Ramblings of a Looney Nerd

If you're still following

2010-08-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

STOP! I'm done with traditional blogging, but I am now writing at:

http://looneytraveler.blogspot.com/

Visit there to get updates on my Big European Trip, planned for March 2011!

-Brandon

Closing Time

2010-03-29T20:11:00.001-07:00

I'm shutting this thing down. Nobody cares about this or me anymore, including me. Fuck. This. Shit. I'm done with everything.

Blode

2010-03-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Turns out, contrary to what was thought yesterday, the place I'd picked out wasn't covered by FHA. So the search continues!

Well

2010-03-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

I met with the real estate agent, and looked at several places. I think I've picked one! It's a wonderful 2 bedroom condo with a porch-view of the city, new appliances, 2 bedrooms (including a master with a bathroom inside) and 2 full baths. My agent (Brian) is sending me all the pertinent information on HOA regulations, FHA Financing, etc. tomorrow. In a few days if I still want it, i'm going to start the process of buying. because of all the time it takes to sign, get financing, inspections, etc. it probably won't be until june when I actually move in, but I'm still super excited! Wish me luck!

House Hunting

2010-03-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

I'm going on Thursday to meet with the real estate agent, to inspect the property, and to talk about financing. There's a very good shot this one won't work out, but I"m actually fine with that because at least I'm getting good house hunting experience.

IF it does work out, the plan is to have a party to which you're all invited. The place will look kinda ramshackle for a while while I buy bits and pieces of furniture. If I get a room mate, hopefully they'll hopefully be able to provide some.

I'll let everyone know how it goes! Here comes graduation!

Been a while

2010-03-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

Been buried in work up to my neck. Good news is, if I can get some stuff done this weekend, I'll be close to graduation! The capstone rough draft went as well as I figured it would, so just a few edits and I'm done with that til presentation time.

Anyone looking for a roomate? At this point it's looking more and more likely that I'll be staying around here at least for a while after graduation.

Also, anybody still reading? A few of you are still posting, but I'm not sure if anyone's still lingering about. If not, It may be time to shut this whole thing down...

Finish Line

2010-02-22T04:14:00.000-08:00

Graduation is so close I can taste it. As far as I know, I'm the first of my close friends to graduate, due to the fact that CCAD went back like a month after us and everyone else needed to finish at least another semester. I've started applying with both the government and with several overseas programs to teach english or american history. It's a terrifying goddamn feeling, especially with the economy being in its current state.

But I'm ready. Things are going excellently, talking to a young lady, my car is paid off, and I'm saving money as quickly as I can. Things are still a bit grey, but here are plans as they're shaping up now:

-Spring Break: Headed to Columbus for at least a couple of days, and hopping from friend to friend while up there.
-April and May: Finish up research papers so I can knock my capstone project the rest of the way out of the way. Do capstone, and graduate. Apparently I'm being forced to walk. I don't want to, but I guess I will for my family...
-Late May: Going to Disney World with the family. I'll be the first person to graduate with a degree so It's sort of a big deal around here. We'll be spending 3-4 days down there.
-Early June: Big trip planned with the Columbus guys, but we're not 100% sure where we're headed yet. Right now Gatlinburg looks likely, but not definite.
-Post-June: No clue. Ideally, I'll be getting one of these overseas Jobs trough NKU's International Studies Program. But I have no idea.

Geh

2010-02-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Busy busy!

-I have a tentative job offering to work in Japan, South Korea, or the Czech Republic. I need to do some application work but Dr. Le Roy seems confident. Let's hope it works out!

-School is churning along. No news there.

-OMG SNOOOOW. I'm so sick of it. I have the cabin fever. Lets all have an adventure mkay?

-I REALLY want a new tattoo. It's killing me having a ton of extra money and no new tattoo. If you guys have ideas I'd legitimately like to hear them.

-Eastern Promises is a kickass movie. I just got it and watched it again. Check it out if you like crime films.

_______________________________________________________
I do not know any women who are taller than me. The women who are taller than me are lesbians, for whom 1969 was a very momentous year. -Alex, Everything is Illuminated

Bugger All

2010-01-30T08:02:00.001-08:00

Looks like, once again, I'll be doing nothing for my birthday. Not that it much matters; every time i do basically nobody shows up. Guess I'll see if I can pick up a night shift Tuesday night and just work the whole day through.

EDIT
Oh wait. Looks like I'll be at the hospital keeping my mom from freaking out during my sister's operation after work on Tuesday until well after bedtime.

Zum Geburtstag, fur mich.

EDIT 2: EDIT HARDER

Wait, why am I bitching about this? Does anybody really care? Really? Thought not!

Chivalry 2010

2010-01-26T06:23:00.000-08:00

I want to start by saying I hate being the good guy sometimes. I hate being the one with a sense of decency and honor. It's screwing a lot of things up, and depressing me quite badly. At least Knights had combat to relieve stress and aggression...

2010 is, I think, going to be a big year for me. I'll graduate college and, with any luck, have a big-boy job by year's end. I'm also maturing a lot. I'm starting to follow rules I've always set for myself and act more like an adult. Finally, eh?

Off to another day at the mines.

Weekend Update (1/17)

2010-01-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the lack of updates! School starting always cuts into online time!

The semester is going excellently. I love all of my professors: Professor Fleming, an English gentleman in the classical model, Professor Quinn, an archaeologist who was with me in Turkey, and Frau Styles, my German Professor. Oh, and the ever Present Dr. Reynolds for thesis direction. I have one class with Kaitlin, Two with Chris, One with Emily (from Arabic) and a couple with other random former classmates. Low homework expected this semester. Great classmates, professors, and subjects.

No school tomorrow. Plans? no idea. Birthday is two weeks from Tuesday. Also no idea on the plans front. Columbus trip, maybe? If you've got ideas lets here them, otherwise I'll just do what I do every birthday and do nothing!

Dallas plays today. First time I've cared about football in YEARS!

The final stretch

2010-01-10T19:51:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, chances are, is the last first day of school I'll ever have. And it's scaring me. In one regard, I'm glad. two of my classes are online or independent thesis study, so I know what to expect from them, one is a professor I've known pretty closely for a while, and Kaitlin and Chris are in another. It's not the normal trepidation though. It's knowing that this is the beginning of the end of my being a kid, and marks my real entry into the real world. After this I have to find my career. I have to settle down. Chances are my days of adventure are over.

Goodfellas

2010-01-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

What does it take to be a good man? This is something I've found myself struggling with a lot recently. This, unfortunately, varies from person to person I'm afraid, meaning that no matter how good you are to one, you're a braying ass from another's perspective.

Take for instance, Jeremy Clarkson, co-host of the highly-rated program Top Gear. Now, of course I don't personally know the man. Based on what I know about him though, I'd consider him a good man and even something of a hero. He says what he thinks, he does what he loves, and he has little regard for what others think of him. He has no time for frivolity that inconveniences others, and obviously has a problem with stupid people. He just does what he does, and thinks other people should do the same as long as they aren't bothering anybody else. But to, say, a member of greenpeace, he's the anti-christ.

By the same token, I consider his holiness the Dalai Lama a good man. He does what he must for his country, he treats others with compassion and respect, and in many respects is somewhat saintly. See, even with one's opinion, two vastly different, perhaps clashing, personalities are considered to be good guys.

That brings someone such as myself, who is on a constant quest to be a "good guy" to something of an impasse. I like to feel that I embody both of the above guys, but probably do so with the first to a far greater extent.

My real issue, is that I'm not 100% sure who I am, or even what I am. Now, good and bad are really just moral constructs, but regardless I'm of the opinion that one should always strive for good if they can. Why? Well, I'm not rightly sure, but it's just that internal feeling. And a strong belief in Karma.

So I leave the floor open to you, the reader. What makes a man (or woman) good? What makes them bad?

On The Rocks

2010-01-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

If the past 24 Hours have been any indication, this will be a much better decade than the last. We all hung out with Pattie for new years eve. He and his dad got tanked (it was also Mr. Butler's wedding reception). Weirdness was had. It was more fun than I've had in years. I'll probably spend Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in Columbus. They're my brothers, and I've missed them.

There's also a new lady on the scene. I dunno how it'll work out yet, but things seem hopeful. Been a while since I hung out, held hands, and watched a movie with a girl without it ending in sex immediately. It's a refreshing feeling. I hope it works out, at least for a while. I need a break from being single.

And I've heard Sunshine of Your Love 3 times on the radio today. This decade shall rule...

Year End Chupathingy

2009-12-30T20:44:00.000-08:00

So... Compared to everyone else, this year was markedly uneventful, though not good by any means. Here goes:

January-August:

I was still in hell. The year started with exploratory surgery, and that revealed nothing. The doctors have put down my mysterious Turkish ailment as "extreme exposure and dehydration", but the truth may never be known. I spent most of this time looking for a job, alone nearly constantly, reading. As horrible as it was, I grew accustomed to it. And it made me mature, quite a bit I think. I learned a ton: skills, facts, all that stuff just because of the time on my hands. The last semester of last year was hell, and on that, I'd rather not dwell. But my goals changed markedly and I'm still suffering the repurcussions of that (namely being terrified of the future).

August - December:
Schools been a non-issue, so I won't talk much about that. I met a girl during this period who was really good for me, and I screwed it up by not putting the effort into it. If you're ready, Bella, I'm sorry. In October, I got a Tattoo and I still love it. I want more. I also got re-acquainted with Amber, and that was good, I think. The year ended with lots of hanging out with my oldest friends and it's something I've needed for over a year. My Intrepid, an old friend and fighter, finally died as well. I will always fondly remember it as my first car. The only car that outlasted it in any of my groups of friends is steve's old accord, and in all honestly, I could have totally fixed it up, but the Pontiac I got in its stead was too good of a deal to pass up.

The People

Alex Lyon: I'd barely talked to Alex for over a year until this month. But we've hung out non-stop (me living at his house like the old days) for a few days now, and It's like he'd never left. He's basically my older brother, and I'm pretty sure we'll be good friends until we die.

Kevin Havens: Kevin became, possibly, my best friend this year. We talk all the time online and share most of the same tastes and interests, whether it's in cars or Cigars or women.

Chris Clark: Until the past couple of months Chris and I were, at best, adverseries for a number of reasons that will remain between ourselves. But we've started hanging out and have become good friends. I don't know, but this has serious potential of becoming a best friend type of deal. Only time will tell.

Meagan McNeilan: I haven't actually seen her this year. But we talk from time to time on the internets. We need to hang out lady!

Cameron Hodge: We've fallen out, mostly, it seems. Between his always being in Louisville, and my always working, we don't seem to have time to ever hang out. He's still my go-to person on car advice and the only one of my friends (with the possible exception of Kevin) with automotive skills comperable to my own.

Nikki Greis: We never hang out, but we talk all the time online. I want to hang with you more too. I'm sorry everything has gone so shitty.

James ": Same as Nikki. With you guys living up by Xavier and me just recently getting a decent vehicle, doing anything is difficult. But I miss you!

Everyone else: There's a ton more of you, but honestly, by this point It'd be a lot of repeating myself and apologizing. You know who you are though, and how I feel.

True Meaning

2009-12-25T19:26:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I've heard a lot of people bitching about it's commercialization, and others complaining that they aren't Christians. That's fine. But I'll love it for as long as I live, regardless of my religion. And this is why.

Late in the day of December 24, 1914, German Soldiers of the 133rd Royal Saxon regiment were on duty on the front lines near Ypres, Belgium. Missing home, and knowing no attack orders were planned until reinforcements could be brought forward after a disastrous attack the day before, relaxed a bit. Someone, miraculously, had found a small fir tree and began to decorate it, and soon the entire forward trench was covered in decorations made from spent shell casings and candles. As the day wore on, they began to sing the German carol Stille Nacht (Silent Night). Across the killing ground, the British heard this commotion. Not to be outdone, they began to sing traditional English carols.

This continued late into the day, and finally intrepid members from both sides dashed into no-man's land, carrying small gifts like rations and cigarettes. As night wore on, German and British commanders ordered the artillery barrages to end because of the risk of hitting their own men, carousing with the enemy. Each side allowed the other to bury the decaying bodies in the fields, and held funeral services together. The next day football (soccer) matches were held, more gifts were exchanged, and addresses were traded so that fighters could take care of the others families and visit after the war.

English and German commanders were outraged, and ordered major attacks every Christmas for the rest of the war. But the casualties sustained by both sides every december 25 for the rest of the war are negligable. Bombardments were always mysteriously inaccurate, orders to go "over the top" always seemed to fail to get through, and snipers never had a clear shot to the other side.

Nearly 500,000 men were killed or wounded around Ypres over the course of the war. The theater saw the first use of poison gas attack in modern warfare, one of the first deployments of the machine gun in heavy numbers, and the first confirmed sniper duel in modern history. So many shells were dropped on both sides that geographical maps had to be redrawn after the war because whole hills had disappeared.

But For two brief days the men in the area were brothers. They weren't Toms or Krauts, Germans or British. And that's why I'll always love Christmas.

