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Saturday, February 26, 2005

Carpet

We spent like hours last night steam cleaning our carpets all by ourselves and with an 8 month pregnant wife, I think I mostly cleaned around her while she watched Annie (I'd better tell y'all that did some work, so she doesn't shoot me.) Anyway, my people said that it should dry over night. It's been about 20 hours. I dreamt it was still wet and my best friend tried to come in our front door and couldn't because of the stuff piled in front of the door.

We shaved the dog. Hahahaha! He looks little and skinny now. I wonder if he's cold? His little doggie wee wee was sticking out since they shaved all around it. :)

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Baskin Robbins for the preggers

The wife calls when I am headed home tonight, and says "honey, can we go to Baskin Robbins for dinner?" Hehehehahaaha ... It was cute. I took her over. We stopped to get the lady to fix my crooked haircut and took some books to sell at the bookstore. She had chocolate brownie fudge, and I had tiramasu. Now Survivor is on. We'll put together our new crib tonight! Yes, the wife picked one up at Target for cheap! Yeah!

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Reading

Read a cool book today and went to the doctor. We really like the doctor, but I also went to my auto guy today. He said I had a vaccuum hose cracked. He put in a new one, it took half an hour, and it cost me NOTHING! He said just take some business cards and pass them out, which I am going to do soon. Cool.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Sucks to be me

Here’s hell. My professor recently told me that I need to register for 12 research credits AND 12 dissertation credits next year. That is over $6500.00! Now I went to the office to confirm this, and the women says “your committee chair should have told you do register for the research credits as you went along.” Great. So glad he kept me abreast of this. For example, I am currently in a class now that I took just to maintain my full time status. I could have spent that $800.00 on research. I am not happy. How the hell am I going to finish this? They require 12 credits per two semesters, and I don’t have this money. None. Nada. Nope. I am going to have to look for scholarship money, and I think my chair should help me do this. Now get me right here, the man does not always come through, and this is the straw. I’ve asked for things, I’ve requested things, and I usually don’t get them. I gave him an article to read and critique three years ago now, and I have given it to him again and again. He has never read this. I have been patient. I am done. Other students of his have complained about this and other things. My comments are justified, and I do not apologize for this.

I pray I can get a scholarship. Perhaps GLSEN would fund some of this, or the college. I’ve tried in the past and failed. I owe college money back, and I will for awhile. I need to consolidate. I need to finish. But this is more intrinsic than anything. What am I going to get out of this? A title. Now that’s it. I cannot get more money. If I do not go to higher ed, then there’s no reason to even finish this journey. Is there?

Monday, February 21, 2005

George W. Bush: First Inaugural Address: U.S. Inaugural Addresses. 1989

George W. Bush: First Inaugural Address: U.S. Inaugural Addresses. 1989 Want to read something funny? Hahaha. Sure sure, more lies and broken promises.

My brother-in-law likes Bush (not that, I mean the resident)... anyway, he thought I was pissed because I sent him some left-wing mumbo jumbo email I got about social security. Nope, not pissed. Not at all.

There's a lot less comments on here since I started off with this recent agenda. Hm...

Dr. Henry A. Giroux -Home Page

Dr.Henry A. Giroux-Home PageBAM!

(DV) Giroux: Religious Fundamentalism and the Growing Threat to Democracy

(DV) Giroux: Religious Fundamentalism and the Growing Threat to Democracy I resonate more with what this theorist believes than anyone else in this world. I do what I do because of the topics he addresses.

Lemony Snicket is sour!

Why'd I see this? The wife didn't want a drama today, so we hit the dollar theatre nearby. Why did we do this? Why'd I put myself through that dribbled torture? No plot, no characterization, no conflict, no resolution. Screw that. Listen that the sound of money flushing down the drain!

