Sunday, April 30, 2006

Living dangerously

In total defiance to local wisdom, last night I risked life and limb. In an act of foolhardiness I slept with a electric fan in my room, fan death be damned. Yep, I'm a rebel.

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Love, hate, and the need for revenge

A conversation last night, and posts by Madame Chaing and Scorpy kinda all collided and started the wheels to spinning.

Love and hate, two of the strongest emotions in us. They are both powerful and if unchecked, can consume us. Even more strange, that one can become the other. A lover wronged, can turn love to hate. I have also seen two bitter enemies come together due to one seeing the other in pain caused by a death. It just shows how close to each other the love and hate are.

Now for revenge. When we are wronged there is always some part of us, no matter how small, that craves revenge. Does it make the hurt lessen, does it make us feel vindicated? Usually not, in the most base sense it is one person wanting another to know how they made them feel. In cases when love or hate is involved, it can be bloody and long lasting (the Hatfields and Mccoys are a good example of this). For some revenge can be as simple as going "Hold my beer so I can kick his ass.", for others it can be more ummm... "Creative". Case in point.

Man 1 (names are being withheld to protect the stupid) tries to get with Woman 1. Woman 1 had just broken up with Man 2 (who Man 1 had no idea even existed). Man 1 failed in his ploy and went about his business and forgets the whole matter. Man 2 finds out about this after reuniting with Woman 1, and proceeds to spread his feces all over Man 1's apartment door. Next he eggs Man 1's place of work. Due to this, Man 1 is fired from his job, and is waiting to see if he is going to be deported back to his home country. Last night Man 1 tells his woes to his friends, his friends (all pretty much drunk), then start urging Man 1 to take various steps to pay Man 2 back (violence). Before things could spiral out of control, a wise and sage Man 3 (yours truly), diffuses the situation with well placed jokes and more alcohol (I have been in enough bar fights worldwide
to know how and when to keep them from starting).

Personally if you wrong me, I'll tell you to "go to hell" and never have anything to do with you again. If you wrong my loved ones, well to coin a phrase "It's on!".

Just my 2 cents.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Busy day

Today has been a pleasant day. Sun shining, nice breeze, and busy enough to make the work day pass quickly. I was going to write a rant on the childishness of politicians, but it is just too nice of a day to get riled up.

Yesterday saw a sight that sang to every ounce of my maleness. On the way home I pass a convention center. Yesterday they had set up big ramps and obstacles, big armored rescue vehicles were being put through their paces as scantily clad women danced around the edge of the track. There was even a fire fighting helicopter outfitted with some kind of FLIR. I have no idea what was going on, but pretty much all of the testosterone in my body was supercharged. I brought my camera to work today, just in case it is still there today.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

40 questions

Sitting here building a device that will spray a coworker with silly string as soon as he opens his desk. During this little adventure in engineering I found and stole this topic from abitwicked.

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? Yap a couple times.
2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters? No, I love coasters :)
3. When's the last time you've been sledding? Long time ago. I think I was like 5, visiting family in Canada
4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? Depends on my mood.
5. Do you believe in ghosts? Yeah. I have seen many many strange things in my life, so ghosts are not that far of a reach.
6. Do you consider yourself creative? Fairly creative. Designed a couple tattoos for friends, handy with a camera.
7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? No it was the "Man". Seriously though, he is guilty as sin.
8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Can't I have both? No? Darn, guess I will have to go with Angelina.
9. Can you honestly say you know ANYTHING about politics? Yap, Don't trust politicians.
10. Do you know how to play poker? Yes
11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? Yes, my record is 72 hours straight without sleep.
12. What's your favorite commercial? The internet commercial where they fire hamsters out of a pitching machine into the "O" in their name.
13.Who was your first love? A little girl from grade school
14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around how fast do you drive? Usually about 10 mph over the speed limit.
15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? Yap, but if I told you I would have to kill you (since this it the 'net that is a lot of people)
16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? Honestly have no preference.
17. Have you ever been Ice Skating? Yap see question 3
18. How often do you remember your dreams? Often
19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? Sunday watching "Super Troopers" and "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle".
20. Can you name 5 songs by the Beatle's? No
21. What's the one thing on your mind? The thrust to weight ratio of an F-15
22. Do you believe in love at first sight? Yes
23. Do you know what Ba-Ba-Booey is? No clue
24. How often do you brush your teeth? Morning and night
25. What talent do you wish you had? To be able to sing like Barry White
26. Do you like sushi? Oh yeah!
27. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident? More than a few
28. What do you wear to bed? Usually boxers. If entertaining a gimp mask, loin cloth, a cape, and combat boots.
29. Have you ever been caught steeling? Nope
30. Does size matter? Only when figuring in ordinance loaded on a f-15 and how it affects the thrust to weight ratio.
31. How many drinks of alcohol a day? Usually none, only drink when out with friends.
32. Rock or rap? Anything but country
33. If you could sleep with one famous person who would it be? Liv Tyler
34. Do you know anyone in jail? Yap
35. Have you ever sung in front of the mirror? No, I don't have a voice for singing.
36. How often do you like whoopie? As often as possible.
37. What food do you find disgusting? Squash
38. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours."? Yap, sometimes with other people :P
39. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? No, I mock folks openly.
40. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew? Yes

