“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember: Amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic”
Anyone that says this doesn’t think for themself. For starters, the Ark is part of a myth that couldn’t have possibly happened. The myth describes a god committing the ultimate act of genocide. The Titanic also involved many people dying. What kind of person turns such monstrous events into a trite quip about not being afraid to take chances? This is on par with making jokes about 9/11, D-Day, the attack on Pearl Harbor, or the Indonesian Tsunami.
This isn’t me being sensitive. Often such ridiculous statements are made with conclusionary smugness. This is me seeing that bullshit and attacking it head-on.
Apology to offended readers: If you used that phrase yourself in the past, don’t take my words here personally. This is just a call to people to think about where this stuff comes from before blindly repeating it.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Big 2001 Vacation: Part 4: 11/14/01
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor's Arizona Memorial and Bowfin Museum were interesting. I've see[n] just about everything there on the Discovery Channel, though seeing the Arizona first hand does make you remember the sacrifices made [by] all [who fought] in WWII. I was most impacted by seeing the Arizona bleed its oil, one drip at a time. They form the occational rainbow colored film on the surface of the water. That, to me, is the greatest reminder of all those who died there.
{I felt that the experience leading up to the visit to the Arizona Memorial was cheezy. First, you are given a number. You wait around for a couple of hours. They finally call your number. You get in line. You are then filed into a theater. You watch a short documentatory on the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the sinking of the Arizona. Then, everyone is herded onto a ferry that takes you to the Memorial that stands over the Arizona. Interviews with vets and battle sounds are piped through the ferry's speakers. I felt this was complete unnecessary. My journal entry referred to how I felt once I reached the Arizona Memorial itself. Everything leading up to that felt like someone was telling me how I should feel once I reach the memorial. As I said, cheezy.}
Pearl Harbor's Arizona Memorial and Bowfin Museum were interesting. I've see[n] just about everything there on the Discovery Channel, though seeing the Arizona first hand does make you remember the sacrifices made [by] all [who fought] in WWII. I was most impacted by seeing the Arizona bleed its oil, one drip at a time. They form the occational rainbow colored film on the surface of the water. That, to me, is the greatest reminder of all those who died there.
{I felt that the experience leading up to the visit to the Arizona Memorial was cheezy. First, you are given a number. You wait around for a couple of hours. They finally call your number. You get in line. You are then filed into a theater. You watch a short documentatory on the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the sinking of the Arizona. Then, everyone is herded onto a ferry that takes you to the Memorial that stands over the Arizona. Interviews with vets and battle sounds are piped through the ferry's speakers. I felt this was complete unnecessary. My journal entry referred to how I felt once I reached the Arizona Memorial itself. Everything leading up to that felt like someone was telling me how I should feel once I reach the memorial. As I said, cheezy.}
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Big 2001 Vacation: Part 3: 11/13/01
Hawaii [Oahu] Honolulu
Right off the plane, the air was a surprise, but not bad, just humid. {Apparently, my writing skills have improved in the years since I wrote that statement.} The flight itself was pleasant and smooth. I sat next to Julie from the San Francisco area. She told me how she used to love to fly but now had a phobia cuz of one flight to Chicago last year, which was really bad. She’s an ER nurse and related several tales from her job. Some of them included strange thangs guys got there dick stuck in, oh and this one guy with a bullet in his head. {On our Oahu approach , I was amazed at the sight of the Hawaii Island chain from our altitude. I could see island after island to the horizon. Each island appeared to be nothing more than a rock sticking out of the water.}
Tuesday, I spent settling in and doing a bit of exploring around Waikiki. I feel asleep around 8:00pm, woke up at 6:45am Wed. I’m now on Hawaii time for sleep, but still adjusting to different eating times. I’m not hungry and hungry at odd times…my stomach is still on Cali time. I spent some time on Waikiki beach and had dinner at this restaurant at the end of Lewere St. near the beach. It was ok, a coconut chicken plate, but it as a bit dry.
