Trapped In Texas

WordPress for reals this time

2010-02-12T23:14:00.000-06:00

http://darkwolf777.wordpress.com/

I'm finicky. I know.

Debunking The Bullshit, vol. 1

2009-09-10T01:52:00.002-05:00

This may be a regular thing, god knows I get enough of these asinine emails.

My grandfather, I love him dearly, but he has a problem. His problem is that he will readily and willfully believe any right-wing propaganda you put in front of him. Not only will he believe it, but he will also forward it on to all his friends, and family. Sadly, I fear most of them are just as willing to accept this drivel as truth. Lately I’ve begun to become a little disillusioned with constantly debunking the bullshit. I’m almost certain my grandfather either does not even bother reading any responses to the emails he shovels out to everyone in his address book. Or if he does actually read them, he’s so rigid in his bias that he truly believes everything he sends out is absolute gospel, and any rebuttal is patently false.

Basically I spend a lot of time debunking junk email. Hoaxes, conspiracies, political rhetoric, etc. And rather than let them fade into the black nothingness of these inboxes, I’m going to post them here, followed by my rebuttal. I’ll probably revisit some past ones too (yes, I save all my sent email, and almost all of my incoming email. You never know when you’ll need that blackmail... errr, random tidbit of information. Yeah, that’s it!), but today I’m gonna take care of one I just received.

Here’s the text of an email I received today (and I apologize now for the horrendous abuse of the english language* in the author’s commentary. I feel I should also make it clear, my grandfather did not write this, just forwarded it.):

AS IF YOU NEED ANOTHER REASON TO ADMIRE " AMERICA 'S" TIGER WOODS.
Tiger Woods is a Highly Educated Individual who was properly raised and taught to be his own man by an educated Mother and Father.
You can readily see that Tiger Woods listened to his parents and remains very proud of them both.
Many citizens are not aware of the following, which is the reason for me sending this e-mail to my friends and I would appreciate you sending it on to your friends. Thanks, Frank
A COPY OF HIS SPEECH AT THE 2009 INAUGURATION
Tiger Woods received a special invitation to speak at the Obama inauguration.
His inviters were stunned, shocked when he did not deliver the message they expected.
A brief read and you will understand why the media swept Woods' remarks under the rug with no further ado and why the liberal left of our American society was again displeased with Tiger.
His speech was entitled
"You'll Never Walk Alone"
[text is word-for-word as posted on Tiger's web site]
"I grew up in a military family - and my role models in life were my Mom and Dad, Lt. Colonel Earl Woods.
My dad was a Special Forces operator and many nights friends would visit our home.
They represented every branch of the service, and every rank.
In my Dad, and in those guests, I saw first hand the dedication and commitment of those who serve.
They come from every walk of life; from every part of our country.
Time and again, across generations, they have defended our safety in the dark of night and far from home.
Each day -- and particularly on this historic day -- we honor the men and women in uniform who serve our country and protect our freedom.
They travel to the dangerous corners of the world, and we must remember that for every person who is in uniform, there are families who wait for them to come home safely.
I am honored that the military is such an important part, not just of my personal life, but of my professional one as well.
The golf tournament we do each year here in Washington is a testament to those unsung heroes.
I am the son of a man who dedicated his life to his country, family and the military, and I am a better person for it.
In the summer of 1864, Abraham Lincoln, the man at whose memorial we stand, spoke to the 164th Ohio Regiment and said, 'I am greatly obliged to you, and to all who have come forward at the call of their country.'
Just as they have stood tall for our country - we must always stand by and support the men and women in uniform and their families.
Thank you, and it is now my pleasure to introduce the US Naval Glee Club ..."
Tiger Woods' 2-minute, 5-second tribute to the our nation's military was delivered January 18th at the Inaugural Celebration in Washington , DC .
He had been subjected to intense pressure to attend and offer remarks.
Especially so by liberals who have demeaned and criticized him for a decade for not joining their ranks.
Yet, at the Lincoln Memorial, instead of paying homage to Barack Obama, Tiger paid tribute to our soldiers.
Not once did Tiger mention Obama, the inauguration or the new administration.
Understanding that expressing his love for America and his appreciation for our military men and women would disappoint the national news media and the liberal left, he did what he thought was best for the people of our country.
But Tiger, being is his own man, just as his father taught him to be his own man.
Somewhere over that cold, gray Washington sky, Colonel Earl Woods was smiling down on his beloved son.
And there will be one more crying hug waiting for Tiger when the time comes he passes through heaven's gates into God's arms.
******
What's that you say?
You did not previously know what Tiger said?
You did not see a video clip of him speaking on any national television network?
You did not see a photo of Tiger at the Lincoln Memorial offering his remarks honoring our military.
You did not read a story in the NY Times?
His appearance at the Inaugural Celebration had been widely hailed and promoted in advance by the Obama inaugural organizers ... yet January 18 when he came and spoke ... afterwards, a black out.
If you are as tired of the biased, hypocritical, liberal media hoopla as I am, please send this on to your friends. Thanks.

Hell, I shouldn’t even have to post the Snopes link, the email itself says the speech took place on January 18th. The inauguration was on January 20th. It was also at the White House, not the Lincoln Memorial, which this email reveals to be the place where this speech happened.

From the email:
“In the summer of 1864, Abraham Lincoln, the man at whose memorial we stand”
“Tiger Woods’ 2-minute, 5-second tribute to the our nation’s military was delivered January 18th”

He’s introducing the US Naval Glee Club, also revealed in the text of the email, of course:
“Thank you, and it is now my pleasure to introduce the US Naval Glee Club”

Now, what happened on January 18th at the Lincoln Memorial, you may wonder? A concert. As a part of the lead-up to the inauguration ceremony, a concert entitled “We Are One” was held. Broadcast live and uncut on HBO, which they aired for free even to non-HBO subscribers. Unfortunately the video was only available for one week after the event.

But hey, here’s some liberal media covering (or is it “covering up“?) the event live:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/01/61550884/1 you may want to pay particular attention to the update posted at 3:34 pm. Because that’s when Tiger gave his speech. So much for a “liberal media blackout.”

Oh, and here’s a video of it from the live HBO feed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjFIlbF3Nn4 guess they just forgot to flip the switch to kill that feed, huh?

Just for the sake of completion, here’s the Snopes link: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/tigerwoods.asp

There is something I am tired of, though. I’m tired of the biased, hyperbolic drivel that passes for truth in these emails. You don’t even have to dig for this stuff, it’s all readily available with a quick Google search. I find it appalling that some of you are so eager and willing to believe whatever bullshit is delivered to your inbox. As long as it fits your worldview, it must be true, right?

*I should mention the atrocious misuse of the english language seems to be a common thread in all these political propaganda emails. I don’t know about you, but I certainly wouldn’t be taking any political advice from someone so obviously uneducated. A third grader could form more coherent sentences and paragraphs.

One (Three) Artist(s) (Led Zeppelin, Dream Theater, Metallica)

2009-08-11T12:54:00.002-05:00

You know I can't do just one, and I don't want to flood this with three individual notes. So here goes!

Starting with the best, obviously.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to a gazillion people and include me. Try not to repeat a song title. It's harder than you think.

Artist: Led Zeppelin

Are you male or female: Poor Tom
Describe yourself: Communication Breakdown
How do you feel about yourself: What Is and What Should Never Be
Describe where you currently live: In the Light
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Ocean
Your best friend is: Going to California
Your favorite color is: Black Dog
What's the weather like: White Summer
If your life was a tv show, what would it be called?: Good Times, Bad Times
Favorite Form of Transportation: Walter's Walk
Your Last Relationship: Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
Your Youth: Ten Years Gone
Your Fear: The Song Remains The Same
What is life to you: Friends
What is the best advice you have to give: That's the Way
If you could change your name, what would it be: Boogie With Stu
Favorite time of the day: In The Evening
Favorite Thing to do on the Weekend: Bring It On Home
How Will You Die: When The Levee Breaks
Your Motto: Rock and Roll

Next up: Artist: Dream Theater

Are you male or female: Sacrificed Sons
Describe yourself: Innocence Faded
How do you feel about yourself: Finally Free
Describe where you currently live: Home
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Peruvian Skies
Your best friend is: Misunderstood
Your favorite color is: Black Clouds & Silver Linings (cheating a bit here, using the album name. sue me.)
What's the weather like: Burning My Soul
If your life was a tv show, what would it be called?: The Great Debate
Favorite Form of Transportation: I Walk Beside You
Your Last Relationship: Never Enough
Your Youth: Constant Motion
Your Fear: Pull Me Under
What is life to you: A Change Of Seasons
What is the best advice you have to give: Take The Time
If you could change your name, what would it be: The Count of Tuscany
Favorite time of the day: The Dark Eternal Night
Favorite Thing to do on the Weekend: Just Let Me Breathe
How Will You Die: Fatal Tragedy
Your Motto: The Spirit Carries On

And finally: Artist: Metallica

Are you male or female: King Nothing
Describe yourself: The Outlaw Torn
How do you feel about yourself: The Frayed Ends of Sanity
Describe where you currently live: Where the Wild Things Are
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Wherever I May Roam
Your best friend is: Better Than You
Your favorite color is: Fade To Black
What's the weather like: Jump in the Fire
If your life was a tv show, what would it be called?: Whiplash
Favorite Form of Transportation: Ride The Lightning
Your Last Relationship: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Your Youth: The Struggle Within
Your Fear: (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth
What is life to you: Sweet Amber
What is the best advice you have to give: Shoot Me Again
If you could change your name, what would it be: St. Anger
Favorite time of the day: Dyers Eve
Favorite Thing to do on the Weekend: Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
How Will You Die: Damage, Inc.
Your Motto: The Thing That Should Not Be

Man vs. Eternally Broken Xbox 360: A Novel (via Consumerist)

2009-08-07T11:26:00.002-05:00

I was flipping through headlines on Google Reader this morning, and came across this article over at Consumerist:

Being a jaded Xbox 360 owner who's watched his console give up the ghost five times, it takes a lot for a tale of Microsoft customer service woe to move me. And yet a reader named Gower accomplished just that by sending a novel-length soliloquy about his maddening run through Xbox 360 hell. What follows is the Cliffs Notes version (grab your hankies):

I had purchased an Xbox 360 about two years ago and during that time I had to send it to Microsoft four-five times for repairs under warranty for various things- red rings, cd drive not working etc.
Because of all the issues with the Xbox Microsoft extended the warranty to three years for additional issues, and in mid May my Xbox stopped working after giving red rings and error messages before having no video on the screen at all.

Gower called customer service and set up the repair. Or so he thought.

The next day I get a message from Sam saying he needed to talk to me further about the issue with no further explanation. All calls made to Sam to try to reach him went unanswered. I did get calls back from Sam at times I specifically said I could not be reached and he left messages telling me to call him back. This went back and forth for a bit until one day it looks like he made a mistake and called me when I told him I was actually available. So what does he do? He hangs up on me as soon as I answer! He then calls me back a half hour later, after I was at work and tells me that due to not being able to reach me he is closing my case.
I then resorted to contacting the BBB on May 26thand a few days later I was contacted by a supervisor named Sean at Xbox support. He apologized and said they would send a box out to return my Xbox through UPS and overnight it to me and I received a tracking number a little later.

Gower's 360 coffin was shipped not to him, but to someone down the road who wasn't there. He had to convince UPS to get the package to him at his proper address. Then he sent the 360 to Microsoft, which promptly told him he'd receive his refurbished unit in short order. Bet you can guess where it was shipped.

I checked the tracking number and it said they tried to deliver but nobody was home at another address that was not mine, again. I called UPS and told them again that they are trying to deliver to someone elses house and to deliver to the correct one tomorrow. I again told Sean about the shipping problems and he told me again he would contact them to straighten the issue out. I was a bit upset at this point as someone was being careless and I didn't like the thought of UPS giving a $300 console to complete strangers.
I got the Xbox delivered to me the next day, however I was quite shocked to find the console was damaged! The USB door was missing from the console and the front of the console was covered in deep scratches like someone had dropped it on the ground several times, and there was the sound of something broken and rattling around inside the console. The box it shipped in had no dents or signs of damage, and there was no sign of the missing usb door in the box so it must have been damaged by the repair center.

Gower e-mailed his good pal Sean, who blamed the damage on UPS and said he'd get another console out to him. Guess where the package ended up?

