This Season, Give the Gift of Love

Please don't tell anyone, but i've found the perfect gift to give a loved one this holiday season! i think everyone on my list (excluding family members... except for maybe Garry... that saucey minx) needs to get this gift i saw on SNL this past weekend:



seriously... it was the funniest SNL for a long while. plus it helped that justin timberlake (the future mr. lindon) was the host/musical guest. say what you want, but i really like his stuff and style. he's my man-crush. and that's okay... .or that's what i keep tell'n myself.

so what else is going on with me besides my man-love JT fantasies? i'm glad you asked! we've got most of the holiday junk done and out the door. kate and i made some of our holiday treats this past weekend... so i guess the domestic weekend has got me all martha stewart today. we also have some weighty issues to think on as to some career moves. i would post more on that but i'll save it until things become more concrete... those of you who know me, i don't like too much speculation on action... philosophy yes, logistics no. you either are going to do something or you aren't. if you're still in the maybe stage, then talk about it, don't post it up on your blog. ACTION PEOPLE! what we're looking for is results! and as a result, i shall remove myself from my digital soapbox for yet another day until i feel like waste'n more time at work!

happy chanukah, y'all!

Videos! While you Wait!

So here are my new loves all in one post! YouTube, Death Cab for Cutie, and Robot Chicken!

Kate and I went to Death Cab for Cutie at constitution hall in november... and they solidified their place as my favorite band. they also solidified their place as kate's vote for the EMO-est band. but that's okay, i love songs that tell a story and that's what they do. here's a clip from my fav. title they played "Title and Registration"




This is just too much. Robot Chicken is off the chain!



I LOVE Calvin and Hobbes but this clip proves that if this happened in real life, it wouldn't be so cute.

We have the facts and we're voting yes

Hey there Imaginary Reader!!

So I was reading on wikipedia about Nazi and their facination with the occult... and then on EITMonline.com there was a mention about how walmart is selling a t-shirt with a nazi design on it. Bent Corner, a blogger from Hagerstown MD (about 45 minutes from the house) found it in the Hagerstown walmart, so be on the look out for this image on any tshirts at your local fachist world. ahh the irony is killing me here:



It's amazing how the average joe can cause such a shake up in the world just by posting a blog.

Speaking of shaking things up, here's a great idea; FANTASY CONGRESS! Yeah, that's right, a fantasy game based on congress. Score points as your fav. senator pushes pork through the system. now i loooove fantasy football.. i started it not because i knew anything about the NFL, but because this tool would force me to learn. what an awesome tool to use to monitor the government, everyone needs to be on this! i'm gonna start tonight after work.

And this freaked me out, i couldn't trick it! crazy! even when i cheated it still got me.

anyways, i'll update you all again real soon. but until then, this will have to do!

Habeus Shmaybeus

When i get home, i'm writing to my congressman. This makes it clear that they no longer have our best interest at heart. I urge you to stand up, imaginary reader, and fight for you rights before the good ol' US gets turned into a police state.

Another Day on the Job

What happened at work honey? oh nothing, just another day at on the job! (this is why we're mainly commericial.)



Proof why south park is the greatest show ever! this reminds me of a couple of my friends... customers... some dudes i know... and yes, sometimes.... myself...

The Soundtrack of My Life?

IF A MOVIE WAS MADE OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, etc).
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For every question type the song that's playing.
5. When you go to a new question press the next button.

Ready?

***
Dibs up for Cecil for posting this sweeeeeet Survey!


Opening Credits:
Never Gonna Come Back Down-- BT featuring M Doughty

Waking Up:
This Place is A Prison--- The Postal Service

Falling In Love:
Preacher's Daughter-- The Refreshments... hahahahaha!

Fight Scene:
Mrs Jackson---Outkast (i guess this works for a fight with the inlaws)

Breaking Up:
With Friends like You--Brandtson

Making up:
The Perfect Situation--- Weezer

Life's Okay:
"The Guitar Song'-- Last song on Royksopp's Melody A.M. cd

Mental Breakdown:
Masterpiece---Bayside

Driving:
Landing--Moby

Flashbacks:
My Town--Armor For Sleep

Happy Dance:
New Pollution-- Beck

Regretting:
Burndt Jam-- Weezer

Final Battle:
Lie Detector-- Rev. Horton Heat

Death Scene:
I Miss You- Blink 182

Ending Credits:
How Sweet it is to be loved by you-- James Taylor ( I have this song?! What is it doing on my iTunes?!?!)