{Wow, I talked about sleep and food. I really had an exciting first day in Hawaii. lol}
Right off the plane, the air was a surprise, but not bad, just humid. {Apparently, my writing skills have improved in the years since I wrote that statement.} The flight itself was pleasant and smooth. I sat next to Julie from the San Francisco area. She told me how she used to love to fly but now had a phobia cuz of one flight to Chicago last year, which was really bad. She’s an ER nurse and related several tales from her job. Some of them included strange thangs guys got there dick stuck in, oh and this one guy with a bullet in his head. {On our Oahu approach , I was amazed at the sight of the Hawaii Island chain from our altitude. I could see island after island to the horizon. Each island appeared to be nothing more than a rock sticking out of the water.}
Tuesday, I spent settling in and doing a bit of exploring around Waikiki. I feel asleep around 8:00pm, woke up at 6:45am Wed. I’m now on Hawaii time for sleep, but still adjusting to different eating times. I’m not hungry and hungry at odd times…my stomach is still on Cali time. I spent some time on Waikiki beach and had dinner at this restaurant at the end of Lewere St. near the beach. It was ok, a coconut chicken plate, but it as a bit dry.
{Wow, I talked about sleep and food. I really had an exciting first day in Hawaii. lol}
Monday, March 14, 2005
Sat. 2005 Birthday Bash!
My belated birthday party (a.k.a., cleaver excuse to get a bunch of my friends together) turned out great. I pretty sure everyone had a good time. Sixteen of us trickled in between 6 and 7 at the Tied House in San Padro Square, Downtown San Jose. A couple of people brought gifts. Totally unnecessary, but very thoughtful. Dinner turned out to be very enjoyable. The food was good that night. I was actually surprised how well everyone was getting along.
I wasn’t the only one celebrating my birthday either. There was three of us that have our birthdays around the same time, so I got to share the embarrassment of being sung too. ::evil grin::
After dinner, I had planned to show up at this place 251 in Downtown Mountain View. Well, the place had a bit of a face lift and name change since the last time I was there, about a month ago. It was a surprise to have to pay a $10 cover, but it was too late to turn back, so we filtered into the Buddha Lounge (the new name). Everyone migrated to the areas that best suited them. Some people took over the sofas, others covered part of one bar, and part of another bar. Some of us took over the small upstairs area. And a few of us got thangs started on the dance floor. I even got hit on by a couple of random girls at one point, which I promptly blow off, of course. :)
Thanks to everyone for making the event so great!
I wasn’t the only one celebrating my birthday either. There was three of us that have our birthdays around the same time, so I got to share the embarrassment of being sung too. ::evil grin::
After dinner, I had planned to show up at this place 251 in Downtown Mountain View. Well, the place had a bit of a face lift and name change since the last time I was there, about a month ago. It was a surprise to have to pay a $10 cover, but it was too late to turn back, so we filtered into the Buddha Lounge (the new name). Everyone migrated to the areas that best suited them. Some people took over the sofas, others covered part of one bar, and part of another bar. Some of us took over the small upstairs area. And a few of us got thangs started on the dance floor. I even got hit on by a couple of random girls at one point, which I promptly blow off, of course. :)
Thanks to everyone for making the event so great!
Big 2001 Vacation: Part 2: 11/10/01-11/12/01
Reno[, NV]
Carol-Ann is an interesting person. She’s Ronie’s Mother, and I can see the similarities. Carol-Ann worries a bit more than Ronie though. We left on a trip to Reno for a comped stay, at Harrid’s.
I gambled, and lost for 2 days. Not bad for a beginner. Carol-Ann played the slots constantly, going up and down on winnings and losses. She had a great time. I had a good time on slots and then blow my limited winnings and everything else on Blackjack and Roulette. I think I[‘m] finally starting to figure [out Roulette]. (of course that’s a joke). {Actually, I did start to understand how to play Roulette effectively. Since then, I usually leave the Roulette table nearly breaking even, if not actually winning.} Carol-Ann was worried that we would get snowed in, but we didn’t of course.