Phantom of the Opera

Today we're going to see Phantom of the Opera. It's one of the last three "must-sees" before next Sunday. The other two are Motorcycle Diaries & Maria Full of Grace. I bet I will see Diaries, but probably won't see Maria. I've been so busy and it's hard to say but part of me wanted to work today. Let me tell you why, and this'll sound weird. I wanted my wife to work today. Not that I don't love her, but I usually spend 2-3 hours on Mondays after working writing papers or reading research. Now it's 1pm, and usually in an hour and a half I am off to the coffeehouse, but not today. Today I scrubbed the bedroom and nursery floors, had some eggs, cleaned a bit. I have so much to do. I read a book yesterday called Daredevil Research; it was fascinating. I've also been reading another book called Touching Eternity, and tomorrow I have class again. My other class is cancelled the weekend due to my professor going to her boyfriend's house in Florida. Woohoo. Go you!

I am working on a paper on performance identity in the classroom, and another paper on methodology now. It's very exciting. I also have to finish another paper and submit it.

So we bought a dog toy yesterday, and the directions and description were completely illegible. Like "te dg wil lik ths tyo" instead of "the dog will like this toy." What else can you get at the dollar store? We also cleaned the weeds out of the grass and swept the porch.

Funny story... we tried to shave the dog. We met someone else who had done this and said there's a ton less hair. The local place wanted $50 for this, so we decided to take my beard trimmers to him! Of course his hair is so thick that it didn't work! We got off some, but not much. Looks like we're going to have to pay after all.

Baby shower is coming up soon. The planners are working hard and we appreciate it (I even think some of them read this!)... but anyway, it'll be cool. Invited a bunch of people, and it'll surely be a good time had by all. It's co-ed so I'm thinking it will not be overly girlie :) Probably won't be since the wife is not down with that much anyway. Ok, off to finish this and that before Christine gets chased around the Opera House.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Starbuck's

The wife was out and about this afternoon so I headed to Starbuck's. I am writing an article on the political pedagogy of public schools. Spent about four hours there working with my friend, E. She's been working on her comps recently. Got some stuff done, and now I'm home watching Harry Potter III.

CNN.com - Diners�enjoy buffet dinner in the buff - Feb 18, 2005

CNN.com - Diners�enjoy buffet dinner in the buff - Feb 18, 2005

This is wild. Check it out.

Friday, February 18, 2005

Constantine: smoking

Spoiler ahead.

Loved Constantine until the end. It did remind me of a giant non-smoking ad. I mean we even had this explosion and the surgeon general's warning spinning into the middle of the screen. Then the movie isn't bad and we have a cool Tilda Swinton playing the angel Gabriel and the whole good versus evil thing, but then the end of the movie friggin Keanue Reeves pops a piece of gum in his mouth instead of a cigarette. Damn it, ruin my movie.

As for Point Pleasant, which I finally watched... not a bad start but it's going to be like The Mountain, in that I really ned to differentiate between main characters. I care very little for anyone so far, but I will give it another chance.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Stuff

Been really getting into this class on terrorism, and I am really itching to write. I actually finished the last edit of my novel yesterday. Sending it off to a few others now, and watching Lost. An article recently sugested that this whole motif may just be a wild goose chase. Who knows, but I am still reading. And I am still watching Survivor, which is on again tonight.

Watched a movie from 1983 called Testament tonight. Booooooooooooooring. Err... Anyone have any good ideas about this whole Lost thing? And if you want to hear my review of Testament, comment here and maybe I will post it.

Dante's Inferno Test - Impurity, Sin, and Damnation

Dante's Inferno Test - Impurity, Sin, and Damnation: "Eighth Level of Hell - the Malebolge

Many and varied sinners suffer eternally in the multi-leveled Malebolge, an ampitheatre-shapped pit of despair Wholly of stone and of an iron colour: Those guilty of fraudulence and malice; the seducers and pimps, who are whipped by horned demons; the hypocrites, who struggle to walk in lead-lined cloaks; the barraters, who are ducked in boiling pitch by demons known as the Malebranche. The simonists, wedged into stone holes, and whose feet are licked by flames, kick and writhe desperately. The magicians, diviners, fortune tellers, and panderers are all here, as are the thieves. Some wallow in human excrement. Serpents writhe and wrap around men, sometimes fusing into each other. Bodies are torn apart. When you arrive, you will want to put your hands over your ears because of the lamentations of the sinners here, who are afflicted with scabs like leprosy, and lay sick on the ground, furiously scratching their skin off with their nails. Indeed, justice divine doth smite them with its hammer."