Goings on

So tons are happen'n... not only with the new phobias that come with a new job... lots of others are doing great too!

take for example Mr. Bob Stewart, my prof from Leipzig and OU was featured in The Post Online.

Kim just had the best summer eva.

Strawberry Ice hits NYC.

The EAG might be hitting Maryland! more on that as it develops.

Here's my summer's best books, movies, and cd's.

Books:

I tried to wade through Atlas Shrugged... and as much as i like it, it's repetitive and LONG... I stopped on page 635 but still awesome and i'll pick it back up later.

I've read a TON... Really liked Marley and Me and Life is Good. Those really hit home and stick with you. Then i had some of the norm, Stephen King and Neil Gaiman... Neil's Anazi Boys is pretty awesome.

CDs

I got back into Third Eye Blind's first one and then picked up Blue.. which is a solid cd, but doesn't quite make it to the first one's awesomeness. Death Cab for Cutie is quickly becoming my favorite band after picking up Transatlanticism. I finally picked up The Anniversary's two discs... awesome band and i wish i knew about them when they were still touing. Royksopp's new one, THE UNDERSTANDING is unbelievable. Panic! At the Disco and Dashboard Confessional is still in heavy rotation. Dashboards Dusk and Summer is the perfect September record, end of summer songs that really describe how summer's glitz and glamour fade away. I'm excited for my October line up of the Donnie Darko Soundtrack, Taking Back Sunday, The Gorliaz, and the perfect halloween record, Type O Negative's October Rust.

Movies

We're really into the Lost seasons one and two. The Superman Returns was surprisingly good! I also read SUPERMAN: RED SON, a graphic novel that asks "what if superman landed in Russia". That's bad assed as well. Good Night and Good Luck is my fav and really brought out how cool and ballsy (and incredibly eloquent) Mr. Edward R. Murrow was. He's my top dude.

There's just so much we've done over the summer, that it's hard to remember. It definately ran by quickly and brought about alot of great changes. It started off on a sour note with the death of my Grandma.. but a ton of good things have come along to me and my family.

I've been promoted to the DC Store Manager, which is right along my line of thinking and i'm having a blast at it. Kate, as always, is kicking ass and Sonny Snappers Greyhound provides constant entertainment. Val got herself a job for Park Mazada and is starting to realize her potential without the help of a boy. Mom is making great strides and has come out to visit twice in a three month period! It's awesome! We are a blessed family.

I leave you with this:

Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices - just recognize them.
Edward R. Murrow

Beagle

Cause i like dogs.... and i once was a farmer (not really a farmer) who had a dog and B.I.N.G.O was his name-o. He was a great Beagle

I thought this was kick ass. YAY FOR DOGS!

The Tangent Universe

Lots going on here people! Mom's coming out to visit and that's great! I've been have'n really strange dreams... some of which come true in the day time... is this prescience? visions of the future? i hope not, we all know what happened to donnie darko.

So I've been promoted in the company and i start the new position on monday. for more details give me a call, but needless to say it'll be about as crazy as This Little Black Belt on Transbuddha

I'll get you a better post here in the near future complete with the rule of three and such like. But please enjoy see'n what happens when Myspace Invades Narnia

Good things, good times imaginary reader. Hope to post back soon!

Mix Masta!

I CHALLENGE YOU!

I have invented a drink! It may not be known to you, imaginary reader, but I looooover make'n mixed drinks in my blender. My quasi-famous Daq's are killer and i'm quite proud of figure'n out the recipe that uses real fruit!

So upon my last visit to the land of mixology, i had some left over ingredients from the Daqs. I didn't want them to go to waste so i decide to experiment and lo-and-behold.... SUCCESS!

