Friday, March 25, 2005
National Annoy Matt Week
I'd just like to say a few parting word to National Annoy Matt Week. This week has been filled with little annoyances. Good riddens to this week. Well, the week hasn't been bad. I've spent some quality time with my g/f, a couple of my best friends and m...ok...I'm starting to figure this out. It's not National Annoy Matt Week. It's National Annoy Matt During the Day Week. Honestly, my evenings have been pretty good. It's the daytime hours that are annoying. So, good riddens to the annoying times at day. A fond ado to the rest. Please hurry up and get here, oh weekend!
Big 2001 Vacation: Part 10: 11/17/01 Evening
[I took the] catamoran off the coast [of Waikiki] for the sundown. The mai tais were flowing nonstop. [Everyone] watched the sun set.
A group of us sat on the netting in the front and talked and took pictures and had a good time. Two friends were named Jenn and Jenn. Kinda funny, even if it wasn't [their real] names. I enjoyed relaxing [on the] ride. {Relaxing, downing mai tais, watching the sun set, and chatting made for peaceful and relaxing evening. I did feel a bit out of place at times though, going stag and all. Plans to meet up with a couple of people had fallen through on the trip, so I made the best of it. Thankfully, it wasn't an issue often. There are a lot of friendly people in Hawaii. Side note: the corrections I made to this journal entry are more for clarity than the fixing of errors.}
A group of us sat on the netting in the front and talked and took pictures and had a good time. Two friends were named Jenn and Jenn. Kinda funny, even if it wasn't [their real] names. I enjoyed relaxing [on the] ride. {Relaxing, downing mai tais, watching the sun set, and chatting made for peaceful and relaxing evening. I did feel a bit out of place at times though, going stag and all. Plans to meet up with a couple of people had fallen through on the trip, so I made the best of it. Thankfully, it wasn't an issue often. There are a lot of friendly people in Hawaii. Side note: the corrections I made to this journal entry are more for clarity than the fixing of errors.}
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Big 2001 Vacation: Part 9: 11/17/01 Morning
Hanauma Bay
I snorkeled for hours. There were tons and tons [of] schools of tropical fish. Beautiful. The reefs were beautiful. There was a [small] shark and eel too. I didn’t see them though.
It was very fun. I was able to swim in deeper waters and in the reefs. The fish were everywhere. It was incredible.
I made sure I was well protected by sunscreen. There are a ton of new freckles. [M]y back shoulders look like I’m a [cheetah].
{This is a surprisingly short and poorly written journal entry, given how much I enjoyed snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. I’ll go into more detail now. I got to Hanauma Bay very early in the morning. If one doesn’t get there early, one will have to wait in line behind large crowds of people all waiting their turns. I snorkeled for about an hour, then sunbathed for ½ hour, on and off all morning. Hanauma Bay has two reefs areas.
The inner area is very rocky and shallow. The number of fish is moderate, prolly because this is the area where most of the human kids cause a ruckus daily. However, I so amazed by the variety of fish, clarity of the water and rock/coral formations, I used up my underwater disposal camera there. One time I played with this poor little baby flat fish (I forget what type). It was the color of the sand. To hide, it simply laid down on the sandy bottom and fluffed up sand over itself. I remember seeing a huge, full grown version of this critter in the submarine ride the day before.
I wish I hadn’t used up my camera in the inner reef area because the outer area was
even more incredible. Large schools of all kinds of small and large fish were on patrol. I managed to swim into a couple of schools a few times. I wish I had pictures of the outer reef area. I remember looking down from the surface to see schools of fish swimming around the coral reef formations that stuck straight of the unspoiled sand 30 feet below me. At about 11:30am, the beach and water got too crowded with people. It got hard to swim without some dumb kids bumping into me. After sun-drying myself, I took off. On my out, I noticed this one golden skinned girl blatantly take off her top to sunbath topless on the beach. I had to mention that cuz it’s not a common site in the U.S., regardless of location. I think she wasn’t American. On the tram ride back up to the parking lot, I looked back to take in the beauty of Hanauma Bay from high up. I’m sure there are much better places to snorkel, but even this lowly experience blow me away.
The photos in this blog entry are links to their full size versions.}
UPDATE: By complete randomness, I just came across this blog entry of Waikiki pics.
I snorkeled for hours. There were tons and tons [of] schools of tropical fish. Beautiful. The reefs were beautiful. There was a [small] shark and eel too. I didn’t see them though.
It was very fun. I was able to swim in deeper waters and in the reefs. The fish were everywhere. It was incredible.
I made sure I was well protected by sunscreen. There are a ton of new freckles. [M]y back shoulders look like I’m a [cheetah].{This is a surprisingly short and poorly written journal entry, given how much I enjoyed snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. I’ll go into more detail now. I got to Hanauma Bay very early in the morning. If one doesn’t get there early, one will have to wait in line behind large crowds of people all waiting their turns. I snorkeled for about an hour, then sunbathed for ½ hour, on and off all morning. Hanauma Bay has two reefs areas.
The inner area is very rocky and shallow. The number of fish is moderate, prolly because this is the area where most of the human kids cause a ruckus daily. However, I so amazed by the variety of fish, clarity of the water and rock/coral formations, I used up my underwater disposal camera there. One time I played with this poor little baby flat fish (I forget what type). It was the color of the sand. To hide, it simply laid down on the sandy bottom and fluffed up sand over itself. I remember seeing a huge, full grown version of this critter in the submarine ride the day before.I wish I hadn’t used up my camera in the inner reef area because the outer area was
even more incredible. Large schools of all kinds of small and large fish were on patrol. I managed to swim into a couple of schools a few times. I wish I had pictures of the outer reef area. I remember looking down from the surface to see schools of fish swimming around the coral reef formations that stuck straight of the unspoiled sand 30 feet below me. At about 11:30am, the beach and water got too crowded with people. It got hard to swim without some dumb kids bumping into me. After sun-drying myself, I took off. On my out, I noticed this one golden skinned girl blatantly take off her top to sunbath topless on the beach. I had to mention that cuz it’s not a common site in the U.S., regardless of location. I think she wasn’t American. On the tram ride back up to the parking lot, I looked back to take in the beauty of Hanauma Bay from high up. I’m sure there are much better places to snorkel, but even this lowly experience blow me away. The photos in this blog entry are links to their full size versions.}
UPDATE: By complete randomness, I just came across this blog entry of Waikiki pics.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Big 2001 Vacation: Part 8: 11/16/01 Night
The Wave Night Club
The music wasn’t [as] loud as I expected. Still had a good club volume, but not ear numbing. A band of two female leads did covers of Blink 182, Linkin Park and others. It was fun.
