In Memory

This was the second time I came home from school, and it still upset me when my dog didn't greet me at the door. See, this past August, the Saturday I was packing to leave for school, my dog, Arrow, passed away. He was at least 10 years old, with his black fur turning gray as he aged. Although he was arthritic and had a limp (a result of fighting a car and losing) he always greeted me at the door when I came home. He seemed to love to lay around outside saving his energy for when he saw someone drive up the driveway. Then he would use all his energy to greet the person, but it was never enough just to walk up to them, he would always have to run up to them and start licking them, whimpering at them to pet him. And that is what he did whenever I showed up at the house, no matter how late it was when I pulled up he would jump up and be the first to greet me. But not anymore. No matter how many times I yelled at him to shut up when I walked in the door, the first time I didn't see or hear him it hurt. He was always there to meet me at the door, always, but not this time. Coming home for the holidays to see the family, and the family dog wasn't there. When I walked into the door I was looking for Arrow to pet, but alas, he wasn't there. The night he died I went to the old farm and dug a grave for him. With help from my grandmother I dug his grave under the trees behind the baseball field. No matter how long we played sports on that field, he would lie under the tree and wait for us to be finished, so it was only right that we should bury him there. It would have been great to bury him next to our other dog, Beau, but without the property rights we couldn't bury him there, so this was the next best place, a place he enjoyed when he was alive. It's gonna be awhile before I won't expect a greeting when I walk in the door.

Listen to this

I can't get this song out of my head. There is something about the bunny and the song that really gets to me. Just have a look and a listen....

Everyone Has Had More Sex Than Me

And we're off

Last day of classes for the fall '04 semester, and I found out I don't have to take a final, woohoo! That means I have Thursday free and I can study for my Art exam. Or I can pack, haven't decided yet. But classes are over, 21 pages of papers to write in the first two days of exams, then two tests and I am done. All in all, I'm having fun as a History major. Hopefully that will continue. Speaking of which, I have to turn in my 'change major' form...

PBS is good for something

Another aspect of my political agenda. More and more I am seeing how big business has hurt the working class. Watched the PBS documentary on how companies that created a chemical for PVC pipes knew the chemical was dangorous even at small doses (50 ppm) yet were still making their workers in areas where the chemical concentration might be company sanctioned at 500 ppm, or unofficially at 1500 ppm according to the workers. The officials knew this, and they did nothing about it except make sure the news never left the company headquarters. Even when workers were getting brain tumors or cancer or when bones were deteriating so much they could not be seen on x-rays, even then the companies did nothing about it. And they didn't want to tell the workers there may be a problem because it would have been cheaper to settle out of court than to fix the workplace. Sort of like in Fight Club where Edward Norton's character is talking to the woman on the plane:
"Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one."
So the companies didn't tell the workers, and they created a phony experiment to make their case that these chemicals were not deadly to the workers. Even in the face of multiple Italian studies showing otherwise. So the companies bottom lines were more important than the health of the workers. And that disregard for the worker just burns my flapjacks. So when I get into office (which one I don't know, but hopefully governor of a state) I am going to make sure the worker is looked after. Companies won't get subsidies, they will have to deal with OSHA and with me. I will personally go after any company that purposly puts workers in harms way. That will be the basis of my political agenda. In case you care.

That's gonne be next year?

Volleyball players, look out. I am the captain next year for the team (barring some unforseen injury) and I just realized, I'm not gonna be that good of a captain. I don't talk to anyone on the court when I play. I am in my own little world, and well, that isn't good if I am supposed to be letting people know where they are on the court and what not. I had my first chance at captain yesterday, and I wanted to kill the people on my team. Granted they were most of the kids that should be cut, if we had cuts, and that was probably the most playing time they will ever get in the season, but still, that isn't the point. The point is I am not a good leader if I want to kill the people on my team. Now I know why the current captain hates almost everybody on the team. Ah, what I get to look forward to next year.

It's about time.

