Changing. Plans.

Well, cheesy as this is to do, I decided to ditch the old template. The fading of the dots underneath my posts was really getting to me, much more than anything should. I havent yet made hostages of local schoolchildren, but I was kind of mentally heading that direction.

I will say that part of me wants a digital camera. I look at blogs like this one, and this one, and--- oh yes---this one way over here in Sverige , and I retreat to pathetic, tearjerking jealousy that I have no photos of myself or that which is important to me. What is wrong with me, people?!?!

On the subject of Sweden, I've been long contemplating a trip there. As most who know me know, I have an almost insatiable appetite for soccer. One of the teams I follow, Linkoping FC is in Sweden's top women's league. One of their players has a website of her own, which is a nice way of reaching out to fans, something you don't see so much of here.

I'm probably not going for another two years, if at all, but it's fun to look for facts on cities, such as where the airport is and what its amenities are, what the bus system is like, where everything is in relation to everything else. I love bulletin boards in general, and http://www.virtualtourist.com is a great little site where you can post a question about any facet of a trip to just about any city imaginable, and have it answered by a local or someone familiar. I posted a question about Folkungavallen (LFC's home stadium), and whether there are any hotels close to it, and a young woman from somewhere else in Sweden hooked me up with a mapquest-like page, marking the stadium, and also provided seemingly vague info on a hotel that she always saw by the railway. She knew it was close to the stadium, so she told me about it, with no promises. Turns out it's a nice hotel (at least by their website) and fairly cheap.

I like to travel. I am about to go to New York City for a book signing. Then, a few weeks later, I'll head to Piscataway, NJ, for a gymnastics meet that Pitt is in.

So, what're you having for dinner?

http://www.deadmaneating.com/

Kind of vile, but dang!!!! Wouldn't you just LOVE to be able to pig out like a son of a monkey just once in your life?

"I'll take six big macs, four orders of fries, six cans of mandarin oranges, 3 12 inch Subway tuna subs, three tiramisues from La Morra pizza, two pounds of Mounds miniatures, and a six pack of Nesbitt's chocolate soda, por favor."

Come to think of it, when those restrictions are lifted like that, it's somewhat harder than it seems to settle on what makes the perfect dinner. I'd love to just not have to plan it, and just be able to beam me up, say, a Steak and Shake orange soda with chocolate squirted in, and a heaping plate of spaghetti marinara with hummus, elephant garlic, and mandarin orange segments.

Which brings up another point. Those people don't just eat big. They eat weird!

"shawn paul humphries
south carolina
december 2, 2005
McDonald's hamburger, french fries, broccoli and cheese, oat cereal, and a Dr. Pepper."

I could dig up weirder garbage than that, but cereal with a burger? Sheesh.

Frolicking in the filth

I don't completely understand Mardi Gras. I'm not Catholic. Not even Christian. I have firm faith in the absence of a deity (and really, the absence of any spirit world, which includes passed loved ones). All I understand is that a parade is involved, as well as the wearing (and throwing?) of beads. Oh, and lots of pink and green (which is actually a pretty cool color scheme, but what it represents, I may never know, unless you care to inform me).

Something I am torn about is whether I like the fact that it's going on, in light of the events surrounding Katrina (beautiful name, by the way---too bad is has this connotation now). On the plus side, apparently it is a major revenue generator for Louisiana. On the minus side, I heard on CNN that taxpayers foot the bill, which is just plain wrong no matter how you slice it. On the plus side again, I guess many folks feel that having Mardi Gras implies a step back to normalcy. I can sympathize with that. However, it seems hypocritical to have this big money-guzzler (hey, MG! Money-guzzler, Mardi Gras! Who knew?) when part of said money-guzzler involves parading through the very streets that need a healthy infusion of cash for rehabilitation.

I just don't know. I suppose having Mardi Gras and cancelling it both have their pros and cons.

Keep on keepin' on, Nola.

Cory, the ideologue, Part I

These questions were borrowed off of Conservative Atheist and reanswered by yours truly. Just a small glimpse into my mind, I suppose.