I [hung out] with a couple of girls [for much of the night], but they [were] there with their men. {For the record, they were flirting with me. At the time, I just didn’t feel like getting involved with the drama.} Oh well.
After I was done drinking, I got a water and hung out at the bar, getting ready to head out. Th[is] one girl sat next to me and started leaning on me and sticking her cigarette in my direction, try[ing] to get my attention. I didn’t have a good feeling about her, so I tried to ignore her. Didn’t work. [S]he started telling me [about] the cab {which she rode in} had those auto[matic] doors, and she fell [out] on[to] her ass [when it opened on her]. {To this day, I don’t know what she was talking about. I’ve never heard of automatic doors on cabs before or since. I do know that this girl annoyed me.} I rubbed her hurt tush for a little bit, but started to [try to] find a way out. She finally went off to dance [with her girlfriend]. I was done for the night, so I headed back to the hotel about 3a.m. It was a fun time in general.
{There are tons of errors in this entry. I must’ve written this right when I got back to the hotel.}
The music wasn’t [as] loud as I expected. Still had a good club volume, but not ear numbing. A band of two female leads did covers of Blink 182, Linkin Park and others. It was fun.
I [hung out] with a couple of girls [for much of the night], but they [were] there with their men. {For the record, they were flirting with me. At the time, I just didn’t feel like getting involved with the drama.} Oh well.
After I was done drinking, I got a water and hung out at the bar, getting ready to head out. Th[is] one girl sat next to me and started leaning on me and sticking her cigarette in my direction, try[ing] to get my attention. I didn’t have a good feeling about her, so I tried to ignore her. Didn’t work. [S]he started telling me [about] the cab {which she rode in} had those auto[matic] doors, and she fell [out] on[to] her ass [when it opened on her]. {To this day, I don’t know what she was talking about. I’ve never heard of automatic doors on cabs before or since. I do know that this girl annoyed me.} I rubbed her hurt tush for a little bit, but started to [try to] find a way out. She finally went off to dance [with her girlfriend]. I was done for the night, so I headed back to the hotel about 3a.m. It was a fun time in general.
{There are tons of errors in this entry. I must’ve written this right when I got back to the hotel.}
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Big 2001 Vacation: Part 7: 11/16/01 Day
Waikiki
I went on a beautiful submarine ride [off] the [coast] of Waikiki. [When] I first went snorkeling the other day; I was impressed by the number of fish in the water right [off] the beach. Well, multiply that by 1000 at the artificial reefs at 75' under the Waikiki bay waters.
There were large schools of tons of tropical fish. Three large turtles showed up, and a ray, and a small shark. {The deep water was so blue, as if we were in the largest swimming pool in the world. Many of the natural reefs had been destroyed by a large storm about a decade prior to my visit. Several sunken ships and some old airplane wreckage served as the start of new reefs. The submarine ride cost $99. I feel I more than got my money’s worth.}
{As part of a promotional consideration, after the submarine ride, guests were bussed to a coral driver jewelry maker for a tour of their facilities.} Time keeps slipping by today. It seems like hours vanished throughout the day…kinda sucks. I was going [to] go snorkeling today, but lost track of time somewhere. Don’t know how.
Anyways, a friend gave me the number of his friend on the islands. We’ve been playing the longest game of phone tag I’ve ever played. Humorous and annoying. She left a message saying she has bron[ch]itis. That sucks. Kills my original plans for the weekend…still going to go out, but not as much fun alone.
Man, I hope the pictures I took from the sub came out…we’ll see. {Who’s this "we" that I keep talking about? lol}Ya’no, I miss Kaua’i. :)
Now, let’s see how tonight shapes [up].
I went on a beautiful submarine ride [off] the [coast] of Waikiki. [When] I first went snorkeling the other day; I was impressed by the number of fish in the water right [off] the beach. Well, multiply that by 1000 at the artificial reefs at 75' under the Waikiki bay waters.
There were large schools of tons of tropical fish. Three large turtles showed up, and a ray, and a small shark. {The deep water was so blue, as if we were in the largest swimming pool in the world. Many of the natural reefs had been destroyed by a large storm about a decade prior to my visit. Several sunken ships and some old airplane wreckage served as the start of new reefs. The submarine ride cost $99. I feel I more than got my money’s worth.}
{As part of a promotional consideration, after the submarine ride, guests were bussed to a coral driver jewelry maker for a tour of their facilities.} Time keeps slipping by today. It seems like hours vanished throughout the day…kinda sucks. I was going [to] go snorkeling today, but lost track of time somewhere. Don’t know how.
Anyways, a friend gave me the number of his friend on the islands. We’ve been playing the longest game of phone tag I’ve ever played. Humorous and annoying. She left a message saying she has bron[ch]itis. That sucks. Kills my original plans for the weekend…still going to go out, but not as much fun alone.
Man, I hope the pictures I took from the sub came out…we’ll see. {Who’s this "we" that I keep talking about? lol}Ya’no, I miss Kaua’i. :)
Now, let’s see how tonight shapes [up].
Monday, March 21, 2005
Big 2001 Vacation: Part 6: 11/15/01
Kaua’i
No words can do this place justice. The island is very very beautiful. It’s called “The Garden Island.” This must be a reference to the Garden of Eden. Today, I’m told, is unusually clear for a fall month. {No clouds shrouded the volcano summit.} My God, it is beautiful. I drive up to the North Shore and was frustrated that I had to keep my eyes on the road instead of taking in the isle’s glory.
Everyone here is so laid back. I even picked up a hitchhiker. His name was Tim. [H]e was in his 50’s, but was young for his age. I didn’t take him far before we were at his destination. Hitchhiking is still common place here, like what I’ve heard the early 70’s were like on the Mainland.{Arg, I really did use the word “Mainland.” LOL Ok, I got to the island early in the morning. As I was driving up to North Shore, I noticed a 10 year old boy hitchhiking. It was like 6 or 7 in the morning. I was thinking about what the hell his parents were thinking letting him do this. Later I figured out that the locals treat hitchhiking same as mass transit. They line up at what appear to be specific locations, as if waiting for cabs or a bus, taking their turn as cars pulled up.}
The helicopter ride was awesome. The island is awesome to behold. [W]ords just don’t do this place justice. {Didn’t I say that already?} The canyons are…I don’t know the word. The tour had a video to sell at the end, but the video doesn’t do this isle justice, and neither do photos. 