Monday, April 24, 2006

random photos

Just some random photos I have taken. Been in a photo taking mood lately. Some are old, some are new.







Important fact to remember when running

Never, ever, run through jet exhaust. Most folks don't have this problem, but working on a air base presents unique hazards. Today during my lunchtime run, I managed to jog right through the exhaust of a f-4 phantom. Sucking down a unexpected lung full of burnt jet fuel is unpleasent to say the least. After the unavoidable hacking, dry heaves, and doubleing over came the cursing. It is southern nature to curse in such moments, and being one with my southerness I cursed. I cursed the jet, the pilot, the Korean air force, my company, the company that hired mine to come here, and couple random dieties just to be safe. After the cursing, I did feel much better :).

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Dusted in

By all accounts today should be beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, warm, with a mild breeze. But the forecast did not take into consideration the yellow dust. It is sand from China, mixed with heavy metals and other contaminates. Outside right now it looks like heavy fog, the sun shining down is turned into a pale white yellow. Needless to say that means staying inside, just makes for a real slow day.

good party

Went to a friend's party Saturday night, good time had by all. The police were called twice (always the hallmark of a good party).

Replaceing broken furniture - $200
Booze and snacks - $350
Setting back international relations between the United States and Korea - priceless

Guilty little pleasures

We all have them, the things we like but realize that they are puerile. Those little enjoyment that we keep hidden from most people, because we are embarrassed by them. I know my two big ones are:

I actually enjoy watching wrestling and cheesy 70's horror films.

So now my secrets are out. So now my question to all of you is "What are your guilty little pleasures?"

Saturday, April 22, 2006

A fat, loud, jerk.

Nope, not talking about myself. I just watched "Bowling for Columbine" by Michael Moore. Why it was on here in Korea I will never know. Personally it think it portrays all Americans as idiots. Granted the U.S. has it's fair share if idiots, but they seem to be evenly dispersed over the world. In one portion he blamed Lockheed Martin for Columbine.

Basically the whole "documentary" is him blaming firearms, the media, and the republican party for what happened in Columbine and the downfall of society. This is accomplished by interviewing some of the stupidest people he can find (folks that should not be allowed to breed, let alone own a firearm), one of whom grabbed a loaded revolver from under his pillow, cocked it, and held it to his own temple for fun. From there he asked Canadians why their crime rate was so much lower than the U.S.'s (33 million Canadians vs 289 million Americans, who do you think has a higher crime rate?). Proceeding he turned his attention to the media, and blamed the whole "If it bleeds it leads" mentality for making people afraid of their neighbors (OK, so he hit the nail on the head with that one), and racism.

Michel Moore, in my opinion, is a hack. He looks so hard to find someone to blame for problems and offers no solutions. If someone commits a crime hold them responsible for their actions. If something is wrong with society offer solutions, don't just point and yell "It's all their fault!!".

Like I said, just my opinion.

Friday, April 21, 2006

another funky shirt


As requested a picture of this week's funky shirt.

Keeping the theme going

Between myself, Primal, Mia,and Madame Chaing there has been alot of tests taken. To keep it going, and because I thought it was funny as hell:

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"So, you're a cannibal."

Thursday, April 20, 2006

My Love

I dreamed about you again last night. Your elegant beauty haunting me. My pulse quickening with just the thought of caressing you. I long for the day we can be together.


My Love

Woohoooo

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts.
You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary.
But you sure can beat a good drum.
"Kill! Kill!"

Another stolen Idea

Stole this from Madame Chiang and her discussion on the contents on one's book shelf.