Introducting: THE BRONX

Take a handful of red, seedless grapes
1 can mountain dew
2 handfuls of icecubes (depending on your cubes... you gotta eyeball this part)
1.5 teaspoons of real lemon juice
however much non-spiced rum you wanna put in there.

Mix 'er up and pour into a glass and you now have the poor man's Manhattan. The mt.dew carries the alcohol direct to your bloodstream.. so it has the same effect as a Redbull and Vodka. Awesome.

NOW YOU MUST CREATE A CUSTOM DRINK! i'll try it out and whoever has the best one, i'll send them a cd of my choose'n. let me know how you like The Bronx as well. I do, but Kate doesn't. But she don't like to do the dew either.


Now it's time for A Call to My Fragile Ego. I filled this out for some friends on myspace... so i guess i have to post this and y'all fill it out.


It's time that y'all fill out this Survey and let me know what you think.

1.Your Full Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song:
6. Favorite Band:
7. Kinky or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:

HERE COMES THE FUN ... ... ...

1. Do we know each other outside of myspace?

2. What song reminds you of me?

3. Would you have my back in a fight?

4. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?

5. What is your favorite memory of us?

6. Have we ever been drunk/stoned together?

7.Would you do me?

8. Tell me one odd/intresting fact about you:

9. Would you take care of me when I'm sick?

10. Do you want to tell me something that you couldn't before?

11. Have you heard any rumors of me lately?

12. Do you/have you talk(ed) crap about me?

13. Do you think I'm a good person?

14. Would you drive across country with me?

15. Do you think I'm attractive?

16. Are there ever times when you want to call me but don't?

17. If you could change anything about me, would you? what would it be?

18. What is the best advice you can give me?

19.Would you come over for no reason just to hang out?

20. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?

I Write Sins Not Tragedies

So i've been in a quandry the past few weeks because of a single phrase being thrown around. The phrase is "...I'm a Realist."

The phrase popped up in an email discussion with an old friend. Seemed to make sense in the context. Next it came from talking with a customer who was trying to use the bible to say homosexuality is a sin. And finally it popped up in a phone conversation with a muslim friend who was defending the Taliban and saying that he couldn't say if the decisions made by the Taliban were bad or not because he wasn't there and couldn't weight the choices they had to make "... because i'm a realist."

Now i've taken a logic course, i read books, i'd like to think i'm of a philosophical bent; but i've never heard of the "realist movement" in the history of philosophy. Since i'm a mentat (as well as a NERD) and this phrase kept reoccurring and causing a rift in my brain... i had to figure it out.

Wikipedia says this about Philosophical realism, which is what i believe these people are pledge'n their thought process to. Boiled down "Realists tend to embrace what they believe is actually real, despite how unattractive reality itself may be." Okay... free thinkers. Great, i try to do the same, but there's a fundamental flaw here.

What is reality? (OH! And since it's summer, pee'n in the pool will not turn the water colors.. that's not part of reality.)

I used to call myself a realist without understanding what it means. Sure i could be a realist, and you, imaginary reader, could be one too if you so choose. but my persception of reality is much different from yours, from a former-Taliban member, or from Brittney Spears. So when i was using this phrase, it was just a cover up for my own selfish actions. If i needed to justify a stance and didn't want to really challege myself and critically think about it, i'd just spit out the phrase.

Now i consider my self more of a deontologist or that one should "ought to live by a set of defined principles that do not change merely as a result of a change in circumstances (ie. situational ethics)." So saying the Taliban can't be bad cause they had to make hard decisions due to their situation is logically flawed. Like the Bush phrase "War for Peace" only works in a situational ethic situation. War bad. Peace good. Therefore war for peace good. It doesn't work. So the Taliban are bad because killing stadiums full of people and violating human rights and stone'n women to death is BAD. You cannot make a logical argument for these actions.

As for the "gay" statement... that's a whole other thing. People tend to confuse morality with ethics. Simply stating Ethics are the means to find morals. They are mutually exclusive in this context. There are two ways to approach this topic... since it's such a hot topic right now, and i'll state out front that i'm an ally of the GLBT community.

