The next step in human evolution?

I can't believe they are considering cutting it off. What guy hasn't wished at one time or another that he had 3 hands?!?

Roll the bones...

I can't wait until this place opens up! Fortunately, I will be living much closer by then so I can go frequently.

Welcome to the Culture Wars

This is not a joke! A new video game is scheduled for release Christmas 2006 - Left Behind: Eternal Forces. You can read about it here.

Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued high-tech military weaponry, and instructed to engage the infidel on the streets of New York City. You are on a mission - both a religious mission and a military mission -- to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state - especially moderate, mainstream Christians. Your mission is "to conduct physical and spiritual warfare"; all who resist must be taken out with extreme prejudice. You have never felt so powerful, so driven by a purpose: you are 13 years old. You are playing a real-time strategy video game whose creators are linked to the empire of mega-church pastor Rick Warren, best selling author of The Purpose Driven Life.

I know... you're thinking "That can't be real". Check it out for yourself at the game's official website. You can also find info about it at major game websites like gamespy.com.
I am truly frightened by this. This is how it begins. Baby steps to theocracy.

Ummm....Aaron...

Shouldn't towel day be over by now?

Time for a rant!

Out of respect for the "90% mindless" policy, I wasn't going to say anything about this. However, I have been stewing over this for a few days now and can't contain it anymore. Since I don't expect anybody here to disagree with me, I think it's ok.
Rabbi Avi Shafran has some pretty ridiculous things to say about atheism.

Atheism, in the end, is a belief system in its own right, one in which there can be no claim that a thieving, philandering, serial murdering cannibal is any less commendable a member of the species than a selfless, hard-working philanthropist. In fact, from an evolutionist perspective, the former may well have the advantage.

What a load of crap! I'm so tired of hearing religious nutjobs say moral values are meaningless without god. As social animals, humans have had a long time to figure out guidelines that make society function smoothly. They vary slightly from culture to culture but the basics (murder, theft, etc.) are fairly universal. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a group gets along better if they don't kill each other willy nilly. And let us not forget empathy. I prefer that my neighbors not rape my dog, therefore, I extend the same courtesy to them. Funny how that works!
In fact, I would go so far as to say (in terms of justifying behavior), atheism is morally superior. Is it not better to do right out of compassion rather than selfish reasons (like trying to get into heaven or stay out of hell). Say, for instance, a man helps an old lady to cross the street. Would you respect him more if he did it because a) he wanted to help or b) he thought the big guy in the sky was watching?
If atheists lack true moral compasses as he implies, perhaps he would like to explain why only .2% of the U.S. prison population are atheists. That alone seems to be a pretty good refutation of his assertions by itself considering atheists make up about 15% of the general population!
He also made an egregious factual error in saying "Adolph Hitler was no believer in God.". Hitler was very much a Catholic as anybody who did any research would know. More importantly, the minions who carried out his horrific orders were predominantly Catholic/Christians also. Of course there are bad apples in every group but the atrocities of Pol Pot and Stalin don't hold a candle to those done in god's name throughout history. Have we forgotten the Crusades? The Inquisition? Witch trials? Ethnic cleansing in Sudan, Croatia, Iraq, Turkey?
Ok, I've said enough. As a proud member of the one of last groups who it is socially acceptable and legal to discriminate against, I feel a responsibility to speak out against slanderous disinformation like this. The saddest thing is there are hoards of people reading Shafran's words and nodding their heads in agreement. Pity the poor fools who have not the intellect to see through the lies. Pity the poor atheist who suffers at the hands of the mislead.

Vegas Update

Actually, this only applies to Aaron and Niki. However if you are so interested in our lives you can read on. When I got home I had an even better offer from the Flamingo. Friday the 28th is free and Sat the 29th is $97.00. However I am only able to book one room under that offer, which I did. So if you guys don't mind sharing a room it will be about $50 bucks for 2 nights after tax and tip.

