over at the NY times today had a nice piece in it just for me. Most of the article is about the buy/rent ratio and the history of the decade, but on page two, near the end of the article, is this gem:

“ But it’s O.K. with me if our timing wasn’t perfect. After several years of reporting on the housing market, I’m convinced that the most common real estate mistake is viewing a house first as a financial investment and only second as a home. That’s one big reason we ended up in this bubble-induced mess. “

Tags: housing Crisis

From Yahoo!: Spielberg Movie Angers Russian Communist Party. Question: What doesn’t anger the communists?

I kid, I kid. Dah.



But I just had a Great Indie-Related Idea
Let’s kill Shia LaBeouf. Seriously. He’s about the gayest of the new breed of sweet lil’ retarded actors. Seriously. I don’t believe him to be a hero, or for that matter anything but a "trying-too- hard" loser, for a minute. I see a split-second of him and I think, “he must be the director’s kid or something. Something."

That something of course not being “he’s a great actor.” Because he’s not. He’s craptastic galore and rolling in it. Uh, Crap, that is.

Sh!t, maybe someone lost a bet.



The Hubbub over Clinton’s Kennedy Remarks
By now everyone has heard of the remarks Clinton has made with regard to Robert Kennedy’s Assassination in June 1968 as a reason to keep running. And of course everyone is upset over them. Know what? I was too, at first.

The problem is how the media keeps framing it. When I heard about it, they headlined it (and continue to do so) in such a way as to indicate that she was insinuating that she is going to continue running because “you never know what’s going to happen,” like maybe Obama will be offed in June or something. Yeah, that’s tacky, I thought. But in context? Come on people, we need to really put everything in context, you know?

In context, she was pointing out that many democratic runs have taken until June to decide, such as that of her husband’s in 1992, and that of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. And that’s not so bad. It’s actually not bad at all, it’s a famous incident that people can recall, so in reality she wasn’t doing anything necessarily wrong in mentioning it, she’s just in the unfortunate situation of having the media turn her statements on their ear.

I feel for her. I don’t think she was ever given a fair chance to campaign once Obama got rolling. He’s the media’s baby, you know? He can do no wrong, his ideas are above reproach, and doggone it, people like him, they really like him! Her platform isn’t all that different, she’s got something no one else has, that being Mr. Clinton by her side, & by & large her ideas are better thought-out than Mr. Obama’s, whose lofty ideals are nice but they need to be fleshed out, you know?

Anyway, She’s going to be a great Vice President :-D

Peace.

Tags: women

Well that didn’t happen because for whatever reason disc one is always on wait longer than the others. I got disc two first, then I actually DID get ahold of a disc one copy, though it didn’t play in my blu-ray player (wrong region code) and was sent back. I’ve viewed all the other discs. Disc one though, sits on my queue at position #1. And never arrives.

I send back my movies the day after they’re watched, so I don’t hold them for a long time or anything. I have a revolving door of incoming & outgoing movies is what I’m saying, folks. Yet no matter what, even though disc one of Planet Earth has been at the top of my queue for 3 weeks or so, it never gets sent to me. Even when it says it’s available.

Well I called netflix today, and sad to say but they’re no help to me. I tried to explain that I was frustrated that although I’ve had this movie at the top of my queue for this entire time, it has yet to make its way to me, despite being available according to their status, when I was in need of a movie to be sent. I was told that yeah it’s frustrating, but that’s life without late fees & return dates; you get what you get.

And I can understand that to an extent. But what the hell? I’m calling to complain about it, you know? Obviously I’d like to watch this film. I asked the guy, “So it’s conceivable that although it’s #1 on my queue and I send back movies in a timely fashion, that I’ll never get to see this film because it's always on a short wait that day?” He didn’t have an adequate response. Shouldn’t there be a way? I mean, other than making it #1 on my queue, and calling customer service, what can you do to actually get a movie from them if they don’t want to send it your way?