The helicopter ride itself was fun, going in to valleys, over the ocean, into the great crater of the volcano that built the island. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I’m in love with Kaua’i. {Check out these two silly photos I took with my I-Zone camera. :) I took real photos too. See the link at the end of this entry}I drove down to Poipu after the helicopter ride. The beach was good…on the surface, nothing special, at least until [I swam] in it. The water is crystal clear, and (for the time of day) clam. I snorkeled in Waikiki, but didn’t have the gear to snorkel here. I wish I did. I swam in the waters, then sunbathed dry. It hit [me] on the drive back to the airport that I felt completely renewed, energized, refreshed. Wow!
I’m setting [here] at the [airport] bar chatting with the barkeep and the waitress talking about “[written unintelligibly]” and “Dakine” (sp?). Hawaiians use these words excessively. (Dakine) = anything that is usual. “I’m going to the store” = “I’m going Dakine.” It’s kind of funny. The waitress’ name is Berrie. She’s interesting, about my age, two kids and was pretty much telling me her life story.
I’m coming back [to] Kaua’i again, maybe next year.{Check out my photos from the helicopter ride.}
No words can do this place justice. The island is very very beautiful. It’s called “The Garden Island.” This must be a reference to the Garden of Eden. Today, I’m told, is unusually clear for a fall month. {No clouds shrouded the volcano summit.} My God, it is beautiful. I drive up to the North Shore and was frustrated that I had to keep my eyes on the road instead of taking in the isle’s glory.
Everyone here is so laid back. I even picked up a hitchhiker. His name was Tim. [H]e was in his 50’s, but was young for his age. I didn’t take him far before we were at his destination. Hitchhiking is still common place here, like what I’ve heard the early 70’s were like on the Mainland.{Arg, I really did use the word “Mainland.” LOL Ok, I got to the island early in the morning. As I was driving up to North Shore, I noticed a 10 year old boy hitchhiking. It was like 6 or 7 in the morning. I was thinking about what the hell his parents were thinking letting him do this. Later I figured out that the locals treat hitchhiking same as mass transit. They line up at what appear to be specific locations, as if waiting for cabs or a bus, taking their turn as cars pulled up.}
The helicopter ride was awesome. The island is awesome to behold. [W]ords just don’t do this place justice. {Didn’t I say that already?} The canyons are…I don’t know the word. The tour had a video to sell at the end, but the video doesn’t do this isle justice, and neither do photos. The helicopter ride itself was fun, going in to valleys, over the ocean, into the great crater of the volcano that built the island. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I’m in love with Kaua’i. {Check out these two silly photos I took with my I-Zone camera. :) I took real photos too. See the link at the end of this entry}I drove down to Poipu after the helicopter ride. The beach was good…on the surface, nothing special, at least until [I swam] in it. The water is crystal clear, and (for the time of day) clam. I snorkeled in Waikiki, but didn’t have the gear to snorkel here. I wish I did. I swam in the waters, then sunbathed dry. It hit [me] on the drive back to the airport that I felt completely renewed, energized, refreshed. Wow! I’m setting [here] at the [airport] bar chatting with the barkeep and the waitress talking about “[written unintelligibly]” and “Dakine” (sp?). Hawaiians use these words excessively. (Dakine) = anything that is usual. “I’m going to the store” = “I’m going Dakine.” It’s kind of funny. The waitress’ name is Berrie. She’s interesting, about my age, two kids and was pretty much telling me her life story.
I’m coming back [to] Kaua’i again, maybe next year.{Check out my photos from the helicopter ride.}
Thursday, March 17, 2005
An old visit to Las Vegas
I took this sweet picture of Ren and Stimpy at peace when Michela and I visited the Stratosphere in Vegas, sometime in the early to mid-1990's. I've visited Vegas about once a year since I was 24. I haven't been there yet this year. There's a new ride at the top of the Stratosphere where you hang over the edge and spin around. Sounds like a great reason to go back soon. :) Woohoo!
Insagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CwdAFKBLy1H/
Life event: https://fcsuper.blogspot.com/2023/02/las-vegas-road-trip.html
Big 2001 Vacation: Part 5: 11/14/01 Evening
Waikiki
Well, I attempted to snorkel at Waikiki beach. [A]fter a little while, I started to get the hang of it. I saw lots of little fish and hopefully my underwater pictures turn out. It’s a new experience I want to explore again. The waters of Hawaii are warm. Something which I’ve also never experienced before cuz Cali waters are very co[ld].
{Man, my narrative writing skills were in serious decline at that time. Maybe I was writing in hurriedly?}
I spent some time late at the bars tonight. The Irish pub down the way was ok, had a couple of beers there and listened to a good cover band doing a lot of older stuff and the Counting Crows. {I meant to say that the band was also covering the Counting Crows songs. Maybe my writing sucked because I was drunk? lol}.
I spent more time at the bar in my hotel. {Ok, yeah, I was hella drunk. LOL} This older gay guy (a local) had a wonderful conversation with me. {Not THAT drunk. ha ha} It was fun hanging out with the locals for a little while. But now, I have to get up very early tomorrow, for my flight over to Kauai.
Well, I attempted to snorkel at Waikiki beach. [A]fter a little while, I started to get the hang of it. I saw lots of little fish and hopefully my underwater pictures turn out. It’s a new experience I want to explore again. The waters of Hawaii are warm. Something which I’ve also never experienced before cuz Cali waters are very co[ld].
{Man, my narrative writing skills were in serious decline at that time. Maybe I was writing in hurriedly?}
I spent some time late at the bars tonight. The Irish pub down the way was ok, had a couple of beers there and listened to a good cover band doing a lot of older stuff and the Counting Crows. {I meant to say that the band was also covering the Counting Crows songs. Maybe my writing sucked because I was drunk? lol}.
I spent more time at the bar in my hotel. {Ok, yeah, I was hella drunk. LOL} This older gay guy (a local) had a wonderful conversation with me. {Not THAT drunk. ha ha} It was fun hanging out with the locals for a little while. But now, I have to get up very early tomorrow, for my flight over to Kauai.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Amateurs built the Ark
“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.
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.
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.
...
___
Sent with SnapperMail
www.snappermail.com
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. :)
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Pacifica Trip
February 12-13, 2005 with Alice Leung, visited Pacifica CA, San Francisco, CA and San Francisco Zoo. (Original post/backup link)
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Cobb County, Georgia umm, theory = fact
In Cobb County, GA, schools were ordered to add an advisory label to text books which detail evolution, awhile back. It reads, "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered."