I waited again for the box to come, and YET AGAIN no box showed up. I went online to check the tracking number and it said in the notes it was delivered to someone elses house yet again, but this time a woman accepted the package at this address and signed for it.
I called UPS quite mad at this point about the errors. It was at this time I found out that nobody from Microsoft called to report the shipping errors or the damage to the console! I emailed the supervisor Sean back relayed back what UPS told me, and he had the nerve to say he never promised to contact UPS about the damage, and that its not his responsibility to contact UPS about the shipping errors! First of all, Microsoft is the shipper so they are in fact required to contact UPS about the errors, as they should have anyways. Added to this, I have save email transcripts from Sean telling me that he would contact them. I even copied quotes from him about him promising to contact UPS about the damage and the shipping errors. So what does he do in response? He emails me back saying that arguing is not going to solve anything and he is ceasing contact with me and will send another shipping box to my address and will only send electronic updates once my Xbox is received and replaced. At this point I had to call Microsoft several times and report how Sean was treating me and handling the case and was able to get the case transferred to another supervisor named Michael who communicated from there on.

When Gower finally got his "like new" 360, which turned out to be the exact same console he had sent in, broken USB door and all. He contacted Michael, who acted as though he didn't believe him and requested pictures. Michael said he didn't know why the repair or replacement wasn't made and sent out another coffin. Gower tried to escalate his complaint and sent two dozen e-mails out but got no replies.

I finally get yet another replacement box, ship it out, and after a week I get confirmation that my Xbox is being sent back. I check online while at work to see the status of the delivery, only to find the message says it was left on front steps of the house (whose, I don't know) at 11:30am, at least seven hours before I get home. I am alarmed since all my other packages have required signatures and I don't know whose bright idea it was to leave a $300 Xbox on the steps without a signature. Ive called UPS and Microsoft and each are placing the blame on the other and neither wants to help me now. Microsoft said they need to run an investigation as to what happened but I have not heard from them about what theyre doing yet. I did get a call from my supervisor Michael yesterday, but he address me by someone elses name (he dialed the wrong customers number). When I told him my name, he hung up on me. No apology or explanation, he just hung up on me. Wont answer his phone or return emails either.
It's now two and a half months since I contacted Microsoft to have the Xbox repaired under warranty. I have resorted to buying a brand new console at the store since I have many Xbox games and HD-DVDs that are useless without a console to play them on. I don't know what to do at this point…

It was the HD-DVD part that really hit home, because the obsolete high-def movie format is a symbol for all the trust Microsoft's customers have channeled into its products, only to be trampled on. I once owned a bunch of HD-DVDs but ended up making the walk of shame to sell them at a used book store. And I've been through console repair misadventures. Most of us have. To suffer through poor customer service, dream of a better tomorrow and double down on your investments is the way of the Xbox 360 gamer.
(Photo: dirtyblueshirt)

I won't buy a 360 until they're reliable, and at this point, it doesn't look like they're EVER going to be reliable.

What really bothers me, is the people, like Gower here, that even despite having had their system repaired/replaced 4-5 times, AND getting mistreated by customer service on this latest failure... will still go out and buy another 360, knowing what a piece of crap it is, and how horribly they can expect to be treated in the future.

Masochists. No other word for it.

Were I in this situation, I'd chalk it up as a lesson learned, sell the HD-DVDs and 360 games, and be done with this mess. I don't care how good you think the games are, nothing is worth putting up with this abuse. Besides, most of the games are on PC and/or PS3 anyway, if you really feel you need to keep playing them.

Putting up with the abuse, AND buying replacement systems even when your current one is still under warranty because you're getting shafted, all you're doing is validating and justifying their abusive practice. And sending the message that you don't care how incompetently they design their systems, or how badly they treat you as a customer, you'll keep giving them your money for the privilege of letting them abuse you.

This article also kind of hits a personal note, as I have a few friends who've been bitten by the ever unreliable 360. One of whom has also purchased a second (possibly even a third now, I don't remember) system, while his warranty system was actually out for repair.

/facepalm
/shakehead
/sigh

Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal, PayPal, and probably more...

2009-08-06T12:15:00.000-05:00

All targets of a massive DDoS attack this morning, and still ongoing, it seems.

I can't be the only one thinking this has something to do with today being the 64th anniversary of Hiroshima. A "nuking" of the web, so to speak. Target some of the most popular, high traffic sites, and take them down.

In all the news I can find on it, people seem to be fixated on a possible link to the hacker convention, Defcon, which ended Sunday. But that doesn't make any sense to me. Why wait until Thursday, if that were the case? Why wait at all?

No, it seems a little too suspicious that it would happen on the anniversary of Hiroshima. And that no one seems to be getting that, definitely has caused me a few facepalm moments this morning, while reading the articles and comments.

15 (30) Films I'll Never Forget

2009-08-06T00:24:00.000-05:00

Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen movies you've seen that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.

1. The Neverending Story
2. Edward Scissorhands
3. Secretary
4. The Breakfast Club
5. The Empire Strikes Back
6. High Fidelity
7. Serenity
8. Harold and Maude
9. The Goonies
10. Rocky
11. Die Hard
12. The Crow
13. The Princess Bride
14. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
15. Ghostbusters

And just because I can, how about 15 more?

1. True Romance
2. Heat
3. Pineapple Express
4. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
5. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
6. Bubba Ho-Tep
7. Lost In Translation
8. Clerks
9. Beauty And The Beast
10. The Little Mermaid
11. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
12. Evil Dead 2
13. Aliens
14. Toy Story
15. Se7en

My Bucket List?

2009-02-27T06:20:00.000-06:00

Things you have done during your lifetime:

(*) Gone on a blind date

(*) Skipped school

() Watched someone die

(*) Been to Canada

() Been to Mexico

(*) Been to Florida

(*) Been to Hawaii

(*) Been on a plane

(*) Been on a helicopter

(*) Been lost

(*) Gone to Washington, DC

(*) Swam in the ocean

() Cried yourself to sleep

(*) Played cops and robbers

(?) Recently colored with crayons

(*) Sang Karaoke

(*) Paid for a meal with coins only

(*) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch

(*) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't.

(*) Made prank phone calls

() Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans

(*) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose

(*) Caught a snowflake on your tongue

(*) Danced in the rain

(*) Written a letter to Santa Claus

(*) Been kissed under the mistletoe

(*) Watched the sunrise with someone

(*) Blown bubbles

(*) Gone ice-skating

(*) Gone to the movies

(*) Been deep sea fishing

(*) Driven across the United States

() Been in a hot air balloon

() Been sky diving

(*) Gone snowmobiling

() Lived in more than one country

(*) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets

(*) Seen a falling star and made a wish

(*) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser

() Seen the Grand Canyon

(*) Seen the Statue of Liberty

() Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle

() Gone to the top of CN Tower

(*) Been on a cruise

(*) Traveled by train

(*) Traveled by motorcycle

(*) Been horse back riding

() Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR

(*) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World

(?) Truly believe in the power of prayer

(*) Been in a rain forest

(*) Seen whales in the ocean

(*) Been to Niagara Falls

(*) Ridden on an elephant

() Swam with dolphins

() Been to the Olympics

() Walked on the Great Wall of China

(*) Saw and heard a glacier calf

() Been spinnaker flying

(*) Been water-skiing

(*) Been tubing

(*) Been snow-skiing

() Been to Westminster Abbey

() Been to The Vatican

() Been to the Louvre

() Swam in the Mediterranean

(*) Been to a Major League Baseball game

(*) Been to a National Football League game

(*) Been to Hollywood

Some of these are weird... recently colored with crayons? When it's supposed to be what you've done in your life? Shouldn't that just be "Colored with crayons"? And "truly believe in the power of prayer"? Like... ever? Now? No? Does prayer encompass other spiritual paths divine communique? Considering this is a collection of things one has done in life... I don't see how it pertains.

And shouldn't this be things you actually want to do in life? Who wants to cry themselves to sleep at night? Or watch someone die?

I gotta stop with these pre-made, fill it in and pass it around, surveys, and actually do my own sometime.

Vietnamese Coffee

2009-02-11T19:58:00.003-06:00

Vietnamese Coffee, originally uploaded by DarkWolf777.

In process. Condensed milk on the bottom, hot water straining through coffee sitting on top of the glass. Yum! :D

Movin'

2009-01-25T13:17:00.001-06:00

I think I'm officially moving from Blogger to Wordpress.

I haven't 100% decided yet, but I do like Wordpress' features quite a bit more. The one thing that does kind of annoy me, is that you can't edit CSS to customize the look of your theme. At least, not at the 'hosted' site (or you can, you just pay for it). But I've lately been thinking a lot about doing my own website again, which basically eliminates that issue.

I've got Flickr for my pictures, Blogger/Wordpress for my blog, Twitter and Tumblr for my mini/micro blogging, a YouTube channel and a Vimeo account for my videos (Haven't uploaded anything to Vimeo yet... and may not ever, now that YouTube is more widescreen friendly, but YouTube is kinda bitchy if you put 'unauthorized' music in your video, maybe Vimeo is better?), and finally Facebook and MySpace (*shudder* I avoid that site like the plague) for keeping up with friends.

The problem is: I don't have them in one place, easily accessible. Hence the urge to want to do my own website again. I've never been a fan of how Flickr forces the 'photostream' on me, or anyone I send to check out my photos. With my own site, I can still use Flickr for the storage and maintenance, but also be able to design my own gallery page(s) to present my pictures as I want them presented. And of course with Wordpress, I can host my blog and redesign it to fit the rest of my site. And I can use RSS to feed my Twitter and Tumblr posts to my site. And embed mine or others YouTube/Vimeo videos. Facebook and MySpace I can live without being integrated (especially MySpace. Fuck MySpace).

So yeah, there's that. Wordpress has this awesome migration tool, that let me import all my Blogger posts, including comments. Genius. I could also import all my old LiveJournal posts, but ... no. I've got the ones I wanted to keep already in Blogger. So, for now, all new posts will be over at Wordpress. And if any of you are interested in switching too, they (Wordpress) make it super easy to do so, without having to give up your existing posts :)

This is the new south, same as the old south...

2008-12-06T23:49:00.001-06:00

This post began life considerably different. It was actually going to be about all the political junk mail I'd been receiving. But back in October when I began writing it, the election had not commenced, and as I started to delve into the blatant racism evident in these emails, it began morphing into this rant on racism.

I had it sitting in my drafts. The idea that I had for it had evolved into I guess something that I really needed to get off my chest. What started as flippant, took on a serious tone. And as I read over, and over, and over, it just didn't mesh with me. It didn't have the vibe I originally wanted to convey.

So it sat in my drafts. And honestly, after a week or so, I'd forgotten about it. You know, because I blog so much and so often... *whistle* Yeeeah. Point is I finally remembered it and decided I needed to just get the damn thing posted already. But now the election has gone down, and half of the post is fairly pointless in the context it was written, so what you're getting now is more of an expansion on my "Trapped in Texas" post.

I got some flak after that post, which was followed by posting my pictures of Portland, people assuming the two were related. It was suggested that "while Portland is nice enough, there's no reason to idealize it." K. Duly noted. And completely off base. Perhaps this will better clarify the meaning of "Trapped in Texas."

I have come to realize this year, perhaps more astutely than in previous years, that I'm surrounded by racists. It's people I work with. It's people I debate with. It's people I call friends. It's even some members of my own family. It's shocking. And saddening.

I actually heard these words recently spoken by someone I used to think was a reasonably intelligent person: "I need to stock up on more guns for when we go to war with the niggers." I was flabbergasted. Did I really just hear that? In 2008? Are you fucking kidding me?! And just as bad, the people around at the time all nodded their heads in agreement.

The very thought that we might have a black president has suddenly brought the inner racist in these people boiling to the surface. And of course, we're in a zealous fervor with our seething hatred of muslims, that all it takes is a name to convict someone of hating America and wanting to destroy us from the inside. Facts are irrelevant. In fact, facts are openly ignored in favor of the most irrational of explanations.

And when the facts clearly dispute this irrationality... doubt is forcefully cast upon the truth in order to reinforce the cycle of irrationality. Snopes, who for the better part of a decade have been a source of concise summaries to a mountain of fact checking and research on a wide variety of subjects, is now under scrutiny because someone on MySpace claimed they have a hardcore liberal bias, so they can't be trusted. And the junk mail starts flying. Seriously?

How do you rationally argue against those so willing to lie and concoct falsities? How do you talk sense to those so willfully ignorant they would rather believe the lies than question their own worldview?

As is all too often the case, religion is front and center. The divisive malcontent of our nation. The snake in the garden. Religious extremism.

I can't help but recall a book I read not too long ago: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the future of Reason. It might as well have been a warning to us. A wake up call. The cycle of irrationality has to end. The cycle of hate has to end. We will be our own destruction. We're running full speed towards the edge of a bottomless pit.