Resolution List 2009: Resolutioned Again

2009-12-22T23:30:00.000-08:00

I've never been one to make many serious resolutions, but I'd like to change that. So I've put together a list this year, in order of difficulty (easiest to hardest).

1. Meditation. I've become so lax on this. Ten minutes a day, every day, no matter what.
2. Sunshine: Ten Minutes outside, every day, no matter what. I feel like a shut-in
3. Exercise: Two periods a week of exercise. Only 20 minutes a day. that's reasonable and i'll always have time for it. It doesn't matter, walks, yoga, tai-chi, lifting, all of this will count. Swims will attempt to be scheduled.
4. Homework: this is my last semester. time to focus on school, for once.
5. Job. I graduate in May. Have my career path figured out by then.
6. Gain Weight. I want to weigh 150 by year's end. That's 30 or so pounds.
7. Relationship: I'm going to try my damndest to get into a meaningful relationship this semester. One about more than sex and all that. I've been trying for a while now, but it helps to reinforce myself.
8. Along with number 5. No more sex outside of relationships. No more one-night stands, flings, hook-ups, or buddy sessions. It kills me to say it, but it's time I grew up.

Origins

2009-12-16T23:26:00.000-08:00

I've had a recent fascination with word origins, and this has gotten me thinking about names a lot, making me do a lot of research. Presented Here are the names and their probable meanings of all of you who might actually be reading:

Brandon Black: Comes from an old english/saxon cognate, Bromdun, meaning From the signal hills, the signal hills being a number of settlements thought to have originated as signal forts under the romans (lots of English Isles towns originally had the name Bromdun/Brandon). Black come from Old English Blæc, a nicname meaning "dark-skinned", commonly humorously given to pale Celts.

Cameron Hodge. Cameron comes from Camsròn, a Scottish name meaning "Crooked Nose". Hodge comes from "Hogge", a dialectal form of "Rodger" in middle English.

Amber Cummings: Amber comes from an Arabic Word عنبر (Anber), the given name for the gemstone. Cummings comes from Mac Cuimín, Gaelic for "Son of Cuimín", meaning bent or crooked (similar origin as "Cameron"!)

James and Nikki Greis. Greis comes from a German word meaning "Grey" in the old person sense. James is a Patronym meaning "Son of Jacob" in most Semitic Languages. Nikki is a short form of "Nicole", which in turn is the feminine form of Nicholas. Nicholas comes from the greek Nikolaos, meaning victory of the people, originally a title of praise given in Hellenistic Greece to great citizens.

Joseph Hannah: Joseph comes from the Hebrew Yosef, meaning "he will add". Hannah comes from Hebrew also (Channah) meaning favor or grace.

Kaitlin Shupert: Kaitlin comes from the greek Aikaterine, but it's origin is debated. Some thinks it comes from a Greek Coptic word meaning "torture" while others think it comes from the goddess Hecate. Shupert comes from a fucked up Anglicanization of Schubert, a common last name for Jewish cobblers in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, and Poland.

Sam Hatfield: Sam comes from Shemu'el, a Hebrew phrase directly meaning "the name of god". Hatfield comes from Harthfeld, Old English for "hearth field", the name of several places that were known for being pastures and farms.

So it turns out all of you bloglings (myself included) have pretty boring names. Kaitlin probably wins the first name contest simply because her name might mean "Torture". Most of our last name origins are vaguely insulting too!

My tattoo doesn't taste like anything

2009-12-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

Though interestingly, it has no smell while the rest of me smells like soap from my shower. Weird.

This time of year is also hectic for me. I always seem to get sick around finals time; maybe it's the stress and lack of sleep. But I feel like i'm getting strep or something. My throat hurts like a mother.

Christmas does two things to me. Firstly, it makes me very happy. I just love it. Second, it makes me nostalgiac. I want to go back to Germany.

It's strange, but depending on my job availability when I graduate, I'm seriously considering leaving the US. No joke, if I won the lottery tomorrow I'd finish out the semester and move to Dorset in the UK. I'd finish getting my degree online just to say I'd done it, but I'd probably never look back. I don't know what it is. I just have this uncanny urge to leave.

I have seen the other side of the mountain

2009-12-07T22:24:00.000-08:00

I'm so close. One week and one semester. And then I'm a college graduate. I can get a real job (the kind where i can make enough money to get both a place AND a new car) and be done with all this crap.

but...

I'm tired. I'm sick and tired of all the work and the busting my hump constantly. I just keep looking forward. You know I can buy a new camaro with most of the post-graduation jobs I'm looking at? I just don't want to. I just want to take a break. Maybe it's fear. As it stands, being the type of man that I am with my grades, I can do just about anything through scholarships. I can travel anywhere, stay anywhere, whatever. The real world is staring me down, and it's starting to freak me out. Because, yeah, in May i can buy what I want, live where I want. But after that the dream train pretty much comes to an end and the realm of infinite possibilities becomes more and more remote.

Um. Wow. DID NOT mean to get so emotional there! Sorry bout that chaps! Unfortunately you'll have to suffer through a few more with the "future" and "past year/decade" posts. In the interim I'll do my best to stay as remote as normal. On the good news front, I get to drive a very fast, very nice car tomorrow if the weather helps.

Merry Christmas Bitches!

Redecoration

2009-12-03T13:36:00.001-08:00

As you can all tell, the Christmas redecorating is done. After the holiday's it's looking like Kevin will be graphically redesigning things from the ground up! Merry Christmas!

You're a foul one....

2009-12-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

I have to work on Kringle Nacht. This makes me a most displeased boy. I should still get out early enough to go to the Krampusumzüge in Cincy. If you'd like to go let me know. It's quite an event if you've never been!

I'm also considering a new tat. I'm just not sure. Ideas?

The Future

2009-11-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

The year-end post is rapidly approaching. But this is also the end of the decade, one recently dubbed the "decade from hell" by TIME magazine. So I might just be doing an end of decade post to. But not just that. I'm also thinking a "future" post might be in order. A couple years ago everyone did a "where will we all be in ten years?" post that said where we thought we and everyone of our friends would be a decade from now. A lot has changed since those older post and I'd like to see everyone's thoughts on the subject.

Epic Level

2009-11-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

Of my few accomplishments in life, the one of which I am most proud is the amount that I have traveled and the number of adventures I've had. By the age of 20 I had climbed on the Matterhorn and skied in the alps, ridden through the desert in the holy land with a Bedouin, visited a Turkish brothel, witnessed an attempted coup, been in more than a couple of riots, witnessed the full might of the United States Army mobilize, visited 5 continents, and died. Needless to say, this is all I've ever really accomplished in life, and to be fair I'd say it's been a pretty interesting one so far.

But it's never been enough. No matter how far I've been, no matter what I've witnessed or done, I have the urge to plow ahead forward. Even as I lay in bed for the many months after my last abortive attempt at adventure, I was fighting off that gnawing urge, that thing which convinced many of my ancestors to come to this country, my mother to backpack into the Czech Republic, and my Father to join the Army. The travel bug.

I'm quickly approaching the age where a career will prohibit any more serious travel. While I'll be able to afford better trips, I'm reaching the age where things like staying in hostels in out of the question. And therefore I am planning a trip for sometime next year. My big adventure finale. The way I go out with a bang.

Here's a rough outline of the plan. I land in Edinburgh, Scotland. I then train my way south to london, where a ferry whisks me to Amsterdam. This is where the real fun begins. I rent a car through a European Union-wide agency, like Alamo. I take this south to the Rhine, and follow that to Frankfurt am Mein, and then to Stutgart, I spend the evening in Heidelberg, where I then travel to Munich and my beloved Bavaria. Heading south-east i enter Austria, then turn around and head dead west from Salzburg to Zurich. I emerge from the Alps and hit Florence, Milan, and Rome.

That's what I have so far. At this point I turn the car in in Italy, and I have a decision to make. I can either fly to Morocco and then from there home. OR I can fly to Spain, travel north via train or more preferably car, all the way to Paris. A flight from Paris lands me in Dublin, where I enjoy a pint before heading home. Right now option two is looking like the more fun, but more expensive option. This will completely break the bank. My goal is to have 10 grand saved by the time I put the plan into action.

There's a good chance I'll fail. If life or economics appear to get in the way, I can abort. I will, however, definitely be making a hop from england then to germany for at least a week long trip. I vow to see home again before 2011.

Fall Cleaning

2009-11-16T22:03:00.001-08:00

You'll notice I tidied up. Please take off your shoes. Word on the netz is that Kevin Havens will soon be redesigning the whole blog lay out. Guy is crazy talented. You should check him out. Also, be expecting Christmas decor up soon...

Who do They

2009-11-16T08:09:00.001-08:00

I don't necessarily have any strong opinions about the Cincinnati Bengals one way or another. I don't like football much anyway, except for the single game a year I sit down and watch (Cowboys on Thanksgiving). If I support a team at all that's Dallas, and even then I doubt you could give me tickets to one of their games. Long story short, I'm not big into the American Football.

But many things ABOUT the team bother me. The first is their name. Why Bengals? Sure you don't see many Jaguars in Jacksonville, but at least that's alliterative. And Orange is a god awful color anyway. I hate that so many of the players are always getting arrested and making this city look worse than it already does. I hate that the interstate becomes a god awful mess right before and right after games.

But most of all, I hate that fucking "Who Dey" chant. For one, walking around saying that makes you look like somebody suffering from a mental disorder of pretty strong magnitude. It makes the city look like a bunch of idiots. Second, it's just lazy grammar and chant writing. Third, it's racist. Did you know that it's derived from the phrase "who dat?", a popular lyric in blackface minstrel shows in the American south in the late 1800s? Why? Well because it's how southern whites though "uneducated, illiterate" african Americans spoke. The phrases "Who dat say chicken in this crowd?" and "Who dat say who dat? were popular gag openings in some of the most famous blackface troops. It was then adopted by the New Orleans Saints as a chant, which they derived from a popular New Orleans Jazz song that had recycled the phrase. They've been using it since the 1960's and 70's, although only "officially" since 1983. So basically it's a racial stereotype stolen and corrupted from another team.

And you therefore should feel bad about saying it, and stop screaming it at my place of business. Jerk.

Cold as Ice, Oh oh oh!

2009-11-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

It's warmer than it deserves to be right now. Mid-November and it's currently in the upper 60's according to the local weather station monitor. The average temperature so far this month has been in the low 60's. According to several online almanacs the average temperature in this area for this month should be 45 degrees, with an average high of around 54. We're averaging temperatures higher than our normal high this time of year.

Don't get me wrong, I like pleasant weather as much as anyone, but mother nature is causing me several biological problems at the moment. My stomach is constantly having problems because of the sinus drainage because the local plants and pressure can't figure out if it's winter or summer, and so are releasing all kinds of gasses and switching pressure on my constantly. And the time-shift isn't registering, because when it's this warm out it shouldn't be getting dark so early. This has royally fucked my circadian rhythm and my sleep schedule. I'm also running into a delightful mix of bugs; summer wasps and bees and late fall worms, ladybugs, and snails. The constant swings in pressure and temperature outside between the middle of the night and daytime are playing merry hell with my tire pressure and several sensitive bits of my car.

The point? It needs to get fucking cold. I know the rest of you mostly loathe snow, but I rather enjoy it at least at first. Most years we've experienced a minor flurry by now. Is that so much to ask for?

Blaaaaah

2009-11-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

I'm bored. What's going on?

Lion

2009-10-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

I went yesterday and got my tat! The initial feeling is pain, but it's not bad. After a few minutes it goes away and seriously doesn't hurt at all. Unless it hits bone or a nerve. Then it's pretty bad!

One more Option

2009-10-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

A friend just gave me an idea for this. It's the symbol of heidelberg (the town i actually grew up in in Germany) but also the charge on my family's arms. Check it!

Branding

2009-10-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

So I've had the urge to get a Tattoo since before I left for Turkey. Well over a year at this point, so I'm fairly certain it's not just an idle urge that I get that all of you are so familiar with. But I need your help. I had originally wanted a Maltese cross in the style used by the Knights Hospitalliar; Not because they used it, but because of what it symbolically represents (the 8 chivalrous virtues). However, it has two problems; many people keep confusing it with the Iron Cross, which apparently has Nazi connotations. And if I spend much time in the Middle East (which it looks like I will), I don't want a symbol connected to the crusades. So it's out. The following are the short list of my backups. I'll give a small pic and a brief description of what it means and why I want it. I'd like to know your opinions. The location will likely be my upper arm, above where a standard T-shirt sleeve ends.

The Maltese Cross
Discussed above. The points represent: Loyalty, Piety, Generosity, Bravery, Honor/Glory, Hatred of Death, Charity, Respect

The Reichsadler

The symbol of Germany since before the time of Charlemagne. It's a black eagle (normally with yellow and red details) with it's face looking right. It represents Germany, the place where I grew up and the place where most of my first memories are from.