First we'll start with the text he used... The ol' Sodom and Gomorrah Text of Genesis 19... which i believe is the weakest one of the whole argumentive passages. (he could have used Leviticus 18 and 20.. but i'd counter that what Leviticus makes law would send the entire population of Heaven straight into the flames). Our minister, Rev. Bill spoke on this topic at leangth... and came to the conclusion that the "male on male relations" this passage lays out is a rape.. not homosexual sex. Rape is wrong period. Also offering your two virgin daughters to a mob should be brought into question as well.

The second way to attack this is the biological way. In his book "The Trouble with Testosterone" Robert Sapolsky makes a statement that says homosexuality could be a genetic mutation in species for population control and should not be considered immoral as it is a naturally occuring event. He also lays out an argument that states that most religous rituals are more than likely a result of copied OCD behavior. Interesting stuff.

So unless you like famine, disease, and pestulence, let's just go with the over-population theory and just follow the GOLDEN RULE: Don't Fake the Funk on a Nasty Dunk... and Love your Neighbor.

My Deontological stance of homosexuality is that it is love. Love doesn't hurt others wantingly. "Love is patient, love is kind." as Corinthians says. Love can't be wrong then, can it? Some may counter... that kind of stand says it's okay for petiphilia... now how can that be logical? it's hurting the kid isn't it? One party is a victim, that isn't love. That's on the level of saying that killing women is okay for Ted Bundy cause he loved doing it. Not a logical argument. Nor is loving animals or dead people or anything else on that level.

So i guess the moral of this long and boring post is... always question your own motives. everyone is more or less out for themselves, including your own person. So be nice, stay positive.. just like my hero Barbaro.



Like Grandma used to say "your potential will always outweight your problems."

Go get 'em tigers!

Our Hearts Get Bigger, But Our Bodies Get Torn Up

My family has a big part missing from it right now. My Grandma Bet passed away May 30. I have wanted to do a small tribute on here for awhile and maybe put down some thoughts... but how can you talk about someone whose been like the very air you breathe? Gma has been part of every major event in my life... it's hard to even think about it cause the loss is so staggering. but this is how it is with life...

my biggest lesson from Gma is a positive outlook. Gma had a saying that summed up her life, and that was "sometimes i have bad days, but that's okay, i used to have bad years." Gma had a great life, don't get me wrong, but the last few years had a couple of huge changes. She divorced her husband of 42 years... THAT was a huge change... and she never regreted it. in fact she became more alive and spunkier than ever in her personality... even when her body was failing her.

so when customers get crappy, or i discover a fairweather friend, or i'm a little too on edge, i just think to Gma's example. The world could be falling down around you, but the sun is always shine'n somewhere.

now i've left out a whole lot of details here... and skimmed over a lot of point and counter points, but that's what happens when you're talking about 81 years. A lifetime.

My Grandma Bet's lifetime.

And i'm happy to be a part of it... and pass her on to my kids, just as we will pass on all those that have come before us. We are not original beings... we are copies of the greatest traits of those who've raised us.

Thanks Gma... you've taught me more than you'll ever know.

here's a little story called love

learn it, love it, live it.

All you need is love they say.

George Washington

George Washington is the f'n man!

LOOOONG Nonsense....

My buddy Jason (funky monkey for those DCW followers) posted this SWEET survey/name thingie.. check it!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (middle name and current street name)
Virgil Meander Cove


2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy)
Virgil Sweettart... UGH!


3. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME: (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your last name)
L Lin... ooohhh... fried rice!


4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Black Dog... THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Virgil Dennison... pimp!


6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name)
Linishcha


7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backward)
Ligriv Hsineb.... uhhh... no.

8. PORN STAR NAME: (first pet, street you grew up on)
Cinderella Taylor... NO ONE CAN BEAT THAT NAME! THAT IS AWESOME!


9. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your second favorite color, the car your mom/dad are drivng)
The Blue Blazer or The Blue Jimmy or The Blue Bonneville (depending on which of the three she's in today!)


Also here's movie of when Jason and I got into a fight... I'm the one in black by the way....

Oh and here's an email update that Kate wrote and I changed to make it funnier for this site.. I've also misspelled some words to try to pass it off like it's mine.

