Land ownership is one of the values that our country was founded on. The United States was a place were anyone could get land and build a life for themselves. It was something that people in Europe never had the opportunity to do. If you weren't born into land or acquire it through marriage, you were pretty much fucked to be a 2nd class citizen your entire life.
It is a very exciting rite of passage for people to join the ownership level of society. It shows maturity, seriousness, and balls. So my buddy Frank the Tank and his wonderful fiance just recently bought a house. The Angry Sailor and his pain in the ass wife (just kidding! Your dog is a pain in the ass, your wife is great!) bought a home late last summer. So many other people I know have been trying to get into home ownership, and that is awesome. You are patriotic Americans and I salute you. You assholes that are perfectly content to rent....well you're commie pinkos to me! That is all.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Half
So I'm a stupid, horse's ass. Let's just start with that.
Instead of doing the smart thing of having a nice, balanced dinner and going to bed early on Friday night, I partied almost like a rock star. 6 Jack and Coke Zeroes later, I was trying to go to sleep at 1245am, with a 6am wake-up call looming. The Angry Sailor definitely was no help. It was so much fun to hang with my bro that I broke the rules. And then I paid the price....
I woke up 30minutes before my alarm. I just laid there thinking, damn I'm exhausted. Why the hell am I getting up so early on a Saturday?! I was also worried about the strange, unhappy feeling in my stomach. After forcing down some OJ, my daily coffee, and an English Muffin with peanut butter, Tank and I departed for the race.
About halfway to the park where the half was taking place my stomach starting being quite upset. I mentioned something to Frank the Tank, but we both quickly dismissed it (I wanted to keep him cool, as it was my boy's first half). After arriving at the park we met some nice people, stretched, and I was starting to feel better. The fresh air and great company was invigorating. We met the MAYOR of Chesapeake VA. He came up and shook Tank's hand, and BSed with us and the people in front of us for a minute or two.
We lined up, listened to the national anthem, and started moving. I was feeling pretty good, not 100%, but definitely not bad. The first 3 miles flew by, and I was right on pace to be where I wanted to be. At that point, I knew in 1/2 mile was the 2nd water station, which was to be my first water stop. The thought of putting anything in my stomach didn't sound too great, but I figured I had to start drinking water or I would never complete the race. So when I arrived, I slowly sipped the water, power walking through the station (I have not mastered the drink and run technique, and even walking I end up wearing more water than drinking). It felt like I was trying to swallow a bowling ball. Not a pleasant thing to do. I wasn't able to get much water in, and was quite worried about dehydration.
Shortly after trying to drink that water I felt an terrible feeling of nauseousness take hold of me. I felt like hell. I felt like a man who got 4.5hrs of sleep and drank too much Jack Daniels the night before a race. Approaching the 5 mile mark, the next water station, I busted out my energy beans as I was starting to drag a little bit. I could barely swallow the 2 beans with the water. Immediately this felt like a mistake. I kept going, but damn it wasn't good. Shortly after turning around at the 6.55mile mark, I lost it. The beans, the water, some the muffin, and definitely some Jack Daniels. It was quick, explosive, and painful. I knew I was FUCKED! I was about as far away as I could possibly be from the finish (the course was an out 6.55 miles and back the same route), and I was dehydrated, unable to drink water, and miserable. If I gave up I'd still have to walk over 6miles, but if I ran it would be the worst 6 miles of my life. I bargained with myself to keep moving forward (it definitely wasn't running, more so falling forward and having my feet catch me). I made it to the water station at the 8mile mark. I tried to force some more water, but it got halfway down my throat and I wretched it right back out.
From here until the last 1/2 mile I had to continually bargain with myself. I would run a quarter mile, power walk a quarter. When I got to the 11mile mark, I told myself I would run until the finish, no matter how painful it was. Well that last 1/2 mile. I walked another quarter, ran another half, walked another quarter and then finally pushed through the last 1/2 mile (I even found the energy to sprint the home stretch, for which I was rewarded by wretching and trying to vomit on the poor bastard trying to give me my medal for completing this trail of tears).
So I put myself through hell and finished the damn thing. But the end result was that I was about 1minute 30seconds slower than last year.....despite being HUNG OVER! The real question, was it worth it to party with my friends the night before the race? I've been training for about 3 months, running long distances and short distances when sometimes it would be way more fun to just sit on the couch and watch a game. Well you're damn right it was worth it! If you can't live your life and have fun with your friends, there is no point in running. You just better be ready to deal with the consequences of being a horse's ass!
Instead of doing the smart thing of having a nice, balanced dinner and going to bed early on Friday night, I partied almost like a rock star. 6 Jack and Coke Zeroes later, I was trying to go to sleep at 1245am, with a 6am wake-up call looming. The Angry Sailor definitely was no help. It was so much fun to hang with my bro that I broke the rules. And then I paid the price....
