W_L

Drool over the programming and math books

My eyes are opening at $10 mimosas If I am not drowned by work, I'll take some time off for a visit and a few drinks. Bring some east coast love for you west coast boys.

K, but you better pack some puppy snacks for this blog entry experiment

Happy Birthday Wayne/Charlie Brown I'll do a Snoopy Dance for you!

Well, as I said, I went to West Palm Beach over the week. The trip was a business oriented session that was both fun and interesting. I've usually been able to control my drinking to prevent myself from going into la-la land, but I did not during the staff Christmas party down there. Two coke and rums, plus 3 glasses of Chardonnay in two hours, I had my very first black out in years. I don't know if everyone experiences the same things during a black out, but mine was very odd and sort of introspective. People were having conversations all throughout the room and it began turning dark all of a sudden. At first, the conversations began to soften and my head felt like a rush of blood had entered it. Then everything became black for what felt like several seconds. I saw a few traces of lights and a strong intensity of muffled sounds. Part of me felt some fear, but on another level, I felt relief like all the strains on my life had passed. Then, I began to see the light of the room again and hear the voices of everyone in the room. The tightness around my head dissapated and all was normal. Despite the seeming calmness of my body, I opted to head back to my hotel room for a night of rest. In my dreams, I had experienced something of a happiness, far more than I have ever sensed in my life. I was walking down my familiar neighborhood and a scrawny looking guy began a conversation with me. For some reason, I felt completely at eased with him and felt contentment. He was nerdy and probably would not win any GayVn awards for appearance, but I felt an absolute peace being around him. Then, I woke up, but did not wish to actually leave that peaceful dreamlike world. The rest of the week seemed routine to me like everything was just perfectly pitched. I did my job, checked numbers, and worked around different systems for the insurance adjusters that my new firm works with. So that's my week in a nutshell, I don't know if it was an alcohol fueled dream of heaven or my subconscious finding contentment in my new job and role or even my innate prophetic talents. I don't know, but something feels different in my life and my heart is changing. _______________ Now for some recent history, the soapbox is closing and I feel happy. I might be one of the biggest posters in that area of the forum in recent years and have outlived many members who have debated in there, but I have been the first guys hoping to see it gone. You need a thick skin, a lion's heart, and an indominable will even to survive in that place during the last two election cycles. American politics and events have dominated the area, with a handful of European observations. I enjoy European affairs like the Catalonia secession movement, the French/German systems of economics, and the fun UK news items. Some topics were poignant and ahead of their time as I warned people like the growing fissures in the Republican party, between the alliances of conservatives. Among my own political spectrum, I have warned and counseled that we are seeing a realignment coming with the differences between populist politics and old platform politics. Some times, I feel like Cassandra warning about the Greeks bearing gifts and trojan Hubris in our own illusory triumphs. Optimism sounds great, but Pessimism is functionally better. Republicans are far too optimistic and full of our own pride from the years of power, we have not prepared well for bad news or times. Pessimism should go hand in hand with Conservatives, but there are fewer cynics in our ranks like me. Politics is in my blood and that won't change even without a Soapbox.

Probably number 1, I am not brave enough to do number 3 and number 4 seems too draconian. Number 2 assumes that they were both guys and I was a voyeur I am not, but if I wanted to hear sex I'd watch gay porn. What type of punishment are there for guys having sex in restrooms in the UK?

Nothing to see here folks: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/mars-rover-discovery-revealed/ My heart was set for a real historical discovery, but nothing appeared sadly. Why does Science have to be such a big tease?

So they are not an endangered species But my supply of hostess goods just fell in value, damn it! I was hoping to sell those twinkies for $1k each after the first wave of ebay guys get people hooked.

Happy Birthday Enjoy the Night

hmm...It might be fun and sexy to have a guy covered in bacon shaving cream , it brings new meaning to breakfast in bed Of course I'll cover him in Canadian maple syrup just to make it perfect...

Happy Birthday Andy, have a good one, Ill be wearing my wool sweater with pride

Well, if it gets me closer to your level

Alright let me just explain this without political correctness; I was working a little late the other night and the janitors came in. I wanted to say hello and introduce myself, with the new job and all. One of the guys caught my eye though. He was probably late twenties or early thirties, had black hair, small tight build almost zero muscle mass, and had a very thick spanish accent. He wore an erring on his right ear, which I hoped means he's my kind of guy and not just in it for a fashion statement. My mind began to wander into the erotic fantasies of ripping this guy's blue shirt off and taking him on my desk. I realized I was fantasizing and quickly thought of the most unsexy thing in my mind, a picture of a pregnant Brittney spears, to control my hormones. After the greetings, I just gathered my things and left. No more small talk. Maybe I am too shy and stuff, but I just didn't feel comfortable after fantasizing to stay around.

There's something about this of year, when people and things just make you happier and feel good about life. The Holiday period is fun and exciting, people have hopes for the future. I don't know whether it's the colorful displays of lights, faux green wreaths with red bows, or the shoppers that pack the buses at night, but the mood is different. For a few moments, you can almost forget that the world is hanging by a thread, civilization is putting itself in debt and its future generations. It doesn't matter anymore, for one moment in time, the world around you has contentment. I had a strange thought today: What if the world could be perpetually running on a Holiday mood, not just one portion of the population? Imagine it, high consumption, high demand for goods, high needs for employees at both factories and shops, and charitable giving just for the heck of it without an after-thought. With all that stuff, there's hope in the world. There's a feeling that things might get better next year despite what is happening now. People have pondered for Christmas everyday, which is usually cited as a bad thing or a joke, but I don't know if anyone has ever pondered what if everyday could be like the Holidays right now.

