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Thursday, August 29, 2002
Bailing Early
Cleared it with my boss. Making up the time next week. I can't be here any more today - I need vacation ... NOW.
Got. To. Get. Away. From. Everyone. Everything.
The plan will be:
1 PM - Leave.
1:15 PM - Arrive at home.
1:15 PM to 5 PM - Pack the car, till it's done. Play Blitzball. Drink a beer, or ice tea, or something.
5:30 PM - last check of the house. Play more blitzball.
6:00 PM (or when our caravaners arrive) - Highway outta here.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 11:55 AM ::> [
Is it 5, yet?
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:45 AM ::> [
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Final Fantasy X - Other World Lyrics
====================================
by Yuna Rafaela
yuna@rinoa.nu
http://surf.to/yuna
Source: Final Fantasy X OST
Lyrics: Alexander O. Smith
Music and Arrangenment: Nobuo Uematsu
------------------------------------------------------------------
Go on if you want it.
Another world awaits you
Don't you give up on it.
You bite the hand that feeds you.
All alone cold fields you wander
Memories of it, cloud your sight
Fills your dreams, disturbs your slumber
Lost your way, a fallen knight
Hold now, aim is steady
Another world awaits you.
One thousand years--you ready?
The other world it takes you
Go into the sand and the dust in the sky
Go now, there's no better plan than to do or to die
Free me pray to the faith in the face of the light
Feed me fill me with sin now get ready to fight
You know you will
You know you will
You know you know you know you know that you will
You know you know you know you know that you will
Fight fight fight
Fight fight fight
Fight fight fight
Hope dies and you wander
The otherworld it makes you
Dreams they rip asunder
The othe rworld it hates you
Free now ride up on it
Up to the heights it takes you
Go on if you want it.
Another world awaits you
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 3:02 PM ::> [
blitzoff!
I'm getting better at this FFX 'mini-game'. The only team I have a problem beating is the Al Bhed Psyches - man! they're fast. I'm hoping to work up to winning all of Wakka's Attack reels ... and eventually the Saturn Crest to power up Wakka's World Champion weapon to it's fullest. So far, so good. I've lost one game (on purpose) to the Ronsos. I wanted the third place prize in the tournament (It was a Blitzing skill that Tidus needed - one of his "key abilities"). Unfortunately, it didn't give me the option of giving the skill to whom I wanted - it just placed the skill on someone. Gr.
So I played in an Exhibition game. You don't earn EXP to raise your blitzing levels, but you *CAN* Techcopy while in exhibition. Tidus got one of his Key abilites, and someone I picked up in recruiting (Linna, who's quite good) learned a key tech, too. I'm starting to understand how group-blocking and strategy work, but am still stumped on a few topics. Like ... when I choose "Break to XXXXX", "Pass" ... I thought it was SUPPOSED to try and break past XXXXX, and then pass, no matter how many defenders were in place. Occasionally, this works. Sometimes, though, the remaining defenders attempt to tackle before I pass, and I end up losing the ball. The tutorial isn't much help with this.
My biggest disadvantage right now is speed. I can beat the snot out of the Ronso's ... just pass the ball around a lot, and swim around them. They're slow oafs. The Al Bhed ... is luck. The strategy here is: lure the Al bhed into your defensive area with passes, while watching Tidus. If you can get Tidus open or with only one defender near him, pass to Tidus and make a break for the goal. Get as CLOSE as possible while only keeping a max of two defenders on you. Then da Jecht Shot. The Al Bhed catcher has a REALLY HIGH CATCH RATE ... so even Jecht shots get occasionally blocked. Very annoying. I ended up going into sudden-death overtime last night to beat the Al Bhed. Must recruit an Al Bhed ;)
I also found Biggs and Wedge - a FF staple! They're guarding each side of the entrance into the Luca Stadium. You can recruit them into your team! Wedge has a really high Shoot score - 17 at level 1. I recruited him, and ditched some yokel I wasn't using. It's hard to level people up. Gotta work on that more. Tidus seems to get the ball a lot, since his Jecht shot can remove two defenders from blocking. *grins* That'd be an interesting manuever in real life sports.
"Quarterback moves back, and whacks the ball into the Lineman's face! Now ... he's kicking the ball into another defender's chest ... he's grabbing the ball...he's running ... he scores!"
Heh.
Vacation
So looking forward to one.
Hair
Is much too long. Doing something about that today.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:27 AM ::> [
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
AFDS Update
A small update. Added pics, swapped one out per a request.
AFDS PC page
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:24 PM ::> [
PFT. Just Pffffffffffffffffffffffffft.
You are worth exactly: $1,958,454.00.
http://www.humanforsale.com
I also noticed that they valued the average man higher than the average female ... and the top male higher than the top female.
Welcome to 1900. Leave your equality at the door, thanks.
I also noted (with the use of a dual e-mail comparison) that they value An Inch at about $8,000.00. Therefore, we should probably adjust all men -$8,000 for the "Internet Measurements" Compensation.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 2:40 PM ::> [
WOW. I like this company:
http://www.greenteadesign.com/
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:41 AM ::> [
http://www.murphys-laws.com/
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:35 AM ::> [
Word of the day for Tuesday, August 27, 2002:
flagitious \fluh-JISH-uhs\, adjective:
1. Disgracefully or shamefully criminal; grossly wicked;
scandalous; -- said of acts, crimes, etc.
2. Guilty of enormous crimes; corrupt; profligate; -- said of
persons.
3. Characterized by enormous crimes or scandalous vices; as,
"flagitious times."
However flagitious may be the crime of conspiring to
subvert by force the government of our country, such
conspiracy is not treason.
--[1]Ex parte Bollman & Swartwout, 4 Cranch 126 (1807)
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:32 AM ::> [
Monday, August 26, 2002
*blinks*
There's a "newer" woman here at work. She's been here 2 or 3 months now, and I've determined that she's just a bit ... off.
She just had an at length conversation with my next door neighbor in the cube farm about her new underwear and the fact that's it bikini ... and the pros and cons of regular versus bikini.