We saw three shows. [We saw a]n adorable fashion show from Macy’s by Harrids employees. The kids stole the show. We saw an adult review. We sat close enough to be under the dancers’ high kicks. The Gordie Brown show was funny, and fun.
Guess what, we didn’t get snowed in, but had we stayed longer, we would’ve.
{An other thing I remember was at the Blackjack tables where the dealers were getting upset at me cuz I was playing so very poorly. I guess they felt I was screwing everyone else up too.}
Carol-Ann is an interesting person. She’s Ronie’s Mother, and I can see the similarities. Carol-Ann worries a bit more than Ronie though. We left on a trip to Reno for a comped stay, at Harrid’s.
I gambled, and lost for 2 days. Not bad for a beginner. Carol-Ann played the slots constantly, going up and down on winnings and losses. She had a great time. I had a good time on slots and then blow my limited winnings and everything else on Blackjack and Roulette. I think I[‘m] finally starting to figure [out Roulette]. (of course that’s a joke). {Actually, I did start to understand how to play Roulette effectively. Since then, I usually leave the Roulette table nearly breaking even, if not actually winning.} Carol-Ann was worried that we would get snowed in, but we didn’t of course.
We saw three shows. [We saw a]n adorable fashion show from Macy’s by Harrids employees. The kids stole the show. We saw an adult review. We sat close enough to be under the dancers’ high kicks. The Gordie Brown show was funny, and fun.
Guess what, we didn’t get snowed in, but had we stayed longer, we would’ve.
{An other thing I remember was at the Blackjack tables where the dealers were getting upset at me cuz I was playing so very poorly. I guess they felt I was screwing everyone else up too.}
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Big 2001 vacation, Part 1: Introduction
I'm starting a new, short series of entries transcribed from my preblog
Travel Diary of my vacation of Nov 2001. No single event from this
vacation was life altering, but the trip on whole acted as a catalyst to
open the door for my spiritual enlightment. That sounds like an
overstatement, but it's not. Weird that upon reading these transcriptions,
I don't think you will see the transformation. I know I don't. I just
know how I was before, how I am now, and that this trip occurred at the
crossroads. Maybe Hawaii cleansed my spirit of most of its negativity.
Maybe the trip simply allowed me the excuse to let the last bits of the
younger me go.
Oddly, the first stop on this trip is Reno, NV.
...
___
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Thursday, March 10, 2005
Week wasn't so bad
My last week (when I g/f was out of town) wasn't so bad. I didn't do anything wild or have nights later than 10:30pm, but I did hang out with a variety of my friends successively. On Weds, Dave came over and hung out at my place for awhile. Thurs, I had a relaxing dinner and coffee shop stop with Chi. Fri, Jenn and her friend met up with me and former co-workers of theirs at a British pub. Sat, I spent doing my laundry ALL DAY and NIGHT. Sun, Miriam cooked dinner for me and we watched Collatoral (eh). Her 5 year old daughter gave me an adorable birthday card with a picture of me and hearts, and a cutout loose bow tie. I haven't worn a bow tie since I was 8, I think. hehe Chi and I talked about a bunch of stuff over dinner on Monday.
Then, finally on Tues, my g/f was back in town. FINALLY! I missed her. :p I'll be able to see almost everyone again this weekend for my belated b/d gathering. It's shaping up to be a diverse and fun crowd!
Then, finally on Tues, my g/f was back in town. FINALLY! I missed her. :p I'll be able to see almost everyone again this weekend for my belated b/d gathering. It's shaping up to be a diverse and fun crowd!