I woke up 30minutes before my alarm. I just laid there thinking, damn I'm exhausted. Why the hell am I getting up so early on a Saturday?! I was also worried about the strange, unhappy feeling in my stomach. After forcing down some OJ, my daily coffee, and an English Muffin with peanut butter, Tank and I departed for the race.
About halfway to the park where the half was taking place my stomach starting being quite upset. I mentioned something to Frank the Tank, but we both quickly dismissed it (I wanted to keep him cool, as it was my boy's first half). After arriving at the park we met some nice people, stretched, and I was starting to feel better. The fresh air and great company was invigorating. We met the MAYOR of Chesapeake VA. He came up and shook Tank's hand, and BSed with us and the people in front of us for a minute or two.
We lined up, listened to the national anthem, and started moving. I was feeling pretty good, not 100%, but definitely not bad. The first 3 miles flew by, and I was right on pace to be where I wanted to be. At that point, I knew in 1/2 mile was the 2nd water station, which was to be my first water stop. The thought of putting anything in my stomach didn't sound too great, but I figured I had to start drinking water or I would never complete the race. So when I arrived, I slowly sipped the water, power walking through the station (I have not mastered the drink and run technique, and even walking I end up wearing more water than drinking). It felt like I was trying to swallow a bowling ball. Not a pleasant thing to do. I wasn't able to get much water in, and was quite worried about dehydration.
Shortly after trying to drink that water I felt an terrible feeling of nauseousness take hold of me. I felt like hell. I felt like a man who got 4.5hrs of sleep and drank too much Jack Daniels the night before a race. Approaching the 5 mile mark, the next water station, I busted out my energy beans as I was starting to drag a little bit. I could barely swallow the 2 beans with the water. Immediately this felt like a mistake. I kept going, but damn it wasn't good. Shortly after turning around at the 6.55mile mark, I lost it. The beans, the water, some the muffin, and definitely some Jack Daniels. It was quick, explosive, and painful. I knew I was FUCKED! I was about as far away as I could possibly be from the finish (the course was an out 6.55 miles and back the same route), and I was dehydrated, unable to drink water, and miserable. If I gave up I'd still have to walk over 6miles, but if I ran it would be the worst 6 miles of my life. I bargained with myself to keep moving forward (it definitely wasn't running, more so falling forward and having my feet catch me). I made it to the water station at the 8mile mark. I tried to force some more water, but it got halfway down my throat and I wretched it right back out.
From here until the last 1/2 mile I had to continually bargain with myself. I would run a quarter mile, power walk a quarter. When I got to the 11mile mark, I told myself I would run until the finish, no matter how painful it was. Well that last 1/2 mile. I walked another quarter, ran another half, walked another quarter and then finally pushed through the last 1/2 mile (I even found the energy to sprint the home stretch, for which I was rewarded by wretching and trying to vomit on the poor bastard trying to give me my medal for completing this trail of tears).
So I put myself through hell and finished the damn thing. But the end result was that I was about 1minute 30seconds slower than last year.....despite being HUNG OVER! The real question, was it worth it to party with my friends the night before the race? I've been training for about 3 months, running long distances and short distances when sometimes it would be way more fun to just sit on the couch and watch a game. Well you're damn right it was worth it! If you can't live your life and have fun with your friends, there is no point in running. You just better be ready to deal with the consequences of being a horse's ass!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Looking forward to the weekend!
So I'm looking forward to this weekend! I am running a half marathon with my bro Frank the Tank. I'm real slow, he's real fast, I'm still not in very good shape despite running for about a year and a half (apparently you can't run 4 days a week and drink 20-30 beers per weekend and expect to loose weight!), while he's in great shape after running for about 9 months, but for both of us it is a culmination of working very hard toward a goal for the past several months. The sense of accomplishment when you cross the finish line makes all of the blisters, sun burns, cramps, and general miserableness worth it. And then I will reward myself by getting wasted with some of my best friends (my BFF Jack Daniels will be waiting for me at the finish).
As for the blog, either there will be drunken posts or no posts this weekend. So I hope everyone has a good weekend, and please forgive us if we post some real random shit this weekend.
Oh by the way, if you wake up before 10am on Saturday, say a little prayer for me that I can complete the half marathon without looking like the zombie I was last year!
As for the blog, either there will be drunken posts or no posts this weekend. So I hope everyone has a good weekend, and please forgive us if we post some real random shit this weekend.
Oh by the way, if you wake up before 10am on Saturday, say a little prayer for me that I can complete the half marathon without looking like the zombie I was last year!