OILERS 4 the CUP!

Niki,

I couldnt reply to yours for some reason since it appeared as a "draft", so I started my own thread!!

OILERS FOR THE CUP! I can't wait!!

Whoo Hoo!! Yup, Im ecstatic. Been a hockey fan since I was about 5 years old:)!

Congrats..You won $7,500

So in the mail yesterday I received a "scratcher" card from an auto dealership. You have to get 3 cherries to win, so I scratched it off and lo and behold I got 3 cherries. Of course everyone wins because they want you to come down to the dealership and claim your prize, which could be anything from a keychain to $7,500, but you have to go to the dealership to find out what you won. So before throwing the card away I decided to read the fine print. If you win the $7,500 it will be paid to you over the next 48 months at $156.25 a month. What the hell is that? They are going to stretch paying you $7,500 over the next 4 years? What if I want the lump sum? Are they going to take out the whopping interest they would make on that money? This is why I hate people.

M.O.A.T. Caption Contest #2

Everybody here should be familiar with the story behind this photo. Make up a completely unique caption or base it on the events as they played out.

My memory may be a bit fuzzy since it has been a few days but here is the conversation as I remember it:

Mark - "Sir, we were told we would be taken directly to Mandalay Bay."
Inbred Wino - "If'n I hed more'n three teeth I'd bite yer gizzard off you varmint!"
Mark - "Sir, I demand satisfaction. Pistols at dawn?"
Inbred Wino - "I think I pooped myself."
Mark - "Umm... nevermind."

What happens in Vegas....

So who here, other than myself, is ready for another Vegas trip? I'm thinking the last weekend in July?

Any minute now...

I'm just waiting for that comet to destroy the earth. Waiting. Waiting. Dammit... where is that comet??!? I'm wondering why I bothered coming to work today. Sadly, I forgot my towel today. And on Towel Day of all days. Don't panic!

The Greatest Web Page of All Time!

The Complete Calvin & Hobbes! Check it out before it is taken down for copyright violation.

Sick

Rina and I have been sick since we got home from Vegas. We are both feeling better now, but havent kept up with the blog. I havent updated my journal yet. I am seriously considering my own blog as a replacement for the journal. Aaron, right now your blog is set up so that anyone can view it, but only the members can respond. Do you know if I can make a blog in which only the members can read & respond?

I'm thinking of a word......

OK, so there is a medical condition where the person with this condition only requires 1 or 2 hours of sleep a night. They have no ill effects and are perfectly rested and can function for the next 23 hours without any requirement for sleep. In the case I remember seeing on TV, this one guy only needed 45 minutes of sleep a night. Now what I need to know is the medical term for this condition. I have searched Google, Ask.com, WebMd, and a whole bunch of other sites and cannot find anything. Maybe someone could help me out, someone who might know how to search for something like this more efficiently? I'm talking to you Aaron. If you can find the term for this I would greatly appreciate it.

More insanity from the peanut gallery

Jerry Falwell has joined the ranks of people calling the DaVinci Code heresy. In regards to the book/movie's implication that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and fathered a child, Falwell says

When you question the integrity and morality of Christ, you take it a level beyond questioning his deity.

Since when is getting married or fathering a child detrimental to ones integrity or morality?!? Give me a break.
This is all really beside the point. I've got news for all those who call this movie a threat to their religion... "IT'S A FREAKING FICTITIOUS MOVIE!!!!" Get over it.
I just realized how much I want to see this movie. Anything I can do to enflaminate the Falwells (and other fundies) of the world is time well spent. Also, the more money it makes, the more we will see others like it in the future. Maybe pissing off christians will become big business! Follow your dreams.. they can come true. Beefcake!

Is it nap time yet?

