"But I don't want to go on vacation, I want to be a citizen"

Federation - Okay, so after writing about it the other day, I went home and watched Starship Troopers just to remind myself a) how terrible it is and b) how much I love it. Now, in the movie, there is one global government (an inevitability if you think about it). Now in the "federation" people aren't born citizens, they can apply for citizen and it's granted to those with the most civic responsibility...basically, serving in the military guarantees citizenship and that's the end of it. You know, upon further inspection it seems that the movie is based on a book of the same name, but apparently the book is actually good. Who would have known? Anyways - I'm going to read that and continue this topic later.

Taxes - so I was thinking more about taxes, what they pay for and how to improve the situation...because our government is broke and it's isn't our fault (us, being the civilians - it is the politicians' fault). So before we were talking about privatizing everything to make more money and do things more efficiently and plan and simple - this is the best way to do anything, but it's also somewhat impractical for certain things, but we have other choices too. Some countries pay upwards of 50% to taxes and everything is taken care of...medical, roads, schools...everything good. However, what I'd be interested to see is a completely independent nation where everyone is free to choose what they want to pay for. Let me try to explain - you pay no taxes...okay, you pay some taxes, but minimal - pay government salaries and probably the police and fire departments as well. Anyways, you drive on a road - you pay a toll. Your kid goes to school - you pay for it yourself. Everything is paid for voluntarily, so if you don't use it - you don't pay for it. Free to choose what you pay for. Would it be complex? You betcha! Would it be expensive to set up? Unfortunately. Would it be preferred? Hard to say - what do you think?

I've wasted too much time on my blogs today...I'm getting back to work now. Ta.

B-movies and the movies that honor them...

B-Movies - if you try to make a bad movie, and succeed, did you make a good movie? Further more, if a movie is funny - intentionally, or not - does that deem is worthy of viewing? Generally speaking, I'm going to talk about horror or science fiction movies simply because those are the most likely to jump off the deep end as far as plot and characters.

Let's start with the 1989 classic, Tremors. You know...Kevin Bacon, Reba McEntire, graboids? Now, to be honest, I have no idea if this movie was intentionally bad or if it just turned out that way, but it's hilarious! The movie itself isn't that bad, just preposterous and provided no explanations for most of what was happening on screen, plus I think we've all seen Kevin Bacon is worse roles. This brings up, what I think is an important point - does the audience have to be in on the joke for it to work?

A lot of comedies these day are self-referential in that they are movies and we are the audience - they refer to us as characters enjoying a comedy instead of staying in character in this alternative universe. Obviously, this is a very hit or miss technique...usually miss. That being said, this is an important element in these homages to B-movies, as they give the viewer that inside look into the joke, saying - yes, we know it's bad but it's intentional so you can laugh.

Of course, when I'm referring to homages to B-movies, I'm moving beyond Tremors into more recent endeavors like Grindhouse and Mars Attacks! Now these two (okay, three movies) took very different strategies to paying homage to the movies the directors loved in their youth. Let's start with Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! This is obviously a direct nod to the shitty alien/monster movies of...well, every generation up until late and Burton follows every whim he can think of while producing this faux blockbuster. He pulled in the stars (Tom Jones? Yes. Jim Brown? You betcha! A young Jack Black? Oh yeah! Natalie Portman? We got her before she was famous! Oh yeah, then there's Glenn Close, Jack Nicholson in a double (or is it triple?) role, Danny Devito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, etc...) Next, he took the story of the most recent big blockbuster of the time - Independence Day...basically, aliens invade Earth and attack the planet's most populated areas, starting with D.C., L.A. and NYC. The shit hits the fan, Las Vegas becomes a last refuge and a farm kid from...I want to say Oklahoma...saves the day by playing his Grandmother's polka music. Wait...what? The aliens are laughable in most scenes, and purposely hilarious in others ("we come in peace, we won't hurt you..." while shooting wildly into crowds). So the question remains - is this a bad movie? Burton and company set out to make a bad alien movie and they succeeded beyond anyone's possible expectations. Is it an enjoyable watch? Depends on who you ask - I find the movie fun and funny, while others are disappointed because the filmmakers clearly didn't take the story seriously. Here's where things get tricky - I'm in on the joke, I know the filmmakers intentions...does this make the movie better? It's hard to say because I enjoy it and whether or not me knowing that it was a parody to begin with affected that opinion is impossible to say. I have a friend who hates the movie because it's a bad movie...his logic - a bad movie is a bad movie whether intentional or not. I see his point, but if it's intentionally funny, we can laugh and enjoy the film for what it is, correct? I'm sure a similar argument could be made for Snakes on a Plane, but I never saw it so I won't bother.

Next we have the Grindhouse films - for Robert Rodriguez's entry, Planet Terror, it is a clear nod and smile to the cheaply made exploitation films of early Hollywood. From the missing reels, the over-exposed look to most of the scenes, the bad special effects, the wickedly taboo topics, the grainy film and color, to the terrible, terrible story with horrible dialog...but again, we knew about it going in. We knew this was a nod to the bad movies of the past and therefore, would be purposely bad and therefore...good, right? Maybe it's just my taste in movies that allows me to freely enjoy things like this, but I thought it was damn good.

I think it's worth mentioning Taratino's Death Proof only because instead of paying a straight homage, Quentin continued his own personal style of borrowing elements from various other genres and combining them with strong dialog and a stressed storyline that could go over the top at any point in time. This is almost the exception to the rule - if his aim was to make a bad movie, like the movies he saw growing up, then he failed...none of those film makers had his wit or ear for characters like Taratino, none of those films managed a chase scene nearly as exhilarating (nor could they likely afford to stage one), and none of those films were held together with such a solid storyline. Plan and simple, Taratino started out aiming to make a bad film and instead made a classic Taratino. He technically failed, but it's still a good movie.

Along those same lines, I think I'll mention Scream because it was originally intended to be a spoof, but instead Wes Craven ended up with a decent slasher flick.

Now, I think I'll bring up the movies that failed under their original intentions, but could be seen as successes under this B-movie light. The first is Dario Argento's Opera. I've decided here and now while typing this up that I want to remake this film as a horror, as it was intended. The problems bogging down this film are...well, it could take me all day. Argento has always had off the wall stories and had it been executed correctly, this film might have had the most cohesive - but seeing as it took me three or four views to actually figure out what was going on, and it was still disappointing once it all clicked...this movie needs a remake. The first thing wrong with the movie is the soundtrack - why? Because they criminally under use opera itself (or any classical in general) and when it would be most effective - namely in the killing scenes, they switch to this horribly obnoxious metal that doesn't fit anywhere in with what's going on...it's just there! I can see some ELO or something like that in the background during other scenes...but the murder scenes practically require opera during these scenes. The soundtrack is laughable, it's terrible. Next - we have the time line which bounces seamlessly from childhood to adulthood, to dreams and memories...all without bringing the viewer along for the ride. Finally, and probably the worst part, is that they don't utilize the creepiest character (the little neighbor girl who lives in the air vents) as they should. I have a scene in my mind specifically for her. It will go in my remake.

The next movie is Starship Troopers. Okay - some may argue that this is actually a good movie, and I'll agree with you...it's a fun, thrilling and exciting movie about bugs in space. It has practically everything I'd want from a science fiction movie - bugs, guns and boobs. It's got all the classic characters, the stereotypes and archetypes co-mingle seamlessly as the chauvinist and the sensitive smart guy battle it out over the 'has it all' girl while the outspoken tomboy attempts frivolously for the man of her dreams, and she obviously dies right after he realizes this. The movie even has Earth getting attacked! Come on? What's not to love? Okay - so the plot is pretty much pointless, the dialog goes no where and the characters couldn't pass a personality test...it's also very hard to figure out if the filmmakers were taking this seriously or not. Hell, it's impossible to tell what their intent was to be honest...there doesn't seem to be a moral or anything, it just is. But I love it because of what it is - meaningless special effects. It's funny and fun to watch, and sometimes that makes the perfect movie.

So what do you think? B-movies A okay by you? Gotta run - ta.

Time after time

Time Travel - As anyone could probably tell, I've really been contemplating the concept of time as of late, although for no particular reason so don't try to read into it. So the other night I watched Bender's Big Score (you know, the Futurama movie), again. I had seen it a couple of times before, seeing as I own it and all, but this time I really put some long thought into some of the time travel concepts proposed. So I will try to examine the scenes and paradoxes held within - now, of course I realize that not only is it a cartoon and entirely fictional, but I know that when they originally conceived the show they made it a point to not limit themselves to reality.

Scene #1 - the scammers reveal the time code on Fry's butt which opens a time portal. To test it, the head scammer, who we'll call todayScammer (a little variable dictation there) goes to yesterday. A few moments later, todayScammer walks into the room with yesterdayScammer. Okay - when todayScammer first goes back to the yesterday and finds yesterdayScammer, wouldn't he have to explain the time code to yesterdayScammer and hence, the time code would be discovered sooner than originally implied? Second, why did yesterdayScammer walk into the room with todayScammer - shouldn't he have already been in the room?

Scene #2 - obviously, all of these issues are paradoxes, how can we travel back in time without altering the past in a way that would prevent the creation of time travel or somehow changing the future? If we could go back in time, we'd know we could go back in time already because we already would have met someone from the future, if that makes sense. So the Harlem Globetrotters help the professor figure out how paradox-free time travel is possible, although it leaves the duplicate bodies to be inevitably doomed.