We use religion to justify our arrogance, and then we use religion to justify our incredulity when the consequences of our arrogance come back to bite us in the ass. We used religion to justify slavery. Hitler used religion to justify the holocaust. We're using religion right now to deny civil rights to homosexuals, and have been for over 30 years. We used religion to do the same thing to blacks years before. We're using religion right now to justify a war that we entered under false pretenses. We're using religion right now to cast doubt upon science, and the monumental evidence that supports the theory of evolution. We're using religion right now to run a government whose own constitution guarantees the separation of church and state.

Irrationality feeds irrationality.

Hate breeds hate.

Violence begets violence.

North Texas is moderately, at best, more progressive than the most backwoods deep south towns. Towns that still spell "Coffee Cup Cafe" with K's. It may be cleaner. Richer. More diverse. But irrationality is most certainly alive and well, and hate flows like water. I try to fight it. And I'll keep fighting it. Hopeless though it may be overall, if I can help break this cycle for at least one person, it all will have been worth it.

But it's exhausting. I feel like I'm sinking, like I'm being overtaken by this latest wave of ignorance, caught in it's undertow

So for the next 18 17 16 15 months, I'm trapped. I'm clawing my way out, but there's still a long way to go.

Miles to go before I sleep.

Disgusting

2008-12-01T10:00:00.002-06:00

Disgusting, originally uploaded by DarkWolf777.

This was taken on Thanksgiving day.

Eighty. Fucking. Degrees.

And this doesn't even begin to demonstrate how muggy it was.

Texas weather sucks.

3 Mice in a Bucket

2008-10-29T12:52:00.001-05:00

3 Mice in a Bucket, originally uploaded by DarkWolf777.

They went in looking for food, and got stuck. They're too cute, they're like little springs. We're debating on whether we let them go, or keep them as shop mascots.

I've put this off for far too long...

2008-10-23T01:16:00.002-05:00

I know I promised a day by day Portland post. And I may still get around to it eventually. Just don't hold your breath.

Ultimately though, I'm lazy, and it's been far too long to have not at least posted pictures.

Trapped in Texas

2008-10-22T00:59:00.000-05:00

I've been using "Random Acts of Blasphemy" for about as long as I can remember. Well... as long as I've been blogging anyway.

This change I initiated earlier, has lead to some thinking. Some thinking about changing more than just the layout or design. I want a new... thing. It may be a title, or it may be something else entirely.

For now, I'm going with "Trapped In Texas," but I'm a fickle bloke, and I'll probably change it to something else next week. Or I may just go back to "Blasphemy."

Like I said, fickle.

Haunt House in Caddo Mills

2008-10-18T20:05:00.001-05:00

Haunt House in Caddo Mills, originally uploaded by DarkWolf777.

Just seen at a haunted house. A couple guys out twirling fire. Kinda mesmerizing to watch.

WTF!?

2008-10-16T17:23:00.000-05:00

Testing email uploads :-)

Cha cha cha changes...

2008-10-11T01:29:00.001-05:00

I hate the default templates. And all the freebie crap templates tend to, well, suck. The few nice ones seem to have something that doesn't work right.

So I'm going to take a stab at making my own.

Right now, keeping it simple. Converted from a hard pixel width to a percentage based width.

Next up is a crash course in CSS. I know very little, but enough that I can hopefully figure it out and get my own design going.

But first, sleep.

Oh, Portland!

2008-10-06T00:25:00.002-05:00

What can I say about Portland?

The trip was amazing! That's a weak adjective, but damnit there just isn't a good enough adjective for it. It was incredible. It was gorgeous. It was surreal. It was sublime.

Let me put it this way: I'm an artist. I have been as long as I can remember. But the past 10 years or so I've neglected that aspect of me. It started shortly after college, when I couldn't find a job in a horrible market for creative work. So I started working in a cubicle. That place, Stream, sucked the life out of me for over 2 years before I finally got caught up in a series of layoff waves.

I was glad to go. I was so utterly beat down by that place that I tried everything I could to get fired. Nothing worked. Nothing, until the economy started taking a nose-dive post 9/11.

Point is I blamed Stream on my lack of desire to produce art. And then during the down-turn in the economy, I couldn't find work for 6 months after the layoff. In desperation, I took an overnight stocking position at Toy's R Us, and a delivery position at Domino's Pizza.

It would've been depressing, if the pay for Domino's (with tips) didn't turn out to be so lucrative. I was happy again. I was content. And yet, I still couldn't muster up a desire to create. I dabbled a bit, and it felt good when I did, but it never lasted. I never really gave it much thought though. I was in good spirits, and making good money at quite possibly the easiest job. Ever.

Of course after that first year, things started scaling back. Drastically. What started at 20 hours a week making more money that I was at Stream in 40 hours, slowly over 2-3 years, turned into begging for 40 hours a week to barely make enough to scratch by on. I was once again in a bad place, and I knew something had to change. Soon.

By chance I landed a temporary job as an artist for an import company. They were working on getting their xmas line together, and I was called in to make some changes to existing merchandise, as well as design new merchandise. It was kind of invigorating. I hoped it would turn into a full time position, but unfortunately that wasn't to be.

But then I got a call. The company I now work for was calling me in for an interview. Strange thing though, I had put my resume into this place over 2 years prior to this call. Having not heard anything in that time I assumed they just weren't interested. And having grown up across the street from the owners, I didn't want to push the subject. I didn't want it to seem like favoritism, had I gotten a job.

It's an art-ish position. Few and far between are the times I get to produce something, mostly it's converting an engineers CAD drawings into something we can use to actually produce the label, or sign or whatever it is supposed to be. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job. Great people to work with. I've been there now, over 3 and a half years.

I'm happy again and yet there's still no desire to create. I couldn't place my finger on why that was.

Until Portland.

In Portland it was like my whole body buzzed with anticipation. I craved for some paper and a pencil, or some chalk or charcoal. A paint brush. Anything! I wanted to create! My hands were screaming to be put to good use.

I assessed the situation. Last year I was in Hawaii. I did not feel like this, even surrounded in all that beauty. In the past 10 years I've been to Alaska, and this feeling wasn't there. I've been to Yellowstone, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, the Grand Tetons. I've been to Salt Lake City. Denver. Santa Fe. Austin. San Antonio. And more places I can't remember right now. I've never once felt that hunger that I felt in Portland.

I felt whole again. And I began to suspect that it wasn't my job, or some kind of "depression." It was Texas. That's been the common denominator through good times and bad. Texas.

I started to realize why this feeling never appeared in any other vacations I went on. What was different about Portland? Hawaii, Alaska, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons easily match the natural awe and beauty in their own ways. So why Portland?

Why indeed. Hawaii, gorgeous... but far too expensive. Alaska, also gorgeous, but as much as I like colder weather... it's even too cold for me. Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons you can't realistically live there.

And then there's Portland. It has the natural beauty. Hell, it very much reminded me, vividly, of Hawaii. But it has something else. It has a realistic cost of living expectation. For the first time in all the places I've been on vacation I truly felt like I could live here.

That was the key, I thought. The idea that I could enjoy a life there. That I could finally be creative again, because even the city was inspiring. I felt more alive in that week than I have in the past decade. And as if to hammer the point home, the instant we landed in LAX on our connecting flight back to Dallas... it was gone. That feeling. The buzz. The hunger. A sadness settled in.

I've been back from Portland now for just over a month. It's all I can think about. It's felt like I've been back a month for each week. It's not just my creative desire that's gone now. It's my desire to do anything. I've settled full force into a malaise.

I was keeping notes everyday. I was using my phone and keeping SMS drafts, as that seemed easier than needing to carry around a notepad. On the last day, as we were sitting in LAX waiting on our connecting flight, I was tapping in my thoughts when the predictive text on my phone made an astute observation:

Day 8:
Back to Dallas.
Dread.
Dallas is no longer good.

I was intending to type "home", but it certainly works either way.

I'm going to stop for now, as this is running on quite long enough. But I will be writing about Portland soon. Pictures and stuff. I just keep procrastinating. It's what I do. One final thought:

What can I say about Portland? It's home.

Portland bound!

2008-08-26T02:28:00.001-05:00

So, I have to be up in 4 hours, because the flight is in 6 hours. Fun stuff.

Pictures, and video (maybe. Probably. But maybe) to come.

I really can't begin to express how excited I am about this trip. I went to Hawaii last year, and I wasn't this excited. What's wrong with me?

Or maybe that's the wrong question. Maybe the question should be how awesome is Portland?

I plan on finding out.

Do you blog? Do you use Firefox? Well, come right on in!

2008-08-17T02:57:00.001-05:00

By happenstance, I just found a cool fracking Firefox extension called ScribeFire.

You just install it, give it the link and login to your blog(s), and you're ready to go.

It has built-in options to post pictures from your computer, from the web, or from a Flickr search, or post videos from a YouTube search. It's got a full suite of word processing tools, with keyboard shortcuts (like ctrl-i (or cmd-i on a Mac) for making italic text, ctrl/cmd-b for bold, etc.), lists, alignment options, font control, special characters, etc.

You can set it up to manage multiple blogs if you have them, and it shows all your entries for them. You can manage tags/keywords, even modify the time/date that you posted (I like that for when I convert old LiveJournal or MySpace entries, I can modify them to when I originally posted them).

A while back, I was looking for an editor, to avoid the ... while useful, not exactly convenient ... blogger web interface. I played around with Ecto and MarsEdit, but both cost money (which I'm not against, per-se, but for something like this, anything over $10 is too much, in my opinion), and Ecto, the cheaper one ($18), has some quirky formatting that it throws into posts. MarsEdit was looking to be perfect, save for the $30 price tag.

Then I come across ScribeFire. It has almost everything MarsEdit offers (MarsEdit's Flickr images actually pull up your own photos, rather than a general search of all Flickr users. But you can use the links Flickr provides, and ScribeFire's generic image insert for an image on the web) at a very reasonable price. $0. Whodathunk?!

Maybe this will get me posting a little bit more often.

[Updated] Biased judging at the olympics?

2008-08-13T00:54:00.001-05:00

I'm calling foul.

There was some speculation during qualifying, but now after watching the women's finals in gymnastics... definitely.

4 rounds of competition.

After round 1, the US team is up by .2 over China.

Round 2, the US team averaged a 15.99 score, with one girl getting the highest score recorded at the olympics this year, of 16.9

Here's where the bias comes in. After round 2, the US is down 1.25 points.

Now, for China to jump 1.3 points, would mean they would have to have averaged 17.3 ... and the first girl got a 15.975, a break to swimming (one of the most incredible 800m relays in history... shattered the world record by 5 seconds!) meant we didn't see the other two girls' scores. But we know neither got higher than 16.9.

So I ask, how exactly does the math work out, when they don't even break a 17 score, that they somehow manage to come out with a 17.3 average score to jump 1.25 points ahead of the US team?

Bias.

Chinese women's gymnastics has never received gold in the olympics. Ever. Until now, and conveniently they're on home turf. Sound fishy? Oh most definitely.

Update 08.15.2008

I think Autumn figured it out. Apparently the average score doesn't matter, that's just the NBC commentators mucking things up.

So it sorta works out, but I still find it a bit fishy. Watched the all-around women's gymnastic finals tonight, and damned if the Chinese weren't getting favorable scores. The US girls won, but had to fight hard for it... in each event they were far better than the Chinese girls (even the commentators were saying their scores were way too low for their performances), and after 4 rounds just managed to squeak by with a .6 lead over the Chinese.

One US girl got deducted a full .5 on the uneven bars, because she supposedly didn't do a full handstand. But when one of the Chinese girls FALLS on her landing in the vault... only a .1 deduction. Step across the line with 1 foot, is .1, both feet is .3, land outside the line is .5... but fall on your ass? meh! .1

Ridiculous.

Nicole Atkins - The Way It Is

2008-06-18T01:27:00.006-05:00

Oh my.

Ok, seriously. I've posted this 4 freaking times, and every time it works then suddenly it's no longer available. So now I'm forced to post a clip with crap audio, rather than the actual music video.

Thanks RIAA. You're awesome.

SMU fratboys can eat a cock.

2008-06-13T00:57:00.002-05:00

I don't remember getting old.

Last weekend me and Autumn caught a show at the House of Blues. Initially we thought it was just this band, Zoso, a Led Zeppelin tribute band. To our surprise and delight, another band was opening for them. Appetite for Destruction, a Guns 'N Roses tribute band.

Awesome, awesome show. If a little on the loud side. I know, I know, "If it's too loud, you're too old!" I'm hip. I'm down. But holy shit, when it's so loud as to make you go dizzy, it's a tad too loud. I will definitely catch them again, if they ever come back to Dallas.