Cutting the Military Budget by Only Allowing it to Grow by 4%?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/us/politics/17gates.html?ref=global-home
So one of the big criticisms of President Obama and Secretary of Defense Gates is that they are "cutting the defense budget during a time of war." That couldn't be further from the truth. They are cutting certain programs and equipment, but are allocating those funds in different places. The military budget is supposed to be 4% higher for next year than this year. I'm not a mathematician, but I'm not sure how that is cutting the budget. Gates has reccomended cutting the spending on the Air Force F-22, an obscenely expensive fighter jet that has been only used sparingly in Iraq and Afghanistan because it is unreliable. Apparently cutting the spending on the F-22 will cause people to lose jobs and Lockheed-Martin to lose money. But at the same time, Gates is increasing the American order on a cheaper more reliable fighter jet (I'm too lazy to look up the name of it) that would cause there to be more jobs created than lost to the F-22.
That is the perfect example of what Gates and the Obama Administration are doing. Looking at doing things outside of the box, shifting priorities to what works and not what is fanciest. It may not be the most popular way to go about business, but in times of turmoil, it seems like the type of leadership our country needs. It is ashame that it took Bush so long to find Gates, he seems to be a really smart leader with the best interests of our country at heart.
So one of the big criticisms of President Obama and Secretary of Defense Gates is that they are "cutting the defense budget during a time of war." That couldn't be further from the truth. They are cutting certain programs and equipment, but are allocating those funds in different places. The military budget is supposed to be 4% higher for next year than this year. I'm not a mathematician, but I'm not sure how that is cutting the budget. Gates has reccomended cutting the spending on the Air Force F-22, an obscenely expensive fighter jet that has been only used sparingly in Iraq and Afghanistan because it is unreliable. Apparently cutting the spending on the F-22 will cause people to lose jobs and Lockheed-Martin to lose money. But at the same time, Gates is increasing the American order on a cheaper more reliable fighter jet (I'm too lazy to look up the name of it) that would cause there to be more jobs created than lost to the F-22.
That is the perfect example of what Gates and the Obama Administration are doing. Looking at doing things outside of the box, shifting priorities to what works and not what is fanciest. It may not be the most popular way to go about business, but in times of turmoil, it seems like the type of leadership our country needs. It is ashame that it took Bush so long to find Gates, he seems to be a really smart leader with the best interests of our country at heart.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
If it's tea you want, go back to England!
Fox News celebrated Tax Day yesterday with Tea Parties all across the country. Absolutely fucking hysterical.*
*I watched Fox News for about 15 minutes last night. I got so fired up that I could hardly sleep. Then I was so busy at work today that I was unable to get up any of the posts that I wanted to....whenever I need a post I should just watch Fox News for a minute or two. But never again right before bed as it makes it too hard to sleep.
I strongly believe in the Constitution of the United States, that is definitely no secret. So these Tea Parties were a great way to exercise one's right to assemble. If people have a problem with something the government is doing, they should be able to gather in public spaces and protest.
Very few many stream media outlets covered the Tea Parties yesterday because they were strongly promoted by Fox News. They didn't want to give a competitor any free publicity. It was really kind of disgusting that a news agency would strongly promote supposedly "organic political protests". If CNN held an anti-Iraq war protest in Atlanta and DC they would be crucified by the New York Times for doing such a thing. No one dared mess with Fox News on this (except NBC, which did display some liberal bias). But at the same time, it was a major story the conservatives and mindless trolls gathered in public spaces across this country to complain about shit that they don't really understand. The other new outlets should have covered this story.
They used Tea Party since they were protesting taxation. But the thing was, the original Boston Tea Party was about taxation with no representation. Last time I checked, we had free and somewhat fair elections back in November (unless the Obamas were busting out some old school tricks and having dead people vote). So we just recently elected our representation. And those incoming political officers have been given a GIANT TURD to deal with. For years states and the federal government have been adding programs and increasing spending like drunken sailors, all while reducing taxes. How does that work? If I spent more money each month than the month before and made less money each month than the month before, eventually I'd be fucked! What it comes down to is people have been getting a free lunch for the past 10 years. If you want services, you have to have taxes. If you want good schools, you have to have taxes. If you want a decent military, you have to have taxes. If you don't want any of this shit, then you don't need as many taxes. I have no problem with complaining with a the belt tightening that will accompany the giant tax correction that we're all due to receive, but protesting that? GET BENT!
So my point with the people in the protests, YOU ARE FUCKING MORONS. I know that is mean. But the problem is that the new government in this country is trying to clean up the mess that was left by the Bush Administration and PREVIOUS Congresses (because you can't blame Bush for everything). So when all of the Democrats and Independents in this country said enough is enough and voted in a new government, you have to give that government some time to fix things. If things don't get fixed in the near future, then you vote in new people in 2010. Have your tea parties on Tax Day 2010. And really, if you're going to do anything it should have been a Coffee Party. We hate tea in this country, we've been coffee drinkers ever since that tea hit Boston Harbor 200+ years ago!
