So the king of inconsistent posting has called me to task because I've been busy for a week. Sosumi. At least his new site is up; that must be why he's all high and mighty all of a sudden.
I've been busy being the man of the household, renting one of those big vans from Home Depot to move a couch and random chair from Eric's apartment. Furniture, mind you, that's not even mine. At least, technically; I still plan on sitting on it. Of course, the women actually buying it wanted no part of driving the beast.
I've been busy with my essembly addiction, naturally. And Civ IV may need to be ordered this month, which won't help the computer time any.
I've been busy not cleaning my room. It is a disaster! Julie, I blame it on you. I don't care how unfair that is.
I've been busy at work, helping train new people and write grants since Bush decided it's more important to blow up buildings in Baghdad than train Americans to get jobs.
I've been busy slacking off on my swing dancing. Seriously, Emily must think I've abandoned her.
I've been busy growing my country. 2 billion strong! And the people of Lazy days made top ten lists for both happiness and smarts.
I've been busy seeing movies; three of them in the last week after not having seen one for a long time. One of them even had my mom in it; so bizarre.
Of course, being busy saying goodbye to Eric and Nikki. Nikki, so sad to have gotten to know you just as you are leaving, and Eric, well, so sad to have gotten to know you...at least we'll always have our iChat videoconferencing! Best of luck in DC; I definitely plan on coming out to visit again. The end of the Blokus Era.
I've been busy accepting friend invitations from my Clayton kiddies at Facebook. Good Lord, one of them finds you and they all do. Scary stuff.
And I've been busy meeting people with great nicknames like Tits. Won't forget her name the next time we cross paths at a party.
Probably some other stuff too, but I'm too busy to remember.
6/08/2006
5/28/2006
an election year reminder
(P) This is a good article about an issue dear to me. One of the core problems of our present democracy is that we have been disenfranchising people at a rate that would make the authors of Jim Crow laws quite proud. Not only do we do things indirectly on election day to make lines longer and registration more complicated and such (and more recently, counting suspect to hacking), we also deprive people of their Constitutional right to vote more directly through laws that prevent felons from voting, even after having been released back into the community after serving their sentence. Of course, these just so happen to be disproportionately poor, black, and urban. Golly gee, how might that affect our political landscape?
As Senator Charles Summer argued (against the 14th amendment, by the way), "I do not hesitate to say that when the slaves of our country became citizens they took their place in the body politic as a component part of the people, entitled to equal rights, and under the protection of these two guardian principles: First-That all just government stand on the consent of the governed; and second, that taxation without representation is tyranny; and these rights it is the duty of Congress to guarantee as essential to the ideal of a Republic."
Or as Susan B. Anthony spoke about a different group of disenfranchised people, "For however destructive in their happiness this government might become, a disfranchised class could neither alter nor abolish it, nor institute a new one, except by the old brute force method of insurrection and rebellion".
I bet if states had to refund all the taxes collected from citizens denied the right to vote, they might think twice about such a drastic action.
Political Invisibles.
As Senator Charles Summer argued (against the 14th amendment, by the way), "I do not hesitate to say that when the slaves of our country became citizens they took their place in the body politic as a component part of the people, entitled to equal rights, and under the protection of these two guardian principles: First-That all just government stand on the consent of the governed; and second, that taxation without representation is tyranny; and these rights it is the duty of Congress to guarantee as essential to the ideal of a Republic."
Or as Susan B. Anthony spoke about a different group of disenfranchised people, "For however destructive in their happiness this government might become, a disfranchised class could neither alter nor abolish it, nor institute a new one, except by the old brute force method of insurrection and rebellion".
I bet if states had to refund all the taxes collected from citizens denied the right to vote, they might think twice about such a drastic action.
Political Invisibles.