But I've come to the conclusion that I can't fully enjoy concerts anymore. As bad as I want to go to them, I simply cannot stand the douchebaggery. If the music wasn't so good, I'd have been kicked out of the place. I was far too close to pounding some little fratboy dicks face in. They were the worst offenders. Trying to squeeze 10 people into the space that was marginally comfortable for 1. Starting some lame, half-assed mosh pit. Drunk off their asses, and hopping up and down, landing on people around them.

After one of them landed on Autumn, I started holding my arm up as a barrier to give us some space. Douchebag would migrate off for a while, and I'd put my arm down. As he'd come back, I'd raise my arm again. Quickly tiring of this game, the next time he came close, I shot my arm out with some force and a clenched fist. I'm pretty sure I punched him in the kidney.

Oh he bowed up for a little while. We shouted back and forth a few times, and it was quickly understood that he wasn't getting any support from his friends. In fact, some of them looked like they were tired of his shit too. The ones that weren't completely bombed.

Then there was the greaseball in the red shirt, and his whore girlfriend. And the near endless stream of trannies that all knew him and just had to be near him. One was obviously a man, the other's at least passed as females upon quick glance. I'm pretty sure not a single one of them actually was a female though. Security had to step in before an all out cat fight broke out between one of the trannies and the woman next to me.

Not including me and Autumn, there were about 6 other people that kept the concert sane. We all even actively walled up and blocked people from squeezing their way in.

To all the cutters: Fuck you! You want up front? Get your lazy ass here earlier. You paid? Good for you. So did I. Oh, you just want to take a picture with your phone? Well hold that bad boy up like everyone else, because you're sure as hell aren't going to weasel your way past me.

BMW GINA Light Visionary Model Concept Car

2008-06-12T09:50:00.001-05:00

Slick. Freaking cool. Do want!

But I can't be the only one that got a little chuckle when the hood opens. Perhaps 'gina' isn't the best name? :)

Ready, set, shuffle!

2008-02-17T15:56:00.002-06:00

Grabbing this one from Autumn. After updating the soundtrack of my life, I remembered a post she did a while back that was similar.

Now it's time for a confession, so hit Shuffle, and then post the first five songs that come up. Think of it as a music swap. And no cheating!

Here's mine:
Never Going Back Again - Fleetwood Mac
Sending a Dream into the Universe - Nobuo Uematsu
Under Pressure - David Bowie
Fight Fire With Fire - Apocalyptica
Taxman - Stevie Ray Vaughan

Your turn!

The Soundtrack of My Life (2008 edition)

2008-02-17T15:38:00.001-06:00

Opening Credits:
The Number Of The Beast - Iron Maiden

Waking Up:
Restless - Within Temptation

Falling In Love:
Strutter - Kiss

Fight Scene:
Joker & The Thief - Wolfmother

Breaking Up:
I will survive - Cake

Make-up:
Independent+ - Ayumi Hamasaki

Secret Love:
Un Fantasma Tra Noi (A Ghost Between Us) - Lacuna Coil

Life's Okay:
Tribute - Tenacious D

Mental Breakdown:
Buried in Your Black Heart - Burden Brothers

Driving:
Great Purification - Corrosion of Conformity

Flashbacks:
The Call Of The Ktulu - Metallica

Happy Dance:
RPM - Sugar Ray

Regretting:
Rumble Strip - Reverend Horton Heat

Long Night Alone:
Count Brakula - Space Ghost

Final Battle:
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin

Ending Credits:
Good Night From Chicago - Burden Brothers

So, here's how it works:

Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, etc).
Put it on shuffle, Press play.
For every question list the song & artist that's playing.
When you go to a new question press the next button.

My original one from 2006 can be found here.

Your turn! No cheating!

Testing out a couple editors

2008-02-06T02:55:00.001-06:00

I've grabbed ecto and MarsEdit to test out. I know I should update more, and I'm hoping not being tied to the web interface will help with that.

That being said, currently some quirks I've had with ecto ... it loves adding a paragraph tag, and I can't seem to get rid of it without manually editing the HTML, and that's just not something I want to jack with any time I create or edit a post.

Unfortunately MarsEdit costs almost twice as much. And I've looked for "discounts" on these apps, but not having much luck.

Then there was an incident where ecto was adding about a hojillion line breaks every time I published. That's no good. But I've figured out that problem, and it's fixed now at least.

Tentatively I'll be converting my LiveJournal entries... perhaps even MySpace (the few I've made there, that is). Tentatively. Which probably means I'll convert a few and say "Fuck it!" and quit. But we'll see. I did it once before when I ran my own website. Historical precedent FTW! Go ahead and add my entries from my own website to that list of maybe, as well.

I guess we'll see how it goes.

Merry frackin' Christmas!

2007-12-27T20:16:00.000-06:00

Another one's finally come and gone. I swore to myself that this year I would keep it all online. No stores.

And then Amazon screwed me over with their promise of free shipping, and items arriving on or before the 24th if ordered by a certain date (which my order was placed days before the cutoff). They hide the fact that that guarantee only exists for items coming directly from Amazon. Yet almost everything they sell, is not from Amazon, but other vendors.

BAH!

Yeah, it's partially my fault for procrastinating. Doesn't make me any less bitter about it though. That meant that more than half of my order wouldn't make it until after xmas... some of it wouldn't even ship until after the first of the year. So I had to dump more than half the cart, and scramble to the local stores and find reasonable equivalents.

But I got it done. All went fairly well. And xmas itself proved most bountiful. I make a list every year, I have since I was a kid, so it's kind of my thing. And in later years, I find it harder and harder to figure out what people want. They've usually already bought it themselves.

I got thanked this year, for having a list. I'm apparently not the only one finding it difficult to figure out what people want. I got a lot of stuff I had on my list, some of it rather surprising because I know how much the stuff costs. I also got stuff that wasn't on my list, and that's awesome! It's like being a kid again on xmas morning. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to keep doing my list, but damn if I don't like that rush of opening a gift and not having any idea what to expect.

Thank God I'm out of this apartment in a few months. I'm SO running out of room, it's not even remotely funny. MUST FIND A HOUSE!

update 11pm: The bounty!

I'm typing this on my new Apple wireless keyboard. This thing rocks. MEGA tiny, and thin, and just a bundle of awesome. Sits pretty next to my new Logitech MX Revolution mouse.

See, when I make my list I go balls out, and put on outrageous stuff that I know is WAY too expensive, but I always think "Hey, if you never ask..." Case in point, the keyboard and mouse I received. Though they were on my list, it was still an amazing shock actually opening them, because I know how much they are, and they were only on the list as wishful thinking.

I also got a Kodak EasyShare 5300 printer. And the "holy shits" keep coming. It's a printer/scanner combo, and the ink cartidges are half or less the price of the ones I've been having to buy for my HP printer (which is on it's last legs anyway, and I was needing a new printer soon).

I got some stuff for my camera, a mini tri-pod, an extra battery pack, more memory, and a case to hold memory cards so they're not flying free inside my camera bag.

Games are always welcome, and I got plenty to keep me occupied for some time to come.

But like I said earlier, it's the off-list stuff that really sticks out.

A japanese table set, with embroidered napkins and place mats, and chop sticks. An oriental style cabinet/end table. A couple rotary tool sets (was going to say dremel, but they're not dremel brand), which I've been meaning to get for myself, for years but never do. Now suddenly I've got two! A wine set with a thermometer, foil cutter, cork screw, and extra corks. A set of etched wine glasses. A pocket flask (something else I've been meaning to pick up but never do). A new xmas decoration... that makes 2 now, I'll soon be rolling in them!

And finally one thing I can't WAIT to get started using! It's a stove-top pop-corn popper... but I won't be using it for pop-corn. Oh no. With it came a book on roasting your own coffee. That's right... roasting my own coffee! Words cannot adequately describe how insanely awesome and exciting the thought alone is. I started grinding my coffee a little over a year ago, and it really is indescribable how much fresher coffee tastes by doing that. The next logical step has been the ultimate in freshness, roasting. It wasn't until the past few months that I learned things like air poppers and stove-top pop-corn poppers could be used, instead of the $1000+ home roasting machines. I am ridiculously excited!

My favorite gift to give was a set of Guinness pub glasses. After Amazon screwed me, it became my personal mission to make sure, if I got nothing else, that I would get these glasses. Her reaction was priceless and made the effort well worth it.

Alien vs predator : Shower

2007-11-30T19:09:00.001-06:00

Too goddamn hilarious for words. You watch now!

Goddamn my gadget lust

2007-09-11T23:27:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday Apple announced the refresh of their iPod line. To be expected, certainly. And what I completely expected, but apparently some did not, was the announcement of the iPod Touch. Or as I put it: "the iPhone, minus the 'Phone'".

I called that the moment the iPhone was announced back in January, but people thought that would be crazy. They'd never do that for an iPod! Just doesn't make sense to have internet browsing, or gps/maps, or email, or blah blah blah on a music player!

And now, it's happened. Though sans the Google Maps app for some odd reason (but you can still access the mobile version by going to their mobile website, in case they never get around to adding the native app). And granted, I fully expected the camera to make it as well, so needless to say just a slight disappointment.

I was moments away from placing my pre-order as I watched the keynote. $299 - $399 is far more reasonable for near-iPhone capability. So of course, imagine my utter dumbfoundedness (yes, it's a word. Trust me) as I continued watching the keynote, and Steve Jobs announces a $200 drop in price on the iPhone. Bringing it to $399.

Aw SHIT! Now I'm torn.

And I've not been able to make a decision all week. Do I want the iPhone and be chained to an exorbitant data plan for the next 2 years? Or do I say "to hell with it!" and get the iPod Touch, keep my EX-Z75 for the quickie pics, and be content?

Honestly, I don't know that the iPhone would even be in the running right now, if it weren't for my current phone. It routinely doesn't ring when someone calls. Sometimes messages take a week or more to show up. Leading, of course, to many "dude, why didn't you call me back?!" moments. Of course, it's been dropped a few times more than I care to admit. And I think it even got a bath once at some point in the 4 years that I've had it. But still, it's a piece of shit. And I'm in need of a new one something fierce.

So it's been either iPhone + 2 years of servitude, or iPod Touch + Moto RAZR V3xx (+2 year contract renewal, but at least I'm not forced into using a data plan). Fracking sweet ass phone/iPod/video player/mobile internet device ... or fracking sweet ass iPod/video player/mobile internet device and an ok but completely unexciting phone.

And then today, to add more agonizing fuel to my A.D.D. riddled raging inferno of internal dialog, someone posted steps on how to unlock the iPhone. Great news for people not with AT&T, or people (like me) who are with AT&T, but don't want to be forced into servitude for the privilege of using a ~~$600~~$400 phone.

Unless I'm misunderstanding something, I can go to an Apple Store, buy an iPhone, unlock it, and then be using it on my current plan.

If that's the case, I think I just settled my own debate.

I think there's something wrong with me

2007-08-30T22:27:00.000-05:00

I just spent the last 4 hours at Fry's.

For a spotlight.

Serious.

I have a problem with Fry's, and to a lesser extent Best Buy. My problem is that unless I go in knowing exactly what I want, and where it is, I wander. I browse. I peruse. And I take my sweet fucking time doing it too.

Today I went in, right after work, at about 4:30. I went in knowing I wanted to find some lighting solution for photography. I wasn't looking for a flash, but rather a fill light. I went to the isle with all their lights. Flashlights, spot lights, work lights, lanterns... pretty much any light you can think of.

Except the one I need.

So I figured since I was already there, I might as well head over to the tripods. I've been debating on a few different mini tripods that I like, as well as a couple monopods. I know I could go to Wolf Camera, but their in-store selection is pretty dismal. And I like to actually see, and hold what I'm looking at. So that kinda makes online shopping useless for anything that I want to evaluate before purchase.

Of course, after 10 minutes of indecision with the tripods, I started browsing their HD video cameras. There goes another 30 minutes. And finally as I'm getting ready to leave, I catch a glimpse of a book called Digital Photography Hacks. Eh, what the hell? I'll take a look.

I read through the whole thing.

Oh, not word for word, certainly. But I was standing there a good two hours (this is after I'd already been there an hour, you see). There wasn't a whole lot worthwhile to me personally, as most of it I already know. But one interesting tidbit I pulled from it was using sunglasses as a polarizing filter. Never would've thought about that. For the quickie shots I still take with my Casio EX-Z75 which doesn't have any way to attach things to the lens, that'll come in handy.

After that I stopped by the Apple section to check out the sexy new iMac's. Kinda irks me that I didn't wait 3 months, and went ahead with the all white one. But meh, the only real change was the appearance, otherwise, same processors, and they didn't add any larger screen configurations (I already went with the 24". Had they announced a 30", I think I'd have to punch someone in the face.)

