Keep On Keepin On

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! Hope you all have a safe, happy, and healthy season!

Is it November yet? I am so sick of this election already, and we still have eight (8)- that is, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8- more freaking months of ads and campaigning and polls...and news coverage, oh god the humanity!

The good news is, though, that the Republican nomination is all sewn up. Not that McCain is my first choice, far from it. I voted for Romney in the primary, and not just because he is from Michigan. Unfortunately, he lost, and now I am stuck with McCain. Yes, stuck with him, because there is no way in hell I'd vote for Hillary, and Obama has no platform besides "hope" and "change". Not to mention that they both want to surrender to our enemy in Iraq.

Which brings me to the reason that I will vote for McCain (Yes, voting for someone, and not against their opponent. What an amazing concept). He is for winning the war against Islamic fascists/terrorists/extremists. (Not to mention he was all about the surge). The two Democratic candidates are not. Hell, forget the winning part, Obama and Clinton don't even want to fight anymore. After both independent journalistsand the New York Times report that massive progress has been made. Even al-qaeda leaders are admitting that they are in trouble. So let's see, who to vote for in the general: respected war hero who wants to continue fighting, and hopefully win, this current war; vs either a power hungry bitch or empty suit who only spouts platitudes, not ideas. Both of whom want to effectively surrender in the one front of this war that is the most important, and one in which we are currently winning. Hmmm....yeah...not a tough choice.

Oh Huckabee...while I respect your right to continue campaigning (even though you mathematically can't win), you really are hurting the party by shedding light on McCain's shortfalls. Please drop out so that we can unite the party, as it will be tough enough to defeat either Hillary's machine or Obama's mantra without alienating evangelicals. And by the way, there is no chance in hell you are getting the veep slot. This will go to someone like Thompson, or Jim DeMint, or my personal favorite, Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Memo to the Democrats: Superdelegates? Are you freaking kidding me? So after all the primaries, after all the people vote, these superdelegates get to vote and actually decide the nominee? (Assuming that neither candidate will have enough delegates, and by all my research neither will). Of course, it appears that there are some perks to being a superdelegate, if you can call that a perk. Personally, I'd go for Meghan McCain instead.

Oh, and Democrats: what are you going to do about Michigan and Florida's delegates? Alot of people up here in the mitten state are pissed at you for ignoring us, and that very well could come back to bite you in the ass come November 4. McCain is a popular person, he won here in the 2000 primary, and would have won again this year had Romney not run. As it is, he got 30% of the vote. Treat our delegates nicely, and maybe, maybe, we will return the favor. (Although I hope we finally go red this year).

And with that, I'm out. Whoever ya'll are supporting, make sure you have a reason, not just "I hate Bush". Oh wait, he's not in this election. Oops. Looks like alot of you will actually have to look at the issues this year. Oh, who am I kidding. American voters never look at issues, that's why Barack "Change? Spare some change?" Obama and Hillary "Come to the dark side" Clinton are the two Democratic frontrunners. But that's what makes politics so much fun, watching the idiocy of candidates and voters alike, then spending months alternately scratching our heads and laughing our asses off at the entire process.

I hope everyone has a safe, happy, and healthy Christmas, and that santa gives you everything you ask for. :-)

Hope everyone had a happy, healthy, and stuffed Thanksgiving. I certainly did, spending it with family at my aunt's house. Family, food, and football, that's what this holiday is all about. :-)

Friday, however, was a very different story. We opened at four, I was there at three-thirty. In the morning. And yes, we did have people lined up outside the doors. What possesses a person to go Christmas shopping at that ungodly hour? Our store did do very nicely, though, having a record day in sales.(Woohoo!)

Ahh politics. Presidential candidates are funny, man. Especially when they are not front-runners. Then they can produce trippy videos (Mike Gravel) or receive the endorsement of Chuck Norris(!), like Mike Huckabee did. Or maybe it's a "Mike" thing. Of course, Ron Paul is kinda out there, also. Whatever the reason, this has been a fun(ny) time to be interested in politics.

Work and I are getting along, kinda. A change is coming, and it will either be exciting, frightening, or both. Most likely both.

I want to take a class at the local community college, but don't know what to take. Don't really have to take anything, but as Michigan is in an economic slump (more like huge recession, with both people and jobs flying out of the state), it's been impossible to find, well, anything. Especially for someone with relatively little experience outside of the retail field. So, I want to take a class to maybe give me that little edge. Problem is, I don't know what to take. Thinking about taking more French classes, but am not confident enough in my skills to jump into a higher level class, and don't want to spend the time/money taking a lower class to refresh my skills. Ugh. Unfortunately, that looks like what I'll end up doing. There are some "Retail Management" classes, but those are no good because 1. I really don't want to spend more time in retail than I already have, and 2. from the course descriptions, it looks like I could teach the freaking things, let alone waste time/money to breeze through. There is one other option, and that is to go for a paralegal post-bachelor certificate. However, that would require three full semesters, which is quite a commitment. For something that 'm interested in, yes, but don't fully want to commit to. Oh hell, who am I kidding, i don't know what the hell I want. Actually, that's not true. I want to get paid to read books all day. Which only happens to Lit profs,or people in publishing house, or reviewers. All of which I most certainly am not. *Sigh* Why does life have to be so freaking complicated?