I've got a severe case of VFS (Vegas Fatigue Syndrome).
After parting ways with Gary and Rina at Hooters, Niki and I played a bit longer and then decided to get some dinner. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to get the prime rib special at Terrible's (highly recommended).
Then we stopped at the Hard Rock just cuz we've never been there and it was a block away. I wasn't overly impressed with the casino but the memorabilia was kinda cool. They had vintage Beetles stuff, an outfit worn by Steven Tyler, chaps and a miniscule piece of cloth that made up Christina Aguillera's outfit, and an odd golden suit covered in large glowing light bulbs worn by somebody from Monster Magnet. The high point for me had to be the MC Hammer action figure.
Anyway, we didn't end up leaving town until about 10:30! Why do we do this to ourselves, you might ask? Because we are stupid.

Repent, for the End is nigh!

Don't bother with your household chores this week. Doomsday is Thursday. Too bad really... I was so looking forward to seeing X-Men 3.

Roasted Duck..

Just wanted to say I'm so happy the Oilers are going to the Western Conference Finals...and again the Mighty Ducks! Game 1 is Friday night at 6 pm..haha. :)

First it was BBQ'd Wings, then it was Fried Shark, up next...Roasted Duck. Yumm!

Proud to be an Oilers fan:)

And to all the people that predicted Sharks over Oilers...HAH!

Remember what happened to Jaws?

Rina's comment on Gary's journal reminded me of something I wanted to talk about... Sharks fans booing the Canadian national anthem. I'm disgusted by this behavior. It only reinforces to the rest of the world what they already believe - Americans have no class and no respect.
Don't bother telling me about something another country's fans did so we don't seem so bad. It's irrelevant. We are supposed to be better than that. We are supposed to lead by example. We are supposed to be the good guys, right?
I hope the Oilers school the Sharks in game six and teach the fans a lesson in humility. I might just sing "Oh, Canada...."

What are your favorite movies?

Since we did a Top 5 Novels list, it naturally follows that we should make a Top 5 Movies list. So what are they? (it's ok to count trilogies together) I couldn't narrow it down to 5 so include however many you like. Here are mine in no particular order:
-Braveheart
-Gladiator
-The Usual Suspects
-Lord of the Rings (all 3)
-Star Wars (episodes 3-6 only!)
-The Shawshank Redemption
-Equilibrium
-Saving Private Ryan
-Monty Python and the Holy Grail
-Reservoir Dogs

Will there be chest hair?

I just heard that there is a Knight Rider movie in the works. Scary. I am as excited as the next guy but it has so much potential to suck. Let's hope they do it justice.
Speaking of unsightly body hair, check this out.

Today SUCKS!

Today royally sucks ass. I was laid off today without notice. Now I have to find another job that lets me do whatever I want all day long. I couldn't go a day without goofing off. It didn't really surprise me. Business has been awful, but it still sucks. I don't make a lot of money, but it was enough.

I bit my cheek

and it really hurts!

My Day at the Ducks Game, by Dan Brown.

Hey, I have to share something with
everyone to relieve my frustration after attending
game 2 between the Ducks and the Avalanche. Plus after going to the
pond I feel the need to associate myself with some real hockey fans again.

So I went to the pond for game 2 because
it was Sunday at noon, we had nothing to do, and I wanted to help them
actually sell out. It was a play-off game and I was not going to
root for anyone, I just wanted to go to enjoy a game as a hockey fan.
Well that was a mistake, I found myself
pulling for the Avalanche the whole time because everyone single duck fan
there sucked big time.

Never have I seen so many unknowledgeable
fans gathered in one place at one time. At least 85% of the building
had NO IDEA what was happening.

Please allow me to state the following
examples:

Near the end of the game, about the
15 minute mark, there were roughing penalties handed out. So the
ref points to Lappy and points over to the box, then he points to the Ducks
player and points over to the box. OK, everything is fine. They
just happen to skate Lappy over there first and everyone stands up and
starts yelling and going crazy. So I am thinking to myself I have
never seen anyone get so excited over coincidental minors. Then they skate
the Ducks players over there and people start booing. It was clear that
coincidental minors were handed out and it was the correct call. So
they start chanting Fraiser sucks, which he does, however he wasn't even
the official that handed out the calls.

