Entry: Hashing pictures

Click here to see the pictures from last night's hashing event. It was comical (to say the least). And yes....please do notice the bottle of WATER that I'm holding in that one picture. ;)

Entry: First-time hasher

Ok, so I went hashing last night for the first time with Mike and his hashing buddies. I had heard about his running/drinking activities but I had yet to actually witness the spectacle for myself. I'm really at a loss to describe the event. It's kinda like a cross between an old 90's style BBS group and a co-ed fraternity with a REEEEEALLY filthy mind. I don't think I've heard such profane songs in quite a long time (if ever!!). It was fun though. Plenty of comradery to go around. :)

Oh...and NO I did NOT do any drinking. ;)

Article: State of the Union

Ouch! This guy was forcibly dragged out of his vehicle and savagely beaten. "Why?" you ask. Well....because he honked at some folks standing in the middle of the street to try to get them to let him pass.

You know....I think it's just sad. Typically, I wouldn't bother to post an article like this, but it goes far to illustrate a beef that I have with a large portion of the US populace. The funny thing is that so many people in this country look at the rest of the world with contempt because they aren't "like us". I mean, here we have random beatings, school shootings, uni-bombers, anthrax killers, a zillion different illegal malitias, and a countless number of Jerry Springer specials, and yet we're "so much better than everybody else". It's funny how many people have such tunnel vision that completely keeps them from being as introspective as they need to be. Bah.

Article: Letterman mentally harassing viewer in NM

This story is kinda funny. Apparently, some woman is trying to get a restraining order against David Letterman. She claims that he's been mentally harassing her since 1993 through the TV and has even gone so far as to propose marriage to her in the same fashion.

Have you guys ever seen those movies where something extraordinary like this happens and nobody believes the person? In the end, it turns out that they were right and everyone feels stupid about it. So, in this case, Letterman might actually be a mind-sucking alien who has been tormenting this poor woman through her television and we all simply refuse to believe her.

I, for one, welcome our new late-night TV host overlord.

Entry: Old phone number about to be deactivated!!

Just a reminder....

I will soon be cancelling my Bellsouth account here in Charleston. That means that my 216-xxxx number will no longer be valid. If you STILL do not have my new home phone number, throw me a call or e-mail and I'll send it to you!

Entry: A note on drinking

I realized something about alcohol last night. It seems like it's really common sense, but at the same time, it's really not. One of the things that I don't like about alcohol is how you are around people that are drinking, you get to deal with possibly several different personalities for each person. For instance, I wake up this morning and I'm exactly the same person that I was last night (and yesterday afternoon and yesterday morning, and so on). When I first met R last night, she was very reserved and didn't talk much at all. Then, later, she was very loquacious. By the end of the evening, she was downright "personable" (for lack of better and more kosher ways to say it). The problem is that when you see them again, chances are that they're not going to be the same person that you remember last because the alcohol has worn off.

On a related but different note, Mike has this neat lit portable breathilyzer. Watching them use it last night was a trip. At one point, R blew a 0.12. Too bad I couldn't get F to use it. That girl would have made that thing explode! :)

Entry: How I spent my Christmas

Ok, so yesterday we ended up going to Busch Gardens afterall. We stayed there for about 6 hours. All was good. I had a good time. As usual, Mike was trying to get me to go on all of the gut-wrenching rides that I typically don't like (and yes..I am such a wussie).

After the gardens, Mike's date (we'll call her 'R') came over. Nice girl. The three of us decided to go bowling. Yaaay! Can't remember the last time that I had been bowling. It was quite awesome. So, we bowled three games (each of us winning one of them) and then spent a good half-hour at the air hockey table (which I, for some unknown reason, dominated).

During the melee, R met some other girl (we'll call her 'F') at the bar. She had found her "smoke buddy" (since neither Mike nor myself smokes). Anyway, R and F became fast friends. R had the bright idea that F would make a great date for me since I was the odd-man-out. It seemed like an okay idea at the time. I mean, F wasn't TOO terribly bad (even given the excessive makeup, bad smoking habit, very weird looking lip ring, and strange compulsion to refer to some guys as female genitalia).

Anyway, midnight came around and the bowling alley closed down. So, Mike, R, and I were heading back to the house. Of course, R's new best friend F was coming with us (and so was the bar tender who just happened to be one of F's best friends). F picks up yet ANOTHER drink and heads for her car. Ok....for those of you needing a mental picture, imagine a girl who was blitzed out of her mind after ~13 drinks. She gets ANOTHER drink (we're talking a glass....not a bottle) and heads for her camaro and says that she'll meet us there (meanwile stumbling all the way). It was a total cliche. It would have been hilarious had it not been scary. So, of course, I intervene and tell her that she's in no shape to drive. She then tells me that she wants me to drive her car back to Mike's place. I reluctantly agreed. F climbed into the passenger side of her car with her drink. The bartender (whom we will call 'J') walks over to the car and asks if we're alright. I point to her drink and ask him about the state laws here in Florida. Anyway, let's just say that she finished the drink before we left the bolwing alley. :)

By the way, one of the more redeeming qualities of R was that she absolutely LOVED 80's music. She had a car full of Duran Duran and Tears for Fears CDs just lying around. Can you say "sweeeeeeet"? :) Anyway, back to Mike's we went.

