HAP #9

HAP #8

HAP #7

HAP #6

HAP #5

HAP #4

HAP #3

HAP #2

Holiday Audio Post #1

Bleary-Eyed Update

It's 4am and I'm hella fucking tired, but I haven't made a blogger post in over a week. There are so many notes written on the backs of so many sheets of paper but somehow the diligence to simply type the stuff in has eluded me of late. So it's time to throw down the hammer and post and just sleep later. Hell, you know what?? I'm making this an audio post! I'm done with classes, anyway. I only have to wake up sometime to go shopping with Master P. The Helly Hansen store has been calling my name ever since I saw my boss wearing this awesome insulated jacket. Seeing him wear that jacket is what made me accept the job, no lie! Well, that and not having enough change to print out homework at the library.

In other news, it's great to have friends who can save an evening for you. Take tonight for example...I didn't know what I was gonna do. I knew I was 175.8 lbs because I'd just come back from the gym (that's some kind of record for me...who knows the last time I was under 180). But besides that I didn't know much. I felt like Linda Rondstadt and Aaron Neville. But then Cara calls and suggests dinner at Hillside Quickies which sounds like a quality restaurant if I've ever heard of one. It was a vegan place which threw me for a minor loop because the main course was meatloaf. Huh? Oh, I meant meetloaf. But it was excellent, really. I'll certainly be going there again. Plus it was only $5 and you know I liked that. Most definitely a different experience from the $30 I spent at Todai last weekend. Good shit, though.

Afterwards we rented Audition, some Japanese horror film. Yeah, that was wild. It had so much calm setup, then all of a sudden the movie goes all Mulholland Drive on you with an extended and absolutely crazy-incomprehensible-fucked up dream sequence. Hmm....there's remarkably little information about this movie on IMDB. The girl at the Blockbuster counter knew about it and she looked about 17, so I figured it must have been somewhat popular but I suppose not. The torture scene in the movie reminded me of Saw even though I've never seen Saw. That's what reading every review of every movie does for you. Without spoiling it, the plot wasn't far from a desireable fantasy...if only the woman had kept the straddling and scrapped the piano wire. Oh, oh shit, okay...there wasn't any IMDB info because I was looking at the wrong movie. There's a ton of stuff here. Yeah, rent it. You'll enjoy it.

Super-update coming soon!

Ice Climber Awards

Oh please, please, PLEEEASE don't let my child grow up to be like my cousin. I mean, arrested-FUCKING-development! This girl is in COLLEGE! How is it that she survives? I've said before that the defining characteristic of teenagers is immaturity but she takes it to an extreme. Teenagers have rebelliousness but my cousin has unjustified defiance. Teenagers change their demands; sometimes they want to be treated as adults, sometimes they want to be treated like children -- but my cousin acts like a six-year old. She talks like a preschooler, she buys into stereotypes about the roles of men and women and she acts like she's ENTITLED to everything. I've just never seen anything like it. Is there a psychologist who can study her? I think my 18-year old cousin is destined to have a hard fall in life. For her sake I hope it comes sooner rather than later.

So 2004 is coming to a close. TIME Magazine picked Bush as its person of the year, signifying the person having the greatest impact, good or bad (Did bin
Laden get it in 2001?). Without a doubt, the 2004 Ice Climber Person of the Year is the lovely Raquel Vega. I will discuss her as well as others I'd like to recognize.

E-Money: For showing courage by quitting his job and taking time to unwind and discover how to pursue his passions. And for being a great receptacle for all of the details that don't make it to Ice Climber.

MK3: For being the most levelheaded person I know (including me, which is really amazing) for helping reassure me of my value and sanity and for being eye candy whenever I'm at her apartment.

(And E-Money has just declined his award.)

Mom: She gets too little sleep, she helps so many people and she is underappreciated (the defining characteristic of mothers?). Between taking care of her 88-year old father, working, exercising and doing all of the thankless things mothers do how could I ever complain about the minor little issues in my life? Thanks, Mom, for enabling me.

Cara: Many people say they are tolerant, that they are individuals an that they don't care what others think. No one is any of these things 100%, but Cara comes closer than most. For living your life as you want i to be lived, and for setting a good example. Can't believe her ass just turned 21.

Brian: Fucking Bergondy. Some would call him a college dropout. Some would call him a compulsive gambler. Some would call him a cradle-robber, irresponsible and without stability...and they'd all be right! But B has strong morals and generosity instilled within him, and I get the feeling that he would remain no matter how far everyone else drifts away.

Raquel: For making me happier and sadder than I've ever been before. Really, thank you. She brought out emotions in me I didn't know I had and I'm better off for it. I more eagerly await the next chapter in our saga than with anyone else.