I heard about a lawsuit filed against them saying that they tamper with people’s queues & the disbursement of the discs in such a way as to harm people who have been there longer, to get new peeps excited about the service. Sort of playing favorites, you know? Sh!t, I can see it…

Hey, maybe you can’t ‘reserve’ a disc… I get it. OK yeah that’s not how netflix works. But if the idea has a potential flaw that’s affecting a customer? Maybe they never get the #1 queue item because the timing is f*cking them? Maybe you make an allowance and set it up so that the disc ships to them next time. Maybe just sort of a “gimme” so that the whole of the system isn’t unduly burdened by having to codify the chance circumstance.

Sh!t netflix, just send me the damn disc.

F*ck. Peace.

So today the Mexican President attended the funeral of one of his former top heads in his war against drug cartels. A few hours before the funeral, a senior detective was gunned down by seven bullets to his head & neck, and two other top police officers have also been murdered over the span of a few days.

Safe to say that the drug cartels are in charge? Wonder what has to be done. I guess it’s rough ousting the former ruling party, eh? Very sad.



The Many pains of Jujutsu
Today I had initially planned to get home from work, and then work out my legs. In reality, I got home from work, and worked out my eyelids. Because I was tired, and my legs were more-so.

My knees. My knees felt like they were suspended in pudding or something. They were slow, felt swollen, and just sort of ached a little. No real pounding pain, but it just didn’t feel like my good ol’ knees in general.

My leg muscles. My butt was sore, as were my calfs. I sort of figured my calfs would be sore from all the toe-curling action during the kicks and takedowns, but I didn't figure on the butt. So I in effect got my leg workout on already, albeit a day early.

Oh, and my foot. My left foot I think I sprained the top of it. The top of it? Yeah, the top. I was doing some rolls yesterday as practice, and I rolled onto and then over the top of my left foot, and I heard some popping. I made it through the rest of the class, but when I got home I could tell that it was probably going to be a little sore today. And I was right.

Oh well. Such is life. I feel pretty good overall, especially after my nap. Tomorrow I begin class at 11am. Hopefully I sleep well tonight. Will need it.



Tired?
Yeah. Remember we watched “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” last night. Well I mentioned it was long? Couple that with the fact that we didn’t actually start it until closer to 10pm. I don’t recommend that, should you find yourself in a similar situation.



The Girl’s changing climate wrt Pit Bulls
For the longest time The Girl has maintained that pit bulls are not inherently dangerous, that they are trained to be a certain way.

I have not believed this myself during this time. The truth of the matter is that pit bulls are involved in more bites & attacks than any other dog type. For me, it’s safe to say that the same as labradors are instinctively drawn to water & swimming, as are pit bulls to aggressiveness. I mean, that may not always have been the case, they weren’t always supposed to be killer dogs, and in fact they do have some stigma that is not deserved (German Shepherds actually bite harder, and both pale in comparison to the Rottweiler). But the fact is that today’s pit bulls are not by rule friendly family dogs as they once were, sad as it may be.

I attributed this defensive posture of The Girl to the fact that her dog is figured to be part pit bull of some fashion, most likely American Staffordshire Terrier, which is is commonly grouped with pit bulls (duh). Yes, she’s cute, no she’s not much a threat, but that doesn’t change the rule. It might just help define it, know what I mean?

Anyway, those feelings & defenses have eroded over the past few months. First she had her mom inform her that her cat had been killed when someone brought over their “friendly” pit bull and it chased down the feline and essentially ate it. The cat was some 20 years old or thereabout. Then just tonight, she found out a coworker friend of hers had her dog killed by someone’s “friendly” pit bull at a party both dogs attended.

Not only that, but we had also read recently in the paper about some dogs that had been attacked & killed by someone’s “friendly” family pit bull at the beach. Twice. In February.

I think it’s safe to say that The Girl is ready to admit that perhaps there’s something to the idea that pit bulls are in fact inherently dangerous pets. In the same way that Labradors are inherently perfect family dogs. It’s in the breed, I’m sorry.

Peace.

