Monday, March 27, 2006

Entry: After pilates class

Ok. So I was in my pilates class today. About 5 minutes into the class, I realized that I wasn't in the best of moods. It wasn't until about 10 minutes after that that I was hit by a startling realization....I really do HATE this class!! That wasn't the bad part though. It wasn't until an hour after that that the class actually ended. It's like realizing that you hate rollercoasters right as you're being slowly cranked up there to the top right after you get onboard. You know...I use the word "hate" here, but in reality, that's a tad harsh. I guess this simply marks the end to yet another experimental phase.

So, I was on my way home from the gym after the pilates debacle and I was listening to the radio (still in a funk from that class). I sat there and listened to a commercial about some horse jockey trying to buy a Hummer H3. It was...err....irritating...to say the least. I got home and turned on the tube and there was Hulk Hogan (well...actually a 90 lb. double) talking about Arby's burgers. I couldn't help but wistfully sigh at the lack of mindless entertainment coming from the magic moving-picture box in front of me. It was then and there that I decided that it was time to take a stand. And, since I really didn't feel like making the effort to take that stand, then I shall simply lobby my opinions via an small act of disention. (By the way..no spell checker as I'm writing this). I have decided to form S.P.A.R.C. For all of you geeks out there, this is in no way a reference to Sun Microsystems. It is, in fact, the Sane People Against Retarded Commercials. And no...I mean no ill against the mentally challenged...it's just that that word fit the acronym too perfectly. :)

Hazah!!

(Why is it that the brits have a cool word like that and we don't??)

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Entry: How to make sense of it all


I ran across this graphic while surfing around today. I thought it was interesting. Bravo to Diane (whoever she is). Assuming that I'm interpretting it correctly, it talks about that weird limbo that someone lives in when they realize that they love a really good friend. There's that horrible catch-22 where they can't do anything about it since it's their friend that they love but, at the same time, they can't talk to anybody about it because the person in whom they'd usually confide is that same person. Ugh. I'm so glad that I'm one of the few people who has been able to emotionally evolve beyond the mortal coil and its constraints. ;) Anyway...this was just a random entry. Thought you guys might like it.

On a different note, have you ever noticed that the longer you've been out of contact with a friend, the harder it is to re-establish ties? Often, there's no real reason for it. It's like you've been silent for so long and it would be disrupting the universe somehow if you were to disturb that silence. That's when the whole "I'll do it tomorrow" thing sets in. Then, "tomorrow" becomes "next week", then "next month", and so on.

This is such a random post. I'm sitting here on my computer listening to Madonna's "Live to Tell". If you're ever looking for inspiration to write something, that's the song that'll do it. Of course, that was 80's madonna. That was the pre-sexual-revolution pre-childrens-books pre-kabala pre-mother-of-multiple-children Madonna. It's my personal opinion that she was a much better artist back in the day. Then again, who am I to judge. :)

I'm having trouble forming complete sentences at the moment. I think I might have mad cow disease or something.

My neighbor, for some reason, REFUSES to turn his #$%!@*&#$ bass down on his stereo or computer or whatever the heck that thing is that he has pressed up against my wall. I've never met him, but I know that he should be attacked with a mallot by some disgruntled Wal-Mart employee. How many notes on this guy's door do I have to leave before I'm forced to narc on him??

I can't wait for 'The L Word' to come on. That's my show for Sunday nights. I hope that tonight doesn't start the rerun season. It's getting so good!! Dana succumbed to her breast cancer last week. It was so sad. <:( And I swear....my love of this show has NOTHING to do with the fact that they are all lesbians! Nobody seems to ever believe me when I tell them that!!!!

I noticed today that that new movie Slither is coming out next week. They're touting it as one of those horror/comedy movies. Now, granted, it can't be nearly as good a horror/comedy as 'Cabin Fever', but I think it's still worth a look-see. If anyone else is interested in seeing it, let me know!

By the way....Audra....smile! :-p

I'm tired of talking about politics with people. Have you ever argued so much with people that you just get tired of it? The funny thing is that I rarely argue a point with anybody when it comes to politics. The abrasion comes in when I share my point of view and the other person has a problem accepting it and feels the need to "correct" my misconceptions. The sad thing is that everyone is under the impression that they know the right and wrong ways to do things and that everyone else is just trying to forward their own selfish agendas. The harsh reality of it is that just about anything can be argued for or against. I could argue both sides of Democracy or Capitalism if I had to. I briefly caught a part of Rush Limbaugh's show on Friday. That guy makes me ill. The sad thing is that everyone who doesn't agree with him is just "mentally ill". He has THAT much reverence for his own opinion. Oh well. Bah. I think the reason that I hate politics so much is because, as a programmer, I like the ability to solve overly complex problems with very simple and delicate solutions. There never seem to be any such things with politicians. There are no issues that don't come with pork and strings attached.