Scene #3 - this is where the time travel gets confusing...1) the time code is on Fry's butt, therefore after Bender is finished stealing everything valuable from the past, he is ordered to kill Fry. 2) Fry escapes to the year 2000 and Bender follows. 3) Fry duplicates himself in order to get warm pizza and Bender duplicates himself to go to the bathroom. 4) The first Fry (not the duplicate), freezes himself with the original Fry. 5) The duplicate Fry pushes the duplicate Bender who is about to self-destruct into another cryogenics case and freezes him. 6) The original Bender chases the Fry duplicate for the next 12 years. 7) Bender blows up Fry's apartment above the pizza place where he worked, but the explosion doesn't kill Fry, but merely singes off his hair and the smoke damages his larynx. 8) After the explosion, Fry realizes he is Leela's new boyfriend, Lars, by way of a picture he brought back with him from the future so he freezes himself. 9) Bender returns to the future by way of the cave beneath the Planet Express with all of the other waiting Bender's with invaluable artifacts and announces that he killed Fry. 10) At the funeral, Fry shows up and explains the duplicate story, so Bender merely killed the duplicate. 11) The crew decides to remove the time code from Fry's butt. 12) Lars leaves Leela at the alter after realizing that he, himself, is a duplicate and therefore doomed. 13) In an act of courage, Lars sacrifices himself by defrosting the frozen Bender duplicate who is about to self-destruct. 14) This explosion singes Lars' clothes revealing another time code. 15) The original Bender removes this tattoo from Lars and uses it to travel back in time and put it on the original Fry's butt.

So here's the question - where did they get the tattoo from in the first place?

That took a lot of typing, so I'll probably continue this topic tomorrow - but what are your thoughts on Time Travel? Possible? How? We could also discuss Donnie Darko if we were ambitious. More tomorrow - ta.

"Resurrected, living in a lighthouse - if you leave here, ships are gonna wreck"

Time (part 2) - so yesterday I reeled on and on regarding our insignificance in time. Well today, I'm going to stick with time as my topic, but not time the cosmic concept, but rather time the resource and I'm going to scale it back down. If a man lives to be 100 years old, he will have lived about 876552 hours. Looking at that number, it initially seems long, but then you think about it and it really isn't. Let's continue to break it down mathematically. 100 years is about 36523 days and you sleep and average of 6 hours a night? Sounds good for a lifetime, it's probably more, but for the sake of argument. 219138 hours of our life gone right there just sleeping...not that I'm putting down sleeping, I'm just saying that we sleep more in our lives than we work and that is a major time drain. So 657414 hours left in our waking lives. Of course, you have to work from the time you're 20 (approx.) to 65 (it's going up, but for now we'll stay there)...so 40 hours a week, minus two weeks for vacation for 45 years? 90000 hours working in a lifetime. 567414 hours left. But we went to school for 12 years, plus college - about 35 hours/week for 36 weeks/year for 16 years? 20160 hours spent learning, worth it sure, but it still adds up. 547254 hours remaining...about 62% of our lifetimes remaining.

Now to venture off on somewhat of a tangent - I drive to work five days a week. It's 45 minutes one-way. I drive to school two-three times a week. It's 60 minutes one-way regardless if I'm driving from home or work. I'm currently driving at least 690 minutes a week just for work and school, that's ignoring the fact that I drive elsewhere as well...so we'll round it up to a good 750 hours a week and that should handle vacation driving and whatnot. I've been doing this for two years now, approximately, meaning that I've spent 78000 hours over the past two years in the car! This stuff adds up, people, it's ridiculous - the average American watches four hours of TV a day. Nevermind that this takes up a quarter of a person's waking life (if they get 8 hours/night), but think of what that extrapolates out to! 1456 hours a year doing nothing! Granted, I enjoy watching TV myself but you can't let it control your life and you certainly can't sit in front of it for four hours a day. Time is a lot more precious than I think any of us truly appreciate and that's another thing we, as humans, should improve ourselves on.

"The lions and the lambs ain't sleeping yet."

That's what I've got for today - more tomorrow? Ta.

Time and Space

Time - on Friday I posted about the mind-boggling concept of space. Today, I think I will continue on that theme, but this time ventured towards the mind fuck orgy that is time. There has been life on Earth for, what did I say Friday? 3.7 billion years, with man barely breaking the 15,000 mark at this point, if it is even that high. We are merely a blip in the grand scheme of life on Earth - yes, I am only going by time versus life on Earth because if I go with cosmic time, I'll barely be able to wrap my head around it.

Ironically, I'm short on time here at work, so I'll make this brief.

Dinosaurs roamed the Earth for 160 million years, give or take a week or so. Now during that time they obviously evolved greatly and some theorize that they continued to evolve into modern day birds but that's neither here nor there in terms of this discussion. The point is, as a species - or, I suppose more specifically, a class of vertebrae animals they survived 160 million years until some global catastrophic event probably occurred, more than likely something of a cosmic nature that was of no consequence of something done here on Earth but rather something that unpreventable. Mankind, on the other hand could essentially destroy ourselves effectively within 10,000 years of existence. Granted, we've had 70 millions years of mammalian evolution to back us up, but how much progress have we made in the past 10,000 that makes this truly possible? Exactly - it's like iPod memory sizes, how quickly we figured out how to build a society and then destroy it. Impressive, humans.

I think the point I'm trying to make with both of these posts is truly how insignificant we all really are. Now I'm not saying that we are a meaningless and pointless species, I just think we take ourselves too seriously and hold ourselves in too high regards for many of our own limitations which we are practically blind to see. What do I suggest? We need to work towards utilizing more of what was given us, and I'm not just referring to natural resources here on Earth - I'm also talking about brain power and skills. If the most effective use of our opposable thumb thus far is hitch hiking than we aren't trying hard enough. Just my two cents, of course. So that's what I've got - we are all insignificant. Tomorrow - there is no God and other common human beliefs destroyed by logic! Ta.

Cosmic...

The Universe - so for the Hubble Telescope's 18th birthday, NASA has released high definition pictures of galaxies colliding (see Hubble Gallery at Wired). A couple of things I would like to discuss here, the first being - how dangerous of a place is the universe? I mean the fact that life has remaining somewhat stable here on Earth for some 3.7 billion years is amazing considering everything that could have happened, cosmically, that could have ended it. Think about it - let's say you are a species on a relatively unimportant planet orbiting around a minute star (like us). Let's say, hypothetically, that our great galaxy which has no regard whatsoever for our well being, is pulled towards, or pulls towards us, another galaxy. What happens to us? All of a sudden there are stars everywhere! And how close could these stars get? Who's to say? Just judging by those pictures, it would definitely fuck some things up. And what's more, speaking universally, some of those galaxies are 500 million light years away! That means that if the dawn of man (approx. 10,000 years ago) had someone built a rocket that could travel the speed of light and left towards these colliding galaxies, they would only be 1/50,000 of the way there! That is mind-bogglingly insane to think about the size of the universe, and for those who think that we trashed this planet and just need to move to another solar system and start over - Alpha Centauri is 4.37 light years away, the fastest object in space we have ever successfully launched traveled at a tenth of the speed of light - 43 years to get there. And who's to say there is even a habitable planet there? The closest one THOUGHT to be able to support life is 10 light years away. Long story short, we're boned. In other news, the concept of life outside of this planet - how could it not exist? I mean, yes there's no evidence (there isn't - if you think there is, then you're crazy) - but what are the odds in the enormity of the universe that life only was able to form in a stable environment in one place? Really? Think about it - we're not alone and odds are that any life is so far away, even in cosmic terms, that we will never ever know it and their would they.

So those are my words today - have a nice day. Ta.

2008 Summer Movie Preview

Movies - these are all movies I am at least quasi-interested in this summer.

The Ruins (4-4) : pros - Jena Malone, looks to be an interesting concept; cons - horror movie made in the past five years with an 'interesting premise; verdict - would like to see it in theaters but honestly, it probably won't be worth the extra money versus renting it.

My Blueberry Nights (4-4): pros - Natalie Portman, Jude Law; cons - Norah Jones (seriously?) in the starring role, looks pretentious; verdict - I don't think this is even in full release yet, so it'll be a rental for sure.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (4-18): pros - Judd Apatow productions, who doesn't love a good break-up comedy?; cons - none that I can see, although comedies have a tendency to disappoint with their hit-or-miss nature; verdict - if money is available, would love to see it but no real pay versus renting it.

Baby Mama (4-25): pros - Tina Fey, remember Mean Girls?; cons - Amy Poehler has a tendency to irk me; verdict - rental.

Harold & Kumar... (4-25): pros - sequel to a cult classic, premise has potential; cons - marijuana humor tends to run thin quickly, really a second one?; verdict - rental, make a marathon out of it.

Iron Man (5-2): pros - another comic book to major motion picture (see Batman, Spiderman, X-men); cons - another comic book to major motion picture (see Daredevil, Spiderman 3, Catwoman); verdict - this one might not even get rented...who casted Robert Downey, Jr.?

Speedracer (5-9): pros - theatrical firework show, Christina Ricci (she's a cutie!); cons - high risk, this could be terrible; verdict - still out, I'll have to keep an eye on the reviews and any more trailers that come out. I'm interested and it should be amazing to watch, but so was Beowulf and that was a big snore and I didn't even have to see it to realize that.

Prince Caspian (5-16): pros - one of the top three (in no particular order) or the Chronicles of Narnia series, Disney looks to actually be doing these right; cons - only that it's impossible to translate books to the big screen seamlessly and thus I'm sure to be disappointed about adding or removing something; verdict - will probably see it opening weekend.

Indiana Jones (5-22): pros - it's Indiana Jones! Those movies are all good! Shia LaBeou; cons - Harrison Ford isn't a young Han Solo anymore...; verdict - will see, eventually, probably soon after it comes out.