*I watched Fox News for about 15 minutes last night. I got so fired up that I could hardly sleep. Then I was so busy at work today that I was unable to get up any of the posts that I wanted to....whenever I need a post I should just watch Fox News for a minute or two. But never again right before bed as it makes it too hard to sleep.
I strongly believe in the Constitution of the United States, that is definitely no secret. So these Tea Parties were a great way to exercise one's right to assemble. If people have a problem with something the government is doing, they should be able to gather in public spaces and protest.
Very few many stream media outlets covered the Tea Parties yesterday because they were strongly promoted by Fox News. They didn't want to give a competitor any free publicity. It was really kind of disgusting that a news agency would strongly promote supposedly "organic political protests". If CNN held an anti-Iraq war protest in Atlanta and DC they would be crucified by the New York Times for doing such a thing. No one dared mess with Fox News on this (except NBC, which did display some liberal bias). But at the same time, it was a major story the conservatives and mindless trolls gathered in public spaces across this country to complain about shit that they don't really understand. The other new outlets should have covered this story.
They used Tea Party since they were protesting taxation. But the thing was, the original Boston Tea Party was about taxation with no representation. Last time I checked, we had free and somewhat fair elections back in November (unless the Obamas were busting out some old school tricks and having dead people vote). So we just recently elected our representation. And those incoming political officers have been given a GIANT TURD to deal with. For years states and the federal government have been adding programs and increasing spending like drunken sailors, all while reducing taxes. How does that work? If I spent more money each month than the month before and made less money each month than the month before, eventually I'd be fucked! What it comes down to is people have been getting a free lunch for the past 10 years. If you want services, you have to have taxes. If you want good schools, you have to have taxes. If you want a decent military, you have to have taxes. If you don't want any of this shit, then you don't need as many taxes. I have no problem with complaining with a the belt tightening that will accompany the giant tax correction that we're all due to receive, but protesting that? GET BENT!
So my point with the people in the protests, YOU ARE FUCKING MORONS. I know that is mean. But the problem is that the new government in this country is trying to clean up the mess that was left by the Bush Administration and PREVIOUS Congresses (because you can't blame Bush for everything). So when all of the Democrats and Independents in this country said enough is enough and voted in a new government, you have to give that government some time to fix things. If things don't get fixed in the near future, then you vote in new people in 2010. Have your tea parties on Tax Day 2010. And really, if you're going to do anything it should have been a Coffee Party. We hate tea in this country, we've been coffee drinkers ever since that tea hit Boston Harbor 200+ years ago!
Feel the Rush (of my anger)
Oh My God! The fact that I saw this 2nd hand makes it hard for me to go too crazy with it.....but shit!
So apparently Rush Limbaugh was on his radio this week CRITICIZING the Obama Administration for the deaths of the 3 pirates off the Somali coast. That's right. I said he was criticizing them for that. And what was his justification for that? Obama authorized the Navy to shoot 3 young black men.
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!
I fully support people having the right of free speech. Where else in the world could I be such a huge jackass but in the United States? The right to free speech is not designed to protect the speech you love the most, but instead is to designed to protect that speech that most of us would hate the most. That much I get. What bothers me is that people, INTELLIGENT people, listen to Rush Limbaugh and say, "Yes he's right. I should think like him and believe what he believes."
So back to what Limbaugh said about the shooting of the pirates. Yes they were teenagers. Yes they were in a terrible position. But hello, THEY CAPTURED A SHIP CARRYING FOOD AID FOR AFRICA WITH AUTOMATIC WEAPONS, AND THEN HELD THE CAPTAIN HOSTAGE WITH THOSE SAME AUTOMATIC WEAPONS!!!!!!!!!! The situation in Somalia is terrible. It needs to be fixed right away. Boys should not be taking speed boats and weapons to the oceans. Those kids should have been in high school or college, or a vocational school, or working a job, anything but running about the high seas with guns. I believe in the rule of law. If there was a way to get the captain back from the boy-pirates without any killing, that should have been done. But if the captain of the naval vessel thought the hostage's life was at stake, he had no option but to shoot. This is standard protocol for most hostage situations (at least according to what I've seen in the movies!). To criticize the Obama Administration for the deaths of the 3 pirates and to try to paint the pirates as innocents is just plain TRAITOROUS. That's right, I said it.
Rush Limbaugh was one of the foremost proponents of the war in Iraq. He was one of the foremost supporters of holding people and torturing people in Guantanamo Bay. This is the man who supported the government SPYING on ITS OWN CITIZENS, A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE CONSTITUTION THAT THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON. Limbaugh vocally called the people who questioned these people as being unpatriotic and traitors. This man DOES NOT VALUE human life whatsoever, and now he cares about pirates? Give me a fucking break.