Then finally on the way out, I stopped by for one last look over the lights to see if maybe something could work. I went back and forth between spotlights, flood lights, lanterns... ones with batteries, rechargable ones, ones with halogen bulbs, others with xenon, and still others with LED's.

I picked up a couple cheap spotlights that use those giant 6v batteries. They were $6 each, and included the battery. I figured if they didn't work, it was only $12. But then I thought, if they do work, and I'll need to buy batteries, I should check the prices on the 6v batteries. $4 - $8. Not too terrible, but for as much as I think I'll be using them, probably not worth it. So I put the spotlights back, and went back to agonizing over the selection again.

For the rest of the next hour.

4 hours! WTF is wrong with me?!

I finally ended up walking out with a Coleman 1 million candle power halogen spotlight. I figure it'll be good to have when I'm out trekking around at night. And if it works out well enough for photography (I've got diffusion sheets that I'll be using, of course), all the better.

Obscured by Clouds

2007-08-28T21:17:00.000-05:00

So I got up this morning, around 4:30 to catch the Lunar Eclipse.

It was pretty much a bust. All I got to see was the tail end of the penumbral shadow, before reaching totality. By the time the moon was fully in the earth's shadow, it had sunk far too low on the horizon, and was obscured by clouds and light pollution, leaving just the faintest blurry glow behind the clouds.

By that time, it was 6 am. Now normally I try not to get up before 7. Usually around 7:30. But hell, it takes me a good hour to get to sleep in the first place, nevermind getting back to sleep. So I opted to just stay awake.

I chose poorly.

I can't remember a time when I've been that tired at work. Shit. I might as well have not slept at all!

Why, god, must I do these damn surveys?!

2006-08-25T18:57:00.000-05:00

Random things you probably never needed to know about me

whats your name spelt backwards?:
Yaj, or Ymerej

What did you do last night?:
Watched Back To The Future III

The last thing you downloaded onto your computer?:
SimplyMEPIS 6. I'm flirting with Linux again, and trying out different distributions.

Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery?:
Nah, I was never stupid enough to fall for it.

Last time you swam in a pool?:
Sometime last year. Which is kinda sad.

What are you wearing?:
Shorts (that seems to be a common theme... for me)

How many cars have you owned?:
5

Type of music you DISlike most?:
Country and Rap. I'm not totally opposed to them, but given a choice I'd choose to listen to something else.

Are you registered to vote?:
Yeah, but don't really see the point when the elections are rigged anyway.

What kind of computer do you use?:
Dell Inspiron 9300 laptop, and a little cube media server I frankensteined together.

Ever made a prank phone call?:
I used to in Middle School sometimes.

You like anyone right now?:
Aye

Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?:
Totally. Both are on the list of things to do before I die.

Furthest place you ever traveled?:
Hawaii

What's your favorite comic strip?:
I could take the easy out and say Penny Arcade, but I'm gonna have to go with Real Life Comics. And I've always dug Garfield.

Do u know all the words to the national anthem?:
Yessah massah.

Showers in the morning or at night?:
Both most of the time.

Best movie you've seen in the past month?:
Miami Vice

Favorite pizza toppings?
Pepperoni and real Italian Sausage (not that shit the chains usually try to pass off as italian sausage). Pepperoni and Grilled Chicken kinda rules too.

Chips or popcorn?:
Popcorn is so much better, but so less convenient.

What cell phone provider do you have?:
Cingular

Have you ever smoked peanut shells?:
...?! I can't say that I have.

Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?:
LIKE OHMIGAWD!

Orange Juice or apple?:
Orange, with lots of pulp. Nothing better.

Who were the last people you sat at lunch with?:
Had lunch with some of the guys from work yesterday.

favorite chocolate bar?:
Hmm... Symphony Dark is pretty special.

Who is your longest friend and how long?:
Ralph by a hair over Joe, I've known 'em both for a good 14 or so years now.

[edit] Joe pointed out to me that I actually met him a couple years earlier than Ralph. But we didn't start hanging out until after I'd met Ralph.

Last time you ate a homegrown tomato?:
I don't think I ever have, nor will I. I hate tomato's, home grown or otherwise.

Have you ever won a trophy?:
I've got some little league baseball and soccer trophies from when I was a kid, and a bowling trophy from middle school I think.

Favorite arcade game?:
I wasn't much a fan of arcades, but I did get down with some Street Fighter II in my day.

Ever ordered from an infomercial?:
Nope, but I get sucked into them all the time. Usually out of disbelief.

Sprite or 7-UP?:
Used to be Sprite, but I gotta give the nod to 7-up now. The new "all natural" 7-up kicks pretty much all clear sodapop ass.

Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work?:
I had to wear a uniform for the 2 days I worked at a Sonic, and also for the 8 months or so I worked at Blockbuster Video.

Last thing you bought at Walgreens?:
Some cough drops and 'tussin. This past winter I got a runny nose that I neglected and it turned into a huge upper resperatory ordeal for a couple months.

Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love?:
I'd like to go for double or nothing.

Do you believe in love at first sight?:
Gonna go with "no, until proven otherwise". Lust, however, most definitely.

SPONGEBOB OR JIMMY NEUTRON?:
Road Runner & Wylie Coyote

Did you have long hair as a young kid?:
As a young kid, no. I did as a teen and early 20's though.

Where were you this time yesturday?:
Don't really remember. I was probably here catching up on email after work or something.

[edit] Am I the only one that had to doubletake on this, and initially read it as "yes turd, ay?"

Where would you like to go right now?:
I could stand another trip to Alaska.

Whats the name of your pet?:
Harley, and Shadow.

What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it?:
Don't have a backpack. I'll load down a duffle bag with stuff I wanna take with me though.

What do you think about most?:
I think about a lot of things.

School Daze

2006-08-25T18:10:00.000-05:00

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of HIGH SCHOOL! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be.

1. Who was your best friend?
Joe and Ralph

2. What sports did you play?
Football coach always wanted me on the team, but I was never interested.

3. What kind of car did you drive?:
The Brown Beast! A '79 Olds Cutlass Supreme

4. It's Friday night, where were you at?
Movies usually.

5. Were you a party animal?
Not really. I went to parties and stuff on occasion, but wasn't something I looked forward to on any regular basis.

6. Were you considered a flirt?
Nah. I was kind of a weird kid. I flirted, but I wouldn't say I was considered a flirt.

7. Ever skip school?
Certainly

9. Were you a nerd?
Nerd, no. Geek, definitely.

10. Did you ever get suspended/expelled?
I did a couple times. Well, one was in middle school, so I guess that doesn't count here. But yeah, once for having a homemade katana in the back of my car. It was for a project for one of my classes, and I just never took it out, until a cop taking the drug sniffing dog around the parking lot happened to catch a glimpse of it. I was give 3 days out-of-school suspension, and told if I even set foot on school property during that time, I would be arrested. It was awseome.

11. Can you sing the Alma mater?
HAHAHAHAHA

Riiight.

12. Who was your favorite teacher?
Mr. Baker, Computer Science, or Mrs. Biggs, Art

13. Favorite class?
Uh... Computer Science or Art

14. What was your school's full name?:
Allen High School

15. School mascot?:
"Tuffy the Eagle."

I'm glad Joe remembered the name, cause I sure as fuck didn't.

16. Did you go to Prom, with who?
I can't even remember the name of the chick I went with. She was way uptight, though I guess it shouldn't have surprised me, once I learned she lived on the snobby side of Allen.

17. Did you have a job your senior year?:
I worked at Blockbuster Video for most of the year.

18. Who did you like?
I had a thing for this girl named Stephanie... can't remember he last name now though. She was way out of my league, but was always nice and we got along well. She had something liek 3 sisters, all varying ages, but they all looked the SAME. And now it's either her, or one of her sisters that's on the background of the Apple Orthodontics commercials... but it's a picture from basically our senior year, or hers. She was a year before me.

29. What did you do after graduation?
I think that was the first weekend I started dating Emily, and we were at her house making out with Ace Ventura 2 on in the background. Oh yeah! I am so the king of romance!

20. Who was your celebrity crush?
"Man... back in '96? Hell, I dunno. Probably Shannon Elizabeth... Showgirls came out around then." ... do ya mean Elizabeth Berkley, Joe? :p

I've always had a thing for Cindy Crawford, since I was like 12.

21. When did you graduate?
1996

Shhhhh... it's a secret!

2006-08-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

30 Secrets & Unknown Facts About Me

1. What does your MySpace headline mean?
I dunno, just something I made up a while back, that kinda stuck with me.

2. Elaborate on your default photo:
Me + dreds. What more is there to elaborate?

3. Who was the last person to make you smile?
Autumn. Was over at her place this past weekend and she started doing these bunny hop spinning things. I found it quite amusing. It's one of the few things I remember in my drunken haze following Snakes on a Plane.

4. What's your current relationship status?
Single pride! (I'm raising my fist in the air in defiance. Ya rly.)

5. What EXACTLY are you wearing right now?
Some shorts. Yeah, that's about it.

6. What is your current problem?
To be, or not to be?

7. What do you love most?
I love lamp.

8. What makes you most happy?
Spending time with friends, and making people laugh.

9. Do you think someone from the same sex likes you?
None that I'm aware of. If there are, I'm kinda oblivious to it, cause it's not something I would normally look out for.

10. If you could go back in time, and change something, what would u change?
You think about things like making key stock investments, or lottery numbers, or shit like that... but the consequences of even the smallest change can prove disasterous, so I'd probably not change anything.

11. If you MUST be an animal for ONE day, what would you be?
A wolf. But only if I can be a furry and have a huge throbbing co... uhh nevermind.

12. Ever have a near death experience?
A couple.

13. What did you do last night?
Had dinner with my dad. Mom usually goes to a movie or something with some of the neighbors on Wednesdays, so me, my dad, and my dog will usually go grab a bite to eat.

14. What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head?
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out. Got hooked on it via Guitar Hero, and went and picked up their album yesterday.

15. Last thing you ate?
Some left-over chicken strips from lunch yesterday.

16. Name someone with the same b-day as you?
June Carter-Cash. That's like... 1 degree of seperation from Johnny Cash. That kinda rules.

17. Have you ever vandalized someone's private property?
Yep, and got great pleasure from it.

18. Have you ever been in a fight?
A few.

19. Have you ever sang in front of a large audience?
Large, no. I don't sing alone, but also not for large audiences. And only when I'm either drunk, or just being goofy.

20. What are you doing tonight?
Probably going to finish watching the Back To The Future trilogy, and get some sleep. Gotta rest up for the last day before the weekend.

21. What do you usually order from Starbucks?
I don't do Starbucks. I'd do Starbuck from the new Battlestar Galactica series, though.

22. Do you have a crush on anybody?
Yeah, you could call it that I suppose.

23. Ever had a drunken night in Mexico?
Nope, but a drunken night on the riverwalk in San Antonio, I have.

24. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
People confuse me with Ghandi all the time.

25. Do you still watch kiddy movies or TV show?
Of course! I've got all the original Transformers episodes on DVD, and some choice Disney flicks, and The Dark Crystal, The Secret of Nimh, etc. I'm a total kid at heart.

26. Did you have braces?
Metal mouth? No thanks.

27. are you comfortable with your height?
Yeah. I used to think I was way taller than everyone else, in like 4th grade, but by high school I met some people that dwarfed me, so I didn't feel so awkward.

28. When was the last time you spent the night somewhere?
Last night in my apartment?

29. Do you speak any other languages?
Hai, si, oui, ya

Not really, no. I'd like to learn latin cause it kinda covers everything from spanish to italian, even some similarities to french, and I'd also like to learn japanese.

30. Whats your favorite smell?
Mint gets my going.

Fill out and repost as My Secrets!!
Be Honest!!

Tipping is not a city in China

2006-08-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

[ RANT ON ... a 5am stream of consciousness to follow ... you have been warned. ]

I subscribe to a number of forums, ranging on various topics and interests. It's all really just a way to pass the time on occasion. Gives me a way to get things off my chest at times. But really, I don't get so passionate about topics.... because of the nature. It's annonymity, both on my end, and theirs.

It just doesn't make any sense to get worked up over something someone says on the intarweb.

But there's one topic (well, I thought only one...) that I do get passionate about, and that's religion and/or philosophy. I get to the point where if I see a thread that even hints at it being something on theology, I actively avoid it, simply becasue ... it just doesn't seem worth the energy, to really hold a debate online.

But if I get suckered in, I'm hooked, like a junky pining for his next fix... I'll refresh that fucking thread every 10 minutes, just waiting for someone to respond.

I'm ... totally, completely, insanely retarded.