Further more I saw the following sign:

No Se, Jose

ok, BUT they also played the Mexican
Hat dance at one point after he let in a goal. Would someone please
explain to anyone that his name is not pronounced Jose, and that he is
Canadian, NOT mexican. That really bothered me.

Oh and the Harvard genius behind me
decided to yell out to Bryzgalov that he hopes the gets the shut-out about
5 minutes into the 3rd period. I guess he was too mentally retarded
to actually provide a curse.

I am actually thinking about writing
the Avalanche and demanding my money back since they didn't even bother
to show up for the game.

Note for Aaron: They ripped off Pennywise and now play Bro Hymn after every Ducks goal.

The Joys of Higher Education

Check out this hilarious research paper by a physics undergrad. I don't know if everybody will think it's as funny as I do but I had to share.

Mission Impossible 3 Review

Niki and I went to see MI3 last night. It was good if you want to see an action movie but the MI franchise no longer has what set it apart from all the others. Mission Impossible used to be very cerebral and full of cool gadgets and complex stings. The first movie followed in the footsteps of the TV series. Now, sadly, it's just another action movie but this one didn't bear the mark of John Woo like MI2. I have just about lost interest in all things MI.
One more gripe. **semi plot spoiler ahead** IMF seems to have major staffing problems and poor internal security. Just like the other 2 movies, this one has an agent gone bad. When are they gonna get some employees they can rely on?!?! You'd think an organization like that would be a little more selective! It's getting a little old and they really need to get some new material.

Aaron and Niki in the house... no really

We ordered our house on Saturday. Unless the financing falls through, it's ours. I'm excited but very stressed. Everything seems to be going very well but there are so many things that COULD go wrong. It seems like the hardest part will be figuring out when to move. Our house should be ready by the end of September but Niki has to start school over there and has to get a job lined up and I have to transfer or find another job. And who knows when our current house will sell. Getting all the dates to converge will take a miracle.
And now for something completely different. Has anybody listened to the new Tool CD 10,000 Days? I just listened to a little of it for the first time on the way to work this morning. I think this is another one that has to be listened to at least 10 times like Gary said about Mindcrime 2. After all, I had to listen to Ænema quite a few times before I realized it was one of the best albums ever. 10,000 Days sounds more like Ænema than Lateralus did but is still a departure from their old style. The music has reverted a bit (not as Pink Floydy) but Maynard is still using the whispery subdued voice. I just want to poke him with a sharp stick so he will scream a bit.

Top 5 Novels

Ok people, time to think a little. What are your 5 favorite novels of all time? Take all weekend to think about it if you need to. Here's mine:
1-"Frankenstein", Mary Shelley
2-"Of Mice and Men", John Steinbeck
3-"The Agony and the Ecstasy", Irving Stone
4-"Stanger in a Strange Land", Robert Heinlein
5-"At the Mountains of Madness", H.P. Lovecraft

Some books I would like to read but haven't gotten to:
"Ulysses", James Joyce
"Brave New World", Aldous Huxley
"Gravity's Rainbow", Thomas Pynchon
"The Catcher in the Rye", J.D. Salinger
"Farenheit 451", Ray Bradbury

PS - If any of you haven't read enough books to come up with 5 best... you have my pitty.
PPS - Dan... if you list 5 King books, I'll hurt you.

Housing Saga Update

To my amazement, with clentched fist raised in defiance of the odds, I just got prequalified to buy the house! I have to give mad props to Tim at CTX Mortgage. He had his work cut out for him but he pulled through.
Now we have to go to Vegas this weekend and write a contract for the house and lock in the upgrades. Unfortunately, this weekend is Cinco de Mayo weekend and Vegas is hosting the De la Hoya fight. Combined, these factors have driven room rates unaffordably high so we cant stay there. We will either do a turn around trip tomorrow or stay in Laughlin but sleeping in Vegas is out of the question. Maybe we can sneek into one of the model homes and sleep there.

