Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Simplicity

Conversing with a friend today, I was told something I thought was quite nice. I asked her what she wanted from life. Her response was "Right now I want three things, to learn a language, a martial art, and a instrument." Nothing grand or complex, just that.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Words that women and men use

My stepmother sent me this. I thought it was pretty funny, but lacking things from the male perspective.

Words that women use

1.) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right
and you need to shut up.

2.) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five
Minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes
to watch the game before helping around the house.

3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and
you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with "“Nothing" usually end in "“Fine"”.

4.) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5.) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often
misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and
wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about
nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6.) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can
make to a man. "That's okay" means she wants to think long and hard before
deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint.
Just say you're welcome.

8.) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying "SCREW YOU!"

9.) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement,
meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times,
but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "what's wrong",
for the woman's response, refer to # 3.

Words that men use

1.) FINE: Usually means nice or pleasent. Usually used as a response to "How does this dress look on me?"

2.) FIVE MINUTES: An amount of time equal to 300 seconds, or 5 INA MINUTE's

3.) NOTHING: A state of emptiness, and/or non-movement. Used as a response to "Whatcha doing?" or "Whatch thinking about?". When used means exactly that "Nothing.".

4.) GO AHEAD: a form of permission.

5.) LOUD SIGH: Usually used as a way to avoid cursing, normally used when hung over and confronted with a loud noise or after doing something painful (ie: hitting thumb with hammer).

6.) THAT'S OKAY: Can be used as either an acknologement of an apology ("Sorry I did that."), or a statement of approval("How does this taste?").

7.) THANKS: A statementatment of gratitude.

8.) WHATEVER: Statementatment of not caring one way or the other.

9.) DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I GOT IT.: Statement of being able to do the task at hand, and that anyone around should get out of the way.

I hope that listing some of the differences between the male and female lexicons will one day lead to common understanding.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Things I have done

From Plancks Constant
simple to play: just copy, bold the things you’ve done, and post

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Damn you Murphy!!

Well Murphy's law seems to be in full force.

My home computer is toast, either a nasty harddrive frying virus or was hacked and killed.

Saturday at the club I was chatting with a young lady from UK (love the accent). I had just made the statement "Not all of us men are sex crazed idiots", when Murphy struck again. A pretty drunk friend (?) of mine rushes up, grabs me (causing my drink to spill down her leg), yelling "Come on man, two hot chicks are making out in the bathroom".

One of these days I'm gonna find that murphy guy. When I do, gonna put him in the hurt locker.

Monday, November 20, 2006

UCLA student tasered

Now a lot of fuss is being raised about a UCLA student getting tasered by police. I have heard all the "racist" and "abuse of power" cries from the far left. I took a look at the video here at youtube. Now the video does look bad, but what I fail to see on any of them is what led up to the incident. The one thing all the stories I read about this can agree on are the following.

The student in question was asked to show his I.D. card. This is a posted rule at the institution he was attending. He refused (one witness said that the student said that he had his I.D. in his wallet but did not want to show it), and was asked to leave. He refused again, and the police were called. 10 minutes later the police show up and try to escort him out, he then goes limp and starts yelling about abuse of power. He was warned that if he did not comply, he would be tasered. He refused and was tasered. At this point a large crowd had gathered and were shouting at the officers. The student still did not comply and was warned that he would be shocked again if he did not get up. He refused and was tasered again. Some of the people got too close to the incident when shouting at the officers for their badge numbers, and were warned to get back or they would be tasered.

Having been taught in the military to handle belligerent subjects (ie. drunk, and/or angry sailors) I would have to say the cops were right, if not overly nice, in handling the guy (a very effective technique I was taught was to use two fingers and grab the person refusing to move by inserting the fingers into their nostrils, lift, and they will follow [a bit disgusting, but very effective]). The police on the scene had to look at the situation they were in, the guy was not cooperating and the crowd that out numbered them 3 to 1 was getting loud and was under 10 feet. This leaves them in a rather touchy situation. At 21 feet a firearm is useless (and cops don't want to shoot anyone), at 10 feet any object still on your belt can not be drawn in time to be of help. The use of a taser in this situation was probably the best choice. Had they used nightsticks to subdue the man, mob mentality (an actuall happening) may have come into play and the situation would have been really bad.
Now the only thing I would have done differently, is after the first shock grab the guy and drag him out on the spot. This would have ended the situation much more quickly and safely for all involved, but then again hindsight is 20/20. As for the students complaining that the officers threatened them, it appears to me that the police were trying to control the crowd verbally (another common and effective tactic). Simply the aggressor has just seen what the taser did to someone else, and is told to back down or the same will happen to them.

