Christmas eve eve....

I got an e-mail the other day from a friend of mine who lives in the middle east. He went to school here and after not being able to secure gainful employment here, went back to his home country where he took part in his arranged marriage (he assures me it is like you decide to get married and then start dating, sort of cuts to the chase, you don't waste time looking for "the one" at the local bar) and now works relocating displaced Nomadic Peoples due to the arbitrary assigning of borders to their wandering areas...

...Sounds a bit odd, I guess to a boy who grew up in the suburbs.

But this man, who I swear could rival Santa Claus with the smile and twinkle in his eye, loves America more than almost anyone I know...It's because he doesn't take it for granted, kids...He knows it is a land of unbridled opportunity and promise. But he loves his own country too, and I have to respect that.

So kids, while you may be disappointed on Christmas day that you didn't get the new PS2 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, be thankful that you were born in the United States, because even with all of its problems and stuff, it is still one of the greatest countries in the world.

"I'm a rebel and a loner Dottie"...
.................................................Pee-Wee Hermann, Pee Wee's Big Adventure

To say I'm a bit of an introvert is an understatement. I get very uncomfortable in crowded settings...Possibly the byproduct of going to a University of 1100 people. Or maybe it's because I'm an awkward geek. I find it much easier to communicate via e-mail now instead of the phone. I think my personal space cushion must be about 8' radius as opposed to the usual three foot rule that applies to most people and strippers.

To that end, I am working on this process of "socialization" in where I go out to an event or place or so for a while and hang out until I reach a saturation point. I usually can last 60-90 minutes, depending on how good the music or conversation is....

....So there's at least hope for the geek...I feel like Eliza in My Fair Lady...Mr. 'iggins 'ow are you?

I got +<*ed at the drive through the other day....

Got two pieces of chicken in a three piece meal....and It really torques me off....the drive through is a sacred covenant between customer and corporation...when that bond is broken it definitely is one of the signs that indicate the downfall of western civilization.

Wal-Mart is the other one....eternal flourescent lighting that makes time seem to stop...and they all have that odd smell...

Can you tell I shop mostly at Target?

"I may have a photographic memory, but somehow I keep forgetting where the pictures are."

I was flipping channels today...

God bless cable television! There is always some weird @$$ thing on...Today it was the Scrabble National Championship on ESPN2 (no $#!+, it really was, check your local times and listings.) So I'm sitting there, dumbfounded that this is on a sports channel, and this makes me think "Oh Lord....What's on ESPN3?"

Now, Keep in mind, I'm not really a TV snob or anything...I love the Simpsons and try my best not to miss Smallville, Alias, and ER when they are new. I'm starting to really enjoy James Spader as the creepy attorney on the Practice. Angel is surprisingly funny. I also like American Chopper, Monster Garage and Monster House on the Discovery Channel, as well as Extreme Homes and Trading Spaces (never let a neighbor screw with my home, though!)

However....Do we really need to see Poker and Scrabble and the United World National tiddly Winks championship of the Universe? Maybe the people who watch that think ER is needless...Oh well.

Veterans day...

I was talking to my dad the other day, and the subject concerned life as a soldier in the Air Force in the 1960's...It came to my attention that back in the day it seemed to be a soldier was a much more respected profession in those days. I guess somewhere around the 70's, serving your country became more of a blue-collar (and ultimately and unfortunately less respected) career choice, and things went downhill from there.

I also find the interesting thing that whenever the news has anything about Veterans, they always show some guy from WWII...There's been a few more wars since then guys, let's show some respect and honor for the folks who survived Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Desert Storm, and the rest.

Thank a Veteran today...Because they did it so we don't have to.

I was at the movies the other day (actually, I go to the movies QUITE a lot) and more and more I have started to see more and more small children there.

Now, here's the thing...I'm

A. not going to see G- and PG - rated movie fare and
B. I'm always going to one of the last shows of the night, usually after 10pm.

So I go to see the re-release of say, ALIEN or THE EXORCIST, or maybe the remake of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACARE, and there are parents who are bringing their freakin' kids with them...not teenagers, but 2,3,4,5,7 year old kids who definitely really shouldn't be seeing this kinda stuff. People should know what to expect, especially if it is a remake.

I know babysitters are expensive, but $#!+, this is why they make DVD players...put the kids to bed and then put in a movie you want to watch. My older brother was 12 or 13 when he saw Alien....I was 9 or 10 and it was watched on cable TV under the direct supervision of Mom. I was into Star Wars, so she figured it would be ok. My older brother had nightmares about the "bleeding" android, though. I think because of this, he will be good with his own kids and not let them see any of this stuff.