On Friday we went to Jammin Java in Vienna, VA, to see Wheatus, one of our favorite bands (they sing "Teenage Dirtbag"). They haven't toured for 5 years, and the venue was small and not too many people were there, so it was like a private concert where we got to request all the songs! The lead singer just kept yelling "What do you want to hear? Yell it out!" Very cool.

On Saturday we met up with Katie and Brian and went to Hamburger Hamlet for lunch and then saw "The DaVinci Code." Not as good as the book (of course! Are the movies ever better than the books?) but we both really liked it. At night we worked at the Seneca Valley High School After-Prom with the Jaycees, from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The event went until about 5 a.m., but I was ready to crash by 1ish. The best part of the event was right before the kids got there, when we got to play with all the games. Kate and I played basketball and got all the Jaycees to play DDR (Digital Dance Revolution--it's a video game hooked up to a dance pad, so it tells you how to dance and you have to keep up with it... good workout!). As we were leaving, the man at the door asked us if we'd checked out. Kate said, "No, I'm 26." I guess it's flattering that we look like we're 18... or that we've just been in high school way too long. :-)

On Sunday we worked at the senior high youth group's car wash. People dropped off their cars in the back parking lot before church, and we washed them during the service. It was NON-STOP. We didn't keep track of how many cars we washed, but I know it was over 25, b/c I counted the remaining keys at one point. Only the advisors could drive/move the cars, so we got to drive a lot of fun cars.
My favorite was a '76 Pontiac Bonneville, and Kate's was a Honda hybrid. Kate kept turning the key b/c she couldn't tell if it was on or not, it was so quiet (then she realized it was a hybrid--duh). After the car wash, we went to lunch at Coastal Flats with pastor Bill. Oh! We made $583 in donations for the car wash!
It's all going to the Richard Hunter School in Liberia, that helps re-civilize child soldiers.

Yesterday we went to dinner and "The Elephant Man" play at the Olney Theatre with one of my customers and his wife. We'll be around this weekend. We were going to go to NYC, but decided not to since I'm fighting a cold, and we'll be travelling the next weekend.

MORAL: Kate is HOT!

ConGRADuations!!!

MY SISTER HAS DONE IT! She has graduated from Kent State University! Even though she Kent Read or Kent Write, Kent State has been berry berry good to her unlike Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondents Dinner who was not so good to President Bush.

It was great to see my lil' sis walk that isle (yes i know... but she's going to Hawaii.. get it? FUNNY!) I got a little emotional... it's a big step. and now THE REAL WORLD awaits her... which will turn her perspective on its ear. Not really cause it's that hard, but mainly cause you get a quarter of the feedback you had in college... and people are a lot more lazy and vindictive. so she'll be ten steps ahead of them already!

Good trip back to quiet ol' ohio. Nice to spend so much time with family in their native environment. Kate and i were talking about how our perspectives have changed... how our hometowns seem slower, more relaxed and smaller. it's strange and hard to explain... but not nearly as strange as Brokeback Snake Mountain.

Also all my ol' residents from das Bruster are set to graduate! I'm OLD! But good for them and i hope they've had a great time at OU as they finish their last call.

Planes and a Cousin

It was many moons ago but our Athens relative came and visited! Garry (the Extreme Alpha Geek) came out and hung out with us. He ran around with me at work, went to the spy museum and even a Justin Jones concert (which i'll review later)! We pack in the activities around here!

The best way to sum up our weekend is by watching this video.. yeah.. that's about right.

We also went to the new air and space museum out by the Dulles Airport. Here are the pix and descriptions of what we saw. It's far better than downtown's version. Highly HIGHLY recommended.

Other than that it was a great weekend.. lots of talk of life and philosophies and such. Garry has been a tad down in the past recent months.. so here's a poem of EXTREME inspiration and kick-assed-ness:

Our Deepest Fear...
is not that we are inadequate,
our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some of us,
it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson -

as seen in Coach Carter.. which is a SWEET basketball movie!

~E~ 06

Ah yes, it was that time again... Time to head out to where the deer and the antelope play... Time to russle up some grub and corral some cattle... Here's the pix to prove we were at the Flying E in 2006.