Well, after that little unexpected ramble, it's time to sleep. Love, peace, and chicken grease!

Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness, universal to all ages and all faiths. At whatever straws we must grasp, there is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings. ~ J. Robert Moskin

It's time for the alphabet game again, and starpush was kind enough to assign the letter H. If you want a letter, just comment.

Hospital
Both my parents and two aunts work at one, and I briefly had a job there for a summer as well. In fact, during my freshman year at Western, I was a Bio major. Until I discovered that science and I don't agree with each other.

Hungary
My dad's parents immigrated from there, and I was lucky enough to visit a few years ago. Although the country is small, it has a a wonderful history, and I am dying to go back and see the relatives again.

History
I love history, maybe even more so than politics. (Which is saying quite alot). It is one of those subjects that is so important to learn, for if you don't know history you are doomed to repeat it.

Henrik Zetterberg
This Red Wing is leading the league in points (20) and second in goals (9). Go Wings!

Halloween
Halloween is a huge holiday in Detroit, with parties, costumes, and tricks galore. And it is in three days. :-)

Hotel Chevalier
The short film which acts as part one of Wes Anderson's new movie, The Darjeeling Limited. It is pure Anderson, which, in layman's terms, means it blew my mind.

Hank Williams
A country music legend. Need I say more?

Hobbes, Thomas
Completely redefined the meaning of political science, and one of the greatest political theorists ever. And Leviathan is a must read.

Hobbes, Calvin and
The best comic ever. Period. I lived for Calvin and Hobbes comics back in the day, and looking back at them now, realize how genius they really are.

H2O
Water. It's essential to human life, and we couldn't live without it.

So, a little (random) update on what's been going on lately....

Went to see Ron Paul speak. For those who don't know, he's a Republican running for president. Kinda crazy though. Ok, well not crazy, just really into personal freedom. Which is a good thing, to some extent. Hell, most of his domestic policies I agree with (no national ID, privatize social security, anti-abortion, pro-second amendment). Basically he is a libertarian who is a strict constitutionalist. Unfortunately, he also advocates a policy of isolation (or nonintervention according to him). Which means that he is against the UN (a plus in my book), but also NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO, and Iraq. And since the single most important issue in this election is the same as the last election (winning the war against Islamic fascists), I can't vote for him.

This leads quite nicely into the presidential primaries. On the Democratic side, it is Hillary's race to loose. Which, baring her dropping out or committing a blunder so extreme even a white supremacist would blush, means that she is getting the nomination. On the other side of the isle, it is a two man race between Rudy and Romney. Either of which have the ability to defeat the queen bitch, however, it will be a tough task.

Had our housewarming party a few weeks ago, it went better than anticipated. Some people showed that we didn't expect, some who were expected didn't show at all. But that is the way with all parties, and a good time was had by all. Along with much, much beer.

Going up to Kalamazoo for Western/Central weekend. Well, not weekend, as the game is on a Tuesday night (Woohoo ESPN2 Game!) The not so mighty Broncos are 3-5 (2-2) this season, but only a game behind CMU for the West. Meaning that if Kent pull an upset next week against the Chips (not bloody likely, but one can hope) and we beat lowly Eastern (which we damn well should), then this game could be huge. Either way, it'll be a chance to see some old friends,drink at some old bars, party, and just have a great fucking time.

Damn computer is still screwed up. Everything works great except my ethernet port. Gonna have to look at it again tomorrow. (On my roomie's comp right now).

So my roomie got me hooked onto WOW aka World of Warcrack. And yes, it really is that addicting.

I hate work. I hate customers even more.

But I do love my front porch. And the 24 hour CVS directly across the street. And the 7-11 and Taco Bell a block away. Ferndale rocks.

Going to the bar is fun, but damn expensive.

Speaking of expensive, bills suck.

Honorverse books are awesome. I wish i lived in that universe.

Damn Bosox. Now I'm gonna have to root for *gasp* Colorado.

Stepher Colbert for President!

I was sick yesterday, crashed and got like 14 hours sleep. Yeah, 14. Now I am wide awake and work at 6am. It's midnight now.

And with that, I'm out. Peace.