So that leads me to the topic of this blog. Really.

One one of these forums, I'm actively involved in what's called the "Theology Corner". I've been a member of this place since almost the beginning, it's a local sports car enthusiasts website. Back then, it was just shooting the shit about cars, and racing, and hanging out, and other random stuff.

But eventually, threads started popping up occasionally, of a religious nature. And of course, you had your opposing forces eternally duking it out with each other. It slowly became apparent that there was enough interest in this subject, and so was created the Theology Corner, given it's own section.

Way early on, it was the Christians, and me. One would think I was a lamb in the midst of a pack of wolves, but I held my ground, and though they may not agree with me, they at least respected my views. It was quite nice, to say the least. It was a private forum, so all the dickheads in the main areas couldn't swamp the place with bullshit. Then it morphed into various levels of curiosity from new people expressing interest. Questions about various religions started coming up, and eventually more heathens were accepted in to keep me company I suppose :)

Anyway, time went on, as more got involved, the conversations turned into various aspects of life and philosophy, and religion, and just general engaging conversation. We became actual friends through this, and because everyone was local, we even occasionally got together for dinner or just hang out and have a few drinks, and watch the game or something.

That all changed a couple of years ago, though. The moderator, and a friend of mine, became less and less involved with the Corner. I'm not entirely sure why, and I even offered to take over as moderator for him, if he wasn't comfortable with the responsibility. But instead, he opted to open the section to the public. Anyone and everyone could post.

The initial surge almost killed the Corner. For almost a year, not a single new topic had been brought up. The douchebags carpet bombed, and left.

Here lately though, things are starting to pick up steam again. But now we have a new wave. Gone is the comraderie we once had, and topics get pretty heated because of it. And I'm proud to say, I've run off a few holier than thou's. Once their shear stupidity is exposed, they turn tail and are never heard from again. Some hang on longer than others, thinking the use of big smart sounding words will impress people, and put us heathens in our place.

But I miss the way it was.

A topic was brought up recently, this guy was recalling a recent dealing with a church. He attends college, and works as a pizza delivery driver, and on this particular occasion, he was delivering pizzas to a church, and the woman came out to him, and gave him the money, and said that she was instructed not to tip by other members of the church.

So this has sparked a flurry of comments, on the ethics of tipping. And for the most part, everyone is in agreement that tips are paid, when the tips are earned.

Except for one person.

"I don't tip at home. Pizza Hut has a delivery charge. It makes it easy to just pay the one single price."

Now, a few years back, I took on a pizza delivery job after the computer industry crashed and I got laid off. It was either that, or default on my bills. I like to think I was raised better than that. So I understand what tips mean, and it's specifically because of that experience, that I tip well. I've always tipped, don't get me wrong, but now I tip above and beyond the "minimum"... unless the service is just terrible.

This person, has been informed by me, and the initial topic starter, that the delivery charge does not, in fact, go to the driver. And even if it did, a $1 tip on a $20 order is hardly fair compensation.

The can of worms was opened, however, when I also informed this douche that drivers remember the people that don't tip. And I warned him that repeated infractions could result in him getting more with his pizza than he was expecting.

He took that as a threat. As did one other, and we sniped back and forth for a few days on the subject, but have since come to a mutual understanding, and are now in agreement with each other.

But the initial douche... he's gone way off the deep end. Daring drivers to tamper with his pizza, and he'll sue. Naturally we all got a kick out of his baseless threats. What's he gonna do, drive every pizza he gets delivered to some place that does DNA testing? Please.

He then moves to luminol. Now, some of you may be familiar with this stuff, and some may not. But, suffice it to say, it's what crime scene investigators use to illuminate hidden blood stains that are invisible to the naked eye. It's a chemical that reacts to the iron in blood, and quite literally, glows a blueish green color. It also detects other things like saliva, and vegetable enzymes.

So naturally I got a hearty laugh at his expense, and informed him that the USDA has certain allowances for blood in milk... and of course, meat being meat, is probably going to have some trace amounts of blood as well. Then of course, the vegetable enzymes. Basically, every ingredient that goes into making a pizza, is as likely to trip the luminol as any saliva that finds it's way there.

Sure, the cooking process might destroy the blood cells, but it's not likely to destroy the iron, which is what causes the reaction in the first place.

He didn't respond for a few days. I thought that it seemed since his stupidity had been exposed, like the others, he'd turned tail and scampered off elsewhere. Not until yesterday (Friday, as it's still Saturday to me).

Apparently, in his absence, he found a distributor of luminol online, and had a test kit shipped to him (even provided a picture with his computer on the forum's website to prove it...). A $20 bottle, that's good for 4 applications. His theory is that he wants to see if just the ingredients will cause a reaction, or if the cooking process is enough, so that only when the pizza is tampered (ie: spit on) with, will the luminol glow.

He's willing to spend $20 on a test kit... 4 applications, 4 pizzas... $5 extra per pizza just to spray some shit on it and throw it away. But he won't give the driver $2-$3.

And beyond that insanity, let's say his theory is correct, and the cooked ingredients don't cause the glow. He has a problem still with recovering dna evidence to prove who did the tampering for his, no doubt, high profile lawsuit (at least in his little psychotic world). You see, the "test" kit he bought, is for training purposes. It's cheap, so that new investigators can be trained in how to use it, without wasting the good stuff. It does everything it's supposed to, sure. It'll glow just like the good stuff... but, the reason it's only for testing/training, is because it doesn't contain any of the inhibitors of the good stuff. It competely destroy's any dna evidence, where as the good stuff doesn't.

So let's assume his theory is correct, and naturally I had to inform him that what he has will destroy any dna evidence, so he'll need to get the good stuff if he really wants to persue this course of action. At $75 for the same 4 applications... that's $18.75 per pizza. But he's not willing to give the driver $2-$3.

It just baffles my mind, that someone can actually be so insane as to think this is logical... even worthwhile. Oh yeah... and he's currently on unemployment. SHOCKER! If there's a God, I pray to you now. Karma-bomb this jackass. No job for him, after his unemployment's up... make him have to go through that decision... delivery job (or anything that relies on tips, really), or lose the car, the house, and whatever other toys you don't explicitly own...

Now, the odds of a driver actually tampering with a customer's food is miniscule. Most are adults (most places require their drivers to be at least 18), and have matured enough to understand the consequences of their actions. But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Some people are just willing to take the risk.

Yes, drivers remember the non-tippers. They remember the good tippers as well. And service is delegated on that knowledge. The non-tippers will more often than not, have their deliveries well beyond the hot & fresh stage, and into the luke-warm and hardening cheese stage. Or items will be deliberately left out of their order, sure the driver has to go back to the store and grab it, and back to the customer... screwing himself out of another delivery... but to some, it's worth it to make the non-tippers have to wait that much longer before they can enjoy their meal, which now will probably need to be nuked.

The good tippers get their orders delivered promptly, all items accounted for, and even have the little things like parmesean, or red pepper, or extra packets of sauce just incase. It's not much, but it's a way the drivers can show their appreciation to the good customers.

But I think what's most baffeling about this whole thing, is that there are actually people out there that honestly don't feel delivery drivers deserve tips. There's the natural waiter/driver comparison to be made. You tip your waiter for good service, correct? Why is the delivery driver any different? Other than the fundamental differences... those being that the delivery drivers have to pay for their gas, and any maintenance on their vehicle which is driven 100+ miles per shift... (unless it's a company vehicle, which most aren't... the sign on the top is just held on by magnets, and plugged into the cigarette lighter for power. If the vehicle isn't plastered with the company logo, it's a personal vehicle and the drivers pay all their expenses), there's really no difference between your pizza delivery dude, and your waiter at a restaurant.

Drivers take orders from customers, they help prepare the pizzas, they prepare sides, stock the refigerator, stock the drinks, prepare the dough, sweep and mop the floors, wash dishes... basically everything but the manager's duties. And on top of that, they also bring your food to your door.

Keep that in mind the next time you order a pizza. Don't be a dick. You might just find yourself in the unenviable position one day, of relying on tips.

[ RANT OFF ]

I ... think I'm in love ...

2006-08-15T04:19:00.000-05:00

Whatever it is, I've got this strong desire to hold her, be with her, play with her. Push all the right buttons, ya know? She's so sexy, and sleek ... like a cat.

She caught my eye a little over a year ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since. I even go to her website every now and then, just to see what's new in her world. She's so pretty, and strong, and easy to get along with. Everything just seems right with her... ya know?

I've kept this a secret for too long. It's time everyone knows about us.

And I wanted to announce it here first...

We're getting married!

I know! It's crazy isn't it?! Who would've thought, ME?! I couldn't help it... she just swept me off my feet. She's very disarming... she's just so friendly, and makes you feel comfortable, safe, secure... like you can do anything. And she does it all with a smile.

Now, we haven't set an exact date, but we're pretty sure it's going to be sometime this coming spring. The sooner the better, I say! But she want's to make sure everything is perfect... you know how they are about these things. Ah well, what can ya do?

My name is Jay, and I've been seduced by the dark side...

Grown up survey

2006-08-14T03:20:00.000-05:00

(Stolen from Joe)

Any teenager can write a survey about their favorite class or their secret crush or how nice their car is that their parents paid for. This is the survey for the older crowd.

1. Do you have a college degree?
AA in Computer Animation, Multimedia, and Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Dallas

2. What was the amount of your last electric bill?
I finally broke $60 this summer.

3. Do you have term life insurance?
Nay.

4. How many hours per week do you have to work?
Around 40-45. I've been known to work upwards of 70hrs a week though. That gets taxing.

5. Have you ever attended a Toastmasters event?
I have a toaster. And I love toast. Does that count?

6. Favorite place to attend Happy Hour?
Not really into that scene.

7. How many miles is your commute to work each day (one way)?
About 6 miles... we're about to move into a new building though. Gonna put me at about a quart mile from work. I'm so walking or riding a bike.

8. What time do you get up every morning?
I shoot for 7, but usually end up having to drag my ass outta bed at 7:30 to get ready for work. Which starts at 8. Oh yeah.

9. What is your definition of sleeping in late?
Depends on when I went to bed. Like, sleeping until 1 or 2pm isn't so bad, if I didn't get to bed until 8am. But now... get to bed at 10pm, and sleep until noon... that's just crossing the line.

10. Have you found any gray hairs?
A couple. But I found them years ago... like in high school. So I drowned them in long hair.

11. Do you check your cholesterol on a yearly basis?
Nope, but I've had it checked a couple times applying for health insurance when I wasn't working at a place that provided it, and it's all good.

12. How large was your first cellular phone?
I had an old ass Motorola flip-phone / brick. Seriously, you could do some damage with that beast.

13. Does your employer provide good health insurance?
Definitely. If I ever have a need to use it, it'll be reassuring, I think.

14. Did you use the internet to write a research paper back in high school or did you do it the old fashion way, with the little index cards that showed you how to find books on your topic, along with the encyclopedia, in the school library?
Well... up until about my Junior year, this whole intarweb thing was pretty ... obscure? So old fashioned was about the only choice I had. Senior year though... now that's a different story. F the dewy decimal system!

15. Have you ever heard of the internet sensation DrivinBrad or visited Drivinbrad.com?
You're not so clever viral marketing scheme to get me to you website has FAILED FOOL! Die in a fire.

16. Have you attended a high school reunion?
Not yet. First one's coming up this month. Christ I'm getting old.

17. How many jobs have you held in your professional career?
Professional? 1. In Toto? 9. 10 if you count freelancing.

18. Have you ever been fired or laid off from a job?
Once, after the computer/tech field crashed in late 2001 - 2002. Was laid off from a phonejockey support job for Dell computers. Ok pay, shit job, so I was glad for the release.

19. What is your favorite well drink?
Water.

20. What is the most expensive bottle of wine that you have in your residence?
I have a $5.49 1.75 liter bottle of some crap I picked up at the grocery store... it ain't for drinking though. When I do buy wine, I usually drink it... so it doesn't really get stored in my "residence".

21. Have you been divorced?
One time when I was at band camp... wait, what?

22. How old were you when you stopped getting IDed for alcohol/tobacco etc...?
17 ... and I never abused that knowledge...

23. Favorite casino?
They're all the same inside, so based on outward appearance, the Luxor rules.

24. Are you happier now than you were in high school?
Most definitely. I hated high school. Like really bad.

25. Did you ever have Hypercolor shirts?
Oh god... yes :( I think I was in 4th grade, and I had this orange Ocean Pacific shirt that would turn white from body heat.

26. Do you remember when Michael Jackson was black and attracted to older people?
My first concert ever was MJ's Thriller tour. I was 5, and sitting on my dad's shoulders. It was a pretty kick ass concert. After Moonwalker though... yeah, he went WAY off.