Every neutral observation of that label is true, save one: "Evolution is a theory, not a fact..." I'm not sure what ignorant idiot thought this was a smart statement, but whoever it was doesn't know the scientific definition of the word theory. This statement is a contradiction.
Theory - the general or abstract principles of a body of fact, a science, or an art (Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary)
Basically, when a scientist uses the word theory, that person is discussing fact or truth as proven repeatably and predictably by the scientific method (i.e., theory = fact). Technically, any high school graduate should know this. Certainly, the teachers and schools themselves do know this. Any member of any school district board is supposed to know this, especially if they making decisions regarding curriculum.
There's a reason why 70% of all Fundamentalist Christians that go to college leave their fundamentalism behind by the time they graduate! Education makes them smarter. lol My hypothesis is that the 30% that hold on to their beliefs may tend to be business grads. hehe Either way, there is no way to reconcile fundamentalism (of any religion) with reality.
Every neutral observation of that label is true, save one: "Evolution is a theory, not a fact..." I'm not sure what ignorant idiot thought this was a smart statement, but whoever it was doesn't know the scientific definition of the word theory. This statement is a contradiction.
Theory - the general or abstract principles of a body of fact, a science, or an art (Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary)
Basically, when a scientist uses the word theory, that person is discussing fact or truth as proven repeatably and predictably by the scientific method (i.e., theory = fact). Technically, any high school graduate should know this. Certainly, the teachers and schools themselves do know this. Any member of any school district board is supposed to know this, especially if they making decisions regarding curriculum.
There's a reason why 70% of all Fundamentalist Christians that go to college leave their fundamentalism behind by the time they graduate! Education makes them smarter. lol My hypothesis is that the 30% that hold on to their beliefs may tend to be business grads. hehe Either way, there is no way to reconcile fundamentalism (of any religion) with reality.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
251 guys kissing
Its been awhile since Miriam and I have instigated strangers in to scandalous behavior. After we had dinner and drinks at Zuccas in downtown Mountain View, we walked down to 251. The place has changed a lot since the last time we've been there. It was all decked out in a new, mysterious yet swanky layout. Kinda cool, especially from its old image as a pool hall that was trying to be hip.
We found an old aquaintance, Darr, there with is friends at the bar. After some more drinking, I noticed two of Darr's guy buddies being a bit too close for a bit too long. Nothing sexual, just strange for two guys. So I'm all, "I get each of you guys two drinks each if you two kiss, like full on." I punctuated "two drinks" with the peace hand gesture and stressed tone for dramatic effect.
I have this strange ability to read situations without thinking about them that lead to pretty entertaining results. Last night was no exception.
Ok, so everyone starts up with the peer pressure. Miriam was like the ring leader and became the unofficial judge of what constituted a qualifying kiss.
Finally, Darr's two friends embrace each other, then break away. More peer pressure. The one guy grabs his buddy and moves in, then they crack up and break away again. So, again more "encouragement". Finally he grabs his buddy, moves in and pulls him into his arms and dips and moves him around, simulating a kiss. Miriam was not fooled.
After calling them on their fake kiss and some more encouragement, they move in on each other, pressing lip to lip in an impressive display of homosexuality that got as far as supple lip biting. I'm afraid the image of those two guys kissing and lip biting will forever be burned into my memory as pushishment for bringing up the idea. Oh the horror of it allll. LOL Anyways, the bartender was so impressed, she covered their drinks instead.
"Darr, you can never let these two live this down," I demand. He's all, "Don't worry, I'm not going to let them forget."
Ahh, fun times.
P.S., on a side note, Darr's date (the only female in his group) was giving date-like attention to another guy in the group. The odd thang was that she was kinda cute and the other guy was a bit of a hobbit. Very strange, especially since she didn't seem very interested in any of them. (As in, she was shooting looks to other guys.)
———
Sent with SnapperMail
www.snappermail.com
We found an old aquaintance, Darr, there with is friends at the bar. After some more drinking, I noticed two of Darr's guy buddies being a bit too close for a bit too long. Nothing sexual, just strange for two guys. So I'm all, "I get each of you guys two drinks each if you two kiss, like full on." I punctuated "two drinks" with the peace hand gesture and stressed tone for dramatic effect.
I have this strange ability to read situations without thinking about them that lead to pretty entertaining results. Last night was no exception.
Ok, so everyone starts up with the peer pressure. Miriam was like the ring leader and became the unofficial judge of what constituted a qualifying kiss.
Finally, Darr's two friends embrace each other, then break away. More peer pressure. The one guy grabs his buddy and moves in, then they crack up and break away again. So, again more "encouragement". Finally he grabs his buddy, moves in and pulls him into his arms and dips and moves him around, simulating a kiss. Miriam was not fooled.
After calling them on their fake kiss and some more encouragement, they move in on each other, pressing lip to lip in an impressive display of homosexuality that got as far as supple lip biting. I'm afraid the image of those two guys kissing and lip biting will forever be burned into my memory as pushishment for bringing up the idea. Oh the horror of it allll. LOL Anyways, the bartender was so impressed, she covered their drinks instead.
"Darr, you can never let these two live this down," I demand. He's all, "Don't worry, I'm not going to let them forget."
Ahh, fun times.
P.S., on a side note, Darr's date (the only female in his group) was giving date-like attention to another guy in the group. The odd thang was that she was kinda cute and the other guy was a bit of a hobbit. Very strange, especially since she didn't seem very interested in any of them. (As in, she was shooting looks to other guys.)
———
Sent with SnapperMail
www.snappermail.com
Friday, February 04, 2005
Lack of Pagan Profanity
Here's a good prose on pagan profanity (more to the point, the absence of pagan profanity)
His view is that pagans have no reason to profane because profanity deals with religion, sex and shit in ways that are irrelevant to his beliefs. For example, he can't damn someone to hell because there is no hell and no devil to send them to.
My take on it is a bit different. Right, there is not hell or devil, so who the hell cares if I call on a god to damn something. LOL Anyways, check it out.
