The Ordinary American

The Ordinary American Shuts Down

2007-01-26T15:42:00.000-08:00

This will be my last post on this blog. Since I'm now an expectant father, I've concentrated on my fatherhood blog, which doesn't leave much time or energy for this one. I hope to develop some degree of readership over at this new blog, beyond the sporadic and accidental visits to this blog.

Perhaps someday I'll return to a format like this, but if you'd like to keep reading my work, head on over to Paternal Prose (http://www.paternalprose.com).

Impeachment

2007-01-13T05:47:00.000-08:00

I hear and see a lot more these days about the prospect of impeaching George W. Bush. At first, it just seemed like a concept that a few nuts on the far left were pushing. I decided to take a closer look at the impeachment process.

Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution states the following:

"The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

I don't think the President has committed treason or bribery. He may, however, be guilty of "high crimes and misdemeanors", mainly because those terms leave much room for interpretation. This interpretation is left to the House of Representatives, and the Senate¹. Of course, a Republican's and a Democrat's interpretation of a high crime or misdemeanor may vary.

There are accusations that the president lied and fabricated intelligence to justify the cause for the Iraq war. If either or both of those accusations are true, I would argue for impeachment, and ultimately, removal from office. As a citizen without intimate knowledge of how the Bush Administration arrived at the conclusion that invading Iraq was necessary, I can only make the following observations:

George Bush and other officials told us on a number of occasions that Iraq posed a grave threat to us, and was planning to acquire, or had already acquired WMD's. We have not uncovered any of these weapons to date. The inability to locate these weapons suggests a lie, or incompetence.²
Saddam Hussein had a weak military which was no match for our forces. I suspect he knew and learned this shortly after his invasion of Kuwait in 1990. I also believe that he knew it was not in his best interest to attack the U.S., if he wished to remain in power. This does not sound like a country that posed a grave threat to us.

If we discover that the president lied to us, I believe that impeachment is necessary. I don't like George W. Bush's policies, and I believe he has failed monumentally as a President, but I can't cry "Impeachment" until I see documented proof that he was untruthful with the citizens who elected him. I believe he may have lied, but I have nothing beyond hearsay to substantiate that belief.

¹ Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states the the House of Representatives has sole power of impeachment. Section 3 states that the Senate has sole power to try impeachments.

² If George Mason, one of the founding fathers present at the Constitutional convention in 1787 had gotten his way, incompetence may have ended up being grounds for impeachment. He suggested the term "maladministration" be added, as he felt the initial words "Treason" and "Bribery" were too limiting. Ultimately, "high crimes and misdemeanors" was chosen over "maladministration". You can read more about this here, under the Impeachable Offenses section.

New Year's Non-Resolutions

2007-01-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

I think New Year's resolutions are mostly a joke, and have become a way for businesses to make money off of people's admirable, yet destined for failure, attempts to make positive life changes.

With that in mind, I present to you my list of "Things I'd Like to See Happen for 2007 That May or May Not Come to Fruition":

Have a child. This goal is already 75% complete. Due in April!
Reacquaint myself with Buddhism, and begin meditating daily again.
Start taking the dog on daily hour-long walks.
Be able to squat 300 lbs. and bench press 200 lbs. by June 1st.
Double retirement savings by year's end.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Saddam No More

2006-12-30T18:04:00.000-08:00

Broad Sunlit Uplands summed up the current events in Iraq very nicely. He put into words much of what I've been thinking lately, and in the wake of the hanging, but did it much better than I could have. So, I offer you his words.

A Road Full of Assholes

2006-12-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

I used to drive fast and tailgate other motorists. It made me feel like a rebel to drive 75 mph in a 50 mph zone, and piss off the guy in front of me. When you're a twenty year-old shy college kid lacking confidence, you do what you can to bolster your self-image.

It's interesting how much my perception has changed nowadays. Ten years ago, I thought it was cool or rebellious to speed/tailgate. Now, I think that people who behave that way on the road are being assholes, just the same way people thought of me ten years ago as I sped by them.

My dream is to stop one of these people one day and ask them where they are going that's so damned important. And, maybe call them an asshole.

A Christmas Gourd

2006-12-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

My brother John, and his wife Aislynn, made this for us as a Christmas gift this year. It's obvious that they put a lot of thought and work into it, and the result is beautiful. They both have so much talent. We will be displaying it proudly in our home.

Some Progress

2006-12-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

Governor John Corzine (D-NJ) signed legislation today granting civil unions to same-sex couples.

The legislation is a nice step forward, and New Jersey now joins more progressive states such as Connecticut, Vermont, and Massachusetts, the only one in the group that allows same-sex marriage.

I'm not sure why it's so difficult for lawmakers and politicians to take that final step and allow marriage to gay couples. It can't be to keep one's constituency happy, because the bigots among that constituency are already going to be angered by civil unions. It must be some attempt to preserve the tradition of marriage, but I'm not sure what's left to preserve. Marriage is barely taken seriously in this country anymore, with divorce rates up over 40% in first-year marriages.

We're getting there slowly, and it's clear that minds are opening. It's very encouraging, but I am eager for the day when gay couples can proudly declare that they are married in the legal and figurative sense.

Spammers

2006-12-21T10:58:00.000-08:00

Today while looking through my spam folder, I came to a conclusion: those who engage in spamming tactics are devoid of morals, and interested in nothing more than personal gain. Of course I'm not the only one to arrive at this conclusion. There are plenty of us, but not enough.

The phrase "devoid of morals" is a little strong, but I believe it to be true. How can one justify forcing anything upon an unwilling victim, sometimes employing deceiptful tactics to do so, with the sole intent to make a profit? The answer is that spammers are inconsiderate, self-serving, and therefore, immoral.

A few days ago, someone attempted to post a comment on my other blog. The comment contained links to pornographic web sites. The content of the blog? Fatherhood. Wow! That's a serious lack of consideration and a shining example of putting one's own interests before those of others.

We'll never be able to stop spamming, no matter how many anti-spam checks we put in place. There will always be another hole for spammers to exploit, especially as web technologies continue to emerge and evolve. Assuming that one day we are able to stop spamming, those that would spam will simply find another way to achieve their goal.

Now comes the part where I ask a spammer to explain themselves. Of course that won't happen on this blog, but since I was fairly harsh in my criticism, I think it's only fair that a subject of the criticism be allowed to defend him or herself.

How do we win?

2006-12-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

George Bush today said that he is "inclined to believe that we do need to increase our troops..." to fight the war on terror. He also stated that we are in an ideological war that's going to persist for "a while". That is a true statement, if by "a while", Bush means "forever". I've had a problem with the war on terror since its inception in 2001. My gut feeling was -- and still is -- that you can't wage war on an ideology or a concept. We can stop one terrorist, of even one thousand of them, but there will always be another waiting to attack. Admittedly, I don't know how to end global terrorism, but I don't think that anyone does, including our politicians and military. I'm certain that throwing more troops at the problem, however, is not the solution. We have already lost almost 3,000 Americans in the war in Iraq, which is at least the number we lost in the 9/11 attacks.

People who are hell-bent on seeing the demise of the United States will not be deterred by sanctions, death, or any other consequence of which we're currently aware. It's unlikely, then, that throwing military might at the problem is going to be effective. Terrorists simply aren't afraid to die for their cause, and will gladly engage in battle to defend it.

Waging a war on terror to me seems as effective as employing the death penalty as a deterrent to murder. In fact, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the war on terror and -- more specifically -- the war in Iraq, have increased global terrorism. I don't have a solution for eradicating terrorism, but I don't think the Bush Administration does, either. I'm inclined to believe the solution isn't a military one. How many troops must we sacrifice before we declare ourselves victorious in the war on terror?

Ideas, anyone?

Checkless Checkout

2006-12-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

What ever happened to "Cash only please" at the express checkout lanes? I remember that some grocery stores used to ban checks explicitly from the express lanes. Say, H.E.B., can we bring that rule back?

Thanks!

An Observation

2006-12-13T10:59:00.000-08:00

Why is there always that one person in a group of two or more that sticks their tongue out when they are being photographed? Is it their way of saying "Hey, look at me, I'm zany and like to have a good time! You can tell because I'm sticking my tongue out"?

As I write this, there is a picture in our hallway of our friend Brian, Kandis, and me. My tongue is out on full display. Clearly, I felt the need to communicate by zaniness to the world that night, because the world just needed to know.

An Open-Ended Question

2006-12-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

Republicans like to lower taxes, and believe that the people, not the government, should decide what to do with their money. The majority of Republicans also support the Iraq war. By March 31, 2007, the estimated cost of the Iraq war will be $378 billion.

If you believe that this war is necessary, then how do you continue to support lowering the taxes that are needed to fund the war?

