growing up, i was really good friends with the kid on the next block, dan.we screwed around a lot in our younger days. rough and tumble games that caused each other a lot of pain and suffering.
i managed to run into a garage while playing tag and put my arm through a window. i still have quite a large scar on my left forearm from it.
racing down a hill on our bikes, i managed to crash and put the handlebar into my gut. i thought i had ruptured my liver. i was close, though.
racing our bikes through the alley, we came out into traffic and i smashed right into a car and rolled over the trunk. i think i scared the old lady driving more than i hurt myself.
but i think dan had the better stories.
he slipped down my basement stairs one day--the whole flight--and bruised his tailbone.
playing in the garage attic, he crashed through rotted floorboards and barely caught himself from falling, but scraped up his legs and arms pretty good.
wrestling in his front yard, i slammed his head into the sidewalk and chipped his two front teeth. (that's the only specific event i remember, but i'm pretty sure i chipped his teeth on at least three separate occasions)
this stray dog came into the yard, and it climbed under the boat trailer. dan crawled under to get it, but the dog started snapping at him. he backed out quick and slammed his head into the trailer hitch. concussion.
these were only what injuries we caused each other. there were plenty of times we hurt ourselves from being stupid.
but that's another day.
everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.--leo tolstoy
11.29.2003
i have stopped biting 9 of my 10 fingernails
back in about 3rd or 4th grade (maybe both), wednesday afternoons were pretty light. kids could go to religious education classes at their local churches if they wanted to (or their parents wanted them to). i never had to go. there were only a few of us that didn't go, so we basically had wednesday afternoons to just play.
i used to write little stories. only two of them i remember clearly. one was about a knight that had to slay a dragon and rescue a princess. the other was about a group of us (the wednesday kids) that found a cave and went on a fantasy voyage to get back to our little burg of hibbing.
there was a program called HAT. hibbing academically talented. i got to go. i was in the creative writing class. we met once a week and wrote and did little mind puzzles to make us think "outside the box." there was another HAT class. the math and science class. i wanted to be in that class, but i was stuck in writing.
i had the notion back then that an artist couldn't change the world. you needed to be the guy to invent cold fusion or faster than light travel or the president to do that. now i think that one person can't change the world. one idea, maybe, but you need a lot of people behind that idea to change our world.
i wanted to be in the science and math program so i could hone those skills. i groomed my education to reflect that fact. i took all the science and math i could in high school. i focused on the sciences and not the arts. i actually only took one art class in high school and it was computer graphics. go figure. i gave up on my writing and looked to formulas and theories instead.
i still read as much as i did when i was younger, but the books were about quantum physics or mathematics (i own a book about the history of zero) instead of just plain stories.
turning my mind's eye back (with its wonderful 20/20), i see that maybe i shouldn't have given up on the arts. maybe i should have stayed with the writing. my dream job for the last couple years would to be a free-lance editorial columnist. not so much creative writing, but the word would be my paycheck.
it's only been in the last year or so that i've begun to think of the art of writing as a serious pursuit.
i don't know what i can write, though. maybe that's why there is no direction to this blog, i'm still trying to find out what i'm supposed to do with the ideas and words and sentences floating through my conscious and just below it.
in my head i come up with fantasic stories. usually about me doing something in the future that is cool or heroic or world-changing or would just make a good movie for a saturday matinee. i have a few that i play over and over again. refining details here and there. changing the characters to fit people in my life at the moment. building it so the story is more real.
but i hit a snag when i try to get the story out of my head. the ink doesn't flow as well as my thoughts. my train of thought is lacking exits to the external world. maybe i'll write that novel, maybe i won't. hell, it might turn into a book of poetry if that's all i can produce.
all i know is if i keep turning the valve a little bit and release more of my mind out into print, i'll hit a critical point where the flow just busts open and then you'll hear about my pulitzer.
i used to write little stories. only two of them i remember clearly. one was about a knight that had to slay a dragon and rescue a princess. the other was about a group of us (the wednesday kids) that found a cave and went on a fantasy voyage to get back to our little burg of hibbing.
there was a program called HAT. hibbing academically talented. i got to go. i was in the creative writing class. we met once a week and wrote and did little mind puzzles to make us think "outside the box." there was another HAT class. the math and science class. i wanted to be in that class, but i was stuck in writing.
i had the notion back then that an artist couldn't change the world. you needed to be the guy to invent cold fusion or faster than light travel or the president to do that. now i think that one person can't change the world. one idea, maybe, but you need a lot of people behind that idea to change our world.
i wanted to be in the science and math program so i could hone those skills. i groomed my education to reflect that fact. i took all the science and math i could in high school. i focused on the sciences and not the arts. i actually only took one art class in high school and it was computer graphics. go figure. i gave up on my writing and looked to formulas and theories instead.
i still read as much as i did when i was younger, but the books were about quantum physics or mathematics (i own a book about the history of zero) instead of just plain stories.
turning my mind's eye back (with its wonderful 20/20), i see that maybe i shouldn't have given up on the arts. maybe i should have stayed with the writing. my dream job for the last couple years would to be a free-lance editorial columnist. not so much creative writing, but the word would be my paycheck.
it's only been in the last year or so that i've begun to think of the art of writing as a serious pursuit.
i don't know what i can write, though. maybe that's why there is no direction to this blog, i'm still trying to find out what i'm supposed to do with the ideas and words and sentences floating through my conscious and just below it.
in my head i come up with fantasic stories. usually about me doing something in the future that is cool or heroic or world-changing or would just make a good movie for a saturday matinee. i have a few that i play over and over again. refining details here and there. changing the characters to fit people in my life at the moment. building it so the story is more real.
but i hit a snag when i try to get the story out of my head. the ink doesn't flow as well as my thoughts. my train of thought is lacking exits to the external world. maybe i'll write that novel, maybe i won't. hell, it might turn into a book of poetry if that's all i can produce.
all i know is if i keep turning the valve a little bit and release more of my mind out into print, i'll hit a critical point where the flow just busts open and then you'll hear about my pulitzer.