There was much talk of cloth on the belly versus picking things out of valley-locations. I hope she fidgets with that in the restroom. And in general - I'm not certain of the work-appropriateness of the topic. Especially to folks she only knows in passing.
I'm seeing a pattern, though. Last week she was chatting about how she hates a TV in the bedroom, cause it means her husband watches it until all hours of the night and won't have sex with her.
Uh. Thanks. I needed to know. *rolls eyes*
Oy.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 11:42 AM ::> [
AFDS, Update
I updated the AFDS website on Saturday. The "PC'S" page is now up, and I'm starting to fill that in as I acquire information, URLS and images.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 10:42 AM ::> [
FFX
The End.
The game ... was just ... amazing. This is the first Final Fantasy game that combined an excellent, cohesive storyline with a great system. Others had good/better/awesome levelling systems (I, IV, IX, Tactics, I'm told). Other games had a great storyline (VI, XIII). Other games were fairly cohesive (VIII, VII). But X? That had ALL THREE elements.
I loved the characters. Yuna, Wakka, Lulu ... even Tidus. Tidus needed to be goofy and aloof to cut some of the tension. Auron. Kimahri. Rikku.
The action ... just gels. There's no surprise End-Bosses that just pop in to stop you (Uh ... Necron in FF IX? Yeaaaaaah.) It all makes sense. Every piece of the story element comes together in a very tight, cohesive manner.
The storyline is just compelling. It was just amazing.
The final boss sequences weren't terribly challenging. But ... the Arena monsters are supposed to be. So, I'm going to uber-level Tidus, Auron and Yuna, and we'll tackle some of those monsters. I got a start on it last night - Matthew's AP Trick works pretty well. Note, though: Double AP works OK instead of Triple AP, but to get the full effect you have to die more often, or use Triple AP.
His Trick:
Put the following qualities on a weapon: Overdrive -> AP; Triple Overdrive; Triple AP.
Have the following on your armor: Auto-Phoenix.
I put this set-up on three people, to simultaneously level. Make sure that you burn off any overdrives that are built up, and that your overdrive is set to "Comrade" mode.
Fight "Don Tonberry" in the Arena. When you attack the Don, he counters with his "Karma" attack, which does anywhere from 11,000 to 90,000 points of damage to you. One of your other characters will auto-pheonix, causing you to be resurrected, so just keep hitting him him.
How it works:
When a character takes damage while you're in comrade-mode, the other two characters in the party's overdrive bar fills. at 90K damage, it'll fill a LOT. Add Triple Overdrive, and it fills three times as fast. Overdrive -> AP turns any overdrive earned into AP points for leveling at the end of the battle. Triple AP triples any earned AP. Thus, with the Don, you take a ton of damage, which all gets converted into AP points at about 9X the normal rate.
With one run, about 15 deaths total between 3 characters, Tidus got 25 levels, Auron got 88, and Yuna got 99. Cool. :) I ran out of Power Spheres. So I have to go find me more of those, now. Heh.
The plan is: Super-level those three, and try the arena monsters. I'm considering playing a ton of blitzball, too, to get Wakka's good weapon. I read online that you can get him to do 12 attacks for 99,999 apiece. Cool. :) And ... I don't mind the blitzball sub-game. I've not lost a game, yet. I think I've got it figured out, for the most part.
Still on the to-do list, then to be a completist:
1) Get/Unlock celestial weapon for Tidus [Chocobo Racing]/
2) Unlock Kimarhi's Spirit Lance [Butterfly game]
3) Get/Unlock Wakka's celestial weapon [Blitzball]
4) Gather the few missing Arena monster (3 barbatos, 5 tonberrys, 2 Valahas, 2 Varunas, 3 Behemoth Kings)
5) Beat all the Area Monsters [BIG Accomplishment]
6) Beat Nemesis [He has TEN MILLION Hit points]
In other news
Feeling much better. Started feeling better saturday, and then more so on Sunday. 95% of normal, now.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:28 AM ::> [
Friday, August 23, 2002
I Joined a Cult Today
Welcome to the World of Six Sigma.
Under the weather
Also not feeling great. Cold, achy ... throat's a bit sore. Tired. I wanted to stay and sleep. We need pans, though, and I need the 55 points this month to get them ....
FF X
Nearing completion. I've gotten Yuna's and Auron's Celestial Weapons totally unlocked. I've obtained all the Aeons in the game. I've gotten almost every monster for the arena, now. I beat Omega Weapon. He was a WUSS. I was expecting harder. Only the last area left. Racing chocobos IS bad - to get Tidus' sun sigil, you have to race against someone else, while collecting balloons and dodging birds. Getting a balloon, decreases your end time. Getting hit, increases your time. I can't beat her, let alone get a negative time to get the sigil. Ah well.
I might go try and dodge lightening. At this point, I don't think it's worth it. There's a few things I could figure out, yet:
1) Bikanel Island, the sandstorm and Cactuar's village quest
2) Get all 7 Blue Butterflies in Macalania Forest
3) Thunder Plains Dodging
4) Finish the Arena
5) beat the Arena Bosses
6) Assemble more Celestial Weapons
We'll see. I might just forge ahead. I'm very interested in seeing the rest of the storyline.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 1:24 PM ::> [
Thursday, August 22, 2002
Good Deed for Today is done
I was walking out of the building to head home for lunch ... when I saw a chunk of cash on the ground, right out in the open.
I scooped it up. $60.00. Headed into the building, and dropped it off at the front desk.
If no one claims it - it's mine. Until then, someone has a chance to reclaim a sum of money they dropped.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 3:57 PM ::> [
Oh. and stayed up much too late last night. 12:30ish, I think I saw on the alarm clock.
I was going to pop into the WRAP office and fix an issue or two with the database I developed for them. That was set by 7:00ish. What went horribly wrong thereafter ... was the computer.