Top 11 differences between the Cuban Missile Crisis and our present situation:

Top 11 differences between the Cuban Missile Crisis and our present situation

This is appropos.

EPA pesticides

A friend writes "I read the news and learned how the Environmental Protection Agency had planned to spend $9 million to pay poor families to continue to use pesticides in their homes. These pesticides have been linked to neurological damage in children, but instead of ordering an end to their use, the government and the industry were going to offer the families $970 each, as well as a camcorder and children's clothing, to serve as guinea pigs for the study."

This is damn scary ... so is the continued proliferation of fear in our world. The EPA believes Bush's reelection is a mandate on the environment, but, to me, comments like this and the true ignorance of how close he actuallywas to losing is likened to people who pretend that the Holocaust never actually existed. It's inconceivable!

I did not buy any duct tape and I did not blow up. I did not get a flu shot and I am healthy.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Everwood

So here's the deal. Bright was hit with the sexual harassment suit on tonight's ep so they can show how he can appreciate chicks, so he can hook up with Hannah. Not like "hook up" but as the kiddies say "hoooooook up". Anyway, anyone out there? It's been days since people commented. The squishy little person mommy responded last week because she didn't know how I knew. Haha. Ok, I am sooooooooooo comp ready. Yeah. I want to write now. Yesterday. Today. Went to the 'bucks today and edited 50 pages of my novel. I cannot wait until it's done.

Blogging is all fun and games, until the boss finds out - Feb. 14, 2005

Blogging is all fun and games, until the boss finds out - Feb. 14, 2005 I better not be blogging @ the ole' workplace. Scary.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Comps

Met with my professor this weekend to talk about my comps, and I feel a little bit better about the direction I am heading. I think it'll all work out, but right now there's some manuvering to do. She's great and really clicks with my philosophies, although others don't. I am sure it'll all work out. I am doing what I want to do, and I love every minute of it.

We got the baby's room futher along this weekend. Emptied the chiffarobe and organized over 50+ baby outfits from friends and family. The room looks a lot more baby and a lot less wife's storage room now. Clean Sweep would've helped. Haha. And yes shortly there'll be a comment on here from the wife about all of this, I'm sure.

The neighbor is wedding my yard now. She wants me to cut her Olive Trees, and she offered to trade. I am too damn busy today to reciprocate. We're working on dissertation proposals now, then off to dinner, then bowling tonight. How fun.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Pittsburgh, PA! (history) - Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, PA! (history) - Pennsylvania Go take the quiz. You should try it. How much do you know about this town?

Friday, February 11, 2005

sonogram

We had another sonogram done. We could see the baby's face pretty well. We think she has my head and my wife's chin. She has chubby chipmunk cheeks. She's actually due pretty soon. April it is. About 2 months only. Can't wait for this. But nothing can prepare me for this.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Arizona Christian Archers

Arizona Christian Archers

Go here! You can do it! :)

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

Damn, this is funny. Hahahaha reminds me of The Onion for nerds. Woot!

CNN.com - Freedom of what? - Jan 31, 2005

CNN.com - Freedom of what? - Jan 31, 2005

Thanks, C, for pointing this out. This CNN article details what I know to be a fear that people are just too damn passive. We allow our government to control our lives. How many government people actually read The Patriot Act before voting for it? Check it out.

Monday, February 07, 2005

CNN.com - The backlash over 'Million Dollar Baby' - Feb 7, 2005

CNN.com - The backlash over 'Million Dollar Baby' - Feb 7, 2005

So here's a review of Million Dollar Baby, and it gives away the ending, but my question is this... is the movie really political propaganda? It's lambasted by people like Limbaugh and Medved, but my question is, so what? The only thing you're doing is pushing it into the limelight (don't get me wrong, it should be!) but I wonder what people's takes are on some issues in the film. I am torn. (SPOILER COMING HERE).

Part of me really sympathizes with handicapped people and believe the Americans with Disabilities Act is good, but then I look at Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron and state standard testing, and I fear what we're making our kids. Whining, non-thinking, conservative robot puppets on the strings of a government that they allow to control their every move. Let's move to Cuba and start a third world revolution! Woohoo (Yes, that last part is partially tongue in cheek, yes partially.)