Church Orgie Sign
To the people looking up the church orgie sign photograph, you can find it by clicking on the "Blog-Entries-By-Topic" section in the left column, and look for "Photo-Blog". It's entry "Church-sponsered-orgies". Or you can click this link:
http://fcsuper.blogspot.com/2004/09/woohoo.html
Aux personnes recherchant la photographie d'orgie de signe d'église, vous pouvez la trouver en cliquant sur la section de "Blog-Entries-By-Topic" (Blog-Entrée-Par-Matière) dans la colonne gauche, et recherchez la "Photo-Blog". C'est entrée "Church-sponsered-orgies". Ou vous pouvez cliquer ce lien :
http://fcsuper.blogspot.com/2004/09/woohoo.html
The reason I'm posting this is that I've noticed a steady stream of hits from people looking for that photo but not finding it because of the way that Yahoo! image search works. Have fun! (In both French and English ::curious look::)
La raison que je signale ceci est que j'ai noté un jet régulier des coups des personnes recherchant cette photo mais ne la trouvant pas en raison de la manière dont Yahoo ! travaux de recherche d'image. Ayez l'amusement ! (dans le regard français et anglais de ::curious::)
http://fcsuper.blogspot.com/2004/09/woohoo.html
Aux personnes recherchant la photographie d'orgie de signe d'église, vous pouvez la trouver en cliquant sur la section de "Blog-Entries-By-Topic" (Blog-Entrée-Par-Matière) dans la colonne gauche, et recherchez la "Photo-Blog". C'est entrée "Church-sponsered-orgies". Ou vous pouvez cliquer ce lien :
http://fcsuper.blogspot.com/2004/09/woohoo.html
The reason I'm posting this is that I've noticed a steady stream of hits from people looking for that photo but not finding it because of the way that Yahoo! image search works. Have fun! (In both French and English ::curious look::)
La raison que je signale ceci est que j'ai noté un jet régulier des coups des personnes recherchant cette photo mais ne la trouvant pas en raison de la manière dont Yahoo ! travaux de recherche d'image. Ayez l'amusement ! (dans le regard français et anglais de ::curious::)
Rocky
My best friend Miriam and I have had a rocky period over the past couple of weeks. Thangs are starting getting back to normal, but not before a serious heart to heart that left both of us rather drained the other day. Feels good to get to try to normalize thangs, even though it's going to take some time before we are back 100% I think. She had hard feelings about thangs in the past, and I misread her drastically recently. Wasn't pretty.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Winchester Mystery House
Funny thang is that I've never visited the Winchester Mystery House. It's only a few miles from where I live. It's even across the street from my favorite theaters for watching big flicks like LOTR and SW. The only reason I know a little about it is cuz it is a local thang. Maybe I should go check it out some day.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Learning to Ski
This last weekend, I learned to ski. I went from never skiing before to conquering the mighty bunny hill plus a mild green slop. I even got pretty good at walking around the main building in my ski boats. :) I’m not too sure what the big thrill is yet. I did have a fun time. My g/f, Dave, his Miriam and myself shared a condo that had a floor layout that kinda reminded me of the Winchester Mystery House. Dave hit up is Black Diamond runs. Miriam stuck the green runs. My g/f and myself spent the two days learning the basics of skiing. She’s skied a couple times a long time ago. We still have another day of schoolin on our ski packages, so we will likely be heading back up in March.
Friday, January 28, 2005
Tahoe ski trip
January 28-30, 2005 with Alice Leung, Miriam Erlichman and David Erlichman, visiting Northstar at South Lake Tahoe, CA. This was my first and prolly last time skiing for me. (Original post/backup link)
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
U.S. Press is so Politically Comprised
The American Press is so politically comprised that even some small, meaningless stories are politically skewed to put the President in as good of light as possible. At the inauguration, Bush Jr. and his family openly flashed the "Hook 'em horns" gesture several times. Well, that gesture just to happens to be exactly the same as the "Satanic Salute". So, basically, the President of the U.S.A looks like he's saluting the devil.
Simple enough, right? Well, apparently not. The AP put out a story reporting on a supposed Norwegian reaction to the President's gesture. First of all, I did some research and found out that this "Norwegian reaction" is based on an article from a Norwegian tabloid, not a creditable newspaper. Since when is it proper to use a tabloid to gauge an entire country's response? Suspicious.
So, the AP article says about the "Satanic Salute" interpretation, "That's what it means in the Nordics when you throw up the right hand with the index and pinky fingers raised, a gesture popular among heavy metal groups and their fans in the region." No, that's what it means everywhere in all of modern Western Civilization!
For some reason, the AP felt it is necessary to make the "Satanic Salute" interpretation of Bush's gesture seem like it was unusual and foreign, while trying to make the "Hook 'em horns" interpretation seem normal and common. In fact, the "Hook 'em horns" interpretation is actually the oddball. It's just screwy for the President to be making that gesture at all.
The AP article tries to cover over the fact that the "Satanic Salute" is the most likely interpretation of Bush's gesture, when seen out of context, by coming up with this ridiculous Norwegian angle to the story
If the AP was truly making an unbiased report, they would've simply stated that the gesture was meant to be the “Hook ‘em horns” and not the "Satanic Salute," without all this nonsense about Norway.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Missed Concert and Skiing soon
My g/f and I showed up for my friend Nate’s group 12 Steps To Nothing concert in downtown Campbell last night. Unfortunately, we missed their set. So, we are going to try to catch another show in Feb. We did get to catch the last set with some other another group. I forget their name right now. They had skill and a couple of great songs, but over all they sounded a bit too much like Blink 182. As we all know, Blink 182 sounds a bit too much like Blink 182 to allow room for any imitators. Hehe (ok, if you do know, most of Blink’s songs sound the same.)
My best friend Dave is planning another trip to the mountains for some skiing next weekend. I think my g/f and I will make this next trip. Dave and company had a cabin this last weekend, but with the Chicago play and Nate’s Concert and a few other personal chores and errands, it didn’t work out for us to join them.
My best friend Dave is planning another trip to the mountains for some skiing next weekend. I think my g/f and I will make this next trip. Dave and company had a cabin this last weekend, but with the Chicago play and Nate’s Concert and a few other personal chores and errands, it didn’t work out for us to join them.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Traffic is really starting to pick up hard in Silicon Valley. Is this a sign that thangs are starting to pick up here? That brings mixed feelings. It’s great that the economy is likely to rebound, but it sucks that San Jose still hasn’t figured out that it needs to provide affordable, non-ghetto housing. Letting the housing prices go up like this is just insane. Market forces be damned. This is no way to run a city.
Granted, housing prices did need to come up over the past decade to come in line with higher building costs. Now the housing prices have covered that many times over. There are townhouses now going for 700K. At this rate, they will be a million in a few years. Of course, I could just buy up a bunch older homes in an ok area of town, tear them down and build several million dollar townhomes on their lots for millions of dollars profit. Hmm. Then I keep thinking, what goes up must come down (excluding normal inflation, of course).