Tags: Gym

I had a dull throbbing in my head all day yesterday. We cancelled our workout for the day, because the throbbing headache was afflicting us both. Well we were turning into bumps on a log – or a couch, as it were – and I wanted to get us out of that little slump we found ourselves in. So…



Dogs HO!
… we got ourselves up and ready and took the dogs out to the dunes. It’s fun there, because I can go off-roading a little, and the dogs can play in the sand and the water. It’s on the peninsula of the bay, which is rather narrow, so you’re not more than ¼-mile from the bayside to the beachside, so there’s plenty of options for fun times.

It took some convincing. Mostly me convincing The Girl, but we made it up and out, around 2:15 or so. Spent the better part of two hours there.



Nice weather we’re having
Been nice the last few days. Not hot, not cold, just in between. Yesterday it was overcast most of the day, but it wasn’t cold, even at the peninsula. Of course after we got home and took a nap, it cleared right up and was nice & sunny too. Go figure.

Of course it’s supposed to rain today & tomorrow. I am neither pleased nor displeased by this, just mentioning it. Two days of it. Then back to the same ol’ overcast & sunny days for a while.



A week from Today: Ass-kicking training
I start my jujutsu classes next Tuesday. :-) (that’s me smiling). I am happy about this. I am excited and a lil’ nervous, too. I haven’t really done anything like this before, save for a two-week trial when I was like 4 years old or something. I don’t think that counts. No one fears me when I tell them I took karate for two weeks when I was four and achieved white-belt status.

So I need to stop in and pay. And I guess pick out a suit. Oh sh!t there’s another downside to this, too.

You see, I “go commando.” It’s very liberating, as it were. Been doing it for years, so don’t act shocked, and uh, don’t get that weird look on your face that I can tell you have right now. It’s not like they’re going to jump out and grab you just because they’re not in tightie-whities or anything, OK? They’re still safely under wraps, so get over it.

However with all the tussling and stuff I’m going to be doing? I might have to go to the other extreme. That’s right, spandex. Ew. The boys are squirming just thinking about. It’s gross. Ew.



Watched “An Inconvenient Truth” last night
Not going to bother reviewing the thing. It’s a documentary, and if you have been anywhere but under a rock the past 2 years, you know what it’s about. Al Gore? Global Warming? ‘Nuff said.

Anyway, he makes a compelling case. Not that he’s really making it so much as he’s explaining it in ‘real terms’ for people. It’s one thing to hear scientists use big words, it’s quite another to see graphs about the damage we’ve done and be hit with the realities of what our future will hold for us at the current rates. None of this came as a shock to me, I have known for quite some time. But I could see others who aren’t as ‘in the know’ about this stuff as me being quite surprised by some of the factoids presented.

One of the things I was happy to see was the mention of it really more than anything being a function of our exploding population. It’s not mentioned enough I feel, and I think that a lot of the issues we face could be dealt with if we just started to control the population better. I mean, in an extreme sort of example… if there were 1,000 people on earth, would it really matter if we drove 1mpg cars around? The earth’s systems would be more than able to accommodate that sort of usage. But 7 billion people? Things get a little tighter then. I mean, it’s still the same earth with the same capacity for resources, but now you’ve got a lot more mouths to worry about, and a lot more butts putting waste out into the same limited space. It’s a big issue is what I’m saying.

So if you have not seen it, I would recommend watching it. It’s long and feels longer than it really is due to the nature of the material, but it’s not really boring. Just educational.

Peace.

Tags: Animals

So yeah watched Across the Universe last night. It was… well, it was… like an art school project gone horribly wrong. Yes, remind me next time to avoid like the plague any and all arthouse flicks. Wow what a horrible movie. Dammit I cannot stand musicals!

I’m not sure what they were thinking. I mean, it takes a lot of effort to ruin a story like they did. The actual plot wasn’t that bad, but then they incorporate all these damn singing sequences that really detract from the point of everything else, because it’s so damn corny. Sorry, I’m not a West Side Story kinda guy; groups of people break out spontaneously into song and dance and I break into a wild frenzy in which someone – perhaps multiple retarded singers/dancers – must die, that’s just the way it is.