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Hunger
I guess I’m not meant to eat breakfast this morning. First, I head to a donut shop close by my home, on my way to work. They are out of milk. I really can’t eat a donut without milk, so I’m like thanks but sorry. Then I stop at a quicky-mart up the road. No donuts or milk. Alright, so I’ll just get pop tarts from the vending machine at work. Well, I get to work, go to the lunch room. The dang vendor it busy loading the vending machine, and he’s taking forever! Arg. ::hungry::
Monday, March 07, 2005
Intelligent Design
“When are people going wake up and realize that [evolution] is trash science,” said Pat Robertson today, 3/7/05.
It’s funny that fundamentalist put so much effort into trashing the Theory of Evolution. In the past, the only alternative that has been offered is the first two chapters of Genesis. Of course, the first two chapters of Genesis have two completely separate and contradictory creation myths. Fundamentalist try to pretend it’s one story, but is a sticky point that is often used to catch them in their lies (that is, taking only parts of the bible completely literally and ignoring or explaining away sections that contradict their beliefs).
So, Intelligent Design is invited. Intelligent Design attempts to prove that a creator must be the explanation for life on Earth, and its diversity, without making direct reference to the bible or a god. Intelligent Design promoters have come up with all kinds of trick formulae, mental exercises, and baseless assumptions in the effort to build up a body of support for their ideas. However, the biggest point that makes Intelligent Design nearly useless is that its promoters don’t use the scientific method to falsify hypotheses. It is not enough to say that one has evidence for a hypothesis. One must also try to find evidence that contradicts their hypothesis. Absolutely no one that is out promoting Intelligent Design has done that.
In my opinion, the people promoting Intelligent Design don’t care whether or not they are speaking truth. They are spurred on by money, taking advantage of the ignorant masses seeking a remedy to the contradiction between the bible and reality. Basically, Intelligent Design promoters are snake-oil-salesmen, pushing a do-nothing product on unsuspecting people.
In science, it is usually healthy to have opposing views battling out the facts until the truth is discovered. The 20th Century’s great example of this battle was between Big Bang Theory and Steady State Theory. Of course, the Big Bang Theory evidential won the day, but not before Steady State Theory studies had an impact on our understanding of the Universe. Steady State supporters made several important discoveries. Ultimately these discoveries ended up providing further proof for the Big Bang Theory, but without opposing views driving research, it may have taken much longer to understand our visible Universe.
Here’s my challenge to Intelligent Design promoters. Stop selling snail-oil and start taking science seriously. Only then is it possible that their contributions will play and important role in our understanding of the origin of species. Until that unlikely day, there is no practical use for Intelligent Design. Using the scientific method to study nature as it is (and not just how we want it to be) provides endless insights and benefits to everyone. The Theory of Evolution is practical science that is playing a role in making new discoveries. Intelligent Design provides no insights or benefits into anything because it ends the search for further discovery.
**Update 9/23/2013: I stand justified of my opinion according to this recent article: Discovery Institute is a con-profit scam.**
It’s funny that fundamentalist put so much effort into trashing the Theory of Evolution. In the past, the only alternative that has been offered is the first two chapters of Genesis. Of course, the first two chapters of Genesis have two completely separate and contradictory creation myths. Fundamentalist try to pretend it’s one story, but is a sticky point that is often used to catch them in their lies (that is, taking only parts of the bible completely literally and ignoring or explaining away sections that contradict their beliefs).
So, Intelligent Design is invited. Intelligent Design attempts to prove that a creator must be the explanation for life on Earth, and its diversity, without making direct reference to the bible or a god. Intelligent Design promoters have come up with all kinds of trick formulae, mental exercises, and baseless assumptions in the effort to build up a body of support for their ideas. However, the biggest point that makes Intelligent Design nearly useless is that its promoters don’t use the scientific method to falsify hypotheses. It is not enough to say that one has evidence for a hypothesis. One must also try to find evidence that contradicts their hypothesis. Absolutely no one that is out promoting Intelligent Design has done that.