I'll have to be "Classic Cynical James" on this and say give it a few months before they fuck those shows over. ABC fucked over Jericho for far less reasons. NBC threw the kitchen sink at "Heroes" with reset after reset button and drowned "Surface" for nothing. I'll wait before singing their praises.

Ask him how many babies he had to kill for the Yarn?

Finally woke up from the power nap from 8 AM to 6 PM today. Like millions of other insane, Carnivorous, and Consumerists Americans, I was up from midnight to 6 AM at the malls shopping 'til my feet went limp. This is the first year in my memory that Black Friday has forced open the malls from Midnight forward, which is a welcomed relief as the food court and coffee stands were open (Plus Teavana for those that want hot caffeine concentration in a more flavorful cup). My sister and I did not expect the crowds that we saw last night. Thousands upon thousands of cars were in the massive parking lot of South Shore Plaza's mall with no parking anywhere in sight. There was a mad rush for parking spot and beeping horns with expletives about the other person's sexual habits When we got in, we started off at Macy's, then proceeded to Express, Banana Republic, Forever 21, Brookstone (I needed the massage from shopping with her and those things are awesome), Lord & Taylor, and Target. A&F and Hollister had sales, but the lines were massive. Sales were decent, but I suspect that my bank account is going to see a large drop in its total balance soon. If this midnight shopping mob was any indication, Americans are in a mood to buy again, bringing their kids and babies along (Seriously, there were many kids crying to their parents that they were tired of shopping, but the mothers and fathers pushed them forward. Seems kind of like child abuse to me.) Black Friday is a day of massive consumption, it's a celebration exalting the modern American's desires: New electronics, New fashions, and New toys (for kids and adults). Who can deny the call of a 60-75% clearance sale with an extra 20% off from Black Friday? Anyone else wants to share their Black Friday Travels.

Water would be a great find and it would give us hope for Terraforming Mars. Same is true for methane. Organic molecules or even RNA would be a really interesting issue. There is a scientific theory out there that the earliest life on earth began as RNA sequences before DNA. Finding active RNA on Mars would be astounding and if that RNA is active, we may even be dealing with martian viruses, which are somewhere between complex molecules and life forms.

Maybe its like private Romeo, same lines as the book.

For us nerds and science lovers, there is a big tease about Mars right now and I have fingers cross. I know the greatest hope of martian exploration would be discovering life. I hope we do and maybe gain some perspective on human life and the universe. However, other discoveries like an actual underground ocean would be great for human colonization later. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49904984/ns/technology_and_science-space/ Any thought?

Please just come out of the closet now biebs and end this madness

I knew they would eventually do it one day, there's been a variation on "A Christmas Carol" for everyone, except the gay community. On a personal note, I always spend at least one weekend re-reading A Christmas Carol right before Christmas every year. It keeps me centered. It's beyond politics and beyond social conventions: I've seen at least one conservative version of "A Christmas Carol" called "An American Carol" with the holiday being Independence Day instead of Christmas, 2 African American versions, at least half a dozen cartoon versions, plus the classic 1984 version with George C. Scott. It is one of the most immortal Christmas story, second only to the Biblical text of Jesus' birth, but contextualized with human themes that still hold true today as it did in the 19th century. Now get ready for the gayest version: PS as a plug, read Bill_W's version of "A Christmas Carol" if he still has it on the site

Now back to reality and normalcy, I might be a trekkie, but I am a realist stuck in a world that needs answers. My last day is this Wednesday at my current firm. The staff are throwing me a farewell potluck on Tuesday. It feels strange that I will be saying goodbye to them all after so many years, but that's life isn't it. As my prior status indicated my new job has already booked me on a flight to Palm Beach Florida from 12/3 to 7. I know what this means for my future traveling plans, but I do love the idea of travel and going around the country to do numbers. I mean it's what everyone does at one point or another. Part of me though feels sad and even lonely. I know boo-whoo, you have a job that is paying for you to travel to a tropical climate, while everyone else is freezing their ass off or some other guys are still without power from Sandy or are on the unemployment rolls. I know my issue is small in comparison to the problems of the world and I don't kid myself or anyone about where I stand. However, part of me feels scared that I will no longer have an anchor to anything or anyone. I am afraid that on my long journeys, I may never find that special guy of my dreams that I have always wanted. Is that a real fear of being better off in your career that you can't find anyone? To be honest, if I could trade all the money in the world for a desk job with moderate income and a guy at my side, making my lonely existence matter just a little bit, I would do it in a heart beat. It's not to say I don't like this job, nor what the opportunities are out there. Hell, I think this will be great for my future. I just wish I had a reason.

I started getting into daria around '99, it was my first MTV show You guys were older than me, when it came out, so you got to enjoy the anti-establishment wall flower feel earlier. Come to think of it, when was the last time MTV actually showed music after 90's? My first music video was Christina Aguilera single, Genie in a bottle that's how I remember my first trip to MTV. Number 36: What happened to MTV having music videos?

Give it a few decades, it might become retro and turn into a fashion statement Since we are all in the 90's, what Power Rangers' series were you following and buying toys for as a kid? I was a classic Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger fan up to Galaxy, then stopped. My stuff is in boxes somewhere and probably worth something to a collector, but I don't think anyone remembers the old toys, costumes, and transformable toys from bandai.