This year there were two cookouts.. the second one had a cowpoke that knew every cowboy song there is (tumble'n tumbleweeds to red river valley to folsom prison blues!) he also recited this poem called Reincarnation, that i thought was this side of awesome.

It was great to spend time with the in-laws and kids... you gotta see that Eleanor.. she's sooooo cute! And Clare can play checkers and chess... she's a MASTERMIND!

We also walked around downtown Tempe, AZ, home of Arizona State University and Sparky the sun devil who is the best mascot ever... esp. since the school is deep in mormon country. Tempe is also home to one of my alltime favorite bands... THE REFRESHMENTS!

This band only had two cds before they split up, but there is not one bad song betwixt the two of 'em. Two masterpieces... but the second one wasn't as well received, so the record company pulled the plug. The lead singer Roger Clyne has started up another folksier band called The Peacemakers which I will check out and get back to you.

Knowing you, dear imaginary reader, you'll want to know which record you should immediately run out and buy... and dear sir/madam/Liz Hurley, I say you should buy the poppy first cd Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy...

this came out when i was in 8th grade and it blew my mind.. i had just come over to the dark side of rock and was listen'n to weezer and the pumpkins... although my sister and ma didn't see the light and were listen'n to country (but GOOD country, albeit i didn't know it at the time).. this band seemed to be a good compromise and they didn't mind listen'n.. and listen they did.. this cd was on repeat all summer '97.

so the ranch is good... cowboys are good.. and sing'n cowboys KICK ASS! i shoulda been a cowboy.... oh toby keith... what a great song from a huge douchebag.

til next time...

Toy Story Vs Requiem For A Dream

Hey Y'All!

Back from the desert and ready to rock and roll... maybe actually post something. Here's what we have upcoming:

PLANES AND A COUSIN!
The Flying ~E~
CD Reviews of Justin Jones
Podcast Reviews
Books! Life is So Good, Empire Falls, and ...Dog at Night

But for now, here are two of my favorite stories brought together in surprising results!

See what happens when Toy Story Vs Requiem For A Dream.

Amazing how they really synched up the vocals!

The Proof is Within

A very busy weekend was had by all as my cousin Garry visited this past weekend. Once I shutterfly the pix, you will know all about it! This weekend did prove two things, first and most important is the fact that you can verb just about any website... like google or shutterfly.

Stinky Pete: Hey man, don't live in such prevarication!
LuLu The Dancing Panda: I have no idea what that word means...
Stinky Pete: Why don't you Google it!
LuLu The Dancing Panda: And i'm a talking and dancing panda bear, why don't you take a picture and shutterfly it?

The second thing was that everything changes. Change was the main theme of Garry's visit, and then i picked up a book that was all aboooot change. It is one of my father-in-law's favorite books called Who Moved My Cheese. It's a simple and very easy read, i finished it in about an hour and a half. It's a simple tale of two mice and two tiny humans who live in a maze and one day are faced with change: someone moves their cheese. Reactions vary from quick adjustment to waiting for the situation to change by itself to suit their needs. This story is about adjusting attitudes toward change in life, especially at work. How these guys got so small and why they're in the maze and even how their tale got out from the maze is not explained. And neither is the tale of when the cheese runs out and the two little guys kill and eat the two giant mice and then fall in love just like Brokeback Mountain. (sorry.. cheap joke).

Also here's a nifty little quiz to help further your view of inner-self (the results might surprise ya): PersonalDNA | Your True Self Revealed - Fast Fun Free Personality Tests

Only This Moment

This weekend my cousin GARRY is visiting!!!!!!!!!!!! We love visitors! He comes to us from the merry 'ol land of Athens. Yes... THAT Athens. The land of long nights and early hangovers. The land of green and white, where you study for exams all night. This, the second day of spring, makes me nostalgic for spring quarter at OU. The fun at Stroud's Run, trips to Lancaster, a Smashing Pumpkins concert in Dayton where we stayed at the fabulous Mr. Nick Rediger's house... oh yeah.. and all the girls with no clothes on. that was cool too.

