Thought of the Day

If a person tried to poison another, society would deem this criminal and incarcerate the poisoner; however, smokers poison themselves regularly and systematically, fight for right to do so, and to impose that poison on others.  Ponder this.

Why I'm a Conservative (part 3 in an endless series)

Do you ever wonder how some folks can justify all sorts of bad behavior and failure by blaming it on others?  And why others reinforce that abdication of responsibility, thus perpetuating it?  I do - all the time - and get really pissed about it.

Personal Responsibility!!!  As infants we are incapable of making decisions, but I'd say by earlier than age 15, we know that choosing to filet the neighbor is wrong.  One doesn't "just get pregnant,"  there are choices before the fact.  If I'm not happy in my present situation (job, life, etc), it's not the fault of my parents, society, liberals, The Man, name-your-own-scapegoat;  the onus to change my life and have some satisfaction is on me.  Things done in a drunken state are not justifiable because of that drunken state.  You get the picture.  With the exception of the random acts of God, a person chooses his or her destiny thru a series of smaller choices.

So, it is odious to me, the liberal belief that a person is only a sum of his/her environmental influences and cannot be held accountable for those choices.  And further, that the rest of us must bear the responsibility for the wellbeing/sustenance of that person - no matter what they've done, no matter if we would never have made those choices.  And that we must never question any of the person's subsequent choices nor object to our forced support of them.     Also in this view is the belief that we the people are not to be trusted to make our own decisions regarding our own earned income - basically everything has to be legislated and social programmed to death - because government knows best.

I realize this is a rambling rant, but you understand of which I speak, no?

Thought of the Day

Submissives in power positions are frequently dangerous and undesirable for their dominant subordinates. Ponder this.

Millennium Fest

The now-defunct Chris Carter series, Millennium, just came out with the first season on DVD.  Jeff bought it and we've been watching a few eps per night.  For the uninitiated, Millennium was the second series by C.C. (the first being The X-Files).  It's about this guy Frank Black, former FBI, who has the "gift" of being able to see thru the eyes of killers when he's in the proximity of their victims.  He uses this talent doing "consultant work" with a group of former law enforcement folks called the Millennium Group. 

The series, at least in the first 2 seasons was DARK, DARK, DARK and CREEPY.  And we fans liked it that way.  Where else can you get "what ifs" about serial killers, religion, conspiracies, the apocalypse, angels, demons, etc, etc?  In how many series are they willing to kill off main characters in the first season?  Then, in the 3rd season, they tried to lighten it up & brought in a new partner for Frank.  Can I just say BAD DECISIONS?  The show lost its cred & was eventually cancelled anyway.  So, if you are at all interested, see only the first 2 seasons.

A Word (or Confession) on Procrastination

Warning:  Long Post!
For the longest time, I've been simultaneously career-wise coasting and angry/frustrated at my lack of career satisfaction.  I've come to the conclusion that 1) given my interest in forensics and 2) my lack of a science background, I must go back to school as an undergraduate (full-time) and get that academic background, then proceed to either grad school or medical school to specialize and/or get a job in the field to acquire the work background end of it.  So far, so good. 

What's the problem, you ask?  I mean, I already have an undergraduate degree & graduated with honors.  I did well in a recent basic level Biology class.  OK, so what's the what?  Well, it's this little thing called procrastination.  Completing the applications is no biggie...except for the essay and recommendations.  It's partly about representing myself & my goals...perhaps that I doubt admissions staff will consider them "worthy" - not enough frills like community service, not the naive optimism of an 18-year-old, etc, etc.  It's partly because as in all my writing, I agonize over every little word.  It'll take me a week of revisions to finish a one-page essay.  And the recommendations?  I just hate having to ask people to say nice things about me.  So I put off the whole thing, and put it off, and put it off.  Meanwhile, I'm exactly where I don't want to be:  getting older, dragging my ass to work every day, just about as motivated as you'd expect. 

There's another task about which I've been procrastinating for about a year.  In our apartment building there's a front-desk guy, David Young, who has always been super:  pleasant, courteous, helpful in general & especially with a very specific problem we were having with our next-door neighbor last year. Now, I keep telling myself I must write-up a commendation letter to David's supervisor, singing his praises.  I've even drafted a letter on my laptop.  So, it's there, waiting to be completed.  No biggie.  Yet, the thing is not done.  Now, this is just plain laziness.

Why did I choose to write ad nauseum about this problem today? 
a.  Self-therapy to examine one of my many issues
b.  To talk ad nauseum about something, in print
c.  To light a fire under my lazy, self-doubting buttocks
d.  To share with others what must be a common malady
e.  All of the above.