Sunday, February 06, 2005

highlight your books

I love highlighting books and mark in most of my books and today I realized why. When I was little my father was in school before he started his own business. He would take classes and highlight and write in his books, taking notes. I would watch him and emulate him. I remember defacing encyclopedae and dictionaries in my parents townhouse. This was long ago, but now I write in all of my books. It's all from him. There are several things I know my dad did when I was little that affects what I do now. He doesn't even know it. Although my mother does.

Religion

I use to go to church a lot. I was totally into it, but somewhere along the line I didn't. My wife is not the church going type. And I really haven't attended since I did my undergrad. I remember when I was little I would go a few times a week. It was my social outlet and it was there that I met my first girlfriends, crushes, etc... Anyway, our friend's baby was baptized today. We went. Now don't get me wrong, I am religious, but I've not found a church I want to attend. I am religious within my own right. So we go and listen to the priest dude today. He's baptizing these kids who know no difference, and I wonder if life is so much about choice then why force someone little like this to be baptized? Now, please don't think I am bad mouthing my friends because I'm not. I respect them. I was baptized... when I was like 12. I chose to be. If god wants us to have freewill, then why does the Catholic church baptize babies? And why do Mormons make dead people converts?! Err... Anyway, the Pats won again. Damn them, but at least the Steelers lost their final game to the superbowl winners, and not some losers. I do feel bad for Donovan. He got flustered and sucked toward the end.

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Dazzle 80

I am trying to get my new Dazzle 80 to work. I cannot get sound to work, and this dude at work originally trained me on these. I emailed him, but also worked on it alone for three hours tonight. Darn. darn. I want to convert all my VHS over. Tomorrow is a friend's daughter's baptism. We're gonna have pizza afterwards.

Yesterday I worked too hard. Yawn. I was there all day, driving all over the place, going from here to there, and my damn check engine light is on. This sucks. We were gonna take it in today, but they weren't there.

Friday, February 04, 2005

tonypierce.com busblog

tonypierce.com busblog

Ok, you asked for it. Here it is. Check out this cool list of what to blog and what not to blog. Am I failing?

Patriot Act - Public Resistance

I am terrified. I watched The Front with Woody Allen last night, and much of what occurred in that movie reminded me of The Crucible and what's going on in our country now is the same as communism was in the 1950s. It's all the same, and Bush has his fingers in this now. I want to puke. I know there are people I will not talk to about this, and surely I have friends who will disagree with me. Now I know that I do not know everything.

I do know that we're giving up our freedoms for more security, but many of those they are securing are Americans, Not Terrorists.

I received an email tonight from a nameless person who copied several very important people on that email. Peter McLaren, Karen Anijar, Jan Jipson, Nelson Rodriguez, Peter Sears, Peter Appelbaum. We're asked to submit to a new online journal called Public Resistance. http://www.publicresistance.org/ It's open to the public. Submit something. The editorial board is somewhat impressive.

I am not going to apologize for myself here, my opinions, or those opinions of my family. We won't agree always, and I will probably never move to Canada. But I am scared of what is happening in our country. We've seen it before. I know how this story ends.


Thursday, February 03, 2005

my Novel

My mother-in-law mailed me a copy of my edited book. She had the thing wrapped in plastic that said “May cause suffocation in small children when trapped against nose/mouth.” She was worried about giving me constructive criticism, but I strongly believe that no criticism is bad criticism.


I am here now putting the edits into the computer. There are a ton. No one else will see it until these edits are done.


Go me.

Fairvue Central >> Bloggies >> Fifth Annual Weblog Awards

Fairvue Central >> Bloggies >> Fifth Annual Weblog Awards

Go here. Do this.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Jane Fonda: traitor

She really was a traitor.

A TRAITOR IS ABOUT TO BE HONORED KEEP THIS MOVING ACROSS AMERICA

This is for all the kids born in the 70's who do not remember, and didn't have to bear the
burden that our fathers, mothers and older brothers and sisters had to bear.

Jane Fonda is being honored as one of the "100 Women of the Century."