We get there and R decides that she wants to take her Billy Idol CD in and play it on Mike's stereo. Not a bad idea if I do say so myself. So, what ended up happening was that we had two drunk chicks (one was drunk, the other was completely and totally blitzed) dancing in the middle of Mike's living area. Cute. As usual, they made me dance too. The yak was out in full form.

After dancing, we decided to utilize Mike's hottub. By that time, J had shown up and the party was on. Of course, Mike was the only one with a bathing suit (well...actually, I lie. J didn't have one either but he borrowed one of Mike's). So, in true god-I'm-glad-I-don't-drink style, the two girls decided that it was underwear-in-the-hottub night. I, of course, wore a pair of khaki shorts. Yes...I'm a wussie.

That was pretty much the extent of the evening. Nothing more than smoking (not me), drinking (again, not me), and galavanting around the hottub. It was actually pretty fun.

Around 2am, we all got out and F decided it was time for her to go. Again, we had to "remind" her that she'wasn't fit to drive since we'd lost count of the number of drinks that she'd had. To add another twist to a seemingly odd evening, F decided that she wanted to kidnap R for the evening and bring her back to their place to spend the evening with them. Ooooookay. So, because R was on the fence about it, she convinced Mike to go with her who, in turn, convinced me to go. Well...actually, they tried. I decided to stay behind. Eventually, Mike, R, and myself decided to stay behind. F moaned and complained. We had suspected throughout the night, but it was quite clear by that point that F was lusting after R. Lovely. The drama was getting a tad thick for me so I decided to retire for the evening.

I went to my room and hit the sack. The last thing I remember is R bursting into my room just after I'd fallen asleep and screaming "What are you doing?!?!". Typical drunk chick maneuver. Blah.

Anyway...more adventures to come. :)

Entry: Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everybody. I certainly hope that everybody enjoys their holiday today (that is, those who actually celebrate it). Mike and I were planning on going to Busch Gardens today but it sounds to me like the weather isn't necessarily going to oblige us. Oh well...no big loss. Just more sleeping in that I get to do. ;)

Movie: Syriana

Hmm....7 out of 10 stars for this one. I saw this movie back on Wednesday but have been to slack to post a review of it. It was a pretty good movie. It's one of those that you'd have to see at least three times before you started to understand the entire story and, even then, would still realize something new every time after that.

Great actors. Great music. If you're a fan of keeping up with current events and the like, then this movie won't disappoint.

Entry: A lucky day

Today is a very lucky day. I did the usual 8-hour drive to Tampa. I have arrived safely.

Along the way, I was stuck in a traffic jam. In that traffic jam, I was unfortunate enough to rear-end a minivan full of people. Of course, it was entirely my fault and all the damage was on his vehicle and not mine. It would shock me if there a penny less than $3,000 of damage to pay for.

How is this lucky you ask?

Here are the reasons:

• I hit the guy doing 5mph. Had I not been on a traffic jam, my mistake could EASILY have happened while I was doing 70-80mph. Yes...it was THAT dumb of a mistake.
  
• The family lives in Hilton Head. We had a weird South Carolina comradery thing going on.
  
• The gentleman was kind enough to allow me to pay out of pocket. That's a very GOOD thing for me.
  

Yes....it happened. No, it didn't have to. But, if it had to happen, it couldn't have happened any better. I figure that this is a relatively cheap way to learn this particular lesson. Now, back to being poor for a while. ;)

Entry: Tampa, here I come!

Well...it's that time of year again. I'm off to see my buddy Mike down in Tampa. Hopefully, I'll get a whole lot o' nothin' done while I'm down there. I hope to do some sleeping in, some eating out, maybe some more sleeping, playing with Kenda (Mike's beautiful canine), seeing Tracy and Amy again, probably a trip to Orlando, sleep some more, maybe do some geocaching (http://www.geocaching.com/), check out some movies, and finally, sleep in every morning. That should just about cover it. ;)

Don't worry, I'll give a play-by-play on my blog while I'm down there. Unlike my trip to CA last month, I will be completely wired this time. Updates to follow!

Oh...one more thing. I'm planning on taking my Vonage phone adapter with me. So, if everything goes according to plan, anyone should still be able to get in touch with me by calling my home phone #. Yes...it should work even in Florida. No long distance charges! :)

Entry: Cute joke

You should enjoy this....

