Some mid game predictions

Although both these games are close, I'm pretty sure I already know who'll win both, just looking at some basic stats (first downs, yards, turnovers, and penalties). Carolina looks like it should beat San Diego, even though they're down 9-10 late in the third. Arizona will beat San Francisco (it's a 3 point lead right now).

New Favorite Band!

I have a new favorite band, largely due to this video:

Youtube

Unfortunately, embedding has been disabled. :(

You should watch it. It is cool.

Working in the meat department

My job sounds a lot more exciting than it really is. I work in the meat department at a large midwestern grocer, and I carry around guns and knives at work.

Pricing guns and box cutters.

Oh God...we live in a theocracy

It's just sad, really, what a backward country we live in. This is the country where it was shocking that a Catholic, a mere denomination of the same faith as the majority, was elected. Only one president has ever been a practicing Catholic, and he was assassinated. This is a country where a Jehova's Witness has a better chance of election than a Jew, by sheer virtue of the fact that he believes different stuff about a guy who lived two thousand years ago than the other guys who are running for the same office. And they even believe in the same freaking god! Imagine a Muslim trying to run for President! There is a de facto religious requirement for President, and that makes us effectively a theocracy.

And let's not forget about how religion affects public policy. It is said that there are people who, through religious convictions, say that our government should deny to the women of our country the right to an abortion, the right to control her own body. The anti-choice argument on this position is analogous to outlawing the treatment of athlete's foot because the fungi involved have the potential to turn into something magnificent (kind of like penicillin, maybe the cure for cancer lies in a simple fungus). Sure, an unborn fetus is a living organism, in some sense of the word, but it has no more claim on the life of the mother than any common parasite. If she wants to be rid of it, she should have that option. Now, I'm not trying to say that pregnancy is always an unwanted burden or that it rarely if ever yields happy results. But the situations that are eliminated are the situations where the pregnancy is, in fact, unwanted.

And what about this absolutely ludicrous idea of not so intelligent design? I don't even need to think up my own analogy for this one, just take a look at the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and regard the awesome power of his noodly appendage. The Pastafarian belief system is equivalent in its logical validity as Intelligent Design, using standard logical tools such as Inference to the Best Explanation. It has just as much proof and far more scientific backing. Perhaps it is even more valid, as it is contains far fewer contradictions, and does not attempt to disguise its true identity (*cough*CREATIONISM*cough*). It would be funny that anyone might accept such a doctrine as Intelligent Design, except that it's true. The attempt to not only delude oneself, but also delude the minds of the young is evil.

The fact that a politician's religious views matter far more than his political ones is a very bad sign for our nation. Political views should be the only ones regarded when electing politicians.

Someone please explain internet trolls to me!

I just don't understand internet trolls. What causes their bouts of nastiness? Is it their low self-esteem? It seems that if my only means to feel good about myself were to attack people online—and most of the time these attacks are completely groundless—I would just feel like more of an incredible loser.

I had about a half hour between a psyche study and an interview this morning, and I was just piddling around on facebook, playing poker, and I got four of a kind, aces. Someone commented that it was a nice hand, and I agreed. Then someone else (who folded before the hand even started, mind you) said I must be gay.
Curious how he could infer my sexuality based on a poker hand, I asked him on what grounds he was calling me a homosexual. He responded by asking "Have you ever even kissed a girl?" Again, curiosity led me to respond. "Yes, I've had a girlfriend for 7 months..." His response? "She must be blind then."
...
He has no idea what I even look like...

To be fair, I don't think he qualifies as a troll. Doesn't that have something to do with lurking around more, with a lack of any immediate response? I'd call this charming fellow more of a troglodyte.

Honestly, I've seen a lot worse. Just go to youtube and look at some of the comment strings. It's just pathetic, really. Can anyone explain to me the trolls?

I saw Lloyd Carr Yesterday!

Okay, so I live in Ann Arbor, and it probably shouldn't be all that exciting to see Lloyd Carr. But I saw him drive right past me, talking on his cell phone and rolling off in his shiny black automobile. After growing up on Michigan football, that was pretty exciting.

Quote of the Day

If I only had a little humility, I'd be perfect.
~Ted Turner

Some updates and a clarification

Alex is coming to town! So I get to see her again for a few days. I'm excited. Big sis is coming next week, too, so I've got visitors for a while. Sweet!

Also, about the previous post. My mother's Google Chat status often says "Editrix Enslaved," which I assume to refer to herself, although I'm not sure. I made the image entirely on Macromedia Fireworks, so that's why it looks somewhat amateur. I can draw hands a lot better than that.

Mom, you're almost done. In a few months, you've got your last test. Ever. The bar. Show 'em how it's done. Smash it to pieces.

Editrix Enslaved

You're almost done, Mother Dearest.

Quote of the Day

If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.
~Emma Goldman

What to do with Photoshop

I Hate My Hall

Some people like living in dorms. Some don't. I personally don't really mind the dorms, but I absolutely loathe my hall. I can't wait to leave it and never have to see some of these people again. It sucks because for the most part I actually like the people in my hall, but a few people really ruin it for everyone else. I especially hate my hall, though, because someone lately has been going through and just erasing whiteboards with their fingers every time people put stuff on them. What a douchebag move. My friend put up a nice drawing on mine and it had obviously taken her some time, and within an hour or two someone had run their fingers across it, erasing half of it. What an asshole.