To me, it seems the whole incident would have not happened had the student simply followed posted rules. Instead he tried to make some sort of political statement. Being asked to show your student I.D. card at the library is not trampling on your civil rights, get over yourself.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

So much for riding off into the sunset

Well, Saturday did not go as planned, her work intervened. After a quick raincheck, I was left with a open day. Luckily some friends invited me out to a hockey game (my first), so it was not a total wash out. Later that night in the night club, after many libations, I did something stupid and am now waiting to see if it will come back to haunt me. What is it about the members of the opposite sex that can make your common sense shut down, and cause you to do something you swore you would never do again? Also saw a couple melt down this weekend, it is amazing how people who love each other can turn and do some pretty horrible things to each other. I just don't get it at times.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

You have got to be kidding.

Been seeing all the hoopla about the release of the Playstation 3. I love to play video games, but damn. Camping out in line a week before launch, ebay prices are 1200 to 6000 bucks(msrp is 600)? Not this little black duck. I just don't get it, seems like around every Christmas people get more stupid than usual.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I get to have lunch with someone I have been crushing on for awhile now. Not sure how this will go. Hopefully romantic soundtrack will cut in, the hero(me) will ride off into the sunset with the lovely lady, and live happily ever after. Not a big believer in fairy tales, so we will see.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

A bit more randomness...

When trying to communicate with someone who speaks a different language and doesn't understand you, SPEAKING SLOWER AND LOUDER DOES NOT HELP!!!

Just passed a attractive young woman, wearing a perfume that smelled of roses with a touch of vanilla. That should be illegal, I nearly walked into a wall.

Never challenge someone to a drinking contest who is twice your body mass and 12 years your senior. I had to teach that lesson Saturday night.

I think I am one of the few people on earth that could care less that Britney is getting divorced.

I have mentioned it before, but screaming into your cell phone in a public place should be a caning offense.

The local Cartoon Network has switched to Korean dubbing instead of subtitles. This is quite a downer, it was my favorite of the few English channels here.

Been watching "Smallville", I quite like the show. I could do without the constant foreshadowing of Superman and Lex Luthor being enemies in the future. On a side note; I hear that the wrestler Bastista is going to be on an episode, as a marrow sucking evil alien. I did not know he could play a lawyer.

Uwe Boll should be executed for crimes against humanity. How else would you describe the movies: House of the dead, Bloodrayne (he is making a sequel), and Alone in the Dark. Those movies were so bad that they should have had Jean Claude VanDamme in them.

If at first you don't succeed, you aren't Chuck Norris!

Saturday, November 11, 2006

The age

I have reached "The Age", the one where all your friends (who are married or in relationships), try to play matchmaker. This week I have had 3 people introduce me to women "I must meet" or "that I have sooo much in common with". Last night I went out with one of them, things were a bit awkward to say the least.

The young woman in question is a very sweet attractive person, who speaks little to no English. It is a bit odd to try to get to know someone when a second friend has to act as a translator. Overall it was a pleasant time, and we may be going out sometime this week for dinner. We will see what happens, at the moment I am not really looking for a relationship (after the events around the first of the month).

Once again I stand by my statement of life being much easier before puberty.

On a happier note, I just found out a couple hours ago that I have another niece/or nephew on the way. One more drum set to buy *big evil grin*.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Election time

I don't know about you, but I am glad the election is over. In 32 years of life, I have never seen such a vicious election. Both side acting like children fighting over a piece of candy, in my opinion neither side deserved to win. Once again we see that U.S. politics are not about doing what's right for your voters, but doing what ever it takes to get elected and towing the party line. The media made sure any pretext of fair, balanced coverage was not going to happen (look at the msnbc coverage for one). I can safely say I am disgusted by the whole thing. It didn't matter who won, America lost.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Quiet weekend

After the emotional week, I have taken this weekend pretty slow. Caught up on my beauty sleep, and watched some DVD's I have been wanting to see (Charlie and the chocolate factory, and Lucky number Sleven). Also went with a small group of friends to see "The Prestige". A quiet relaxing weekend, just what the doctor ordered.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

The right thing

Today I have done the right thing, and feel terrible for it. It involved hurting someone who did not deserve it.
In the Philippines I met a woman, I think that I am the only person in her life that has ever treated her kindly. We parted and have kept in touch. She professed her love for me almost daily. The problem is that I do not love her. I cared for her, and still do, but don't love her. She is looking for someone to sweep in and take her away from the life she is in. As much as I wish I could be, I am not that man. So today I told her that it was over, I am not and can not be the man she is searching for. It would be wrong, and hurt her much more to live a lie.
Today I have hurt someone whose only fault was to care for me, and this feels like my lowest point. Can't help but feel, that I am not the nice guy people keep claiming me to be.