11.27.2003
dear diary...jackpot
wednesday was a busy day at work. being the day before turkey day and all. i was running a register for the whole night and one incident struck me.
this old man came up to buy milk. the line was 4 or 5 people deep. he put the gallon on the counter. he took out his wallet and change purse. slowly but methodically he counted out the exact change. two dollar bills, two quarters, two dimes, a nickel and four pennies. this took him quite a while to do. i took the money and asked if he wanted the gallon in a bag. he said yes because it was easier to carry. i placed the milk in a bag, handed him it and his reciept and wished him a happy thanksgiving. he told me to enjoy mine, too. he slowly walked away. the whole transaction took almost five minutes long but i didn't mind. there was nothing wrong with the man. not disabled or feeble, just an old man.
the woman behind him was buying a couple things of candy. she came to the front of the line in a huff. "some people shouldn't be shopping if they are going to take up people's time." i didn't say anything. not my place to put customers in their place. "some of us don't have time to wait around." i nodded and handed her her groceries and her change.
the next man in line had a full cart of groceries. i said hello and asked how his day was. fine, happy to be done with shopping. i told him i hear that. he then looked at me and said "my father was like that the last couple years of his life. nothing wrong, just an old man that couldn't move fast. it hurt me to see him like that. now, i don't care how long seniors move. i understand." i nodded. "i'd hate to be that woman's father when he gets old." i nodded and said, "sooner or later, we all get old. you just gotta deal with it."
i bagged his groceries, took his cash, gave him his change, and wished him a happy thanksgiving. he smiled at me and said, "sooner or later, man. you got it. nothing to do but move on. sooner or later, man." i nodded. "have a good one while you can."
sooner or later, man. sooner or later.
this old man came up to buy milk. the line was 4 or 5 people deep. he put the gallon on the counter. he took out his wallet and change purse. slowly but methodically he counted out the exact change. two dollar bills, two quarters, two dimes, a nickel and four pennies. this took him quite a while to do. i took the money and asked if he wanted the gallon in a bag. he said yes because it was easier to carry. i placed the milk in a bag, handed him it and his reciept and wished him a happy thanksgiving. he told me to enjoy mine, too. he slowly walked away. the whole transaction took almost five minutes long but i didn't mind. there was nothing wrong with the man. not disabled or feeble, just an old man.
the woman behind him was buying a couple things of candy. she came to the front of the line in a huff. "some people shouldn't be shopping if they are going to take up people's time." i didn't say anything. not my place to put customers in their place. "some of us don't have time to wait around." i nodded and handed her her groceries and her change.
the next man in line had a full cart of groceries. i said hello and asked how his day was. fine, happy to be done with shopping. i told him i hear that. he then looked at me and said "my father was like that the last couple years of his life. nothing wrong, just an old man that couldn't move fast. it hurt me to see him like that. now, i don't care how long seniors move. i understand." i nodded. "i'd hate to be that woman's father when he gets old." i nodded and said, "sooner or later, we all get old. you just gotta deal with it."
i bagged his groceries, took his cash, gave him his change, and wished him a happy thanksgiving. he smiled at me and said, "sooner or later, man. you got it. nothing to do but move on. sooner or later, man." i nodded. "have a good one while you can."
sooner or later, man. sooner or later.
11.25.2003
i do not regret the things i have done, only those i did not do
one of main differences between men and women is the way they treat the towel after the shower.
guys will do one thing: hang it over the shower curtain or some other bar-type apparatus.
girls will do one thing: take it some place a towel doesn't belong.
when a guy gets done with the shower, he dries off wherever the shower happens to be located in the house. he then takes the towel and hangs it up in the same room the shower is located in!
when a girl is done with the shower, she puts on the towel like a dress (without actually drying off). puts another(!) towel around her hair and then walks around the house for the next hour or so doing little chores. the main towel and its superfluous hair cousin will then be thrown onto some cloth covered furniture that isn't normally designed to have water on it--namely the bed.
so now we have water tracked around the house because no actual drying was done in the shower, we have multiple towels wet and--if the shower was anywhere remotely near bedtime--the linens will be damp when you crawl into bed.
i really think there should be distinct classifications for men--homo sapiens--and women--homo insane.
guys will do one thing: hang it over the shower curtain or some other bar-type apparatus.
girls will do one thing: take it some place a towel doesn't belong.
when a guy gets done with the shower, he dries off wherever the shower happens to be located in the house. he then takes the towel and hangs it up in the same room the shower is located in!
when a girl is done with the shower, she puts on the towel like a dress (without actually drying off). puts another(!) towel around her hair and then walks around the house for the next hour or so doing little chores. the main towel and its superfluous hair cousin will then be thrown onto some cloth covered furniture that isn't normally designed to have water on it--namely the bed.
so now we have water tracked around the house because no actual drying was done in the shower, we have multiple towels wet and--if the shower was anywhere remotely near bedtime--the linens will be damp when you crawl into bed.
i really think there should be distinct classifications for men--homo sapiens--and women--homo insane.