Since apparently it's been 17 weeks since my last post, I guess it's time for a new update, huh. So here's the deal: Since my mom pretty much kicked me out of the house, I had to find a new place to live. Well, I was looking at cheap studios, but ended up with a three bedroom house. How did that happen you ask? My buddy was looking to move out of his parents place in January, but we got to talking, and he moved up his timetable. Then his cousin got into the act, and we ended up renting a house out in Ferndale. (Ferndale is a small town, just north of Detroit. It's a great place to be, though, because it is the hippest town around). The house is ok, although our realty company blows. But all in all it's working out nicely, and I'm glad we're here.

As for everything else, well, work still sucks, although I did get a nice little raise. Still need to find a new job, though. My computer, however, is a different story. It doesn't doesn't connect to the internet anymore, which is very odd, as everything else works fine. This is part of the reason why I haven't been online lately (using a roomie's comp right now). I wanted to finally get a laptop anyway, so am not too worried about my computer.

Other than that, things have been pretty good. Been hanging out on our huge front porch alot, going up to the bar where one of the roomies works at, and are having a housewarming party this weekend. I'll get on here to post as often as I can, but it will be sporadic for a while. Until then, love, peace, and chicken grease! ;-)

Cleveland 91, Detroit 87 (Game 4)
Cleveland 109, Detroit 107 (Game 5)

Cleveland leads the series 3-2.

Wow. First off, props to Lebron. Game five was a double overtime thriller, which James just owned. He scored 29 of their last 30 points. That being said, what the hell!?! The Pistons have not played good the last two games, and have let Lebron run wild. What happened to that vaunted Piston defense? Game six is a must win, in the truest sense of the word. Win, and there is a game seven back in Detroit. Loose, and the season is over. I hope that we win, but honestly, am not too confident.

Next Game: Saturday (tonight) in Cleveland.

This weekend was, well, it was bittersweet, quite frankly. Going to Kalamazoo is always fun, but I always end up thinking about the time I spent there, and how that time is now gone. But it was still good to go back for a while.

Friday I started out after work, and the drive up was pretty smooth. Well, besides the fifty dollars it took to fill up my tank. Stupid gas prices. Then I hit Battle Creek, and wouldn't ya know it, there was construction going on. (Popular Michigan joke: How many seasons does Michigan have? Two. Winter and construction.) Anyway, get past that, and head over to Mike's place. I've known him for years, we lived in the same apartment complex and even took a class together. Get there, hang out with him, his girlfriend, and a few other people, then crash.

Get up on Saturday and headed over to the track meet. The boy's team won their regional, and thus were invited to a team state meet. It was held in the tiny town of Gobles, population 800. About twenty minutes north of Kalamazoo. I got there right as the first races were starting, so didn't really miss anything. Unfortunately two of Shrine's best athletes weren't there (one was hurt, one didn't show), but the team still did alright. And my brother ran decent, so that was good. It might be the last time I'll get to see my brother run in a meet like this, as the team is loosing alot of good seniors. After the meet I hung out in the city for a while, going to some spots I used to practically live at (Barnes and Nobles, my old Kohl's). Then got some food and headed home. Received a speeding ticket on the way back, but the cop knocked it down to five over, limited access, meaning no points. That's in addition to the one I got on the way up (stupid Jackson and their four mile stretch of 55mph), but since my record is pretty clean (at least the past few years), I'm not too worried about it.

On Sunday I went to the Tiger game with Tim, his sister Amy, their cousin, and our friend Nick. It was a nationally televised ESPN game, so we were all excited. Went to Greektown for some food before hand, but the restaurant we found kinda sucked, although the waiter was nice. Amy found a piece of plastic in her hummus, so her meal was free, and in addition we got a few free beers. Then we headed to the game, which the Tigers unfortunately lost. It was still a fun night though, having never been to Comerica Park before (!!) I was quite impressed. Alot nicer than Tiger Stadium, although nothing can ever really replace the old ballpark on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

On Memorial Day I had to work (yay for holiday pay!), then hung out with Tim and his sisters, doing a bit a grilling and shooting the bull (mostly Shrine gossip). Decided to check out Hot Fuzz, on Amy's recommendation. It was good all right, although I still prefer Shaun of the Dead.

All in all, had some good times this weekend, but also some not so good times. Bittersweet. Don't know how many more times I'll make it up to the 'Zoo, unless my brother decides to attend Western. Everyone I used to know there is leaving, which is good for them, but gives me one less reason to visit. My brother will be a senior next year, an exciting time to be sure, but it means he'll only have one more season of cross and track. *Sigh* Life is moving so fast, and sometimes it seems like it's leaving me behind. It's nice to take a few moments (or days in this case) to just stop for a while, and enjoy good times with good friends.

Cleveland 88, Detroit 82

Detroit leads the series 2-1

Well, I expected the Cavs to take one at home, and this is it. Lebron played extremely good, and fed off of the home crowd. Rip and Chauncey, however, only combined for 20 points. I still see the Pistons taking two of the next three games, though.

Next Game: Tuesday (tonight) in Cleveland

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