It's Science Friday! YAY!!!

One of my favorite things to read on the internet is the weekly Science Friday posts on Unscrewing the Inscrutable. If you have any interest in science or just want to find out a little about how our universe works, check it out. It never fails to be fascinating (to me anyway) and they are kind enough to keep it simple for us laymen. Check it out!
BTW, some may not appreciate the political views expressed on the rest of the blog but Science Friday is generally free from editorial remarks.

The 5th of May

So my company decides to have their Cindo De Mayo party on Wednesday the 10th. I'm just thinking everyone here is real bad at Spanish. They must have planned this on May 1st when none of the "Mexicans" were here, they were off protesting working and learning.
I would like to take this moment to congratulate myself on my first post.

My new hero...

is Stephen Colbert. I have always liked his show (The Colbert Report on Comedy Central) but his roast of Bush at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner was brilliant. Even if you don't agree with what he said, you have to admit it took big balls of steel to say it to that crowd and several feet from Bush. The man is fearless. The tension in the room is palpable after the first few jokes. If you didn't see it, check out the video clips here.

Atheist Test

This was interesting. Take the test (even if you aren't an atheist) and post your results. Dont use the HTML code they provide for posting your results in blogs. I had to edit mine a bit to make it work. Here's mine:

The Ardent Atheist
The results are in, and it appears that you have scored 76%...

You are an atheist, pure and simple. You think God is just one big lie, and consider religious people to be both annoying and beneath you. Ardent atheists will argue tooth and claw for their position, and have no truck with people that won't listen. You think being an atheist is the only way to lead an honest life, and see no reason to accept the pleas of faith. Ardent atheists are the backbone of atheism. Be proud.

Why I haven't slept much lately...

This business of moving out of state and buying a house is stressful. It consumes my thoughts all day and night and, if I had any hair, I'd be pulling it out right now. So many decisions... corian or laminate, tile or carpet, pony wall or banister, loft or bedroom, colors, materials, textures, ad nauseum. All with an associated price tag of course.
Then there's the mortgage. There are so many pitfalls and catch-22s involved with getting a mortgage! To have a house ready by the time my current residence sells, I need to put together a contract now. To put together a contract to have a house built to your specs you have to get prequalified. The prequalification needs to cover the entire sale price of the house even though I will be putting 40% down. To get prequalified for that much, unless you have a very high income, you need to have very little debt. I can't pay off debt until the house is sold..... Do you see the circle here? Aaarrrgghhh!
I'm about ready to just find myself a Uni-bomber shack in the woods somewhere and herd goats. Think I can get one with corian counters?

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Well you folks did a piss poor job of keeping M.O.A.T. alive while we were gone! Now that I'm back, I will rev the engines a little.
Niki and I had a great time in Vegas. I don't want to talk about the gambling but we did find a house! 1,500 sq ft, 3 bdrm, 2.5 bath, on a nice lot by new Vegas standards, in North Las Vegas. It comes pretty loaded with features like Energy Star certification and low-e windows (makes a huge difference in cooling bills in summer). The price $290k with all the bells and whistles. That sounds like so little now but I wince when I remember my parents paying that for a 2,800 sq. ft. home in Villa Park just a few years ago. If all goes well, we will be moving in September. If you are curious, check it out here http://www.centexhomes.com/Las-Vegas/359975_Plan.html
I was disappointed to see that Vegas is following OCs lead and making lot sizes very small now. This development had the largest standard lot sizes by far of all the areas we looked at. For those who haven't been past the strip, North Las Vegas is a very nice area that is growing like crazy. The whole area is covered in new homes, schools, and shopping centers. Maps are very difficult to follow because half the roads are still being put in.
Anyway, the fun is over and I'm back at work now. Time to start counting the days until my next vacation.