11.24.2003
krispy kremes are made with smack
for the fourth year in a row, i have run for a ritual office of my fraternity, tau kappa epsilon. for the third year in a row, i have been denied.
the irony of this situation is a few years ago (senior yr of hs and fresh/soph year of college) i was becoming more and more afraid of taking risks and reaching out for tasks, and yet i was winning elections, put into positions of power/authority and accepting risks. now that i've finally started overcoming that fear and am willing to fail and take risks, all i do is fail.
the funny thing is that every time i have failed at tke, i have gone on to do something good with the fraternity anyway. i've been an excellent steward twice, i've been rush chairmen twice, and i was selected to help run the pledge program this year, and yet, even though i've developed this track record of taking a job, doing it well, and making sure the people around me succeed, i'm still not trusted with authority.
the main complaints against me are i don't complete tasks and i don't listen to other's opinion and i'm very strong minded. i don't know about the completing tasks part--personal life, yes. for tke? just as often as everyone else. being stubborn and willing to voice my opinion? one of my strengths. not listening to others? i guess people don't realize that i do listen to others and i do assimilate their opinion into mine. i just keep voicing my opinion because i believe it is a valid position that deserves attention.
does this mean that after this year i'll quit after four full years of active duty in tke? quit after 4 years of dropping out of college, fucking up my credit, fucking up my life and still caring about tke? quit after 4 years of being one of the most dedicated and devoted tkes living in the house? quit after 4 years when all the people i joined with and have become really close friends have moved away and continued their lives while i'm stuck in a loop?
probably not, after all, someone will need to be rush chair next year.
afterthought: i still can't believe i went into the election with a solid, cohesive plan for what to do with the office and how to help all the novice officers with their tranisitions and i lost to someone that had PREVIOUSLY REMOVED THEMSELVES FROM THE RACE. but i'm not bitter.
the irony of this situation is a few years ago (senior yr of hs and fresh/soph year of college) i was becoming more and more afraid of taking risks and reaching out for tasks, and yet i was winning elections, put into positions of power/authority and accepting risks. now that i've finally started overcoming that fear and am willing to fail and take risks, all i do is fail.
the funny thing is that every time i have failed at tke, i have gone on to do something good with the fraternity anyway. i've been an excellent steward twice, i've been rush chairmen twice, and i was selected to help run the pledge program this year, and yet, even though i've developed this track record of taking a job, doing it well, and making sure the people around me succeed, i'm still not trusted with authority.
the main complaints against me are i don't complete tasks and i don't listen to other's opinion and i'm very strong minded. i don't know about the completing tasks part--personal life, yes. for tke? just as often as everyone else. being stubborn and willing to voice my opinion? one of my strengths. not listening to others? i guess people don't realize that i do listen to others and i do assimilate their opinion into mine. i just keep voicing my opinion because i believe it is a valid position that deserves attention.
does this mean that after this year i'll quit after four full years of active duty in tke? quit after 4 years of dropping out of college, fucking up my credit, fucking up my life and still caring about tke? quit after 4 years of being one of the most dedicated and devoted tkes living in the house? quit after 4 years when all the people i joined with and have become really close friends have moved away and continued their lives while i'm stuck in a loop?
probably not, after all, someone will need to be rush chair next year.
afterthought: i still can't believe i went into the election with a solid, cohesive plan for what to do with the office and how to help all the novice officers with their tranisitions and i lost to someone that had PREVIOUSLY REMOVED THEMSELVES FROM THE RACE. but i'm not bitter.
11.21.2003
why is it november 21 and 60 degrees?
i have found that some people are very close minded.
some people are willing to make judgements based upon one thing that someone else claims.
i try to make sure i wait til i get to know them myself, or i find people (plural) that do know them, and i'll trust their opinion.
what i won't do is condemn them for something that i myself have done in the past. being a hypocrite is pretty fookin bad. he who is without sin shall cast the first stone.
and where i'm standing, ain't nobody going to be throwing.
i have found that some people are very close minded.
some people are willing to make judgements based upon one thing that someone else claims.
i try to make sure i wait til i get to know them myself, or i find people (plural) that do know them, and i'll trust their opinion.
what i won't do is condemn them for something that i myself have done in the past. being a hypocrite is pretty fookin bad. he who is without sin shall cast the first stone.
and where i'm standing, ain't nobody going to be throwing.
11.20.2003
with more than 400 dead - if you count the eggs and "coral" - finding nemo is the disney movie with the highest body count
i find that i can't write very well.
i've tried to write fiction, but it doesn't come across as real, like good authors can make it.
i've tried to write true stuff, but i can't flow the words.
there are some people that i read everyday (pretty much everyone on my "don't know" list of blogs, and some on "do know" list as well!) that are so good i want to write just like them.
but when i imitate them, it again feels like not me. which it isn't. i ain't no tony pierce, just reger.
so i try different things out. i write lists. i write stories. i write rants. i write raves.
i write about my life, but is it any good?
my writing, i mean. my life being good or not is a whole nother story.
and who is my writing supposed to be good for?
me?
you?
i check my hits, look at the counter, see how much traffic i'm getting, but that's just hubris. the idea that my words actually matter to other people.
not that that's bad, but it's not good to think of it as the primary reason to write here.
i write here to improve myself.
i still think something monumental is missing from my life, and i don't know what or where it is.
maybe from organizing and cleaning out my head, it will come through the haze that is me.
or maybe it won't.
either way, i'll keep making stuff up, exaggerating my tales, or telling the truth.
it all depends on me.
i find that i can't write very well.
i've tried to write fiction, but it doesn't come across as real, like good authors can make it.
i've tried to write true stuff, but i can't flow the words.
there are some people that i read everyday (pretty much everyone on my "don't know" list of blogs, and some on "do know" list as well!) that are so good i want to write just like them.
but when i imitate them, it again feels like not me. which it isn't. i ain't no tony pierce, just reger.
so i try different things out. i write lists. i write stories. i write rants. i write raves.
i write about my life, but is it any good?
my writing, i mean. my life being good or not is a whole nother story.
and who is my writing supposed to be good for?
me?
you?
i check my hits, look at the counter, see how much traffic i'm getting, but that's just hubris. the idea that my words actually matter to other people.
not that that's bad, but it's not good to think of it as the primary reason to write here.
i write here to improve myself.
i still think something monumental is missing from my life, and i don't know what or where it is.
maybe from organizing and cleaning out my head, it will come through the haze that is me.
or maybe it won't.
either way, i'll keep making stuff up, exaggerating my tales, or telling the truth.
it all depends on me.