The Fleur-de-Lis
A heraldic symbol since essentially the beginning of time, in Western culture it represents purity and virtue, while in the east its meaning varies. It's a common symbol, and it's biggest disadvantage is that it's so widely used as a Tattoo (I'd imagine).

The White Tree (Of Gondor/Nimloth)
The White Tree is used as a heraldic symbol throughout the works of JRR Tolkien, normally representing Gondor or Nimloth. The Lord of the Rings has been my favorite book since middle school, and in a lot of ways it shaped me into the big nerd of a person I am today.

The Crescent and Star
A symbol used in heraldry, banners, etc. again since the beginning of human history, it can represent any number of things to any number of people (Islam, Specific Nations, Gods, etc.). In my case it represents Turkey and the Ottoman Empire, the focus of my studies since college started, and the place where I died and my life literally changed. However, having a symbol associated with Islam in the US could cause problems.

What do you guys think? I'll put up a little voting bar here in just a bit, if you could log a vote I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Style

2009-10-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks, I've been feeling abnormally classy. I think it has something to do with suddenly having a massive influx of money, but I can't be sure. I went browsing for suits today, and I've picked up a penchant for Scotch and reverting to my old ways of more eloquent speech that I dropped when working at Best Buy to avoid the mockery of the plebs I was working with (no insult intended: I still love you guys). I just want to buy a three piece suit with suspenders, a vest, and a hat, something Bond or Don Draper would wear. And I've been talking to James, and I still want an awesome classy party. Basically I'm striving for the kind of life portrayed in something like Esquire; which frankly, kind of sickens me and is far too expensive. Hopefully it's just a little phase!

__________________________________________________
"You've Either Got or you haven't got style
If you got it, it stands out a mile!
With mother of pearl kind of buttons
You look like the Astors and Huttons!
You've either got or you haven't got class!

Partay

2009-10-11T21:04:00.001-07:00

So I want to have a smoking party. Something classy where we all dress up a little, and smoke cigars and hookah and drink fancy drinks. Problem is, I dunno where. Living at home sucks.

201

2009-10-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

Fiction will be up next post. Hopefully. I'm a bit busy but yeah, I'm working on it...

Anyway, back to the previous discussion.

I'm a firm believer that death should be "epic". I mean that in the literal sense. If possible, it should be done doing something to help your fellow man or further your cause. It shouldn't involve the taking of innocent life (i.e. suicide bombers) and you shouldn't go into it knowing you're going to die (i.e. suicide). If this isn't possible, if it's awesome it's okay; race car drivers, astronauts, and test pilots all automatically go to man-heaven on impact. Even if you're just dying of disease, at least going like a man (again, not literally, i mean "man" in its metaphorical sense) is the bear minimum you should do.

That's it on that. And now, to writing!

Tonight. We dine. IN.... Purgatory?

2009-10-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

Happy 200 everyone!

Obama won the Nobel Prize and NASA has bombed the moon, twice. What a world, eh?

I'm thinking about putting some of my fiction up on here, at a suggestion from Cameron. Would everyone be okay with this and be willing to give me a bit of feedback? Normal posts return later today!

Boromir

2009-10-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

As I drove home this evening, my poor Intrepid, called Blitzkrieg, began to experience her death throes. Smoke billowed from her as she attempted to summit the hill that Amsterdam Road climaxes on. She poured smoke, and I asked of her only one final journey; the remaining block, mostly on hills, to my house. And she preformed valiantly, finally roaring to a halt directly in front of my house in a final explosion of rage and pain. It was a warrior's death. I'll miss her dearly.

And that got me thinking about some things.

Firstly, if none of you knew this, I firmly believe that certain objects have personalities and souls. Many types of automobile are like this; a Ferrari is arrogant and haughty, but not without reason, while the normal ricer is like the people that drive them; small and scrappy, but ultimately impotent. The old Dodge, well, she was a tough old lady. I'd describe her as a Valkyrie. There have been dozens of times when any other vehicle would have died on me, but she almost always pulled through for me when I needed her.

Hybrids have no souls

The other was the concept of death. Cameron and I were discussing this last week; people just don't seem to have good deaths anymore. At least not that frequently. It might be a macabre question, but how do you want to go? I'll respond to each of you and discuss this more in my next post!

...Belgian? Baker

2009-09-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

I want to become a baker. I have many reasons for this.

1. Everyone loves bakers. Who could hate someone who makes delicious food?
2. Bakers don't hurt anybody. They don't have to ruin someone's career or physically damage someone.
3. You get delicious bread and cake
4. Way less college than my current career path
5. Awesome hats
6. Decent Wages

This is the perfect job for me.

Out of the flames

2009-09-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

I went car-looking at a place owned by my uncle's friend. And for the same price as they "meh" cavalier I was looking at, I found this:
It's a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire. It's dead sexy. Uncle Will is adding 4 MAG wheels and I'll be doing some slight work; the headlight covers need replaced (they're slightly yellowed by age) and it has a half-dime-sized spot of rust on the front driver's side fender which will need sanded and filled. A bit of clear coat is coming off of the black plastic in between the windows, but that's a fast and easy fix. The radio will be replaced, and I'll be adding GPS. If I have it for a few months and really like it, there's a good chance we'll be adding some better engine modifications. What do yall think?

Newsy News

2009-09-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

Only a few posts to go to 200! weird

I started the day off with dough being a jacktard, as normal. However, things improved significantly when Paw (My grandpa) decided it was a good day to max out his tach... in a thunderstorm. You don't know awesome until you've listened to 50's rock and roll and done 120 mph down a back road in an old chevy in a thunderstorm. Awesome.

The last Ottoman, Osman Ertugrul, died today. It probably sounds weird, but it always depresses me when living history ceases to exist. I'll probably take a day off to drink in honor of the vets when the last WWI guy goes, which is fast coming at this point.

The big news is that the Iranians have been called out on their nuclear program. I'm hoping diplomacy works. But at this point it looks like we're headed towards a third war in under a decade.

Isn't that what caused Rome to collapse?

Selling Out

2009-09-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Some of you will notice that there are now ads up on the blog. I'm just attempting to generate a few extra bucks a month. Just a heads up.

I'm really looking forward to Forza III. Seeing as I can afford exactly 0 of the cars featured in the game, it's the closest I can come to driving most of them on a regular basis. You all should check it out. It looks badass. I'll post more tomorrow or when I get off work tonight...

The End?

2009-09-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

I've started thinking hard recently. About my life. About everything. I need to sit down and think long and hard about some stuff. Bleh. One thought though; is anyone still reading? I don't mind if you're not, but this thing seems pretty barren of late. Should I take her down, or are you all still out there?

Yeah

2009-09-13T19:39:00.001-07:00

I dunno. I feel like I should post something. But I dunno about what. I guess I can give everyone an update on life.

Not much going on. New job is hit-or-miss. Some nights I absolutely hate a bunch of the people I work with. It stops mattering once business picks up, because everyone is too busy to talk. Some nights are better than others though; Saturday was one of those. And the money is normally good. On Thursday I got out by 8, and still walked out with around 60 bucks, which equals out to me making around 17 bucks an hour. Other nights are better; on labor day I walked at 9:30 with 140, which works out to like 25 bucks an hour. It's not staggering, especially as I'm only working two nights a week, but it's way more money than I've had in a long time. I've already got the first two payments on the car covered, and I haven't even gotten it. At the rate they're going, I'll have the car half paid off by the time it shows up at my house.

Still getting over some stuff. And fighting a cold off. Meh. At least school is keeping me busy. But I need a new hobby.

Hurk

2009-08-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

So I find myself sitting in the library while I should be in class. The reason? Well, first, Dr. Ramkumar is really nice. Second, I feel like ass. You see,even though I've been feeling generally better, I still have a few problems. I overheat easily. I have an incredibly weak stomach. And my sinuses are hyper-sensitive. Combine all this together, and summer mornings are pretty brutal on me, as the pollen and like in the air cause sinus drainage, which leaks into my stomach and makes me want to hurl. Add the intensity of the sun up here on campus to my over heat problems, and it's just a bad combo. If I'm not feeling better by 12 noon, i'm going to see if someone can pick me up and take me home. We'll have to see.

Update

2009-08-24T19:27:00.001-07:00

Finally off work. Between it and school I just had a 14 hour day. I'm so tired, but I'm going to try and post just a bit seeing as I've not done it in a while.

The day started with me having to hitch a ride. The intrepid is no longer safe to drive on the interstate at all, meaning Northern is all but inaccessible to me in it. The good news is that I should be getting a late-generation Chevy Cavalier in the next few days.

My first class is Astronomy, with Dr. Chari Ramkumar. He's hilarious, and seems really nice. It turns out the university has one of the finest planetariums in the world, running on 16 quad-core processors to project something that looks uncannily real.

Then there's a two hour break. I mostly spent it resting. I felt like shit all day, probably a mix of nerves and sinus drainage. It was a mix of nausea and feeling like I'd pass out, with a sore throat. It got better though. At noon I had a meeting with Doc R. about thesis. I'm terrified of it. By next Wednesday I need a 60 book bibliography on books on the Ottoman Empire, ranging from 1700 to 2009. Brutal.

Next up was my Christianity class. It's a basic survey. Not too hard. The professor is an Episcopalian minister, and is pretty cool. Not much more to say about that.

Finally I have geography of Religion. It's a pretty intense survey of world religions focusing on demographics and linguistics. Turns out I'll be basically teaching the Buddhism sections. It's seminar style, so each person in the class is teaching their own religion.

They're all nice, but they're all computer Nazis, so I won't be online much between work and school. I'll try to stay in contact with everyone though. But now, it's sleep time.

Anniversary

2009-08-02T02:23:00.001-07:00

Wow. One year ago today my ordeal ended and I was flying home from Istanbul. That means it's been a year since I died. A year since the best (and worst) few months of my life. It's a sobering thought to think that it's been that long.

Bang, Zoom

2009-07-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

Straight to the Moon. 40 Years ago today Neil Armstrong stepped out of the "Eagle", down a short ladder, and onto the surface with those famous words. I'm not going to wax on about this; chances are, if you're online or turn on a tv today, you'll see something about it.

I will say this though. It was one of the last times that mankind did something truly great. The last time that we set a goal that truly seemed insurmountable, but achieved it anyway through nothing more than trial and error, and good old fashioned American stubbornness. Just think back to all of the people that died to make it happen, and all of the things that we could have, and still can, achieve. If we want to.

Ten of 2009

2009-07-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

I promise; this is the last car post for a while. Kind of a long article, apologies! Listed below are my 10 favorite cars of 2009. They were chosen totally based on my fancy, and mostly take speed, performance, and sexyness into account over reliability or fuel efficiency. They are listed in no praticular order.

1. Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

Sporting a classic Alfa front-end, and a body that brings to mind an Aston Tourer, this thing is sexy. It's 4.7 Liter V8 gives it a respectable Top-Speed of 181 Miles per Hour. Not amazing, but when you factor in a roomy, luxurious interior, a decently-sized back seat, and a ton of options, including a convertible, it seems to be a much better ride than comparable vehicles of the same class.

2. Aston Martin DB9

I'm a huge fan of Astons, and it took a lot of effort for me to include just one on this list. The DBS won out because of its high top-speed for its size (190 miles per hour), its styling which includes a body that features a fair deal of carbon fiber, and for the fact that it is James Bond's new vehicle of choice. Sure, it costs a quarter million dollars, but really, it's a small price to pay for something this insanely sexy.

3. Pontiac Solstice Coupe

It's a real shame that Pontiac is closing its doors next year, because they seem to have finally picked a winner with the new Solstice. They fixed the earlier model's main problem, and it now includes a hard-top while remaining a convertible, making it leave the Chick car realm to take its rightful place in the budget sports car world. And it's a great buy, starting at only twenty five grand, making it one of the cheapest cars on this list!

4. Dodge Challenger RT

I don't even know where to start on this thing. It's sexy; it's one of only two cars on the market (the other will appear below) to actually look like an American Muscle car. The thing has a 376 brake Horse Power V8 HEMI motor, throwing all efficiency to the wind in favor of speed and power. I for one, totally applaud this move.

5. Chevy Camaro SS

In the interest of non-bias, I probably shouldn't have a favorite on this list, but the Camaro is very tempting. It's angry looking, fast (160 mph), but also fuel efficient, clocking in at a whopping 30 mpg. That makes it as efficient as many models of the Ford Focus, Chevy Cobalt, Toyota Camry, and other less attractive or quick cars. I have to admit that it's price is a little steep for what it is (costing more than the Challenger and starting off at more expensive than the Solstice), but I'm such a Camaro buff it doesn't even matter to me.

6. Audi R8

I'll admit it now; it took the game Forza Motorsport 2 and a bit of convincing from my friend Cameron to make me see the light of Audi, but how bright that light is! The R8 can come with a whopping 317 Cubic Inch V10 engine, giving it a crazy top speed of 197 Miles per hour. It manages to do this all while looking like a crazy hybrid of a luxury car and a sports car, and it what I imagine some really suave hitman driving.