Change and Hope

2006-12-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

I was reading a speech by Barack Obama tonight. He talked about his plan for addressing the mess in Iraq. As I read, I became somewhat hopeful. It wasn't necessarily Senator Obama's plan, but his reminder that Americans seemed to vote for a change on November 7th. He also referenced a Pew survey that found 42% of Americans now believe we should stay out of other countries' affairs. This is a significant shift in thinking for America, and I'm hopeful that with some new leadership, we can regain some degree of respectability with the world. Ousting the current batch of Republicans in the mid-term elections was a great step towards that goal.

It's amazing how terrible of a mess we've created. In fact, it boggles the mind that a great country like this could botch something so horribly. Imagine how we must look through the eyes of other countries. In my own eyes, I see a rogue nation who acted on its own without regard to the rest of the world. What's to prevent a nation from attacking us on the grounds that we are a threat to civilization? I hope that this recent "awakening" by America will be that deterrent.

When you'd like your dog to be a pit bull

2006-12-10T17:56:00.000-08:00

I don't scare easily, and I'm not afraid of being mugged. Tonight, however, while walking with Millie, I went up to the local elementary school. There was a kid in his late teens hanging around on his bike. Since this isn't much of a story, let's spice it up a bit and refer to this person as a ruffian. I was letting Millie sniff around to process various scents, and the ruffian was riding around the parking lot on his bike. He stopped at one point and remained silent. At that point, I began to think the behavior was odd, but didn't worry. Eventually, he rode off and I made my way home for some delicious frozen egg rolls.

Our young tough wasn't gone, though. As I crossed one of the entrances to the school, there he was, sitting on his bike and scoping out the situation. I kept walking, but shot him a look as if to say "What the hell is wrong with you, dude?" For the remainder of the walk, I wondered how handy Millie would be if our ruffian friend had been more menacing and actually had malicious intentions. Millie's great, but she's a Labrador Retriever, so I'm not sure she'd be able to help me out of a threatening situation. I'd have better luck with the Tae Kwon Do that I haven't practiced in about fifteen years. Kiai!!!

Giant Killer Asteroids -- Coming Soon

2006-12-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

Today, I had the distinct pleasure of watching Naked Science, and learned all about killer asteroids. I took from this episode that we will find ourselves in the path of a deadly asteroid at some point, and that our scientists really don't know what to do about it.

One scientist showed us how we could put a giant magnifying glass in space, and harness the sun's power to incinerate and deflect the asteroid. To illustrate his idea, he used a magnifying glass to play the part of the giant magnifying glass, and a grapefruit to represent an asteroid. Ah, delicious grapefruits! Another scientist told us that we could send a spaceship equipped with a special claw which would grab the asteroid, and shift its course. That scientist made an important point about his idea -- it would take ten to fifteen years to develop, which means we're in trouble if an asteroid comes our way in the next few years. You can also forget about the Hollywood-inspired idea of using nuclear bombs to destroy an approaching asteroid. The nuclear power requirement to destroy an asteroid is too great, and even if we were able to shatter the asteroid, it would likely cause thousands of radioactive "asteroidlets" to shower us.

Another problem with the ideas presented by our scientist friends is that we will only know if their ideas are effective if they work as hoped when the time arrives. According to information presented in this episode, the government budgets four million dollars annually for research into these asteroids. That's not much money, so it doesn't seem we'll make any rapid progress in developing preventive technology.

I do appreciate the work that some of these scientists are doing to try to help. Their efforts are heroic, though underappreciated by the majority of the human race. Most of us would rather remain ignorant so as not to worry, but there are scientists who are facing this potential catastrophe daily in order to protect us.

It's not clear when an asteroid will hit us, but it's clear that it has occurred in the past, and that our orbit does put us in danger. One scientist put it in perspective by describing our orbit as a highway, and the paths of asteroids as small side streets that intersect with that highway. The intersections don't have traffic lights, and the asteroids don't look both ways before crossing the highway. We've been lucky in our lifetimes that we haven't been at one of those intersections at the same time as an asteroid. How much longer will luck be on our side?

Happy news with a dash of bigotry

2006-12-07T06:59:00.000-08:00

Happy news today from Mary Cheney and her partner, Heather Poe.

Of course, this news brings with it bigoted sentiments from the morality police:

"It's very disappointing that a celebrity couple like this would deliberately bring into the world a child that will never have a father." -- Janice Crouse, Concerned Women for America

"Just because you can conceive a child outside a one-woman, one-man marriage doesn't mean it's a good idea... Love can't replace a mother and a father." -- Carrie Gordon Earll, Focus on the Family

That's right -- the love a same-sex couple can offer can't replace a mother and father. Is this the same mother and father that are 40% likely to divorce if it's a first-time marriage?

At the office...

2006-12-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

Kandis and I just had a discussion about people at work who insist on using only the speaker phone when making a phone call to a colleague or client. These same people also tend to leave their office doors open while engaged in such a call, and are almost always the only person on their end of the line. What, then, do we make of a person who makes a call using speakerphone, and leaves their office door open so that other employees hear the contents of the call?

The initial response might be "An inconsiderate ass with a distorted sense of their importance". That might be correct in some -- or many -- instances, but I think there's more to it.

I used to use speakerphone when making calls. It made me feel important, and confident. Somehow, I felt like I had the upper hand in the conversation. Based on my limited observation, people like to feel to feel confident and important. What better way to say "Look at me! I'm self-assured, doing important things, and bossing people around", than by talking into a small device with little voices emanating from it, and broadcasting that conversation to the world?

Speakerphones are quite an odd way to go about achieving a feeling of self-importance, but considering we are a society that spends 40 or more hours per week in the office, our resources are limited. It's either the speakerphone, or abusing the cc: field when conducting business through e-mail. Take your pick.

From the U.S.P.S. with Love

2006-12-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Today, our mailman left a package on our doorstep that he couldn't fit in the mailbox. The package had a note on it that said "Empty mailbox daily!! -- U.S.P.S." We forgot to check the mail yesterday, so had two days worth of mail piled up. Here's another confession: it's not the first time we've done that. Yeah, we're pretty hard-core. We know it.

I'm thinking of leaving a note in our mailbox tomorrow that says "Get over it. We're human. -- Rob".

Trouble in Fiji

2006-12-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

Today, the country of Fiji -- and more specifically, the President -- is having one hell of a day.

We can often find things to whine about when it comes to matters of goverment and our country. Taxes, a crooked congressman here and there, war, poverty, earmarks -- you name it, and someone will find something they don't like. I'm glad that we have checks and balances in place that prevent a military general from overthrowing a President with whom he or she does not agree. Sure, the general could try, but I suspect he or she wouldn't get very far.

Be thankful that we live in a country where we don't have to worry about experiencing something frightening like what's happening in Fiji. Perhaps, though, I'm oblivious or naive and we do have something to fear.

Cindy Sheehan & The Freedom Fighters

2006-11-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

I'm a liberal, and have no problem with that label. I believe in paying taxes, and I think that politicians have an obligation to serve those who elect them. Part of that service includes using taxpayer money to help those who are less fortunate. I don't like thinking that my taxes are funding a war that is being waged in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That being said, we are at war. Our soldiers are heroic, and I have such high respect for these people who are willing to give their lives for our country. I often wonder what separates them from people like me who didn't have the bravery to join the military. The only conclusion that I can comes to mind is that I'm a coward, and they aren't. Whatever the case may be, I am grateful for their service, the service of those who preceded them, and the efforts of the soldiers who will proceed them.

Cindy Sheehan's labeling of insurgents in Iraq as "Freedom Fighters" disturbs me. I must look at our soldiers in this war as the good guys, and the insurgents as the bad guys¹. The term "Freedom Fighters" is far too noble a term to apply to insurgents who kill our soldiers and who perform beheadings. In fact, to apply such a term to insurgents is an insult to our troops.

To be fair to Cindy Sheehan, I don't know the pain of losing a child. I don't know what emotions must be stirring inside her that would drive her to pursue her anti-war crusade with such a vengeance. I do believe, however, that she was hijacked by left wing radicals who in turn used her as their mouthpiece. Her rhetoric is too rehearsed and peppered with clichés to be completely original. I find that unfortunate, and I find it abhorrent that anyone would use this woman's pain to advance their cause.

My thoughts and best wishes go out to our troops as this war continues, and I thank them all for their service.

¹This is admittedly an over-simplification on my part. Though both sides are passionately fighting for what are probably similar causes, that discussion is beyond the scope of this post. I will always side with our troops -- though not necessarily with the decision-makers who put them in peril -- before I will praise insurgents as freedom fighters.

* N.B. I'm a bit late in jumping on this, but I've been doing some reading lately, and felt compelled to write something.

So this is what they mean...

2006-11-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

They say that if you want the weather in Texas to change, just stick around for five minutes. Well, "they" are almost right. It was about 80 degrees and humid here yesterday, but when I woke up this morning, it was 35 degrees outside with a stiff north wind. Today's high temperature was somewhere in the mid-70's, which occurred in the early morning hours, shortly after midnight.

For me, this is great weather. I'm a yankee, and don't get nearly enough of the cold weather down here. The forecast calls for chilly weather through at least the middle of next week. Beautiful!