Content
From my book shelf you would probably see that I am pretty random. Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Confucius, Lao-tzu, and Sun Tzu are some of the big names. Photography, martial arts, eastern philosophy, and travel are my passions. A surprising amount of Sci-fi and fantasy. The U.S. Civil War, and the Pacific Theater in WW2 pique my interest. Some work related books on electronics, and aeronautics.

Condition of the books
My books vary in condition, some of my Terry Prachett books have been read so many times they are in rather delicate shape. Others like the ones on foreign language (I have no talent in learning languages, I try but just can't stay interested) look brand new.

Arrangement of the books
Like the good Madame my bookshelf is rather haphazard. About the only books that are in order belong to the Harry Potter box set, everything else is placed as they are read. Right now the Tao Te Ching is sandwiched between a street guide to Barcelona and Terry Prachett's "The Colour of Magic". Before coming to South Korea I had to put the majority of my books into storage, so now my library is a pale shadow of it's former self.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Guilty until proven innocent

In the U.S. we are told we are guilty until proven innocent, when accused of a crime. Is this still true once the media grabs the story? If you look at the Duke Rape case, you find out most of the life stories of the accused. The media will continue to dig and dig until every one in America will know their faces and what they are accused of. The problem starts, because even if cleared of the charges people will remember the charge and relate them to it. This relationship will follow them forever. I am not saying I feel sorry for the Duke students or saying they are innocent or guilty,I am just using them as an example. The media, in it's ever continuing search for ratings, brands people guilty once they are accused and offers very little in trying to correct the damage it does. Wouldn't the responsible thing to do be to withhold the names of both victim and accused until a verdict is reached?

Monday, April 17, 2006

Walkabout

This week started walking a couple miles during lunch. Not trying to get in shape or anything respectable like that, just been enjoying the strolls. Gives me time to think and reflect (sometimes dangerous things), and gets me away from all the stupid things that happen at work (noticed a definite decrease in the urge to strangle the customers).

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Another slow day

A bit dull here today, the customers are too busy training to pay any notice to me and my little crew. Days like this the mind starts coming up with different things. Checking the email, spam left me resolute that:

I don't need any prescriptions for viagria, don't want to meet casual sex partners in my area, have no interest in making money from home, and am quite happy with the size of my penis.

Although after receiving my last phone call, I am concerned about the quality of my long distance service.

Saturday, April 15, 2006




Your Band Name is:



The Hard-drinkin' Goldfish


Brown thumb

I realize there are some things I have no talent for. Among them are:

Learning new languages

Singing and dancing (even when drunk)

Have a meaningful conversation about home decor

Enjoy watching a mime

Wear pastels

Grow plants

For a house warming gift I received a small plant. This plant was supposed to need little water, sunlight, or attention. Even following the care instructions that came with it, the plant did not make it. Not a cheerful sight on Easter morning (every leaf fell off it last night).

Well guess I will give up my dream of becoming a botanist, and stick to things I have talents in.

Wish I had my camera with me

Guess that it falls into the Murphey's law category. You see something that would make a great picture, no camera. Went downtown today to pick up some new running shoes, and I see a small Korean boy (5-8) with a mullet. I stared at the horror that had befallen this poor kid, and all I could think is "Well this is South Korea.". All that was missing is "Dueling Banjos" playing in the background.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung, cherry blossoms are in bloom (quite a lovely sight). The chirping of birds in love has filled the air (though at 5 a.m. the chirping makes you want to shove them in a blender). During this time of the year a man's mind turns to love (vice the lust it's stuck in during the other 3 seasons). Around me I see many young males vying to attract the attention of the fairer sex (some of them eerily reminiscent of Pepe Le Pew in their approach).

Hmmm... What do I look for in a mate? I know that the answer has changed and will probably will change again over my life (I am curious to see if I will be affected by the standard "Mid-life crisis", where I will be forced to buy a red sports car and pick up eighteen year olds.). For right now, the traits that pique my amorous attentions are:

Intelligence
Sense of humor

(and for some reason, the ability to handle a sword. One of the local women showed me a kata she learned in Kendo, and since then I have become a babbling idiot around her)

Love may be a many splendored thing, but at times it is damned annoying.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Masks

Reading Mia, got me thinking about the faces we show to others(why I enjoy reading her, gets my mind to spinning). Most people have masks, falls into basic psychology.

The way we see ourselves.
The way we want others to see us.
The way a stranger sees us.
The way those close to us see us.

Only in a scant few people on the planet, is the face you see the only one there is. I have walked further than most can imagine ("Seven Seas" is more than just a nice sounding alter ego, it is quite an apt description), and have only met one person that was maskless. I am introspective enough to see my own masks, and see how they change when dealing with different people. This is neither a good or bad thing, just what makes us human.