And they damn near ruined the entire Beatles Catalogue as well. Few if any of the voices and performances were worth listening to. I would have preferred just listening to a CD of it all and being done with it.

Do not watch this movie. Do not believe the hype that it’s “visually stunning” or “a storytelling masterpiece;” it’s absolute crap I can attest. A real, honest-to-goodness F-minus.



This is why Republicans suck
Mccain has been busy in the campaign trail simplifying the issues in such a way as to prey on the fears of the constituents to get elected. This is not right. It is not right to say that if we withdraw “Al Queda will have won,” because you’re implying that we are fighting Al Queda, and that they are the reason we got involved.

Little-known fact (read the above-linked article), but there was no Al Queda presence in Iraq until after we invaded in 2003. So in all reality, if “Al Queda wins” it’s because we went there in the first place; the republicans don’t want to admit this of course, because it was their idea and they're wholly responsible for the threats they have created there.

So they continue to frame it in such a way as to imply that we’re the heroes doing god’s work. Oh yeah, it’s the modern-day Crusades folks, don’t be fooled by the smoke and mirrors.


Safe to say that I hate republicans like I hate musicals…

Peace.


Across the universe review - Worst Movie Ever?

Tags: hate

I worked my arse of last night at work (of all places to do such a thing), and started feeling rather run-down as the night progressed. I hoped it was just that the long day had taken its toll on me, as I had gotten up early to take the dogs out, then gotten home and began a vigorous shoulder workout, then cleaned myself up to go to work and dog myself there, too.

Secretly though, I feared I was getting what The Girl was giving to me. B*tch.

She had started to feel ill a few days ago, and I tried to keep my distance. But I’m a man, and nature calls us on occasion, sick or not. Damn my lover ways, next thing I know I’m sick too. What a way to ruin a weekend off. Damn that woman; she’s such a giver.



Across the… the… LIVING ROOM!
Since The Girl is not feeling all that well, she decided to get her shift covered tonight. Since I’m off too and not feeling all that great myself, we’re going to sit back, relax, eat ice cream and watch a movie. On the agenda? Across the Universe. The reviews have been all over the map, with some calling it a masterpiece, and it looks a little odd. What the heck though, right? Netflix is workin’ OK, so I figure that we’ll put it on the queue, and see what happens. Maybe it'll be the next Shawshank.

I’ll be sure to report back to all the people that don’t read my blog anyway so you won’t know how the movie is.



More Proof The Mighty Dollar owns our Gov’t
Here’s a nice link to a blog post on the cosumerist that summarizes the state of personal taxes and corporate taxes now, years past, and into the future.

Hey these are figures BY the government; I’m not making this sh!t up.

Peace.

After years of telling us things were as was opposed to common sense, they’re finally catching up with the reality of things. Like for instance, did you know that inhaling smokey substances filled with chemicals – such as cigarettes – is bad for you?

Today’s wisdom came to me in the form of one of those brain-dead morning “news” shows on ABC or one of the other 3-letter channels I never actually watch. They were talking about how you can tell things about a person by their face. At issue was whether or not a woman could tell a man looking for sex from a man more likely to commit to a relationship from his facial features. Turns out, they could!

Like we needed science to tell us this, right? Because even though it’s not politically correct to say it, we already know the answers I’m about to reveal, right? The more handsome guys were less likely to settle down, and the ones with softer, less “masculine” and “sexy” features were more likely to commit to a relationship. Well no freaking duh, dudes. I mean, let’s look at the reality of it, huh?

A handsome guy that girls swoon over is going to be less likely to settle down, because he can go out and get any other good-looking female he comes across to do what he wants for him. Why settle down? He needs nothing he can’t just get at any stop, you know? The softer guy, the one that can’t attract the women as well? He’s going to be more likely to commit, because commitment means having the means available to him. If he’s in a committed relationship, he does not have to worry about going out and competing with the Fabios of the world and coming home empy-handed, as was a likely outcome. He bagged one! He can go home and be pretty much assured!