If you answered "e," you would be correct; however, "c" is the primary reason.

Remember (and I must too), you can't finish something if you don't start it.  That said, don't let it go too long before jumping in again.  Yeh, that and self-doubt keeps you in the parking lot.

Update 7/29/04:  Well, I shamed myself into action:  I finished the commendation letter and delivered it! Yeah!  One less item of guilt. 

Pro-Life Dems? Who Knew?!

Thanks to Michelle Malkin, I now know that there are 1) Pro-Life Democrats and 2) an organization of them (Democrats for Life of America)!  Check out their website and Ryan Zempel's coverage (Townhall.com) of their convention dinner. 

Wonders never cease.  But kudos to them for being other than Pavlovian Dems.

Bush Infiltrates the Dem Natl Convention!

IMAO does it again.  Go here to read more.  Warning:  DO NOT drink anything while reading this piece - your poor monitor will suffer for it!  Here's a little taste:

"Uh, hey everybody," Bush said as he walked to the microphone. He then uttered to himself, "Think like a Democrat. Think like a Democrat." Bush cleared his throat. "Who here hates Bush more than they love America?"

Yep, exactly. 

Singin' the Blues...

or more appropriate, the Blahs.  I'm so unmotivated today.  The weather is conspiring to ensure my lack of energy - muggy, drizzly, overcast.  Oh well, just thought I'd share that...

E Coli Double Feature

Just finished reading Toxin, a novel about a dangerous E. coli infection, by Robin Cook.  I enjoyed it because it involves medical drama.  You might want to read this together with a non-fiction "exposé" about the fast food industry, Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser.  Interesting to read the fictional account of slaughterhouse operations and then compare it to the non-fiction description.  Scary.  Yet, still, I happily eat meat.  Go figure.

Another (related) book I just finished which was really intriguing was The Medical Detectives, by Berton Roueché, kindly given to me by a colleague, after noting my interest in such things.  It's a collection of accounts of investigations, from the 1940s thru the 1980s, of all sorts of mysterious ailments and their resolutions (or not...).  VERY interesting.  My question is:   how have treatments, diagnoses, methodology, technology changed/improved the chances of resolution since then, and how? 

Lance Wins Again! (Raspberry to the French!)

There's yet another opportunity to thumb my nose at the French - Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France again!  This makes his 6th win & a record.  Ooh, the feeling of American superiority in a French event!  Of course, major kudos to Armstrong for blowing away the competition!  Read more here.

Disclaimer:  I don't actually despise all the French, just that arrogant & smug Chirac, his policies and all those anti-American, lefty boneheads yonder.  Warm greetings and salutations to the roughly 250 French men and women who actually remember the 2nd World War & our timely assistance to their country. 

 

Welfare on Wilson - Redux

As I'm having a lame blogging week, I'd like to share a rant from my now defunct blog Big Stick Commentary (I like E.Z. better), which reflects my general outlook/mood at the time (last year).  Now, I'm never going to believe in welfare, but my rants thereof may take a somewhat softer tone.  Enjoy!

----------------
Welfare on Wilson
Let's just say I'm not a big fan of the current (or any) welfare system. I do believe that I, as a person who pays lots of taxes because I DON'T have dependents (among other things), have no particular moral or ethical compulsion to support those who breed - just because they breed - and their unfortunate offspring. Unfortunately, the Feds & VA state gov't disagree. I go to jail if I don't pay my taxes. That said, you can just imagine how I feel about a pair of lard-ass individuals with the stroller attachments canvassing our very own Wilson Blvd for handouts. Both lovely fiance Jeff & I have been accosted before and know them by sight. In fact, the other day, Jeff stopped dead in his tracks and said - "quick, we must cross the street." He had spied one such, and wished to avoid the whole scene...only to discover that her partner-in-panhandling was covering the other side! Now they have strategy! We passed by quickly, not allowing her to engage us. Let me just say that my loathing for welfare queens has found particular subjects. To wit, if I'm forced to shell out all this tax money for these morons, why the hell would I voluntarily give them MORE money?!!! What value are they providing us in return? Not raising the property values, let me tell you (not that that would help us anyway because we rent). Not making Arlington a more pleasant area through which to stroll. Not raising good self-reliant citizens - keep in mind that the kids in tow are observing all this - by which they'll grow to understand what is "normal and acceptable behavior." But, as usual, I'm accomplishing only one thing here - raising my own blood pressure. Females like them don't (refuse to) understand that having children is a choice, a personal responsibility and not a shared one at that. THEY made that choice (directly or by omission) and THEY are responsible for the wellbeing of their offspring. NOT ME, NOT JEFF. I feel sorry for the children, who don't have a choice in the matter, but giving their "mothers" money isn't going help the children in the long run - they're still in the same dysfunctional environment. Thus, we don't feel guilty about not enabling them to perpetuate their dependent behavior. And frankly, the thought of their demise really doesn't concern us - there will ALWAYS be more of their type, guaranteed. 