------------------------------------------------------
During class, a teacher trying to teach good manners
asks the students, one by one -
"Michael, if you were on a date, having supper with a
nice young lady, how would you tell her that you have
to go to the bathroom?" she asked.
"Just a minute, I have to pee."
The teacher replied "That would be rude and impolite!"
"What about you Tom, how would you say it?"
"I am sorry, but I really need to go to the bathroom,
I'll be right back."
The teacher responded, "That's better, but it's still
not very nice to say the word bathroom at the table."
"And you Johnny, are you able to use your intelligence
and show us your good manners?"
"I would say: Darling, may I please be excused for a
moment, I have to shake hands with a very dear friend
of mine, whom I hope you'll get to meet after supper."
The teacher fainted.
------------------------------------------------------

Article: Adios, 'Firefly'...

It's official. Joss Whedon has pulled the plug on the Firefly franchise. This is truly a sad day for mankind. This was one of those truly great shows that was screwed by nothing more than the human condition. It catered to such a broad array among many different demographics and I honestly can't think of a single person who wouldn't like it. Unfortunately, the movie didn't make enough money to rekindle the franchise. Sad days. :(

Article: XBox 360 scalpers get robbed

This is a funny article. Some guys went into a store with the intention of buying a bunch of Xboxes and try to sell them at a profit to the folks standing in line outside the door. However, they were followed on their way to lunch. Hilarity ensues.

Read here.

(Thanks to Melvin for pointing this out)

Entry: Happy birthday USN!

Happy birthday to the United States Navy! 230 years ago today, the continental congress signed into existance the first continental naval fleet. The brits weren't all that happy that those pesky yankee insurrectionists had taken such drastic measures to secede from their little empire. :)

Entry: Q & A Challenge

That last survey left me feeling quite saucy. I'm in the mood for self-discovery and information exchange.

The Challenge:
You may ask me 10 questions (of any nature).

The Rules:

• My answers must be 100% truthful
  
• You cannot be anonymous when you leave the question in the comments section. You must sign your name and I must already have your e-mail address (or you can leave it along with the questions)
  
• I can choose to ignore up to 4 of the questions (and I get to pick which ones)
  
• If my answers are too personal for the internet, I reserve the right to send my answers via e-mail to the asker
• I can ask the same questions in return
  

Bring it on! I honestly don't think that this post will be too popular. :)

Entry: Surveys

Yes...I stole this from someone else's blog too. Thought it might be fun to do though.....




Survey #1....

[ ] I've consumed alcohol.
[ ] I've run away from home.
[X] I have lied to my parents about where I am.
[ ] I listen to political music.
[ ] I collect comic books.
[X] I shut others out when I'm depressed. (Well...yes and no)
[X] I open up to others easily (Well...yes and no)
[ ] I am keeping a secret from the world
[X] I watch the news.
[ ] I own over 5 rap CDs.
[ ] I own an iPod or MP3 player
[X] I own something from Hot Topic.
[X] I love Disney Movies.
[X] I am a sucker for hair/eyes.
[X] I don't kill bugs.
[X] I curse regularly. (sometimes. comes in phases)
[ ] I paid for that cell phone ring.
[ ] I am a sports fanatic.
[ ] I have "x"s in my screen name.
[X] I've slipped out a "lol" in a real conversation. (only with Blitch!)
[ ] I love Spam.
[ ] I bake well.
[ ] I would wear pajamas to school.
[ ] I own something from Abercrombie
[X] I have a job.
[ ] I love Martha Stewart.
[ ] I am in love with love.
[X] I am self conscious.
[X] I like to laugh.
[ ] I smoke a pack a day.
[ ] I have cough drops when I'm not sick.
[ ] I can't swallow pills.
[ ] I eat fast food weekly.
[X] I have many scars.
[X] I've been out of this country.
[ ] I can't sleep if there is a spider in the room.
[X] I am really ticklish.
[ ] I see a therapist.
[X] I love chocolate.
[X] I bite my nails. (again...comes and goes. never badly though)
[ ] I am comfortable with being me.
[X] I play video games. (only sometimes. it lessens over time)
[X] Gotten lost in my city.
[X] Saw a shooting star
[X] Been to any other countries besides the united states.
[ ] I had a serious Surgery
[ ] Gone out in public in your pajamas.
[ ] I have Kissed a Stranger
[X] Hugged a stranger
[ ] Been in a fist fight
[ ] Been arrested
[X] Pushed all the buttons on an elevator
[ ] Made out in an elevator (I can't really remember)
[ ] Swore at your parents
[X] Kicked a guy where it hurts - Man...I was YOUNG!
[X] Been in love
[X] Been to a casino
[ ] Been skydiving
[ ] Broken a bone
[ ] Skipped school
[ ] Flashed someone
[X] Saw a therapist (once...in the 8th grade...and only for like 30 minutes)
[X] Played spin the bottle
[X] Gotten stitches
[ ] Drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour
[X] bitten somebody
[ ] Been to Niagara Falls
[X] Gotten the chicken pox
[ ] Crashed into a friend's car
[X] Been to Japan
[X] Ridden in a taxi
[X] Shoplifted (Once! 9th grade)
[ ] Been fired
[ ] Ever had a crush on someone of the same sex
[X] Had feelings for someone who didnt have them back (welcome to MY world) :)
[ ] Stole something from your job
[X] Gone on a blind date
[X] Lied to a friend
[X] Had a crush on a teacher
[ ] Celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans
[X] Been to Europe
[0] Slept with a co-worker (not answering this one)
[ ] Been married
[ ] Gotten divorced
[ ] Had children
[X] Saw someone dying
[ ] Been to Africa
[X] Driven over 400 miles in one day
[X] Been to Canada
[ ] Been to Mexico
[X] Been on a plane
[X] Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
[ ] Thrown up in a bar
[X] Eaten Sushi
[X] Been snowboarding
[X] Been skiing
[X] Met someone in person from the internet
[ ] Been to a moto cross show
[ ] Lost a child
[X] Gone to college
[X] Graduated college
[ ] Done hard drugs
[X] Taken painkillers
[O] Had someone cheat on you (dunno)
[X] Miss someone right now

