The Good and The Bad

The good of the internet is that it can bring people together who've never meet to discuss a wide variety of topics. Different viewpoints can be demonstrated, rationally debated and counterpointed, and fantastic results can occur. Truly a modern forum for the electronic age. I've seen a few hot discussions in this style and they are beautiful things to see.

The bad of the internet is that it can bring people together who've never meet. These people try to have discussions on the same topics, but different viewpoints are nitpicked, warped beyond a plain and simple meaning, deeper meanings are implied when none existed, debate and counterpoint become name calling, and generally horrible results can occur. The sad thing is that these people may think they are communicating well or persuading people to their viewpoint. The truth is that they're simply being annoying, confusing, and showing a lack of common sense. It is horrible to watch those train wrecks of a discussion.

I guess you need to take the good with the bad. I simply wish there was less bad.

Riddle Me This?

Why is it the worse something smells the more interesting it is to a dog?

I worked out and didn't even bother to shower. I went over to my parents and got the back yard and front yard mowed for my mom. I was covered in grass, rain, and pure stench. The dog just couldn't get enough of me. Silly dogs!

Quote Of The Day

From an unknown commentator that I overheard:

Neither political party is really anti-establishment; unless they count each other.

Updates on Comments

I donated to Haloscan so now the Comments can handle up to 3,000 characters for your long winded buggers. It does give me some nifty editing tools as well. I was under the impression that if someone commented it would send a notifying email. This hasn't happened yet. I guess I'll have to email tech support and see what's up with that.

EDIT 8-2-2004: Woo-hoo, got that problem solved on email notification. Had to turn something on! Also got the time zones right so your comments aren't an hour ahead anymore. Of course once Daylight Savings Time expires I'll have to manually change that. Oh well.

Bike Trek III: The Search For Elvis

During a recent adventure I discovered a street called Graceland. Sadly I was unable to find Elvis' house. Nobody messes with The King, baby! It has a very mean hill as well. 3 years ago it would have been an effort to go up a hill like it. Now, it beat me. BADLY! I'm going to have to look at a map to find a way through the Butler campus to get back on the flat trail. I've searched twice now and haven't found it yet. Maybe I should email Deb, she went to school there. When in doubt ask a 'local' for directions!

Odd thing to notice: I grabbed the helmet, the two water bottles, the bills I wanted to dump at the post office, the bags of recycleables, and the cell phone. I had the keys to the ignition in my hands when I realized the bicycle was still inside. Sometimes you get so ready that you forget the most important thing!

Things That Are Cool

No I am not referring to are unseasonably cool, though highly enjoyable, weather.

1. Going to another blog. Seeing a comment that is not well thought out (most polite way I can phrase it), and then seeing two of my fellow classmates maul the ill-reasoned theory. You go girls! Priceless.
2. Knowing that my schoolmates and a Wisconsin buddy are now passed out on the barroom floor after finishing their bar exams today. Good luck to all.
3. Seeing the new Subarus on the factory stand next to I-65. Mark my words in a few months Subaru Outback: MotorTrend SUV Of The Year. The new Legacy sedans and wagons are very nice and I wouldn't mind owning one. Not quite MT Car Of The Year standard.

EDIT 7-29-2004: Being a slightly evil person I've come to appreciate that sometimes it is more enjoyable to watch the fight than to participate in it. I'll prolly weigh in tonight, but sometimes you have to let the great debates simmer a bit.

FURTHER EDIT: Upon further review, perhaps I won't join in. Sometimes you see a discussion go way out there and even I just have to shake my head in confusion.

To Whom It May Concern

To the individual at either a Ford dealership or Jiffy Lube who decided to put a nut onto one of the screws that holds down the air filter cover on my Ranger:

I remember changing my air filter in a blistering cold wind at least a year and a half ago. As I have heard comments from Jiffy Lube personal complain that they were unable to access my air filter numerous times in that past year and a half I was concerned by what I thought was their laziness. Deciding to spend the 5 minutes of my time to change my own air filter seemed like a good idea.

Imagine my surprise when one screw simply wouldn't come out. I attempted to use a flat blade to prop up the filter cover in the hopes of simply forcing the stubborn screw to come up. This didn't work. In order to see better I decided to take apart about 20% of my air intake system to have a clear view of the working environment. I was shocked to find a rusted and off-center round nut on that screw! As I have changed my air filter numerous times personally I can assure you that nut is not Ford O.E.M.