The rest of you motherfuckers try again next year! HAHAHAA! Just kidding, I love you all.

RESOLUTIONS
- Make some incomplete friendships complete
- Finish school and start a new stage in life
- we'll see what else

Should We Make Amends?

On my way back here from the library this morning I noticed the USA Today on the newspaper rack. It asked whether we should Amend for Arnold, of course talking about a possible constitutional amendment which would allow foreign-born citizens to become POTUS.

First of all, this is purely hypothetical. I mean, the situation exists where some people might want to take steps to get Arnold Schwarzenegger into the highest office, but it's not gonna happen. Not with the collective xenophobia our nation has. I think one thing red and blue-state people have in common is a fierce sense of propriety of the Constitution, and questions about the necessity of an amendment and the capabilities of our natural-born citizens would arise. To pass this amendment would almost be to admit some sort of defeat. That's one way of thinking.

I am fervently opposed to the idea "Amend for Arnold" because I don't think Arnold has any business thinking about the presidency, nor should he have run for governor of California (It's California, people, come on!) But if the question were of someone besides Arnold, for some brilliant and proven diplomat, maybe my thinking would be different. Isn't it best to have the most qualified person in charge? There are certainly foreign-born citizens who know their U.S. history and, more importantly, its recent history and who comprehend the regional cultural nuances and issues people are concerned about. I believe the superintendent of Seattle schools was born and grew up in India. Why should this sort of factor out of the control of the candidate determine his or her eligibility? One could say it's like prohibiting based on race or sex. And would an amendment like this realistically endear more Americans to the idea of a non-White and/or female president?

Could this happen anywhere but the U.S.? I guess Fujimori was president in Peru but, as I understand, he wasn't exactly a fair (or merciful or law-abiding) leader. I mean, imagine an American living in Japan. Brilliant individual, understands contemporary Japanese culture and produces insightful commentary on it. Maybe this person is a water systems engineer who became a lawyer and now has his sights set on public office. Do you think he could become president in Japan? No fucking way. I picked the most homogeneous society I could think of for this example, but I really think the same would apply anywhere. So why is this issue on our newssstands in the U.S.? Our society is more heterogeneous than most. Are we more forward-thinking than everyone else? Or are we ignoring any and all vestiges of nationalism because we are fed up with ourselves? It's a tough call.

Don't Forget, There Is A War Going On

Thanks for this site: Fallujah in Pictures
And this one: Get Your War On

Where would this world be without individuals who speak up? They deserve the most respect.

You ARE the Father!!

The work is seriously piling up right now. Lucky for me, though, two of my three classes will be over by Tuesday, leaving me with only the Spanish final and delivering slide projectors to classrooms. It might be time for me to have a computer-free weekend so that I can concentrate on this work. One would think that I haven't been using the computer since I haven't posted in so long, but I have been usnig it a lot, you know...for other things. Let's leave it at that.

I actually wrote this post about the Maury Povich show while I was at work. I love those jobs where you can sleep during work hours or do homework or write Blogger posts. Then again, I guess that's why I get paid $7.80/hour. Have you seen it? There are only 3 or 4 topics ever: unruly children, believe-it-or-not couples, cheating couples and the crown jewel of trash talk show topics...PATERNITY TESTS REVEALED!! Nothing beats paternity tests revealed, but it's sooo bad. Can you imagine talking to your parents one day and your Mom says she went on Maury when you were a year old to find out which of three possible guys was your father?? It's crazy, I tell you.

So the Mom comes in some guy and she always wants him to be the father, but she's not certain if he actually is. She has 3 possible reactions based on the paternity test results:
Remember, the mom always wants a positive test result!
Guy wants + test/Test is +: Mom feels Joyous
Guy wants - test/Test is +: Mom feels Vengeful
Negative test always yields: Mom feels Embarrassed

And for the guys, there are 4 possible reactions.
Guy wants +/Test is +: Guy feels Joyous
Guy wants +/Test is -: Guy feels Sad
Guy wants -/Test is +: Guy feels Embarrassed
Guy wants -/Test is -: Guy feels Avenged (then he gets to yell "Yeah, you fuckin' slut" on national television...great for the kids.

What is the motivation for these emotions? Isn't that horrible if one's parents are ashamed of themselves or sparring with one another? I'm not saying that uncertainty about paternity indicts everyone involved as bad or irresponsible, but to take the issue on Maury is an indictment on the parents' sensibilities. I wish those kids luck.

These shows are trash. They hardly deserve this sort of analysis/celebration. They are pretty entertaining, though. Guess that's why they're still on the air.