7. Cadillac CTS-V

This thing is nothing short of a monster; it got a 7 minute lap time on the Nurburgring, on factory tires, setting a world record. It has a 556 Horse Power V8, and can be kitted out to get a whopping 191 MPH top speed, making it one of the fastest street-legal, stock cars currently sold in the US, while maintaining that smoothe Caddy ride!

8. Ferrari F430 Scuderia

There's almost nothing bad you can say about this mid-engined V8, which by all-rights should be classified as a supercar. It just misses the big leagues, with a top-speed of 198 Miles Per hour, and a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds. It's become a favorite of Jeremy Clarkson for its handling, an opinion reflected on the racing circuits where it has become a common feature. Ferrarri seems to have won big with this one, and with any luck they'll stay in production longer than the Enzo.

9. Chevy Corvette ZR1

The sexy beast made in my home state. A front-engined supercar, this thing flies at 206 mph. Going from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, this thing is even faster than most of the Ferrari's on the road that are equipped to European (and thus faster) specifications. I learned to drive stick on a 2008 Vette, and if the handling hasn't degrading, this vehicle might be one of the best on the road.

10. VW Golf GTI

Yes, it's a hatch-back. Yes, it's a VW. Yes, it looks like the worst kind of Fast and Furious Car imaginable. But I don't care. The thing moves at an impressive 150 mph stock, with a 0-60 time of 7 seconds. It's cheap; the most expensive one is still 2 grand less than the cheapest version of any car on this list, and is the one most likely to make a decent a to b car.

WTF

2009-07-06T03:49:00.000-07:00

I normally try to keep my insatiable lust for cars away from this blog, but I discovered something today that just has me flabbergasted. First, take a look at this:
So it looks like a normal (if very boring) Mercedes SL-Series vehicle, only with Scissor Doors and god-awful cheese grater rims. But here's what has me losing my shit:
That's how you control the thing. There are no pedals. There is no wheel. The whole thing is controlled by this joystick. The stick is mirrored, meaning that you can drive it from either the left or right seat. But that's what is really getting me; the stick is in the center. I might be able to understand if it was in between your legs or up where the wheel normally is (some F1 and most Drag cars use a similar configuration). But on this thing you keep your hand on what would normally be the gear shift. It seems horribly disorienting and dangerous to me. Thoughts?

Yawn

2009-06-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of postage, but I've been a bit busy! My past few weeks have been busy doing the following:

-Running proxies for Iranian Protesters, spreading news, etc.
-Working on Cars. We disassembled Doug's truck's engine and reassembled it, and it's running much better now. Those of you that follow my tumblr or keep up with my facebook will have seen my Grandpa's car, and it's now done except for aesthetic work, like the upholstery. We took it to a car show last night, and it got quite a bit of attention. He's offering to sell it to me cheap when we get it done, so I need a job fast!
-Hanging out with Cherie, a lovely young lady from my highschool days, mostly swimming and dicking around places like Crestview on mini-adventures.
-Playing dnd with Steve
-Playing Forza
-Looking for a job
-Having insane skype parties
-Finishing rennovating the house

Allah Ackbar

2009-06-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

A lot of you may not understand what is happening in Iran. So let me break it down for you. Last week, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad stole the election for president of Iran. As a result, massive protests have broken out across the country. When I say "massive" i don't mean a few thousand; I mean a few million. Iranian fundamentalist paramilitaries, known as the Basij, have opened fire on crowds, killing dozens. If a protestor is confirmed, people break into their house at night, arrest them, and punish their children. The computer labs and dorms at Tehran University were destroyed in an effort to stop the Uprising.

I (along with Anonymous and 4 million others across the world) have been running proxy servers. You see, this whole thing, being hailed as the "New Iranian Revolution"is being organized through the Internet. Sites like Twitter are literally saving millions of lives through their ability to spread information and help people to organize. But the Iranian government has blocked access to the web, meaning that only an army of computer nerds like myself are keeping them connected with each other and the world.

Many of you say "this doesn't affect me", but there you're dead wrong. Having Iran commit and uprising would give the US a major, oil-producing ally in the mideast. Overnight wars could literally end. Gas prices would drop. If the opposite happens? well, Gas prices double overnight, a crackdown causes massive unrest in the mideast, and we find ourselves in the midst of another war.

And if this:
Doesn't move you and sadden you, you're not a human. The man in green is a protester. The man in black was a riot cop who had moments before been beating the man in green's friends. He was attacked and dragged down. But they let him go, and even helped perform first aid on him and got him away from the crowd. These are good people, and they need help. Spread news, help translate, even just show your support. You can keep up with events on my twitter or Tumblr;; there are links to both in the sidebar to your right...

Year One

2009-06-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

One year ago today this very instant I was sitting in the window seat of a Delta-Comair Bombardier CRJ700 as it took off from CVG headed for New York City. 14 hours later, I'd be in the city of Istanbul in the Republic of Turkey. It's been one year since the start of the best time in my life, and 11 months since the start of the worst year of my life.

But god damn it. I wish it was one year ago today, again...

Shite

2009-06-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

So, thinking (quite mistakenly) that I'm not actually looking for a job, my parents have decided that if I don't find one within a week or two I'm getting tossed out on my ass. Tomorrow I'll be cleaning out my car and stocking it with as many supplies as I can shove into it, because it appears it's going to be my home for a while.

65

2009-06-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

65 Years ago today, the single largest undertaking in human history took place. By this time 65 years ago, thousands of American Airborne were behind enemy lines, sabotoging Nazi installations and, for the most part, being butchered. The first waves; 150,000 strong, were hitting the beaches of Utah, Omaha, Sword, Gold, Point du Hoc, and Juno. Germans, many of them not affiliated with the Nazi party in any way, were blasted apart by Allied naval gun fire. Entire Higgins boats of Americans, Canadians, and British were destroyed before the men on board could get to safety. Free French Maquisard Resistance fighters risked and lost their lives to destroy German communications and assassinate officers in an effort to slow them down and save as many Allied lives as possible. At Omaha beach, young American boys, no older than 18 or 19, ran head-long off of the boats onto a coverless beach as machine gun fire danced around them. They couldn't advance because here the Atlantic wall was a literal wall, dozens of feet high and made of concrete, bristling with machine guns.

At the Point du Hoc, members of the 2nd Ranger batallion scaled vertical cliffs under machine gun fire to reach artillery positsions. For the nex two days they fought to hold the location with no support, losing 65% of their men in the process. Behind the lines, British men of the 2 Battallion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Regiment fought a bloody battle for the Pegasus Bridge, holding it through the night. The next day, just as thier lines were ready to break, the 7th Battallion of the Parachute Regiment arrived, charging into combat accompanied by a Bag Pipe player of Lord Lovat's Commandos. This operation cost 800 British lives, and would prove to be a prelude to the disasterous Battle of Arnhem where 8,000 more were killed. At St. Mar-Eglise the 82nd Airborne landed on top of the town, and many were slaughtered while they hung helplessly from their parachute rigging from trees and buildings. However, they stood and fought, eventually liberating the town, making it the first population center liberated in Europe.

In all, D-Day cost the lives of a total of an estimated 14,000 men between Midnight, June 6, and Midnight, June 7, and hundreds of thousands more in the next weeks as Allied forces attempted to break out of the beach heads. The Majority of these were between 16 and 22 years of age, the Bulk of them being Americans. This pales compared to the 19,000 French killed, most of them civilians or Maquisards, fighting for thier homes.

So take the time to think about these guys today. If you can, watch the first episodes of Band of Brothers, The Longest Day, or Saving Private Ryan. It'll give you jsut a little feel for what those men (boys) were feeling.

:(

2009-06-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

I think we're going to have to put Rosie down soon. She's started acting crazy, and we can't figure out why. She keeps trying to escape out of the back yard (something she's not done since she was a puppy), she randomly walks up to us and starts scratching us and whining, and nothing will make her stop, and when she sleeps she seems to be having really disturbing dreams (she spasms and such). I think we're going to take her to the vet, but at this point she's so old putting her down is probably the thing that will make her suffer the least. :(

If we can't find the money for school (Arabic last semester hurt my scholarships) I'm going to have to put my senior year of college on hold. Which I really don't want to do, but I may not have a choice. I really need a job. I'm looking hard, but not many places are hiring, and the ones that are I'm competing with 40 year olds who have been laid off. I am completely out of money, but I'm trying.

I dunno how much longer my car will last. I'm already going way past what was expected of it, and I'm now a dodge man for life. She just needs to give me a few more months.

I haven't seen anybody but Steve and the Columbus guys in months. I can't afford to drive anywhere or go out and do anything. I've spent all summer in my house. Steve, Kevin, and Alex have visited, but otherwise I don't get to socialize.

Shit is disintegrating quickly. If things get too much worse for the family, I may join the Army. Speaking a bit of Arabic, and having a few connections, I might be able to get a commission into OCS and make enough money to help out around here, and eventually pay to finish college. I don't know what else to do at this point.

Freedom

2009-05-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

There's a problem with freedom; once you have it, you want to keep it, and when you can't, it screws you up. Let me explain.

In Turkey, I was free. I don't mean free as in "America is Free" or born free. I mean, really, truly free. Money was no issue; I was rich because of the exchange rate, but I rarely paid for anything because people were so friendly, they'd just give the American guy food. I had class yes, but I went solely because I loved them; they were fun, and I woke up every day just to get to go to them. I didn't have to worry about work or school or a social life. I could go where I wanted when I wanted and do whatever I wanted. I ate and drank when and where I liked, slept when it suited me, wore what was comfortable, and just lived.

I think it's why I've been having so many anxiety and nervousness problems. Here I have to fit into so many rules and expectations. If I go out, I have to stay out because either I had a ride or I'm someone else's ride. If I leave an event early, it's construed as me leaving because I'm bored or rude or some other thing. I think it's been keeping me sick.

What's in My bag?

2009-05-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Lifehacker's "What's in Our Bags" series of articles, I decided to write my own! Below is everything I carry in my Laptop Bag and why I carry it. My strategy is to keep things lite but to have every eventuality covered just in case.

The Bag:
My bag of choice is my old, dependable Jansport Black Laptop bag. It got me through highschool, across Turkey, and well into college without failing me. I occassionally switch over to a side bag, but if I'm going to be out for any amount of time I always go back to this bag.

The Laptop:
I own 3 Laptops for different purposes, but my go-to is my HP Pavillion Entertainment Notebook. With 4 Gigs of RAM, a fast little processor, and a wide screen, as well as 3 USB ports, Firewire, a Webcam, and a card reader, it can handle most situations I run into on a daily basis, from taking notes, to web browsing, to IT work, to playing games.

Above are three indespensable tools. The first is my 80 gig iPod. Here's a neat little trick; only fill half of the ipod up. You'll almost never be in a situation where you'll be able to listen to more than 40 gigs of music (that's days worth of constant listening). You can then use the rest of the space as a tiny 40 gig external hard drive. It keeps you from having to carry a USB key or anything like that! The next item is a dynex USB dock. My computer already has 3 USB ports, but I sometimes find myself needing more; this cheap little device weighs practically nothing and does the job fine. The 3rd item is a Dynex all-in-one card reader. You can get them online for as low as a quarter, and they're really useful. I have a general card reader on the laptop, but this thing supports every kind of memory storage device made in the past decade.

The Other Stuff
I also carry a 10 foot Ethernet cable (Yellow, to remind me it's there) and a 3-prong adapter so that I can be sure to plug in anywhere. I also carry a notebook, several dozen index cards (really useful for note-taking among other things). For writing, I carry a cheap .05 lead mechanical pencil, but if I have to write by hand, I use the Pilot G-2-05. It costs about two bucks, can be refilled, and is the single nicest pen I've ever used (and that includes some very pricey quill-tips, felt-tips, and calligraphy pens).

10 Sites

2009-05-26T00:36:00.000-07:00

Here are the ten sites I make sure to check every day. There are more, but these are the ones I get on no matter what, even if it's just a cursory look.

1. Facebook
This one needs no explanation. Great for seeing what everyone is up to, especially foreign or very busy friends!

2. Gmail
My main email site. The best part about it is that it allows you to combine multiple accounts into one page, so my personal, school, and work emails are all funneled into one inbox. I can also send from each of those accounts through the same inbox. Add to that functionally unlimited storage (7 gigs so far, with several K added every few seconds) and lots of add-on's and attachments like chat, auto-spell checker, auto file compression, etc. make it perfect for my needs.

3. lifehacker
In my opinion, this is the best tech blog on the web. It's taught me everything from basic coding to advanced methods for computer construction. I got the instructions for my badass desktop there. The best part is that it includes "life hacks", that is, ways to improve your life in ways other than technology. Check it out!

4. WhiteChapel
A chatroom hosted by the wonderful comic author Warren Ellis. I get news and intelligent conversation here. I've made a ton of friends, some of which I've even met in person. It's great on a rainy day or late at night when you're bored with nothing to do.