Yes, we’re talking about sex here. Yes it’s crude, but when they talk about “one-nighters,” as they were here, they don’t mean book readings; they mean sex. I’m just actually saying it.

Then they turned the tables and started asking questions of the women in the study. What do women find most attractive? Well they tried to be “PC” about it at first, saying that women like commitment, so they’re drawn to the men with the “softer features” (read: less attractive) because they like commitment. Well we all laughed, but the question was pressed, and it turns out that… women prefer the good-looking guys, and when they’re ovulating – when they’re the horniest – they chase after the best-looking guys. You know, those same ones from above that didn’t have to worry about going home empty-handed? Yeah those guys. Then when they want a man around to take care of committal things, they latch onto… the guys who weren’t good enough to get them riled up. Sweet. So there's still a place for guys like me, so women can be comforted and cry about how Mr. Universe broke their hearts after all the wild, unforgettable and absolutely unequaled sex. Just great!

So it turns out… that good looks are quite the draw, and people – women & men alike – are prone to chase after what they find attractive physically. WOW! You mean guys don’t often go out to bars and say things like “Wow check out that girl over there… She looks homely. Like she’s very sweet, with just the right hints of humor and political discourse to really make me open up to my true inner self.” Is that it? That’s the epiphany science has for us? Yeah. Yeah right, that’s what we think when we go out, sure...

What do we think? “Wow, look at that girl over there. She’s f*cking HOT. I’d like to…”

And what do the girls think? “Wow, check out that guy; He’s f*cking HOT. I’d like him to…”

Nice. I knew this already guys, thanks. Thanks for finally catching up with reality and this little thing we call Common Sense.



Other recent Common-Sense Findings in Science
A few months ago I saw a news spot about how they did a different study. In this one, they sat people down and then filmed them as they talked. They then had other people view the footage, with no sound, just watching the people’s motions and mannerisms. What did they want to know?

If people could pick out “gay” people just by their physical mannerisms. And what was the outcome? Sure enough, after years of “PC” telling us that that’s just stereotypical thinking and patently false, it turns out that “gaydar” really does exist; you CAN pick people’s sexual preferences out just by studying their mannerisms.

Geebus. I mean, we all knew this. If we would just be open enough to admit it, and separate the idea of knowing from being stereotypical… There’s this connotation that if you think or say you can tell a homosexual by their mannerisms, that you’re on the lookout because you’re a homophobe. No, maybe it’s just that you can tell a homosexual by their mannerisms – maybe the two aren’t necessarily linked.

Like if I were to say I could tell a black man from a white man by the color of his skin I’d be labelled a racist. You know, because I focused on the difference instead of the similarities. And that I think is what it is – in our society, you’re not allowed to mention the differences, because we’re “all equal" or some bullsh!t, which we tend to forget is not the same as "identical."

We’re all different too. Black is black. Just because someone’s black and I noticed does not mean that I think they are or that actually they are somehow less X or Y, just that they are in fact black. It’s OK to be black, right? So why so touchy? Seriously, making more of it than there is with that sort of behavior.

Any way, back to the gaydar thing. Yeah it’s real. Yes I can tell you apart. Calm down, folks. Hi, I’m just the average white guy. Oh no! You noticed I’m white! Now you think I’m KKK! SH!T.

Peace.

Tags: women

This morning on some morning “news” show (I don’t know or care to find out which), Rosie O’Donnell was a guest. This was a big deal, because you may not recall but she was on another morning-esque show called The View (11 years now, no way!), where she had a falling-out with the only good-looking chick on the show over the whole Iraq Debacle we now find ourselves in.

Anyway, some thoughts on the matter:


ROSIE, YOU’RE RIGHT ABOUT the WAR AND SUCH, OK?
Look, I agree with you. The war is a farce. And in fact I think your views are much less cynical than my own are. The pretty bitch was wrong, she’s dumb and she doesn’t think passed her own perky, plump boobs. But c’mon! You gotta tone down the oinking, OK? People see your ugly mug, badgering away with that obnoxious attitude of yours, and they then try to label all liberals as “Rosie clones” or something.