I wish the poor people who follow this man could take a step back and see the forest for the trees. He can say what he likes. It is very clear that he is doing everything he can to fight the Obama Administration. The Obama Administration has made plenty of mistakes thus far, but this is one thing that I don't think you can really fault them for. The Americans in the hostage situation got out alive. 3 young pirates died, which is very sad. But the country that they live, and the conditions that they live in brought them to the lives that they led. If we want to blame anyone for that, we need to blame the African Union, European Union, NATO, United Nations, and the Clinton/Bush Administrations that have done NOTHING with Somalia since the early 1990s. Don't blame Barack Obama for a situation that started before he was even involved in government.
FUCK YOU RUSH LIMBAUGH! PS Enjoy your right to freedom of speech! Obviously I am!
So apparently Rush Limbaugh was on his radio this week CRITICIZING the Obama Administration for the deaths of the 3 pirates off the Somali coast. That's right. I said he was criticizing them for that. And what was his justification for that? Obama authorized the Navy to shoot 3 young black men.
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!
I fully support people having the right of free speech. Where else in the world could I be such a huge jackass but in the United States? The right to free speech is not designed to protect the speech you love the most, but instead is to designed to protect that speech that most of us would hate the most. That much I get. What bothers me is that people, INTELLIGENT people, listen to Rush Limbaugh and say, "Yes he's right. I should think like him and believe what he believes."
So back to what Limbaugh said about the shooting of the pirates. Yes they were teenagers. Yes they were in a terrible position. But hello, THEY CAPTURED A SHIP CARRYING FOOD AID FOR AFRICA WITH AUTOMATIC WEAPONS, AND THEN HELD THE CAPTAIN HOSTAGE WITH THOSE SAME AUTOMATIC WEAPONS!!!!!!!!!! The situation in Somalia is terrible. It needs to be fixed right away. Boys should not be taking speed boats and weapons to the oceans. Those kids should have been in high school or college, or a vocational school, or working a job, anything but running about the high seas with guns. I believe in the rule of law. If there was a way to get the captain back from the boy-pirates without any killing, that should have been done. But if the captain of the naval vessel thought the hostage's life was at stake, he had no option but to shoot. This is standard protocol for most hostage situations (at least according to what I've seen in the movies!). To criticize the Obama Administration for the deaths of the 3 pirates and to try to paint the pirates as innocents is just plain TRAITOROUS. That's right, I said it.
Rush Limbaugh was one of the foremost proponents of the war in Iraq. He was one of the foremost supporters of holding people and torturing people in Guantanamo Bay. This is the man who supported the government SPYING on ITS OWN CITIZENS, A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE CONSTITUTION THAT THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON. Limbaugh vocally called the people who questioned these people as being unpatriotic and traitors. This man DOES NOT VALUE human life whatsoever, and now he cares about pirates? Give me a fucking break.
I wish the poor people who follow this man could take a step back and see the forest for the trees. He can say what he likes. It is very clear that he is doing everything he can to fight the Obama Administration. The Obama Administration has made plenty of mistakes thus far, but this is one thing that I don't think you can really fault them for. The Americans in the hostage situation got out alive. 3 young pirates died, which is very sad. But the country that they live, and the conditions that they live in brought them to the lives that they led. If we want to blame anyone for that, we need to blame the African Union, European Union, NATO, United Nations, and the Clinton/Bush Administrations that have done NOTHING with Somalia since the early 1990s. Don't blame Barack Obama for a situation that started before he was even involved in government.
FUCK YOU RUSH LIMBAUGH! PS Enjoy your right to freedom of speech! Obviously I am!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Legalize it......
So I have something controversial to discuss today. I need to start off by making this disclaimer: I have never, and will never smoke marijuana. I was never interested in it growing up, and I've been randomly drug tested for basically the last 7 years.
That all being said, it's about time we legalize marijuana. I just don't see what the hang up is over it. Treat it like alcohol. If someone has it in their system while driving, send them to jail, suspend their license, give them the scarlet M (or W). Charge crazy taxes on it. Legalizing it would cause it to drop in cost, but then you could charge taxes that would make the prices stay similar to whatever they are right now. That money could be used for any of a million projects.
The ATF could regulate it just like they do with booze and tobacco. Yes that would cost more money, but a small portion of the tax money could be spent on regulating and testing the legal product coming in. This would mean that there would be openings in the ATF (job creation, hmmm is that something we need right now?).
The best part about all of this is that we could reallocate our efforts in the War on Drugs to drugs that actually can kill people in regular use. A big part of the gang/drug war going on in Mexico right now is related to the United States' crackdown on marijuana entering our country. If the drug is illegal, I agree 100% in doing everything we can in preventing it from entering our country. But if by legalizing it we can save lives in Mexico by legitimizing the business (and reducing their profits by removing it from the black market), that doesn't sound like a bad side effect.