Fan death


I have recently discovered a belief here in South Korea called fan death. Simply put a electric fan running in the same room as you are sleeping can kill you if a door or a window is not open. The listed possible causes for this are:

-Carbon dioxide produced by the running electric motor can suffocate you.
-The fan causes a vortex in the room that sucks the oxygen away from you.
-The cool air causes hypothermia.

After reading the article, I discussed it with some locals. They argued strongly that this urban legend was true. Everyone seemed to have a friend of a relative that died from it.

Never did trust those fans, with their scheming natures and smug looks.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Understanding men

Thought I would try to help things by explaining some things about men. To some this may be old news, but if it can help just one person my job is done.

Men are simple creatures. If the answer "What are you thinking?" is "Nothing.", we are not being elusive. That is honestly what we are thinking at the moment.

Most men are not subtle. We don't get hints, even great big flashing ones with sirens on them.

The single male will eat things that are border line toxic, just to save from cooking (ie..Raman noodles, with diced spam eaten out of a pot [to save on washing dishes]. Such meals are commonly referred to as "bachelor chow".

Most men only have enough blood to operate one head at a time. Possible design flaw?

Most men like porn. Maybe because it stops blood flow to the main head.

Men like the 3 stooges, Mel Brooks movies, and Looney Tunes cartoons. Slapstick comedy causes a warm fuzzy feeling. Personally if I ever get tired of seeing someone get hit with heavy objects that make funny sounds, shoot me.

When faced with any type of high end sports car, monster truck, or construction equipment, a primal switch is thrown. That switch causes most men to be reduced to the mentality of a 5 year old. "Ooooowwww shiny!!"

Like magpies and raccoons, men are attracted to shiny objects. See above reference to "shiny".

If a man feels a connection with a woman, most are reduced to babbling idiots. Some are smooth enough to hide this condition, but it is there (ie.. Sean Connery as James Bond)

Hope that these rules help.

One final bit of information. The subspecies known as "Red neck" or "Southerner" is most often heard to exclaim "Hold my beer and watch this." Shortly before dying.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Media slant

Today I am reminded why I usually avoid reading or watching the news. A focus on violence, no good news reported, and political skewing. After just reading the headlines, I see why my grandmother is afraid to leave her house. If my only link to the world around me was mainstream media, I too would be terrified.

from today's headlines:

Flaming car rolls up to hospital ER

Man hit with nearly 200 sex-related charges

Cop involved in apparent murder-suicide

Two cars strike man pushing lawnmower

Girl killed by Israeli shells, sources say

'120 killed' as boat capsizes in Ghana

Murders of Eight in Canada Gang-Related, Cops Say

Lawyer: No DNA Match in Duke Gang Rape Case

At Least 27 Killed in Explosion at Chinese Hospital

all these are from today's Cnn.com and foxnews.com


Both Neil Cavuto and John Gibson, of foxnews.com have written very good articles wondering why all the news we see is bad. Mr. Cavuto actually acknowledged that the catch phrase in the news industry is "If it bleeds it leads."

Money is made keeping people afraid and tuned in.

Music

Ever notice how different types of music affect your mental state? These are the ones that do it for me.

In a bad mood and wanna feel better:
If I ever leave this world alive (Flogging Molly)
Rebels of the sacred heart (Flogging Molly)
Make it Funky (James Brown)
Word up (remake by Korn)

Have aggression and need to work it out:
Bodies (Drowning Pool)
Forrest (System of a down)
Calm like a bomb (Rage against the machine)

Mellowing out:
Wish you were here (Pink Floyd)
The Mummer's Dance (Loreena McKennitt)
Amarantine (Enya)
Piano Concerto #23 (Mozart)
Free Bird (Lynard Skynyrd [I'm from the south, it's the law])

In the "Mood":
Can't get enough of your love, Babe (Barry White)
Crazy (remake by Kidneytheives)
First time I ever saw your face (sung by Johnny Cash)
Wild Horses (The Rolling Stones)

General Feel good:
Little Wing (Jimmy Hendrix)
Feel Good Inc. (Gorillaz)
Numb/Encore (Linkin Park & Jay-z)
My generation (The Who)

A brighter.....

Reading Mia she pointed to page in wikipedia that had a link to this. Being a slow day at work I clicked.