Several squirts with Liquid Wrench, two different screwdrivers, and a wrench were insufficient to separate the nut from the screw holding down my air filter cover. In fact when the wrench slipped off the nut, the resulting stream of profanity as my elbow hit the hood latch would have been amusing to anyone watching. I will borrow a Dremel tool within the next few days in order to solve the problem you have given me. On the off chance I find you I will also be applying some Liquid Wrench and a wrench to one of your nuts and see if I have more success.

Thank you,
Disgruntled Customer

Putting The People Back In Politics

Kevin of The Sleepy Sage has a good piece on why having bloggers on the political conventions is an important thing, and the average journalist's reaction to them.

If participation in democracy is a good thing, then shouldn't parts of the political process be open to more people? Shouldn't active participation in our democracy be encouraged?

I would never presume to say that bloggers will override conventional journalists, but blogs are a tool to be used in some situations for some people. I'm all for having extra tools to use.

EDIT: The Grand Ol' Elephants are also inviting some bloggers to their big party next month. I didn't get invited to this one either. Geez, what does a guy need to do to get on the 'In-List' ya know?

The Accidental Tourist

The nice thing about the Canal Trail is that it is made of crushed gravel.  That is important because it keeps the roller bladers off of the trail.  You have walkers, joggers, and bikes only.  It isn't that people on roller blades are evil.  Bladers are almost as fast as a bike, but they have a lot less control.  I can stop almost on a dime; bladers can't.  That reminds me, I wonder how bad my blading skills have atrophied these past few years.  Anyway it means the Canal Trail is less crowded and that is why I really like it even though it is just a little too short for my tastes.  Since our weather is unseasonably cool it makes perfect biking weather.  It was time to say hi to my old friend.

The one problem with the Canal Trail, besides being about 1 mile too short is that it begins in a very crowded Broad Ripple.  Once you bust out of there it is a good ride :)  It has been likely 2 years since I've last ridden this trail and there is one new thing that is very annoying: lots of geese!  The canal has always attracted ducks and a few geese, but those buggers are out of control now.  

Since it was late afternoon and the sun was blocked by the trees I had a good time wearing my contacts.  So much easier to see when a bead of sweet isn't rolling onto any glasses.  The huge barricades across the gravel path were a rude awakening.  There was a bridge across the canal and it appeared the next bridge was past the construction.  Once again, turn left into the unknown.  As I crossed the bridge it changed my perspective enough to allow me to see a large roof.  It was Hinkle Fieldhouse!  The trees and a small hill blocked the view from the opposite side, but moving 40 feet over or so and I could see it easily.  I knew I was always near Butler University, but never had any idea I was that close even when looking at the maps.  You would never see any buildings due to the thick trees.  I was a tourist discovering new things in my own city.  I couldn't get back across the canal because of the reconstruction of that other bridge I saw.  Hey, I always had wanted to ride my bike on campus.

Butler, being a small liberal arts college, has a very beautiful campus.  Well trimmed grass, flowers, water fountains, some very nice sidewalks, though a lack of buildings in red brick seems odd to my eyes.  They have the whole 9 yards.  A team of wannabe-Lance Armstrongs passed me.  They were decked out in the lycra suits and expensive race bikes.  They also go up hills a lot better than I do.  Aspirin would be my friend later that night I was sure.  Hills are very nice going down though and I was blasting through the air past Hinkle into the heart of campus.  I had no idea where I was going, but that is the fun part.  I've been to Butler numerous times for various things, but I usually just followed the signs to the buildings.  I never paid attention to where I was going or how it all connected.

I shot out into the residential streets.  Butler-Tarkington is a very nice neighborhood full of those older, stylish homes that I love.  The lack of traffic is always a plus as well.  I hate cars when I'm on my bike.  Drivers tend to be very rude to us.  If anyone had been paying attention to me they would have thought I had no idea what I was doing.  Untrue, I was simply cruising the neighborhood and wandering around aimlessly on purpose!  I have to admit that exploring a neighborhood on bike or foot is the best way to do it.  I turned up whatever street is before Illinois and started back toward the trail.  I so love that downhill stretch!