I can't see any reason to keep marijuana illegal except that it is a drug that alters people's state of mind. But nicotine and alcohol do that very thing as well, and they are very much legal. I say legalize it, make it just like a cross between alcohol and tobacco (which it pretty much is), tax it like crazy, and utilize our drug enforcement agents to stop the serious drugs like coke and heroine from infiltrating our country.
That all being said, it's about time we legalize marijuana. I just don't see what the hang up is over it. Treat it like alcohol. If someone has it in their system while driving, send them to jail, suspend their license, give them the scarlet M (or W). Charge crazy taxes on it. Legalizing it would cause it to drop in cost, but then you could charge taxes that would make the prices stay similar to whatever they are right now. That money could be used for any of a million projects.
The ATF could regulate it just like they do with booze and tobacco. Yes that would cost more money, but a small portion of the tax money could be spent on regulating and testing the legal product coming in. This would mean that there would be openings in the ATF (job creation, hmmm is that something we need right now?).
The best part about all of this is that we could reallocate our efforts in the War on Drugs to drugs that actually can kill people in regular use. A big part of the gang/drug war going on in Mexico right now is related to the United States' crackdown on marijuana entering our country. If the drug is illegal, I agree 100% in doing everything we can in preventing it from entering our country. But if by legalizing it we can save lives in Mexico by legitimizing the business (and reducing their profits by removing it from the black market), that doesn't sound like a bad side effect.
I can't see any reason to keep marijuana illegal except that it is a drug that alters people's state of mind. But nicotine and alcohol do that very thing as well, and they are very much legal. I say legalize it, make it just like a cross between alcohol and tobacco (which it pretty much is), tax it like crazy, and utilize our drug enforcement agents to stop the serious drugs like coke and heroine from infiltrating our country.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Ban Coffee!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/health/nutrition/26best.html?ref=nutrition
This article reminded me of something that I wanted to riff on real quick. So all of these scientists are making fortunes coming up with performance enhancing drugs. Professional and international sports regulating bodies are struggling to come up with new tests and to discourage athletes from risking their long-term health for the sake of short term success. And with all of this, caffeine is a more effective performance enhancer than many of these other drugs. It doesn't require the athlete to lift weights or spend time in a gym to see improved results. All one has to do is have a cup of coffee 1hr or less before engaging in whatever activity the athlete wants to improve in.
I think what it comes down to is that either caffeine should be banned as a stimulant, just like ephedra, or performance enhancing drugs shouldn't be banned AT ALL. What's the difference between taking steroids and having one's career saved by having a ligament removed from your knee and placed in your elbow? How is Lasik eye surgery not performance enhancing? How is microfracture surgery (breaking down the cappellaries in a joint with lasers, causing eventual regrowth of cartillage) not changing the path of an athlete's carrer? These medical procedures don't require any extra time in a weight room (outside of rehab time), and they surely do save/improve careers. If athletes want to ruin their later lives by taking performance enhancing drugs, I really don't have a problem with it. Hell they can take caffeine and they can go get laser eye surgery to improve their performance without spending an extra minute practicing their sport or working out in a gym. So before my run on Saturday, you can be DAMN SURE I'm going to have a cup of coffee!
This article reminded me of something that I wanted to riff on real quick. So all of these scientists are making fortunes coming up with performance enhancing drugs. Professional and international sports regulating bodies are struggling to come up with new tests and to discourage athletes from risking their long-term health for the sake of short term success. And with all of this, caffeine is a more effective performance enhancer than many of these other drugs. It doesn't require the athlete to lift weights or spend time in a gym to see improved results. All one has to do is have a cup of coffee 1hr or less before engaging in whatever activity the athlete wants to improve in.
I think what it comes down to is that either caffeine should be banned as a stimulant, just like ephedra, or performance enhancing drugs shouldn't be banned AT ALL. What's the difference between taking steroids and having one's career saved by having a ligament removed from your knee and placed in your elbow? How is Lasik eye surgery not performance enhancing? How is microfracture surgery (breaking down the cappellaries in a joint with lasers, causing eventual regrowth of cartillage) not changing the path of an athlete's carrer? These medical procedures don't require any extra time in a weight room (outside of rehab time), and they surely do save/improve careers. If athletes want to ruin their later lives by taking performance enhancing drugs, I really don't have a problem with it. Hell they can take caffeine and they can go get laser eye surgery to improve their performance without spending an extra minute practicing their sport or working out in a gym. So before my run on Saturday, you can be DAMN SURE I'm going to have a cup of coffee!
Great Moments in Naval History
So the pirates are upset that 3 of them were killed yesterday:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/13/somalia.pirates.revenge/
I really think that is unwise to broadcast that information to the world. America is a country where we have the 2nd Ammendment. So if those pirates want to vow revenge on an American ship, all that is going to do is encourage American sailors to bring their weapons to sea with them. Security personnel will be hired on boats (just like sailing ships in the 1600s had cannons on them) and pirates will be in a world of hurt.