Now for the second one....

A - Age you got your first kiss: Melissa Law - 11
B - Band listening to right now: The Pointer Sisters
C - Crush: Maybe. Depends on when you read this
D - Dad's name: Michael
E - Easiest person to talk to: Katie, Daphne, Wicke (ok...so I listed 3)
F - Favorite bands at the moment: Ministry
G - Gummy worms or gummy bears: Bears. The worms are just weird
H - Hometown: The general Charleston area
I - Instruments: Winamp
J- Junior High: Grove Junior High, Odom Middle, and Divine Redeemer Catholic schools
K - Kids: Depends on whom I end up with
L - Longest car ride ever: Beaumont, TX to Charleston, SC
M - Mom's name: Patricia
N - Nicknames: Jay
O - One wish: Be happy with myself
P - Phobia[s]: Bugs that are wayyyy larger than they should be. Snakes
Q - Quote: "Life is good as long as you don't weaken"
R - Reason to smile: 'Cause I'm leaving in two days to go to Florida.
S - Song you sang last: 'Strangers in the Night'
T - Time you woke up [today]: 4am
U - Unknown facts about me: Sorry...they're unknown for a reason
V - Vegetable you hate: Onions
W - Worst habit(s): Procrastination
X - X-rays you've had: mouth, foot, hand, thorax, pelvis, knees
Y - Yummy food: Strawberry smoothies and mom's deviled eggs
Z - Zodiac sign: Gemini

Picture: A most disturbed lion

Ok....this is just DISTURBING. I found it while browsing someone else's blog. All I have to say is OMG! If you have ANY questions as to whether or not you should look at this, then don't. (Although, there is no blood involved).

Check it out here.

Entry: The ideal woman

Ya know...people often ask me what my idea of the ideal woman would be. Well...for the curious masses, I have compiled this short and very concise list of prerequisites that I look for in an ideal mate. Enjoy and learn! ;)

• A woman
  
• A great sense of humor who can make me laugh without fail
  
• Appreciates the fact that I can't dance but will gladly dance for her partner
  
• An undying sense of loyalty
  
• Educated (at least a Bachelors...Masters preferable)
  
• A keen understanding of home economics
  
• An insatiable desire to please
  
• A willingness to sacrifice greatly in the face of compromise
  
• A person considered to be in the top 5th percentile of attractive women (at least a 9 on hotornot.com)
  
• Someone of wealth
  
• Never jealous in the face of her partner's flirtation with other women (in fact, someone who might find it humorous or even charming)
  
• Someone who's favorite saying is "Of course..you're right. What was I thinking!"
  
• A non-conformist to all others but her partner

Anyway...I consider this to be a reasonable set of requisites. :)

Update:
Ok...ok!!! I'm only kidding!!! Sheesh.

Entry: Happy Birthday Trisha!

Happy birthday Trisha! I have absolutely no idea how old you are or even what your last name is (that's pretty sad seeing as how I've known you for a couple years now), but I will be seeing you at the Terrace tonight. Have a good one!

Entry: Happy Winter Solstice

Happy winter solstice everybody! What is the winter solstice you ask? Well...it's the day of the year with the least amount of daylight. Why is this such a special day in my book? Well, mainly because it acts as a point of inflection for the length of each day. After today, the days are going to start getting longer again. Sweet!! This whole 'winter blues' thing is a real bummer every year.