Abortion
If you're not ready to have a kid, and cannot find trustworthy adoption arrangements, and just don't trust adoption in general, then you ought to have the right to abort. Let's admit it, not every baby's life is going to be worth living. Furthermore, you aren't born with "certain unalienable rights". At least, you shouldn't be. You earn rights. That is how you mature into adulthood.

(above parahgraph edited 1 Mar 2006. Me and my klutzy proofreading!)

Secondly, women are going to do it anyhow, so why not make it safe. Making abortion safe has nothing to do with encouraging it.

Affirmative Action
I don't fully understand AA/EO, but I am firmly against race quotas. Using race quotas just squeezes some mixed race folks out of the equation. Furthermore, it denies more deserving people a chance at whatever it is said people are aiming to do, be, etc.

AIDS Awareness
We should always take measures to make sure Americans are educated about disease---any disease. It should be an integral stream of high school education. Although nobody can ensure contraception is everywhere, it should never be denied a person because of somebody's moral stance on the issue of contraception, AIDS, or whatever else.

Animal Rights (PETA and the like)
Don't be unnecessarily cruel to animals, but don't deny society's right to hunt within reason of law. Humans first. Animals a very close second. So goes the food chain. Survival of the fittest is universal.

Cloning/Genetic Engineering/Stem Cell Research
I'm in favor, however, I'm not so sure it should take the place of disability rights legislation. At least not within reason. Society still needs to work on incorporating the disabled into the economic structure the best it can. That's unfortunately the only way I see that the amount we spend on social security can be lessened.

Capital Punishment
If we want a safe, moral society, we must not be afraid to punish those that stray from law. The death penalty is in no way a deterrent, however, I see no proof that it exacerbates the problem of murder. I also don't see how the constant capital appeals made does anything to make it less likely that an innocent person will be executed. Unfortunately, such people will be killed once in three blue moons. Mistakes happen, and I firmly believe I'd feel that way even lying on the gurney at Rockview.

Keep capital punishment, but lessen appeals, at least somewhat.

Censorship
I support free speech, except by government, which in most cases is supposed to be neutral.

Defense and General Military
I support a moderate defense. I do not support spearheading international war efforts of any type. I'm very glad Saddam was gone, but am pretty disgusted that we don't seem to have a closure plan. We are there without any further m. o., in my opinion, despite what the right has said time and time again.

Environmental Issues
We need to protect the environment, but not be obsessive. There are city-slickers and there are country folk, and they both have a right to be happy, and both have a duty, if possible, to maintain jobs and pay taxes.

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Kevorkian, in my mind, was a little overzealous. However, if you really feel like life is hopeless, you should not be denied the right to end it. Don't ever suggest it to a person, though.

I'll likely finish this off in my next post. Stay tuned...

The "real" Post Number Four

Sorry Joop and anybody else that cared about my canker sore and wanted to know more about canker sores and sickly computer animation. I was amidst repairing the post (delinking the title and hyperlinking some text therein), and somehow deleted the post.

Oh well. My canker sore is gone. And I found something that I thought I had lost that was damn near crucial to my very existence.

Happy, happy day. What shall I have on my pizza?

Post Number Four

I've been hurtin' for ideas on what to post, as my life's been rather tame, so here's something I "borrowed" from http://thenoodleincident.org, only with my answers, of course.

1. When you think about the next 10 years what are you most excited about?
The fact that I seem to be a decently settled adult with a pretty good sense of self, even if others have a different sense of who I am.

2. Do you wear jewelry every day? What kind?
None, although I used to want to get something subtle, like a stud in the piece of skin above the eyelid at the boundary of the forehead. An old college mate of mine had that, and it looked kind of neat.

3. Do you prefer writing in pen or pencil? if ink, what color?
Ink, definitely. I tend to break pencils easily. What color? None in particular. Usually blue or black. And I get my pens free at job fairs, auto shows, or anywhere giving them as freebies.