Rex is well (for anybody who knows him and cares) these days. He's happy as a clam and is sporting a brilliant gradient of dark blue and dark red.

I have put the hubcap back on my car AGAIN. It has fallen off twice. If it falls off again, I'm going to remove ALL of the hubcaps and not worry about it any more.

I need to get back in the gym. Someone kept grabbing my love handles today and, of course, I'm one of those horribly vain people who gets embarassed easily.

Alrighty then....time to go do something useful. And by "useful", I mean "useless". So, I'll probably be camped out in front of the TV. Cheers!!

P.S. For all those who read my commentary on the sad state of Microsoft Word in a previous post and felt my pain.....hazah!! We should unite!!!

P.P.S That reminds me of a funny joke I heard once. "Bad spellers of the world...UNTIE!!!"

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Movie: Inside Man

I gotta say....I really wasn't impressed with the previews for this movie. However, it turned out to be much better than I thought it would be. 8 out of 10 stars from me. Of course, the two pieces of Tollhouse Pie I had afterward probably didn't do much to dampen my disposition any. :)

I think that Jodie Foster's character was pretty useless. I have absolutely NO idea why she was even in it at all. But, alas, at least she didn't bring the movie down any. Of course...had she been accidentally shot in the head or something during the bank robbery, I would have had no complaints. :)

Definately worth the see. You're guaranteed to laugh your butt off a couple of times.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Picture: Oh...if only....

Entry: Really nice sunset shot

Check out this seriously cool picture taken from an aircraft carrier.

Entry: Freedom of Speech

(Ahem)

(clears his throat)

I would like to exercise my freedom of speech by talking about how much Microsft Word absolutely bytes. And I do mean BYTES!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously though...how much stuff does uncle Bill think that they need to cram into a single application?? I swear...they should rename it K.I.T.T (a reference from the old 'Knight Rider' show).

Here is an example dialogue between me and my application:

Me: Hey...I want to paste this picture in this spot just like I could do in Word 2000.
Word: Sorry. Those keystrokes and mouse movements have been depricated and have been replaced with a new process which takes twice the amount of time but is cool enough to add a TON of new features that you're never ever ever going to use.
Me: Let me re-phrase....I'm going to paste this picture here in this spot.
Word: I'm sorry Jason. I can't do that.
Me: Yes you can.
Word: No I can't.
Me: Yes....you CAN.
Word: No....I CAN'T.
Me: You really are a piece of junk, Word, did you know that?!
Word: No, I didn't. However, please feel free to peruse my all-encompassing MS Office help file. It really won't help you get anything done, but it will let you know what kind of processes I've automated (since uncle Bill knows MUCH better than you do how you should construct your documents).
Me: Junk. Reeeeeeal junk.
Word: Would you like me to automatically generate and send a trouble report to uncle Bill?
Me: Will he read it?
Word: Not likesly.
Me: Ok...just forget it. I'll skip the picture and just add these roman numerals in this spot instead.
Word: In that spot? I'm sorry Jason. I can't do that.
Me: SONOFA.......!!!!!!!!
Word: ( Squeal like a pig!!! BWAHAHAHAHAH )

Monday, March 20, 2006

Entry: First day of spring

Today marks the first day of Spring! Anyone who's been in Charleston long enough knows that there is no better place to spend it. Too bad the prices over at Middleton Plantation have gotten so bad or I would spend more time there.

Well..according to CNN, spring technically starts today at 1:26pm. Ok...how many people out there actualyl knew that it mattered what time of the day it was??

A little more information about the first day of spring...

The first day of spring, or the spring (Vernal) equinox was celebrated March 21. Alban Eiler, which means, "Light of the Earth," was the day that night and day stood equal. Crops were typically sown at this time. The equinoxes and solstices were seen, to the Celts, as a time of transition. This rare balance in nature made these days a powerful time for magic to the ancient Druids.

The part that I like about all of this the most is that the days will FINALLY start being longer than the nights. Just to clarify for everyone who doesn't know, the two Equinox days of the year are the days when the days and nights are of equal length. The two Solstice days are very different. The Summer solstice marks the longest days and shortest nights. After this day, the daylight will start to decline to make way for the night. The Winter solstice is exactly the opposite. The night begins to decline to make way for the day.

Don't you guys just LOVE random trivia like this?! :)

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Article: Witchcraft alive and well

Read this interesting (albeit spooky) article about a couple in India who were brutally put to death (with "crude weapons and machetes") after being found guilty of witchcraft. Ouch!!

Also, random piece of trivia....
Did you know that the state of South Carolina was the last state to have anyone tried in a formal court of law for Witchcraft? True story! :)

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Movie: V for Vendetta

I have to say that I was particularly impressed with this movie. 9 out of 10 stars from me. A truly great story that was supported by truly great acting.

