A bad day...

I don't want to talk about it...

Working nights again...

...so this'll be short.

Nothing to report.



























"...feh. Boring conversation anyway. Luke...!"

So many games, so little time or money...

Your link for the day.
























WHY DO THEY TEMPT ME?!?!?!?!

I CAN'T AFFORD A 360! NOR A WII ! AND I CAN'T AFFORD TO UPGRADE MY COMPUTER!

I JUST BOUGHT A BUNCH OF GAMES FOR THE PS2 FOR CHRISTMAS!

WHY DO THEY MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO INDULGE? DO THEY HATE ME? DO THEY GLORY IN THEIR SADISTIC PLEASURE AT THEIR ABILITY TO INFLICT PAIN AND MISERY?

*whimper...*

Back from Thanksgiving weekend...

The potatoes were very yummy, along with the mushroom gravy, the stuffing, the peas and the home-made punkin pie. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

It was hard coming back this morning, but it always is.

How was everyone else's weekends?

Thankful...?

Yes, I am...

I know most everyone is gone already. I'm working nights tonight, and I have Friday off. So, I'll wish you all a belated Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Remember, we have a lot to be thankful for. And this country, despite its faults and follies, is still the greatest country on the earth.

I love all of you...

I love food...

...and this report says why I do.

It also tells me why I love pumpkin pie so much, and why, despite no turkey on Thursday, I'll be having lots of fun and yummy food.

I am SO looking forward to everything on Thursday.

Isn't it painfully obvious...?

...that he did it?


Say hi to Hitler, Stalin, Lenin and Osama when you get to hell.

Better yet, tell them to *insert expletive here*.

One, and then the other...

Your link for the day...

Dollar coins are a good idea, I think, as long as they are readily available. I have a Sacagawea dollar, but I didn't see a lot of them around.

Now, my other topic for the day.

I enjoy being in choir in church. I love singing. I love singing tenor and/or bass parts. I like Christmas. I like to participate in things I like to do...

So, that is why I'm stoked to be able to be the narrator in our ward Christmas program in church on the 24 Dec 06. I'm also gonna be able to sing! Whoo hoo!

I had fun last night practicing with my mother-in-law and Val the music/cantata we are getting ready for Christmas. So much fun to be able to do things that sound good with other people who sound better than I do.

*glee!*

A new link...

Here it is, or else you can click on it over on the side, if you want. It's right above Ben's link.

More news to come later.

For the record...

I have neither an XBox, Xbox 360 nor a PS3.

My point is that $600 is a lot of money to pay for a console that has few games. But, as Ben pointed out, the PS3 is backwards compatible with PS2 games, and a Blu-ray DVD player is +$1000. So, if you wanna upgrade your DVD player and your console,all at the same time, go for it.

Me, I'm gonna wait 3 or 4 years.

Maybe more.

Oh, the irony...

1: People shot while waiting in line for PS3.

2: Wii more available, and it's unique...

As to the first one, I realize that this sort of thing (the craziness) happens frequently when groups of people compete for limited 'resources'. It's not limited or specific only to the PS3 launch. And, when you're carrying $600 + to buy something, it's easy money if you want to rob someone.

The second one seems to be a no-brainer for me. With Nintendo you get Mario, Zelda and Link, Metroid and Samus... Name-brand characters with historically succesful franchises, even though the only one being offered right now of those is Zelda. With the PS3, your launch is...sparsely populated, to say the least.

I thought Tycho put it best this morning in this.

It's HOW much?!?!?!?!?!

Your link for the day.

OK...

$600 + for a new console is asenine, in my opinion. Even if it has a next-gen DVD player and is HD capable. There are few games for it, it's overpriced and scarce.

The XBox 360 has HD capability, has lots of games, has been out for a year, and has a DVD player. Not next-gen, but capable nonetheless.

And it's HALF THE PRICE of a PS3!

Go back to your lives, citizens...

...show's over.

Not a lot happening. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

...and all the hot air they spew pollutes too!

Happy Monday..........?

Nothing here today, citizens.

See you tomorrow.

Honestly...

No links today...

I've come to the conclusion that people don't like honesty, even my own family(immediate and -in-law's). Most people proclaim honesty to be one of the pillars of civilization, and bemoan the fact that there is not enough of it in the world. Yet, if a person is honest to someone else, the reciever is offended and angry 99% of the time. I hate people who pay lip-service, and thats all.

Now I can understand that most people have a hard time taking criticism. I am one of them. I'm trying to do better. But, at what point do we stop being honest with ourselves and with others because we are afraid of hurting their feelings? Don't the ones we love deserve to know when they have hurt our feelings?

Are my feelings less important than theirs?

Should I stomp down on my feelings because I am afraid of hurting their feelings?

Apparently so, as even my own family has gotten upset with me on occasion for expressing my feelings truthfully. Josh has blown up at me on more than one occasion. Mom has, and Dad has too. Why is honesty so difficult for others to accept?

I think the thing that bothers me the most is that my family has been taught the same things that I have, and proclaims to cherish honesty and open communication. Yet when I communicate about how I feel, even in an imperfect manner which is the best I can do, the reaction is anger and hostility.

No one likes to be told that they hurt someone else, but to compound the problem by getting upset really makes it worse.

Don't tell me how I SHOULD feel. Who are you to tell me how I should feel, huh? Sympathize with me. Tell me that you are sorry and will try to do better. That's all I ask.

If I've done something to hurt you, tell me, and I'll do my best to say I'm sorry and to reciprocate.