Unfortunately, many have forgotten and still countless others have never known how Ms.
Fonda betrayed not only the idea of our country, but specific men who served and sacrificed
during Vietnam.

The first part of this is from an F-4E pilot. The pilot's name is Jerry Driscoll, a River Rat.

In 1968, the former Commandant of the USAF Survival School was a POW in Ho Lo Prison
the "Hanoi Hilton."

Dragged from a stinking cesspit of a cell, cleaned, fed, and dressed in clean PJ's, he was ordered to describe for a visiting American "Peace Activist" the "lenient and humane treatment" he'd received.

He spat at Ms. Fonda, was clubbed, and was dragged away. During the subsequent beating, he fell forward on to the camp Commandant's feet, which sent that officer berserk.

In 1978, the Air Force Colonel still suffered from double vision (which permanently ended his flying career) from the Commandant's frenzied application of a wooden baton.

From 1963-65, Col. Larry Carrigan was in the 47FW/DO (F-4E's). He spent 6 years in the "Hanoi Hilton",,, the first three of which his family only knew he was "missing in action". His wife lived on faith that he was still alive. His group, too, got the cleaned-up, fed and clothed routine in preparation for a "peace delegation" visit. They, however, had time and devised a plan to get word to the world that they were alive and still survived. Each man secreted a tiny piece of paper, with his Social Security Number on it, in the palm of his hand.


When paraded before Ms. Fonda and a cameraman, she walked the line, shaking each man's hand and asking little encouraging snippets like: "Aren't you sorry you bombed babies?" and "Are you grateful for the humane treatment from your benevolent captors?" Believing this HAD to be an act, they each palmed her their sliver of paper. She took them all without missing a beat. At the end of the line and once the camera stopped rolling, to the shocked disbelief of the POWs, she turned to the officer in charge and handed him all the little pieces of paper.

Three men died from the subsequent beatings. Colonel Carrigan was almost number four, but he survived, which is the only reason we know of her actions that day.

I was a civilian economic development advisor in Vietnam, and was captured by the North Vietnamese communists in South Vietnam in 1968, and held prisoner for over 5 years.

I spent 27 months in solitary confinement; one year in a cage in Cambodia; and one year in a "black box" in Hanoi. My North Vietnamese captors deliberately poisoned and murdered a female missionary, a nurse in a leprosarium in Ban me Thuot, South Vietnam, whom I buried in the jungle near the Cambodian border. At one time, I weighed only about 90 lbs. (My normal weight is 170 lbs.)

We were Jane Fonda's "war criminals."

When Jane Fonda was in Hanoi, I was asked by the camp communist political officer if I would
be willing to meet with her.

I said yes, for I wanted to tell her about the real treatment we POWs received... and how different it was from the treatment purported by the North Vietnamese, and parroted by her as "humane and lenient."

Because of this, I spent three days on a rocky floor on my knees, with my arms outstretched
with a large steel weights placed on my hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane.

I had the opportunity to meet with Jane Fonda soon after I was released. I asked her. if she would be willing to debate me on TV. She never did answer me.

These first-hand experiences do not exemplify someone who should be honored as part of "100 Years of Great Women." Lest we forget..." 100 Years of Great Women" should never include a traitor whose hands are covered with the blood of so many patriots.

There are few things I have strong visceral reactions to, but Hanoi Jane's participation in blatant treason, is one of them. Please take the time to forward to as many people as you possibly can. It will eventually end up on her computer and she needs to know that we will never forget.

RONALD D. SAMPSON, CMSgt, USAF
716 Maintenance Squadron, Chief of
Maintenance
DSN: 875-6431
COMM: 883-6343




Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Gay Marriage should be banned

01. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control are not natural.
02. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children.
Infertile couples and old people cannot get legally married because the world needs more children.
03. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children because straight parents only raise straight children.
04. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears's 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.
05. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn't changed at all: women are property, Blacks can't marry Whites, and divorce is illegal.
06. Gay marriage should be decided by the people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of minorities.
07. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are always imposed on the entire country. That's why we only have one religion in America.
08. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people makes you tall.
09. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage license.
10. Children can never succeed without both male and female role models at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.
11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer lifespans.
12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal".
institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages will for gays & lesbians.