On another note, I woke up this morning two hours ahead of my alarm clock and couldn't go back to sleep regardless of how hard I tried. Blah. My mobile phone alarm ended up going off this morning while I was driving up to the gate at work. Go figure. I'm going to be the walking dead today.

On another note, I dropped Rex (my fish) off at my mother's yesterday. She's going to be taking care of him for me while I'm in Tampa. It's interesting that he is such a tiny little thing and yet my apartment feels emptier without him there. I guess I'm getting used to this whole pet thing. :)

Article: Autopsy Reveals Subject Was Still Alive When Autopsy Began

Ok....before you start yelling at me....this is from The Onion. Consider the source. :)

Read here.

Article: King Kong - Bestiality Is Booming At the Box Office!

Again, the good pastor over at Landover Baptist is kind enough to grace the world with yet another article riddled with untold wisdom. You can read it here.

Entry: 2005 - Year in review

NOTE: I have already received some e-mail regarding this post which causes me to question whether I should bother posting stuff like this anymore. Please keep that in mind.

Welcome to my 2005 - Year in Review! What will this review entail? Well...I'm glad you asked. It will discuss some of the details surrounding my life in the past year.

This will be a multi-part story because I'm sure that I will think of stuff to add later. Updates will be forthcoming.

^__SCHOOL^__
As many of you know, I finished my masters degree this year. It was 2.5 years in the making. I wouldn't have traded those years for anything either. It was one of those things that someone has to do for completely selfish reasons. I was fortunate enough to have parents which loved me enough to prod me and act as my crutches for my undergraduate years. Those were some SERIOUSLY unmotivated years too! This time, it was for me, myself, and I. The only one who had anything to lose was me (and yet I had so much to gain).
Also (and you may find disagreement among my former classmates), but I stuck it out through what I consider to be the most difficult of the concentrations that the CS dept. had to offer with this degree. The Computer Science track was riddled with some very difficult classes and, as usual, I was able to scrape by with the help of wonderful friends and professors.
I am still in the same position that I was in before graduation and have admittedly not taken full advantage of my new degree yet. We'll see what the future holds.

^__LOVE^__
I was reminded this year of what a fickle companion the human heart is. You know...on a slight tangent...why do they associate love with the heart?? Many of you have heard me make this argument. Why the heart?! I mean...whenever I'm in such a situation, I feel it in my stomach, not my heart. The stomach is the one doing the flips. But anyway...that's simply an aside from the topic(s) at hand. ;)
I was reminded this year of how easy it is to both hurt and be hurt. I was luckily spared these details during the last few years in academia. I find myself back in the mess now and STILL learning how to do things (at the ripe ol' age of 28). Don't get me wrong....I have learned so much this year and would hardly trade any of it because I have met a few truly wonderful people. A couple of them have made me excel while, regretably, a couple others haven't. But, regret is the enemy of progress. Also, with that comes the bittersweet reminder that to posess someone's heart often comes with the responsibility of taking care of it. It's kind of hard to explain what I mean when I say that. It's kinda like the ol' saying...."The life you save becomes your responsibility". Well...sometimes, I feel that that is the way that it is with someone else's infatuations.
Another thing that I have come to appreciate is the strange way that karma chooses to manifest. As I have mentioned before on here, everyone is doomed to the same actions over and over again. The only thing that changes are whether or not they are the ones performing those actions or whether they are the ones having them performed upon them. Confused? Good! As you should be! :)
One of the things that I hate most about romantic emotion (and yet have learned a great deal about this year) is that any real payoff can only come with risk. The price of that risk is often high and EXTREMELY difficult to bare. Whoever came up with the law that said that love can never be simple should be dragged out into the street and shot (and then subsequantly burned, quartered, and buried).

^__RELIGION^__
Well, much to the disappointment of many, I still have yet to return to any faith (let alone the good ol' Catholic doctrines of yester-year). A friend of mine (with whom I am unfortunately estranged) taught me this year that my respect for religion needs some improvement since it is quite possible that I will one day want to settle down and start a life with a person of faith. I've always held true to the notion that I definately respect a person's right to believe what they want although I may not necessarily respect the content of those beliefs. I'm finding that I still have a little way to go before I can meet someone halfway on that bridge. I'm working on it though. And, for that friend that I just mentioned, although it was brief, if you ever read this, I want you to know that I am very grateful and that I am sorry. At least I'll always have a scar to remind me. ;)

^__DANCING^__
Ah yes. How many times have you all had to read about my exploration into the world of the latin dances. This came after much thought and consideration. For many years (well, actually, my entire life), I had to deal with the fact that I never seemed to have the natural aptitudes that others have on the dance floor. Many of you may have heard me joke about how my dancing makes me look like a "pregnant yak". Well...it's not far from the truth. ;)
I realized this year that dancing, although hardly a necessity, could possibly be considered the world's oldest form of communication. It is a natural activity that we as people do and can hardly explain our natural tendencies to do it.
I've seen a baby dance this year. How would a baby know to dance to a song? That baby probably feels that same thing that we do. It's that weird feeling when you realize that the beating of your heart has matched the rhythm of the music and that creates a form of energy that craves some kind of physical expression.
Anyway (after all that babbling), I have found an outlet to learn. Let's just see where it takes me.