You see, this guy who thought he knew a lot about computers, just showed up to volunteer a few months back. He blew into town, upgraded the hell out of the computer - WITHOUT asking opinions of anyone except the president, who also didn't see opinions - and broke a lot. That's when the database tanked; he upgraded Office97 to Office2000. Which is fine and dandy, except that Access Databases don't like to be upgraded. Microsoft redeveloped the Jet-Engine for Access2000, which totally changes how it allocates resources and manages the database tables, relationships, and even the VB scripting.
Joy.
The computer, currently, has this list of problems:
1. Adaptec EZ-CD Creator 4.0 (Cd Burning Software) installed. Doesn't work - asks for you to reinstall it when you launch the program.
2. HotBurn (cd burning software) installed. Doesn't work - asks you to "format" CD-RW's, and then won't.
3. Windows XP File Burning Software - just spins the CD. Won't actually write anything.
Net result - no data off via CD. Which means anything you want to export off is via 3.25 floppy, or the 56K modem.
4. All MSOffice documents that you click on, ask you to reinstall MSOffice2000. You have open the program, first, then select the document from within.
Things I've noted:
5. They're using WindowsXP with three users. It doesn't appear that these users are necessary, though - none of the accounts I've seen thus far have passwords on them. Tried two out.
6. The computer is cluttered with documents and programs they don't need or use.
7. The computer is SLOW. This guy ... took an old 800 Celeron ... with 128 megs of RAM, and tossed Windows XP on the thing. Microsoft's site says 64 is the bare-minumum and to expect speed issue ... and 128 is highly recommended. 128 is fine - if you only want to run the OS. they need 256.
What I think it needs:
A rebuild - from the ground up. I'd take the thing home with me, network it into the home network, and rip out all the documents. Format the drive. Install the OS on, ground-up. Install ONE cd-burning software. Eliminate the multiple users. Update everything over the cable modem's download speeds. Defrag it. Add 128 megs of RAM (which is dirt cheap, these days). I think it'd take most of one weekend day to accomplish. I'm willing to do it, so that I can minimize my time spent trying to work with the database.
I've only done a ground-up install twice. But I think I can handle it - both were with Windows 95, which was a bitch to install. Windows 98 and later all can load off the CD as a startup utility, so that makes life much easier.
*grumbles*
SO! I finally got home from WRAP-work at about 9ish. I sat through dinner with folks who I normally like to talk to, and just listened to someone in the group drone on about a boat they just bought. The motor-type, the length, girth, how he bought it, why .... and finally just excused myself to check on the computer's upload of the database. Which errored, of course. 4 megs over a 56K ... is prone to error. Which prompted more grumpiness. Which is prompting me to volunteer to fix the damn thing, against my better judgement. I'm not going to be able to support the database very well if I can't use the computer efficiently. I'm not going to spend 5 hours updating a query and changing some form properties during school - I won't have that kind of time to give.
So ... I got home. Vegged at the PS2, in front of FFx. Tried to dodge lightening bolts on the thunder plains. I got to 30 or so, and moved to another area. I've got a bit more work to complete the arena. I played a game of blitzball against the Ronsos. DANG .. they're hard. They've a lot of endurance and attack power, so they consistantly manage to steal the ball and evade my defensive blocks to try and stop them. But, I won regardless. Tidus has the Jecht Shot - which is just COOL. It KNOCKS two defenders OUT OF THE WAY! As in ... if you've two people attempting to block you, you just shoot the ball with the jecht shot, and without doing a breakaway to try and avoid them, it just pushes them out of the way. Not to mention the fact that the animation takes 30-40 seconds to complete, so it knocks a chunk of time off the clock. I won 3-1, making my record thus far: 2 wins, no losses. Tidus is tied for Most Points scored in the league.
Afterwards, I decided to head to Bevelle to advance the plot. I can now access the last area of the game, and go back and do some things that I was blocked from doing before. So, I'll hopefully get Anima tonight. I also want to get that Venus Sigil ... so I really am going to try and dodge lightening. *sighs*. It should be less tedious than the arena stuff ... and yet ... the arena stuff seems far more appealing. *shrugs*
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:33 AM ::> [
Allright. So I admit it ... I read Will Wheaton's blog on a regular basis. I liked his character on Star Trek: TNG. And ... I like his personality (the real one) that I've come to know a bit about through the blog. He's a geek. Liberal. Interesting.
*shrugs*
Posted on his site, is this link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/08/21/DD78157.DTL. Interesting thing to note about the article is the list of celebrity blogs; and their 'ranks'. Checked out Bill's Site Too Funny.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:55 AM ::> [
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
Open Letter
http://baltimorechronicle.com/ol_aug02.shtml
Yup.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 3:02 PM ::> [
I'm still majorly taken with the FFX bug. I've pushed through to the point in the game where I've access to just about everything now, so I can take some time and do some of the side-quests.
I've managed to collect a hellalot of creatrues for the Arena. I've stopped fighting all the monsters he creates, because they just whip my ass royally. I'm collecting the monsters, still, though - because he gives you NICE items for finding all the monsters from certain areas. So far, I've gotten all the monster in: Besaid, Kilika, Mushroom Rock Road, Djose Road, Mi'hen High Road, Thunder Plains, Lake Macalania, Bikanel Island, Calm Lands and Mt Gagazet. Of those areas, I've only found/captured the maximum of each monster in the Mushroom Rock Road and the Thunder Plains. Which means I've still a bit more hunting to do in each of those areas.
I've also been recollecting missed Al Bhed Primers. I'm missing 6 now, when I was missing about 14 before. Matthew pointed out to me on Sunday that my Al Bhed sucked. It did. :) Apparently, I could have had almost all of them by that point in the game. *shrugs* The important stuff the Al Bhed said in English to me, regardless. It's neat that a game has a "language" that you have to learn/translate, though.
Oh! I've also "found" many areas with the Airship, now. The Airship isn't like the other game's airships - it flies itself; you just tell it where to go. To find new locations, you enter in coordinates or passwords, which unlock new areas. The coordinate entering system is an X,Y planar grid. You move a small dot around it, looking fort coordinates ... and hit "X" to search that location. You're supposed to go out into the world you know and gather clues for finding hidden areas. I think I've found most of them with sheer random luck.