11.19.2003
to offset the caffiene in coke, just add rum
a semi-plausible press conference in 2017:
so President reger, do you really write your own blog or is it a team of trained staff writers?
no, i still write my own entries. always have, always will.
mr president, do you think the american public actually cares about the sandwich you ate last night?
i write about whatever. my blog is my release to the world. 15 minutes of writing everyday helps clear my head. if i decide to write about a sandwich, so be it. no body said anybody had to actually read it.
mr president, hi, scott from fox news, fair and balanced, even though we never covered your campaign and even mudslinged against you. my question is a two parter. how do you keep sensitive government data from being leaked out on your blog, and two, was the sandwich good?
i'll answer the second part first: yes. as far as "sensitive government data" goes, i write about sandwiches and movies and sports and life in general. the most i write about the actual government is when i mention how my secret service detail is going.
thanks for coming, everyone.
a semi-plausible press conference in 2017:
so President reger, do you really write your own blog or is it a team of trained staff writers?
no, i still write my own entries. always have, always will.
mr president, do you think the american public actually cares about the sandwich you ate last night?
i write about whatever. my blog is my release to the world. 15 minutes of writing everyday helps clear my head. if i decide to write about a sandwich, so be it. no body said anybody had to actually read it.
mr president, hi, scott from fox news, fair and balanced, even though we never covered your campaign and even mudslinged against you. my question is a two parter. how do you keep sensitive government data from being leaked out on your blog, and two, was the sandwich good?
i'll answer the second part first: yes. as far as "sensitive government data" goes, i write about sandwiches and movies and sports and life in general. the most i write about the actual government is when i mention how my secret service detail is going.
thanks for coming, everyone.
11.18.2003
multiplicative inverses and their properties
mass high court rules gays legally entitled to wed under state constitution
good for them, good for society, bad for fundamentalists, bad for conservatives of the republican party.
the non-acceptance of homosexuality by our society is really perplexing to me. gays and lesbians do not harm any straight people. they do not turn people gay. and the only reason they get in our face is because we do not allow them to live their private lives they way they want to. they do not harm society and are not a drag on it, like say the people that live off of welfare, or the bigots that attack gays and minorities for simply existing?
why can't we just let them be? it really bothers me that societal privleges and rights are only extended to a certain few.
sometimes it's shameful being a college going middle class white heterosexual male.
mass high court rules gays legally entitled to wed under state constitution
good for them, good for society, bad for fundamentalists, bad for conservatives of the republican party.
the non-acceptance of homosexuality by our society is really perplexing to me. gays and lesbians do not harm any straight people. they do not turn people gay. and the only reason they get in our face is because we do not allow them to live their private lives they way they want to. they do not harm society and are not a drag on it, like say the people that live off of welfare, or the bigots that attack gays and minorities for simply existing?
why can't we just let them be? it really bothers me that societal privleges and rights are only extended to a certain few.
sometimes it's shameful being a college going middle class white heterosexual male.
11.17.2003
so i climbed back into bed and set my sights on monday
so, reger, why doesn't your right foot point straight forward?
what are you talking about?
reger, look at your feet. the right one points out a good 15-20 degrees.
what? come on, look. my feet point strai...OH GOD!
see?
yeah, yeah, i know. i don't know when it happened. i used to roll and sprain my ankles a lot when i was younger. i don't know if that has anything to do with it, but there it is. my right foot points out a good 15+ degrees from straight. i can make my foot straight, but i need to twist my whole leg. gotta twist from the hip, ya do.
is it a handicap or a physiological advantage?
well, i can get a quicker step off, because i can distribute my weight, and push with an angle causing the torq... i have nothing.
i thought so
so, reger, why doesn't your right foot point straight forward?
what are you talking about?
reger, look at your feet. the right one points out a good 15-20 degrees.
what? come on, look. my feet point strai...OH GOD!
see?
yeah, yeah, i know. i don't know when it happened. i used to roll and sprain my ankles a lot when i was younger. i don't know if that has anything to do with it, but there it is. my right foot points out a good 15+ degrees from straight. i can make my foot straight, but i need to twist my whole leg. gotta twist from the hip, ya do.
is it a handicap or a physiological advantage?
well, i can get a quicker step off, because i can distribute my weight, and push with an angle causing the torq... i have nothing.
i thought so
11.16.2003
viable ossicilations of the doping agent
so recap last night at work:
delivery truck late, so it's 11 before the whole truck is unloaded (1.5 hours behind schedule)
19 pallets are delivered (normal night 12-13)
one guy sleeps late and shows up at 3:30 (4 hours late)
i was fighting off SARS, ebola, malaria and the haunta virus all at once
i drank over a gallon of water and was still thirsty
my mouth is sore from sucking down cough drops like they were oxygen
store opens at 9am; we finished at 9am
i'm running on dayquil and orange hi-c.
it's a been a long, strange trip.
so recap last night at work:
delivery truck late, so it's 11 before the whole truck is unloaded (1.5 hours behind schedule)
19 pallets are delivered (normal night 12-13)
one guy sleeps late and shows up at 3:30 (4 hours late)
i was fighting off SARS, ebola, malaria and the haunta virus all at once
i drank over a gallon of water and was still thirsty
my mouth is sore from sucking down cough drops like they were oxygen
store opens at 9am; we finished at 9am
i'm running on dayquil and orange hi-c.
it's a been a long, strange trip.
11.14.2003
it's a junior mint
you ever see that commercial for focus factor?
i hate that commercial. it creeps me out
i know the guy that runs it is proud of his company and his product, but he creeps me out.
his eyes don't point in the same direction. i know that's not a bad thing, whatever. my feet don't point in the same direction (another day, my friends). but i'm not making you look at my feet on a commercial either.
but i can't look away either. it's like a train wreck.
you ever see that commercial for focus factor?
i hate that commercial. it creeps me out
i know the guy that runs it is proud of his company and his product, but he creeps me out.
his eyes don't point in the same direction. i know that's not a bad thing, whatever. my feet don't point in the same direction (another day, my friends). but i'm not making you look at my feet on a commercial either.
but i can't look away either. it's like a train wreck.