5. Twitter
The king of micro-blogging sites. I have one, as does Meagan and several other friends. It's really addicting, and you can use it for everything from venting frustrations, to getting news, to keeping tabs on people!

6. Tumblr
Tumblr is Twitter on steroids. You can post anything from microblogs to full blogs, songs to music.

7. Blogger
This one doesn't need explination, as you're reading a blog hosted by it! I will say one thing about it; I prefer it over Xanga or WordPress; it has a better UI and more functionality than Xanga. WordPress has even more functionality and gives you more options for persionalization, but at the price of having a (in my mind) clunky UI and overly complicated setup for casual blogging.

8. CNN
CNN is good because it's fairly moderate politically, covers all major domestic and foreign news stories, is credible, and updates often. I also hit up the BBC (for European news) and Hurriyet (for Turkish news) when I can, but CNN is my go-to news source.

9. Bad Astronomy
While I hit a lot of blogs daily (including many of yours!) BA is the only "news" blog I check with any frequency. Written by Phil Plait, BA discusses topics and going-ons within all fields of science. While Plait specialises in Astronomy, he discusses other topics ranging from the anti-vaccination movement to the debate over evolution in schools.

10. Google Reader
Okay, this one is cheating, but if you ignore every other site listed here, check out this one if you already havent. It can be a bit confusing and, dare I say, daunting at first, but honestly, Google Reader is the single most useful website I visit. There are a lot of online tutorials to show you how to get started, and Google's own Video Tutorials are great. Google reader monitors your RSS feeds and puts them in one inbox-like area. That way, instead of having to check every blog, news site, web comic, and message board seperately, all updates from my subscriptions appear in one place. It's awesome!

What are your top ten sites?

...

2009-05-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Fuck.

I don't know how much more of this I can take.

Out

2009-05-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Alex, Jeff, and Kevin came down from Columbus and headed over here last night. We spent some time out by the fire in the back yard, and then hung out in the basement until the wee hours of the morning. I've not been able to go out much lately because of my complete lack of money, so it was nice to have someone over. So far this summer the only people I've seen have been Steve, Alex, Kevin, and Jeff!

It ended up being good times. Who wants to do something the rest of this weekend?

Working for the Weekend

2009-05-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Home alone this weekend. Anyone want to hang out over here? Let me know! Kevin is in town, so that should be fun.

I rescind my statement in my last post; can you really be anything BUT a man-eater if you're a cannibal? A woman eater, I suppose, but that's just feminist semantics I won't bother myself with...

Got super dehydrated yesterday on the way to the visitation. The problem with getting critically dehydrated to the point of death once is that you are pretty much on that threshold for the rest of your life; you can't ever again be hydrated enough. It laid me out most of the day and night yesterday, and I'm just now feeling a bit better!

Chinese

2009-05-21T01:42:00.000-07:00

Don't fuck with Buddhists, even if you're a man eating cannibal:

that's some jedi shit

Where's Waldo?

2009-05-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

I just finished rereading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by my favorite author of all time, Robert A. Heinlein (tied with Vonnegut, of course). Do you ever read a book, finish a game or a movie, and just think "perfect". I do with most of Heinlein's books.

I've acquired (through means which I won't disclose here) the complete works of the "Big Three": Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov. All three wrote prolifically, especially Heinlein, who wrote over 50 novels and hundreds of short stories in his 40 year career. I hope to get done with Heinlein by the end of Summer, and star working on Asimov for the winter.

I know a lot of you like "Ender's Game". So do I. It has that good mix of entertainment and hard sci-fi facts that all nerds love. But Orson Scott Card, as great as he may be, looks like a high school student compared to Heinlein.

Take The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (TMHM) for example. In addition to being a great story, it includes hard facts on the following subjects: engineering (Heinlein was a degree holding engineer who even wrote for Popular Mechanics) astronomy, geology, military science, ballistics, physics, history, political science, philosiphy, social science, linguistics (English, Loglon, Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin) and a dozen more.

Heinlein and the other Big Three members are famous almost beyond imagining. All have features on or near planets and the moon named after them, as well as scholarships, libraries, foundations, awards, and (in Heinlein's case) a brand new Navy Destroyer.

You don't see writing like theirs anymore. Don't get me wrong; Card comes close, but it's not the same. Sci Fi ends up falling into one of two categories: super-soft SF that normally boil down to Space Operas, containing little in the way of realism (ala, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.), OR books that degenerate into little more than mind-numbing technical manuels.

All three of the big guys could get dry, especially Clarke; there's a good 20-30 page section of Starship Troopers that basically outlines US Military Basic Training. But they manaaged to blend facts perfectly with the story; even if you got bored with facts, you kept reading because of the great plot. If you were technically minded there's enough for anybody. I'm not a scientist, and I dont' claim to be. The science in which I have the most knowledge (other than what everyone learns in primary schooling) is Anatomy (Several years of classes in it) and a VERY ameture interest in astrophysics and general relativity (black holes, worm holes, time travel, etc.). But these books hook me right in!

THE POINT
Cameron brought up a good point earlier, one which I can scarecly disagree with, despite my love for the Internet, if not for modern media in general.

The reason we don't get great literature like this anymore is because of ease-of-access. Any jackass can post a video of himself doing something stupid on youtube and become world famous; Stand Up comedians of a decent caliber are a dying breed, because it's easier to just post to youtube. Why would I try to write something original when I can post my fan fic on forums? Why practice the art of acting when I can just try out for a reality show to get my fame?

To Infinity

2009-05-05T00:40:00.000-07:00

4.24 years. Assuming that we could make a ship capable of going the speed of light appear, 4.24 years is how long it would take us to arrive at the nearest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri. Right now, the fastest vehicle capable of carrying humans in the world is the Space Shuttle Endeavour. This is the most advanced human-carrying spacecraft in the world today (not counting vehicles in development), and it can go 18,685 mph in orbit; that's approximately (if my math is right) .00004% lightspeed.

This means that to get to the nearest Star System, it would take us 162,651.54 years. This means that short of developing some sort of zany FTL means of conveyance (which physicists aren't 100% sure are even possible), no human is ever going to reach another Solar System. And what's worse is that we're not even sure Proxima Centauri has any planets nearby, or if, because Proxima is a red dwarf star, those planets would even be remotely capable of being able to sustain life.

Where am I going with this? Well... it makes me sad. I've always loved space and human exploration. If it weren't for my ineptitude at math (which can probably be proved looking at any of the basic calculations above) I'd have gone into rocketry or engineering. I spend more time in Florida at Kennedy Space Center than I do on the beach or at amusement parks. I watch every manned space launch, especially those carrying Americans. Every time I see one, acheive orbit, I seriously tear up. I have a favorite shuttle (Atlantis), a favorite astronaught (a tie between John Young and Yuri Gagarin) and everything.

The point is, I'm sad that the Space Race has ended. Sure, that bought all kinds of fears with it (mostly involving radioactive death from Soviet Satellites), but it was so... intrepid. In 1955 the Soviets put Sputnik 1 in space. Within 14 years we had a man on the moon. Just... consider that. 14 years from nothing a human had ever made being in space (and not even actually knowing what Earth looked like from space) to landing men on the moon.

Recent years have bought a few new things; Men living in space. Hubble and the viewing of distant galaxies and maybe even the edge of the universe. Just a couple of weeks ago we discovered the Mercury, does in fact, have some kind of atmosphere and complex magnetic field; it's not just a lifeless rock like we thought. But so much has gone to pot. My grandparents were sure we'd have a colony on the moon and men on mars by now. Instead, the nearest projection has us on mars in the 2030s, and a lunar colony MAYBE in the 2020s (a plan that has now been canceled by NASA). At this rate, I'll be lucky to see a man land on Mars.

What the hell happened?

Oh Yeah!

2009-04-26T22:40:00.000-07:00

One more short (100 word) essay left and a final and I'm done for the semester. The final will be cake; and in-class review ensures I won't have to study. I'd do the essay now, but I can't until I watch the film for the class, which we can't do till Tuesday.

I'm looking forward to this summer. I feel good. I don't feel sick at all, and really haven't in over a month, which I'm hoping is a good sign.

Summer is always the best time of year for me. Summer brings parties. It brings new girls and new friends. It brings Dungeons and Dragons with Pattie and Kevin and 40K with Cameron and Joe. It brings swimming and the yearly pool party at Emily's. It means fireworks and Games Day.

Summer brings decent weather. It let's me drag race with my uncle. It lets me fish and camp. It lets me relax.

It brings so many Popsicles that I will surely make myself sick again. It re-starts concert season.

Things Will go well this summer. If I get a job. Insh'allah...

What did I eat last night?

2009-04-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

Okay. Most fucked up dream I've had in a long time.

I was at the trailer park we lived in in Ft. Mitchell. Only it was my Grandparent's trailer in Williamstown. I was visiting my dad. I was texting a good friend. She'd decided we were going to make a porn together (not to worry, none of you reading this were involved!) I bought the bike from Cheech from Cheech and Chong. At first, it looked like an awesome Crotch Rocket. Then I got it back to the place, and I realized the handle bars were easily removeable. So my did built some out of cheap wood. Then I went in the trailer. When I came back out, my bike was now a mini bike made of twigs. I decided to race it anyway, because several family memebrs were racing to see who could get their new vehicles to 125 mph the fastest. I got going on the bike. But the sticks rapidly fell apart. But I kept accelerating. The bike was very small; my knees were up near my head, and my hands and feet were at the same level. I kept accelerating, dodging several trucks. As i headed out of the final lap, a montage about a weird type of nintendo game began to play, and it talked about my bike being of that type of game. I crashed through a house, and came to a stop in a pile in my Grandma's livingroom. I feel asleep for a while, and when I woke up I was still in the pile of stuff (mostly clothes). At my feet were the few sticks that were the remains of my bike.

What. The. Fuck. Does. That. Mean?

A Grand Tale

2009-04-19T01:16:00.000-07:00

When I was six years old, my dad would go over to our neighbor's to play poker or some such game. By neighbor, I mean our across the hall neighbor; we lived in post housing in Germany, and each floor had two apartments.

Anyway, the parents would also plop us down in front of a movie. Normally it was something kid-friendly, like Gumby or old episodes of The Little Rascals. This continued for a year; me, my sister, different neighborhood kids, and the neighbor's son Joel, all watching movies and playing with legos.

One day, out of movies, the parents grabbed the most kid-friendly film from their collection and popped it into the VCR, intent on getting back to their game. I was instantly enthralled. You see, this film was a little classic called "Return of the Jedi", and it was my first introduction to all things nerdy, SF, and Star Wars in particular. After two weeks of non-stop pestering, my parents broke down and bought me the triology on tape (I still have it). I did almost nothing for weeks except watch these films, in particular Empire Strikes Back. This film included everything I loved; sword fighting, awesome soldiers, a funny little green guy, plot twists, etc. I spend the next years of my life fully embracing these films; I even have the Leonard Malton interview memorized. I buy every toy I can get my hands on, I read Star Wars Insider religiously, I read the novels, I even embrace the crappy Special Editions.

Fast Forward to 1999; an 11-year-old me is eagerly awaiting the prequel trilogy. Star Wars Insider has not mentioned things like Jar-Jar, and so I am unprepared for what meets me. At first, I like the film. Then I watch it more and more, like I did with the originals, and it dawns on me; this sucks. The acting is bad, the plot is stale, the jokes are lame, and a certain Gungan drives me to a near-homicidal rage.

Three years later, I see Episode II at midnight. I don't walk out solely for the promise of the clone battle at thte end. This is the only part of the film that does it for me. My faith is ruined, and I prepare to abandon Star Wars.

I agree to see Episode Three only because of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Clone Wars" cartoon; this series contained the brilliant acting, direction, and stories of the original, with only peripheral gazes at the more idiotic plot points, like Anakin's love affair. The midnight premiere is huge; the final Star Wars film ever to be released. The first ten minutes blow me away; the epic space battle over Courescant is mind-boggleing, even though I'm froced to suffer through Hayden Christiansen's acting. Again, dissappointment sets in.

I pirate the CGI movie, and pretend only the action sequences ever happened. I do the same with the new cartoon. I love games like Force Unleashed, and KOTOR. Seeing a pattern here? Only the films/games/books/shows that hardly involved lucas are worth watching. The man is a monster. Seriously. Let me show you something.

Here are two clone troopers. Drawings of them. From the Star Wars RPG.

Badass, right? I know! Dynamic, personalized, badass, but still retaining some of the austereity and faceless-menace of the original Stormtroopers. This is what we got in Lucas' abominations though:

Even a casual glance tells you the armor is CG; Lucas wasn't willing to put up the 200 dollars to buy one god-damned set of plastic armor! He insisted on using computers!

My point is this. Star Wars is almost impossible to fuck up, but Lucas pulled it off. But don't blame SW for his mistakes; read one of the novels (Michael Stackpole is top-notch reading), play one of the games (Knights of the Old Republic especially), or watch one of the original films. And do what I do; pretend most of the new trilogy never happened.

Back to the... Past?

2009-04-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

Technology cracks me up. Science too.