In the process of looking around and getting Arena monsters, I've managed to get Auron's Celestial Weapon totally unlocked. WOW. We like ;) I'm still looking for pieces to other folk's weapons, though. I remember Matthew telling me you had to race Chocobo's to get Tidus' weapon. I tried that - It doesn't seem too hard. I've gotten up to two chests. We'll try some more, and shoot for 5 or 6. See if that yeilds Tidus' weapon. I'm also planning on doing some more blitzball playing, as I'm pretty sure that's how you get Wakka's big weapon. I'm not sure about Kimarhi. Matthew said something about the Qactuar statues in the Thunder Plains, but I haven't figured that out. Plus - I hate the Thunder Plains. I'm not very good at dodging the lightening.
But! *sighs* I'd rather be playing FF today. Ah well.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:20 AM ::> [
Patrick
Your first name of Patrick creates a serious, thoughtful nature, shrewd, efficient, and business-minded. You are one to make your own decisions, and not be influenced by others. You desire independence and freedom from the authority and interference of others. You are not overly ambitious, preferring instead just to seek stable, settled conditions which are adequate to meet your responsibilities. In your personal relations with others, you are inclined to be rather serious, and not to see the humour others see, or to respond spontaneously. Your positive manner and outlook can make others feel that you are imposing your will on them and even interfering in their affairs. Weaknesses in your health caused by the influence of this name centre in the head. Head colds, sinus conditions, hay-fever, and weak eyes are relative conditions. Also, your tendency to worry can lead to insomnia and other overwrought conditions.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:03 AM ::> [
I've always wanted to visit KRUNGTHEP MAHANAKHON BOVORN RATANAKOSIN MAHINTHARAYUTTHAYA MAHADILOKPOP NOPARATRATCHATHANI BURIROM UDOMRATCHANIVETMAHASATHAN AMORNPIMAN AVATARNS ATHIT SAKKATHATTIYAVISNUKARMPRASIT.
I've heard it's such a pretty place.
Find out where KRUNGTHEP MAHANAKHON BOVORN RATANAKOSIN MAHINTHARAYUTTHAYA MAHADILOKPOP NOPARATRATCHATHANI BURIROM UDOMRATCHANIVETMAHASATHAN AMORNPIMAN AVATARNS ATHIT SAKKATHATTIYAVISNUKARMPRASIT is, here: http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words12.html. Root site:http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words.html, courtesy of Yahoo! Daily Picks.
(And yes, "KRUNGTHEP MAHANAKHON BOVORN RATANAKOSIN MAHINTHARAYUTTHAYA MAHADILOKPOP NOPARATRATCHATHANI BURIROM UDOMRATCHANIVETMAHASATHAN AMORNPIMAN AVATARNS ATHIT SAKKATHATTIYAVISNUKARMPRASIT" is supposedly a *real* place.)
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:30 AM ::> [
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Hm. I want this recorded, so I can read it later, and later, and later:
Time to turn in my toaster oven
It's 2002 and gay men are still drugging themselves silly, having unsafe sex, and turning themselves into living Billy dolls. If the religious right has a preconceived notion of who and what gay people are, maybe it's because we have fed it to them.
By Charles Karel Bouley II
An Advocate.com exclusive posted August 16, 2002 I am a 39-year-old child, seeing everything through brand-new eyes-at least when it comes to single-gay-male life. I haven't done the "single" thing very much. In the late '70s and early '80s I was in a four-year relationship-in high school and college, no less. When that ended, four months later I found myself in another relationship, which lasted eight years. Four months after that one ended, I met my first real lover, and we were together almost 12 years, separated only by his death. So now here I sit, a single gay male in the new millennium. And it is far more dismal than even I had envisioned.
It's enough to make me want to turn in my toaster oven. It's been a revealing time, this past year of singlehood. For instance, I have realized I owe the producers of the show Queer as Folk an apology. You see, when it first came on I publicly begged heterosexuals not to watch it. The shallow, sex-obsessed drug addicts didn't represent the entire gay community, and I didn't want nongays to get the idea in their heads that we are that horrible stereotype.
Well, I was wrong. We are that horrible stereotype. Not only do we embody it, we embrace it. We reward it. We fight for the right to be it. Disagree? Get over it. And while I hate to burst your bubble, it gets worse. How? Well, because we know better and still choose to be everything our critics claim we are. Bars are still full of substance-abusing queers with little or no self-respect, twirling, bumping, shopping-whatever they call their new drug trips. Vocabularies are now full of letters-E, G, K, X-ad infinitum. The most popular gateway drug is no longer pot or coke but Serostim or creatine, or a host of other steroids used to make our bodies the epitome of perfect. Countless hours are devoted to the gym so we can have that perfect physique and then use that muscular bicep to pour alcohol into our system, chemicals into our bloodstream, and smoke into our lungs.
If our internal organs were on the outside, perhaps we'd be more likely to take care of them too.
And we glorify the body, the lifestyle. Magazines are devoted to it. Parties are planned all over the country around it. Look through any chat room, online classified ad, or personals section and all you'll see is "gym buddy seeks same..." Or the even better "straight-acting..." Who wants to spend their lives "acting"? I'm gay-what's wrong with acting that way?
That's just a subculture, you say. That's not everyone. Really? Go to any gay pride event, any, and then disagree with me. Hundreds of thousands of shirtless men with perfect pecs-so generic, if you cut off their heads, you'd never be able to identify their lifeless, chiseled bodies-being stepped over by campy drag queens or lesbians on Harleys wearing only nipple caps and leather vests.
And let's talk about sex, baby. I slept with an HIV-positive man for 12 years. I, we, lived with the trials and tribulations of AIDS daily-the CTs, MRIs, gallium scans, lumbar punctures, five pills up to 25 pills a day, side effects, flying halfway across the country for drug studies, the uncertainty of "Is this just a cold or the beginning of the end?"