The Happening (6-13): pros - M. Night Shyamalan at his most mysterious since the Village, Zooey Deschanel; cons - M. Night Shyamalan at his most pretentious since Signs, Marky Mark (without the Funky Bunch); verdict - we'll take a wait and see on this one as well.

Get Smart (6-20): pros - Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway; cons - none as of yet; verdict - opening night, be there or be square.

Wall-E (6-27): pros - Pixar+Disney=Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., the Incredibles; cons - Cars; verdict - looks promising, but you can tell that Pixar's original idea bank is starting to run a bit thin. Will see in theaters, but not right away.

Hancock (7-4): pros - Will Smith (on 4th of July weekend where he never misses) and Justin Bateman; cons - there is no intel on this movie as of yet; verdict - still out, who knows what this is going be like.

The Dark Knight (7-18): pros - the reincarnation of the darker, more faithful (to the comic books) Batman, Heath Ledger's last film which he was getting raves for before he died; cons - they cut out the Joker's body bag scene because it might "upset" people; verdict - opening weekend if not knight or night...get it?

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (7-25): pros - dude, it's the X-Files! Original cast!; cons - the first movie wasn't all that great and that was 10 years ago, how high can our expectations be?; verdict - wait and see.

There is also Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Pineapple Express (8-8) and House Bunny (8-15) but there isn't enough on any of them to make a reasonable analysis.

What movies are you going to see this summer?

Giraffes today my friend, giraffes

Sorry for the lack of posts - it's been crazy busy, here's a short one.

Economics- let's talk about economy, that sounds productive. It just occurred to me yesterday that success breeds success, but not necessarily in the terms that you might be thinking. Let's take an example of a hot dog stand - now, for argument's sake, let's say this hot dog stand could have an infinite number of customers. You open your hot dog stand and you sell 100 hot dogs at a $1 with a $.10 profit on each dog, or you just made $10...pretty sweet deal. Now, let's say you sell 1000 hot dogs at the same price, so now you made $100 but you could also, if you knew you'd sell at least 1000, lower your prices to $.91 and make the $10 you originally made. Here's the good news about that - you lowered your prices, you get more customers - you get more customers you can lower your prices, decreasing your profit margins without decreasing your total amount gained. Now, I know what you're saying - you can't lower the prices under $.90 because that's the cost of producing each dog - and I say, you're right, except when I have more customers, I can buy all my ingredients in bulk which...you guessed it, lowers the cost per dog. Under this scenario, one could eventually be paying only $.01 per dog and selling them for $.02 and you'd only need to sell 1000 to make the original $10, but of course you'd be making more than just that because come on - how many hot dogs would you buy for $.02? Cosmic.

Cover Songs - I heard a terrible cover song the other day. As a matter of fact, I've been hearing more and more bad cover songs recently, so I think it's about time we write some rules of cover songs.

1. Don't cover the Beatles unless it's for a Beatles' tribute album, in which case one band should record one song per album and the album maintain it's original order. Come on people, it's the Beatles - let's not rape their genius. Also, playing Beatles' songs live is strictly forbidden unless you are a Beatle (looking at you, Panic! At the Disco) except "Birthday", but only if you're shamelessly promoting someone in the audience and you acknowledge that it's a Beatles' song which you fail to do justice to.

2. Don't release your cover song as a single (The Ataris - Boys of Summer)! This will overshadow the other songs on your album and will cheapen the effect of the cover.

3. If you record a cover song, add something to the song - make it different. If someone listens to your version of a song and says, "this isn't the original, is it? It sounds a little weird..." this means you fail. People should know that it's a cover because it merely references the song, doesn't make a carbon copy of it. This is particularly true for Christmas music...if your "Jingle Bells" sounds like the million other versions of "Jingle Bells" out there, then try again.

4. Don't cover your favorite songs...this one is tricky as there's something to be said in paying homage to your inspiration, but don't pay tribute by butchering your favorite song! Pick a song you like, but you feel you could add to with your years of listening to it...this song is missing a second bass line playing the riff in round with the first. If it's perfect in your mind already, what are you going to prove by recording it again?

5. Acknowledge the fact that it's a cover, as in don't take it so seriously and give some indication (probably in your liner notes) that this song was originally done by so-and-so and if you really respect whoever, listen the album it's on so that anyone who likes your version can go back and grab the original if they want.

Let's end the crappy covers now! Ta.

"If I could get a hamburger everytime I was right...man, that'd be great."

NOTE: I wrote this yesterday without an Internet connection and then forgot to post it later.

Obesity - today, I want to talk about fat people. Now I'm not talking "heavy" people who are probably a little unhealthy and could take better care of themselves, some might even argue that I fit into that category myself, so I'm not going to talk about them - no, I want to talk about the kind of people you see at buffets that make you stare. The kind of people who inspire you to say things like, "if I ever get like that - roll me off a dock" I'm talking 300lb plus and not being exceptionally tall or a football player or something. We have some residents here who are here because they are too fat to take care of themselves...what? How do you let yourself get like that? And then - they don't even do anything while they are here, they aren't trying to improve themselves or their sickening situation - they sit there and beg for food and candy and pop or just lay in bed all day because they don't want to get up. Honestly, I can't understand how someone can be so lazy they don't want to get out of bed, what level of lethargy have you reached where that becomes too much of a chore for you? Now I understand liking food, I love certain foods, but at what point do you have to say no? Now the reason to bring this up is because we are currently raising a generation where obesity will be an incrasing problem. Now, I'm not going to point fingers at video games, I'm going to blame the parents - nothing is wrong with video games, the trouble is just getting your kid a game system because you're too lazy to spend time with your kids yourself. All too often, you hear of bad parents who were "shocked" by the time responsibility that goes along with having a kid...really, shocked? How is that surprising - they aren't self-dependent for at least the first eight or nine years of their lives, if not longer, and even then you have to supervise them because their decision making skills lack common sense! Right there that's a minimum of twelve or thirteen years of constant supervision...yeah, that seems time consuming to me. Idiots. We currently live in a society that all too often rewards laziness, as long as you know how to fill out a form and work the system, maybe throw in three months of employement here and there to make it look like you're trying than you're banking. How is someone supposed to learn responsibility if the state pays them either way? Obviously I have drifted off on a tangent, but weight is a serious issue in this nation and I think it stems from laziness. Of course, I couldn't go without complaining about the flip side of the issue - eating disorders. People so concerned with image that they literally starve themselves...how important is appearence, really? Now I can respect a diet - shed a few pounds, fine, but you still have to take care of your body and provide all the necessary vitamins and protiens to ensure a vital life. It's a thin line people, you have to eat and live right, or else your body - which is suprisingly more fragile than I think we would like to think - will break down. I try and I probably could do a little better, walk to dog more often...I'm not immune to this laziness that I complain about, so am I a hypocrit? At least I'm putting some effort...not sitting in a nursing home, because I'm too fat to do anything, begging for hamburgers and peeing on the floor because I'm too lazy to be toileted - you don't even have to do it yourself, someone lifts you and puts you on the toilet and it's still too much work for you? Seriously? Sorry if I seem a little bitter, but I just don't understand these people and how they could care so little about their bodies. If anyone has a hint - let me know - I'd appreciate it.

Sorry for the somewhat pessimistic, angry post...I'm actually in quite a good mood today, but once I get on a ranting topic, I really need to rant - songs tomorrow and possibly some "Root of All Evil" - we'll see. Ta.

He has eloped from this world...

Luck - Today's topic will be a bit silly to help me deal with what is becoming an increasingly stressful day - luck. I bring this up today because I am wearing my boxers with elephants on them because, although not directly, I have a job fair this afternoon. Now, while getting dressed I didn't seek them out - I saw a pair of boxers that made me say "meh" and then I saw the elephants buried a little bit and I said to myself "I always do better in elephants." Is this my lucky underwear? Does the underwear I'm wearing truly effect the course of events on my day? I have no idea - I doubt it, seems a bit...far fetched, to me...but some people believe. Luck in general I think is a misconception we label things we don't want to figure out - a guy heaves a basketball from half court and it goes in...he wasn't lucky, he happened to throw the ball at the right angle with the right velocity and spin on it - it was physics people. Granted, he probably didn't sit there and figure out all the figures he would have needed and he probably couldn't do it again exactly the way he did it before, but more than likely he has at least some experience with a basketball and basketball physics. Furthermore, if he did just happen to guess - like we did in elementary school - can we really call it luck that he got it or a successful calculated chance? On a multiple choice examine, you don't know an answer so you guess - are you lucky if you get it right, or did you use logic to determine the answer that was most likely? I think tomorrow I will continue this discussion (I'm a little busy today, and on second thought tomorrow isn't looking good - but I'll try and if not tomorrow, Friday) and expand it into other superstitions like black cats, mirrors and ladders, etc... What do you think?

"It's okay to eat fish because they don't have any feelings..."

Food Chain - Yesterday I got in a somewhat joke conversation with my supervisor regarding my former vegetarianism and what led me to that lifestyle. Here is a train of thought on the topic...

Why did you become a vegetarian? Because I felt there was no need for another living thing to lose its life when there is a completely viable alternative.

You eat rice, don't you, is rice not a living thing? Way to catch my wording there, yes - rice is a living thing, but it is a plant and not an animal.

What's the difference between a plant and an animal and what makes a plant's life worth less? I'm going to have to go with the brain is the primary difference, the ability to adapt one's environment (to an extent) versus adapting to the environment.