100 years ago if you had an infection, the flu, etc., you'd get a shot of Whiskey. If you were rich, you'd get leeches. Then in the 20th century we learned about these canny things called germs, we got penicillin, and the leeches went back in the river.

In 2008, 350,000 people in the United States were treated with, you guessed it, leech therapy. Even more in Europe and Asia. Turns out leeches bleeding you actually do help with things; recovery from anasthesia, helping transplant patients recover, and lots others.

Maybe it's because it's 3 AM, but this post seemed like a good idea at the time. maybe i just need sleep...

Purchasing Power

2009-03-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

So after hopping from thing to thing, I'm not pretty settled on what I want to buy once I again have a job and some money saved up; a car. Some of you will remember that before leaving for Turkey, I had planned to use the money that I'd saved for that to buy a new car when I thought the trip was off. Back then, I'd narrowed the search down to a Chevy Cobalt or a Dodge Caliber. It'll be at least 6 months after getting a job until I can seriously start thinking about this, but I'd like to have something to work towards. Especially with my future being in question right now, I'd at least like to not have to worry about my car.

Right now I have stop top picks, listed below. All of these cars met some basic criteria: Cost less than $25,000, 25 MPG Highway (where I do most of my driving), 125 HP, Maximum speed of greater than 90 MPH, not god-awful looking, have at least moderate reliability rankings, come with warranties standard, and they had to have recieved a rating of "acceptable" or better by the I.I.H.S.

Note that MSRP in this area tends to be 5% or more less (we get cheap cars!). All stats and prices are baseline averages, made by combining statistics from the dealer's site, government sites, and independent reviews. All models listed below come with no options, and in the case of multiple variants, only the most basic is listed.

Dodge Avenger: The smaller version of the Charger.
-MSRP: $21,600
-30 MPG Highway
-175 HP
-2,000 lb towing capacity

Dodge Caliber: This one combines benefits of a car and SUV together.
-MSRP: $17,600
-30 MPG Highway
-150 HP
-Fold down speakers and seats good for tailgating and outside parties.

Dodge Charger: The new version of the classic Dodge Charger, and the update of my current Intrepid. Big and powerful. My favorite on the list, but also VERY pricey for my budget.
-MSRP: $25,000
-25 MPG HIghway
-200 HP

Cobalt Sedan: One of the most balanced cars on the list, and the cheapest to boot! I can get the supercharged SS variant for the same MSRP as the Charge or Avenger.
-MSRP: $15,500
-30 MPG HIghway
-155 HP
-Several variants

Volkswagen Rabbit: Also known popularly and outside of the U.S. as the Golf. Biggest disadvantage; all of the above have the same MSRP for two or four door variants. There's a $3000 dollar difference between the two on the VW. Below price is for two door.
-MSRP: $16,300
-30 MPG Highway
-130 HP
-Most difficult/expensive to repair on the list

Mitsubishi Lancer: This one was unexpected, both in terms of affordability and my desire to have it. I'd be killed by the family for buying non European/American, but that happens.
-MSRP: $14,500
-150 HP
-30 MPG Highway
-Many standards on other vehicles (power locks, remote entry) are options here. I also imagine repairs being more difficult than with the American cars (for me, anyway).

Ford Focus:
MSRP: $15,500
-35 MPG Highway
-150 HP
-The most bleh car on the list. It's not bad; in fact, it basically has many of the best features of all of the above cars, but it's painfully boring. I've also known a lot of people that've had Ford problems in the past.

Do me a favor; vote! If you pick other, drop a comment somewhere and let me know what it was!

in cars....

2009-03-29T03:33:00.001-07:00

I was raised in a strong American-car family. Fords were disliked, but they were tolerated. A Mustang was fine, but a Corvette or Camaro was better. I grew up learning how to work on simple, rugged, powerful engines like the First generation Camaro's V6. The first mechanical device I ever understood was a '55 Chevy Bel-Air's big block (I had to have it deconstructed, cleaned, and put back together in two weeks with no assistance. I just barely passed). I've always been a sucker for a muscle car. Don't get me wrong; I know how much the new mustangs suck, but I was raised to prefer one to say, an Audi.

But in the past few days A racing simulator (Forza 2 Motorsport) and DVRs and Torrents of a British comedy show (Top Gear) have me thinking about foreign and exotic makes. I've always blanched at Lamborghini's and Ferrari's, but now I'm looking at them more closely. I'm even seeing the merits to the over engineered Volkswagen and Audi vehicles.

I must learn more!

End of an Era

2009-03-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm going to fail Arabic.

I'm not going to go to graduate school.

I'm burn out. I've busted my ass for almost three years now. I've worked on three continents to do this job. And I can't. I'm so tired of it.

I really don't know what I'm going to do with my life. History has been my focus for three years, and now that's gone.

Any ideas?

Lo-Fi

2009-03-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

If you like science fiction (I'm talking Asimov and Heinlein, not Will Smith and Lucas) watch these videos by amazing film maker Neill Blomkamp. They're short (the longest of the three is 6 minutes), but seriously, they'll blow your fucking mind!

Our Generation

2009-03-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard a lot of people saying “our generation won’t be remembered for anything”. What do they mean by this? Well, when you think of the sixties, you think of hippies and love children. The seventies conjures images of disco and (more recently) vintage geeks and misfits, like those featured in “That 70’s Show”. When most people think of the eighties, they think of hair metal and ridiculous fashion trends like leg warmers and massive sweaters (and hair). Even the nineties gets thought of as the era of grunge. I hear people in my generation (people that’ve entered their teens and adulthood in the 2000’s) say “we have nothing to be remembered for”.

I disagree. We are the tech generation. The generation when being a geek was thought of as being cool. When the internet became king and everybody had a blog or a twitter. The internet was coming into its own, but it was still novel in many ways. We use phrases like “lol” and “fail whale”. We have all played video games, and gone to Youtube (many of us have contributed). We fight the law by blogging and pirating music and filling out online petitions, not by attending protests or rallies. We spend more time online and wired than we do sleeping (between texting, being online, instant messaging, watching tv, etc.)

Some of our social lives revolve around the internet; no one really has 200+ friends, but I bet you’ve got that many on your list on facebook or myspace or twitter. Much of our social-interaction takes place online just as much as it does in real life (don’t believe me? If you’re dating someone and change your facebook relationship status, just see what happens). We’ve read more online than we have in print, newspapers are a novelty item you buy if you appear in it or need it for school; otherwise, your news comes from cnn.com or Digg or even Cracked. We get our humor from message boards or webcomics.

You’ve lived in a scary time; if you’re a twenty something you’ve seen your country in four major wars (Iraq I, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq II) and you’ve seen it attacked, something even the cold-war era baby-boomers can’t claim. We’re the most diverse generation ever; I bet one of your social-networking sites lists you as having at least one friend from another country. We have a black president. In many ways, we’re the most liberal generation. In mainstream culture, being gay is no big deal. We’re more communistic than even our hippie-forebears. Don’t believe me? I bet you expect your social networking, email account, television shows, and maybe even music and movies to be free.

Do we all fit all of these niches? No. But not all teens in the 60’s were hippies (most weren’t), not all people in the 70’s could disco dance (most couldn’t), not all people in the 80’s liked hair metal (many hated it), and not everyone in the 90’s wore flannel and listened to Nirvana. But we’re all remembered because of the amount of attention the media puts on us. In some generations, it’s been the counterculture (I don’t expect this happening in ours; the scenesters and hipsters that make up our main counterculture aren’t particularly numerous or vocal), and in other’s they’ve been defined by their entertainment. It’s obvious that media attention today is fixated on cyber culture; just try to find a CNN correspondent who doesn’t have a twitter.

Shitfrakballs

2009-03-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

I'm still feeling how I was a few months ago. I want school to be over. I know what I want to do, and it's seeming less and less possible; I want to work somewhere where I'm friends with everyone. If I own the place, than all the better. Seriously, I'd love to open a small bar or restaurant or coffee house or something with three or four good friends. I don't even care if it makes a lot of money. I've worked in a cubicle, and I never want to do it again if I can help it. I've had an office, and it's not all it's cracked up to be. I want to work somewhere where I can wear jeans and a t-shirt or sweater and my beat up old Pumas. Somewhere where I feel like I'm not hurting people. Somewhere where I can have a life AND an income. Somewhere where I like the people and they like me. Somewhere where I LIKE going to my job. Best Buy was like that for a while, until people started leaving.I've got retail and restaurant experience. I like working with people.

I have lots of plans for my future, and I hate them all the more I think about it. School is already making me super jaded. Graduate or law school is sure to crush my soul. I need to figure something else out...

Tumblr up the FTL

2009-03-21T16:35:00.001-07:00

A message board friend linked me to Tumblr. At first I was skeptical; I didn't want to have to spend the time setting up an account, customizing a new blog, etc.

But seriously, Tumblr has one of the finest setups I've ever seen. Signing up literally takes two seconds: you give an email address, a username, and a password, and you're finished. That's it! Customization takes about thirty seconds, and the Themes are much more customizable than those here at Blogger (not as much customization at WordPress, but a far simpler set-up for doing so). The best part is, you can choose to do a normal blog post, just post video, or pics, or audio, or whatever. This thing was designed for power blogging, and I love it.

I know Kaitlin does vlogs. This site is specifically designed for stuff like that! It's like twitter had sweet love with blogger and they had a baby. From here on out, I'll be posting news, reviews, etc. over there, and leaving this blog to my personal stuff. Here's the Link:

LooneyNerdNews

EDIT: Great article from lifehacker explaining tumble blogging.

In Teh News (March 19)

2009-03-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Lots of news for you guys this week!

-I need a capstone project and I graduate college. Unfortunately, I have to be enrolled in an independent study for two semesters while doing this, so either way I'm stuck at Northern til the end of my 4th year. I'll be taking some online classes and filler to make it so I'm full time, that way I can get my state-health care and scholarships for being full-time.

-I got a non-paying editing gig with the history journal. This should look great on resumes.

-Coincidentally, I'm trying to break into freelance proofreading and editing. If you need a paper proofed, or know someone that does (or even an ad, article, letter, etc.) let me know. I charge super cheap, but I need a source of cash flow until my health improves. If they need one, I have a resume and writing portfolio on hand for potential clients, as well as an extensive list of happy clients!

To Infinity

2009-03-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

Most of you probably did not watch the launch of Discovery as it started STS-119 the other night. But I did. I've watched every launch I physically could since I was 10 years old. I watched Columbia's final launch when I was in Florida.

Just look at something:

Every time I see that I get chills. I mean, it's simply mind-boggling. 150 Years ago the vast majority of humans didn't believe that manned flight was possible. 100 Year ago Planes were still made of wood and canvas and had operating ranges at maybe 100 miles. There are people who are alive that still remember when there were less than a dozen planes in the entire world. And now look at us. We can send 7 men hurtling into orbit at 17,000 Miles per Hour, to meet with a living facility we've built in orbit. I've never watched a launch and not gotten misty-eyed. I dunno what it is.

If I wasn't shit awful at Math, I'd be trying to work for NASA or a private space agency. In highschool, I got put in charge of the Junior rocket build. I was good at it. But I'd never pass even the most simple math to get an engineering degree. Maybe one day I can be an archivist for Nasa or something.

Movie Weeks returns later!

Movie Week, Pt. 1

2009-03-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

This week the blog will be focusing on movies! First up? My top ten movie posters!

10: Die Another Day
Despite the movie being par at best, this poster invokes the classic Bond image. It's just cool! (No Pun Intended)

9: The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October is one of the masterpieces of the Cold War. The simple red, black, and white poster is a classic, and set the standard for many of the movie posters of the 1990's.

8: The Battleship Potmekin
This is an old one. It makes the list for one reason; it popularized the poster style many of us now equate with Soviet propaganda posters! It probably helps that the film itself was one of the earliest types of nationalistic propaganda via film.

7: V for Vendetta
This was one of many posters made for "V For Vendetta". However, it's the one that stands out most in my mind. The grainy look, the futura-like font, and the similarity to a propaganda poster make it an instant icon.

6: La Dolce Vita
This is the king of posters from the classic movie era. The bubbly font, the highly contrasting pallate of colors, and the look on Marcello Mastroianni's face all combine to make a striking poster.

5: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
This was the first teaser poster released for the LOTR series. When I first saw it, I instantly recognized the Argonath (the two statues guarding the entrance to the lake) and could talk about nothing else until the film's release. Simultaneously mysterious and epic.

4: The Seven Samurai
It looks a bit funny to us, but this poster was wildly important. It set the standard for Asian movie posters, and its style is reflected in posters for the Godzilla movies and more.

3: The Rocketeer
I was really tempted to make this my number one. It's one of the simplest movie posters ever. The Movie's name, it's release year, and that wonderful Art Deco painting. This picture is seriously one of my favorite paintings ever.

2: Raiders of the Lost Ark
They don't make posters like this anymore. Well, they've tried (the newest Indie movie), but they all seem to be pale reflections of the original classic. It combines details of a film poster with the cover of a 40's or 50's pulp-hero comic, and few posters have matched the fame of this one.