11.13.2003
as a man lay dying, he asked his irish friend if he would poor this bottle of whiskey over his grave. the irishman thought about it for a second and replied, "do you mind if i pass it through my kidneys first?"
vegetarians and vegans have gone too far!
people that have given up meat and/or dairy products should not be allowed to even have imitation items!
if you have decided that things such as bacon should not be eaten on ethical or moral grounds, then i think you should suck it up and not eat any imitation or flavored stuff either.
no soy bacon!
no bacon flavored tofu!
you gave up bacon. that's a sacrifice, and i think you should sacrifice.
you know how the continually improve the taste of imitation bacon? by comparing it to real bacon! which means pigs are still being slaughtered, carved up and salted--all for your satisfaction!
pepporoni? same deal. hot dogs? while not technically meat to begin with, same idea. i could go on and on about meat products and their imitations, but now i turn my attention to dairy.
but it's the same argument! how do you get fake cheese to taste like real cheese? compare the fake to the real! cows are still being milked without permission!
chickens are still being forced to lay eggs for the man!
if you want to take an ethical/moral stand on eating animals and animal by-products, then stand all the way!
give up everything that could even be mistaken as animal!
only eat tofu and fruit and nuts!
no soy cheese, no soy pepporoni, no soymilk (which is really just soyjuice--stop fooling yourself with the incorrect nomenclature).
give it up veggie eaters!
give it up!
vegetarians and vegans have gone too far!
people that have given up meat and/or dairy products should not be allowed to even have imitation items!
if you have decided that things such as bacon should not be eaten on ethical or moral grounds, then i think you should suck it up and not eat any imitation or flavored stuff either.
no soy bacon!
no bacon flavored tofu!
you gave up bacon. that's a sacrifice, and i think you should sacrifice.
you know how the continually improve the taste of imitation bacon? by comparing it to real bacon! which means pigs are still being slaughtered, carved up and salted--all for your satisfaction!
pepporoni? same deal. hot dogs? while not technically meat to begin with, same idea. i could go on and on about meat products and their imitations, but now i turn my attention to dairy.
but it's the same argument! how do you get fake cheese to taste like real cheese? compare the fake to the real! cows are still being milked without permission!
chickens are still being forced to lay eggs for the man!
if you want to take an ethical/moral stand on eating animals and animal by-products, then stand all the way!
give up everything that could even be mistaken as animal!
only eat tofu and fruit and nuts!
no soy cheese, no soy pepporoni, no soymilk (which is really just soyjuice--stop fooling yourself with the incorrect nomenclature).
give it up veggie eaters!
give it up!
11.12.2003
wowzah!
i am continually disappointed by the bush administration's environmental record. case in point, the EPA has decided that--under the clean air act--it does not have the authority to crub emissions of carbon dioxide or other so-called "greenhouse gases."
now, i am not totally sure about global warming. the changes may just be part of the earth's natural cycle, but i still don't see why my not buying into global warming should keep me from wanting less pollutants in the air.
power plants account for 40% of america's co2 production, another 20% from passenger vehicles. this ruling undermines a california law requiring automakers to lower global warming pollutants from cars and trucks.
the clean air act defines an air pollutant as any chemical or physical substance thrown into the air by human sources.
the bush epa has ruled carbon dioxide does not fit under that definition (the clinton epa had decided it did fit under that definition).
i just want common sense in the white house.
vote for reger november 8, 2016.
i am continually disappointed by the bush administration's environmental record. case in point, the EPA has decided that--under the clean air act--it does not have the authority to crub emissions of carbon dioxide or other so-called "greenhouse gases."
now, i am not totally sure about global warming. the changes may just be part of the earth's natural cycle, but i still don't see why my not buying into global warming should keep me from wanting less pollutants in the air.
power plants account for 40% of america's co2 production, another 20% from passenger vehicles. this ruling undermines a california law requiring automakers to lower global warming pollutants from cars and trucks.
the clean air act defines an air pollutant as any chemical or physical substance thrown into the air by human sources.
the bush epa has ruled carbon dioxide does not fit under that definition (the clinton epa had decided it did fit under that definition).
i just want common sense in the white house.
vote for reger november 8, 2016.
11.11.2003
cave of the doorway
she cried angrily, pacing the room shaking fists at demons that weren't there.
"i'll bring him back. whatever it takes, i will," knowing full-well that just might mean his life.
she stopped moving; she cried harder. but these were the sweet tears of relief, not bitter from sorrow.
she came to him and hugged him. a meeting of eyes, and the locking of lips. it was not a lustful kiss, but a kiss of love nonetheless. a kiss he had waited many years for. a kiss that he would have paid blood for not too long ago. oh, how he wanted to hold her there and confess his love. his love to a woman that loved not he, but the fool he had just sworn to save. he wanted to hold her in his arms and take her there in the shallow of the evening. but she couldn't know. not yet anyway. not with him still prisoner and his blood beating yet.
so he did nothing--silent as he ever was. when the kiss finished, she lowered his eyes from him. her cheeks now flush was color, but not from rage or sadness. she could sense what he had thought, and felt embarrassed for him--felt pity. she could never love him. before, mayhap, but never now. never now. she knew where his destiny lie, and it wasn't bright for long. she turned and left the small room. stopping at the doorway on to whisper, "thank you....and goodbye."
tell her this is the last time you'll ever see her in this world! screamed his brain, but another voice told him she already knew. and that was the voice he always trusted. the voice of the regrets of his past.
so he stood silently.
she cried angrily, pacing the room shaking fists at demons that weren't there.