Millie the Explorer

2006-11-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend, we got a backpack for Millie. The Dog Whisperer -- a.k.a. Cesar Millan -- recommends using these packs to give your dog a more intense workout when taking them for a walk. I added two pounds worth of weight, and she did great. Her head was up, tail straight back, and she was prancing proudly on her walk this morning. She seemed very content to have a job. A few more walks like this, and she'll be in better shape than I am.

Morning Logic with Rob

2006-11-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Last night on the O’Reilly Factor, Bill O’Reilly aired a clip of an interview he conducted with Bill Maher. O’Reilly uttered something during that interview that I’ve heard numerous times over the years, repeated by a range of Republican politicians, and right-wing talking heads. The statement goes something like this: "We have not been attacked since September 11, 2001, so the Bush administration is doing a good job of keeping the country safe." In response to O’Reilly, Bill Maher described that statement is a logical fallacy.

There is a phrase in Latin that goes like this "cum hoc, ergo propter hoc" and means “with this, therefore because of this”. In other words, if x and y are occurring simultaneously, x must be the cause of y. Let’s take a more practical example, with some imagery to make things interesting. Right now, I’m looking out my window and observing the following:

"There is a breeze and children are playing. Therefore, the breeze causes children to play."

Sounds a little silly, doesn’t it? The children may have been lured outside to play because of the breeze, but their parents may have sent them outside, or they may have a new toy they want to try out. Now, let’s take our statement about the Bush Administration and reword it (note the meaning does not change):

"The Bush Administration is taking anti-terrorism measures, and we have not been attacked since 9/11, so these measures must be the reason for the lack of attacks."

It would appear that Bill Maher was correct. To conclude that the Bush Administration’s implementation of anti-terror policies is the reason we haven’t been attacked in over five years is a logical fallacy. It might be true that we haven’t been attacked since 9/11 because of the policies of the Administration, but it would be unwise, dangerous, and irresponsible to conclude that it is a certainty.

An Objective Post for Dad

2006-11-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

a /\¬a = 0

Last week, my father and I got into a discussion over the subjectivity of my blog. He argued that I should be less subjective, and I argued that since this is a blog consists of my opinions (as most blogs are unless stated otherwise), I needn't necessarily be confined to pure objectivity.

In an effort to come up with a post that we can both agree is objective, I've provided this Boolean statement which states that "a" and its negation "not a" cannot be true. In more practical terms, think of a light. A light can not be on and not on at the same time.

The little shoeshine boy never gets low down...

2006-11-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

Well, neither does this sub-par guitar player from Austin. Especially when he learns another Luther Perkins guitar solo. This solo is from the Johnny Cash song "Get Rhythm", and features some E/A arpeggiations at the 12th and 5th positions, followed by some boogie-woogie style runs. Yikes - I almost sounded like I knew what I was talking about there. What the hell?

The boogie-woogie runs are not played exactly as they are on the original recording, but come close enough, I think. Also, I missed the low E note when transitioning back to the palm-muted open E picking towards the end of the solo. It's painfully obvious, but that's OK. Luther missed notes on occasion as well. It happens.

I recorded the solo using a standard "E" tuning. I used my recording software to raise the pitch a half a tone. Cash and his band frequently played a half-step up from E. I also added the tiniest bit of echo.

Click here to listen.

Man Card Renewal

2006-11-21T13:11:00.000-08:00

I renewed my man card this morning and changed the car battery, which unceremoniously died sometime yesterday. Total changing time: 15 minutes. Total testosterone increase: 75%

My man card hadn't yet been revoked, but was nearing expiration. The dead battery couldn't have come a minute sooner!

An Easy Formula

2006-11-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

I came across an article today that has a very simple message: Invest smart by putting your money in index funds, and stay sober so you can make sound financial decisions. I like it because -- unlike other financial articles -- it clearly and succinctly states its points, and the advice is sound and easy to follow.

The advice to stay sober is so plainly obvious, but I doubt many people think about that. I certainly didn't. It makes sense that people who stay drug-free will place a higher priority on preparing for the future, and be able to make the financial decisions that will leave them better off in the end. Brilliant!

Anyone who is starting to invest, or thinking about getting started, should read this article. I wish I had an article like this to read several years ago when I first began investing. It was only until very recently that family members advised me to invest in index funds, and the results have been excellent.

Thanks, Ben Stein, for some great advice!

A New Title: Resolved

2006-11-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

Minutes after my post about finding a new title for this blog, I was inspired. Politicians often use the term "Ordinary American" to describe people like me -- a middle-class, average income American that works for a living. I find the term somewhat condescending, but I also find it to be an appropriate title for this blog. It sets the tone and perspective, and keeps the expectations set by the previous title at a more manageable level, which in turn creates less stress for the author. I'm all about decreasing the stress wherever I can!

A New Title

2006-11-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's time to change the title of this blog. The current title is overly ambitious, and sets the expectation that I am going to tackle all that's wrong with the world. I simply don't have the energy for that, and I want to write about more than just what's wrong. Also, no need to offend over half the country right off the bat. Let's let that half read a little bit before they get themselves worked up.

Fear not, though. I will still attack blatant examples of moral and intellectual missteps as I see fit!

I am open to suggestions for a new title, if I don't come up with something first. Feel free to submit your ideas.

Douchebag in a Bar

2006-11-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

This past Friday night, we went out to help our friend celebrate her birthday at a bar in downtown Austin. Folks, if you're in your early thirties and don't feel old yet, just head on down to 6th Street in Austin to remind you of how young you're not. Now, I did have a lot of fun, but some of the excerpts of conversations I heard may have been enough to lower my IQ by a few points.

One conversation I heard while in the restroom, where one of the patrons was engaged in a cell phone conversation¹ with his buddy. What I heard went something like this:

"Dude, you don't even understand. We were supposed to be at Uchi tonight, and the next thing I know I'm here at Opal Divine's. That's how fucked up my life is."

I tried to imagine in what context that bit of commentary might have made sense, or not sounded completely shallow and moronic. I couldn't.

Comedian Lewis Black once said that an aneurysm is caused by hearing an utterance so incredibly absurd that your mind can't process it, and by not having any friends around with whom to discuss the sheer stupidity of the statement². I am thankful that I was with friends that night, and that I have a blog.

¹I've ranted about cell phones before. Please see here and here, to get a glimpse into my irrational hatred of cell phones.

²Please see the Wikiquote entry for Lewis Black for more on this particular bit. The quote falls about midway down the page under the "Food/Health" section of quotes.

An Emotional Moment

2006-11-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

This news release makes me very happy, but it was as much about the children in the picture as it was about a victory for gay rights. It choked me up to see children in this crowd taking part in a demonstration like this, and it's heartwarming that they are involved in supporting a cause that is good and just. The parents of these children are to be commended, too, for teaching their children the importance of civil rights and equality. I can only hope that we will be as successful with our own child.

Apologies!

2006-11-05T07:51:00.001-08:00

It's been almost a month since I last wrote something. I've been spending more time focusing on my Paternal Prose blog, and still haven't settled on a name. I think that name is starting to grow on me, however.

The world is still falling apart. Iraq is a mess, Saddam was sentenced to hang, the weathermen are still screwing up forecasts in Texas, and people still won't get off their cell phones! Yikes!

On the bright side, there are some good signs in the polls that the Democrats will reclaim the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. The Republican party seems to be imploding to some degree due to a series of sex scandals.

In other news, I cast my vote for Kinky Friedman a week ago during early voting, and am not sure if I made the right choice. It doesn't look like he'll win, but I find myself fed up with politicians these days, so went for the "anti-politician".

A Discovery

2006-10-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, someone or some event opens your mind to something new. Over the past few months, I've discovered the miracle of a Bloody Mary. Now, before you get to thinking I'm some kind of crazy lush, I should point out that I am talking about the non-alcoholic variety of this drink.

I first tasted a Bloody Mary at a wedding two months ago, and then a friend told me this past Saturday how a Bloody Mary is a great way to wake yourself up. Last night, I started simple and mixed some V8 with Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce, and some coarse ground pepper. Today I made myself two drinks after lunch. It might just be the perfect drink - tasty, spicy, and a nice pick-me-up. Who needs the alcohol?

Not only does the drink taste great, but it provides you with a nice serving of vegetables made from concentrate and reconstituted something-or-other. I also use the low-sodium version of V8, which makes for an even healthier serving.

Suggestions are welcome for how I might build upon this simple concoction.

Texas Gubernatorial Debates

2006-10-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

Kandis and I watched the Texas gubernatorial debates this morning. The debates actually aired Friday night, but thanks to our DVR, we were able to watch them at our convenience. As is typical of political debates, the hour was full of questions, and responses that had little to do with answering those questions. What follows are some of the impressions I gathered from each candidate.