5/27/2006
5/25/2006
can't stop
So I disappear for a couple days and there's tons to talk about. The President's pal Kenny Boy and Jeff Skilling get convicted on several counts. What does that make, 16 Enron fellons, give or take? Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sends the FBI to raid a Congressman's office. And we thought they couldn't find any unprecedented things left to do! And oh yeah, let's make sure we say Democrats are as corrupt as Republicans every 20 seconds on cable. Then, Dennis Hastert, Republican Speaker of the House, was so moved to appeal directly to the President about the danger of sending the Feds raiding Congressional offices. Then, it turns out, possibly, maybe, Hastert himself might be somehow involved in the case surrounding Cunningham, the guy selling out national security by funneling subpar firms into intelligence contracts. Hmm, now what might be found in Hastert's office; hookers, yachts, or fancy furniture? And what's this about Scooter Libby's lawyers saying the government said Cheney won't be a prosecution witness? What might the Vice President have to say!? Then there's the fun with classification. Oops, the FCC can't investigate whether the phone companies have been cooperating with the military because they'll just classify anything the NSA was doing. Meanwhile, Iran's Ahmadijenad is compared to Hitler...oh, wait, just kidding, the neocons didn't really mean to make that comparison.
And the Royals are on another fabulous streak. And I don't mean hitting back to back to back homeruns this afternoon.
My big news I want to talk about, though, is that I found another addiction. You may not know this about me, but I have a very addictive personality; it explains a lot of why I generally try to abstain from unhealthier pursuits rather than trying to do them in moderation, and I think it also helps explain why I prefer consistency over change. I have no doubt I would become a crack addict overnight; if you read my day-before-anniversary post, you already know I can't control myself around donut holes. I'm a charter member of the "one more turn" Civ crowd.
Anyway, so a site I have been on for a couple months now is the perfect blend of sarcasm, political dialogue, and social networking. I have caught myself logging in to Essembly in the morning, at work, when I get home from work, when I should be going to bed, when I'm hungry but want to see what's happened before I make dinner, and other such times. This cannot end well.
Until then, this is awesome! God bless the internets.
And the Royals are on another fabulous streak. And I don't mean hitting back to back to back homeruns this afternoon.
My big news I want to talk about, though, is that I found another addiction. You may not know this about me, but I have a very addictive personality; it explains a lot of why I generally try to abstain from unhealthier pursuits rather than trying to do them in moderation, and I think it also helps explain why I prefer consistency over change. I have no doubt I would become a crack addict overnight; if you read my day-before-anniversary post, you already know I can't control myself around donut holes. I'm a charter member of the "one more turn" Civ crowd.
Anyway, so a site I have been on for a couple months now is the perfect blend of sarcasm, political dialogue, and social networking. I have caught myself logging in to Essembly in the morning, at work, when I get home from work, when I should be going to bed, when I'm hungry but want to see what's happened before I make dinner, and other such times. This cannot end well.
Until then, this is awesome! God bless the internets.
5/21/2006
not that easily defeated
Nice try Wentzville, but it takes more than that to make me late. I stopped at the Quick Trip off of I-70 as I have done many times before on my way to Columbia for some gas. Well, an Enterprise moving truck decided to let its driver abandon it on the bridge over the highway, quite successfully blocking the normal flow of traffic through the interchange. If he had gotten the extra foot over to the edge of the road, I probably could have wiggled my little Escort through. Instead, I spent one light cycle waiting for someone to let me in, five or six light cycles waiting to get to the light, one cycle in the middle of the intersection, and a couple more to get past the truck. Fun times.
Undeterred, I spent the next hour joining those divinely-inspired speeding caravans. Fortunately, the two cops I passed happened to see me at about my slowest driving speeds of the trip. Even made it with a couple minutes to spare!
Now why was I headed to Columbia, you ask? Good question. Andy and Kim got married yesterday! I don't know him that well, but they seem sooo perfect for each other. It brings a little nostalgia, getting to see Carrie and Erin from cross country, and Elle looked great, Abby has recovered tremendously from her accident, Emilee is so big, and mainly, of course, memories of Kim, both while we were dating and since. In fact, it's actually really fascinating. I remember my emotions, the intensity of the feelings for her, and am no doubt a better and deeper person because of her. But at the same time, they're different now. I realize that's not particularly revealing for most people, that things change over time. But I am a remarkably stable, long-term kind of guy. I basically feel the same way about the world and the people who have been in my life as I did in high school. In that way, for me, Kim is particularly memorable because she's an exception.
And yes, as any of you who know her can attest, quite the exception she is. Her dress was absolutely gorgeous, and as Kim would have it, not cut just to be flattering, but also cut to be danceable. St Louis folks who want to complain about the country music that seeps into my music collection (or are curious about the first seeds planted for an interest in swing dancing), you are free to blame Kim for that.
