if a tv commercial says something is a $40 value and then sells it at $14.99, isn't really a $14.99 value?

this i find amusing.

i find myself amazed when conservatives do not agree with me. can they possibly actually believe the party line? but then they probably think i'm an even bigger idiot for being a bleeding heart liberal.

then i remind them i am an idealist, not a liberal. idealists are much more dangerous.

i'm starting to think that the two party system is what is causing there to be such opposite sides of coin here in america. if we were to have another party or two (and i mean real parties with spectrum covering ideologies, not pet issue parties like the greens), i think the barriers between right and left would break down.

from a purely philosophical standpoint, it is too bad that the communism that was tried became so corrupted and failed so miserably. it may have offered that alternative choice to the captialist conservatism and liberalism that are the only two choices with enough clout to power the current system.

it's hard to understand which point of view is the "right" pov. and in this context of politics i mean "right" to be the system that can provide the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people. both sides have their arguments and justifications, and both sides have good ones.

i'll just be arrogant and think i'm the right one.

3

broken and broked

i love food.
and i mean i love food.

food is absolutely delicious. especially tasty food.

some of my friends would say, "reger, you eat anything! don't talk about caring about the taste!"
my response is i can't help it that everything tastes great.

but even better than just eating is cooking.
making your own food is just fantastic.
opening up a cupboard or fridge, taking out a whole slew of ingredients and creating something delictable...well, that's my little slice of heaven on earth.

i worked as a cook for a few months and that was a great job. it didn't last because i needed to go back to school, but i had a great time with that job. i learned a lot of little things about cooking then.
like seasoning the beef before hand for shepards pie.
constant basting with butter for roast chicken.
LOW heat for alfredo sauce.
putting wine in any marinara sauce makes the meal.

i've also learned some great recipes just on my own. basically having no clue what to do but having a lot of ingredients to do it with. i make a fantastic chicken parm. my sloppy joe mix is amazing. and don't even get me started on breakfast foods. i can make cheesy eggs that will make you cry they are so good.

oh, and heating stuff up in the microwave doesn't count as cooking. a microwave is for defrosting, reheating or frozen dinners. a stove or oven or open flame is required to be cooking. i feel very strongly about this. even if it is frozen vegetables or just pasta don't use a microwave. you're no better than a freshmen in a dorm if you do.

tao te ching 2

doing homework and procrastinating

today is the new hampshire primary. it will be interesting to see how it comes out. expect an analysis tomorrow.

i have a new plan for my blogging world. i am going to analyze several major religious works in a blog.

starting with the tao te ching.

online

i'm still here

another semester, another vague attempt at getting my life in order

MWF 11:30-12:20 MA 350 History of Mathematics
MW 1:30-2:45 MA 360 Number Theory
TR 10:00-11:15 ED 270 Multicultural Diversity
TR 11:30-12:45 ED 251 Foundations of Education
TR 1:00-2:50 MA 290 Discrete Mathematics II

for the creatively lazy

LAYER ONE:
-- Name: christopher john reger
-- Birth date: oktoberfest 9
-- Birthplace: wadena, mn
-- Current Location: worcester, ma
-- Eye Color: hzl
-- Hair Color: brwn
-- Height: 6'2"
-- Righty or Lefty: righty
-- Zodiac Sign: libra

LAYER TWO:
-- Your heritage: american
-- The shoes you wore today: old payless puma imitations
-- Your weakness: the couch
-- Your fears: failure, death, oreo production stopping
-- Your perfect pizza: ernie's porky pig
-- Goal you'd like to achieve: finish college

LAYER THREE:
-- Your most overused phrase on AIM: haha
-- Your first waking thoughts: she's late for class
-- Your best physical feature: eyes
-- Your most missed memory: am i missing the memory, or am i missing what happened in the memory?