Look: I even agree that you have to fight hard against the right-wingers. They throw sticks and stones and you need to throw sticks and stones back. But you’re dropping bombs, and more importantly, you’re just annoying. Shut up. Do all of us left-leaners a favor, and have someone else make your points for you. Write them down. Give them to me if you must. Dammit!

And I also agree that rather than arguing over silly, minute differences, Barack & Hilary need to realize that they’re both running for the highest office in the world. A black man & a woman, this would have been less than a pipe-dream 30 years ago. It would have been considered suicide – in the literal sense – a mere 60 years ago. Yes, they need to get over themselves, and get to at least being polite and sincere with each other.

But again, coming from you, it means so much less. You’re destroying the very foundations you hold dear every time you talk. Stop talking, OK, before you unravel democracy!

HOW YOU'RE DOING IT
You say things that are just so out of the realm of reality. Yeah sure, you don’t watch any TV or have any internet access at home. How the hell do you know what’s being said about you then? Guess what? You’re not front-page news on the New York Times, dear. And uh, the rest of america cannot fathom how it is that someone who is so often plastered all over the damn devices cannot have access to them. Hey guess what, it would be hard for you to blog (video blogging to boot!) if you aren’t using a computer, OK? Give us a break, even the dumbass right-wing nutjobs can figure out that if you have a blog (with video!) that you probably, must maybe, might be using a computer. And the internet.

So you’re a liar. And a hypocrite. And so much more. Like extremely annoying. Even to those who agree with your premises. And to be quite honest, you’re just not that special. I don’t care. I don’t think a lot of people do. And those who “worship” you? Yeah, the rest of us “normies’ feel about the same towards them as we do towards you. Are you getting it? Picking up what I’m throwing down, as they say? White on rice? You good to go? We connecting yet?



And more on the important point (and peoples)
Barack… Hilary… Seriously you two, get over whatever it is. And get real, too. I feel like you two are giving the public lines they want to hear (rescue! Pull out! Yay!), when in reality we can’t achieve the overall goals we need to and actually do what you say.

Like, uh, pull out of Iraq? Have you thought through that quagmire? Seriously? Yes, that's what we should do, tear apart a country with war... and then leave. Yeah I'm sure that wouldn't stain our image in the world any, huh? Oh, and saving the housing market? Are you for real? How the hell are your constituents going to afford homes if you don’t let the prices settle down to normal levels? You can’t bail out the mortgage industry and lower prices at the same time, sorry. Gonna have to let that crumble, my dears, if you really have the people's interests in mind here.

Dammit you two, I don’t want to have to run myself. I can’t. I have a few more years before I’m eligible. Get it right.Or email me. I’m available for consulting.

I’ll be checking my inbox. Hourly.

Peace.

Tags: women, hate, housing Crisis

So a few nights ago we went to the symphony. They did Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake (remember I had said that it was Mozart; I was wrong – that’s next month). It was very pretty.

I have lots of classical music in my collection. But nothing can really compare to the depth, the power of the live orchestra. It’s magical. The music is alive, you feel it and it’s a wonderful experience, it really is. Tonight was the first that I have ever been to see an orchestra live. I liked it. I liked it a lot. I – I think we may make this “Our Thing,” as it were. It’s just too bad that they’re off the charts after next month. I think the “season” opens up again in October. Nice. Hopefully in time for my birthday. Buy me a present, btw.



Dairy farming: Organic vs “Conventional”
I was reading some “Did You Know” facts about a local dairy co-op while on lunch @ work the other day. They were saying that 19 of their members were “conventional” dairy farmers and 24 were Organic. And it got me thinking. It’s a simple question, and it’s a simple answer.

What is “Conventional?” And what is “Organic?” Conventional is by definition what is done ‘normally.’ Organic is taken to mean that the product is raised/groomed/created without the use of synthetic chemicals. Up until sometime around the middle of the last century, there were not many synthetic chemicals to bother mentioning. And it seemed to me, isn’t ‘Organic’ actually ‘Conventional?’