Catch of the Day

Check out Banana Republican.  Very cool & she hails from my alma mater, GWU.  Yes!  There are Republicans in college!  Who knew?

Incidently, credit where credit is due:  I linked to BR from Michelle Malkin's site.  Go Team!!!

Yesterday, Revisited

Days like yesterday should not happen too often.  Horrible.  No workout, lame blogging.  Work, work, & last minute work.  Irritating people.  Missed deadlines.  Unreasonable demands.  Yuck.

Upon meditating on my experiences, I realized:  you can't expect people to act other than themselves; therefore, it is useless to get angry or upset when they act exactly like themselves.  What I mean by that is that if they were always likely to cave on what they previously said or promised in the past, it is futile to expect they adopt some gonads and stand firm (uh, heh) on their words.  If they are unreliable and flaky in the past, chances are you can expect more of the same currently.  To expect otherwise and become upset  is doing yourself a disservice and won't change them one iota.

Ponder this as you encounter such boneheads today, and be at peace with yourself.

Lame Blogging Day

A thousand pardons for this lame blogging day, but work has rudely intruded into my blogging time.  I have lots of thoughts, but alas, they will have to wait until I have a few minutes more...
deep breath, whew!

Catch of the Day

The Catch of the Day today is Rachel Lucas's blog.  She dropped out of the blogosphere for a while, but now she's back with all her "sassy impudence."  Rachel even gets hatemail comments!  Ah, to be that famous!
 

Some More Notes on Vaykay

Some general observations while in Key West:
 
- Many of the dogs I saw down there were very fluffy, long-haired.  Now, if you have temperatures in the 90s with high humidity for several months of the year, why would you have furry dogs - isn't that a bit sadistic?  Those poor pooches looked so miserable!
 
- Big surprise - the vast majority of folks (guests) at the resort were in really crummy shape.  Soggy middles, big cellulite, thunder thighs, etc, etc.  And not all those there were American - I heard some French & German being spoken.  Ha!
 
- Many of the, um, "men" with the aforementioned "soggy middles" were strutting around like God's Personal Gift to Women. Huh?  It was truly something. 
 
- The French family I noticed spoke only French and really loud.  Or maybe it was just my rather negative attitude towards the French which made it seem like they were obnoxious...in my country.  Heh. The German I ran into (not literally), only the other hand, was polite & his English was very good.
 
Well, there are all my observations for the time being.    

Why I'm a Conservative (part 2 of a continuing series)

Taxation.  Now, I believe in paying my fair share for defense, roads, etc, but I strenuously object to the following:
 
- taxation only because they can, not because it makes any practical sense, and penalizing specific taxpayers. 
 
The whole taxing of tuition benefits is an example.  Most students who are taking advantage of this benefit don't have the financial wherewithall to go to school full time, so they take a more-than-likely underpaid job at a university to get tuition.  Then they're taxed on money they never see.  Thus drastically decreasing their take home pay.  Try that in a city like DC, in which housing costs are thru the roof.  You see the problem.  Yes, initiative bad! 
 
Also, car taxes.   So, you've had federal and state taxes withheld from your paycheck.  Then you paid sales tax on the vehicle.  Then, you must pay a tax for the privilege of actually owning the car. Now, how is that fair? Is it any wonder that neither Jeff nor I own a car?
 
- taxation for yet another self-perpetuating social (engineering) program. 
 
I have a big problem with government "charity" (ie, government shouldn't be in the charity business).  We've observed what started out as a safety net for widows with children turn into a way of life for many.  Then it became an entitlement, a right, that has, is and will be very difficult to dissolve.  Part of that difficulty is that this ethic is passed on to the kiddies, whether thru stated teaching or observed behavior.
 
- "Robin Hood" taxation - taking from the rich to give to the poor. 
 