1: Star Wars (A New Hope)
This is, by far, the most copied poster on the planet. It's been spoofed by other movie's flm posters (National Lampoon's Vaction), Television shows (Family Guy), and hundreds of others. The iconic image of Luke Skywalker, shirt open and muscular, with a sexy Princess Leia at his feet, the ominous form of Vader in the background set the standard for epic posters. It also came to symbolize a generation of Nerds, and their final emergence into mainstream culture.

700

2009-03-13T02:20:00.000-07:00

Christ Jesus, I need $700. Why? Imagine if I had these two items:

A Pen Scanner

And

A Kindle II.

I'd never have to take notes in an archive again. No more carrying books to school. Just scan stuff on the go, load it onto the reader, and I'm done. No more laptop, becuase the Kindel has free Internet access. The battery lasts for days.

Damnit, I need a datapad now!

Nostalgia

2009-03-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

Another Personal one. Sorry Guys.

I know I said a lot over the summer that I'd never been happier than when I was in Istanbul. But there was one other time in my life where I had that feeling.

It was 2003. 6 years ago... It's such a long time, but it seems so recent. I didn't know Nikki, or James, or Meagan, or Amber, or even Alice. I had finally transitioned fully away from Beechwood; Josh and John were gone, Gabe was with a girlfriend, and the only two people I was talking to were Cameron and Pattie. I had introduced Steve to Cameron, starting a whirlwind adventure that's never stopped. We had recently had a falling out (I really don't remember about what. But for some reason we weren't talking much).

I had another group of friends: Alex and Kevin.Alex was a year older than us, and had just gotten his license. He picked me up in his mom's van, and me, Kevin, Alex, and Jeff drove around singing Queen and Punk songs. We went to the mall, went to the comic shop, got food. Did highshcool stuff. We spent the night hanging at alex's house. We watched movies, and in the middle of the night we had conversations. Deep conversations about life, and silly conversations about girls. I was the nerd hanging with the cool kids. They taught me about being sociable, about art, about music, about girls, and about everything I didn't know.

We took walks through Edgewood, having random, silly adventures and being kids. The weather was great, college was far away, and all of our problems revolved around girls or the lack of them. We cursed and swore and made fun of each other, and made up ridiculous games and rules. Despite being kids in school, we were totally free.

I know what I need in life. I need a couple of really good friends. I need the freedom to do what I want. I need adventure. I need good health. I need problems, but only stupid ones that don't really matter.

I dont' want to be sick anymore.

The start of the Sophomore year of College almost compared with those days. A few really good friends. Silly adventures. No major drama. My future still ahead of me.

I want those days back.

The Great Uprising

2009-03-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
Normally I don't like to get too personal or too political here, but today is a very important date on both fronts. Today is March 10th, and to many it has a very important significance.

You see, today is the 50th anniversary of the great Tibetan Uprising.

I know when a lot of you hear "Tibet", you think hippies just finding something else to protest, and to a point you'd be right; the Tibetan issue has become the go-to protest for neo-hippies in our era, but that shouldn't numb you to the issue. Allow me to explain.

In 1948, Mao's new Chinese Communist government claimed that Tibet was a "traditional territory of the Chinese People". Tibetan rulers had paid tribute to Chinese emperors for hundreds of years, and this is what Mao based his assertion on. In 1949 the Chinese launched a full-scale military invasion into the country. Tibet at this time had a small military, more akin to a border patrol, armed with donkeys and flintlock muskets. By 1950, 5000 Tibetan combatants were killed, but the Chinese were making little progress, and the People's Army was suffering a humiliating situation. Suing for peace, His Holiness the Dalai Lama (H.H.) agreed to stop the fighting and make Tibet an autonomous region of China.

Under this agreement (the famous 17 points agreement), Tibet would fall under the juridstiction of China. China would dictate their economic policies and act as the Tibetan military, and Tibet would be able to keep its religion and such intact, with the Dali Lama acting as a sort of governor or the region.

However, the Communists soon imposed strict leftist policies on the country. Monasteries were attacked, religious icons destroyed, and people killed. H.H. was asked to come to a "theater" show hosted by a PLA guard unit outside of the capital of Lhasa. He was given no itinerary, and told to bring no guards or attendants. Fearing for his life, he politely declined. However, the people heard about the attempt at luring H.H. out of his palace, and peaceful uprisings rose up across the country. Monks and laypeople staged vigils, marched, and had non-violent protests. Several thousand of these protectors gathered around the Potala Palace, H.H's residence, to show their support.

Decrying that the country was in rebellion, the Chinese cracked down. This include firing artillery at the palace and into the crowd, killing thousands of unarmed protesters. In the chaos, H.H. fled into India. 100,000 people followed him.

In the 50 years since, the Chinese have declared H.H. a terrorist, and have cracked down on the country. Thousands of monks have been forcibly disrobed, arrested, and tortured, frequently to death.Most of the countries' monasteries, libraries, and universities were destroyed. Monasteries only operate under government control, and many practices, such as displaying H.H. picture are punishable by death. Over a million ethnic Chinese have been brought in, in an attempt to breed the Tibetans out of existence. Protests are brutally broken up. Last year, during Losar (A new year celebration with great significance for Buddhists), many in the country agreed not to celebrate with traditional fireworks and feasting to protest the terrible conditions in the country. Many were dragged from their houses and ordered to "celebrate" at gun point.

On this very day, protests are breaking out all over the world in response to this anniversary. Those in china are being met with fiercly, and already reports are coming through of beatings and murders by the Chinese government.

Most world governments have declared the Tibetan issue an attempted genocide, and many other have protested the Chinese's heavy-handed tactics (including the U.S.) Tibetans have told China they do not even expect full independence; they would be happy if the original 17 point agreement were adhered to. But if something is not done, Tibet will cease to exist.

Are You In A Suicide Cult?

2009-03-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

Watch it the whole way through. Their website is so funny. http://fortaxreasons.com/

I spent tonight really nerding it up. I spent all night in IRCs and message boards and on AIM, talking to nerd friends (both real and internet friends). I found that movie. I talked about nerd stuff. Historiography. Time-theory. Comic books. About why Ironman was better than Dark Knight.

I remember where I'm from. And I've missed it :)

Grinds My Gears

2009-03-02T23:01:00.000-08:00

This is something I think everyone should try; it's crazy good stress relief. It's just a list of stuff that "grinds my gears" like from Family Guy; just a list of stuff that annoys you. It doesn't really affect your daily life, but just kinda bugs you! (Note: This is for fun! Not for airing personal grievances!)

1. When people that have awesome jobs complain about them. For instance, Jeph Jacques (writer of QC, which I love). He signs on to twitter, complains that he is missing movie night because he needs to do the comic and didn't wake up until three PM. He spends two hours drawing the comic. Then he goes home. Two hours of work a day. And he bitches!

2. People posting dumbass videos on YouTube. I don't want to watch you sing Free Bird. I want to see Lynyrd Skynyrd play it. You can play the guitar? BIG FUCKING WHOOP! post some original content then jackass. This also applies to "video mashups". I don't want to see your crappy Naruto tribute music video. Get it the fuck off my internet.

3. My Arabic Teacher. Nuff Said.

4. When people wear my socks or use my razors.

5. That EVERYBODY is calling themselves a photogropher today. On any given day, 1 in 3 people that I talk to are "photogrophers", and this goes up to about half the people I've encountered online. How many pictures do we need?

6. The Gamer Razor. So now gamers are a marketing demographic? The snacks and apparel I kind of understood, but this is nuts.

7. Campus disability services. Won't register me without a diagnosis? Bullshit! The doctor has told them repeatedly that my symptoms are real, they just can't find the reason for them!

8. Crappy horror movies. Which is basically all horror movies.

9. "Haunted" places. Shut the fuck up TAPS and ghost hunters international. Don't you think if a place was confirmed haunted, CNN would be talking about it? Same goes with UFOs.

10. The History channel. We're not dying in 2012, there's no Bible Code, and UFO hunters are not historians, they're nutsacks.

11. Anti-Trust laws. Yeah, I get the point behind them. But they also make things suck. Have you ever wondered why microsoft's systems lately seem riddled with flaws, or are pushed back and forced to release late? It's because government quality monitors watch them. If they think a product that microsoft is releasing will bury the competition, they make them cut features and usability. And thats why microsoft, a company with 20 billion dollars (disposable, just floating beyond any budgets, to use how they wish) don't bury apple, a company that barely made that much money last year BEFORE production costs.
There's more, but this is enough for now. Enjoy!

Vin Pour Tous

2009-03-01T01:04:00.000-08:00

Programming and coding is going to have to wait a while... There's a lot to memorize, and I don't have the time to work at it (once Arabic is over, I'm going to hit it hard again).

Looking for a less labor-intensive skill to pick up, I've settled on one that will compliment something I already plan on doing quite a bit of over the summer (gardening/Micro-Farming).

I'm going to make my own wine. I have most of the equipment needed already; I simply need some destilling airlocks and the fruit, and I'm ready to go.

You can make wine out of damn near anything; most fruits and vegetables, and even stuff like teabags (hit up Warren Ellis' blog for a good recipe for TeaWine). However, on this first go I'm going to stick to grapes, and perhaps a few other fruits to fill in any empty space. I'm going to be making four bottles (aka, two gallons): One for immediate consumption/testing (after 2-3 months of fermenting), one for good consumption (around 9 months of fermentation), one to hold on to (for a gift or somesuch. I'll find a use for it, or drink it), and one to vintage and let ferment for a couple of years in the bottle for the best possible taste.

Does anyone want to help?

Trader Jack

2009-02-23T00:04:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I've always wanted to learn how to do everything.

I don't mean this in a self-aggrandizing or arrogant way. But I've always had this drive to learn how to do anything and everything. Almost monthly I take up new skills, subjects or trades. I normally abandon them pretty quickly, but I occasionally pick up some basic skills in different areas.

This has become a double-edged sword in recent years. I can do lots of different things, But I'm not really great at any of them. I can fire most weapons accurately, but probably not well enough to enter a marksmanship contest at a firing range (My dad, stepdad, and mom have all won shooting competitions). I can cook palletable meals, but nothing astounding. I can repair computer hardware problems, but my software hacking/coding (the skill I'm currently perusing) skills are non-existant beyond the most basic html scripts. I can keep up a conversation in German, but I could never pass a class in it.

The one skill I have mastered is research; trying to learn all of these different skills (and becoming a trained historian) I've become really good at finding information through traditional and electronic means.

So I ask all of you. Should I halt my internal urges and try to finally master something, or should I continue putting two ranks into every skill slot, as it were?

2009-02-21T11:27:00.000-08:00

Fucking Wow! I need to find more of her stuff! She also performs with Rasputina, but the band isn't that great. But her solo stuff is amazing!

Sick

2009-02-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

I’m still sick. I was feeling a bit better for a week or two, but that’s over now. If my stomach isn’t bothering me, I feel really dizzy and anemic. I can’t concentrate enough to do homework or even go to classes most of the time. If this post seems a little off, I apologize; I’m in the middle of another dizzy/tired spell and focusing is difficult.

I’m 21 years old. According to CNN, 1/3rd of people my age are called “young invincible”; these are people like Cameron, who are rarely, if ever sick. When they do get sick, they’re over it quickly, and the worst thing they can expect in the near-future health wise is a really bad hangover. Less than 5% of Americans my age are affected by health problems that impact their daily lives.

I’m fucking sick of this. I can’t travel. Even if I’m driving, I get motion sick in a car after half an hour. I can’t get a job, as I have crashes at least twice a month that prohibit me from doing anything other than staying in bed and getting sick for days at a time. I’m doing poorly in school because I’m literally missing so much I can’t even keep track of all of the back-work. I’m sick of not being able to hang out with my friends because of needing to sleep ridiculous amounts to stay somewhat healthy, and because I can’t do anything even remotely stressful.

I’m sick of people telling me to stay positive. I’ve been telling myself for 6 months that this will be over soon, and I’ll be better, and if anything I’m just getting worse. I’m sick of my doctors telling me that they can’t find anything wrong with me and my recovery must just be going slowly. I’m sick of eating like an 80 year old diabetic and it barely keeping me stable. I want a fucking burrito.

I’m sick of every time I get a cold or sinus drainage, it feels like the flu. I’m sick of worrying about my future because I’m starting to worry that I’ll never get any better. I’m sick of having to use spell check more than twice a paragraph because I’m so dizzy I can barely see straight or keep my eyes open.

I really don’t know how much more of this I can take.

2012: Shut the Fuck Up

2009-02-13T22:24:00.000-08:00

After hearing yet another person talking about how the end of the world will be in 2012, I've had enough!

The following are all reasons this is wrong:

-To anybody talking about comets/asteroids/other celestial bodies: The only sizeable object that will be passing us by in 2012 is 443 Eros. It will be passing by at .179 Astronomical Units. Sounds close doesn't it? Well in a galactic sense it is. But in normal people terms, .179 AU equals around 16.6 MILLION miles. That's 70 Times farther away from earth than the Moon is. Jackasses. Also, we've orbited it with Satellites, and have actually landed things on it. Jackasses.