Some innocent American sailors may die because of this, but at least they've now been given a heads up that they may want to pack heat when they leave the house for a couple of months at sea. Somalia needs some help getting their country together (hey EU, UN, how about a little help here?), and until that happens, it seems like having small security details on shipping vessels might be a necessary precaution....
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/13/somalia.pirates.revenge/
I really think that is unwise to broadcast that information to the world. America is a country where we have the 2nd Ammendment. So if those pirates want to vow revenge on an American ship, all that is going to do is encourage American sailors to bring their weapons to sea with them. Security personnel will be hired on boats (just like sailing ships in the 1600s had cannons on them) and pirates will be in a world of hurt.
Some innocent American sailors may die because of this, but at least they've now been given a heads up that they may want to pack heat when they leave the house for a couple of months at sea. Somalia needs some help getting their country together (hey EU, UN, how about a little help here?), and until that happens, it seems like having small security details on shipping vessels might be a necessary precaution....
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Sunday Night TV Viewing
It was a long weekend here in the Asshole household. After helping the family we scrambled back from SC to an awesome Easter party. And then finally retreated to the friendly confines of our bed and some Chinese food.....
The last post was dealing with HYSTERICAL MORONS, and this post is with HISTORICAL MORONS! It was quite hilarious/frustrating. I was blown away that they put this drivel on television.
On History Channel, it was an hour long special discussing the possibility that aliens either built or assisted in the creation of the many of the great wonders of the world. I do believe in aliens. I'm pretty sure I saw a UFO as a teenager. It is a pretty crazy story, and NO, I was not on drugs at the time. But I'm a believer and this television show was TOO much for me.
I had to keep watching because I needed to see where they were going. They didn't get to fuckin Stonehenge until the last 10 minutes, so you know it was well done. To these "experts" (by the way, I think the only qualification to be an expert on a cable show such as this is to be a complete wing-nut and be able to formulate semi-complete sentences, so A&E I'm waiting by the phone) it was inconceivable that man would build pyramids to deify themselves. Contrary to archaeological and historical evidence, the pharaohs were not arrogant assholes.... And the shape of the pyramids showing up in Mexico, India, and Asia at the same time had to be alien intervention (of course pyramids look nothing like man-made mountains, right?). It was similar bullshit over and over again....the lines were too perfectly cut, stones too heavy to be moved, the energy signals too perfectly in-tuned (ReallY?!). The only credible guy they showed was a historian from NYU who had a fuckin mohawk. Really dude? You're going to be on national tv as the voice of reason and you decide to keep that thing?! WTF?!?!
So I know it is Sunday night and there is nothing else on. Most people are either watching sports or reading books, BUT SHIT! There are people who have grown dumber from watching that crap. Lucky for me I'm already about as dumb as I can be after working at home for 3.5 years!
The last post was dealing with HYSTERICAL MORONS, and this post is with HISTORICAL MORONS! It was quite hilarious/frustrating. I was blown away that they put this drivel on television.
On History Channel, it was an hour long special discussing the possibility that aliens either built or assisted in the creation of the many of the great wonders of the world. I do believe in aliens. I'm pretty sure I saw a UFO as a teenager. It is a pretty crazy story, and NO, I was not on drugs at the time. But I'm a believer and this television show was TOO much for me.
I had to keep watching because I needed to see where they were going. They didn't get to fuckin Stonehenge until the last 10 minutes, so you know it was well done. To these "experts" (by the way, I think the only qualification to be an expert on a cable show such as this is to be a complete wing-nut and be able to formulate semi-complete sentences, so A&E I'm waiting by the phone) it was inconceivable that man would build pyramids to deify themselves. Contrary to archaeological and historical evidence, the pharaohs were not arrogant assholes.... And the shape of the pyramids showing up in Mexico, India, and Asia at the same time had to be alien intervention (of course pyramids look nothing like man-made mountains, right?). It was similar bullshit over and over again....the lines were too perfectly cut, stones too heavy to be moved, the energy signals too perfectly in-tuned (ReallY?!). The only credible guy they showed was a historian from NYU who had a fuckin mohawk. Really dude? You're going to be on national tv as the voice of reason and you decide to keep that thing?! WTF?!?!
So I know it is Sunday night and there is nothing else on. Most people are either watching sports or reading books, BUT SHIT! There are people who have grown dumber from watching that crap. Lucky for me I'm already about as dumb as I can be after working at home for 3.5 years!
The Death of Friendships, How Men and Women Differ
So this post is something that I've been thinking about writing for quite some time and finally decided to write about it.
Men and women are different. Everyone knows this. I won't go too far into any details of all the things that make them different, but how our friendships end is a hugely different.