Rick Perry: The incumbent and skilled politician seemed to answer most of the questions, while avoiding sound bites and campaign slogans. I'm not a republican, so he won't get my vote, but he was very polished and professional.
Chris Bell: He did quite well, and up until this point I didn't know much about him. He didn't answer the first question that he was asked, but improved after that. I liked his position that standardized tests are overly emphasized in Texas, and less attention is placed on teaching core subjects.
Kinky Friedman: The "anti-politician" strategy is working against him. He seemed ill-prepared for the debate, which left me with the impression that he didn't take it seriously. His answers did not demonstrate that he had more than a passing knowledge of current issues facing Texas. I'd hoped for more from him, but was disappointed.
Carol Keeton Strayhorn: Her answers might make for good soundbites, and at one point I believe she quoted directly from one of her TV commercials. She was somehow able to answer every question by saying she was going to "Shake Austin Up". The constant repetition of the same theme was ineffective, and even painful.

The debates were a good introduction to the candidates, and now it's my responsibility to research them a bit more. Based on the content, I will probably look more into Chris Bell, since he's a Democrat and that's typically how I vote. Though I never completely rule out the idea of voting republican, the pro-life, pro-Christian, and anti-Gay rhetoric that's typical of that party means that a republican candidate probably won't get my vote anytime soon.

Announcements

2006-10-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be a father! You can read about the journey here. I'm not settled on a title yet, but am open to suggestions.

Also, Kandis rocks, and was listed in Austinist's Best of Austin Blogs for this week.

More adage analysis and revisions...

2006-10-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

"Good things come to those who wait"

Bad things also come to those who wait. I'd say there's about a 50% chance something good will happen, and a 50% chance something bad will happen to those who wait. In addition, if one waits for too long, an opportunity might pass. That's not so good.

"About half the time, good things come to those who wait"

A Sad Day

2006-10-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

There's not much sense to be made of the shooting and killing of four Amish girls today in Pennsylvania. In fact, it seems futile to attempt to make any sense of it. Getting angry achieves little, though it's hard to keep from being angry at such a cowardly and heinous act. The news outlets will talk about it some more, and we'll see psychologists on television trying to explain the shooter's frame of mind or what the victims felt in their last minutes. And then we'll all forget about it and go on with our lives until something else happens.

I have nothing to offer beyond condolences and sympathy to the people who are suffering from this incident, and from last week's incident in Colorado.

Pining and Opining

2006-10-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Remember going to the grocery store in the good old days before cell phones came around? You'd go with a list, and if you forgot something, or weren't sure about which kind of dealy-bob to get, you'd finish your trip only to get home and discover you forgot something, or got the wrong dealy-bob. Alas though, you did have one last resort to save yourself from a disappointing return home. If you were particularly quick-thinking and had some spare change, you could insert that change into the nearest pay phone. Maybe the phone would let you place your call, or maybe it wouldn't. One thing was certain though -- you'd never see that change again.

Nowadays, you can't get through a trip to the grocery store without seeing at least five people engaged in a cell phone conversation. Of those five, one will have a wireless ear piece and appear to be talking to themselves. You'll tell me it's progress and technology, and that it's marvelous. I'll agree with you and I'll go so far to say that the cell phone is a significant technological achievement that has revolutionized the way we communicate. That doesn't mean progress. The erosion of etiquette is not progress. The decrease and avoidance of face-to-face interaction is not progress. And the ability to be "more connected" with colleagues and bosses is not progress when it means there's less personal time for enjoying life. If that's progress, ship me off to any year before 1973 and let me stay there.

There's a Little Death Metal in All of Us

2006-09-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I went to Click's Billiards on North Lamar. That will mean something to fellow Austinites. It was Kandis' birthday, and we decided to head out to see a band comprised of four individuals, two of them high school classmates of Kandis. The name of the band is Peyton Gin, a talented group who undoubtedly enjoys what they do. They have a great energy which quickly works its way through the crowd. I don't think I've head-banged in at least twenty years, but tonight, I rocked. I rocked on as much as an uptight, thirty-one year old, Cabernet Sauvignon-drinking computer programmer can.

We all have some stored up energy inside of us that can be channeled and released with a series of jerky head movements. I highly recommend attending a death metal show and letting loose for an hour. It's therapeutic and -- more importantly -- fun.

A Christian Foundation

2006-09-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

The other day, while browsing MySpace.com, I came across a profile of a woman who described herself as a patriotic Republican, and a "huge proponent of restoring our country to its christian [sic] foundation". I find this to be a little unclear, so I embarked on a small journey to see if I could find evidence for this Christian foundation. As I discovered, there are at least a few important points in time that could mark the foundation of our country. Only one has any religious significance.

1607: Settlers arrived at Jamestown on May 13th, naming it "James Cittie". This will become the first permanent English settlement on our shores. The settlers were a group of entrepreneurs known as the Virginia Company. This group was granted a charter by King James I to establish an English settlement in the Mid-Atlantic region. The reasons for settlement were economic, as the settlers had been instructed to find gold and a water route to the orient.¹ Hmmmm, hardly seems a "Christian Foundation".
1620: The Pilgrims came here to escape stringent religious limitations imposed upon them in England, and actually arrived at Plymouth by way of Holland, which was their original intended destination. In the interest of preserving cultural identity, they made the move to the shores of what is now called Massachusetts. Is this the Christian foundation to which our MySpace friend refers? I agree that a colony settled by Christians who were driven there by religious factors does make a fair case for a "Christian foundation". Interestingly, there was a separation of church and state in the early Plymouth colony.²
1776: The United States declares its independence from the British Empire on July 4th. From 1690-1750, the colonists were left to govern themselves due to England's "hands-off" policy, called Salutary Neglect. King George III ended this unofficial policy by bringing about changes such as the Stamp and Sugar acts. This policy shift began to cause dissension within the colonies, which eventually led to the start of the American Revolutionary War in 1775. It hardly seems that Christianity was a driving force here.
1783: The American Revolutionary War ends on September 3 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which recognized the United States' independence.
1789: On March 4th, the United States Constitution took effect. The document signaled the creation of a union of states administered by a federal government. Religion is only mentioned in the first amendment, where it is clear that no religion should become the "official" religion of the nation, and that the right to practice the religion of one's choosing should not be denied. Christianity is not mentioned anywhere in the document.

I'm leaning towards 1789. How about you? There is nothing Christian about this beginning, so I'm not sure where all those who argue that we are a "Christian nation", or have a "Christian foundation", derive their information. The United States is not Christian, nor Islamic, nor Buddhist, nor Hindu, nor [insert religion here]. Perhaps our Christian friends who are looking for a Christian nation should go elsewhere if they're not satisfied. As the old cliche goes, "If you don't like our country, then get the hell out!"

Note: This wasn't intended to be a history lesson, but it sure turned out to be a great learning experience for me. I'd like to thank the woman on MySpace.com who sparked my interest three days ago.

IQ 138

2006-09-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

I took this test today for fun and scored a 138. I didn't guess on any of them, and did really well with the visual questions. Though, I have to say, most of the visual questions were so easy, that I'm sure most people will get those right. I am under no delusions, however, that scoring somewhat well on an online IQ test means that I am intelligent.

For a good explanation of IQ's and what different score ranges mean, have a look at http://iq-test.learninginfo.org/iq04.htm.

Get your moonshine!

2006-09-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

I may or may not have mentioned that Kandis got me a banjo for my birthday. Actually, I just checked the archives, and I did not. This past weekend, I started learning to play my first song on the banjo, and the file I've linked to here shows the fruits of my labor.

I'm still learning, so it's played much slower than it normally would be by an accomplished banjo player. There are a couple of unintended tempo changes due to my newness and excitement, but heck, I think it sounds Appalachian enough for you all to break out the moonshine! Have fun, and I'd love to hear your comments, even the harsh ones.

Cripple Creek.mp3

Happy Anniversary!

2006-09-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Last night, Kandis and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary at Eddie V's Edgewater Grille at the Austin Arboretum. The food was perfect, as always, and the service was superb. I also consumed a sixteen dollar glass of Caberbnet, which did not disappoint. (For that price, there'd better not be any disappointment!)

The best thing about the outing? Spending it with the beautiful woman who has made my life so much more than I ever thought it could be for the past six years. Happy Anniversary, honey. I love you!

Rob in the Mountains

2006-09-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Rob in the Mountains
Originally uploaded by rbseaver.

I'm a little late with the picture, but I thought I should have something to show for our trip to Montana earlier this month. This shot was taken during a little hike with my aunt during the afternoon. What you don't see is the wind that was rushing and whistling through the mountains. I was sick that day, so I sat on a bench overlooking the scenery while my aunt hiked along for a bit, and was able to appreciate the serenity and beauty of nature. People say that nature talks to you if you listen, and I think it spoke to me that day.

U-Station Blues

2006-09-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

I've had fluid in my ear for two weeks. I went to the doctor on Monday and was prescribed some antibiotics and decongestants. So far, they haven't seemed to work well, and I have one day left of antibiotic treatment. You might say I'm a little concerned.