Granted, housing prices did need to come up over the past decade to come in line with higher building costs. Now the housing prices have covered that many times over. There are townhouses now going for 700K. At this rate, they will be a million in a few years. Of course, I could just buy up a bunch older homes in an ok area of town, tear them down and build several million dollar townhomes on their lots for millions of dollars profit. Hmm. Then I keep thinking, what goes up must come down (excluding normal inflation, of course).
Thursday, January 20, 2005
I guess I'm not sick...
...but I'm low on energy. I can tell there is an army of virus critters trying to populate in my body, but my body is doing a damn good job at keeping them from gaining ground. However, I do feel less energetic. I'm glad I'm not getting all burdened with symptoms like headaches, running noise and such, but it would be nice to avoid any affects whatsoever.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Dream: Queen Reborn
I woke up from a dream this morning that played out like a movie, with close ups, panning, and other camera placement and movements. There was this happy King and his talented, beloved Queen. The Queen died. At a small, private funeral in a dark wooden room at the end of east wing of the royal mansion, the King was knelt before the casket of his dead wife. The casket was to the left of a large window that was letting in a soft light of the noonish sun. Some attendees were dressed in modern clothes of various styles, while others were dressed in 17th, 18th or 19th century clothing. A few people were standing along the back wall, but most everyone was seated in several rows of folding chairs. Suddenly, a headless body, dressed in a beautiful, large golden lace and white dress appears amongst the attendees. She walked toward the grieving King. Close ups of different people showed their amazement in silent disbelief and horror. When the King looked up to see the headless body, he recognized his Queen. In a quick wispy blur, she rushed through the mansion. When she appeared in the Pool Room, she was restored to her living form, but naked. Her dress was splayed across a large dual throne at the far end. She dove into the pool and swam gracefully under water, but without getting wet. She had long golden blonde curly hair and resembled a cross between Rebecca Stamos and Rachel Hunter. The King ran after her to find her in the pool room just as she got out of the pool along the left side. She started to walk toward the throne, then looked back to notice her King. A close up showed her brief smile. She then told him, “Before, I didn’t understand why I needed to come back. Now I do. You are here for everyone else,” subtly gesturing with her eyes to suggest the entire kingdom, “and I…for you.” As she spoke her last word, she quivered knowingly, determinedly and lovingly, holding back a tear. There was a dramatic pause, and I awoke.
And then there is big brother
Recent Pizza Order where the pizza company knows a bit too much about the caller. The funnyscary part is that we aren't all that far away from this scenario from being reality.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Chicago Live!
Next weekend, I'm taking jenny, Miriam and my G/F to see the play Chicago in San Jose. I'm not much for plays, but jenny asked that we take her as her b/d gift, so, we take her to a night full of singing and dancing and such. The last live performance I've gone to was a ballet of Nutcracker a few years ago. I'm not the hugest performing arts fan. Well, actually, I'm neither huge nor a fan. hehe
Monday, January 17, 2005
When I became a Christian
One of the most ridiculous phrases that Christian Fundelmentalists use is "When I became a Christian..." which is usually followed by some overly restated nonsense of something they've supposedly discovered since "becoming a Christian". To start off with, 99% of the people who use that phrase were born Christian. Most of them were prolly had a Christian baptism before they turned 18. In fact, I'd be willing to bet a large portion of them never even once changed from one Christian religion to another. These people use the phrase "When I became a Christian..." to intentionally mislead their audience into thinking they have had a pre-Christian life, so they can seem to have some legitimacy when they try to encourage others to convert to their own particular brand of Christianity. Additionally, as mentioned, "When I became a Christian..." is usually followed by some nonsense. It is nonsense because what they usually state is something universal to all Christian religions. Given the fact that most of these people are born into Christianity, it is unlikely they made any amazing (and by amazing, I mean to say extremely redundant) discoveries about their faith, having been taught the faith from birth. Trust me, when you grow up a Christian, nothing regarding faith is an amazing revelation cuz the faith is learnt at a very early age. In that scenerio, being amazed at some new discovery about one's faith is a bit like being amazed that one can spell a word one uses every day. (Of course, if someone has psychological problems, all bets are off. lol)
That is why for almost all Christian Fundamentalists, using this phrase is an intentional twofold lie.
That is why for almost all Christian Fundamentalists, using this phrase is an intentional twofold lie.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Travel to the Present with Me
Bad Kitty, I like your intentionally provocative statement to my post of a Good Housekeeping article circa 1955, regardless of your context. I'm assuming your comment is taken from an S&M angle. I thought about addressing S&M tastes when I posted that article, to have some fun with it. However, I decided against it because the nature of the article was not mutual joy and respect for each other roles as tops and bottoms, but actual unhealthy degradation of women (the feminine) in general, which is something I stand firmly against.
However, if I'm misunderstanding you, please enlighten me.
However, if I'm misunderstanding you, please enlighten me.
fcsuper link whore
Here are the sites that I know have links to It's Trouble
Painfullycool - Not Me
Strange Cousin Susan
My Two Sen
Just Beneath the Surface
A New York Escorts Confessions
Just Call Me Naughty
Way Too Many Unruly Oranges
The Degenerate Speaks
Please let me know if It's Trouble appears on a blog not mentioned above. I'd like to have a complete a list. (I know of two other blogs where Its Trouble is listed, but they are inactive sites, so I'm not bothering to mention those.) I'd like to have a complete list cuz I'm considering the idea of having a blog roll of my favorite posts each month from blogs that backblog It's Trouble.
Painfullycool - Not Me
Strange Cousin Susan
My Two Sen
Just Beneath the Surface
A New York Escorts Confessions
Just Call Me Naughty
Way Too Many Unruly Oranges
The Degenerate Speaks
Please let me know if It's Trouble appears on a blog not mentioned above. I'd like to have a complete a list. (I know of two other blogs where Its Trouble is listed, but they are inactive sites, so I'm not bothering to mention those.) I'd like to have a complete list cuz I'm considering the idea of having a blog roll of my favorite posts each month from blogs that backblog It's Trouble.
Federal Sentencing Guidelines Struck Down
The Supreme Court came along way to re-establishing the role of the Constitution of the United States of America this week in Federal criminal law. They struck down the mandatory use of the Federal Guidelines for sentencing of criminals because the system used evidence and accusations not tried before a jury, or any court of law for that matter. [Side note: Evidence that was thrown out of court during the criminal trial for being unproven or inadequate was often used in the sentencing phase anyway; which was extremely unconstitutional and undermined the authority of the court.]