First, men. Men easily accept that friendships are going to come and go. Someone stops replying to your emails, or rarely gives you a call, you figure out that they don't enjoy your company as they used to. You move on and spend your time with people who email you regularly, who give you a call when they don't have to, and don't think too much about the former friend. When things are over, things are over. If we see our former friends, we're cordial and polite. We don't grasp at straws and try to "relive the glory days". If we do happen to hang out, we don't hold grudges, we forget the old battles, and just have a good time. BUT AT NO TIME do we EVER think that things are going to be back to the way they once were.
I've always had lots of female friends and in that time I've seen many of their close friendships end. It is FAR from a pretty sight. And I'll admit that I have not helped matters. Women fight for their friendships to the bitter end. They never know when to let things go, miss all the signs that things are turning south, and then always try to return to the "good old days".
Over and over again, it seemed that their friends got incredibly jealous over incredibly stupid things. Perfectly rational women would become hysterical morons! They'd get upset that she spent time with a boyfriend/husband, or her family, or other friends. Over an extended period of time they would miss the signs that they were sending her, misinterpret the signs she was sending them. Almost always they would take the easy way out of turning their former friend into an enemy, INSTEAD of just letting things end amicably. Thus poisoning all memories of the good times with those people. And I need to repeat one thing. This is not just one or two instances. Every woman I've come into contact with has had to deal with this sort of fucked up situation. I sure hope that it's not my fault, but I think its bigger than just one asshole.
I don't know why women have the problems with friendships that men don't. Maybe we're colder. But I'd rather be a cold and happy individual than a warm and miserable person. I am not advocating NOT fighting for a friendship. But I am recommending that people spend more time in their daily lives evaluating the signs in their relationships. People need to be honest with themselves about the conditions of their friendships, whether they want to continue friendships with people or not. It will save us all a lot of headaches!
Men and women are different. Everyone knows this. I won't go too far into any details of all the things that make them different, but how our friendships end is a hugely different.
First, men. Men easily accept that friendships are going to come and go. Someone stops replying to your emails, or rarely gives you a call, you figure out that they don't enjoy your company as they used to. You move on and spend your time with people who email you regularly, who give you a call when they don't have to, and don't think too much about the former friend. When things are over, things are over. If we see our former friends, we're cordial and polite. We don't grasp at straws and try to "relive the glory days". If we do happen to hang out, we don't hold grudges, we forget the old battles, and just have a good time. BUT AT NO TIME do we EVER think that things are going to be back to the way they once were.
I've always had lots of female friends and in that time I've seen many of their close friendships end. It is FAR from a pretty sight. And I'll admit that I have not helped matters. Women fight for their friendships to the bitter end. They never know when to let things go, miss all the signs that things are turning south, and then always try to return to the "good old days".
Over and over again, it seemed that their friends got incredibly jealous over incredibly stupid things. Perfectly rational women would become hysterical morons! They'd get upset that she spent time with a boyfriend/husband, or her family, or other friends. Over an extended period of time they would miss the signs that they were sending her, misinterpret the signs she was sending them. Almost always they would take the easy way out of turning their former friend into an enemy, INSTEAD of just letting things end amicably. Thus poisoning all memories of the good times with those people. And I need to repeat one thing. This is not just one or two instances. Every woman I've come into contact with has had to deal with this sort of fucked up situation. I sure hope that it's not my fault, but I think its bigger than just one asshole.
I don't know why women have the problems with friendships that men don't. Maybe we're colder. But I'd rather be a cold and happy individual than a warm and miserable person. I am not advocating NOT fighting for a friendship. But I am recommending that people spend more time in their daily lives evaluating the signs in their relationships. People need to be honest with themselves about the conditions of their friendships, whether they want to continue friendships with people or not. It will save us all a lot of headaches!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Return.....
So I'm extremely sorry for taking so much time off with this blog. I'll be honest, I was bored with it, as my co-author didn't have the ability to post with me, and I haven't been very angry. And for that you can blame my lovely wife. She has done a wonderful job of keeping me so happy for the past month +. She has been great about helping me with the housework (as someone who works from home, I have done the majority of the housework for the past 4 years), she lets me watch the sports I want to, she encourages me to binge drink when we get together with friends, she has pushed/supported me in my running/gym antics, and she initiates sex regularly (I'm notorious for being a big time initiator, but its nice to have her rev the engine!).
But my friend the Angry Sailor has finally returned. I have saved up a bunch of material. Hopefully this will be a nice place for the two of us to vent, and for all of you loyal readers to vent with us. I found my previous blog posts to be very therapeutic. I hope this will be a chance for all of us to chill the fuck out and be more productive members of society.
But my friend the Angry Sailor has finally returned. I have saved up a bunch of material. Hopefully this will be a nice place for the two of us to vent, and for all of you loyal readers to vent with us. I found my previous blog posts to be very therapeutic. I hope this will be a chance for all of us to chill the fuck out and be more productive members of society.
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