I can honestly say I have never looked in the mirror (or for that particular angle, a couple of mirrors) and said "You know my anus just isn't as white as it could be.". I know that there are offices everywhere that can bleach your teeth, maybe this is the new big craze. Perhaps could even combine the services, offer package deals "Make both ends whiter in 15 minutes or your money back."

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Passion

What are these things that drive us? Is the sum of a man the collections of his passions, or is it the way he handles them? Is a life without them really a life, or just a collections of moments spent trying to fend off boredom? I have seen people waste their lives in pursuit of them, and others waste away with out them.

The field


We face our opponets. Nerves on edge, hearts racing, waiting for the game to start. "3..2..1..Go,Go,GO!" screams the referee. Muscle memory takes over, I stride forward laying down blistering cover fire as my team mates move to their positions. The world outside the netting disappears, and the universe inside of it slows down as adrenalin floods my bloodstream. Ducking behind the closest bunker, I grab a pod from my pack and refill my hopper. "Advancing left!" screams my backman. I pop out of the left side of my bunker firing, catching the runner as he tries to make the 50.
That little voice screams in the back of my head. Throwing myself backwards I narrowly avoid a stream of paint. I return a quick burst, fingers making a staccato beat on my trigger, I see his hand go up..got him. "That's game" signals the referee. Grinning under my mask as I walk off the field, I feel my body tremble as the world returns to normal. I love this game.

I finally got to play yesterday (have not gotten to play since August), so my addiction is in full swing again.

The paintball mentality is a unique one. They accept any one regardless, even if you don't play the game. With everything else you get some bad eggs (the ones that do stupid and dangerous things), they are usually shunned by the rest of the community. Paintballers don't like anybody or thing that makes their sport look bad. If you put 2 or more together in a room who have never met, they will greet each other like old friends and spend hours in frantic conversation. If you are in that room you will hear such phrases as "Man I put a stiffi on my cocker." "I got my balls all over his face." and "I rushed up behind him and bunkered his ass.", these sayings have absolutely nothing to do with sex.

And as per request here is a pic of me in my funky tiger shirt.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

That damn Murphey

Murphey's law: Anything that can go wrong, will. Usually at the worst possible time.

After just watching a $50,000 circuit card burn up for no reason, I really want to hurt this Murphey guy.

On the plus side, today is funky shirt day here and I am wearing my favorite shirt (Hawaiian style shirt with a tiger print).

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

One of those days

Just in a general malaise today. Nothing bad has happened, not sad or angry, just a blah day. Don't really want to be doing nothing, but don't want to do anything. Just one of those days. The one person I want to be around today, I can't be near. The people I can be near, I don't want to bother with. I never have been one for the moping schoolboy crush, but damn if it isn't hitting me like a brick. Life was soo much easier before puberty.

Monday, April 03, 2006

And people vote for these idiots...

Rep. Cynthia McKinney D-GA
from Foxnews
from WSBTV
from CNN

I am quite disgusted that this woman is from GA. She hit a police officer who was doing his job, personally she should feel lucky that she is not in jail. Ms. Mckinney says she was stopped because she was black congresswoman, and that the officer should have recognized her face. If he did not recognize her face how could he know she was a congresswoman? A congresswoman who misappropriated funds to fly Issac Hayes to GA to dedicate a building (not related, but still complete B.S.)

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

from world net daily
Oh my God... I don't know where to begin on this one. It is rare that something actually leaves me dumbfounded, but there it is.

These are just two of the myriad of reasons there needs to be a term limit for all politicians (not even mentioning Kennedy, Clinton, Delay, ect.) The problem is not limited to one party (stupidity crosses party lines), these two just stood out.

Rules for villains

My mind was wandering today, as it does often, and I remembered some rules I read a long ways back. It was from a RPG magazine for Call of Cthulu. I found it to be good advise to use in dealing with those pesky do-gooders.

1. Don't gloat.

2. Don't reveal your plans.

3. Don't leave the hero(s) to die a slow death (they don't).

4. If you gloat, reveal your plans, and leave the hero to die a slow death...Don't be surprised when they show up at the last minute and save the day.

5. They always show up at the last minute, so start a half hour early. They hate that.

Just a couple things to remember for your next world domination plot.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

I wanna play paintball


God I want to play some paintball. Unfortunately the nearest field is about 5 hours away, on a military base I have no access to. It looks like unless something changes, no paintball till my next trip home to Georgia (in August). Argghhh well guess I will order a new marker and have it waiting for me when I get home, that way no stupid airport security hassles. Right now my 2 markers are sitting unused in their case, a crying shame.