27. What music was in your cd / cassette player when you were 16?
Metallica, some White Zombie occasionally, and my buddy Ralph had this new band he wanted me to hear, called Dream Theater.

28. Favorite fancy / upscale restaurant?
Javiars ... it's like you died and went to heaven, and they serve mexican food.

29. How long has it been since you attended a kegger?
Never been to a kegger. I've floated one or two in my time though.

30. How many major wars have you lived through?
Two. In the same country. Just missed out on the Vietnam War by a couple years.

3 if you count the Cold War.

31. Where were you when you found out about 9-11?
Woke up to my phone ringing that morning. It was my mom, and she was freaking out telling me to turn on the news. I was working the night shift for Dell support, so I sat the rest of the day watching things unfold. It was surreal. And I remmber when I finally got to work that night... some douchebag was bitching at me because his replacement part hadn't arrived yet. That was the first time I ever cussed out a customer.

32. When's the last time you were at a 7-11?
Last Thursday. I try to avoid 'em, cause the bastards always double hit my card, and it's a pain in the ass getting it cleared up.

Random shite about me... I guess.

2006-08-14T02:31:00.000-05:00

1. Start Time: 7:00am ... sometimes 7:45. Ok most times 7:45.
2. Name: Jay
3. Nickname: Raven Dark Wolf, not a nickname per-se, it's my indian (Native American) name.
4. Astrology sign: Cancer on the cusp of Gemini
5. Gender: NOW I'M A MAN! YEAH! A MAN MAN MAN!
6. Hair color: Brownish Auburn
8. Eye color: Brown
10. Favorite color: I dig shades. Blacks, whites, greys. Throw a splash of red or blue or something in for flair, and we cool.
11. Glasses: Yeah... after like 12 years of not wearing anything. Had to get my liscense renewed.
13. tattoos: None yet, but someday I might get one of my own design.
14. hometown: Birth: Garland, Grew up: Lucas, but I will always consider San Antonio my home.
15. Single or taken: Single
16. Siblings names: I'm a spoiled ass only child.

******HAVE YOU EVER*****

17. Cut your own hair? I have...
18. Did something in the past month that you will regret? I don't believe in regret.
20. Skipped school? Oh yeah.
22. Bungee jumped? Not yet.
24. Punched someone? Absolutely.
25. Cheated on someone? Nope, but I've been cheated on.
26. Been arrested? Almost. Cops don't like it when you carry homemade samurai swords in your car to school...
27. Broken into someone's house? Not that I recall.
30. Been rejected? Shit happens, no reason to get hung up over it.
31. Been to a funeral? Yeah.
32. Used a lighter? ...?
33. Been on stage? Once.

*****FAVORITE*****
34. Season: Winter
35. Food: Italian or Mexican. Depends on the day.
36. Ice cream flavor: Mint Chocolate Chip
37. School subject(s): Art, Computer Science, Photo Journalism, and Phoenix (kind of a creative writing honors english class)
38. Candy: Dude... Kit Kat. NUMMY!
39. Breakfast cereal: Cheerio's for cereal, but I usually have oatmeal in the morning.
41. Book: I'm kinda partial to Michael Chriton's Jurassic Park
42. Movie: Oh... uhh... can I get back to you?
43. Song: Hmm... "One" by Metallica, "Home" by Dream Theater, "No Quarter" by Led Zeppelin, and "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash (and he did an awesome remake of "Hurt")
44. Park: Gonna have to go with Yellowstone. It was pure sensory overload.
45. State: My head's in Texas, but my heart's in Alaska and Hawaii.
46. Place: My bed.
47. ? ... ok.
50. ??? ... riiight.
51. Favorite fast food restaurant: Arby's... love's me some Chicken Bacon & Swiss. The new Chipotle Chicken is quite the good too.
52. Disney Princess: I was always a fan of Ariel. I think it has something to do with the movie "Splash".
53. TV station: I'd have to go with Discovery or History channel. I don't watch much TV.
54. Name for a son: Damien
55. Name for a daughter: Aliunira, but we'll call her Ally for short.

******DO YOU PREFER*****

56. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate FTW!
57. Alcoholic or non? Not a beer drinker, but alcoholic... non just feels like never getting to 2nd base. Not even a dry hump.
58. Long relationships or one night stands? No option for friends with benefits? BAH!
59. Dogs or cats? I love 'em both.
60. Scary movies or comedies? Comedies mostly, but if it's done well, I dig the occasional scary movie.
61. Short or long hair? I've tried both... I think I prefer long. Currently letting it grow back out again.
62. croutons or bacon bits? Croutons I guess. I like bread. And I like toast. Croutons are kinda like mini flavored toast bits, so that's kinda neat.

******FIRST THINGS THAT COME TO MIND******

64. Mexicans: Tequila... followed closely by Margaritas.
65. School: Torturing my Gemoetry teacher all through my Sophomore year... and then getting to do it again until she quit during Christmas Break of my Junior year in Computer Science.
67. Cows: Moo?
68. Canada: NIGERIA FALLS! What?
69. Mouse: Mickey
70. Hands: Fingers

*****THE PAST 3 DAYS, HAVE YOU*****

71. Talked on the phone? You're joking right?
72. Watched a movie?: A couple.
73. Cried? Nope.
74. Smoked? Had a few pretty spiffy hookahs this weekend.
75. Drank a glass of water? One or two. Dozen.
76. Done Drugs? I took some Beyer the other day, does that count?
77. Read a book or magazine? Nope.
78. Watched TV? I've turned my TV on, and watched movies... does that count?
79. Looked in the mirror? Yes, I'm totally narcissitic... can ya blame me?
80. Taken a shower? Please tell me nobody has answered "no" to this.
81. Taken a picture? Yep.
82. Listened to music? If there's ever a time I'm NOT listening to music... something's wrong.
83. Told someone you love them? Nope.

Q & A... aren't they all?

2006-08-14T02:08:00.000-05:00

Q: A friend whose name starts with 'C'
A: Do last names count? I used to know a Chris when I was a kid.

Q: 4th person on your missed calls?
A: Joe

Q: What did your last incoming text message say?
A: "You home yet?"

Q: Do u chew on ur straws?
A: No, and I'm a fan of "you" and "your"

Q: Do you have curly hair?
A: Only in my special place.

Q: What is the next concert you're going to?
A: Uh... no clue.

Q: Who is the coolest person in your life?
A: Sappy as it may sound, my parents are pretty cool. As for friends, April's one of the coolest chicks I know, and Joe's pretty cool too I guess.

Q: What word(s) do you say a lot?
A: "Word".. I don't know why.

Q: What is the last thing you ate?
A: Had a damn nice steak at my parents tonight.

Q: What was the last thing you said to someone and who
A: "Talk to ya later", to Autumn

Q: Do you watch TV?
A: I usually catch TV shows on DVD.

Q: Funniest thing you've heard in the past 24 hours?
A: Dane Cooks "Kool Aid Man" skit

Q: Do you have work/school tomorrow?
A: Yep.

Q: Ever been hunting?
A: Yep, many times. Haven't been in a few years though.

Q: Is marriage in your future?
A: I'm not opposed to it.

Q: What should you be doing right now?
A: Going to sleep. But finishing up laundry, so don't really have anything better to do.

Q: Do you have a nickname?
A: Sorta. Raven Dark Wolf. It's my indian name.

Q: Do you believe in love at first sight?
A: It's never happened to me, so I'm sticking with "no, until proven otherwise". Lust, however, is a different story.

Q: Who's the youngest one in the immediate family?
A: Considering I'm an only child... I guess that would be me.

Q: Is drug free the way to be?
A: Absolutely.

Q: Are you a heavy sleeper?
A: Most definitely. Takes me forever to get to sleep, but when the deeds done, I'm OUT.

Q: Do you clean up nice?
A: Absolutely. I'm a pimp!

Q: Last time you used rollerblades?
A: Never really got into rollerblades. I was pretty big into skateboarding though. None of that pansy "scooter" shit though.

Q: Have you ever been set on fire?
A: Actually, yeah. Willingly even.

Q: Ever run out of gas on the road?
A: Nope, I'm paranoid about that, and usually fill up at around a 1/4 tank. I got close once though... gas light even came on.

Q: Best movie you've seen in the past two weeks?
A: Miami Vice

Q: Whats your favorite form of travel?
A: My Delorean Time Machine.

Q: Last person to call you?
A: My mom, wondering if I was coming for dinner tonight.

Q: Next place you'll go?
A: To... sleep?

Q: Next movie you want to see?
A: Talledega Nights

Q: Next person you probably will sleep with?
A: That's like a kick to the balls. Why you gotta ask questions like that?

Q: Next car you want to have?:
A: I kinda dig on the Nissan 350Z

Q: Next time you're going out?:
A: Probably sometime this week

Q: Next time you're going to move:
A: Once my lease is up next September, I plan on moving into a house.

Q: Next thing you're going to save money for:
A: Nintendo Wii and some controllers and games.

Q: Next person you are going to call:
A: Probably Ralph since I missed his call earlier.

Q: Next place you'll take vacation:
A: I've been wanting to go snow skiing again for years... I'm gonna try to do that next year.

Q: Next thing you are going to do after filling this survey?
A: Sleep, once the laundry's done.

Q: Next thing you are going to do outside:
A: Uh... I dunno, walk to my car and go to work. wtf?

Q: Next person you'd like to see fill this out:
A: Anyone, but perhaps they have stronger willpower than myself. I hate these things, but I'm always compelled to fill them out.

Calander survey

2006-08-14T01:53:00.000-05:00

January

1. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?
I did not. I always break 'em so I decided not to bother this year.

2. Who kissed you at midnight?
Uhh...

3. Does it snow where you live?
About once every 5 years maybe.

4. Do you like hot chocolate?
FO SHO!

5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?
Nope... not too hip on big crowds either.

February

1. Who was your valentine in 2006?
Wow... kick a guy while he's down why don't ya?

2. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class?
Oh most definitely.

3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not?
Not in the slightest.

March

1. Are you Irish?
I got a little Irish in me. Mostly Cherokee, Norwegian, and Scottish though.

2. Do you wear green on St. Patty's Day?
Only when I'm looking to get pinched. (re: Not usually, no.)

3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2006?
I think I hung out with some friends and had a few drinks, and smoked some cigars or something. I've slept since then.

4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over?
End of Winter is like the worst thing EVER! I love the cold.

April

1. Do you like the rain?
I'm a sucker for a good shower.

2. Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone this year?
Of course. I'm a little bastard like that.

3. Do you get tons of candy on Easter?
Oh always. My mom keeps telling me I'm too old for Easter. I laugh. We've done this for close to the last 15 years.

4. Do you celebrate 4/20?
Ooooooh I'm telling!

May

1. What's your favorite kind of flower?
I'm kinda partial to the Bird of Paradise.

2. Do you like the spring?
It's alright as far as seasons go. But it's like 3rd on my list of favorites.

3. Finish the phrase "April showers..."
so Jay doesn't flee in terror.

4. What is the first color you think of when you think of Spring?
White... it's everwhere.

June

1. What year did/will you graduate from high school?
1996

2. Did you go on any vacations last June?
Nope.

3. Did you realize nothing special happens in June?
Um... NO! It's my birthday. And shit. And I dunno... I think there's like Father's Day or something in there too. But MY birthday!

July

1. What did you do on the 4th of July?
Played Guitar Hero, and was late for my parents cookout. And that weekend I was floating down the Guadalupe.

2. Do you go on any vacations during this month?
The last two years I've been on the Guadalupe at or near July 4th... dunno that I'd call it a vacation though, since it's just over a weekend.

3. Do you blast the A/C all day?
Hell to the yes! Cold good ... hot ... baaaad!

August

1. Will you do anything special at the end of your summer?
I am going to perform a nice ritual and prepare for the Samhain festival and... oh... wait, umm... I'll uhh... yeah, be looking forward to the cooler weather.

2. What was your favorite summer memory of '06?
I flirted all day with this cute 19 year old on the Guadalupe. Since she came with her parents, I offered to bring her home with me on Sunday, but her dad got wasted, her mom got pissed, so they went home right after we got off the river. That sucked. So maybe it's not the best memory :-/

3. Do you have a sunburn?
Not this year... last year though... holy hell.

4. Do you go to the beach a lot?
Uh... yeah, not really.

September

1. Did you attend school/college in '05?
Nope.

3. Do you like fall better than summer?
God yes! Autumn is #2 on my list of season. Close 2nd to Winter.

October

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume?
I got invited to a halloween party when I first moved to Allen, and I came as a ninja... even went around hiding behind trees and shit. I was such a dork.