I've said for years that you sometimes need to be a tourist in your own town.  That way you discover new things or reawaken old memories.  Or you could do like me and turn left into the unknown.  It has been the best of surprises these past few days.

Big Parties In Politics

As most of you have surmised, if you didn't know already, I'm a bit of a political junkie.  It's so bad that one person commented about an online conversation I was participating in that, "You guys sound like The West Wing."  That being said I don't care too much about the political conventions, at least from a watching on TV point of view.  Over the past 50 years conventions have evolved from a selection of candidates and formation of political platforms to a great big rally the troops party and informercial.  Since I gave up cable TV last night was either bad comedies on UPN or catch Democratic convention on all the other channels. 

Luckily I was really cleaning the living room and just had the TV on as background noise with only one ear listening.  Some thoughts:

• Glen Close: are you a local party chairman, a party organizer, or what?  You're a great actress, but why are you giving the opening remarks for the TV audience?  Seems like some grand poobah of the party should be giving the opening remarks to me.
• It is a very fine line between remembering and honoring the victims of September 11th and exploiting the tragedy.  I found myself unsettled after watching Glen Close's remarks and the mother's story.  I'm not sure on which side of the line the first 10 minutes were last night.
• President Clinton: the man has plenty of flaws, and many of his speeches are rambling messes.  Yet, when all his cylinders are firing his is an amazing orator.  The man was all revved up and in tune last night.

Since conventions are nothing but a big informercial now I'm not going to pay that much attention to them.  Still the informercial does have value when the candidates will finally introduce themselves through an unfiltered media.  No spin, no analysis, no interruptions, the candidates get 30 or 60 minutes to just talk.  At that point you see what you got.

I have to admit it would be cool to be at the convention!  The energy would be amazing and you know my commentary would be great.

Hair For The Weather

The reason I get my hair cut very short in the summer is that it feels fantastic on a typical hot and muggy summer day in the Midwest.  I was sheared last week and it felt great.  I step out of the shower, run a towel through my hair for 5 seconds and I'm done.  No muss, no fuss.  I also have to admit that I think I look very cool with extremely short locks :-)

What's up with this cool fall weather?  It didn't even reach 68 degrees today!  I actually put on a jacket this afternoon because I wasn't sure my t-shirt and shorts would be warm enough as I put in a new air filter.  Luckily there was no real wind or my almost hairless head would have froze.  I may have to wear long sleeves tomorrow if this keeps up.

Minor Updates

Just did a little housecleaning around here.  Added a few links and organized them a bit.  I hope you like.

BTW: does anyone want to hear about my Sunday adventure?  It all started with a lack of orange juice, but it's hard to tell what my audience likes.

Presidential Duties

As the fall semester approaches my thoughts have been turning towards my presidential duties.  I've been finding contact information for speakers that I wish to have.  If I can book a few by August then I won't have to worry about speakers for the rest of the semester.  I'm pondering ideas on how to raise money for the society.  I'll likely ask my treasurer if she wants lunch or dinner sometime this week so we can brainstorm a few ideas and our spreadsheets are in need of some positive cash flow.  I'm also pondering how to get more members interested in the society.

I've figured out how to get people interested in paying dues.  We're going to need a few bake sales to procure it, but this will be the ultimate recruiting piece at the school this year.  For only $4.5 million our society can acquire a 690 foot aircraft carrier!  The 1944 vintage vessel has the honor of being the last carrier built by the British for World War II.  It is the former H.M.S. Vengeance.  It got loaned to Australia in the 1950 so I know the dean will be willing to loan some cash for a piece of Aussie history.  Brazil bought it in 1956 and the vessel has been refitted a numerous times until being decommissioned in 2001.  Brazil hasn't been at war with anyone so you know the ship has been gently used.  Brazil wanted to convert the Minas Gerais, as they named her, into a floating mall, but they got smart and figured a few enterprising individuals like myself would be more interested in her. 



Think of the adventure!  We have to go down to Rio de Janeiro to pick it up, but the long cruise would give us plenty of time to figure out what all the buttons do.  We're not doing anything OctoberBreak, and I know we have a few veterans in the society that should have the proper knowledge on how to operate it.  Besides, there has to be a user manual lying around somewhere right?