Why is that in a society with great economic mobility possible, we find it necessary to punish the rich to give handouts to the "poor"?  Giving money to folks doesn't make them any more likely to succeed financially; it makes them dependent on that handout.  Forcing the better-off to give away larger portions of their earnings promotes a message that says - it's bad to have money.  Isn't that the American Dream to be financially successful & secure, to rise to a higher financial station than what you started in, thru your own efforts and talents?  Hmm.  And who are these poor and why should anyone be forced to give them money?  We as taxpayers are supposed to - at least in the liberal mind - give away our hard-earned cash without any regard or control over what these poor spend it - which could be more kids, drugs, luxuries (like TVs and other entertainment electronics), alcohol, cigarettes, etc, and without observable progress, results - specifically, less folks "needing" our money. 
 
This hasn't been an exhaustive examination, but you get the picture.  Taxation for governance, defense, and infrastructure - Fine, used pragmatically.  Taxation for social engineering & Nanny State support - BAD, BAD, BAD!
 

(to be continued)

Sweet Sunday

Could anything be nicer than enjoying good strong coffee, hot croissants and fresh cherries and strawberries with your beau (or belle, as the case may be) while lounging on your balcony? Well, ok, yes - doing all the above in Key West, but it's still a sweet way to start your Sunday!

Contact Lens Blues

Ok, I don't know what's more irritating, wearing one contact lens or having to wear my glasses.  Rewind, I abraded my cornea today - probably because I've been wearing my lenses too long - maybe 2 weeks straight.  Ok, I've worn them 2 weeks straight before with no problem.  I've had abrasions before.  So I know it's no biggie, except it's just damn inconvenient.  So, I think I'll wear my glasses for a day, but let me tell you, it's not fun going without peripheral vision - my prescription is -10.5 & -12.0. 
 
So, I'm just bitching.  There was no particular aim to this post.  See ya!

Why I'm a Conservative (part 1 of an ongoing series)

Those who know me knew that I would be getting down to political business at some point. Here's the start... I choose the term "conservative" instead of "Republican" because so many so-called Republicans are just too liberal for my taste.  Oh, and these are not in any particular order.  Onward!
 
You know I'm a conservative because:
 
1.  I have a barely controlled impulse to bitch-slap the next person (esp. female) who states proudly, "I'm pro-choice!"  Now, what would that choice be, per chance?  The choice to ignore the piles of contraceptives available in this country?  The choice not to insist on condom use?  The choice to be proud of something that involves the death of a helpless human being for convenience sake?  The choice to flush your own flesh-n-blood and then whine about how tough the decision was?  The choice to march in bonehead demonstrations for "women's lives"?  Lookie here at some LOGIC - viruses are many times smaller than a sperm cell, so naturally any discussion of women's lives in this context would involve discussion of condom use to prevent HIV transmission, etc, which coincidentally would also prevent pregnancy.  So...the whole abortion-RoevWade thing is moot.  N'est-ce pas? 
 
And for the record, overturning RoevWade would not "outlaw abortion," it would result in each state deciding how they want to handle the issue.  Oh, and I didn't hear a peep of you NOW types when Norplant was taken off the market.  I guess that whole prevention thing doesn't "empower" you as much as destroying your fetus.  My bad.
 
And by the way, I'm not "Pro-Life" or "Anti-Choice" - I'm anti-abortion.  No slogans, just description.  
 

 (to be continued...)
 

A Few Short Notes on Vaykay...

I've been terrible about updating my blog since back in town, so, feeling guilty, here are a few notes about our wonderful vacation:
 
1.  It was wonderful.  I'm now a pleasant shade of brown & look even healthier than before.  Ha! 
2.  Why can't I be there now???
3.  Here are a few restaurants you should check out when down there:
- Shula's on the Beach - part of the resort at which we stayed - Wyndham Reach Resort.  Kinda pricey, but great seafood & steak - and a chocolate souflée that is TO DIE FOR. 
- Camille's - Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner -  comfortable, mid-priced restaurant with really good food (American)
- Blue Heaven - sit outside under Key lime trees and watch the chickens and roosters chase each other around.  Very friendly service, good food, esp. brunch.
- B's -  very inexpensive Cuban restaurant with yummy food, sangria, good strong coffee.
4.  Tourist place you must visit:  The Butterfly Conservatory.  It is an enchanting place with butterflies all around you.  Sounds kinda lame, but trust me, it was well worth the trip; even Jeff was impressed.
 
Ok, must justify my salary.  More to come - reviews, rants, stuff.  Have a smurfy day!
 
PS/UPDATE:  Jeff just reminded me of an restaurant oversight:  Origami - a great little, cozy sushi place. 
 
This and most of the above places are around the Duval/Simonton Streets area & easy walking distance from both Wyndham resorts.

Back in Town...

We've returned from Key West & I miss it. Work looks like it'll be hell today, so I might just have to blog on my own time - yikes!

More to follow.