During the course of my illness, I've learned about the Eustachian tubes, which connect the middle ear to the back of the nose. Their job is to regulate pressure in the ear and to drain the middle ear of unwanted substances. Apparently, I developed some kind of blockage due to a cold, and my return flight from Montana probably exacerbated and prolonged this condition.

Let's talk for a moment about flying while your ear contains fluid. I've never been through the experience of giving birth, and I've been fortunate enough over the years to have avoided any serious injuries. One could argue that I've lived a relatively pain-free life, or don't know the meaning of pain. On that plane, though, when we were descending and the pressure changed, I felt the worst pain of my entire life in my ear. I remember thinking to myself, "...if the plane were to crash and we all croaked, I wouldn't hurt anymore". I was also wishing that my ear would burst, thereby relieving the pressure. Needless to say, the plane didn't crash and my ear remained intact. The pain went away about fifteen minutes after landing.

The biggest problem I'm experiencing at the moment is slight hearing impairment, which is annoying at worst. If things don't clear up soon, however, I'll be revisiting the doctor on Monday.

Who would have guessed? Spam is good for your colon!

2006-09-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

From: Healthy Colon
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 5:39 am
To: rseaver
Cc:
Bcc:
Subject: Robert, Discover the benefits of a Healthy Colon

Advertisement - To Unsubscribe, See Below

Important Note: The average person contains 5 to 25 pounds of waste build up in their colon. This leads to being overweight, colon cancer, deadly toxins and parasite build up!

*Initially, I posted all of the images and links that came with this spam message, but decided that would give more help to the spammers than they deserved. I'll leave it up to you to find the bottle of pills that was being advertised. For the record, I found this humorous, and decided to share. I don't know what's in my colon, but I'm sure whatever the contents, they are normal. Eat your fruits and vegetables, boys and girls, and you'll be just fine! Do I even have to tell people not to believe anything contained in a spam message?

Montana, you are missed

2006-09-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

I won't go on and on about our trip to the beautiful state of Montana. Kandis sums it up quite well. I hope we can get back there soon; the scenery was stunning, and the people were great.

Rain!

2006-08-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today, just a little after 2pm, we received our first significant rainfall here in over a month. We may have some more on the way later tonight, but there will be a lull for at least several hours. As much as I want the rain, I hope that it rains itself out before our departure from Austin early Wednesday morning. Nothing like flight delays to get your trip started!

A Momentous Occasion

2006-08-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Early this morning, I received my first "hate" comment from someone. This particular reader took issue with a post I made back in April: http://www.robandkandis.com/rob/blog/2006/04/fool-me-once.html .

In that post, I initially commented on the conservative approach to attacking liberal viewpoints. It typically involves a personal attack that has little to do with the issues that our country faces. I also noted that liberals are often guilty of the same types of attacks towards conservatives, which I find equally shameful. It's this type of childish approach to debate that keeps us from having any meaningful discussions about the issues.

I welcome dissenting opinions here. I don't think one can have a blog and not expect to be challenged. In an ideal world, we would have an exchange of opposing, but debatable and intelligent ideas. We are far from ideal, however, and often, people let their emotions do the talking for them. Am I upset about be calling inbred? Initially, I was taken aback, but I'm not really upset about the name calling.

One could argue that my responding to that comment in a public manner means that I am upset. I am annoyed by the fact that my very first dissenting blog reader to make themselves known did not present anything beyond a personal attack. I would have really liked to engage in some kind of intelligent exchange of ideas.

All of this leads me to my final point. If you don't like what I have to say, please tell me so. If you can manage to refrain from personal attacks, that's even better. If not, I don't believe in censorship, so your comment will remain visible. I would like to see some valid points with your argument. That's really all I ask.

Thank you to everyone who stumbles on this blog, and to anyone who reads it regularly.

Requiescat in Pace

2006-08-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

No. Our cat, Chicken, has not passed on, but it sure looks that way. Here she is, resting peacefully in a sunny spot. When she's in this position, we often refer to her as a "dead squirrel".

Rob attempts to disprove an old adage, and gets a craving for cake

2006-08-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

Guess what, kids? You can have your cake and eat it, too. From the time I was a child, I never believed that old adage. I frequently had cake and ate it, and still do, though not quite as frequently.

The adage I'm talking about is evidently widely misunderstood, due to its poor wording. Let's take a look at it this proverb in a little more detail:

"You can't have your cake and eat it too"

As the proverb states, you have in your possession a cake. Logically and linguistically, you can eat this very cake of which you are in possession. In fact, if you are eating cake, then you must already possess it.

Some argue that in order to understand the proverb better, the words "eat" and "have" should be interchanged. Changing the order of the words doesn't help, because, as worded, it still implies possession and consumption cannot occur simultaneously, which is simply not true.

Perhaps the word "have" is to be interpreted as already having had eaten something, which is admittedly valid. However, it leaves too much room open for interpretation, and we should use the present perfect tense "have had", or use an entirely different verb, like "finish":

You can't have had your cake and eat it too.
You can't finish your cake and eat it too.

Even here, though, the first example is probably a better way to go. You can be in a state of finishing cake (i.e. eating your last few bites), but still have possession of it.

So, boys and girls, the next time someone tells you that you can't have your cake and eat it too, tell them that they're wrong and that the proverb, as worded, is a logical fallacy. Get yourself a piece of cake. Point out to your well-meaning mentor that you clearly have cake. Next, begin eating it, thereby demonstrating that possession and consumption of cake can happen simultaneously. Upon completing your cake, suggest to them an alternative way of wording the proverb, perhaps building on the examples provided above.

I am suddenly hungry for cheesecake. I may need to head out to the store, so I can have some (and eat it).

To tell you the truth...

2006-08-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

This post on Broad Sunlit Uplands poses an interesting question:

"The irrational certitudes of ideological or religious belief are strangely
and readily accepted and empirical evidence is not even acknowledged. I wonder
what it is in people, which would make them want to believe something to be true
when it is demonstrably false?"

I started thinking about this quite a bit, and recalled some past discussions with Christian acquaintances and friends. (My circle of friends these days seems to lack adequate Christian representation. Oh well.) There a few reasons that I think cause people to believe something that has been proven false.

They have not been exposed to facts that might disprove their beliefs. The lack of exposure may be due to limited availability of resources (unlikely), or refusal to pursue the facts (more likely).
Dismissal of the facts available and presented as "propaganda".
Acceptance/analysis of facts might cause a person to rethink their beliefs, which can be difficult for many people. It is not easy to leave one's comfort zone.
Pride. Changing one's stance typically means that the previous stance was flawed, and it is hard for many to endure such a pride-swallowing experience.
Facts can be twisted to support virtually any point of view.

The preceeding reasons are actually all interrelated and can be condensed to stubbornness, ignorance, or both.

In order to keep this post from getting out of hand, I'll avoid getting into a discussion of subjectivity vs. objectivity. I do, however, acknowledge that one person's disaster can be another's "hard road to success". We'll leave it at that.

Get 'em while they're hot!

2006-08-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

Get 'em while they're hot, and preferably before the rapture.

August Cometh

2006-08-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

August is here. For us Texans (or, maybe just for us yankees-turned-Texans), that means one more month of Summer has passed and we're just a little bit closer to Autumn. Last year, Fall started in November down here, or so it seemed.

Other notable facts about August:

It's National Psoriasis Awareness month.
My birthday falls on the fourth of the month. I'll be thirty-one. The numbers three and one add up to four. Coincidence? I think not.
In August 2005, the average high temperature at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was 97.1 degrees Fahrenheit. The maximum temperature reached was 102 on August 27th and 31st.
It's Admit You're Happy Month, which might lead one to question when Admit You're Not Happy Month occurs. According to my brief and cursory research, it doesn't.
August was originally named Sextillis, but was renamed by Augustus Caesar in the year 8 B.C. It was the sixth month of the Roman calendar, which started in March.

I am indebted to Wikipedia and NOAA for providing many of the facts listed.

Rob gripes about the weathermen and makes his own forecast

2006-07-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to doubt the credibility of our weather forecasters. In central Texas, the lack of rain has become a problem lately. I happen to like rain, and I like my yard to be green without having to waste water by using a sprinkler.

I'm not mad at the weather (well, maybe a little). What I don't like is that local TV meteorologists have been telling us for a couple of days now that there's a 50-60% of measurable rain today (they just dropped that down to 40-50% as of this morning). I'm not a scientist, but perhaps our meteorologists are not looking at the same radars and maps that they're showing the viewers. Clearly, the maps show that the large area of precipitation in southeastern and eastern Texas is moving directly to the north. The low-pressure system causing this rain is being pushed eastward by a high pressure system off to the north and west. My untrained eyes can see that this rain is not going to make it to central Texas, and there were actually signs of this yesterday afternoon. That's OK, but wasn't this a possibility that was foressen three days ago? Just yesterday, these meteorologists were telling us that there was a 60% chance of rain and a possibility for 1-2 inches of rain in our area. If there was a possibility that things would change, shouldn't the percentage have been down closer to 30-40% all along?