^__POLITICS^__
Nope....STILL hate politics (and politicians for that matter).

I'm sure that I will have much more to write in this as the year closes to an end. Stay tuned!

Picture: What's wrong with this picture?

Can anybody point out what's wrong with this picture?

Article: Cruelty to turkeys

This is just....weird. Could you imagine a turkey that is so fat that its legs literally collapse under its weight??

Read about something like this here.

Misc: Find the man in the beans

(Thanks to Mark for this one)

  Find the man between the coffee beans

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man
in the coffee beans in seconds, your right half
of your brain is better developed than most
people.

If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1
minute, your right half of the brain is developed
normally.

If you find the man between 1 minute and 3
minutes, then the right half of your brain is
functioning slowly and you need to eat more
protein.

If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the
advice is to look for more of this type of
exercise to make that part of the brain
stronger!!!

And, yes, the man is really there!!!

Entry: Random stalker note

Ok...this is a bit of a random post. :)

So, I'm in Northwoods mall last night (xmas shopping) having been in the north area visiting some friends. I'm walking through and doing a very good job of avoiding those girls who ambushed me with the massage tools last time. I later saw that one girl (the one that I mentioned in the other post) follow me into two different stores on that hall and just kinda hang around. Overactive imagination? Perhaps. Kinda weird. Almost felt like I should have asked for a security escort to my car. :)

Article: "Problems" with the new superman movie

This is kinda odd/funny. You have to read it since I really can't say anything without giving it away. :)

Read here.

Picture: Cute!

This images is really cute. It reminds me of an old Foxtrot cartoon that I read once where the little boy (Jason) was made to write something 100 times as punishment for doing something. So, he walks over to his computer and does the following...

-------------------------------------------------------------------
#include
int main()
{
int loop;
for (loop=0; loop<100; loop++)
printf("I will not do such-and-such again");
return(0);
}
-------------------------------------------------------------------

He then runs it and turns in the output to the teacher.

Entry: Congratulations!

Congratulations to David Wicke and Kimberly Nowell-Berry for successfully completing the College of Charleston's graduate program in Computer and Information Sciences. It was a long and tough haul (which I personally know something about). Here's hoping that their new-found masters degrees earn them better jobs and significantly higher salaries! ;)

Movie: King Kong

8.5 out of 10 stars for this one.

The movie was a tad long, but there really wasn't any part of the story that I think should have been left out. It was a perfect blend of action, romance, comedy, and adventure. Movies that are too riddled with computer animations tend to annoy me. This movie was an obvious exception. All of the CGI was done with taste and there were times when props were used in place when the graphics weren't required.

I really enjoyed the score that accompanied the music. James Newton Howard did an outstanding job. Also, I must say, that I particularly enjoyed the scene where the two of them are on the ice. There was something so profoundly childish about it. The only thing that I didn't understand was how she wasn't freezing in that evening gown that she was wearing with all that snow everywhere!!

I gotta say though....those centipedes really made my skin crawl. Blah! Definately check this movie out if you have the opportunity.

Entry: The company Xmas party

I had a lot of fun at the SRC Xmas party. A very dear friend of mine agreed to go with me at the eleventh hour and I owe her a HUGE one for it. :)

I ended up winning one of the door prizes. I ended up choosing to take home a basket that had a bunch of games and stuff. The contents were...

• A box of dominos
• A game called 'Cranium'
• A poker set (complete with chips and cards)
• A game called 'Mancala'
• Uno
• A book of Sudoku crossword puzzles

In addition to the evening's festivities, I was in a group that performed a segment of the Riverdance for the other 500 SRC employees. I didn't screw up nearly as badly as I thought I was going to. The only problem was that I couldn't hear the music because people were cheering so I kept missing the cues for the movements.

Bernard and I also briefly crashed an MUSC party that was being held right down the hall. They had a really kick@ss DJ too. :)

They even briefly showed that embarassing-as-heck halloween picture of me and Shatz up on the projector. Lovely. I'm never going to wear those dreds again!