"i'll bring him back. whatever it takes, i will," knowing full-well that just might mean his life.
she stopped moving; she cried harder. but these were the sweet tears of relief, not bitter from sorrow.
she came to him and hugged him. a meeting of eyes, and the locking of lips. it was not a lustful kiss, but a kiss of love nonetheless. a kiss he had waited many years for. a kiss that he would have paid blood for not too long ago. oh, how he wanted to hold her there and confess his love. his love to a woman that loved not he, but the fool he had just sworn to save. he wanted to hold her in his arms and take her there in the shallow of the evening. but she couldn't know. not yet anyway. not with him still prisoner and his blood beating yet.
so he did nothing--silent as he ever was. when the kiss finished, she lowered his eyes from him. her cheeks now flush was color, but not from rage or sadness. she could sense what he had thought, and felt embarrassed for him--felt pity. she could never love him. before, mayhap, but never now. never now. she knew where his destiny lie, and it wasn't bright for long. she turned and left the small room. stopping at the doorway on to whisper, "thank you....and goodbye."
tell her this is the last time you'll ever see her in this world! screamed his brain, but another voice told him she already knew. and that was the voice he always trusted. the voice of the regrets of his past.
so he stood silently.
11.10.2003
11.08.2003
editor's note: don't read if you haven't seen matrix revolutions yet and don't want to read any spoilers
dear wachowski brothers,
first i have to say thank you for a few things:
thanks for restoring some of keanu's acting credibility.
thanks for casting miss moss and miss belluci in sexy sexy roles.
thanks for stirring my imagination for the last four years.
thanks for creating a fantastic video game (while not great on playability, it was superb on storyline and mythology of the matrix).
thanks for creating the animatrix, which filled in so much backstory and heightened the myth of the matrix.
thanks for using stunning visual effects and fantastic cinematography that kept me riveted the whole way through.
thanks for making mr weaving one of the greatest villians of all time--i'll never get tired of saying, "hello, mr anderson."
and lastly thanks for copping out and making a horrendous ending to what could have been one of the greatest trilogies of all time.
did you attend the george lucas how to fuck up a wonderful franchise school of filmmaking?
fine, neo dies as an allegory to christ. but, jesus, man, could have have found anything more contrite than settling for peace between the humans and machines?
according to your movies, this war has been waging for hundreds of years, and everytime, a one appeared, there was massive struggles and battles for who would win. the machines always triumphed, and humanity survived.
and now, it all just ends because neo convinced the machines to do it that way?
come on.
way to add way more to the story of the oracle, but then do nothing with it!
way to add sati, the last exile, and then do nothing with it!
way to make smith's role garguantuan, and then never explain why it was happening that way in this iteration of the matrix!
if smith was neo's opposite--his "negative"--to balance out the equation, wouldn't the matrix be fine, then? two values of opposite sign add to zero! 12 year olds know this, dude.
what happens with niobe and morpheus? love? hate? morpheus was fighting his whole life for the war, and now it ends and we don't know what he does next?
the architect--who dropped such a hugh mythology bomb on us in reloaded--gets just a few lines in this one?
the frenchmen and his hot wife appear for a few moments and then are forgotten for the rest of it?
i could go on with many more complaints about the weakness of your final third plot, but i won't.
i'm sure you'll hear from thousands of other fans that you managed to anger.
where was the real ending? the one where either the humans really triumph and vanquish the matrix, or the one where the machines crush us and our puny hopes? why did you cop out and take the middle road? roadkill happens in the middle of the road. either of those endings would have left us stunned, speechless, mind-fucked beyond belief. allowing us to talk about the matrix for years to come in a glowing tone.
just know, wachowskis, you had the potential to make a sci-fi trilogy that would have made starwars look like a fucking teletubbies trilogy, but you copped out.
sincerely,
reger
ps. i won't buy any of the trilogy on dvd now.
dear wachowski brothers,
first i have to say thank you for a few things:
thanks for restoring some of keanu's acting credibility.
thanks for casting miss moss and miss belluci in sexy sexy roles.
thanks for stirring my imagination for the last four years.
thanks for creating a fantastic video game (while not great on playability, it was superb on storyline and mythology of the matrix).
thanks for creating the animatrix, which filled in so much backstory and heightened the myth of the matrix.
thanks for using stunning visual effects and fantastic cinematography that kept me riveted the whole way through.
thanks for making mr weaving one of the greatest villians of all time--i'll never get tired of saying, "hello, mr anderson."
and lastly thanks for copping out and making a horrendous ending to what could have been one of the greatest trilogies of all time.
did you attend the george lucas how to fuck up a wonderful franchise school of filmmaking?
fine, neo dies as an allegory to christ. but, jesus, man, could have have found anything more contrite than settling for peace between the humans and machines?
according to your movies, this war has been waging for hundreds of years, and everytime, a one appeared, there was massive struggles and battles for who would win. the machines always triumphed, and humanity survived.
and now, it all just ends because neo convinced the machines to do it that way?
come on.
way to add way more to the story of the oracle, but then do nothing with it!
way to add sati, the last exile, and then do nothing with it!
way to make smith's role garguantuan, and then never explain why it was happening that way in this iteration of the matrix!
if smith was neo's opposite--his "negative"--to balance out the equation, wouldn't the matrix be fine, then? two values of opposite sign add to zero! 12 year olds know this, dude.
what happens with niobe and morpheus? love? hate? morpheus was fighting his whole life for the war, and now it ends and we don't know what he does next?
the architect--who dropped such a hugh mythology bomb on us in reloaded--gets just a few lines in this one?
the frenchmen and his hot wife appear for a few moments and then are forgotten for the rest of it?
i could go on with many more complaints about the weakness of your final third plot, but i won't.
i'm sure you'll hear from thousands of other fans that you managed to anger.
where was the real ending? the one where either the humans really triumph and vanquish the matrix, or the one where the machines crush us and our puny hopes? why did you cop out and take the middle road? roadkill happens in the middle of the road. either of those endings would have left us stunned, speechless, mind-fucked beyond belief. allowing us to talk about the matrix for years to come in a glowing tone.
just know, wachowskis, you had the potential to make a sci-fi trilogy that would have made starwars look like a fucking teletubbies trilogy, but you copped out.
sincerely,
reger
ps. i won't buy any of the trilogy on dvd now.