I would have turned on my sprinkler days ago, but I thought a 60% chance of rain was a pretty good shot that we'd get something, and held out. Now, it appears we may get nothing, and the dry spell will continue. Again, I'm not a meteorologist, but when I looked at the weather maps yesterday afternoon, it was looking less and less like rain. The forecasters were still calling for a 60% chance of rain, so I thought they perhaps were seeing something that I wasn't. Apparently, they weren't.

The moral of the story is that I need to start relying on my own judgement rather than relying on the scientists who are paid to figure these things out.

Rob's forecast for this afternoon: Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of rain showers, possibly a thunderstorm. Highs in the mid to upper 80's. Rainfall totals of less than a half an inch.

Not too terrible... or is it?

2006-07-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

The latest traffic reporter for News 8 Austin has a very annoying habit of saying that the traffic in certain locations is "not too terrible". One morning, I caught him use the phrase at least twice in the span of a few minutes.

There have been two traffic reporters since Jabari Warfield, and neither has been able to fill his shoes. We miss you, Jabari, and so does Burton!

Spam

2006-07-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Should I interpret the volume of comment spam I've received over the past couple of weeks as a sign that my blog has made it to the big leagues now? Is it finally time to sit back and watch the cash roll in?

Not likely. With a blog that only averages about 5-6 hits per day, I've got a ways to go.

Christ, it's hot out

2006-07-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's the heat that's kept me from posting here lately. Perhaps it's depression. Or, maybe depression caused by heat.

I'll check with my shrink.

Donuts with Kandi

2006-07-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Kandis and I headed to Dunkin' Donuts this morning for reasons that should be apparent if you are at least semi-literate and have read this far. Donuts are something that I have very mixed feelings towards (Yes, that's a preposition at the end of a clause. I'm trying to be less stuffy these days. Note that I went back and forth three times before coming to a final decision). Those feelings are probably best summarized by saying "I hate that I love them". Deep-fried doughy goodness. My arteries will forgive me some day.

What's that they say about everything is ok in moderation? Can someone remind me what moderation is again?

Raw fish, good times

2006-07-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last night, we took our friend Brian out to Ichiban in Austin for sushi as a slightly belated birthday present. (Happy Birthday, Brian!)

We overfilled ourselves with raw fish, and we all looked good eating it, too! As you can see, these pictures were taken before we completely destroyed the fish. I don't think I've ever stuffed myself so much on sushi. Note to self: the thirty-four piece combo is too much food even for three people.

2006-07-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Is the World Cup over yet? I keep thinking it's over, and then I keep hearing about the latest game. I can't remember when Americans started caring about soccer. A little help here?

2006-07-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, Kerbey Lane on north 183. I don't think you're worth a ten minute wait at 12:45 am on a Saturday morning. Your food is good, but your service is sub-par. I think perhaps that in your pursuit of hipness, you've forgotten the importance of good customer service (You are under no obligation, however, to provide good customer service to an asshole customer; the customer is not always right.)

Remember, you want to make your customers feel like coming back. I currently do not.

Cingular Chips

2006-06-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Kandis and I got new Cingular cell phones a couple of months ago. For some reason tonight, I was reminded of the staff at the store whence¹ we purchased these etiquette-altering devices. Every single salesperson there seemed to have some kind of chip on their shoulder and I can't remember the last time I saw such a display of utter douchebaggery. It was as if these people had aspired to greater things in life, and were trying to prove to themselves and their customers that although they had failed in their previous endeavors, they were still relevant.

¹In case some of you are bothered by the fact that I didn't use "from whence" here, please note that it is not an error. Dictionary.com has a great explanation here.

Wreckless Driving

2006-06-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

We've all been involved in some kind of aggressive driving incident at some point or another. We've either been the aggressive driver, been cut off by one, or been in an accident caused by one.

Seeing this report yesterday of a fatal collision really had a powerful effect on me. I can't count how many times I've been cut off by some yahoo who was in a hurry to get nowhere. I know I've cut a few people off at various times in a hurry to get where? That's right: nowhere. Thankfully, I think I've become a little less daring in my old age (thirty).

The next time you're out on the road, think a little bit. Your life could be changed in a split second.

Look Ma! No Hair!

2006-06-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again when I chop off my hair. Actually, I do this every few months, but I'm always happy whenever I do. It's an occasion for celebration, especially when the temperature is ninety-five degrees outside.

I also thought I'd take this opportunity to show off my Sluggo™ haircut to my Mother. Fear not, dear Mother. It will be grown back to a somewhat respectable length before I get to Cooperstown next month!

Sluggo™ is a character from the Nancy™ comic series.

The Poll

2006-06-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

Clearly, my informal poll from a couple of weeks ago failed to generate the response I had hoped to receive. Despite that low turnout, I will keep this blog active, because I am too much of an egomaniac to stop posting.

Millie, don't be a mouth-breather

2006-06-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Our dog, Millie, happens to be a mouth-breather and a paste-eater, but we love her anyway.

Note: My usage of "paste-eater" is slightly different here. I'm using it to refer to someone who eats anything in sight, even something that's not considered food, per se. This type of non-discriminatory consumption is generally caused by lack of intelligence, common to mouth-breathers and people who voted for Bush a second time in 2004.

The Making of an Atheist

2006-05-31T16:31:00.000-07:00

According to atheists, the term "atheism" refers to the lack of belief in a deity or deities. The word derives from the Greek a(n)-, a negative prefix, and theos, meaning "god" or "deity". I only mention the origin of the word as a reminder that despite the negative connotations associated with it, the word itself has a very unspectacular meaning.

The roots of my atheist beliefs began about twelve years ago, when I was a freshman in college. At the time I was a fairly typical Christian. I believed in God, heaven and hell, and had a passing knowledge of the Bible. I knew of its teachings through hearsay, the occasional trip to church, or memories from my mother reading it to me when I was young. At the very least, I knew that being bad meant I was going to hell, and being good meant I would make it to heaven. Life sure was simple.

During that first year in college, one could hear me saying things like "the Bible says no sex before marriage" and "being gay isn't right". These are words that now make me want to beat the Rob of ten years ago to a pulp. It wasn't long before I started questioning my beliefs. I wondered how all of these people I was meeting were going to hell because of their choice to have pre-marital or homosexual relations. Was God really willing to send these decent human beings to hell? Something didn't add up. I wrestled with these thoughts for some time, then put them aside for a while and worried more about girls and, later, beer.

It wasn't until about five years ago that I again found myself in a position where I was questioning my beliefs. At the time, I didn't believe or disbelieve in deities. I was working for a company where several of my peers seemed to be religious, and I'd hear an occasional utterance that would make me say to myself "Hmmm, weird. These people are really religious, what the hell am I doing here?" It wasn't until after September 11, 2001, that my conversion to atheism began to move at light speed.

After September 11, the things I was starting to hear from people turned me off to Christianity, and theistic religions in general. How could religious ideals and such devout belief in one's god fuel such hatred and hostility toward others? Would Allah really approve of flying planes into buildings, killing thousands of people? Would the Christian God really want us to respond by attacking Afghanistan? Iraq? The growing neo-con movement also became (and still is) quite disturbing. Really, Kansas, creation in schools? C'mon. We were starting to return to a system of values that would have been common a hundred years ago or more, and the crazy religious fanatics were coming out of the woodwork with their pro-Christian, anti-everyone-else mentality. It would be a boring read for me to dive too much further into all of the factors that fueled my conversion to atheism, and it would take much more of my time than I'd like this evening.

I don't consider myself to be a member of the atheist movement. I don't go to rallies, or attend atheist meetings, or donate to anyone. I am an atheist in the literal sense of the word in that I have no god. I don't believe that the existence of deities will ever be proven or disproven, but here are some reasons that I don't subscribe to the idea of gods:

Too many people are driven to hatred by the god of their choosing. In many cases, these people praise the benevolence of their god while committing acts of hatred, deception, and judgement. Some might argue that those people are not practicing the religion correctly. I don't buy that. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't, but since gods are so often claimed to be omniscient and benevolent, one might hope they would make their views clearly known.
People pick and choose the parts of their religion that suits them. For example, a Christian might be an ademant "pro-lifer", but at the same time might be committing adultry in their marriage. If we follow Christian doctrine, they are enforcing belief in one of the ten commandments as it applies to someone else, but they can ignore one of the commandments as it applies to their own situation. A simple prayer and a trip to church will rectify this? I have a problem here and I think contradictions like this discount the idea that an omnipotent and flawless being exists.
How can killing as an act of vengeance be more noble than murder committted out of hate, greed, fear, or envy? Why is killing bugs or animals more acceptable than killing humans? Would a benevolent god really condone all of this killing?