LAYER FOUR:
-- Pepsi or Coke: fountain coke
-- McDonald's or Burger King: wendy's
-- Single or group dates: single
-- Adidas or Nike: payless
-- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: arizona
-- Chocolate or vanilla: chocolate
-- Cappuccino or coffee: coffee, black as my soul

LAYER FIVE:
-- Smoke: only in crowded hospitals
-- Cuss: fuck no
-- Sing: not on your life
-- Take a shower everyday: depends on if i'm leaving the couch that day
-- Do you think you've been in love: have and am
-- Want to go to college: i'm the living the dream
-- Liked high school: yes
-- Want to get married: definately
-- Believe in yourself: between sleep and awake
-- Get motion sickness: not that i remember
-- Think you're attractive: a bit too pudgy
-- Think you're a health freak: kind of an unhealth freak
-- Like thunderstorms: of course
-- Play an instrument: the buttons on my cd player

LAYER SIX: In the past month...
-- Drank alcohol: yep
-- Smoked: yep
-- Done a drug: yep
-- Made Out: yep
-- Gone on a date: does grocery shopping count as a date?
-- Gone to the mall?: yes
-- Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: not in the last month, but as often as i can
-- Eaten sushi: yes
-- Been on stage: no
-- Been dumped: thankfully, no
-- Gone skating: no
-- Made homemade cookies: no cookies, but cornbread!
-- Dyed your hair: no

LAYER SEVEN: Ever...
-- Played a game that required removal of clothing: nope
-- If so, was it mixed company:
-- Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: check please
-- Been caught "doing something": something? could be a broad topic...oh. no. i use upmost decorum at all times.
-- Been called a tease: nope
-- Gotten beaten up: but you should have seen the other guy!
-- Shoplifted: yes
-- Changed who you were to fit in: yes

LAYER EIGHT:
-- Age you hope to be married: 27
-- Numbers and Names of Children: at least 2, miles and autumn
-- Describe your Dream Wedding: shotgun in vegas
-- How do you want to die: as a martyr
-- Where you want to go to college: i don't know yet
-- What do you want to be when you grow up: happy
-- What country would you most like to visit: kenya

LAYER NINE:
-- Number of drugs taken illegally: i don't do drugs. down with dope, up with hope!
-- Number of people I could trust with my life: 5, 6, maybe 7 if they were close by
-- Number of CDs that I own: less than i would like
-- Number of piercings: none yet
-- Number of tattoos: none yet
-- Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: more than i know. the police blotter is always in such small type.
-- Number of scars on my body: several
-- Number of things in my past that I regret: cliche, but i do not regret the things i have done, only those i did not do.
-- Who did you get this from: the master master

and the moose came out of the river

i like it only because it makes fun of the mtv generation.


Good. You know your music. You should be able to
work at Championship Vinyl with Rob, Dick and
Barry


Do You Know Your Music (Sorry MTV Generation I Doubt You Can Handle This One)
brought to you by Quizilla

yogurt slinger

with the primary season about to get into full swing with nh, i've spent the morning reading the websites of what i consider the major democratic runners: clark, dean and kerry.

john kerry has a good website. i like this guy. not bad at all for a masshole. he has a broad plan with his 100 days initiative. whether it will pan out as a campaign support or not is still to be seen. what really struck me is this statement about john ashcroft--who everyone knows, is the devil incarnate:
"John Ashcroft has launched an all-out assault on individual rights, allowing for a wholesale invasion of attorney-client conversations, e-mails and telephone calls. Immediately after the election, John Kerry will name a new Attorney General whose name is not John Ashcroft. We will also fight to protect women’s rights, civil rights and workers rights and enforce anti-trust laws." (my emphasis)

dr howard dean has me in a conundrum. a buddy of mine from vermont did not like how dean ran the state while governor. on the other hand, i find his position on the issues enticing and i like the fact that he challenges the current administration. and i like electing members of the executive branch or members of the legislative for office of the president. (carter, reagan, clinton)

wesley clark (who has the best website). former nato supreme commander and experienced administrator. he even has been endorsed by michael moore. master of quotes such as this: "I will never challenge the patriotism of Americans who question my policies or express their disagreement." while not that monumental (and in my opinion a given) putting it on the record is what i like. another good quote from the general: "When we look at it in human terms, we recognize that this issue [gays recieving equal rights] is about how we want our children to be treated. In America, every child should be equal in the eyes of the law, period."

the jan 27 nh primary is going to be huge, and so is super tuesday (feb 3) when 7 states have their primaries. the massachusetts primary is on march 2. i don't know who i would vote for yet, but i hope all 3 are still in it when i get a chance to make my contribution.