The end of my freshman year at OU, as I waited for my family to pick me up, I surfed around on the internet and fell in love with Mysterious Mose.

Found on my favorite site at the moment, Transbuddha, it was a great flashback to really take me back to Athens. Then i realized i was sitting in an empty dorm room and, although i had more hair, i was BROKE and had no PlayStation 2... AND I WASN'T MARRIED!! EEEEEEKKKKK! so then i came back to the present and happily sold more drywall and called my wonderful wife.

werd?

werd.

STAND UP

Over the past few months it seems that my friends, family, and co-workers have really gotten depressed. Although i know most of the symptoms and stories, these are unimportant (for the sake of confidentiality and brevity, not because the issues themselves are unimportant).

my road to self-confidence is a long one. i'm not naturally self-confident, as it seems my sister received all of those genes. it has been a long and hard process to get to this point, and i've cheated a tad with the help of Kate who really sped up this process. but even in the times without Kate, say when she was in denmark or when i was in Germany... these were times of great self-awareness and growth due to the fact that i was open to change. during my youth i HATED change. say for example if we went to the county fair and a booth had moved, i'd be in a bad mood for the rest of the week. it HAD to be the same. i now have come to the conclusion that this was a mask and i now embrace change (like a change in government... but i digress).

here is a poem that i would love to share with all my friends suffering from self-doubt, weather it be from rejection, job-related stress, or just feeling blue.

Invictus
by William Ernest Henley; 1849-1903


Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.


In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.


Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.


It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.


you can't get more kick ass than that! the POWER IS INSIDE! go forth and kick ass. if you need support.. just ask.. you maybe surprised by who around you responds. there is no such thing as a lone wolf.. for they die. find your pack and conquer.

RIP EDGAR STILES

EDGAR DIED!
I can't believe they killed one half of the 2 best characters on that show! Chloe being the bitchier half of the Potato Face/Truffle Shuffle tagteam that saves Jack's ass more times in 60 minutes on 24 than you or I breathe.

24 is officially the "show I love to hate". I hate the president for being such a freak'n whiny bitch. I hate how everyone is unable to talk about their feelings person to person, but get the feelings through uninterested third parties. I hate freedom-hating terrorists. Yet somehow, I sit down and watch it every week. It could be because Jack is the baddest-ass thing to hit TV since Arsenio Hall, or Chloe and Edgar's "I-HACK-A-TRI-BETA-SL4-SERIES-CODE-BETTER-THAN-YOU" give-and-take is funnier on accident than Dane Cook is on purpose.

Now they've taken away Edgar, that loveable tub of lard. His death made Kate cry! As Kate's husband, I'm avowed to punch anything in the nose that makes my wife cry...and since 24 doesn't have a nose, I'll keep watching til it does.

MORPHED

A new look! Just like these obviously photoshopped animals have morphed, so has this blog.

I hope to focus and post more on philosophy and book/movies/music/art-in-general reviews. Hopefully a clearer focus makes for more entertaining and less random posts (but prolly not).

Hope you enjoy and here are some more posts to look forward to:

-Phun in Puerto Rico
-New Music Check Outs (including Bella Fleck and the Flecktones, The Bravery and Stankfüt)
-BOOOOoookk Review (The Plot Against America, Night and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night)
-Destination Alienation
-Legos! What can't you do with them?
-My Humps, my lovely lady lumps

YAY!

Since Last We Spoke

Lots going on... including getting 13" of snow dumped on us last Saturday. It was AWESOME!

So the freak'n steelers won the super bowl... whoopie doo... best thing to come out of it is that it could have broke Chris Edwards long depression. He also looks like the taco bell guy.. check out his blog under "THE REDHEAD"

Do ya like T-Shirts? or as i like to call them T-Shits.. HAHAHAHAHA.. anyways.. Busted Tees are great! My fav is the "Sex, do it for the kids" shit... i mean shirt.. har har har..

Next week we'll be in Puerto Rico for some well deserved rest. After that I plan to do a site rennovation and start posting more and stop playing soo many video games.