Website: How to spot one

Normally, I try to refrain from posting stuff like this since I try to be PC with my viewer-base, but this one was just funny. It's a test designed to tell whether or not you can correctly choose the people who have yet to experience the embrace of the opposite gender (to use my own words).

I scored a 66%. Not bad! :)

Check it out.

Misc: Interview with an honest boss

This is hilarious. Check it out....

Click here

Article: Woman replaces husband with manequin (kinda)

Wow. This woman missed her husband so much after he was deployed that she actually purchased a manequin off of Ebay so that she could keep it around to constantly remind her of him.

An excerpt...
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COSBY: Now, where does he sleep? We saw some pictures. I see you're holding hands with him. Looks like a very romantic moment here. ... Where does he stay? I saw some pictures of him sleeping in the bed with you. Do you bring him with you, spend time with him everywhere?

WALKER: No. I do spend a lot of time with him, just like it is my husband, because it reminds me of him, but he sleeps on the couch. I live alone, so I want people to think that I'm here. But I only slept with him one night.

--------------------------------------------------

One word for ya..... WOW!
Hope I am never that lonely. :)

Thanks to Melvin for pointing out the article which can be read here.

Website: Charleston Salsa

There's a new website for all of the salsa enthusiasts in Charleston. Check out www.charlestonsalsa.com! Come join in on the fun!
You just might get an opportunity to see me shake my backside! :)

Article: The 'Make My Day' law

This is an interesting little tidbit which just so happens to flare an age-old pet peeve of mine.

Colorado has a law called the 'Make My Day' law which gives homeowners the right to defend themselves with deadly force if they are endangered on their own property. Apparently, four teenagers (one was 19, I don't know about the others) assaulted this guy in his house. Upon exiting the house and trying to leave in their car, the homeowner fired a single round which killed the driver of the car as it was getting away. The homeowner was then pulled up on charges of 1st degree murder.

Here's an interesting excerpt..

--------------------------------
"It's a miscarriage of justice," said Sen. Jim Brandon, who helped craft the law. The law meant a home's door to be a threshold for an illegal entry, not down the street, he said.
--------------------------------

So, in short, these four dudes enter this guys home and assault him. The second that they step outside his door, the laws as they apply to the assailants change radically. It's like I've always heard...."If you shoot someone trying to break into your house, make sure that the body ends up INSIDE of the house and you'll be fine.".

Something about that has NEVER rang right with me. Just my opinion though.

You can read about it here.

Movie: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

I saw this movie last night. It was pretty good. I enjoyed it far more than I did the book last month. 7 out of 10 stars. It was very refreshing to see that the movie pretty much followed the book page-for-page. They didn't try to glam it up or change the story around to make it more paletable (sp?) for the masses. I also gotta say that Liam Neeson (sp?) was the perfect choice for the voice of Aslan. The beavers were a trip!

I first read this book back in high school. I remember enjoying it a tad more back in the day. Interestingly enough, I didn't quite like the book nearly as much this time around. In fact, I thought that the book was pretty lame. Perhaps it's just my age...or maybe it's the overdramatization of the characters in Lewis' depiction.

Has anyone ever actually had any turkish delight? What's it taste like?

Entry: Xmas lights

I went to check out the James Island County Park Festival of Lights last night. As usual, it was a good time. Unfortunately, not much seems to change from year to year with the attractions so one typically knows exactly what they're going to see before they see it.

Oh yeah...and I didn't get pulled over by a cop while inside the park this time either! ;)

However, I did have my first smore. :) It was pretty good (with the exception that I couldn't quite melt the milk chocolate to make it perfect).
Good times! Looking forward to next year!

Picture: Goat vending

OK...I completely ignored the left portion of this picture and focused primarily on the right. The dude turned a goat into a backpack!!! That is awesome! I mean...probably cruel...but it still has an artistic flare to it that I just can't put my finger on.

Check out the goat! He's hilarious! He's just hangin' there like "Ho hum....I'm a backpack....yeah."

Website: Pandora

OK....this site is really cool. Basically, you tell it what songs/artists you like to listen to and then it will use the technology from the "Music Genome Project" to create a radio station on the fly that it will stream to you of songs that it thinks that you would like based on your selections. It's really cool. Give it a go! www.pandora.com

P.S. Kudos to Katie for bringing this to my attention. ;)

Article: The bra burglar

This is an interesting story. Apparently, some guy's love for his neighbor lead him to break in to her apartment on multiple occasions. Among the items taken was one of her bras.

Even more interesting...the Chinese government dropped the charges on this guy. He was free to go. Go figure. :)

Read here.

Entry: My take on Tookie

Well, as many people know, Stanley "Tookie" Williams is set for execution in California tonight just after midnight. Interesting how I'd never heard of this guy until a couple weeks ago. It just goes to show how quickly news can creep up on you.