I mean, that’s the way it’s typically done, in nature for sure, and also around most of the globe and throughout history. Conventional is Organic. At least it should be. I am not sure why it’s perverted now, though.

They should rename ‘Conventional’ to more accurately describe what it is: “Hormone- & Unnatural Antibiotic-infested farming.” Or they could just shorten it to “Unnatural Farming.” I’d be OK with that too.

Seriously though, think about that next time you hear the word ‘Conventional.’ It sounds very low-key, very tame, something that you could take for granted. But really think about what it’s being applied to. It seems to me that just like “No Child Left Behind” was a victory of title over substance, they are using language to quell any fears that what they’re really doing might arouse. No one wants to buy milk that comes from “Hormone- & Unnatural Antibiotic-infested farming,” or even “Unnatural Farming.” But hey, Milk from “Conventional” farming methods? That doesn’t sound so bad!

Yeah. I’m all-organic, baby. And proud. And healthy. Thanks, I’ll pass on the “Conventional.”

Peace.

Tags: earth conditions

Today I got in my workout. Yay for me, except that I had to laugh at myself once I was damn near through.

See, I had started doing my back exercises, and I felt really strong. So I upped the weight a little, then a little more… 20 pounds more than I would normally do. Like, 20 pounds more than I would have done the last time I did them. That’s quite an improvement! Trust me!

Well it seemed like quite an improvement. Until I was damn near done, and I realized that I had put on the 25lb plates instead of the 35lb plates I normally use. Whoops!

Anyway, I guess it goes to show that I know my limits rather well. (2x25+20=70; 2x35=70).



The Guffaw over LeBron & Vogue
I got a glimpse of the “provacative” Vogue Cover featuring LeBron James & Giselle Bundchen (she’s hot btw). But have you heard all the ruckus over the perceived “racial overtones” of the cover? You know, that it portrays black males in a “vicious manner,” with an angry face and “clutching” a helpless white woman…

I know it sounds absurd, but in reality I see where they’re coming from. It DOES look like a scene from King Kong (the good version, not the “Jack Black’s in it totally f*cking it up version.” I hate Jack Black, btw). What would have been so bad about him being dressed to the nines? He could have still held a ball or something. Why have him in such an “active” stance, with such a scowl on his face (yes I know he’s almost smiling, but still it’s not a “hi nice to see you” sort of appearance either)?

They may not have necessarily meant it in that way, but they should have nabbed that before it went to print. Voque’s been around awhile, their covers are usually pretty well-conceived; this might not have been intentional, but it probably wasn’t an accident, either.



Did you see this video yet?
If you know me personally, then I already emailed it to you. But if you don’t know me personally, then maybe you haven’t seen this video.

It’s a rather lengthy video by internet standards (upwards of 20 minutes), but also very important. It’s also very spot-on. I’ve been saying essentially the same thing for years, and I’ve seen how people tune out; it’s funny how quickly people will bury their heads in the sand and just claim ignorance, so they can continue being someone else’s pawn.

Anyway, I didn’t learn anything from the video. Which isn’t to say that I’m smarter than anyone, only saying that it’s not news, if you’ve listened to me you may recognize some of what the narrator says. But it’s put together well, and ties a lot of things together nicely.

Definitely worth checking out. What are you waiting for? Click already!

Peace.

Tags: earth conditions, hate, Gym

They keep on saying that we need to bail out the damn mortgage industry, some sort of “economic stimulus” plan, prop it all up with some $30 billion. I just don’t get it.

To me, it would seem that amounts to perpetuating the republican agenda. I mean, the dems didn’t create the housing boom, it serves the purpose of keeping most of the people (whom they’re supposed to be “for”) out of one of the biggest facets of the American Dream… yet they keep right on going for that. Election year politics? Man, f*ck.

Sorry, but propping up the housing market serves no one except the people looking to turn around and sell for profit sometime soon. The m