Through it all we had wonderful, exciting sex, and yes, I'm still HIV-negative. Safer sex works. So it came as a shock to me that five minutes into a Gay.com Long Beach, Calif., online chat room someone asked me to come over and bareback. It came as a bigger shock when one of my best friends admitted that in the last six months he's allowed not one but two men to actually finish the job inside of him without a condom. He deserved the 10 days of anguish waiting for his results (this time he got lucky).
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced recently that AIDS cases are rising and that the number 1 group of new infections is gay men ages 16-25, I thought, There has to be something in the Aquafina. God help me, I thought, anyone over the age of 15 that contracts HIV deserves it. They are ignorant to a disease that has been around over 20 years. And if they are gay and male, they doubly deserve it. We've seen firsthand what it can do but choose to ignore that in favor of our own carnal desires.
Bathhouses are still open. How ridiculous is that? And gay men still flock to them. Not you? Not anyone you know? You'd be surprised. Perhaps you're a member of the coffeehouse clique, the liberated guy who likes to read, go to plays and movies, and have a nice dessert with friends. Ten minutes after sitting down at The Library here in Long Beach three conversations around me turned to sex, drugs, or the gym. A half hour at Coffee Haven, and already a gentleman had offered me his company, for a price.
Perhaps we're not all sex-obsessed, gym-going, straight-acting, self-loathing beings. Perhaps the years of us being browbeaten and told we were inferior hasn't affected us. Maybe not having legal rights or benefits hasn't damaged our cultural psyche so much, and maybe we are "just like everyone else."
And perhaps George W. Bush could explain the theory of relativity in detail.
So what, you say? So that's just a part of who we are and we should embrace it...what harm does it cause? A lot.
As I stood in the Californian state capitol in Sacramento, about to testify in front of the state senate judiciary committee in support of AB 25-a bill that grants 13 legal benefits to domestic partners-I listened to the opposition's attack. And I had a big problem. I couldn't defend us against the attacks because what the right-wing Christian zealot was saying was, in fact, true. If the members of that panel have a preconceived notion of who and what gay people are, it's because we have bought into it. We have fed it to them.
Attitude or perception of a culture can cause harm in more ways than you could ever imagine. I will go to my grave believing the perception of the gay male community contributed to the death of my partner. It was Long Beach gay pride weekend 2001, and 200,000 gays and lesbians were in town. Some of them were doing drugs or too much alcohol, ending up in the emergency room. My partner, Andrew, was suddenly very ill, and he and I showed up at 4 a.m. He had a seizure right there. From that moment on, the only question the ER staff cared about was "What drugs was he using?" Countless times we were asked. Of course he had to be using drugs. He was young, healthy, buff, obviously gay. So the first conclusion drawn by the ER staff, who have seen it all, was: Here's another drugged-out queer.
He wasn't drugged out. He was having a heart attack. They never even checked. But that night, that weekend, so many gay men were drugged out. How easy to assume that Andrew had to be one more. We can't pull together as a community because we have no sense of it. We have no real leaders. We hear from Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation all the time, protecting our interests in the entertainment industry. So what do we get on national TV? One show about drugged-out bar boys and another one about a straight-acting gay man with a female and a raging queen as his best friends. Good work, GLAAD, I feel comforted knowing you're looking out for us.
And as for the Washington lobby groups, local gay and lesbian centers, and such, how much of a role do they play in most of our lives? Most of us don't frequent them or stay in touch with what they're doing, or we have only a passing interest. Maybe we write a check now and then, go to a fund-raiser to see straight celebrities tell us how great we are or to bid on the discounted trips to Bali, pledge a friend for some athletic endeavor that's supposed to stop AIDS. Maybe not. It's a shame gay men have come to this as a culture. We have such hope, such brilliance. But why would society grant us anything? Because it's the right thing to do? Since when does society do what's morally right as a whole? We need to prove we deserve it. And all we do is fall back to the methods of being gay from an archaic past when sex was dirty and clandestine and when it was acceptable to be an underground culture. I don't see many single gay men doing much of that these days. Yes, I'm generalizing. In general, we are promiscuous. In general, we abuse more substances than straight people our age. In general, we are narcissistic. And in general, that is how we are perceived. Trust me. I talk to thousands of nongays a week, meet them, get e-mails from them. Their first line is, invariably, "I had no idea that there were gay people like you out there"-meaning, gay people who disagree with the path their own culture is taking.
Perhaps a new class is emerging: HomoHetero. Single gay men someplace in the middle. Gay men who don't agree with the way things are going. Gay men who realize sex is good, a nice evening of partying is fine, but all in moderation. And gay men who realize we've become exactly what they said we are, and that now it's going to take a lot longer to get the equality as humans we deserve, but that as a culture we seem destined to never achieve that equality due to our own actions.
If so, then here's my personal ad: "ISO HomoHetero: Me: gay-appearing, forward-thinking WGM. Have body, gym or otherwise. Only ride horses bareback. Don't mind a good party but know when to stay home. Substance abuse? Does chocolate count? You: have a life outside the gym, do only drugs with more than one letter, and realize that being gay is a part of life, not all your life."
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:40 AM ::> [
Monday, August 19, 2002
Weekend
Stayed out much too late on Friday. After the work party, folks 'dragged' me to Studio 4. It was alright. We hit the Necto thereafter. The smoke isn't as bothersome when you've had three beers.
We left at 1:30ish - and I was no good to drive home. We crashed at a coworkers apartment, and ordered a late night pizza, which helped immensely. I dropped a friend off at his car at the office building, and headed home. I awoke at noonish. Matthew called around 12:30, and asked if I had got his message. Yep - there it was on the machine. 9:40 am Saturday morning. I didn't even hear it ring. Oy.
We hit the mall, and Matthew bought a coat and a video game. He tried out the game whilst I made green curry pork - which was yummy. I played FFX after he left, and cleaned the house up a bit.
Sunday was a bit more cleaning, mowing the front lawn, and more FFX. I'm now at the point in the game where I can go all around the world and do side-quests. I'm having fun collecting things for the Arena. He gives you neat items for helping him collect monsters ;) Some of the monsters he creates for you to fight are just MEAN. Jarrod got home at 3:30 (yay) and we headed to dinner at about 4:30ish.