So...the question...should Tookie be given a reprieve from execution...

(And again...these views are not intended to be incendiary)

Here are the thoughts that keep going through my mind:

1. "He's a reformed man."
That's excellent to hear! Seriously...I don't mean that sarcastically.
If, in fact, he did commit the murders and did found one of the
bloodiest gangs in US history (the latter being a certainty) then
I would hate to see someone meet his fate without seeing the error
of the events that lead him to it. As an aside though, I'd be interested
to know the statistic on the percentage of death row inmates who are
"reformed" before heading down the isle for the last time. I'd be
willing to bet that it's quite high.

2. "He's written children's books."
Another good point. It's great to know that he has left the world with
a legacy that was born from his adolescent mistakes. I sincerely hope
that his works have the ability to steer the young and impressionable
away from that kind of life. Again, though, I've heard some pretty
wild stories about the kinds of works done by people who are waiting
to die in the prison system. The fact that this will be leaving the world
a tad more enlightened and selfless than when he entered it is no
surprise.

3. "Should #1 and #2 earn him clemency?"
Again, how many people who have been executed by the system can
claim the same thing? Quite a few probably. Are they spared?
Probably not. The difference is that Tookie is famous (or infamous) and
has wide notoriety. I have a hard time believing that that deserves special
consideration.

In conclusion, Mr. Williams was convicted of some pretty heinous crimes. He still has yet to pay the cost of those crimes. Many would argue that his 26 years in prison should be enough. Personally, I would argue that those were 26 years of extra life that he was granted. Perhaps, after his execution, after his tab is paid in this world, his later works will earn him a clean slate in the next (speaking spiritually, not religiously, of course).

***DISCLAIMER***
Again....simply my humbled opinion. This is also going on the assumption that he was guilty. It's not exactly my place to assume that the not-quite-perfect judicial system got it right.

Article: Just say NO to Santa's lap!

I just love articles like this. It's a good commentary on why you should say no to Santa and say yes to Jesus in this Christmas season. This is brought to you by the enlightened minds at the Landover Baptist Church.

Read here.

Entry: Miller's weekend

Well...another weekend come and gone. Can't complain about this one either.

Friday evening, I attended a concert at St. Theresa's. I believe that I've already made an entry for that below (so read that one if you care). Again, it was dynamite!

Saturday, I did a bunch of nothing. I ran chores. I also went downtown and saw a couple of friends whom I hadn't seen in a couple months. Catching up is usually a fun thing to do unless it involves learning things that you wish you'd have known much sooner. :)

Sunday was also pretty uneventful. I was invited downtown with a friend to do a little Xmas shopping. We had some fun. We ate at the Mellow Mushroom. Good times.

I then came home, made my lunch for work tomorrow, wrote in my blog, and will soon be heading off to bed!

Movie: Just Friends

Ok....so I just saw 'Just Friends'. I've been trying to see it for a while, but everyone seems to have tactfully avoided my attempts. In the end, I simply went stag.

8 out of 10 stars. I really didn't care much for the main plot of the guy and the girl who've been friends forever. I also didn't care much for that blonde girl (the rock star who was travelling with him). What I DID love was the dynamic between the guy and his little brother. Those two were an absolute trip!! The way they pummelled each other (well...actually....it was more of a one-way pummel) was a riot!

Check out the movie. It won't disappoint.

Picture: Dive in!

The story they DON'T want you to know....
After this picture was taken, little Jason was rushed to the hospital with a broken neck and a serious head injury. Apparently, the leaves had been piled in such a way that they partially covered a fire hydrant.

Actually, that never happened, but it WOULD have happened if I had ever attempted to dive into a pile of leaves because that is JUST my luck! I think I've run into everything that there is to run into with one's head.

Anyway, I decided to post this picture because most people would see it as inspirational or funny whereas I can't help but wonder what's going to happen to him after he lands. Just goes to show how boring I am. :)

Entry: Ugh!!

Due to overwhelming response, I've removed my beloved Xmas color theme from my blog. I asked for at least 5 complaints to get me to change it and I ended up getting 8 before I could even blink an eye. Sheesh. I didn't even think that many people actually READ this thing!!

Picture: A reminder

This picture reminds me of someone I know. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about that beer gut just rings a bell for some reason.

Entry: My Friday evening

This evening, I was fortunate enough to be treated to a very special artistic endevor. My friends Daphne and Xtina (yes...the same ones from the last choir performance I attended) performed Handel's Messiah to a packed crowd at St. Theresa's church in Scummerville.
As usual, it was a kick-butt performance.

It's a shame that I am the most artistically inept person on the face of the planet. Salsa dancing is about as close as I get to the abstract at the moment. :)

I came very close to heading downtown this evening to check out the evening starscape. It's rather nice tonight.