These are three reasons that really form the core of my atheist beliefs. Some might argue that they are flimsy reasons. I don't doubt they can be debated, but they've worked for me for some time, and I've not yet heard viable rebuttals to these questions.

Eat the grapefruit to eat the grapefruit

2006-05-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

In other words, when you eat a grapefruit (you may substitute a food you like here), do not think about what you're going to do afterwards, or what you did prior. Focus on the food, one piece at a time. When you are cutting a slice, you are cutting a slice. When you are chewing, you are chewing. Nothing else exists in that moment.

The idea is very simple, but very difficult to put into practice. More often than not, I forget to practice mindfulness.

This is a cornerstone of Buddhism: mindfulness, or living in the present moment. This blog post is inspired by the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh in the book The Miracle of Mindfulness, which is ultimately based on the Buddhist sutra on the foundations of mindfulness.

An alien superpower suit, an FBI agent, and a schoolteacher

2006-05-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

If you had to make an educated guess, what would you say these three elements have in common? If you guessed "They are the ingredients for a really bizarre TV show from the early eighties", you'd be exactly right. Today, inspired by an IM conversation with Kandis, I ordered the first season of The Greatest American Hero on DVD from Amazon.com. I remember watching the show as a kid, but since I'm thirty now, my memories are a bit fuzzy. What a great way to revisit my childhood years!

It's going to be totally awesome.

Coked Out

2006-05-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Three sixteen-ounce cups of coke and five cups of green tea into the day, I still feel as groggy as when I woke up this morning. It sure is tough to picture myself doing three sets each of squats and deadlifts later today.

O, three day weekend, please come quickly!

Ambien

2006-05-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, I started taking Ambien. It knocks me out flat in fifteen minutes, and gives me about five solid hours of sleep. It's almost scary how quickly and deeply it knocks me out, and reminds me of the couple of times I've been anesthetized for minor surgeries (not quite as fast-acting, though). I still have trouble getting a full eight hours' sleep, but my new strategy is to take half a pill when I wake up at 3am. That takes me through until about 6:30am.

I've read some scary things about Ambien, but have yet to experience anything (of which I'm aware) strange myself.

Hiatus

2006-05-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

I took off from posting any entries for a few days for two reasons:

I haven't had anything of much substance to stay. The world is as screwed up as ever, but I haven't felt like I can say much that hasn't already been said.
Does anyone read this?

In fact, now might be a good time to take an informal poll. If you have read this blog at least once, please comment on this post. I'd like to exclude family and friends from here, as I know many of them read it. I'm interested in seeing how many people I don't know actually visit. The results may determine whether this blog will continue or not.

Big-Time Ass Hole

2006-05-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Wow. Kind of reminds me of someone I used to work for.

The article is a bit dated, but I doubt much has changed in the past year.

2006-05-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

This interview with a british man who hacked into U.S. government computers looking for evidence of UFOs is quite fascinating.

"Were you the only hacker to make it past the slightly lower-than-expected lines of defence?"

"Yes, exactly, there were no lines of defence. There was a permanent tenancy of foreign hackers. You could run a command when you were on the machine that showed connections from all over the world, check the IP address to see if it was another military base or whatever, and it wasn't."

It appears he found what he was seeking:

There was a group called the Disclosure Project. They published a book which had 400 expert witnesses ranging from civilian air traffic controllers, through military radar operators, right up to the chaps who were responsible for whether or not to launch nuclear missiles.

They are some very credible, relied upon people, all saying yes, there is UFO technology, there's anti-gravity, there's free energy, and it's extra-terrestrial in origin, and we've captured spacecraft and reverse-engineered it.

The article can be found here.

A day in the life: 5/3/2006

2006-05-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

3:36 AM: Awake
3:36-5:20: Lay in bed awake, think about work
5:20-7:00: Work, write code
7:00-7:45: Feed dog, eat breakfast, shower
7:45-9:30: Write code
9:30-9:35: snack
9:35-12:00 PM: Write code

------------------------

12:00-12:15: Quick lunch
12:15-12:51: Finish coding task
12:51-1:00: Write email stating task has been completed
1:00-1:30: Grocery store trip to pick up a few essentials
1:30-5:00: Work, code, and decipher next task.
5:00: Feed dog
5:00-7:00: Dismantle old computer desk, move to garage, assemble new computer desk
7:00-7:30: Dinner
7:30-8:00: Hook all electronic equipment back up, in office, arrange office to fit new desk
8:00-9:00: Watch "Lost", drink a little wine
9:00-10:15: Enjoy new office setup
10:15: Go to bed, fall asleep

Where the hell are my fajitas?

2006-05-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today was the "Day without Immigrants" rally in Austin, and my plans for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant were foiled. As such, I do not support any legislation that would criminalize illegal immigrants.

I have a suspicion that said legislation would not eliminate the presence of illegal immigrants. People have a way of acquiring and obtaining that which they perceive to be essential, whether it is illegal or not. I'm reminded of the war on drugs. How's that going these days?

Who says Democrats don't have balls?

2006-04-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

I came across this today: http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/26/goptiresslashed.ap/index.html

Six months for slashing tires? Ouch. The Republicans still have no senses of humor.

I don't think slashing tires does much to advance the Democrats' cause, but whatever the Democrats are currently doing to try to advance their cause isn't working either; I still don't know what the Democrats have on their agenda.

Snow Job

2006-04-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

George Bush appointed Fox news commentator Tony Snow as his new press secretary today. All jokes and conspiracy theories about the Republicans and Fox news aside, I actually don't hate the guy. He seems to be fairly level-headed, and it will be interesting to hear his spin on the Bush administration's policies as he takes to the podium.

Perhaps Geraldo Rivera is on deck to replace Donald Rumsfeld.

2006-04-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

I came across this article about Donald Rumsfeld today. It's interesting that during the Nixon administration, Rumsfeld was actually advocating pulling out of Vietnam, and bringing home the troops. Times sure have changed.

The article also highlights a brand new Bushism: "I hear the voices, and I read the front page, and I know the speculation. But I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the Secretary of Defense."

Don't get me wrong; The word "decider" is perfectly valid English, but probably not used often by those over the age of five. I think the preferred term for us adults is "decision-maker".

Let me try that word out for myself...

In my house, Kandis is the decider. I am the doer.

Read the article here: http://smh.com.au/news/world/secretary-of-offence/2006/04/21/1145344272778.html?page=fullpage

Doyle Hargraves can't understand the Bible

2006-04-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

"Well I can't understand none of it. This one begat that one and that one begat this one, and lo and behold someone says some shit to someone else - just how retarded are you?" -- Doyle Hargraves, played by Dwight Yoakam in the movie Sling Blade.

Like Hail

2006-04-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

We were hit with some hail today. It wasn't too large, maybe about an inch in diameter. I was almost hit a few times by ricocheting stones as I took these shots. Notice that some of these crazy hailstones actually appear to be shooting upward. They were coming down so hard at one point that some were bouncing several feet back into the air.

2006-04-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Have there always been stupid people burglarizing places, or is it a more recent trend? Note to burglars: never rob a restaurant when you're quite obviously starving; it impairs judgement.

http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060419/NEWS/604190338

94 degrees

2006-04-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

It's 94 degrees out as I type this. Yesterday, some parts of Austin hit 100, and we had some rolling blackouts due to a couple of power plants going offline. Sometimes, Texas is ridiculous place to live. How cruel is it of nature to deal us a prolonged drought, and then smack with record-shattering heat?

Actually, as I sit here whining, there are some thunderstorms approaching, and rain is forecast during the next few days. There are also some signs that the La Nina is subsiding in the Pacific, which could mean an end to our drought.

The MySpace hate continued...

2006-04-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to seeing great things from this site. I think I will place their banner on my page.

Ice Cream!

2006-04-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

I heard the ice cream truck go by earlier this evening, and I was taken back to being a kid. It was so far back, in fact, that my family still livied in an apartment complex. That sound was incredibly exciting to us, and we would sometimes have to chase the truck down to get our ice cream fix.

As I listened to the sound earlier, I wondered if there were kids running after the truck trying to get their ice cream the way we used to. I hope so, and I'm glad that even though things are very different today, the ice cream truck still makes its rounds.

Fool me once...

2006-04-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

I sometimes wonder about the folks who have bumper stickers that show support of the Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign. I'm admittedly looking at things through my liberal glasses, but how does one justify voting for this man twice? I might be able to accept the idea that someone fell for his straight-talking, tax-cutting, cowboy act once. Hasn't enough happened, though, to cause one to question his competence?

A second vote for Bush in 2004 must have been the result of pride (voting otherwise would have been an admission of a mistake), denial of the status quo, or some kind of belief that it's better to keep this man in power during wartime. I don't believe that lack of intelligence is a reason, as stupidity transcends party lines. I also have friends that voted for Bush who are equally -- if not more -- intelligent than I. Hey there, one friend of mine who voted for this guy!

"...fool me once, shame on ... shame on you. Fool me ... you can't get fooled again."