Gay Pair-ee
A friend of mine has made a very generous offer -- she gets these tickets from her ex-huband called "Buddy passes". The ex is a pilot for Delta. The buddy passes are handed off to friends to use to travel. They're good anywhere Delta affiliates fly to. The catch is that you travel on stand-by. So, if a flight is full, you wait for a non-full flight.
But they're free. And they go ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD THAT A DELTA AFFILIATE FLIES TO. Rome. Athens. Siam. Hong Kong. Melbourne. Jakarta. Bahamas. Cancun. London. You get the idea. Anywhere in the world.
So, Jarrod and I talked about it. We've been doing well about saving money of late - we aren't going out to dinner as much as we have been. If I do some overtime at work, we continue to save some cash by not going out to dinner as much (or going out to less expensive restaurants when we do go out), and we don't go hog-wild for Christmas -- we can afford a trip to Paris. I think we've decided on Paris. 3-4 nights in a hotel ought not to be too bad. It helps that the American Dollar buys a lot of Euros and/or Francs, currently.
So! Mid-octoberish, we're going to attempt this. I'm excited. I've never left this continent before. And being able to see Gay Paris is just too neat ;)
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 10:03 AM ::> [
So I guess I'm a Gothic Princess. *shrugs*
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:09 AM ::> [
I was torn on two answers to one question. Changing it yeilds:
What is your Alter-Ego
Personality?
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:09 AM ::> [
*cough*
What is your Alter-Ego
Personality?
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:06 AM ::> [
Friday, August 16, 2002
Suteki da ne
(this version is more complete)
Kaze ga yaseta kotobani
Oyoida kokoro
Kumoga hakobu ashitani
Hatsunnda koe
Tsukiga yureru kakamini
Hurueta kokoro
Hoshiga nagare koboreta
Yawarakai namida
Sutekidane
Hutaritewotori aruketanara
Ikitai yo
Kiminomachi ie munenonaka
Somomune
Karadaazuke
Yonhinimagire
Yumemiru
Kazewa tomari kotobaha
Yasashi maboroshi
Kumowa yabure ashitawa
Tookuno koe
Tsukiga nijimu kagamiwo
Nagareta kokoro
Hoshiga yurete koboreta
Kakusenai namida
Sutekidane
Futaritewotoriaruketanara
Ikitaiyo
Kiminomachi ie munenonaka
Sono kao
Sottoyurete
Asani tokeru
Yumemiru
Sutekidane
Futaritewotoriaruketanara
Ikitaiyo
Kiminomachi ie munenonaka
Sono mune
Karadaazuke
Yoninimagire
yumemiru
Tiffany Winfield
Last Updated: 12-23-01
Version 1.0
Garnetj526@aol.com E-mail only, PLEASE!
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 3:51 PM ::> [
Coffee helped immensely.
I'm now only minorly irratated, mostly directed at having to be at work today.
Jarrod offed to PA today, for his yearly Family Reunion. 400 people invited, and most of the talk will be centered around deceased relatives from a century ago and relations that require a program to calculate ("You're my maternal 3rd cousin, twice removed. Hi!"). I'll miss him. Hope he has fun.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 10:33 AM ::> [
Mood-O-Meter says Grumpy.
You've been warned.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:14 AM ::> [
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Courtesy of Matthew
http://www.dzarchive.com/rpgpavilion/Tips/Pages/tip78.html
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 12:24 PM ::> [
suteki da ne
(Romaji Lyrics)
-------------
kaze ga yoseta kotoba ni
oyoida kokoro
kumo ga hakobu ashita ni
hazunda koe
tsuki ga yureru kagami ni
furueta kokoro
hoshi ga nagare koboreta
yawarakai namida
suteki da ne
futari te wo tori aruketa nara
ikitai yo
kimi no machi ie ude no naka
sono mune
karada azuke
yoi ni magire
yumemiru
kaze ha tomari kotoba ha
yasashii maboroshi
kumo ha yabure ashita ha
tooku no koe
tsuki ga nijimu kagami wo
nagareta kokoro
hoshi ga yurete koboreta
kakusenai namida
suteki da ne
futari te wo tori aruketa nara
ikitai yo
kimi no machi ie ude no naka
sono kao
sotto furete
asa ni tokeru
yumemiru
English Translation
--------------------
Note: This is just a direct translation.
(My) heart is swimming in words
formed by the wind.
(My) voice carried
by a cloudy tommorrow.
A mirror moved
by the moon, trembled my heart.
Soft tears
filled with a stream of stars.
Isn't it beautiful?
Two of us walking hand in hand.
I want to go to
your town, your home, your arms.
I dream of lying
against your chest.
My body in your clasp,
disappearring into the evening.
Words stopped by the wind
are a gentle illsion.
A cloud-torned tommorrow is
a far-away voice.
My heart has been
in a moon-blocked flowing
mirror.
Stars that swayed and flowed
can't hide my tears.
Isn't it beautiful?
Two of us walking hand in hand.
I want to go to
your town, your home, your arms.
I dream of your face
that softly melts in the
morning.
CREDITS
-------
- Aspen Matthews <>
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 11:10 AM ::> [
Word of the Day for Thursday August 15, 2002:
puissant \PWISS-uhnt; PYOO-uh-suhnt; pyoo-ISS-uhnt\,
adjective:
Powerful; strong; mighty; as, a puissant prince or empire.
As an upcoming young corporate lawyer in San Francisco in
the 1930's, Crum tended the interests of some of
California's most puissant businesses, starting with
William Randolph Hearst's newspaper empire.
--Richard Lingeman, "The Last Party," [1]New York Times,
April 27, 1997
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:14 AM ::> [
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
I Had to Laugh...
This morning's NPR new report: "Governor Engler said he'd allow the override to his veto of state appropriated funds ..."
Uh. Hello?! "Allow the override"? Yea, you'll allow it. YOU HAVE TO. YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. YOU WERE OVER-RIDDEN.