-Nostradamus. Ah, my old nemesis. My old... WRONG nemesis. So far, none of his major prediction have proven correct; including one about the world ending in 1999. Not just that, but none of his writings' ever mentions 2012. Nowhere. Not once. It's possible to arrive at the date through some frankly ridiculous mathematics (math that he himself probably would have not understood), but in no other way does it appear. Jackasses.

-The Maya. I don't even know where to start on this one. They Maya, like most other advanced civilizations, split their view of time into different organizational units. One of these units (the largest, similar to our Millenium) is called the B'ak'tun. It equals 394 Solar years. They Maya believed that the gods had created three existances before this one, each one flawed. Each one lasted 13 of the B'ak'tun. At the end of the thrid, our world was created. This has led some to say that the solstice of 2012 (the end of the fourth B'ak'tun) will be the end of our existance. Here are three reasons that that is wrong:
1: The belief in multiple worlds only came about in the last few years of Maya civilization. Not only that, but in this version of events, this world conforms to the god's plans perfectly. Therefore eliminating the need to create or destroy more.
2: The Maya predicted events occurrring AFTER 2012. The emperor Pacal and his astronomers believed that the anniversary of his coronation would be celebrated in the future... in the year 4772, in fact!
3: If they were so good at predicting things, then why didn't they see smallpox coming?

-Pole Shift Hypothesis: This theory states that the axis of earth's rotation will abruptly change in the near future. many say in 2012 because of frankly pseudo-scientific reasons that I won't waste your time with here. Here's why this is wrong: The Poles are shifting... all the time. It shifts by a single degree once every few million years... something like half a millimeter a year or less. People also confuse this with magnetic polar shift. This is a phenomenon which occurs slowly over thousands of years (it's why North isn't actually True North on a compass).Some claim that the reversal eliminates the magnetic field for a time, exposing us to certain kinds of radiation. The opposite actually occurs... as the fields shift, they become more complex and "denser" (my physicist friends will be angry at that one, but it's the most simple analogy I can come up with based on my own limited knowledge).

-Perfect astronomical alignment. This is where the sun lines up with the center of the galaxy on a point directly through the earth's equator. This is something we can actually predict. It's what we have things like the Hubble Telescope for. And it's not happening in 2012. It's happened in our lifetimes though... in May of 1998. I don't recall anything particularly bad happening ten years ago. It'll happen in another 60 years or so too!

-Planet X/Nibiru: This one is really out there. basically, some guy claimed that a planet exists in our solar system in a highly elliptical orbit, and comes close to earth every few thousand years. The last time it did, it's inhabitants visited while close by, giving rise to early middle-eastern (Babylonian, Hittite, etc.) creation myths. Even if such a planet existed, to make it here by 2012 we would be able to quite clearly see it. No object has appeared. Epic Fail.

Other Theories: these range from psychic awakening to predictions by the Bible Codes. All of it is crap at best. I don't even want to waste my time with it. Long story short, these theories have been proposed by the same people that claim they can see people's auras.

There you go. Now, that's not to say nothing COULD happen. The most likely events happening that could be "world ending" are global nuclear war (a threat since the fifties, nothing new there), the "Big" quake (which would just rip California in half... no biggie to us in the KY!) and a super volcano erupting. The super volcano is the most likely to occur. It'd make things really really cold around here, and probably blanket us with ash. It'd have serious consequences, but probably nothing deadly for people west of the Appalachians.

Finally, in regards to most of the "new age" theories, most major religious leaders have completely dismissed these. Religions that have any kind of astrological or future predicting aspect (namely Certain schools of Esoteric Buddhism and Hinduism) have dismissed 2012 as the end of the world. So there. Astronomers, Physicists, Historians, Archaeologists, and Theologians all know that 2012 is bupkis. Sorry for the rant, but hopefully it'll shut a few people up!

Hokay

2009-02-12T23:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the lack of posting recently. A few things have been contributing.

The sheer number of site hits I was getting was pretty intimidating. But I've removed the URL from a lot of different profiles and the visits have steadily trailed off, so now I'm way less intimidated!

I've also been keeping a journal. It's lame, I know, but it lets me say things that would probably offend, upset, or anger a lot of you. On the flipside, it's taking a lot of my writing time up! I'll try to post more soon though!

______________________________________________________________
Word of the Day
Dilettante: (n.) A person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, especially in a desultory or superficial way.

For the Emperor

2009-02-11T17:33:00.000-08:00

Oh. My. God.

The Guys from Tanks-A-Lot (you'll know them if you've ever watched Top Gear) and THQ made a rhino. And are using it to break cars. It's made from a WWII british tank. And I want it. That is all.

حقّہ

2009-02-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

So Kaitlin said I should post this here, so I will. I'll expand upon what I said earlier.

The term "Hookah" is an Anglicization of the Arabic, Hindi, and Urud word "Hukka". Written in Arabic and Urdu, it's the title of this post! It's difficult to transliterate exactly how that's pronounced; the best I can come up with is "Huck-hah".

The Hookah was created by a Muhgal physician in the late 16th century, in what is now Northern India/ Pakistan. Tobacco had become popular thanks to it not violating Islamic law prohibiting drinking. However, said physician worried about possible health effects the new tobacco might have; his emperor was experiencing a bad smokers cough, and this canny doctor realized the tobacco may be doing it. The hookah was created to allow the smoke to "pass" through the water. This, they believed, would purify it.

It later became wildly popular in the Dar-al Islam. Arabs and Turks expierimented with adding flavorings and fruits, creating the معسل, or "Ma'sal" that we're familiar with. (Known in America as Shisha. I have yet to find out why). The hookah as we're familiar with, the large, multi-piped behemoths, were popularized by the massive Ottoman empire in the 18th century. Their diplomats brought them to Europe and the Americas, introducing us to "Hookah".

In modern times, Hookah is most commonly smoked in Turkey, The Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, and Afghanistan (coincidentally, all area controlled by either the Mughals or Ottoman Turks). If you ask for Hookah in one of these countries, you'll normally recieve a coconut. The word Hukkah come from the arabic word for coconut. In these countries, it is known as Nargile (in the north such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia) and Hargile farther south in countries such as Palastine.

It is normally smoked with much more heavily flavored tobacco than we are used to, and is smoked with tea as a form of dessert, occasionally complimented by cookies and, rarely, fruit. This is normally the only time that younger people smoke the pipes, and even then, it is rare. Few people begin until their mid to late twenties.

Smoked in a Hookah bar or parlor, like we're familiar with, is almost never done by the young. These cafes are normally den's of the old, and the large Hargile's are reserved for dessert. Smaller pipes (normally a couple of feet tall) are used by individuals. These dens are frequented almost exclusively by older men, and the Hargile is seen as ancillary; most of the focus is on backgammon and discussing current events, politics, the weather, etc. There is rarely music and never food offered. Tea is essential in these sittings though, as with any other social time in the Arab world. These dens are almost always at least partially outdoors as well, and heavily shaded.

What we know as Hookah bars are an enigma outside of the Americas and western europe. They're slowly gaining popularity in the east, but for the most part Arabs, Turks, and Afghans are mostly confused by our modern hookah bars.

EDIT++++++++++++++++++++

Shisha come from the Egyptian-Dialect Arabic word for bottle. It technically only refers to the actual bowl; the coal and tobacco holder, and hose/mouth piece, aren't technically Shisha. Outside of the US, Hookah is only reffere to as Shisha in Northern Egypt, and southeast Asia. Thought you might want to know!

Zum Geburtstag, fur mich

2009-02-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

So my birthday was today (yesterday). I bought a beer for the stepdad (I'm no longer drinking), and, as usual, didn't get carded. I went to class, had a birthday hoagie, and had some cake my mom got with the immediate family. As far as birthday's go, it was pretty great.

I got a little cash from my mom. I asked for nothing because of lay offs in the family, so that was cool.

Pa (my grandpa) wins the most unexpected gift award. A Irvine Johnson .32 Magnum short-nose revolver. I dunno what to think about it!

I leave you tonight with an awesome song, from squidbillies:

Slippin

2009-01-29T22:31:00.000-08:00

Nearly a week without updates! Oh My!

I've not got that much to say really. The doctor said I should be fine today, so that's good news.

I turn 21 on Monday and... I find myself really not caring too much. I figure my birthday bashes normally peter out and end with only a couple of people showing up, and with the birthday this year falling right after the weekend of Steve's party and the superbowl, I'm just saying fuck it. That, and being unable to drink on it kinda brings the party meter down to zero. If you really feel like doing something (probably next weekend) then let me know, but I'm really not expecting anything to happen.

My car also managed to get itself buried under a fallen tree and powerlines... I'll probably spend a big chunk of tomorrow digging it out, assuming the weather cooperates (I suspect it won't).

I've also been finding myself wondering about things. What about the path not taken? I find myself wishing I'd majored in business or something, and was doing the whole moving into a place of my own, partying, and being social. I dunno, it's just been getting to me lately. I almost want to take a semester off or drop out...

In happier news, check this out!

I'm hoping to get something more interesting up by the weekend, but for now I'm tired, so I bid you all a good night!

Lord of Change

2009-01-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

So I'm thinking about ditching blogger and heading to another site, like WordPress or xanga or somesuch. What are your opinions?

A call to Arms

2009-01-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hey yall! This is for my normal DnD/40K group!

Are any of you guys interested in running a campaign this summer? I ask now because if so I'll need to start prepping soon!

If you are, Here are the questions I need answered:

What Edition do you want? 3.5 (the version we all grew up playing) or the newer 4.0 edition?

What would be the best night and location for you to play on a weekly or semi-weekly basis?

Would you prefer a continuous, story-narrative game, or a series of one-off sessions?

Thanks you guys much!

OMGOMGOMG

2009-01-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

Those of you that've known me for a while know I have a huge nerd Boner for Hijinks Ensue, a geek webcomic. You also know I have a horrible twitter addiction. Well they've finally paid off! I got a mention in the most recent HE's newspot. I'm kind of freaking out it's so awesome!

Pepsi Fresh

2009-01-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of commercials. Normally, they're only "meh" except for a few during the super bowel. But pepsi is now capitalizing on the whole Obama young people thing. Check this out:

This is beautifully directed and mixed. Just thought I'd share, what do you all think?

At the Crevasse's Edge

2009-01-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

Obama has effectively begun to shut down Gitmo. I'm hoping he's going to open up Cuba soon. I've always wanted to visit.

I changed my area of specialization today. I was going for something along the lines of "Ottoman Military History in the late 19th century", but I've changed that to (roughly) "American-European-Middle Eastern Diplomatic relations focusing on Turkey". I still need to pick a time frame though, and I may end up going with the first world war.

This is nice for a number of reasons. Firstly, It means I should only have to travel around the U.S. and western Europe, which will be good for my health. It also means I might get to travel to Heidelberg again.

That's my next stop. When I get better, and when I have enough money, I plan on heading back to my old home town!

Updates will pick up next week. I'm still struggling to catch up with back school work. Ta ta for now!

Woot Redux

2009-01-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

At 12:04 PM eastern standard time, Barack Obama became President Barack Obama. I for one, am very proud, like so many of you that I can see celebrating in offices, schools, and the internet.

For those of you who don't know, Obama didn't mess up his oath; the Chief Justice confused the word order, throwing him off. Just thought you all should know. Overall I thought the ceremony was wonderful, and I'm trying to find a copy of the song yo-yo Ma and company were playing right before the president took his oath. Any help? For those of you who flipped off after that, try to find the video of watching Bush get onto Executive One (formerly Marine One) and flying out of D.C. It was pretty epic.

The inauguration parties going on on campus right now are awesome, so I better get back to them!

______________________________________________________________
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. President Barack Obama

Recovery One

2009-01-18T23:49:00.000-08:00

Hullo all! If you're new to the page, welcome!

As my normal readers will know, I'm currently recovering from a rather seriously illness and surgery. I've been doing research on ways to help someone recover from similar conditions, and I'm seeing some recurring themes:

1. Healthy Diet
2. Plenty of Rest
3. Light Exercise
4. Relieve Stress
5. Take Medications
6. Regular Doctor's Visits
7. Start a Garden.

That last one struck me as odd, but it makes sense. It contributes to a healthy diet, allows light exercise with periods of rest in between, and is Therapeutic. So with permission of the owner of the back yard, I think I'm going to start a garden in the back yard. I know basic farming techniques (the grandparents farmed, and I used to help out) already.

But what do you guys think I should plant? I'm looking to make this a strictly food-garden, but that can entail fruits, vegetables, tubers, and even herbs and garnishes. If it was you, what would you plant? Comments here, via email, or twitter are appreciated!

What's all this?

2009-01-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

A newer, sleeker, dare I say "edgier" format? Why, yes it is!

What do you guys think? Does it look okay?