So what makes other animals different from humans? Technology, the ever challenging task of manipulating current technology and innovating to make our lives easier. Other animals can be argued construct technology - a bird's nest for instance, is the use of resources and knowledge in order to construct something for use in daily life - however, it is nothing compared to a physical building which not only requires resources and knowledge, but year's of human history has gone into efficient and effective construction methods and purposes maximizing the use of said resources and uses of the building. So in many ways, I suppose one could conclude that history is what differs animals and humans.

Now I'm no longer a vegetarian, although I still feel strongly for it...just not as strongly as I once did. The decision to return to meat has a lot to do with the fact that I'm no longer the sole provider of my own food, although I'm slowly turning her onto the idea of at least eating less meat. Anyways - how do you feel about the relationship between plants and animals and humans? Is there a set food chain that we should respect or follow? I don't know. Ta.

"Your lyrics lack subtlety! You can't just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!"

Because I was in the mood this weekend to rent some Futurama (no, I don't own them...yet), I've decided that my Monday post shall be Nathan's top ten Futurama episodes. This week is going to suck at work, so forgive me now if I phone in my lunch posts with laughable topics, at least for now.

(in no particular order - at least for now)

1. Space Pilot 3000 - the first episode, loser Fry is frozen and reanimated in the year 3000. Introducing all of the characters, in addition to the future itself, hilarious.

2. The Cryonic Woman - Fry gets a job at the cryogenic building he himself was frozen in only to reanimate his 20th century girlfriend. Pauly Shore and hilarity ensues!

3. War is the H-Word - Bender and Fry are enlisted to go to war, Leela enlists to help her friends. We learn Bender's top ten most used words.

4. Roswell That Ends Well - A Supernova and metal in a microwave send the crew to the 50s where Fry accidentally becomes his own grandfather.

5. Jurassic Bark - the sentimental episode, Fry finds his fossilized dog from the 20th century and debates whether or not to clone him.

6. Spanish Fry - probably the best bad plot to laughs per joke ratio, Fry's nose is stolen to be used as an aphrodisiac, but while retrieving it Bender reveals that the real aphrodisiac is located downstairs. Best running gags throughout the episode in any show, ever.

7. The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings - The Robot Devil is one of my all-time favorite characters and when he loses his hands to Fry in a deal, he must pull off a ridiculous plan to get them back.

8. The Farnsworth Paradox - The Professor builds a box that contains a parallel universe. The crew must then follow Zoidbergs (A + 1) through other universes to get back their original universe as Hermes (A) plans to destroy the box containing the universe in the sun.

9. Parasites Lost - Fry eats an egg salad sandwich from a space station truck stop and ingests parasites which work to improve his body. When he discovers that Leela only loves him because of the parasites he vows to destroy them by traveling into his own body.

10. Hell is Other Robots - Bender gets addicted to electricity, finds religion, then is sent to hell after being tempted in Atlantic City. Who'd have known that hell was actually in New Jersey? Well actually...

So that's my list - enjoy. Ta.

Root of all Evil!

Root of All Evil - Has anybody else been watching Lewis Black's new show on Comedy Central, The Root of All Evil?? Let me give you the basic premise - they set it up as a court type environment where two comedians attempt to persuade Lewis Black that two popular items in modern American society, usually people, are the root of all evil. For example, last night's show was Paris Hilton versus Dick Cheney, last week it was beer versus weed, etc...

The show's premise makes for enough laughs to make up for time spent watching, although it's rather hit or miss depending on the comedians presenting their respective cases. So anyways, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to discuss the two topics weekly, although perhaps in a more serious tone for the sake of proper argument. This will also help me not dry up topic wise (although I don't actually foresee that happening for a while).

Paris Hilton versus Dick Cheney - on the one hand, Dick Cheney is in a position of power and clearly abuses it without any sign of remorse, but then there's Paris who's famous for being famous...how did that happen? I'm too busy today to discuss this...we'll keep this on our "to talk about later" list.

The Riches - Anybody watch this show on FX? It's pretty interesting...it's all about these con artists who kind of happen upon this fake life that they set themselves up with, constantly attempting to get out of people discovering their real identity, etc...it's pretty interesting and I have to say, wickedly well acted. I kind of came in during season 2 (on right now) so I'm thinking of renting season 1 to catch back up.

Anyways, today's been another hectic day at work so another half-ass post. Hopefully more tomorrow. Ta.

"I would never put my name on an inferior product"

Enterprising... - The Simpson's Ride - Universal Orlando

Good idea or bad idea? I for one like the idea, as both a fan of the show and a fan of amusement parks in general. Just to clarify, it is just a singular ride, from what I hear - replacing the old Back to the Future ride at the parks. Part of me is also a little annoying that they elected to call it "Krustyland" as oppose to "Itchy and Scratchy Land" which is what the show used, but who am I to judge them based on silly details? I think it'd be even better of them to make it more of a midway environment with multiple rides and maybe take some of the focus off of the main family and onto Krusty, who is the namesake for the area but I understand the reasoning - that some people who aren't as obsessively familiar with the show may not get the same joy out of going to Krusty's amusement park without having the context of it being a Simpson's spin-off. On a side note that may interest some of you, the same park is building the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

I'm short on time today and a bit busy, so I'm afraid that's it for today's post. More tomorrow - promise. Ta.

Kids Today...

The YouTube Generation - I'm concerned, ladies and gentlemen, I'm considered about the directions society is going. It's not so much what the generation behind us is doing, since I'm sure it's nothing really new in the grand scheme of things, but rather why they are doing it. Allow me to explain - I've done stupid things in my day, there's no denying that and I accept that reality. Most of my friends have done stupid things that I know about, others have done stupid things I just don't know about it. Every does stupid things when they are young - this is a fact...however, recently making the news has been stories about teenagers doing stupid things so they can post the video on YouTube. Now, I'm not a huge fan of YouTube, I like it I suppose but this isn't a thousand monkeys with a thousand video cameras making Schindler's List or anything, this is a bunch of idiotic people making mostly idiotic videos. So when you hear a story about a bunch of teenagers in Florida inviting over a former friend for the sole purpose of video taping a vicious beat down, it's troubling...mostly because they were obviously arrested, making one question whether or not they thought of any of the possible consequences of video taping something so illicitly illegal. Obviously, former friends have been beat up before by their former cliche - but nobody was ever dumb enough to film, let alone the sole justification behind the beat down was the video taping itself! What's wrong with these kids? Are they really that desperate for attention that posting a video on YouTube for a bunch of strangers is really going to fill whatever void in their lives? Really? Then there is the story of the marine who threw a puppy over a cliff in Iraq for a camera phone...okay - and what did we gain from doing this? Yes, there's some question of the legitimacy of the video (based on the audio) but regardless - what's the point? The really scary thing about all this is, I sometimes wonder of which generation I'm apart of...I think I'm in the general age group of the rest of these losers and yet, I'm not that stupid and I can't think of anybody I know who is either. This is a troubling trend and because technology only makes it easier and easier for these idiots to make asses of themselves on a grand scale thanks to the Internet, I'm afraid it'll likely only get worse before it gets better...if it gets better at all. Granted, we all do irresponsible things in our youth - it's natural youthful indiscretion, but I don't think any of my high school hijinks made the local news let alone Good Morning America! The only stupid teenage prank I remember making the news was those students who put a bunch of animal carcasses in the Gull Lake (I'll need my fact checker on this one) parking lot. No, I don't see the point in it either, but I'm sure it seemed funny when they came up with the idea...granted it's a bad idea and should have been shot down before implementation, but again - we all make mistakes. Ridiculous, I say - therefore, in addition to discussing this topic, I'm asking all you lovely participants to look for more stories of people (particularly young people, although extending it to all generations would be just as interesting) doing stupid things for cameras resulting in terrible consequences (since the whole Fear Factor concept doesn't really apply to this because they get paid) AND also stories of teenagers doing good things, so we don't lose complete faith in the next generation...or our generation, depending on how you look at the age groups.

Dream Car - going along with the concept of my dream life, I would like to talk about cars. Now cars differ from houses in many ways; where a house can be a complete reflection of one's private self (if these walls could talk...) and can be a combination of both form and function, a car must be function above all other things. Furthermore, a car is a reflection of a person's public image...a person living in a trailer, but driving a Cadillac is a perfect example of this - their outer image is someone of luxury, whereas they choose to live in a relative dump. It is easy to assume that these people put perception above reality. I'm a much more practical being, and I believe that my car and house should say the relatively same thing about me (and, consequentially, my income bracket). Because this is my dream car, I'm completely open to assume that I am successful and wealthy, although I still choose to succumb to current technological limitations. Now there's a couple things I don't need - a muscle car? No thank you. Big trucks or Hummers or anything like that, I can do without. Vans and station wagons I avoid on principle. Personally, I've always taking a liking to the Jeep company. In particular, the Cherokee (and Grand Cherokee) and more recently, the Liberty. Now Tori would like a Liberty (perhaps by the end of the year, if we play our cards right) so that handles that for me (we have a 'what's mine is yours' relationship). I've also formed a kind of soft spot for the Jeep Wrangler...now, the Wrangler is in no way shape or form a practical vehicle - it's like a convertible in Michigan, you can only use it six months out of the year - why bother paying the extra? However, I have this soft spot because during my Taco Bell days, this cute girl would come through the drive through very frequently in an orange Wrangler. It was fun, she was cute - I'll be honest, I formed a bit of a crush on the combination. What's funny about that story is that one day Josh called me when he was working and had me come up to the building and she was eating there with her boyfriend but the Jeep wasn't there...I had already quit at this point, so I figured I'd probably never see her again, so I had to ask - what happened to the Jeep? She sold it! At the time I was in the market for a car, or at least I would be for that particular Jeep, but alas...it was gone. Because of that story, I want an orange Wrangler as a recreation vehicle...something to take to the beach in the summer, stuff like that. Bonus use is that it's a crappy, cheap vehicle perfect for the kid who turns 16 first! Now for me...currently I drive a little blue Kia Spectra and I love it. Yes, I got the plain Jane model (I named her Winnie after the Wonder Years character, but I should have named her Jane since she has NO features). The Spectra is perfect for right now in my life...it even matches the house, which is almost as plain and simple as the car. This being said, this is not my car of the future. I think my car of the future is going to end up being one of those luxury sedans. Gas mileage is important to me, but so is comfort - for some reason I feel rather natural in this commuting lifestyle and regardless of where I end up, I'm sure I'll be spending much more time than is probably preferable to most in my car and therefore, comfort is a must. Now I like the sporty look to cars, I prefer foreign to domestic and because of these preferences I think my dream car is in the Lexus S series. Like I said before, performance doesn't matter much to me, but availability as a hybrid is. For Lexus, this only provides the upper end of the S series, but that's okay because they all look good to me. I'm going to require a wicked sound system, naturally, that probably has an internal hard drive for mp3s and a GPS. So that's my dream car...maybe I'll be able to get it in the not too distant future, but probably at least somewhat distant and now the only question that remains is color. Ta.