I'm in a particularly sappy mood because combined with the excitement that is weddings, I had a couple friends stay with me last night who were in town for family that should be celebrating something exciting but aren't. There were some complications with a birth, and to make a long story short, essentially there is likely substantial brain damage. Thoughts and prayers for them are most welcome.
I came home early this morning to make them a surprise breakfast, but poof they got out of here fast! Now I'll just have to make lots of scrambled eggs and pancakes for myself. What a rough life I live.
I find myself wondering who will bring the excitement next spring? After a slow start, close friends have been getting married now at nice intervals for a couple years. Andrew, Brian, Jayn? Come on, who's throwing the parties next spring? Or if you're really cool, I suppose you could try the New Year's Eve thing. I heard that worked pretty well, too.
Undeterred, I spent the next hour joining those divinely-inspired speeding caravans. Fortunately, the two cops I passed happened to see me at about my slowest driving speeds of the trip. Even made it with a couple minutes to spare!
Now why was I headed to Columbia, you ask? Good question. Andy and Kim got married yesterday! I don't know him that well, but they seem sooo perfect for each other. It brings a little nostalgia, getting to see Carrie and Erin from cross country, and Elle looked great, Abby has recovered tremendously from her accident, Emilee is so big, and mainly, of course, memories of Kim, both while we were dating and since. In fact, it's actually really fascinating. I remember my emotions, the intensity of the feelings for her, and am no doubt a better and deeper person because of her. But at the same time, they're different now. I realize that's not particularly revealing for most people, that things change over time. But I am a remarkably stable, long-term kind of guy. I basically feel the same way about the world and the people who have been in my life as I did in high school. In that way, for me, Kim is particularly memorable because she's an exception.
And yes, as any of you who know her can attest, quite the exception she is. Her dress was absolutely gorgeous, and as Kim would have it, not cut just to be flattering, but also cut to be danceable. St Louis folks who want to complain about the country music that seeps into my music collection (or are curious about the first seeds planted for an interest in swing dancing), you are free to blame Kim for that.
I'm in a particularly sappy mood because combined with the excitement that is weddings, I had a couple friends stay with me last night who were in town for family that should be celebrating something exciting but aren't. There were some complications with a birth, and to make a long story short, essentially there is likely substantial brain damage. Thoughts and prayers for them are most welcome.
I came home early this morning to make them a surprise breakfast, but poof they got out of here fast! Now I'll just have to make lots of scrambled eggs and pancakes for myself. What a rough life I live.
I find myself wondering who will bring the excitement next spring? After a slow start, close friends have been getting married now at nice intervals for a couple years. Andrew, Brian, Jayn? Come on, who's throwing the parties next spring? Or if you're really cool, I suppose you could try the New Year's Eve thing. I heard that worked pretty well, too.
5/17/2006
you know you're trapped in an office
when you step outside and blink to the blinding intensity of actual sunlight. Good times.
And speaking of good times, I made an interesting call to Intuit's customer support line today at work. I find the practices of "Americanizing" Indian call center employees rather offensive and unhelpful, and Intuit really takes this to an extreme. (Ok, I don't actually know whether they are an extreme case or the norm, but I don't feel like researching right now. Tough luck.) Yes, I'm a big fan of learning English (the primary impediment for Mexican immigrants, by the way, to being accepted and assimilated by large segments of the population), but that really has little to do with it. It's not even the fact that he goes by "Steve"; after all, "Eric", a guy who just left at work, was a little more familiar than "Ye", although Ye isn't particularly difficult as they can go sometimes.
What did it more for me was the tight control of the phrasing, and how he has to be incredibly passive and accommodating. Any conversation about software support is going to involve some moments of both people talking at once, yet this necessitated an obviously canned response at once apologizing for interrupting me and making sure I said what I needed to say. That level of training and monitoring turns what would be pleasantries in a more natural, interactive conversation into these odd formalities that wreak of everything that's wrong with corporate control of people's behavior.
And don't think for a second that they don't monitor everything the employees do. At the end of the call, they have a script about staying on the line to answer a couple questions about their service to you. Computer questions, of course, asked by a slightly too sanitary female voice whose only accepted responses are numbers on your keypad. What a great way to catch people who haven't counted to ten yet in their frustration about their software not working.