In other words, John - at least 66% of the population thinks you were being a dick.
Politics, in general, just upset me. Heard more "Bush-i-gans" this morning. "We've got a war to fight." Yea, your war against the rest of us. GR. "We've the best this...the best that...blah blah blah." I wish he could just see that if America is the best, it's because it stands on the backs of everyone else. That America CANNOT exist on it's own. "We've got to defend the homeland." He's right on that. We're the best at pissing everyone else in the world off with our America-centrists attitude, our holier than though dollar, and our we'll piss on you to make us grand foriegn policy.
He's just SUCH an idiot.
In other, better news
Advanced the story a bit last night. I now know how to get some of the items I want, via Matthew. DANG. To get the level 4 key spheres I want, I have to Bribe a monster with 196,000 gold! For TWO of them! Expensive suckers. I think I'm going to walk backwards the short bit to do it, though. I've only got about 250K gold, but it'll be worth it to get Doublecast AND Ultima.
MWaHAHahahHA. Doublecasted Ultima. That'll be neat :)
I looked at Kimahri's stats - and he's not a bad Magic user. I put him through Rikku's area, and he's got more MP than Lulu. Weird. I think I'm going to change my plan. I'm going to head him towards Ultima, and unlock that. Then I'm going to start taking him into Black Magic. I'm going to have Wakka and Auron head into each other's areas - So I'll have two uber-fighters. Tidus will head into white magic or another fighting area. Yuna will head towards black magic via the item's area (Rikku). That'll give her the ability to get FULL LIFE.
So! My priorities are: Ultima, Doublecast, Full Life.
There's still this Aeon I found that wants money for him to help me. 250K, I think. I'm very, very close to that amount. I'm not sure he's worth the cash, though. So that's a gamble. It all comes down to money.
Nice to see the game mirrors life. GR. :)
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:44 AM ::> [
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
*sighs*
Big long post. Hit the post button, and it all vanished.
*kicks blogger in the puter-balls.*
THERE. Hurt?
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 2:47 PM ::> [
Monday, August 12, 2002
Hm. I'm certain my last post should affect the geek score below it. *shrugs*
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:45 AM ::> [
I dreamed in shades of Final Fantasy last night ...
Summoning Aeons. Making snarky comments while zotting people with Thundara and Blizzaga. Making cutesey-happy-go-lucky comments whilst I slashed at things with my sword.
It was odd, to say the least.
I'm really....really...really enraptured by FFX right now. The story starts out so very slow. Until you hit a certain scene in the story line (operation Mi'hen), and then you begin to see that the story hasn't been slow, but SUBTLE. There are things in the very beginning that begin to open up and make sense.
And then ... when you finally reach Bevelle ... Oh My Goodness. I can't stop. I played 9 hours yesterday. I want to play more. I'm going to probably beat the game this week at this pace. I. Must. Play. Even Jarrod commented that the story was keeping him interested, even if the battles and the sphere-grid leveling system were a bit tedious.
The story is just amazing. The characters ... are CHARACTERS. They work at characterization in the game. They've dimension, depth. I'm just hooked. Totally.
I've already started planning where to move the characters in the sphere grid. Lulu's going to head towards White Magic or Items (Rikku's area). Rikku is going to head to Black Magic or Status attacks. Kimarhi is going to go to Status Attacks, Black Magic or Auron's area. Wakka is firmly going to head to Auron's heavy hitting area. Tidus is going to go to Auron's area ... or maybe White Magic. Yuna is going to dabble in Black Magic. I'm saving all my Black Magic spheres, Skill Spheres and Special Spheres for when I get Ultima, Full-life, Auto-life, Bribe, Quick Hit ... the BIG stuff.
One last FF thing ... and I head to work - Matthew said he liked Shiva and used her a lot. I'm really liking Bahamut, which you get in Bevelle. He's BIG. His special attack is non-elemental, and hits EVERY enemy. Yuna says or does something when each of them arrive for the very first time. For Bahamut (who is about 7 times taller than she is), she says: "Oh......my," in a shaky "what Have I summoned?" voice. heh!
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:44 AM ::> [
Friday, August 09, 2002
| You are 34% geek |  | You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator.
Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend.
You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines!
Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals!
You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.
|
Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 10:58 AM ::> [
Thursday, August 08, 2002
I am so not in the mood to work. I am so in need of TIME AWAY.
I am so looking forward to vacation at the end of this month.
So.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 2:28 PM ::> [
Had a nice lunch out with Matthew. We sat on the patio at Pizza house -- and my allergies were FINE. I get to work ... and sneezy/plugged.
"Dr.! Dr.! I've discovered the problem. I am allergic to WORK."
I wonder if you can go on dissability for that? Hm....
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 2:18 PM ::> [
Wednesday, August 07, 2002
Spicy Thai Chicken Basil for lunch today. Ought to help the sinuses drain.
This weekend will be busy. POM Saturday, after a birthday bash at Steve and Joe's in Royal Oak. Friday night is my work-party thing for my participation in our upgrade to our online mortgage system. It's a TIGERS game ... baseball. I think baseball is the one they swing wooden and metal things at a small white ball. *shrugs* Hobnobbing is draining, sometimes.
Sunday I think I actually get a *DAY*. Will be nice. FFX is planned. :)
We *STILL* don't have a stove working. I'm upset about that. Sears Home Central had an appointment for Saturday. They called, and rescheduled for Monday. Monday morning they called Jarrod ... and rescheduled for the afternoon. Afternoon came and went, and no call. I called them yesterday evening - no answer. No return call. I called someone else, too - no return call yet.
Who do I have to sleep with to get the frickin' electrical box looked at? GR. I've been wanting pasta with alfredo sauce for a WEEK now, and I can't make it.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 10:46 AM ::> [
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
Another me?
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020806.html
There might be an invisible-supersymetric-me out there! I want to meet him!