And if you claim to want open communication, be aware that you are not perfect, even if you are a parent, and that that openness entails a certain amount of negative feedback. And also be aware that getting angry only facilitates the destruction of communication.

What a freakin' crock of crap. This upsets me so much I deliberately have ommitted the obscenities I had run through my mind as I was typing all of this. Rest assured, though, that they are there.

Now, on to the real issue: I want to go to a LAN tonight with my brothers-in-law and play computer games. The thing is that Aaron's girlfriend Melissa is loud-mouthed, obnoxious, and very full of herself, and she's sure to be there tonight. I don't want to be there if she's there. But, I also want to play.

Hence the dilemma. The rhetorical question before the court: Do I stuff my feelings and go play anyway? Do I avoid the situation? I know I can't be honest to any of these people(DeVon, Marie, Melissa, Aaron, Josh. Relationship to Jordan: father-, step-mother-, sister-, and 2 brothers-in-law), as they will explode just like my brother Josh.

I hate this feeling, knowing that it is an exercise in futility to be honest with most of my family.

Ask yourself: Do I want others to be honest with me, or do I want to hear some myself-serving BS from them? Which do I really want?

*indifference*

Your link for the day.

In short, the article states that Windows Vista is now ready for distribution, and will be released in January 30, 2007.

I'm gonna shorten it right now to WinVis, and state my utter lack of drive to buy said product. I see no reason to shell out $150+ for something that is gonna be a buggy, unsecure piece of crap. Not that XP is really secure, but it's been around for 5+ years and hasn't let me down yet. That's my opinion anyway.



Good day...

Happy anniversary...

to Val and I. We've been married for 3 years today!

We went and voted, and then we went out to eat for the first time in 8 months. We found a place in SLC that makes vegan pizzas called Este Pizza (about 21st South and 840 East). It was excellent, and the people there were very friendly and helpful. Then we sang to Pink Floyd and the Pulse version of 'Dark Side of the Moon' all the way home. Played Scrabble, where she kicked my trash yet again. I think the final score was 187 to 129. Oh well...It was fun anyway.

Happy day, my goo. I love you so much!

This is NOT a rant...

but I take issue with this article.

There is a better way to prevent this from happening, and it would remove a whole lot of other problems: global warming, water pollution, deforestation, ozone depletion, oil dependence...The list goes on.

The solution? Be vegan!

I understand that there are 1 billion people who depend on seafood for their protein. I don't have a problem with that. But, why can't Americans cut out their seafood intake? We don't depend solely on fish for our protein, so why don't we take it away? Wouldn't that help alleviate the 2048 collapse?

I'll tell you why. It's either one or any combination of these reasons: because it would be difficult. Because people see animals as resources to be exploited, not as animals with feelings, not as God's creations that have feelings and souls; because people are addicted to their 'carnal' pleasures. They operate under the fallacy, fed to them by the animal exploiters, that 'animal' protein is better than plant protein. They also lack the imagination to be adventurous in the foods they eat. They also are lazy, and don't want to spend the time to cook their food.

Some parts of the world don't have a choice in what they eat, or where they get their protein. As Americans, the overwhelming majority DO have a choice. But, they choose to be lazy, buying into the stereotypes fed to them by manipulative industries.

Now, I know that people are gonna feel indignant, and feel that I have maligned them. I promise that that has not been my intention. I merely saw another solution to the problem stated in the article, and I can give just as much evidence to support my position as others can give to defend theirs.

Ultimately, the choice to be vegan resides within the mind and soul of every person, and, like the gospel, can't be brought about by facts, figures or debate. It must come through correct information, clearly presented in a caring manner.

A good book that converted me is 'Diet for a New America' by John Robbins. I found it quite informative, and full of INDEPENDENT sources to back his opinions and observations.

*whew*

OK. I'm done.

On a different note...check this and this out. They are game video previews for the new Nintendo system and Legend of Zelda game that are coming out on 19 Nov 06.

After watching those, I figure that I'm definitely gonna be ensnared by that game and system, despite its unconventional controllers. Sooner or later, it's gonna happen. "We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."

And lastly.....4 LINKS!!!!! Whoo hoo!

Not much today...

Sorry, but I haven't been able to find anything worth posting.

*sigh*

Oh well.

See ya tomorrow!

100 million...and still going

This article says that the Web has hit 100 million+ websites, since starting in 1989.

To quote the article: "When the Web was started, it was started as a mechanism for sharing high energy particle physics data," said Professor Rebecca Grinter of Georgia Tech's College of Computing.
The creator of that Web site, Tim Berners-Lee, wanted experts to be able to share data on particle smashing, even if they weren't at CERN in Switzerland where he was doing research. CERN, in Geneva, is the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
Research facilities and universities soon started seeing benefits of this new tool for things as lofty as nuclear physics and as mundane as sharing restaurant recommendations.
Even today CERN proudly proclaims on its home page, "The world's largest particle physics laboratory, where the Web was born!"

I bet we hit 1 billion in 10 or 15 years.

EDIT: Ben pointed out that ARPANET has been around longer and is the true 'Net forerunner, according to this article, and this article also. Once again, Ben reveals his prowess.

Impressive.........Most impressive.

Yearnings...

Here is your link for the day. It's a webcomic I like. Hope it makes you laugh.

I've never played a real RPG with a 'dungeon-master' before, but I bought some Star Wars RPG books that I lent to Joel before he left. They're gone now, to who-knows-where.

I wish I had been able to play it with him some.

*sigh* $50+ down the tube.