Apparently, they can be fooled again. And many of them were.

Have a great week!

Pickin'

2006-04-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

It's not often that I let people hear my guitar playing; I'm not very good, and am reluctant to share my talents. Every once in a while, though, I hit a small milestone and am proud of the accomplishment. Here I am playing the solo to "Folsom Prison Blues".

Please keep in mind that I have a lot working against me. I used Windows Sound Recorder to make this recording. My guitar, when capoed at the first fret, produces some buzzing. This is due to the action on my guitar, a warped neck, or a little of both. Also, as I said, I'm not great and occasionally miss a note. Enjoy!

FolsomSolo1.mp3

Strangely unaffected

2006-04-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

The revelation from Scooter Libby this morning that George Bush authorized an intelligence leak failed to excite me. My wife told me over IM, and I believe my response was "Awesome".

It could be the fact that, in my humble estimation, George Bush and his administration have been incompetent since taking the reigns in 2001. Or, maybe it's the fact that George Bush speaks a breed of pidgeon English that is sometimes difficult to comprehend; perhaps GWB said something like, "I de-unauthorize you to leak this name", which could have been a source of confusion (as double-negatives often are). There's also that little issue of poor planning and policies which led to the formation of a new terrorist haven in Iraq. We could go on for a while.

I'm not surprised, and sadly, I don't think anything will come of this. The Republicans will find a way to spin this that will keep things as they are, and we'll all continue living our lives. Maybe, though, I'll be proven wrong in the coming days and weeks. I hope so.

The education of Rob Seaver

2006-04-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

This morning, I learned that it's not a good idea to order a burger and two separate orders of fries at your favorite pub/tavern/bar.

Crazy Yelling Guy

2006-04-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

I used to work at a place where one of the higher-ups yelled and cursed to get his point across, and to insure that things got done. He even called people derogatory names on occasion: "That guy is a fucking ass hole!" (I can foresee increased hits to this site from people searching for porn now. Fantastic!) I often refer to him as "Crazy Yelling Guy".

For the majority of the time I worked there, I didn't like the guy, and even got into it with him once. It made for a very unpleasant work environment, and got to the point where I, and other members of my team, dreaded showing up. I believe that he eventually came to respect me somewhat, as I was able to develop some pretty handy applications to help things run a little more smoothly around there.

Looking back now, I wonder if he wasn't on to something. So often in the workplace today, everyone's concerned about being politically correct. Conflict is frowned upon, so passive-aggressive has become the newest fad in manager-employee relations.

I'm certainly not approving of hostile workplace behavior, but I don't approve of non-confrontation either. How about we meet somewhere in the middle? I think that lack of direct confrontation can be as bad, or maybe worse than hostile, direct communication.

Early Morning Rain

2006-03-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

This morning, parts of Austin received a healthy dose of rain. Our little section of Austin was lucky enough to get some of the heaviest of the precipitation. We've been in a drought for while now, so anything that helps keep the brush fires tame, and give us some green spring scenery is welcome.

The weathermen and radars tell us that we're due a little more rain, which I'll enjoy watching as I sit at home working.

Respect your deities

2006-03-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

I decided I don't like the web expression "OMG". For those of you who don't know what this means, it stands for "Oh My God!". If you really do require the emotional support of your chosen deity at the time you are typing "OMG", isn't this deity owed the courtesy of having his/her/its full name typed out? I tested this myself, and the difference in time that it takes to type "Oh my God" is a matter of milliseconds. Isn't your god worth those few precious extra milliseconds?

Southside Madness

2006-03-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we took a trip to the Southside Market in Elgin. People who know me know that I'm not fond of crowds, or lines, and that my dislike of both goes beyond mild annoyance. We arrived at about 2pm, and the crowd was impressive. We stood in line for about twenty minutes, which went by fairly fast. I sampled the brisket and famous sausage, and was not disappointed. I was surprisingly relaxed and anxiety-free amidst the crowd, and was able to relax and enjoy my meal. I sampled Kandis's chicken, which was also excellent. The staff is great about moving the lines efficiently, and there seems to be adequate seating. I'd recommend this place to anyone that's willing to deal with a crowd and a line. It's a short trip on 290 East outside of town, though those of you from the north side of Austin might consider taking Parmer to 290, in order to avoid the bottlneck that occurs at the flea market.

Also noteworthy was our trip to the Austin Rodeo on Saturday evening. Though the rodeo wasn't overly exciting, we did get to see a champion steer, and the runner-up. I'd never seen a steer up close before, and I was actually more impressed than I imagined I'd be. Aside from that, it was more or less a fair atmosphere, but we had fun. We didn't pay the $35 to see the actual rodeo events, but maybe next year we'll give that a shot. Thanks to Dave and Meredith for getting us off of our asses, and out there for a fun night.

The Dunce's Tale

2006-03-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

In an email to my boss earlier today, I labeled myself a dunce, in reference to a particularly silly suggestion I had made the previous day. It got me thinking about the word "dunce", and its origins. My basic knowledge of Latin and Greek weren't getting me far, so I started on a journey to determine the origins of this word.

As a start, I headed over to dictionary.com:

"After Duns Scotus, John whose writings and philosophy were ridiculed in the 16th century."

Hmmm... not really clear at this point. Off to Wikipedia! Upon reading Wikipedia's explanation of the word, it occurred to me that dictionary.com's wording and boldface highlighting were both unclear (looking at it now, I'm not sure why I didn't grasp it). According to Wikipedia, John Duns Scotus was a thirteenth and fourteenth-century (he died in 1308) philosopher and theologian. Followers of Duns Scotus were referred to as "Duns" or "Dunsman" by his opponents, and refused to accept new ideas and new ways of thinking that came about in the sixteenth century. Today, according to Wikipedia, the word "dunce" refers to a person who is incapable of learning. Dictionary.com defines it as a stupid person or a dolt.

How about that? I'm willing and able to learn, and am fairly intelligent on most days. It sounds like I may not be a dunce, nor even a fuckhead. What a great start to a Friday!

Parenthetically speaking, you're fired!

2006-03-17T07:50:00.000-08:00

I once had an English teacher who was a stickler for grammar rules. You would think this would be a given for any English teacher, but I've actually had English teachers who have bungled our beloved language more than our President has.

This teacher told us a story of an official at a school where he once taught who felt the need to preface all of his points with the phrase "Parenthetically speaking". Anyone who knows anything about English knows that "parenthetically" is related to "parentheses". In writing, anything enclosed in parentheses is considered non-essential. If, then, you are speaking parenthetically, you're not saying anything important.

Prior to the next staff meeting, the teacher made a bet with a colleague that he would exit the room as soon as this school official uttered the words "Parenthetically speaking". As expected, at the staff meeting, our friend began speaking parenthetically. The teacher, whom I respected even more for this incident, left the meeting.

Mr. Meadows

2006-03-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, I worked with a woman who had an acquaintance by the name of Mr. Meadows. Mr. Meadows was a man from her community, who evidently had a substantial supply of wine. Other than that, very little is known of him.

My co-worker would speak fairly regularly -- though not frequently enough for me to think she had a drinking problem -- of going to Mr. Meadows' house, where she consumed several (usually three, if I remember correctly) glasses of wine.

This limited knowledge of Mr. Meadows might lead some to speculate, as there are many unanswered questions. Was he a creepy old man with an endless wine supply, or just some older, respectable, friendly fellow with a copious supply of wine? What kind of wine was it? Boxed? Why did this co-worker speak of beating her cat when she came home from Mr. Meadows' house? Did he have some kind of evil mind-control over her? Was he Satan, or perhaps one of his agents? Ah, so many unanswered questions.

I prefer to think of Mr. Meadows as a friendly old man who was well-known and liked by everyone. I imagine it was a small community, where Mr. Meadows generously shared his home, and wine, with his neighbors.

Tonight, in honor of this man, I drank three glasses of wine. I have no plans to beat my cat into oblivion, however.

Solicitors Welcome

2006-03-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

We just won't answer the door or buy anything from you.

Our dog, however, knowing that we humans have diminished auditory capabilities, will bark once, and then run around frantically in an attempt to let us know that the doorbell has been rung.

Bizarro World

2006-03-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

Ever hear the expression "Bizarro World"? Well, that's where I live. We live a couple of hundred feet from the Travis-Williamson county line. No one seems to know exactly where we live, so part of our 2005 taxes weren't paid out of our mortgage escrow account. We're not sure in which county we should register to vote, so we gave Williamson a shot. That should be a treat.

The people across the street from us appear to have the county line running right through their houses. It must be strange for them to get up in the morning, roll out of their bed, which might be located in Travis County, then walk two feet and go to the bathroom in Williamson County.

Pizza will kill us

2006-03-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

It may actually be this week that it kills us. We had pizza Sunday and we just ordered it again tonight. We're going to a friend's place on Friday night, where pizza will be available, and then on Saturday night we might have a small gathering and serve pizza.

I wonder how our arteries look these days.