There is one problem with the Supreme Court’s decision. The Supreme Court chickened out by determining that the system should be used as a recommendation for sentencing of criminals. This cop-out is due in part to the fact that several of the current members of the U.S. Supreme Court helped draft the unconstitutional system 20 years ago and they are still partial to it. Even with the abolishment of its mandatory nature, the continued use of the Federal Guidelines still undermines the Constitution. However, the overall decision by the Supreme Court is at least a step in the right direction.
I fear that the real lesson to be learned here is going to be lost on the politicians who are now scrambling to patchwork a congressional response to this groundbreaking decision. The real lesson is this, the U.S.A. should have a standard sentencing system for criminals, but that system should not use accusations and evidence that hasn’t been tried before a court, or been thrown out of court. All facets of sentencing should directly derive from facts presented at trial.
My hope for this country is that the Supreme Court will be more centralist and politically neutral at some point, allowing them to make untethered decisions that hold the Constitutional higher than extreme leftist and neo-conservative ideologies.
Problem with being a centralist is that I’ll prolly never be happy with anyone in power. My best hope is that the left and right are equally struggling against other. More equal and intense the struggle, the less likely our Government is going to be used to infringe on the rights of any persons protected by the U.S. Constitution. Right now, we are way out of balance.
There is one problem with the Supreme Court’s decision. The Supreme Court chickened out by determining that the system should be used as a recommendation for sentencing of criminals. This cop-out is due in part to the fact that several of the current members of the U.S. Supreme Court helped draft the unconstitutional system 20 years ago and they are still partial to it. Even with the abolishment of its mandatory nature, the continued use of the Federal Guidelines still undermines the Constitution. However, the overall decision by the Supreme Court is at least a step in the right direction.
I fear that the real lesson to be learned here is going to be lost on the politicians who are now scrambling to patchwork a congressional response to this groundbreaking decision. The real lesson is this, the U.S.A. should have a standard sentencing system for criminals, but that system should not use accusations and evidence that hasn’t been tried before a court, or been thrown out of court. All facets of sentencing should directly derive from facts presented at trial.
My hope for this country is that the Supreme Court will be more centralist and politically neutral at some point, allowing them to make untethered decisions that hold the Constitutional higher than extreme leftist and neo-conservative ideologies.
Problem with being a centralist is that I’ll prolly never be happy with anyone in power. My best hope is that the left and right are equally struggling against other. More equal and intense the struggle, the less likely our Government is going to be used to infringe on the rights of any persons protected by the U.S. Constitution. Right now, we are way out of balance.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Trouble with KFC Popcorn Chicken
The trouble with KFC and their Popcorn Chicken is that KFC doesn't do good quality control across their franchise. I've been to many KFC's over the lifespan of the Popcorn Chicken. Some places make it so tasty that you just can't get enough. Some places make it so yukkie that you a left tossing it out before halfway through. Well, today, in fact, right this minute, I'm eating some tasty Popcorn Chicken. Yum. I love Popcorn Chicken when its done right. Now I wish I had ordered a large. mmm
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Life is like Wine?
The amount of details I see in life is directly proportional to how long I've been alive. I appreciate wine now. I didn't give a rat's ass about wine 6 years ago. Life is like wine. Some people call a statement like that pretentious. However, nothing about that statement is pretentious if you understand and experience it.
With wine, I don't constantly seek out a new or deeper understanding of it. I experience it at the various appropriate times in context with meals, trips to Wine Country, gifts from friends, holidays, etc, and I learn about wine from those experiences. The more I partake of wine, the more I taste its complexity, the more I appreciate it and the more relevant it becomes. That pretty much parallels how I learn from my life. The longer I live, the more details I can see, the greater my experience and the better my understanding.
With wine, I don't constantly seek out a new or deeper understanding of it. I experience it at the various appropriate times in context with meals, trips to Wine Country, gifts from friends, holidays, etc, and I learn about wine from those experiences. The more I partake of wine, the more I taste its complexity, the more I appreciate it and the more relevant it becomes. That pretty much parallels how I learn from my life. The longer I live, the more details I can see, the greater my experience and the better my understanding.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Causativity of Time Travel
Does time exist? Is it an illusion? Some have suggested that time does not exist. It is reasoned that we only experience time because we measure motions that happen to occur sequentially. There is no mathematical proof for this view point. In fact, there is substantial proof that time does exist as a part of the Time-Space Continuum of our tangible Universe.
So, if time exists, why is it only possible to travel forward in time as a certain rate? Why do we have memories of the past, but are unable to remember our future? These are common questions during discussions regarding time travel. We ask these questions because we perceive Time as linear. Maybe this is a false interpretation of our perception? In fact, we don’t experience time as a line with the Past in one direction and the Future in the other. We experience Time at a single point, the Present.
Problems with Linear Time
Time travel into the Past allows two violations of well proven laws and principles. First, it allows for an effect without a cause. For example, you could go back in time and prevent your own birth. However, if you prevented your own birth, how did you exist in order to go back in time? Second, time travel into the past allows for the creation of a perpetual motion machine through time by various means. Of course, such self sustaining system is a violation of the Laws of Thermodynamics.
Problems with Time Travel regardless of the nature of Time
Another problem with Time Travel to the Past is that the entire Universe is relative. Any action from one frame of reference is only applicable to that frame of reference. If an object could go back in time, that object would only be travelling within its own frame of reference. The Universe around the object wouldn’t change. Even worse, if you had a time machine that allowed time travel within one’s own frame of reference and you tried to make a person go back in their own Time, that person wouldn't get younger in the human sense, but only in the quantum sense. In other words, if the person went into your time machine at the age of 50, they would re-appear still a 50 year old afterwards. Only the person's atoms would've grown younger, not the person themself. This is because the placement of that person’s atoms in space (i.e., within a facial skin winkle) is irrelevant to the atoms’ place in Time (a facial skin winkle is still a winkle regardless of the quantum date of the atoms that make up the winkle).
Even without this little problem, in a relative Universe, the only way to travel back into the Universe’s Past is to make the entire Universe travel back in time, while only you stay in the present. Such a feat would require more energy than what currently exists in the Universe.
This brings me back to the idea that Time is not a line, but a single point. We only experience the Present because only the Present exists. Of course, that means we can’t travel to the Past or Future because neither exists.
Just as with Space, Time can have length (linear), height (planar) and breath (cubic). Maybe Time just doesn’t possess those properties in our own Universe?