4. What’s your skin regime?
Uhhhhh. I treat my skin better than Saddam Hussein would. Yyyyyyyyep! (oh geez, I'm watching too much Olympic curling)

5. What kind of shampoo do you use?
The cheap stuff! All's I know's I hate Head & Shoulders.

6. What’s your favorite TV show?
Gilmore Girls and Twins, though usually I watch anything on CNN, and often C-SPAN. I don't watch anything every week, though.

7. What are your plans for the weekend?
Ermmmmm...Haven't gotten there yet. Probably just planning my trip to NYC to go to a Sarah Vowell book signing.

*groan*

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh. Canker sores!

Speakinawhich, here's some info and disturbing animation on the subject:

http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/mouth/canker.html

Sorry to startle you, it's just me, Life.

Well, the Olympics are upon us now. I darned near forgot about them, but now it's very hard to escape. Not because of the Games dominating one channel. Oddly, I find that's far from the case. Seems like NBC is sharing duties with USA and probably CNBC.

Even though I'm usually not a big fan of the glitz and glamor in anything, the whole Michelle Kwan saga has been fascinating. She is indeed out, which my gut sort of told me might happen. So now, if I recall, we have Meissner, Hughes, and Cohen with our country on their shoulders. Should be a pretty fun trio to watch. Cohen has proven to be excellent, but has always been in the shadow of Kwan. And Kimmie and Emily are somewhat unknown quantities at this point, but from what I've seen of them, they have all sorts of enthusiasm, and lack butterflies. We'll just see if they take flight when it matters most, though.

In other sporting news, NASCAR starts up in earnest on the weekend. Seems like just yesterday they were all in the thick of it. The trucks will be especially interesting with Erin Crocker joining their ranks. She had a very serious run in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, and very much proved herself. During the Busch season, she had a chance to enter a couple races, and they both ended in frustrating DNF's. So, this coming year, she will be in the Craftsman Trucks. I'm not sure what makes trucks easier, as I'm not a gearhead. I simply like the action and the personalities. We'll see how it goes, though. I think the trucks deserve more attention, and should not be regarded as necessarily a stepping stone to Nextel. But that's me.

In other news, Valentine's Day has hit me upside the head. Once again, I get my cards and such out late. Why do I feel like the only person in the world like this? Good thing I'm single, no?

Mi casa es your haus.

This blog is completely without a theme, like most of our lives. I have no clue what issues may or may not be addressed on here, whether the colors of this website will change, whether I'm gonna polish off those onion rings tomorrow, whether there actually will be a terrorist attack tomorrow, thus perhaps preventing my next post. Things are just plain up in the air.

With that said, is CNN a bunch of drama queens, or what? I realize we're a little on edge, collectively, since 9.11.01, but Fox, CBS, NBC, and ABC all had nada on the evacuation at the capitol building today. It all raises an interesting issue, though. Most folks I know (which admittedly may not be a good cross-section) hate the news for droning on about one situation. However, CNN keeps on keeping on with it. I suppose ratings have not much to do with the public's tastes.

Switching gears to the subject of sleep, glorious sleep, I have a weird, but certainly not unique, ability to remember my dreams in vivid detail. Sometimes, though, you wake up remembering certain elements of said dream, but knowing in your heart there was more. That's why I hope we are implanted with some secret black box whose contents we are privy to once we are deceased. Last night, I had a dream that I was at the starting line of a sparsely entered marathon with my parents, and my aunt and uncle from Ohio. My father pulled me aside and confided that he felt really uncomfortable with my uncle, who is in reality a wonderful fellow (and does not know my father). That's all I remember from that dream. I will say that it's rather invigorating to have these Daliesque dreams. It's fun to guess if they really mean much.

Ohhhh, what else? Well, I was just surfing the web a bit for some Waterboys info. I've had that Whole of the Moon song stuck in my cranium today. I really like Max Edie's backup vocals. It seems, however, that she's fallen off the face of the earth. She has no wiki. Google and Yahoo come up pretty empty. She seems to have been last in a band around 1991. Something "Party". I know that the collective web information stash is a bit jumbled, but it strikes me as odd that this was so difficult.Anyhow, more dreams soon, I'm sure. The tiramisu from dinner is starting to kick in.

Good night.