I know one person that is flight qualified for single engine airplanes so we can launch aircraft of it.  Besides, how many other law schools would want to mess with Indy after we take title? 
We get the best education possible because we don't need to prove our reputation is worth all those rankings that magazines give us.
Oh yeah, we're so good in international law that we have an aircraft carrier.  Iceman and Maverick commence strike run.
 
I wonder if such a purchase would be tax deductible as an educational expense?

I'm WHAT Book?

I've never even heard of this book. Should I go to the library and borrow it?
Courtesy of soon to be future classmate Obiter Dictum. *sigh* Why are so many of my classmates so philosophically different than I? It's just going to take that much longer to convince them I'm right ;-)

You're A People's History of the United States!

by Howard Zinn

After years of listening to other peoples' lies, you decided you've
had enough. Now you're out to tell it like it is, with all the gory details and nothing
left out. Instead of respecting leaders, you want to know what the common people have to
offer. But this revolution still has a long way to go, and you're not against making a
little profit while you wait. Honesty is your best policy.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Going For A Saturday Ride

After posting on the greenways I decided I should try some of the new parts.  It wasn't even going to hit 80 degrees today with incredibly low humidity.  A perfect day for a ride.  I'm not sure but I don't believe I've ridden my bike since entering school.  I used to ride those greenways all the time.  The tires were flat and I was missing my water bottle.  A quick trip to the gas station would solve the former.  The tires stated they could handle 40-65 p.s.i. of pressure.  The back tire was filled to 50 p.s.i. and the front tire exploded.  It is always disconcerting when pressurized air sounds like gun going off next to you.  I figured the bike store could install a new inner tube as I shopped for a replacement water bottle.

Less than 15 minutes later I had a good tire and full water bottle.  I normally didn't like the Fall Creek Trail as the section north of Kessler was unmarked, in addition to being on neighborhood streets, and the southern section wasn't that long as it ended at Keystone Ave.  Yet this spring the extension to the Monon was complete and the adventure awaited me.  The trail was light with traffic as it always seems to be.  The crown jewel of the Monon always has the most traffic.  Fall Creek burbled, geese wandered to and from the water, and a few people had fishing poles out.  The new blue steel bridge crossing the creek itself marked the new part.  What was on the other side I didn't know.  But that is the fun part isn't it?  For awhile I could hear the burble of the creek and the roar of the traffic on the road, yet I couldn't see any of it.  I got into some light industrial areas, then caught the side of the railroad that carries the Fair Train next month.  A car went by parallel and below me.  So weird to be so close yet so separate from the automobile traffic.

Fall Creek Trail finally terminated at the Monon where the later used to end.  Turn right and head north towards Broad Ripple and I would see the sights I've seen a hundred times.  Turn left and head south towards the inner city and I would be in unknown territory with new visions.  Turn left into the unknown.  That ws the point of today. 

As I crossed the bridge tressle over the quickly flowing Fall Creek I spotted a blue herron standing in the water simply ignoring the people above it.  A rather large piece of Mother Nature was wading in the middle of a very urban setting.  I continued south through an industrial area.  The remains of railroad tracks that used to service the buildings were everywhere.  Hissing, humming, and puffing sounds were common.  Those were from the machines, not me.  The trail designers had learned something over the years: park benches are good things.  They were plentiful on this new section and some were being used by those needing a quick rest.

The trail is tight with buildings until 25th Street.  Suddenly the buildings set back from the trail allowing me to see the nearing downtown skyline.  Many small streets cross the trail forcing me to slow down and stop to ensure I didn't meet the front end of a Buick.  At the 22nd Street was the hq of Habitat for Humanity.  They were open to the public today until 2pm.  If I had more than 5 minutes I would have liked to gone in.  HfH had a volunteer weekend with the law school last year.  Had I not been committed to something else it would have been interesting to have helped for a day.  Perhaps this year I'll get the chance to help out.  I ran into many people wearing reflective safety vest and carrying trash bags there.  Perhaps a HfH crew helping clean up the neighborhood?  I was passing houses in various states of repair.  Some were well maintained with a sense of pride.  Others had lost their luster long ago.  Sadly many were boarded up and appeared abandoned.

One thing about the unknown is that you'll never know what you'll see.  Several of the factories had murals painted on their sides.  A farmer planting wheat and seeing a huge field of it on the wall and sliding door.  I also found several streets paved with brick!  These lightly traveled residential streets allowed the brick to stay in good condition.  Sometimes the red brick paving went to the next street; other times it went several intersections down the road.  Rather odd to see what I feel is an upscale paving material in what is honestly an economically challenged area.  The city likely never felt a need to put asphalt down as long as the brick stayed in good shape.  What a lucky happenstance!