11.07.2003
what is going on?
well, boys, i haven't a thing to say to you. played a great game ... all of you. great game. i guess we can't expect to win 'em all.
i'm going to tell you something i've kept to myself for years. none of you ever knew george gipp. it was long before your time. but you know what a tradition he is at notre dame. and the last thing he said to me -- "rock," he said, "some time when the team is up against it -- and the breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there with all they've got and to win just one for the gipper. I don't know where i'll be then, rock," he said, "but i'll know about it -- and I'll be happy."
all right.
well, boys, i haven't a thing to say to you. played a great game ... all of you. great game. i guess we can't expect to win 'em all.
i'm going to tell you something i've kept to myself for years. none of you ever knew george gipp. it was long before your time. but you know what a tradition he is at notre dame. and the last thing he said to me -- "rock," he said, "some time when the team is up against it -- and the breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there with all they've got and to win just one for the gipper. I don't know where i'll be then, rock," he said, "but i'll know about it -- and I'll be happy."
all right.
11.06.2003
the garbage truck ran over our road cone
top 5 trek movies:
1. II wrath of kahn
2. VIII first contact
3. VI undiscovered country
4. X nemesis
5. IV voyage home
let's say you're sitting in math class. the teacher is writing equations on the board, going through and solving them. let's say that he writes down a=95. he then proceeds to use 95 wherever he sees in an a. let's say that the a appears--oh, i don't know--10 times.
but one time, he accidently writes down a 92 in one spot. he doesn't do the problem wrong or anything, he even refers to that 92 as a 95. it's just written wrong. do you point out this mistake? or do you just realize it should be a 95 and correct it in your notes?
if you're one of those people that knows it's a 95 and keeps their mouths shut, i like you.
if you're one of those people that has to correct the teacher and waste a full 5 minutes of my time waiting for the prof to figure out which 95 he has written wrong, i hate you.
worst 5 trek movies:
6. VII generations
7. IX insurrection
8. I orginial motion picture
9. III the search for spock
10. V the final frontier
top 5 trek movies:
1. II wrath of kahn
2. VIII first contact
3. VI undiscovered country
4. X nemesis
5. IV voyage home
let's say you're sitting in math class. the teacher is writing equations on the board, going through and solving them. let's say that he writes down a=95. he then proceeds to use 95 wherever he sees in an a. let's say that the a appears--oh, i don't know--10 times.
but one time, he accidently writes down a 92 in one spot. he doesn't do the problem wrong or anything, he even refers to that 92 as a 95. it's just written wrong. do you point out this mistake? or do you just realize it should be a 95 and correct it in your notes?
if you're one of those people that knows it's a 95 and keeps their mouths shut, i like you.
if you're one of those people that has to correct the teacher and waste a full 5 minutes of my time waiting for the prof to figure out which 95 he has written wrong, i hate you.
worst 5 trek movies:
6. VII generations
7. IX insurrection
8. I orginial motion picture
9. III the search for spock
10. V the final frontier
11.04.2003
the battle of new orleans
breakfast is the most important meal of the day. after years of skipping it, falling asleep in class, being groggy most of the day and being hungry by 10am, i've realized this.
nothing like a tasty snack in the morn' to kickstart your metabolism.
so this morning i head to the kitchen to get some ciniamomon toast crunch, and i find only half a bowl left. ye gods! i am despondent. what's this? a full box of frosted flakes. but i wanted cinimin toast crunch.
half a bowl of cinomonin toast crunch and half a bowl of frosted flakes.
cover liberaly with cold milk.
reger 1, whoever thwarted my attempt to have a full bowl of cinnamon toast crunch 0.
breakfast is the most important meal of the day. after years of skipping it, falling asleep in class, being groggy most of the day and being hungry by 10am, i've realized this.
nothing like a tasty snack in the morn' to kickstart your metabolism.
so this morning i head to the kitchen to get some ciniamomon toast crunch, and i find only half a bowl left. ye gods! i am despondent. what's this? a full box of frosted flakes. but i wanted cinimin toast crunch.
half a bowl of cinomonin toast crunch and half a bowl of frosted flakes.
cover liberaly with cold milk.
reger 1, whoever thwarted my attempt to have a full bowl of cinnamon toast crunch 0.
11.03.2003
it's goin' to be un-or-thh-ah-docks
*sigh*
he looked out the small bathroom window. he didn't like twilight. at least not tonight, anyway. he turned back to the mirror to inspect the bruises on his face for the umpteenth today. they looked about the same color as the sky outside. and felt like hammered shit.
*sigh*
that's probably why he wanted the sky to finish turning black. if he were outside in the dark, he wouldn't need to see how he looked. he sighed again--adriane said he sighed a little too often lately for them not to sound forced. fuck her, she could pay the bill tonight.
he wrapped some paper towels around his hand, and cocked his arm. he cringed at the loud noise that never came. maybe this would be easy. he stuck his head out and looked up and down the alley. skipping out on adriane, who was out in a corner booth eating cheesecake with strawberries, would be easy. but he doubted the rest would be so.
*sigh*
with a quick leg up and out, he was walking east. east--out of town. the sun would greet him in the morning, and he would welcome it. for the first time in a long time, he felt clear and awake. probably because he was walking to his certain doom.
*sigh*
it's surprising how a lack of options brings about a stark clarity.
*sigh*
he looked out the small bathroom window. he didn't like twilight. at least not tonight, anyway. he turned back to the mirror to inspect the bruises on his face for the umpteenth today. they looked about the same color as the sky outside. and felt like hammered shit.
*sigh*
that's probably why he wanted the sky to finish turning black. if he were outside in the dark, he wouldn't need to see how he looked. he sighed again--adriane said he sighed a little too often lately for them not to sound forced. fuck her, she could pay the bill tonight.
he wrapped some paper towels around his hand, and cocked his arm. he cringed at the loud noise that never came. maybe this would be easy. he stuck his head out and looked up and down the alley. skipping out on adriane, who was out in a corner booth eating cheesecake with strawberries, would be easy. but he doubted the rest would be so.