"I don't think she's a good historian at this stage in the game"

Life List: new entry, design and construct dream house...this is already on my list, actually, but I'm going to expand on the idea in my post today. I'll recap my list now, since even I forgot some of this stuff.

• Write and record a song, if not a whole album
• Write something and have it published
• Design and build my own house - have bowling lane in the basement/garage
• Own a boat and actually use it
• Bowl a perfect 300
• Visit all 7 continents and, assuming it's commercially available sometime in my lifetime, the moon.
• See the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the natural world, the modern world, etc...
• Attend music festival (minimum 100 bands)

Dream House: there are certain features in architecture and landscape design that I am drawn too and I would like to discuss them now. For starters, I am not an architect and while I've always been drawn to that particular career, I am currently on a programming or bust path that I'm afraid if I veer off of, I may never find my way back. This being said, there is nothing that doesn't prevent me from eventually going back to night school to get a degree in architecture as well. I already plan on getting my Bachelor's via night school once I get a programming job somewhere. Also, I have no intention on building this dream house any time soon, therefore technology and personal tastes will inevitably change drastically, therefore it would only be natural for me to plan on doing this again in, let's say, five years again - based on where I am then, I should be able to better gauge my own future.

Now in my previous 'dream life' post (Modern Man's Hustle), I decided to very specific in regards to certain features of the house and of geographic location. First, both of these things have already changed since writing that in October and second, geographic location in particular isn't nearly as important as previously implied. As a matter of fact, the concept of being on Lake Michigan itself is actually a lot less attractive to me right now...but I'll explain all that later, let's start with some features.

• The home has as small of an ecological footprint as technology proves possible at the time - building materials made of recycled goods, solar panels, etc...
• Tori would like to be on a lake, but I see myself more on a river, like a gentle, wide river flows through the backyard so that we can have a dock and maybe there's a shallow area a little upstream where we can skip across on rocks to the other side. This river will attach to a larger lake, which I don't mind sharing with others as long as there are no motor boats, only rowboats and the like.
• I would like to have a couple of acres...I'm not greedy when it comes to land by any means, understanding the upcoming struggles with urban sprawl and overpopulation, I have come to terms with the fact that land will soon be a rare commodity, it'd be nice to have. This is where not being geographically restricted comes in handy - I'd like similar weather as we have in Michigan, but I know Tori likes the deep South, so perhaps someplace in Kentucky (my childhood dream state) or Tennessee would be nice.
• I would like a mountain backdrop, but not snow peaks - I'd like hiking area but come on, I'm not climbing a mountain, I just want to walk up and down some big, heavily wooded hills (again, the Appalachians fit nicely in this description).
• Tori and I have been talking a lot about houses, just in general, and we've decided that an indoor pool would be best regardless of location. I still like the aforementioned hour-glass shape with a Plexiglas floor providing the ceiling for the basement and also the in-pool bar, but I'm not criminally attached.
• As of late, I've taken to liking a more spread out, ranch style home versus the more upright type house I described earlier. That's not to say I'm going to restrict myself to a single floor - certain aspects I really like require multiple floors like the vaulted ceilings, the lighthouse design over the breakfast nook and I've always had a spot for spiral staircases, I would probably just spread the first floor out with the master bedroom and bath, then put the kids on the second floor or something.
• Tori and I would like a greenhouse, although we'd also want a gardener to do the main garden part (we might take care of the vegetables or whatever).
• Tori would like a wraparound front porch and while I'm not really sold on that idea, I'm not a front porch guy (I'd rather see an understated front door myself), it does have a certain charm to it. A large back deck is an obvious must, as well as a big tree centralized in the yard perfect for a nice tree house.
• I would also like to design and implement a unique and creative communication system throughout the house - something like a Lego train that can go everywhere in the house carrying small packages and/or written communique.
• An extensive library of books, music and movies is a must.

That's it for now - what about yours? Ta.

Top Songs

Posting Frequency - lately, everyday I've been posting in my regular journal during lunch. I am going to make an effort to do the same in here as well. I have plenty of thought-provoking thoughts that I can discuss with myself, or whomever has the time to join me when they do come. Therefore, one reading this should expect more posts...I hope.

Top Songs - today, drifting off from my previous couple of subjects (which I plan on re-examining at a later day), I will present to you my 'top songs' list and hopefully (time willing), the reasons why they rank the way they do. Now, the way this list is compiled is quite simple - it can fit on an 80 minute CD (it clocks in at 1:18:17, so I could actually fit a ninety second song on there somewhere, but I choose not to because it would cheapen the concept by suggesting that qualifiers need only to fit the time requirements versus actually quality of music). The reason I choose the CD qualifier is mostly for it's objective quality...it guarantees that the substance is of the highest standard because it needs to fit within the time limit, constricting myself to rules (which I often break in these instances - but never with this particular list). The other reason is that I like the idea of handing someone over a solid object (in this case, a CD) and saying 'this is me, this music will show you a glimpse of my world.' So, without further ado, the list (I has previously constructed such a list, so I may reference this from time to time, although I don't have the exact list on me so I cannot do a contrast and compare for you today...maybe tomorrow or something).