It happened today, the first time ever in my history at LVC. I got so fed up with what they were calling food at the cafeteria today that Jeff and I actually left lunch with food still on our plates and went to Taco Bell. I never before had been so thoroughly disapointed with the food they served at this school as to actually leave the cafeteria and go to another food service institution. But it happened today. And just to show you how bad that food was, I have never, ever done it after eating a weekend meal, and weekend meals are the worst. No question about that, they are the worst meals ever served on campus, but they do not compare to what was served Friday for lunch. I think I have found a new low.

Wha?

Forget about the aligations against Jason Giambi of the NY Yankees for just a second. Forget about what it means for baseball and his career. Forget about what he might say to cover it up. Forget all that and read this quote from earlier in the year, not for what he said about steriods, but for the content.

"It's part of, you know, what I have to do. You know, I'm not looking at it as a big deal, I just went in, and told them what I knew, and you know, go on from there."

"Yeah, I haven't, you know, done anything," Giambi said. "I've worked my butt off, you know, that's the thing that ... I know everybody's seen me, you know, especially from the reporters, everybody else ... I get in the weight room, I work my butt off and, you know, go from there now."

What the hell. 'The Boss' has an appearance rule, what about a speaking rule? Shouldn't they use proper language if they are supposed to look like gentlemen? I think a little part of my brain exploded when I read that.

Career Aspirations

Yes, I know I haven't spent a full semester as a History major yet, but I think I know what I want to do when I grow up. After reading books like Who Built America, A People's History of the United States, The Working Poor and Rereading America, I think I have it decided. I am joining politics. I know, wierd. I really haven't had that big of an interest in politics, but I know when I don't like something. And after reading these books (ok, mostly reading them, I haven't read all of each one, but I have at least read parts of them all) it makes it seem as who is to blame for America's problems. The rich people. The oil tycoon, the banker, the factory owner. All of these are the reasons for what keeps the majority of the population down. Alright, we'll forget the fact they have done a lot for America's economy, they are the reasons for what we have that makes us the world's only superpower (so far). But still, they hamper the ability of the worker to prosper. They are the reason the minimum wage is so low, they are the reason many Americans are poor, and a reason why many more are in debt. So I have decided to join politics. I think I'll start small and start in my home county, or some other home county, and see how far things take me. I know I am registered as a Republican, but I don't want to run under the Republican party, I don't want to be stuck in the same rut previous Republicans have created. I don't know what politcal party to run under, but I might start my own. I read about the Populus Party and the Worker's Party, but if I don't like their ideals I'll create my own. Don't know what name I'll come up with, but I do know what my platform will be. A nice red-cherry wood. But for my constituents, I'll run for worker's rights. I'll fight for the low wage worker and his family, I'll increase the minimum wage, I'll increase funds for the arts, any arts, not just the "sweet and nice" art. I'll pull all foriegn aid, even the secret foriegn military aid Americans would never know about. With the extra money I'll increase education spending. I'll decrease the amount of immigrants allowed in from other countries, unless they are fleeing genocide in their home country. I'll give tax-breaks to those companies that relocate or keep workers in America and raise tariffs on any products whose company decided to ship work out to another country instead of keeping jobs in America. I'll increase funding for a interstate train system that works. Airlines will face a massive overhaul. Alternate forms of fuel will be found; nuclear power will be given a priority for America's newest power plants. Those are some of my ideas for right now, not all of them, but you get the idea. Vote for me for President when I run, I'll need the votes.

Was it back?

I didn't get to catch all of the Ravens-Pats game on Sunday. Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't feel like watching the rest of it. It was depressing. They stunk without Jamal Lewis, and Kyle Boller couldn't hit his passes. Speaking of Kyle Boller, did anyone see his face this past week. I know I wrote about it before, where he looked like he kinda-sorta belonged as a QB, but that was when he was leading the Ravens past the Cowboys. What about last week? Was the 'Freshman-in-a-class-with-seniors' look back? I want to assume it was, but I didn't get any looks at it. Maybe the TV cameras were staying away for a reason. Anyway, I'm looking for someone that can describe his look.