i find myself to be a staunch idealist when it comes to the principles and foundations this nation was founded upon. yes, things are a bit different now then when the consitution was written, but there are still a lot of good things in that document. things that we need to heed now as we are rip-roaring through the 21st century. ideas that we need to keep at the forefront of our discussions as we decide the direction of this--the greatest of all time--nation in november.


i think dylan said it best:

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'

complimentary post

for me, the purpose of the politician is to work for what is best for the body politic.

which, to me, means that they work for what is best for the overall society.

which, to me, may mean that they should do what is best for the most amount of people, even if it isn't the most advantageous situation for some.

which, to me, is not happening lot today.

there are several things that we in america don't do that we could, but at the expense of a few.

mainly, i'm talking about a couple issues that are really important to me.

universal health care. the biggest estimate i've seen for a universal health care system is $100 billion. this may seem like a lot of money, but consider the fact that the defense budget will be close to $500 billion (half a trillion!) this next year. we aren't having a shortfall of resources in this country. we don't even have to go to the completely subsidized programs of canada and europe. i would even be fine with creating a system where the government provides complete health care (medical, dental, etc) for minors, umemployed and social security beneficiaries. this would probably cost well under a $100 billion price tag, and provide good social net.

cost of education. again, money is an important factor. the education department's budget is a mere $30 billion. compare with the defense's near $500 billion, and we have some disparity. increase the education spending to $100 billion, and we can solve a lot of problems. of course, throwing money at problems won't solve them. but providing resources will. $100 billion will build better schools, train more teachers, train better teachers and increase the intellectual level of the american youth. and if anyone argues with me that better educating our children is a waste...well, i'll just have to shake my head and walk away, because--obviously--you are an idiot.

does it make me a bleeding heart liberal because i want to provide--what i feel are--basic services to the general population? well, then get me a bumper sticker then.

also, i make the argument that we should reduce the defense budget. i am not making the argument that we should reduce the size of our standing army. i am not arguing for closing bases. i am not saying let's not do research. but if you increase education by $70 billion and start a uhc program at $50 billion, we can still spend $400 billion on defense and only add $20 billion to the budget (which could be paid for by reversing bush's tax cuts for the rich, but that's another post). by the way, $400 billion is still more than any other country is spending on defense. one way to get out that money is to make better decisions on how the money is being made.
a friend of mine is working in the defense industry. he is working on designs for a plane that physically cannot exist. we are designing a plane that is so technologically advanced, that we don't even have the machinary to build it. but shouldn't we always work to advance our technology? as a big fan of technology to save society, i would usually answer yes. but when our own fighters are the most technologically advanced in the world to begin with, i say spend the money on something a bit better.

like ourselves.

so sue me

i have done nothing.

i've been in worcester ten days and this is what i have accomplished:

watched the entire indiana jones trilogy
saw underworld, big fish, masked and anonymous, and punch drunk love for the first time.
i bought a pur water pitcher.
i went to work every day (all 3 of them) i was scheduled
i got cold feet put on my warm skin courtesy of carla
i slept.
i ate a whole bag of potato chips.

things are pretty fan-freaking-tastic right now.

so kiss me and smile for me

Passenger Name(s): REGER/CHRISTOPHER

Passenger Classification: ADULT
Flight/Class: Northwest Airlines flight 1078/Class K
Depart: Duluth/Superior, MN (DLH) - January 02 at 5:30am
Arrive: Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP) - January 02 at 6:19am

[Connecting To]

Flight/Class: Northwest Airlines flight 844/Class K
Depart: Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP) - January 02 at 7:18am
Arrive: Boston, MA (BOS) - January 02 at 10:55am


did ya notice the 5:30AM part?
did ya know i live over an hour from the duluth airport?
did ya realize i should be in bed at this hour?

my resolution is to be resolute.

at 11pm local time, i got a call from the future. my friends in massachusetts were already in the year 2004.

at just after midnight, i got a call from the past. my girlfriend in oregon was still trapped in 2003.

the whole temporal dynamics of the evening blew my mind. even more than the whiskey cokes did.

i have an ongoing list of resolutions that i may or may not complete. may not is favored by at least touchdowns.

finish college (not gonna happen in 2004, but it's important to stay on top of things)
get a car
buy a new computer
travel to at least 3 new states this year

that should be good enough for now. i'm on my way.