*sigh*
with a quick leg up and out, he was walking east. east--out of town. the sun would greet him in the morning, and he would welcome it. for the first time in a long time, he felt clear and awake. probably because he was walking to his certain doom.
*sigh*
it's surprising how a lack of options brings about a stark clarity.
11.02.2003
tread softly because you tread on my dreams
there's this guy that used to work at trader joe's (i use "used to" because i assume after this weekend, he'll be fired). his name was keith. he was about 30. he seemed like an ok guy. played college b-ball, got into some trouble after school, and was working to get back on track. he had just moved to the area with his on/off girlfriend of 10 years. her name is stephanie and she got a job at trader joe's, too. kind of a ghetto mira sorvino of my cousin vinny. i liked working with her. she's a genuinuly nice person.
keith had a habit of skipping work once in a while. by once in a while, i mean once a week was norm. he didn't show up on friday night, and we just assumed he was pulling his stunts again. but then he was a no-show on saturday night as well. and that's when we found out that he stole stephanie's car and left friday and just disappeared without notice.
they had just sign a year lease on an apartment. her kid was living with them.
then i found out that he was in drug money trouble. stephanie had given keith her jewelry to pawn so he could pay off his debts. he didn't. he lost the jewlery. he kept up racking up the blow and the bills.
i guess the juice was too much for him and he bailed.
i used to like him. now, i just feel pity.
it's her--stephanie--that i'm more worried about. she moved her for him. she gave him money. she put up with this major shit. all for him, and his repayment is to steal her car and go awol.
i feel compassion and sympathy for her.
but if she takes him back if he ever does come back, it'll just be pity for her as well.
there's this guy that used to work at trader joe's (i use "used to" because i assume after this weekend, he'll be fired). his name was keith. he was about 30. he seemed like an ok guy. played college b-ball, got into some trouble after school, and was working to get back on track. he had just moved to the area with his on/off girlfriend of 10 years. her name is stephanie and she got a job at trader joe's, too. kind of a ghetto mira sorvino of my cousin vinny. i liked working with her. she's a genuinuly nice person.
keith had a habit of skipping work once in a while. by once in a while, i mean once a week was norm. he didn't show up on friday night, and we just assumed he was pulling his stunts again. but then he was a no-show on saturday night as well. and that's when we found out that he stole stephanie's car and left friday and just disappeared without notice.
they had just sign a year lease on an apartment. her kid was living with them.
then i found out that he was in drug money trouble. stephanie had given keith her jewelry to pawn so he could pay off his debts. he didn't. he lost the jewlery. he kept up racking up the blow and the bills.
i guess the juice was too much for him and he bailed.
i used to like him. now, i just feel pity.
it's her--stephanie--that i'm more worried about. she moved her for him. she gave him money. she put up with this major shit. all for him, and his repayment is to steal her car and go awol.
i feel compassion and sympathy for her.
but if she takes him back if he ever does come back, it'll just be pity for her as well.
11.01.2003
i love how girls think all that's needed for a good halloween costume is knee/thigh-high stockings
learning about psychology can be a dangerous thing.
but also quite useful.
i used to think that people were just assholes, lazy, stupid, bad or even plain crazy, and there was no needed explanation for it. they just were.
now i understand that there is a reason behind everything. every "flaw" that a person has is from the not resolving an issue properly. (yes, this sounds like erickson's psychological model, but i don't think it delineates out into stages and that most of the development comes about after puberty hits).
take me for example. i've yet to resolve my fear of failure. there are a few skill sets that i have that i excel at. so good in fact, that it covered up my inabilities in other areas. i've able to avoid those situations where i could have failed and was praised for what i could do well. this compounded into the fact that i find it very hard to try to do anything outside of my skill sets. if i don't do well at something, i give it up immeadiately.
this has happened with women, school, sports and my ballet dreams.
so when i see how people behave--or mis-behave--towards others, i start looking for the cause, the motivation, that is making the person act that way. by doing this, i don't get angry as often as used to (i still explode at episodes of pure stupidity, but that's the human race--we're all doomed). instead, i feel more compassion and sympathy towards the person. trying to understand why they act the way they do and what i can do to help them resolve their problems--if i can at all.
i don't think i'm claiming i'm more mature than anyone else (ask my girlfriend for her opinion. whoa, boy. i love you, dear). i just think i'm starting to become more reflective about people and relationships. if this is just me being more educated, that's cool. if it's from the maturation process, i wish i would have started sooner.
learning about psychology can be a dangerous thing.
but also quite useful.
i used to think that people were just assholes, lazy, stupid, bad or even plain crazy, and there was no needed explanation for it. they just were.
now i understand that there is a reason behind everything. every "flaw" that a person has is from the not resolving an issue properly. (yes, this sounds like erickson's psychological model, but i don't think it delineates out into stages and that most of the development comes about after puberty hits).
take me for example. i've yet to resolve my fear of failure. there are a few skill sets that i have that i excel at. so good in fact, that it covered up my inabilities in other areas. i've able to avoid those situations where i could have failed and was praised for what i could do well. this compounded into the fact that i find it very hard to try to do anything outside of my skill sets. if i don't do well at something, i give it up immeadiately.
this has happened with women, school, sports and my ballet dreams.
so when i see how people behave--or mis-behave--towards others, i start looking for the cause, the motivation, that is making the person act that way. by doing this, i don't get angry as often as used to (i still explode at episodes of pure stupidity, but that's the human race--we're all doomed). instead, i feel more compassion and sympathy towards the person. trying to understand why they act the way they do and what i can do to help them resolve their problems--if i can at all.
i don't think i'm claiming i'm more mature than anyone else (ask my girlfriend for her opinion. whoa, boy. i love you, dear). i just think i'm starting to become more reflective about people and relationships. if this is just me being more educated, that's cool. if it's from the maturation process, i wish i would have started sooner.
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