Just to reiterate...a 7 year old watching the EXORCIST is just not cool...I saw it in college and It is one of the few movies that gave me a bit of the willies...THE ELEPHANT MAN was the first one...saw it when I was twelve....freaked me out...probably because it was a true story and the man was treated so badly in his life...

...still have dreams about him occasionally.

So...I had lunch with a client today...and I thought that I would never "do lunch" with anybody, never thought I would have a job that requires a tie, and yet, here I am. It's for the best, I think. Beats living at home with my parents, definitely.

Anyhow, I was with one of my bosses and I have to admit it felt a little bit like being asked to sit at the grown-ups table at thanksgiving....a little odd and strange, but then the realization of the fact that you are actually getting older. Combine that with a recent birthday, and you start to feel like a bit of a geezer. Having a sense of your own mortality is a bitch.

......"I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys "r" Us Kid"....

Why is it....

Why is it whenever I go to a pet store to buy stuff for my cats, I get hit on by a gay guy? (not that there's anything wrong with being gay)

....just wondering...At least they usually are polite about it.

cool...learned how to change the colors and text....ooohhhh....colorssssss....

So it's been a couple of weeks....time flies when you are busy.

I recently got to live a childhood dream...I got to see Kiss in concert. I have wanted to see them since I was about 5 years old and my older brother brought home Love Gun (on Vinyl, no less...dad...what's vinyl?)

Areosmith also played I have to admit...I was totally impressed with both. Both of these bands have been doing this for over 30 years and the quality hasn't suffered. I have seen older acts before and been really disapointed because the singer couldn't hit the notes or whatnot. I saw Bob Dylan at the rodeo last year and the man was doing some serious Phonin' In.

I tell ya though, If I can be in my 50's and still be able to do cartwheels on or off a stage I will be happy as hell....

....come to think of It, I probably can't do cartwheels now...


ps...everybody go see Kill Bill Vol. 1....esp. if you love kung-fu movies!

So I've been thinking about tolerance (oh boy, here it comes, I can hear you saying)
I have a few gay friends, in fact I lived with a lesbian for about a year....Sweetest person you'd ever meet. Supposedly, my religion tells me that these people are sinners and are going to hell just for being one of the 5 - 10% of the population that happens to like members of the same sex. Personally, I think as long as you are a good person, it shouldn't matter who you like, and that love is so hard to find in this world anyway, so if you find it in a guy or a girl, why should anyone give a $#!+.

It's not just sex, either. I know more than a few people that I would call "Elite-ist", people who believe their social status and education means that they are better than others. Now I don't know about you, but after I got out of college, I worked doing manual labor for a while, and I tell you these poeple are no better or worse than the white collar folk, In fact if it wasn't for garbagemen, auto mechanics and construction workers, this society would be nowhere. They may not have the education to do what I do, but I don't have the skills or know-how to do what they do, either. That's why I respect them.

...I figure that makes us about even....Can't we all just get along?

Hmm...still trying to figger out how to use this dadgum thingamadoodle. Web page design always interests me...I find some sights are intuitive and some are not. It reminds me of some of the old choose your own adventure books from way back when (somehow I always died a horrible and grisly death, I guess that shows what great life choices I make.)

Anyhow, I'm rambling as usual. I was talking to a friend the other day about how it was when we were kids at school....back in the first grade I was smarter than most of the other students (don't worry, gang it went away VERY quickly!) and so me and girl named Charelle Batts were assigned extra readings and work, so we would not get bored (and eventually disruptive, me with a crazed imagination and having read way too many comic books!) while the other classmates caugt up to us. At the time it didn't bother me, but as I think about it today it was kind of like being punished for the ability to do more. I suppose the working world is like this as well...the better you do the more responsibility, the better the likelyhood of having a nervous breakdown...The opposite of this is the military adage that they promote you to the point where you can do the least amount of damage...which is why all the real badasses are Sergeants and Lt. Colonels.

Oh well, I suppose if I could handle it in first grade, I can handle it now.

I am a total geek. I love comic books, Star Trek, Star Wars and Toys ( especially super hero and 1980's G.I. joe). However, I recently went to Chicago to Wizard World...a really big ass comic book convention and found out something....I am nowhere near as strange as a lot of these people. I Saw entire regiments of Stormtroopers, Jedi Knights, Darth Vaders, Batmen and one really good wonder woman. Now, I'm used to those kind of people, In fact I enjoy their company immensely, but my brother was with me and I think it really scared the hell out of him to see all of these "freaks", but then I went to a Cubs game with him and saw his version of the same "freaks"- die hard baseball fans who know every stat, every rule, every player who ever played the game.
....just goes to show you....we're all pretty much the same.