In my opinion, the people promoting Intelligent Design don’t care whether or not they are speaking truth. They are spurred on by money, taking advantage of the ignorant masses seeking a remedy to the contradiction between the bible and reality. Basically, Intelligent Design promoters are snake-oil-salesmen, pushing a do-nothing product on unsuspecting people.
In science, it is usually healthy to have opposing views battling out the facts until the truth is discovered. The 20th Century’s great example of this battle was between Big Bang Theory and Steady State Theory. Of course, the Big Bang Theory evidential won the day, but not before Steady State Theory studies had an impact on our understanding of the Universe. Steady State supporters made several important discoveries. Ultimately these discoveries ended up providing further proof for the Big Bang Theory, but without opposing views driving research, it may have taken much longer to understand our visible Universe.
Here’s my challenge to Intelligent Design promoters. Stop selling snail-oil and start taking science seriously. Only then is it possible that their contributions will play and important role in our understanding of the origin of species. Until that unlikely day, there is no practical use for Intelligent Design. Using the scientific method to study nature as it is (and not just how we want it to be) provides endless insights and benefits to everyone. The Theory of Evolution is practical science that is playing a role in making new discoveries. Intelligent Design provides no insights or benefits into anything because it ends the search for further discovery.
**Update 9/23/2013: I stand justified of my opinion according to this recent article: Discovery Institute is a con-profit scam.**
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
Movies this Year I wanna see (as of right now)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith [May]
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [April]
Batman Begins [June]
Million Dollar Baby
Kingdom of Heaven [May]
War of the Worlds [June]
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory [July]
Sin City [April]
Pink Panther [Sept]
The Aviator
A Scanner Darkly [Sept]
Fantastic Four [July]
I've recently seen Hitch. It's counts as a chick-flick, but it's actually pretty damn entertaining for us guys too. If anything, I've learned a few dance moves from the movie ::doin the q-tip:: lol
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
I'm finally well
Sheeze, I'm finally well. The flu and its damage is gone. Dang this thang took a toll on me. Yeah, I feel normal again. Now I have to shave off this dang beard I've grown while sick. That will be annoying.
Monday, February 21, 2005
It hits me
My hearts doing a little aching right now. Sometimes it hits me, I miss Bevie. Of course, looking through old artifacts tends to be a catalyst for memories. I miss her love. I miss being able to give her my love. I miss her.
Knarly Flu
Man, I had one knarly flu. I haven't been this sick since 1998. Word has it that Santa Cruz is the source of a new flu. I think I had it. Oh yeah, I'm one of the first. This year's flu shoot will cover it...too late for any California's, I'm betting, not that I'd get a flu shoot anyway. I normally only get the flu once every couple of years, and usually not so terrible that I need more than a day off. This time, I was sick for a week, and prolly worked less than 16 hours for that week.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
V-DAy weekEND and nOw
V-Day weekend turned about to be nearly perfect, even in timing. My g/f and I meet up with her parents for breakfast on Saturday morning. Afterwards, my g/f and I started our romantic weekend by going to both our places, gathering our suit cases and driving up to a nice Hotel along the coast on the Pennisula. We got there just the right time for check-in. Then we headed to SF for some browsing in downtown. Like clockwork, we instinctively knew when to take off and head for dinner and a movie (Hitch) in Japan Town. We got back to the Hotel and had a wonderfully romantic night, enjoying the Jacuzzi. The next morning, we got up kinda late. We found this little donut shop for breakfast, then headed down for a nice afternoon at the SF Museum of Modern Art. We finished up with that and just headed home, just in time for me to start feeling sick from the flu. I don't get the flu very often at all (like once every two years). Thank god for my g/f who treated me right the rest of the night and Monday night too. I'm still sick, but I have my energy back.
Anyways, the whole weekend, it just felt like we were in the right place at the right time the whole time. :)
Anyways, the whole weekend, it just felt like we were in the right place at the right time the whole time. :)
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