1. XTC - Dear God
This song is more atheist than myself, I think it quantifies my doubts in the Bible perfectly. It opens the CD, not because it is my favorite song of all time, it's more of an aesthetic approach, opening the list with a true, crystal clear statement of a major facet of my personality.
2. The Elected - Greetings in Braille
This song is my true favorite song of all time for various reasons. The first is it's main theme, which is give or take, nostalgia (which comes up often on this list, you'll notice). From the chorus ('If my senses fail, stay with me till they go, 'cause I don't want to be alone, greetings in braille, they'll describe everything') to the final bridge ('I miss Tara and Mellisa, Ellen and Jordan, you'll never have friends like you did when you were young, but our bodies were pulled away, swept out to the sea') it just captures me perfectly. This song comes highly recommended.
3. The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun
Ahh, yes, my hidden optimism. The beauty of this song (and actually, most Beatles' songs) is in it's simplicity. Trying to review a Beatles' song is always a mute point, so that's really all I have to say about it.
4. Bright Eyes - Nothing Gets Crossed Out
For a long, long time this was my favorite song because, again, it captured me in a moment. It's all about worrying about growing up, and all those doubts that crop up when you're out on your own and alone and you have no idea what you are doing, and while time solves all problems, I still feel that way more often than I would like to think and this song always speaks to me in those darker moments and it makes me feel less alone, less afraid. It's like a good friend, it's always there when I need it.
5. Cursive - Driftwood: A Fairy Tale
See online alias, AKA screen name. Yes, this song is the inspiration behind the name 'DriftwoodProse'. Basically, if you've never heard this song before, it's a re-writing of Pinocchio. It all revolves around the phrase 'liar! liar!' and it speaks of 'wooden boys' and 'empty love' and then, he leaves her because 'he has grown tired of her' and walks into the sea, and then the song concludes with a resounding 'and now I wonder how I was made...my name is Driftwood'. It's a beautiful song (that gorgeous album when Cursive used a cello) and the twist at the end is nearly priceless and sometimes, that's always how I feel.
6. Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine
This song has so many features that I love. That soulful bass line, the crescendo in the strings and then that longing for that love. It truly is dark and empty when it's missing, if you've never felt it you don't notice it, but once it's there and you lose it, this song hits that mark perfectly. If I ever get around to getting Otis Redding's 'Dock of the Bay' this song will have some stiff competition to remain on this list, but it might win on reputation alone.
7. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
Ever feel alone in a crowded room? I know it's probably cliche to pick a song off of 'The Wall', but honestly no song captures that social anxiety I occasionally feel better than this one.
8. The Smiths - There is a Light That Never Goes Out
On the previous list, 'Girlfriend in a Coma' got the nod for my Smiths selection (I don't purposely attempt to get my favorite bands in here - see White Stripes - but odds are they became my favorite band by ranking a song on this list first)...but this song gets it this time because it's a beautiful love song ('and if a double decker bus, crashes into us, to die by your side, oh what a wonderful way to die') and it fits my situation now (married, versus yearning) that is finds itself in such honored company.
9. Rilo Kiley - Pictures of Success
It starts with a simple line, 'I'm a modern girl, but I fold in half so easily when I put myself in the picture of success' and ends so sweetly, 'they say California is a recipe for a black hole and I say I've got my shoes on and I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go...' This (like Nothing Gets Crossed Out) perfectly describe that anxiety about growing up...'it must be nice to finish, when you're dead' - who's never felt that way? Knowing what lies ahead (California, black hole, my future), we know it'll get here but waiting truly is the hardest part - I'm ready to be there already, I'm ready to be done with it all. Another highly recommended song.
10. The Fiery Furnaces - Benton Harbor Blues
It's named for the town it was recorded in, which speaking generally isn't that too far off from old Kalamazoo and let me tell you, if you had to list to a song about Kalamazoo (not Glenn Miller, sorry), it'd probably sound like this. From the haunting train tracks beat, to the sparse use of various noisemakers throughout the song (sparse for the Fiery Furnaces, if you are unfamiliar) and the occasional echoing voices. This song should be retitled 'The Midwest Blues' because it literally defines the whole region. No, the Furnaces aren't for everyone and I accept that, but I love 'em so and this song will likely be on the list in every form unless they record something even more beautiful.
11. Belle & Sebastian - Your Cover's Blown
When selecting a song to represent Belle & Sebastian on the list, it was a tough choice (again, I don't purposely select songs based on artist, but from the start they were on the list). I could have gone with 'The State I Am In' 'If You're Feeling Sinister' 'Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying', 'Get Loose' or ' Piazza, New York Catcher' but then I had to go with this B-side from the 'I'm a Cuckoo' single for a few reasons. 1) again with the lonely in a crowded room theme. 2) it's a funky dance song which was AMAZING live. 3) it's all about trying to find that special someone and then all the stupid sleeping around people tend to do so they can move from one to the next and it makes no sense, and why do people do that and then you meet them and it's like...well, just listen to the song and it'll take a couple of listens to capture what I'm talking about, but it's there.
12. Division of Laura Lee - There's a Last Time For Everything
I had this song for a couple of years before I actually listened to it. I remember the moment it captured me - I was living at the RIT Inn and I was doing laundry, I had my Ipod on and I was doing homework in the little laundry room they had there. It was like two in the morning, a warm autumn night so I had the door open and this song came on and I stopped my homework and just listened while the breeze kissed my face and it hit me - this song is brilliant. I think it's about a break up, but there's so many other ways to take it. Now, technically, this is two songs separated by about a minute or so of what songs like waves crashing on a beach, which then intros into this synth driven optimistic song about how we have to do things on our own and whatnot. Basically, this song is entirely responsible for me taking a look at what I was doing at RIT and realizing, I wasn't doing anything and it was time to take a step back and focus on something else. This song changed my life and not many can say that - another highly recommended.
13. Cursive - The Recluse
Congrats to Cursive for being the only band to appear twice on the list, not to mention both songs are from the same album. I think the opening line capture this song and why it's on my list entirely - 'I wake, alone, in a woman's room I hardly know' - again, this touches on the loneliness theme and the things we do, but later regret, to try to defeat that empty feeling we get sometimes. Again, great use of the cello on this one as it carries the sparse guitar arrangement, which is understated beautifully, and it all comes to this conclusion of being unwanted and you'll always be lonely and yeah - it's depressing, but sometimes when you feel that way, it's best to just have someone (or a song) agree with you and then you realize it's not so bad.
14. Harvey Danger - Old Hat
This is probably the most recent addition to the list (not based on year recorded but rather since being added to the overall music list, it then found it's way to this particular list). Again, nostalgia is the theme and it's generally optimistic and I think that's why I like it. 'I forget what my friends look like, and they forget why they like me, but that's old hat - I'm so happy, how do you write about that' Enough said - highly recommended.
15. Electric Light Orchestra - Evil Woman
From what I've learned from these 22 years on Earth is that women are crazy, vindictive, deceitful, manipulative and generally bad news. No, I don't think I'd want to live without them but this song nails that 'evil woman' mentality. It kind of goes along the lines of one of my favorite math problems - girls=time*money, time=money, girls=money*money, girls=money^2, money=root of all evil, girls=(root of all evil)^2, girls=evil. Seriously though, chicks are insane.
16. Led Zeppelin - Going to California (Live from the How the West Was Won album)
To conclude the list, I wanted something timeless, something that had the essence to fully encompass everything else that came before and be a prelude to the next potential list. Led Zeppelin was formerly represented by 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' which never really fit in with the rest of the list, and it doesn't truly describe me anymore, but this song is timeless and qualifies as something that is 100% me. It's a song in motion, but sad and regretful at the same time. It recalls that nostalgia that comes up on the songs above, but it's still moving forward, anxiously, into the unknown. I choose the live version for a few reasons - 1) I like live music and I've never really fully captured that on this list, and 2) it's a lot more emotional, more honest than the studio version. This song is a lot more subtle than most other Led Zeppelin songs, which I think it another reason it fits so well on this list...this is the true me.

So that concludes my list - if anyone would like a physical copy, or to just download the list or any of the songs, just let me know and I'd be happy to share these wonderful songs with you. If anyone of you would like, post your own top songs list and I'd be happy to read through them and share those experiences with you. That concludes this post - ta.

"Show me your instincts..."

Animal Behavior - a seed has been planted in my mind...do animals fear death?

Let me explain my train of thought on this one, and hopefully I can find the words to make sense of what's on my mind...we'll look at the example of the lynx and the hare. The lynx is specially built for hunting hares while the hare is particularly adept at escaping, and in the end they are perfect equals to each other. If the lynx didn't hunt the hare, it would starve to death and die. Obviously, if the hare didn't run away from the lynx, it would be eaten and die. So I suppose my main question is, why does the hare run and why does the lynx hunt? Is it simply instincts that they have to take these actions, or is it an actual realization that if they do not do these things, they will die? Furthermore, if animals do not understand the concept of death but merely have the ominous consciousness of death would it be far fetched to say that humans fear something, like rejection, but don't truly understand the concept behind these feelings?

I have more, but I'm not really sure how to word it quite yet, so I'll continue thinking about it and try again later. Also, later, a continuation of the 'dream life' post - I've added some, if that's possible. I'd like to read yours too, although it can wait until Mio. Ta.

Paranoia Paranoia Everyone is Coming to Get Me

Failure - I feel the exact same way about my life, and I think if we had more people (glares at general public), we'd find that most people from our generation...or maybe most people in general have the exact same feeling. I think this all started when we were kids and we could do whatever we wanted when we grew up, and now here we are and we consider ourselves adults...we see ourselves as grown up, although obviously we know we have more maturing to do, we see it as our right to have the "whatever we want" job opportunity open to us. In my job right now, obviously this isn't what I'm going to be doing the rest of my life...I'm managing housekeeping at a nursing home? Yes, a career with my company is something to think about, but it's all about perception and communication and managing and while yes, I'm doing all of those things right now, I hardly see any of the above as particular skills of mine. Another problem is that things are stagnant right now, which is getting me down in the fact that everything is routine. Obviously, things change day to day but there are no new challenges, everything I do is eventually wiped clean (or in this case, dirty) and so I don't see any lasting effect to my work here. When I get into the field I want, programming, I think it'll be better because obviously I'll be working on projects which have a set time, and then I move on to the next project...the next set of challenges, and I'm actually creating something that lasts, something solid. Of my life goals (see ridiculous dream life post), most involve creating something - art, music, writing, architecture...something concrete that will last, that others will look at and say, Nathan created that. The power of my mind went from concept to actualization, that's my goal in life. I think that problem boils down patience, we're a gimme now society. For instance, Tori feels almost bitter about us having money problems. Myself, I grew up with my mom going to college full time, so I have some understanding of what it's like, but it is hard and I'll be the first to admit that I'd like a bit more money, but we're on our way and we could be worse off. Tori, however, grew up eating out two or three times a week, has a nice home and while her family has had money problems, it mostly didn't effect her. She didn't see her parents "making it" - struggling paycheck to paycheck just to pay rent and get groceries. We've had various adults tell us of their newly wed days when they lived in a car or whatever and how they eventually worked their way out. You speak of being failure or that a disappointment to yourself, and I see where you're coming from because here we are in our low 20s (you're 23, right?) and what have we accomplished? We're a quarter of the way through our lives and nothing we've done is worth anything. I'm ambitious too, but it's going to take time to get to wherever we want to go, at the same time though, we can't sit around and wait for our dreams to come true. We're going to have to go out and make our dreams come true. I already know that when I'm done with ITT and have a nice programming job, I'll probably go back to school and get more programming, keep buffing that resume so I can keep moving up. I don't particularly enjoy my job, but I'm not going to quit because loyalty is something that will be presented to future employers on that resume. My brother, Doug, he works at Google as an executive vice president...he makes six figures and he announced this past summer that he's going to go back to school, Stanford, and get more degrees and then start his own Internet company. He's only 28 right now! When he was our age he was in construction and toured with the National Rodeo. Five years is a long time. I think I might have lost the plot in my ramblings, maybe we need an editor, but anyways - that's my point, I think, that patience and ambition with perseverance will get us wherever we want to go, be it the CIA or just owning a bowling alley.

Juno (Michael Cera) - I've been a big fan of Michael Cera ever since he was on Arrested Development, he just seemed to own that awkward teen persona, and he definitely does. I'm interested to see where he can take his career from here though, if he has that kind of adaptive personality to be able to grow his resume from just that niche he's created for himself. I have no doubt that he immensely talented (ever see his Clark and Michael videos?), but it'll be interesting to see where he takes it from there.