Plus, there was one element in the movie that I absolutely LOVED! The guy never took his mask off. That may sound trivial to most of you, but to me it means everything. Nowadays, it seems that all mystery has been replaced with computer graphics and bogus scripting. But with this one, you leave the theater only having seen his mask and hearing the associated voice.

"Remember, remember, the fifth of November,
gunpowder, treason, and plot.
I see no reason, why gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot."

Jolly good show! Definately worth the $8.

Entry: My St. Patty's day

Welpers. It was yet another long day at work but at least it was followed up with some relaxation.

I ended up going over to a friend's house downtown for a couple of hours and snacked on her food. Oh my thighs!!! By the way...can you say "abundance of alcohol"??? Her kitchen looked like something out of a Frat movie. :)

Afterwards, I met some other folks down at the Noisy Oyster downtown. Parking REALLY sucked too. We left and did a brief stint at Club 213. Then left, departed, and called it a night. Not bad for a Friday. :)

Friday, March 17, 2006

Entry: Hell hath no fury....

So, I posed this question to a friend of mine recently. I had never really thought about it before. Put aside what any religious doctrine has ever told you.....could you tell me what kind of crime could warrant the ultimate suffering for all time? Seriously!!

Think about it. Say some guy horribly murders 20 people with an axe. He then adorns his car with their body parts and drives around for all the world to see. The police catch, try, convict, and sentence him to death. Now, there would be no shortage of people who would say that this guy deserves to go to hell. But, I ask you this.....

So the guy is executed and ends up going to hell. Lucifer decides that his punishment will be that his skin is flayed off every day with a cheese grater and a potato peeler, his eyes will be devoured by birds (inspired by Prometheus), his hair will be set on fire, he will breathe nothing but chlorine, and, at the end of the day, he will pass a softball-sized kidney stone. He will, of course, be regenerated every time and this process will repeat indefinately.

Now, this guy goes through this for, say, 100,000 years. Talk about ultimate suffering! My question is, can anyone tell me that that's not enough punishment? I personally believe that, if there is a hell (or something like it), then people should be able to redeem themselves after so many years of ultimate suffering.

Think about it....what kind of sin/crime would warrant an ETERNITY of ultimate suffering...never to end...for all time....forever and ever?

This is a rhetorical question. You don't have to answer (although, comments are welcome). This is just something that I was thinking about yesterday. I personally don't believe in hell.

Cheers! :)

Entry: I swear I thought this was Vanilla Ice at first


What would be really funny is if this guy wasn't joking. You guys know how in the movies the people never believe stuff like this until it hits them in the face? :)

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Entry: Beware the Ides of March

"Beware the Ides of March!"

This was a warning to Julius Caesar by the soothsayer in William Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar'. This was the day that the Caesar was to meet his untimely demise at the hands of Brutus and the other disgruntled politicians.

In Roman times the expression "Ides of March" did not necessarily evoke a dark mood—it was simply the standard way of saying "March 15." Surely such a fanciful expression must signify something more than merely another day of the year?

For a further history lesson, read this article.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Movie: Ultraviolet

Saw 'Ultraviolet' this evening. A friend treated me to the movie. I give the movie 5.5 out of 10 stars. It could have been MUCH MUCH better. They lost me there in the beginning when they had Milla Jovavich driving the motorcycle on the side of a building. Ummm......yeah.

Although...I will admit that there were some pretty profound lines in the movie. My favorite among them is the following dialogue...

Violet: Why are you doing this?
(short pause)
Garth: Isn't it obvious?
(long pause)
Garth: Why won't you let anyone in?
(short pause)
Violet: Because these moments...as beautiful as they are...they're evil when they're gone.

Anyhoo...enough of that. :)

Entry: Yo. 'Sup?!

Well...it's that time of the month again. It's the time when I crawl out of my newly-dug hole to tell the world how I am doing.

Well...the answer is "fine"! Now leave me alone you bas***ds!!!

Just kidding. All is well. Not really much to report. I'm currently reading 'The Exorcist' (which just so happens to be a pretty good book).

I haven't been dancing in a while. My knee has been hurting something fierce of late. I must have done something traumatic to it recently because I've been having to wear my knee brace a lot.

By the way...I think that I've mentioned this before, but for anyone out there who hasn't been to Kaminski's and had a piece of one of thier Tollhouse pies...you are SOOOO missing out! :)

Oh yeah...I've also been plagued with internet connection and e-mail problems. Go figure. (hrmph).

Entry: Happy Pi day!

Happy Pi day everybody! March 14th (3/14) is the day when the universe rejoices and celebrates that beautiful constant.

For all those who don't already know (which I hope is not many of you), Pi represents the ratio of a circles circumference to its diameter.

To read more about this wonderful thousand-year-old discovery, read more at wikipedia.