So I gave "Steve" a 7 out of 7 on the first question about being satisfied with his service.
And speaking of good times, I made an interesting call to Intuit's customer support line today at work. I find the practices of "Americanizing" Indian call center employees rather offensive and unhelpful, and Intuit really takes this to an extreme. (Ok, I don't actually know whether they are an extreme case or the norm, but I don't feel like researching right now. Tough luck.) Yes, I'm a big fan of learning English (the primary impediment for Mexican immigrants, by the way, to being accepted and assimilated by large segments of the population), but that really has little to do with it. It's not even the fact that he goes by "Steve"; after all, "Eric", a guy who just left at work, was a little more familiar than "Ye", although Ye isn't particularly difficult as they can go sometimes.
What did it more for me was the tight control of the phrasing, and how he has to be incredibly passive and accommodating. Any conversation about software support is going to involve some moments of both people talking at once, yet this necessitated an obviously canned response at once apologizing for interrupting me and making sure I said what I needed to say. That level of training and monitoring turns what would be pleasantries in a more natural, interactive conversation into these odd formalities that wreak of everything that's wrong with corporate control of people's behavior.
And don't think for a second that they don't monitor everything the employees do. At the end of the call, they have a script about staying on the line to answer a couple questions about their service to you. Computer questions, of course, asked by a slightly too sanitary female voice whose only accepted responses are numbers on your keypad. What a great way to catch people who haven't counted to ten yet in their frustration about their software not working.
So I gave "Steve" a 7 out of 7 on the first question about being satisfied with his service.
5/15/2006
bye bye blondie
Doesn't matter how hot you are, even on TV, pull a stunt like that and you better be leaving the hospital.
So I joined my roommates to watch the ridiculousness that was the two hour finale of Grey's Anatomy tonight, a special night. It actually was pretty good. Nice and intense, and good to see the especially difficult to believe subplot involving Meredith and Dr. Shepherd left with the appropriate end of season non-suspense. Bravo.
Oh, and killing the dog; that was a nice touch. So symbolic, the end of their relationship. No, wait, time for a little sex in a hospital room before the end of the episode. These people just keep ya guessin'.
So I joined my roommates to watch the ridiculousness that was the two hour finale of Grey's Anatomy tonight, a special night. It actually was pretty good. Nice and intense, and good to see the especially difficult to believe subplot involving Meredith and Dr. Shepherd left with the appropriate end of season non-suspense. Bravo.
Oh, and killing the dog; that was a nice touch. So symbolic, the end of their relationship. No, wait, time for a little sex in a hospital room before the end of the episode. These people just keep ya guessin'.
5/14/2006
return to lilly's
Julie planned a fun little excursion up to Pere Marquette yesterday (yes, I said Julie and plan in the same sentence!). Hiking when it's not the middle of the summer is definitely the way to go, and it appears we avoided any fun ticks and odd plants and whatnot, too. The trail we started on didn't have any signs or anything to stay on the trail, and there was this great rock outcropping that needed climbing up a rather steep hill. That's always fun when the ground is basically mud and leaves. Anyway, it's a good thing we started on that end, because at the other end of the trail is where we found the sign saying things like watch out for ticks and please stay on the trail. Oops, our bad, if only we'd known.
So, since we were up in Grafton, and as the whole point of exercise is to be able to eat some good down home greasy food, I suggested we head to Lilly's for dinner. I could have that pork tenderloin sandwich every day for the rest of my life!
Mmm, recalling fond memories of camping and getting lost in the cornfields of Illinois...
Oh yeah, and uh, Happy Mother's Day and all that!
So, since we were up in Grafton, and as the whole point of exercise is to be able to eat some good down home greasy food, I suggested we head to Lilly's for dinner. I could have that pork tenderloin sandwich every day for the rest of my life!
Mmm, recalling fond memories of camping and getting lost in the cornfields of Illinois...
Oh yeah, and uh, Happy Mother's Day and all that!
5/13/2006
5/11/2006
suckage
Apologies, as I usually keep this PG, but swing is really kicking my ass right now.
I am not a nice person when I'm frustrated.
*Grrrrrr*
Ok, better. A little.
I am not a nice person when I'm frustrated.
*Grrrrrr*
Ok, better. A little.
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