Juno (Ellen Page) - Watch Hard Candy, it's intense and it really showcases her as an actress. She hosts SNL this weekend. I like her, I like her a lot...even in X-Men 3: The Last Stand.
I wish I had more to add on her, but she's a pretty fresh face in Hollywood and versatile to boot (again, see Hard Candy)...she'll be around for a while.

His Dark Materials (Religion) - I had the exact same reaction as you, that the Catholic church would boycott a book about a repressive religious group. My whole thing is, when it comes to religion, question everything! If I were a religious leader, I think I would encourage people to read opposing views, because I have the confidence in what I believe and I want them to have that too. I don't like the idea of blind faith, I like the idea that a faith is so well reasoned that even if you question it, is still comes out true. If someone's belief in the Catholic church is strong enough, then they'll dismiss His Dark Materials as a work of fiction, which it is, and continue with the dogmatic processes. Telling people how to act is just a sign of insecurity or weakness and it isn't becoming of anyone.

Format - I do indeed like this format, however, I think in order to encourage a fluid evolving conversation, topics shouldn't just be inclusive to their own topic...for instance, taking His Dark Materials into religion, just adding the parenthesis, like This is where I'm starting (and this is where I'm going), to keep things moving along. Obviously we can always back step to where we've been and we can skip around to wherever we want to go, but it's a start. I really wish we had more people, but I understand it does seem kind of silly in concept. Oh well, maybe someday. So that's what I've got for now - ta.

Self Doubt

Self-doubt/Failure: Often times I find myself wondering what if and wondering what I'm actually capable of. Let me explain. I'm pretty smart, while I'm not MENSA material, I can hold my own in almost all areas of conversation and discussion. I'm a well rounded individual that loves science and has a desire to share that with the people around me. I have all this capability and yet I graduated college and instead of going to grad school I chose to start working for a little known company as a bench chemist.
So I've got a job. One that most of the time uses some form of my brain power. It's not overly taxing most of the time, but it's enough to keep me interested 9 times out of 10. But here is the problem. I have dreams. I have desires and most of all I have wishes. I would like to work for the CIA at some point in my life. I would like to work in congress (either as a senator, congresswoman, or an aide) bringing science back to the forefront of American thought. I would love to work for the UN and try to bring education and peace where there isn't any. But these are big hopes and dreams. They seem unattainable. And that is when my mind fills with doubt.
Do I have the ability to do these things? More than likely yes. At least I believe I do. But what I'm afraid of is that others look at my background and say, "She may have the abilities, but she doesn't have the education and she doesn't have the background for this." I find myself all too often dreaming and never taking action. Never following through.
Earlier this year I thought maybe my new year's resolution would be to follow through on some of the things I dream of. I would like to sell jewelry on the side. I would like to read books on the CIA list so that I can work towards applying to work there. I would like to finish projects that I start. I think my problem is that I have so many ideas and projects that I get overwhelmed trying to finish them. I don't want to limit myself because I want to take it all in. But what I'm afraid of, is that in the process of trying to achieve many things all at once, I'm failing to do any of it. I'm actually limiting my self because the scope is too large.
I'm afraid that I'm a failure. I will be stuck in a job that while I don't hate it, it's not everything that I'm capable of and that I will just be monotonous.
I feel that threat on the horizon.
Please comment, suggest, discuss, ridicule, etc...

Format: I like this solution. I think it will work, at least for the time being.

Juno: I have seen superbad, which is one reason I went to see Juno. It just seemed to have the same vibe and I was really hoping it would be just as good. I wasn't disappointed at all

His Dark Materials: Yes I did know that the Catholic church boycotted the movie. Which I guess from their stand point it was needed. But I have news for them, free speech and free rights. And frankly I find it quite funny from the following view; A man writes a book about how a religious organization is controlling and cruel and this book gets made into a movie. Then a religious organization decides that they should boycott the movie....hmmm....makes you think (or at least makes me laugh). Sorry to the Catholics out there that read this blog.
Ta.

Back again...

Good evening, and how are we tonight? Fine - thanks for asking.

Astrology: So this is a fun topic because there are so many fine points to it - I mean, first, do you believe in the concept of it all? I'm not talking about your sign and your given personality - I'm talking about the concept of the stars...not necessarily affecting the future, but at least affecting the present, if not our personalities? I mean - huge celestial beings, regardless of distance from our own developing minds have go to be doing something, right? Gravity still pulls, no matter how slight, regardless of distance. I don't particularly buy into the sign crap or any of the divination side of things either, but the concept of having an effect is undeniable. However, I think it's more than likely much too complex for any human to figure out, especially considering gravity seems to work faster than the speed of light - do you know how hard it would be to calculate the ACTUAL location of various celestial bodies at any given time given simply their current position as it APPEARS to us - it's mind boggling! The closest star is 20 light years away! The sun is eight minutes away! I can't even wrap my mind around the possibilities - and we haven't even uncovered 1% of this universe. There is so much more to learn, that's a fact.

New Topic - Biirdie. So I have this adorable band from California that I recommend to just about anyone who will listen - they are called Biirdie and they just came out with their second album, Catherine Avenue and it's a great listen, so I'd recommend Google-ing them and purchasing both albums (only $20 when bought together) and maybe sending them an e-mail trying to get them to tour outside of California (okay - that one is more for me than anything).

That's what I got for now - back to work. Ta.

New Life List Entry: Attend Music Festival (minimum 100 bands)

Past posts: Honestly, you didn't miss much in terms of posts. I kind of drifted off into my own realm which you are welcome to re-incarnate, but no worries, I'm sure I'll bring them all back up in due time anyways.

Prison: The problem with attempting to make prison less appealing than being homeless is that, regardless of what we do - free food and shelter are better than not, and you can't make someone work and we have to provide those two key things. Prison will always be a better option than being homeless. However, I think you're absolutely right, a focused work program that comes with rewards and benefits will definitely be the first step towards better rehabilitation, not to mention any production by the prisoners will come at little to no cost to the producer which makes it a prime acquisition for any company...since this whole topic started with privatization anyways. I think this problem goes much deeper than just that though, as a solution - I mean, to combat the overcrowding and such, complete prison reform is really necessary, but honestly - how high is that on your priority list? With the war, economy and hot topic issues like gay marriage and abortion headlining campaign lists, where does prison even rank? It's so low on the radar right now, reform would be damn near impossible.

Format: As for blog format, I think I have come up with a solution - topic headlines. Quite simply, when discussing a topic, just bold a given title so that when we get more people and perhaps they don't want to talk about prison but they want to talk about Juno (later), they can scroll down until they see a bold "Juno" and just read that topic. This will make it more user friendly and easier to join in for new members. For new topics, I recommend we use a New Topic - Chivalry is dead, and then from there on the topic will just be known as Chivalry. Make sense? Obviously, I think these formats will kind of evolve themselves into the most efficient for whomever is posting at the time, but this is a start. A kind of guideline, which I think are necessary for any good group to function well.

His Dark Materials: I'm about half way through, maybe a little more, of the Subtle Knife - I swear, these books are blowing my mind. For the first time, I have no idea where this book is going - I'm clueless. Each turn is a better and better one, this discussion will likely continue when I'm done. In regards to the movie, I'm also torn. On one hand, The Golden Compass is an excellent story, but the promise of continuing the series in movie form seems almost impossible. One, supposedly they removed any religious material, and while that may be all well and good for TGC, it won't work for any of the other novels and that's a fact. Next, I don't think it did very well financially, although honestly I don't know, so the sequels are unlikely. Finally, did you know the Catholic church boycotted the film? Really - not because of the religious views of the movie itself, but because it will encourage kids to read the books. It's kind of sad that most religions are scared to even give their members a different point of view, but that belongs in a religion topic.

Juno: Juno indeed was a very sweet, endearing movie. In my own mind, it completes the pregnancy three: Saved!, Knocked Up, and finally, Juno. I'm a big Michael Cera fan, ever since Arrested Development, honestly, so that was quite pleasant seeing him. Have you seen Superbad?

Thanks: actually, it's meeting time for me, this will be posted later along with Astrology.

Ta.

Trying to catch up

I will admit that I haven't read all of the past posts, because one I'm at work and it would take too much time and two I'm kinda far behind. But I'll choose now to respond to what I have read.

My response will first go to Tyler's thoughts on prison. I think that there is an idea there. Maybe if the prisoners had to work to get things like cable privileges. Those who don't work get things taken away. At that point it would work much like being out of prison and it may end up being more rehabilitation that they get right now. But I also agree with Nathan that for the most part we need to make prison less appealing than being homeless. I've always said that if I got really hard up for money I would commit a crime because jail would be more cushy than being homeless. There's something wrong with being able to hold that philosophy.

As for the current format of the blog? I see nothing wrong with it. Responding via the comment board would work, but at the same time it might make it harder to see when posts are made. Whereas with the current system it is easy to see if there has been a new post or not. If we want to change that's fine, and maybe there was something in the other posts about changing (i'll look), but there's my two cents.

The His Dark Materials series rocks! I waited three years for the third book to be released, so just be glad that you can read all three at once :) I haven't seen the Golden Compass movie and am somewhat reluctant to do so, although the fact that Daniel Craig is in it makes it very tempting. I'll probably rent it when it comes out on DVD (which I'll have to do now because it's not in theaters anymore)

On a side note the movie Juno was awesome. I really recommend that everyone go see it. It was funny and heartwarming and it made me want to watch it again as soon as it was done.

I'm thankful for my friends and family and the ability to live in a country that despite the patriot act gives us more freedoms than most of the rest of the world.

Well I think that summarizes most of the posts that I haven't responded too. At least the recent ones. As for new and better topics, I think we should discuss the topic of astrology, and I have a lot to say, but I will save it for a later date. Until then ta!