2. What's your favorite candy?
"Kit Kat, bitches!" Ah GYEAH straight up!
Or Dark Chocolate... like REALLY dark.

3. What did you dress up like last year?
I did the stoner thing (see my profile pic), got my dreads on, rolled a couple fatty's and generally got down with my bad self. Dawg.

November

1. Whose house did you go to for thanksgiving?
My Aunt & Uncle's (Dad's sister)... it's pretty much a yearly thing. Either there, or my Grandparents.

2. Do you love stuffing?
My grandmother's stuffing is the BOMB!

3. What are you most thankful for?
BOOBIES!

What?

December

1. Do you celebrate Christmas?
Everyday... er... yeah.

2. If not, what do you celebrate?
I kinda dig Hannukah (sp?)... 8 days of presents freaking RULES!

3. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?
I have. Sometimes it's frightening... I remember one office party I had when working support for Dell... I saw this... I mean, I don't mean to be rude... but this thing approaching me, drunk as all get out. I wasn't near anything, like a bar or food or anything, so I quickly surveyed my surroundings, and caught the sprig of mistletoe in my periphery. I made the "OOOOH! I've got the shits!" face and bolted for the bathroom. I'm a bastard, but I'm not heartless. Well, not always.

4. Get anything special last year?
I got many awesome's. I'm definitely down with the presents.

5. What do you want this year?
"Two chicks at the same time." Amen brotha Joe!

6. Do you like cold weather?
"I think if we've established anything in this survey... it's that I love cold weather and that we should blow up the sun immediately." -Joe

I'll spearhead the foundation. Arnold wants to blow up the moon. That's just silly. We need to be thinking bigger than that... and what's bigger than the sun? At least... what within 100 million miles?

The Soundtrack of my Life

2006-08-14T01:42:00.000-05:00

(Stolen from The Ken)

So, here's how it works:

Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, etc).
Put it on shuffle.
Press play.
For every question type the song that's playing.
When you go to a new question press the next button.
Ready? GO!
and dont cheat!!(its actually kinda fun to see how you can fit each song into each situation...)

(Jay note: I'm gonna do two run-throughs. Cause I can.)

Opening Credits:
"The Wait" - Metallica
"Such Great Heights" - The Postal Service

Waking Up:
"Requiem" - Queensryche
"MacBoom" - Scottish Mayhem

Falling In Love:
"Everywhere Nowhere" - Ayumi Hamasaki
"Serve The Ego" - Jewel

Fight Scene:
"Painful Memories" - Various (Ruroni Kenshin: Samruai X - Requiem for Patriots Soundtrack)
"Conflict" - Disturbed

Breaking Up:
"Letter Read" - Rachael Yamagata
"I Put a Spell on You" - Marilyn Manson

Make-up:
"Do You Really Want to Feel It?" - Fragma
"When The Angels Fall" - Sting

Secret Love:
"Adagio for Strings" - Bond
"24" - Jem

Life's Okay:
"Alone In Kyoto" - Air
"Devil's Dance Floor" - Flogging Molly

Mental Breakdown:
"Rose" - A Perfect Circle
"Even In Death" - Evanescence

Driving:
"Only The Good Die Young" - Iron Maiden
"Vote With a Bullet" - Corrosion of Conformity

Flashbacks:
"Space Dyvest" - Dream Theater
"20 Going On..." - Tsunami Bomb

Happy Dance:
"Speakers Push The Air" - Pretty Girls Make Graves
"Pressure Drop" - The Specials (Grosse Pointe Blank Soundtrack)

Regretting:
"Hindi Sad Diamonds" - Various (Moulin Rouge Soundtrack)
"Samointe" - Enya

Long Night Alone:
"Sweet Religion" - Imogen Heap
"Ten Years Gone" - Led Zeppelin

Final Battle:
"Renegades of Funk" - Rage Against the Machine
"Fourty Six And Two" - Tool

Ending Credits:
"The Man Comes Around" - Johnny Cash
"Machine" - Theatre of Tragedy

Suh-urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrvey TRAIN!

2006-08-05T04:09:00.000-05:00

Just got back from seeing Miami Vice. Holy shit! Great movie. My initial response to the first preview I saw, was "well that's going to be shit, totally not going to do the series justice!" ... then on the next preview I saw it was written/directed by Micheal Mann, who did the original show as well... so then I was excited :)

If you go see it, do NOT be late. When the lights dim, the movie starts... and it jumps right in. No backstory, no "getting to know the characters", no credit sequence. Just "BAM!" movie time!

---------------

Jacked this from Joe's

1. Elaborate on your default icon.
If you haven't seen Monty Python & The Quest for the Holy Grail... you suck.

2. What's your current relationship status?
Does "quid pro quo" work?

3. Ever have a near-death experience?
Yep.

4. Name an obvious quality you have.
If you know me... you know what Jay Time is. 'Nuff said.

5. What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now?
Ayumi Hamasaki - Fly High (Voodoo & Serano Remix)

6. Any celeb you would marry?
Marry? Um, no. Things that are supposed to wait until after marriage? Most definitely.

7. Who will cut and paste this first?
Um... I don't... yeah I... huh. Santa Claus.

8. Name someone with the same birthday as you.
June Carter-Cash

9. Do you have a crush on someone?
Most definitely.

10. Have you ever vandalized someone's private property?
Oh yes. And I derived great pleasure from it.

11. Have you ever been in a fight?
A few.

12. Have you ever sung in front of a large audience?
Nah, no... no, hell no! Wait... maybe. But I was drunk.

13. What's the first thing you notice about the OPPOSITE sex?
This is going to sound so fake... the eyes.

14. What do you usually order from Starbucks?
Fuck Starbucks! I can brew my own coffee just fine.

15. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
I used to bash my head into things.

16. Say something totally random about yourself.
I'm mellow so long as you don't piss me off, but I can turn in an instant.

17. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
I get people saying I look like Ghandi, all the time. Serious.

18. BONUS QUESTION!
BONUS ANSWER!

19. Do you have anything pierced?
Nope. I was going to once, when I was in middle school... even somehow talked my parents into agreeing to let me do it. Then it got all popular and shit, so I ditched that idea.

20. Do you have any tattoos?
Not yet. I won't get any unless I design them.

21. Do you like pain?
Is that even possible?

22. Do you like to shop?
I hate shopping. But I love buying stuff. How ironic.

23. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?
Does a debit card count? I haven't used cash in years.

24. What was the last thing you paid for with a credit card?
An InvisibleShield for my iPod. Best cover... ever.

25. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
Joe. Was taking an order at Arby's.

26. What is on your desktop background?
A picture of a sunset I took.

27. What is the background on your cell phone?
A crazy eyed Emu.

28. Do you like redheads?
Almost as much as Brunettes. Contrary to the typical stereotype, Blondes are my least favorite.

29. Do you know any twins?
I used to. I never could tell them apart.

30. Do you have any weird relatives?
... oh god. Too many.

31. What was the last movie you watched?
Miami Vice... great flick!

32. What was the last book you read?
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the future of Reason. Excellent, and highly recommended.

Silly Christians... your holidays are for pagans

2005-12-07T19:42:00.001-06:00

I'm hearing a lot lately about this so-called "War on Christmas"... generally by the very vocal, and very annoying, Religious Right (shouldn't that be Christian Right, or more specifically Whacked Out Psycho Conservative Christians (WOPCC)...).

All because a few retail outlets choose to be as politically correct as possible, and say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". There's somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 - 12 holidays observed during the "Christmas Season"... at least 3 of them are tied with religion. And somehow ... wait, I forgot the whole Christian Superiority Syndrome (CSS)... of course Christmas is the only holiday everyone celebrates at this time of year. No one celebrates Hannakuh,
or Yule (I need my rolling eyes smilie...).

Quick to blame non-Christians for waging a "war" on Christmas, and ultimately on Christianity as a whole. But then with their rampant CSS, the WOPCCs would view any minority religion's efforts to gain some recognition as a direct assault to the Christian way of life.

Of course, they're quick to forget the deep rooted pagan symbolism so pervasive in Christmas. I wonder if they've ever stopped to consider what decorating a tree, giving presents, Santa, elves, reindeer, yule logs, wreathes, candy canes, etc ... has to do with the birth of Christ? They're also quick to forget the fact that even scriptures in the bible indicate Christ was born most likely sometime in late September, and not December 25th.

So why do they celebrate December 25th as his birthday? Quite simply, because the early church in the 3rd or 4th century, decided on December 25th among 8 or 9 other potential dates (all guesses of course), so that it would coincide with the Roman celebration of the birth of their sun god, Sol (it also happens to fall on or very near to the Winter Solstice, which is when the Celts celebrate Yule ... which is where all the symbols above are actually from). The reasoning behind this, was to make it easier for pagans to convert to Christianity (Pagan simply means "country dweller", a pagan is a person, not a religion. Pagan's had many religions... and due to the literal meaning of the word Pagan, one could even deduce that Judaism and likewise Christianity, are also pagan religions) .

Let's not fail to mention they also quickly forget that celebrating the birth of someone (be it yourself or another), is a decidedly pagan tradition, as in the earliest days of the church the birth was irrelevant, it was the death that was revered. It was once said "only sinners celebrate their birth". But, you know... let's go ahead and celebrate Christ's birth, never mind the fact we used to condemn this very practice.

Of course, Christmas isn't the only pagan cum Christian holiday. Easter's another big one. You know, I used to always wonder why Easter fell on a different day every year. I mean since death was so revered among Christians... why didn't someone record what day Jesus died on? Instead, again in the 3rd or 4th century (and subsequently updated in the 16th century to be applied to the Gregorian calendar), a formula was agreed upon by the church... the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 20th... meaning it could be anywhere from March 20th to April 15th.

Not surprisingly the Celtic festival of Ostara falls on the Autumnal Equinox, sometime between March 19th and 22nd. And let's get to symbolism... bunnies, eggs, coloring the eggs, baskets, etc. Certainly don't see any connection between those symbols, and the resurrection of Christ do we? No surprise since the rabbit was the symbol of the goddess of fertility, eggs are a symbol of fertility, coloring eggs is a tradition that spans many cultures, baskets used for gathering all the eggs during the egg hunt that started with people handing each other eggs, but later turned into hiding the eggs in order to continue their traditions without the church being aware. Interestingly enough, Ostara is a festival of fertility, and ultimately rebirth... convenient the church would choose a very similar date for when to celebrate Christs resurrection, no?

Let's clear up a few things now, about Samhain... or now more commonly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, All Holy Night, etc. It is traditionally celebrated as the new year, the end of summer and beginning of winter. It was believed that the barrier separating the world of the living, from the world of the dead, was thinnest at this time of the year. Rituals were practiced to both strengthen the barriers in order to keep evil spirits at bay, and the use of various foods as an offering to the good spirits so that they may continue to watch over the community in the coming year. If you didn't leave an offering, it was believed you would be plagued by bad luck through the year. Thus the origins of "Trick or Treat". This was also a time when the spirits of loved ones that passed away during the year were guided by candles into the otherworld... thus the origins of the term "follow the light" or "go into the light"

Even the Christianization of it was a holy night (as it preceded All Saint's Day)... but lately, somehow, it's been bastardized and perceived as an evil night. The Devil's Night, and other such nonsense. Is it evil to celebrate your loved ones? Is it evil to help guide them to the otherworld (or Heaven if you want to apply Christian words to it)? Is it evil to perform rituals to keep evil spirits at bay (hey now, guess that makes exorcism's inherently evil then, yah?) Is it evil to make offerings to the good spirits to watch over the community (does that make praying evil? What about when early Christians and Jews made offerings to God?) Or maybe it's just being bastardized because the pagan symbolism isn't as "cute and happy" as Easter and Christmas, and the WOPCC's thus deem it must be an evil night (because it's obviously not Christian. To wit I ask "and Christmas and Easter are?!")

It's ok to have the pagan symbols of rabbits and eggs, and trees, wreaths, Santa, etc... but when it comes to ghosts and spirits, witches, black cats and skeletons... that's where the line is drawn? Actively practicing the old pagan traditions of Ostara and Yule are also ok, but practicing Halloween isn't? Honestly I thought it was a no-no for Christians to practice pagan rituals... something about heresy, and excommunication, and even death (at least at one time included physical death, but now more in the realm of spiritual death and being condemned to hell). But hey, if you the devout Christian are ok with this, then by all means... knock yourself out. If you're going to ignore the commandment that speaks against worshiping idols, why should it come as any surprise that you'd also ignore the commandment that says to not worship any god other than God? Or did I miss the decree that practicing another religion's rituals does not constitute giving praise (ie: worship) to a god that is not God?