So, if time exists, why is it only possible to travel forward in time as a certain rate? Why do we have memories of the past, but are unable to remember our future? These are common questions during discussions regarding time travel. We ask these questions because we perceive Time as linear. Maybe this is a false interpretation of our perception? In fact, we don’t experience time as a line with the Past in one direction and the Future in the other. We experience Time at a single point, the Present.
Problems with Linear Time
Time travel into the Past allows two violations of well proven laws and principles. First, it allows for an effect without a cause. For example, you could go back in time and prevent your own birth. However, if you prevented your own birth, how did you exist in order to go back in time? Second, time travel into the past allows for the creation of a perpetual motion machine through time by various means. Of course, such self sustaining system is a violation of the Laws of Thermodynamics.
Problems with Time Travel regardless of the nature of Time
Another problem with Time Travel to the Past is that the entire Universe is relative. Any action from one frame of reference is only applicable to that frame of reference. If an object could go back in time, that object would only be travelling within its own frame of reference. The Universe around the object wouldn’t change. Even worse, if you had a time machine that allowed time travel within one’s own frame of reference and you tried to make a person go back in their own Time, that person wouldn't get younger in the human sense, but only in the quantum sense. In other words, if the person went into your time machine at the age of 50, they would re-appear still a 50 year old afterwards. Only the person's atoms would've grown younger, not the person themself. This is because the placement of that person’s atoms in space (i.e., within a facial skin winkle) is irrelevant to the atoms’ place in Time (a facial skin winkle is still a winkle regardless of the quantum date of the atoms that make up the winkle).
Even without this little problem, in a relative Universe, the only way to travel back into the Universe’s Past is to make the entire Universe travel back in time, while only you stay in the present. Such a feat would require more energy than what currently exists in the Universe.
This brings me back to the idea that Time is not a line, but a single point. We only experience the Present because only the Present exists. Of course, that means we can’t travel to the Past or Future because neither exists.
Just as with Space, Time can have length (linear), height (planar) and breath (cubic). Maybe Time just doesn’t possess those properties in our own Universe?
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Thanks to Jennifer
This new format for my blog is almost complete. The main page has been for a while now, but Jennifer hasn't had the time to do the code to make it PDA friendly until recently. Yah...now I can look at my site on my Treo again. :)
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Amy Brown 2005 Calendar
For anyone interested, I have an Amy Brown 2005 Fairy Realm Wall Calendar for sale on eBay. I don't normally like to overtly promote like this. It's just that this item seems to be extremely hot right now, so I'm just spreading the word. ;) The auction closes around 1:00pm on Sunday, Jan 8th.
Monday, January 03, 2005
Holiday Vacation
My friend Dave and I headed up to his mother's place in Clear Lake on Tuesday and come back on Wednesday. His mom is a great cook who loves to make sure guests are well fed. :) On the 3 hour drive up, we bullshitted about politics. On the 3 hour drive back, we bullshitted about time travel. A future blog entry will expound our insights in this area, so watch out. Hehe
My g/f and I meet up early on Thursday and headed down for a little vacation in Monterey. We had a great time down there. On Thursday, we did a little shopping and then had an early dinner at this one restaurant with a nice atmosphere. We ended up at Bluefin to play pool for a while. We then headed back to the hotel to rested up for the long day to follow (New Years Eve).
We got up a little too late on Friday to go for breakfast, so we headed down to Cannery Row for a great lunch at Fishhopper. The weather on Friday was supposed to be cloudy and rainy. It was actually only partly cloudy during the day, and rainy in the early morning and night. The drive along 17 Mile Drive turned out to be nearly perfect. It was sunny, cool and beautiful. At this one beach, we came across this small group of squirrels that walk right up to you, stand on their hind legs and politely wait for food. At Cypress Point, we saw a beach full of harbor seals. At the Lone Cypress, we watched sea otters and migrating gray whales, along with a gorgeous backdrop. It was a very relaxing day. Friday evening, we meet up with Dave and his girlfriend for dinner. We all had a plan to head down to downtown Monterey for this thang called First Night (a New Years Eve celebration), but instead we ended back at the Bluefin for drinks, more pool and other games. They had the MTV New Years count down on the TVs to bring in the New Year. We all had a good time that wasn't crazy or wild. (darn! ;) )
On Saturday, we all headed down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's changed a lot since I've last been there. If you haven't been there in 5 years or so, I'd actually recommend checking it out again. After that, we had another delicious lunch at the Fishhopper. We all headed back home around 3:30 or so. That evening, my g/f and I had dinner with her family.
I spent Sunday lounging around my place watching movies. For dinner, my g/f brought over a bake-it-yourself pizza which I duly cooked incorrectly. LOL I'm not as hopeless in the kitchen as that statement makes me sound.
My g/f and I meet up early on Thursday and headed down for a little vacation in Monterey. We had a great time down there. On Thursday, we did a little shopping and then had an early dinner at this one restaurant with a nice atmosphere. We ended up at Bluefin to play pool for a while. We then headed back to the hotel to rested up for the long day to follow (New Years Eve).
We got up a little too late on Friday to go for breakfast, so we headed down to Cannery Row for a great lunch at Fishhopper. The weather on Friday was supposed to be cloudy and rainy. It was actually only partly cloudy during the day, and rainy in the early morning and night. The drive along 17 Mile Drive turned out to be nearly perfect. It was sunny, cool and beautiful. At this one beach, we came across this small group of squirrels that walk right up to you, stand on their hind legs and politely wait for food. At Cypress Point, we saw a beach full of harbor seals. At the Lone Cypress, we watched sea otters and migrating gray whales, along with a gorgeous backdrop. It was a very relaxing day. Friday evening, we meet up with Dave and his girlfriend for dinner. We all had a plan to head down to downtown Monterey for this thang called First Night (a New Years Eve celebration), but instead we ended back at the Bluefin for drinks, more pool and other games. They had the MTV New Years count down on the TVs to bring in the New Year. We all had a good time that wasn't crazy or wild. (darn! ;) )
On Saturday, we all headed down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's changed a lot since I've last been there. If you haven't been there in 5 years or so, I'd actually recommend checking it out again. After that, we had another delicious lunch at the Fishhopper. We all headed back home around 3:30 or so. That evening, my g/f and I had dinner with her family.
I spent Sunday lounging around my place watching movies. For dinner, my g/f brought over a bake-it-yourself pizza which I duly cooked incorrectly. LOL I'm not as hopeless in the kitchen as that statement makes me sound.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)