Predictable Seasonal Post

What are you thankful for? Oh come on - you all saw this coming if you weren't thinking it already yourselves. Happy Thanksgiving - ta.

Modern Man's Hustle

Happy Halloween all, what’s your costume? I'm a housekeeping manager and a student - creatures of the night, for sure. So my last post asked the pressing question - what is your dream future? Well, the key to my response is the number three - as in branches of my enterprise, places of residence and children. What I've prepared to write up here is quite the impressive guru lifestyle - prepare to be impressed.

First, a brief history lesson - Speedway bought the Republican party (presidential nods are only 25000 Speedy Reward Points, dinner at Applebee's is still 32000), the Democratic party went bankrupt and President Google has denied the party of welfare benefits. During World War III, China briefly controlled the world, however after finding that the rest of the world was lazy, they only kept Japan. North America reformed into a solid union, but they just combined Canada with Alaska and Mexico with New Mexico because nobody wanted to try to rewrite "fifty nifty..." In Europe, Prussia rose from the ashes of the European Union and has become an industrious powerhouse. Oh yeah - Disney bought Cuba and Taco Bell bought the moon. Oh, the future!

Now, I realize I asked for a future without resource limitations, but I don't se myself being happy without being a productive (warning - relative term) member of society. Thus, I am the sole owner of Hart Enterprises. Hart Enterprises is broken into three branches - Driftwood Media, Sandbox Amusements and Lynx Athletics.

At the core of my enterprise in Driftwood Media which has become the epitome of cultural advancement. Starting with a small music store with a cheap recording studio in the back, Driftwood Media was born from these humble beginnings known as Colby F Records (home to such powerhouse bands as The Covers, The Smiling Politely and Captain Bringdown and the Buzzkillers). Driftwood Media went on to encompass, either through creation within or corporate merging, Evergreen Publishing (books), Classic Horror Productions (movies) and it's subsidy, Gondry Pictures, Fairchild Galleries (art), Kahlan Designs (fashion) and after purchasing a portion of Fox, the Primetime Animation Network which features the Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, and the Critic twenty-four/seven. Driftwood Media also includes a computer department known primarily as Arrested Development, which headed the development of the Daemon gaming console and it's successful sequel, the Hexed-Daemon system (with six times the computing power). A software division within Arrested Development is known as Bad Hair Games and is a leader in it's own respective field.

International headquarters are located in Cleveland, OH in a twin tower complex known as Nona and Myra. On the first floor of the Nona Tower, one can find the original Colby F Records as well as a Fairchild Gallery and a Salt Lick restaurant around the back. There is also a single entrance into the exclusively hip underground bar, Moderation. In the second tower, Myra, houses the world's first fully automated valet parking garage. With the exception of Fairchild Galleries, which can be found worldwide, every Driftwood Media company is housed entirely within the two towers, in addition to offices for Driftwood Media's sister companies, Sandbox Amusements and Lynx Athletics.

Sandbox Amusements was the cornerstone to my company's growth during Driftwood Media's rebellious teenage years. Sandbox Amusement is, again, divided tree ways into Skylark Park, Pembrook Hospitality and Earphoria Electronics. Skylark Park is a trend setting amusement park in Louisiana, which has come to dominate it's region and plans of new parks in Australia and Germany are planned. Pembrook Hospitality runs Talim Hotel Towers and Dragonfly Inns, in addition to Salt Lick restaurants and Moderation bars globally. Earphoria Electronics, a home theater designer which specializes in digital sound excellence.

The final chapter in the Hart Enterprises trilogy is Lynx Athletics which is still in it's infant stages of development. Currently the company focuses on bowling equipment (balls, shoes, bags, clothing, etc...) but they are currently working on the latest in lane technology - a project code named Alice (Automated Lanes Integrated Coaching Entity). The premise behind Alice is simple - better bowling through knowledge. The present center points of the Alice is in the patented replay and analysis system, giving individualized coaching to every player based on technique, statistics and lane conditions. Alice Lanes are networked together to provide in depth information nationwide. Alice has been coveted as a breakthrough for the sport. However, the future is still uncertain for Lynx Industries as they continue to attempt to expand their market. Executives are rumored to be looking into the purchase of an NFL team while other reports indicate the desire to open an indoor football league. Either way, success is all but guaranteed, we'll just have to wait and see what the future holds.

So that is my guru future - kind of a mix of a business profile and a personal look into my fictional, futuristic world - sorry for the combination of styles, might have been a bit confusing but I think you all get the point.

Now as every successful businessman knowns, besides the grocery list of business ventures, the whole point of that ridiculous company profile is living gloriously and hence - three homes! We (my family and I) have a country home in Michigan, an apartment at the top of Nona Tower in Cleveland, and a houseboat normally docked in Miami, FL which we use to relax around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico every summer. The first home is used by the family nine months out of the year as the children go to school and whatnot, however during the autumn months I spend many weeknights in the Cleveland crib, running the business and the what have you. For Christmas the entire family comes to Cleveland to spend the holidays in the city and most fall weekends are spent flying across the nation as we are Miami Dolphin season ticket holders, naturally. For the remainder of the school year, the entire family stays together in the Michigan home. The summers are spent either on our boat or simply traveling around the globe visiting the wonders the world has to offer.

Now let's go through home by home and examine what makes each one unique - now I'm not going to bore you with a virtual walk through, just a brief description of some of the unique features of each and then we'll move on. Starting in Michigan, we have an impressive amount of land right on the coast of Lake Michigan. The breakfast nook on the first floor, shaped as a hexagon, extends upwards to form a lighthouse which is the focal point from the lake shore. We have a river that gently weaves it's way around the house, coming from a natural spring at the highpoint on the grounds and after cascading gently down a brick wall and then through a watermill connected to our guest house, it ripples its away through the thickly wooded front yard, beneath an old fashioned covered wooden bridge and after a moment of wide rapids, it joins the Great Lake. The house itself is built upon a hill, facing east and has two visible stories with a third hidden within the roof and a basement. The backyard is centered around an hourglass shaped swimming pool, shallow in the east and deep in the west with an underwater bar centered in the deep end. The floor of the shallow side is actually made of a thick clear polyurethane which makes up the sloping ceiling of the basement, giving the basement a unique tropical feel. The basement itself also has a fully stocked bar, in addition to a complete video library with movie theater style projection screen, a pool table, dart boards, a few choice arcade games and a small stage available for performances. There is also a recording studio beneath the staircase. The first floor has a generous banquet hall where we host our annual Christmas concert (the weekend after Thanksgiving). The kitchen is made up of the most modern appliances and solid marble counter tops (including bar style island) and the sunlight walkway out to the breakfast nook on the Northeastern point of the home. Finishing the first floor is the entry room with it's vaulted ceiling and grand staircase beneath super bulb chandelier, a library filled with wall after wall of bookcase and gorgeous fireplace, and even a secret room (pull the right book in the library...) which is known as the music library, more on this later. The second floor is made up of two studies (one for myself and another for Tori), the master bedroom and bathroom, and a balcony overseeing the pool and country night sky. The third floor is for the children, three bedrooms and a bathroom along with a study for them to do their homework. The roof is comprised entirely of solar panels which power the house, with a little extra to sell make to the county. The only remaining feature is the three car garage with a pair of bowling lanes across the back.

Our Cleveland apartment is, again, three stories. Located as the top three floors of the Nona tower, the apartment overlooks the entire city. The elevators opens to the second floor which is made up entirely of windows overlooking. On the first floor we find the master bedroom and bathroom along with a joint study for when we're in the city, the kitchen and dining room (studio designed). The third floor has four bedrooms (one for guests, three for the kids) and a bathroom for them to share. The only room on the second floor is a sports lounge stocked with full bar, bowling lanes and a Miami Dolphins paint scheme to make you queasy. All this in addition to the latest Daemon gaming system and latest version of Madden to go with our HD flat panel TV and fully surround sound from Earphoria. This sports lounge also houses the music library control panel (more on that later).

Finally, we have our houseboat. Honestly, this is probably our most modest residential investment. The catamaran style boat has two floors plus the cabin. The bottom floor is made up of bedrooms and bathrooms while the second floor is the kitchen and eating area. Most nights are spent sleeping on deck so little space is needed for living below. In the cabin we find the final music library control panel. Now, that music library control panel - I have a lot of music, right? I'm wealthy enough to disregard resources so it's only safe to assume that I have even more music, right? Well - all of this music is loaded onto a super computer located in the Michigan home. This music library is available to me anywhere worldwide thanks to a complex network of satellites I own thanks to my television network. The houseboat and Cleveland apartment have receivers hooked up to said satellites and hence, have access to my entire music library. Every room in every home has speakers built in - and with the music library control panel, every room can be playing a custom play list or sync up and play from the same play list! Oh the possibilities... So that is my living situation without resources...moving on.

My children - Tori and I have had three kids and while I won't go into details as doing so would make all this quite improbable since we cannot control the outcome of our procreation (yet) and thus, I shall only speculate on names and possible order. Our first child, a boy, will be named August Always and our second, another boy will Patrick Royce. Our third and final child, Veda Fairchild, will be our only girl.

Now comes the big question - this kind of unreasonable 'dreaming,' is it healthy? Is it natural? Should I just live in the now and see what happens? What this at all interesting to anyone but myself? I would like to do this in another five years to see how things have changed, how dreams evolved, etc...

Another topic, because I clearly have ADD - what are your thoughts on Astrology? Or, more specifically, the concept of the stars and other universal beings effected your personality? You all better start talking or I'm going to bury you in side topics. Sorry for the novel-esque post, shorter next time (but no promises). Ta.