RULE OF THREE

Movie: WE'VE WATCHED SOOO many lately.. here's the best ones so far:
Taxi Driver & Raging Bull (for a violent DeNiro kick)
Mad Hot Ballroom
Grizzly Man

Music: Death Cab for Cutie: Plans

Book:
The Mists of Avalon-- shows just how retarded early Christianity really was... and how any dogma based on superstition sucks.

Of Plays and Postal Services

hey there Aught-Sixers,

there is life after fantasy football... my team, after being 12 out of 12 all year, made a heroic break at the end and ended up dead center at 6 of 12. pretty sweet start to my first time playing. not as good as 1st of course, my co-worker has that and constantly reminds me of it. i'm thinking about not inviting him to the league next year...

so what's up you say? TONS! last weekend was our anniversary celebration weekend. Kate and I developed a plan where one gets the joy of planning the anniversary each year and I started this year off. We had an executive suite downtown at the historic Watergate Hotel. It was great and the room was huge and we even got awakened by Republican storm troopers looking for Democratic documents at no extra charge!

We also went and saw "Shear Madness" at the Kennedy Center after eating at La Chaumerie in Georgetown. It was a RIOT and i can see why it's the longest running off broadway play. It is a loose script, meaning the actors do a lot of improv throughout the play. The actors kept cracking up at their own jokes... some at the audience's expense. one actress said to the lady in the row in front of us "yeah.. i got these cheap shears from KMart... the same place where you got that sweater." And the audience gets to pick the ending of the play. very cool

So that was the big deal this past weekend, other than that it's been work, work, and some work on the side. but here's something i haven't done in a while:

Rule of Three

Music: The Postal Service and no it's not just where my mom works...








It's pretty amazing... this band could almost be called "Nintendo Power" due to the fact that it sounds like the lead singer goes down pipes and collects coins throughout his songs. but check out these lyrics.. they're crazy!



Sleeping In

Again last night I had that strange dream
Where everything was exactly how it seemed
Where concerns about the world getting warmer
The people thought they were just being rewarded
For treating others as they'd like to be treated
For obeying stop signs and curing diseases
For mailing letters with the address of the sender
Now we can swim any day in November

awesome. haven't felt like this about a cd since Smashing Pumpkins Melon Collie and Infinite Sadness

Book:


















Kate got me this for my birthday. Wives rock!

Movie/Play: Shear Madness

Best of 2005

I know I'm late in this... but i was too busy writing up Time and People's lists... so you can just read these sucka,

Best Away Message:
"Apparently 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. And there are 5 people in my family,so it must be one of them. It's either my mum or my dad. Or my older brother Colin. Or my younger brother Ho-Chan Chu. But I think it's Colin."

Most Addictive Song:
DevilDucky - Banana Phone

Most Enlightening:
Lao Tsu

Best Lip Synch since Brittney Spears:
Numanuma

Best Blogger in terms of Update:
Emotional Toothpaste

Worst Blogger in terms of Update:
EAG

Best Retro-Blog:
DCW

Best Post:
Kimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Best Album:
Demon Days

Best Book:
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin tied with Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys

Best Movie:
Murderball

Best Website In General:
Wikipedia

Best Redesign/Shameless Plug/Sexiest Website Content Manager:
EquiSearch.com

Almost as addicting as video games or crack:
Facebook

So i think i covered everything... good times had by most in 2005 unless you were living in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, or New Orleans... but here's to 2006! oh... which reminds me...

Best Graduating Class EVER:
Class of 6-6-06

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to Luke
Happy birthday to Luke
Happy birthday, dear Luuuuuke
Happy birthday to you!

Down on the farm they all ask for Luke...
The cows ask, the chickens ask, the horses ask (horse's ass) for Luke!

Happy 24th Birthday, Luke!!
Love, Kate
(aka "Your Blog-Stealin' Wife with the Mad Photoshop Skillz")

GEOGRAPHY IS FUN!

Okay MR Huffypants... think you have the solution and can create Peace in the Middle East? The try Rethinking Schools - Just For Fun Map Game and name the countries... I couldn't. This reaffirms the fact that Americans are idiots when it comes to geography... mainly cause it doesn't affect us directly.