As I approached 16th Street I could see a concrete and steel ribbon approaching: I-70.  I was also nearing the edge of The Old Northside, a neighborhood I have literally crawled through to examine.  A few kids were flying their kites from the soccer fields.  I could hear the roar of the interstate traffic and passed underneath the inbound lanes.  The gaping hole between I-70, I-65, and 'the spaghetti bowl' was the eye of the hurricane.  A maelstrom of cars, 18-wheelers, and SUVs roared over, behind, and around my silent peddling as they jockeyed through and around downtown.

The Monon's southern terminus is 10th Street.  I have driven by it numerous times when I used Mass. Ave. to get to school.  Instead of sitting in the truck looking up the trail, I was on the trail looking at the traffic.  Being a few feet off from what was 'normal' gives you a different perspective.  Of course heading back northbound would be a different point of view as well.  I had quite a bit to look forward to!

Who's the dog trying to email?

MacGyver, the cowardly family Sheltie, spent a dark and stormy Thursday night inside my dad's home office. When it comes to bad noises MacGyver likes to shelter himself by getting into tight spaces. I guess he figures the bogeyman can't get at him if he's wedged behind a piece of furniture. My parents heard MacGyver rustling around at 1am as the storms went by.

In the morning they weren't surprised to find MacGyver somehow wedged between a computer tower, a desk side, and the paper shredder. They were surprised to see that the computer keyboard had the ENTER key missing. The key was on the floor. Was MacGyver trying to send Lassie an email saying he needed help?

Indy Cultural Tidbits: The Linear Parks of Green and Blue

Okay, it has been awhile since I've done one of these, but the timing was off the last few weeks and I didn't get a chance to crank one of these out.

Indy has little ribbons of crushed gravel or pavement that are surrounded by trees, bushes, and other greenery. Oftentimes, but not always, those ribbons are former abandoned railways that have been converted to trails for pedestrians, inline-skaters, and bicycles. The technical name for them is linear parks; the formal name is greenways. The past decades has seen an explosion in the creation and extension of our greenways. The most popular is the Monon Trail, especially around the Broad Ripple area. While neighboring property owners usually complain about a perceived lack of privacy and the possibility of crime, the greenways usually boost property values because the ribbons of land are no longer abandoned, people exercise and socialize on them, some stores arise to service the needs of the trail users, and art murals are often painted on neighboring buildings to enhance the trail. The original homeowners that complained may build a nice fence to alleviate their privacy concerns, but they usually make their own trailhead to have access to ribbon.



These trails offer unique views of areas that you wouldn't go to in a car. It is also an interesting way to connect people. Think about it, you have poor inner-city people, blue collar working class people, white collar people, and very well-to-do people all using the same trail, the same water fountains, the same benches. I'm not saying that you'll make lifelong friendships on the trails, but it is a good place to people watch. It is a good way to show that we may have different parts to the community, but we are one community.

These greenways are slowly interconnecting this community. Go to the west side of the IUPUI campus and hit the White River Trail. Follow the river north until 30th St or so and then connect to the gravel lined Central Canal Towpath trail. Listen to the peacefulness of the water and trees as you go northeast past the Museum of Art and the Bulter campus. Finally you hit the Monon and you have a choice, head south past the fairgrounds and end up on 10th Street on the eastern part of downtown or head north and eventually go past the county line into the town of Carmel. The last northern extension go to the outer edge of Carmel and recently it was announced they will try to extend the Monon to Westfield where it will hopefully connect with a proposed east-west trail following State Road 32. Even without those proposed extensions you've likely done a 16-17 mile bike ride from downtown Indy to the northern edge of Carmel with little drama. For a more northeasterly route that southern leg of the Monon connects with the newly extended Fall Creek trail just south of the Fairgrounds. I could get within a few miles of my home simply by riding my bike on trails. In our car-centric culture I find that amazing. Now if they added a few bikelanes on the roads it might be practical.