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 2:50 PM ::> [
Word of the Day for Tuesday August 6, 2002:
bagatelle \bag-uh-TEL\, noun:
1. A trifle; a thing of little or no importance.
2. A short, light musical or literary piece.
3. A game played with a cue and balls on an oblong table
having cups or arches at one end.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:35 AM ::> [
Monday, August 05, 2002
Candidate research - Governor's Race
http://www.freep.com/news/politics/gay2_20020702.htm
http://www.freep.com/news/politics/pm9931_20020702.htm
Bonior: Pro-law against discrimination and brutality. Pro "domestic partnerships".
Granholm: Pro-law against discrimination and brutality. Pro "domestic partnerships". Dodged the sodomy law repeal question.
Blanchard: Pro-law against discrimination and brutality. Pro "domestic partnerships".
Swartz: Pro-law against discrimination and brutality. Pro "domestic partnerships". Said adoption issue was "in the courts".
Bonior = 2; Granholm = +3 -1; Blanchard = 2, Swartz = +2 -1, Posthumus = 0 (You're an Ass).
Ok, this guy sounds fun: http://www.migreenguv.org
More issues:
http://www.freep.com/news/politics/pm9932_20020702.htm
http://www.freep.com/news/politics/pmx9883_20020628.htm
http://www.freep.com/news/politics/pm9934_20020702.htm
Hm...Based on all I've read ...
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:18 PM ::> [
Oh. In my fit of insomnia, I also started the "Far Distant Shore" website: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pfrankli/afds/.
I'm very pleased with how it's turning out so far. I've got some ideas on how to continue that theme across the webpage, too. Matthew agreed to look over the code for it. I probably did some thing inefficiently and "wrong" according to HTML standards. He's going to clean up some stuff and make recommendations. I got a copy of PhotoS 6 from my brother-in-law (Shhhhhh), so I can now stop using 5.0. 6 has the ability to select web colors on the color pallette based on their color ID tag-thingie in HTML. So I can match the green in the ocean to the green that the web can display with the color-code. I think, off the top of my head, its 0099CC. Not sure, though. I usually just guess :)
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:05 AM ::> [
Did some much needed work on the KFO site last night. I've got a list of pages that need updating and revising -- most of them are to remove the David references. He was a member who, through various issues and run-ins with other members, eventually was asked to leave by the Council during that whole mess a few months back.
I still think Dave's a very competant guy. I used to count him as a friend, and could count on him for a lot in the technical areas of the guild. Still, the references on the webpages are numerous. I'd revise them if he were still around, too. I don't put my name on the pages I wrote ... he tended to. "Written by David(FO-E)." The pages, even if I write them, aren't mine -- they belong to the group as a whole. The webpage, as I see it, isn't about personal recognition. It's about presenting what we do - which on good days, is provide a safe and fun place to meet people and play Diablo.
So, revising things. There's a few out-of-date items, too, which will be removed and revised as needed. I'd like the information in order for this fall's face lift to the graphics.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:01 AM ::> [
From various friend's blogs:
A mental exercise: using only two words, describe the following:
Your home: ours again
Your car: Blue Streak
Your job: mundane repetition
Your S.O: my jarrod-bear
Your Family: drama lovers
Your Friends: fabulous geeks
The Internet: everything immediately
Television: rare selections
Books: mostly school
Today: caffiene required
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:53 AM ::> [
Sunday, August 04, 2002
I seem to be having a fit of insomnia of late. *sighs*
I woke up about 5:40am. Came downstairs to use the restroom ... and headed back to bed. I just sat there for about 30 minutes, unable to fall back asleep. I'm tired, but sleep eluded me.
Hmph.
Normally, insomnia was my indicator that something wasn't right in my life. I had many, many sleepless nights during the whole gay-coming-out-angst. I don't sleep well when something's bugging me.
Problem is -- I can't think of anything that's bothering me. Life is stable, for the most part. I'm not even apprehensive about the upcoming semester. I'm actually looking forward to it with the two classes I selected. So, if it's not psychological, I have to conclude it must be a physiological phenomenon. Gr. If I'm not feeling better by Friday, I'm going to talk to a doctor. This endless allergy fits and sleepless nights just won't do.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 6:25 AM ::> [
Friday, August 02, 2002
My place of Business
I work for a very odd company. Today, is our annual sales meeting. Our account executives from around the nation fly into town for the entire week, and meet with various departments to update them on our current proceedures, products, and to help clarify any issues with communication between the sales force and operations.
At the end of the week (Friday, Today), the company pays for a Party for the entire company. Last year, our president had a "contest" during the party with our national sales manager, and the net result was both gentlemen had their heads shaved. Bald. They both removed all their hair.
This year ... is a 60's theme. They gave us all tie-dye shirts and plastic peace necklaces. The location is a secret - but they're bussing us there at 5pm. It'll be 7 hours of dinner, some sort of skit (hopefully our president will keep his hair, this time), followed by liberal drinking (on the company's tab, mind you), dancing and partying.
It's just odd. We're a bank. Stuff-shirt-conservatives, right? Far from it. The two newer ladies who sit near me ... have no idea what they're about to see tonight.
My company. Odd. I kinda like it that way.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 2:29 PM ::> [
It Ain't Easy Being Blue?
Pepsi Blue
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:10 AM ::> [
Thursday, August 01, 2002
I saw a very neat flag taped to someone's car yesterday coming home from work. It was your typical post-September-11th-US-paper-flag-in-the-car-window, with the following:
"Love my country. Loathe my government." I laughed.
'Zactly.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 2:25 PM ::> [
From Yahoo! Daily Picks.
3 links were actually quite interesting.
The Food Timeline [http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/kid/food.html]
Don't Link to Us! [http://www.dontlink.com/]
Internal Memos [http://www.internalmemos.com/]
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 9:05 AM ::> [
Word of the Day for Thursday August 1, 2002:
camarilla \kam-uh-RIL-uh; -REE-yuh\, noun:
A group of secret and often scheming advisers, as of a king; a cabal or clique.
[post.command] ::>auth-code~ Aular-0802ZXC -; ::>Time.stamp ~ 8:20 AM ::> [
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