The eastern, western, and southern parts of the city are slowly getting their greenways. Perhaps in a decade you could walk, skate, or bike you're way from any one quadrant of the city to any other quadrant. There is one downside to these greenways though, they are mostly created from old railroad right of ways. Those same right of ways are also being proposed as part of the rapid transit system that I so love. I wonder if you could have both with perhaps a greenway on the land itself and an elevated people mover above it?

Though not connected to much, we have a blue ribbon park as well, the Central Canal. Take a big ditch that bankrupted the state in the early 19th Century, run it through a revitalized downtown and several downtown museums, and you have a pretty urban water landscape. The best thing about this is that it is only a block from school.



Though inspired by the San Antonio Riverwalk I fear it'll never reach that level of success due to our cooler weather. Yet more amenities are slowly adding to the canal. A few shops, some potential eateries, and with luck perhaps a nice bar or two in a few years. Right now it is mostly business, government center, and some nice homes along the canal. It is interesting to watch the slow rise to critical mass though. Rental bikes, rental paddle boats, even rental gondolas, with free music on certain days are evidence of the rising tide. Well, if there were a tide on a canal ;-)

Always Amazing To Me

EDIT 7-23-2004:
Perhaps if you know what it is that will help?
The Rings of Saturn taken by the Cassini probe from 4 million miles.
No artificial colors used in the development of this photo.

Myths About Men

Found this here on MSN.  Purely a subjective thing and I don't agree with all of it.  It does make an interesting and humorous read though.  On the other hand, comments like these could put male/female relationships back 50 years. 

1. Men are not interested in what women have to say
"Men are interested in what women have to say," countered Chris, 27, "as long as it involves one of the following: Our favorite sport, our favorite activity or your naked body. For example, many men would find it extremely interesting if a woman said, 'A couple of years ago, I got so drunk that I showed up nude to a football game.'"
Let's be honest, people talk about topics you're interested in or topics you're not interested in.  Attention varies between levels of interest.  Of course the key is finding a woman who has interesting things to say about things that may not be of interest to me.

2. Men want somebody who is just like their mother
"Men do want somebody who will love them like dear old Mom," admits Eric, 42. "But sometimes Mom also annoys us; we don't want you to be like that. So love, nurture and spoil like her — just don't be her."
No way!  I love my mom, but I certainly don't want a significant other to be like her.  No Oedipus behavior from me.

3. Men only think about sex
"Well, yeah," says Paul, 34. "Thinking about sex takes up a good portion of our brain power, but we don't spend all of our free time pondering when we'll make our next move." Paul also adds, "There are actually plenty of women who are more interested in sex than we are."
I disagree.  Most men are capable of multitasking.  We can think about sex and...umm...something else at the same time.  Someone help me out here, what else can I be thinking of?

4. He's spoiling me, so he must have plenty of money
"No, I don't," assures Brady, 49. "I'm going a little outside my comfort level to woo you, but plan to return gradually to my normal level as you fall, hopefully, madly in love with me."
Okay, if trinkets are the key to your love that isn't a good sign.  That being said there is nothing wrong with expressing your feelings with some heartfelt gifts.  The unexpected flowers can invoke a very nice smile.

5. If I sleep with him on the first date, he won't respect me
"Not necessarily," suggests Juan, 21. "My impression of you is based more on how you treat me and how we connect than whether or not we're intimate on the first date."
Nothing I say about this one will be construed in any good way.  I'll just say nothing now.

6. I can change him
"No, you can't," replies Jacques, 30. "Oh, you might get us to behave differently for a while. We might wear some newer shirts or clean up after ourselves for a few weeks, but I'm only doing it because I want to do — at least that is what I'm telling myself."
This is a problem between the sexes, though mostly exhibited through women IMHO.  If you view the partner as a fixer-upper then you've already lost the battle.  The questions isn't "Can I fix him up?" it is "Can I take him as he is?"

7. Men are interested in my dating history
"I couldn't care less about your sexual history," says Thomas, 19. "I don't care if you've had one or 20 partners; just don't tell me about any of them."
Except for Dante in 'Clerks', this kid is right.  What is in the past is in the past.  As long as you don't openly compare us to some ex we don't care what you've done in the past.
Okay kid, if anyone you're dating has already had 20 partners just whip out the hazmat suit right now.

8. Men don't like women who make the first move.
"Sure we do," returns Romero, 39. "It's less work for us and shows us you have good taste."
Since my 'interest radar' has numerous leftover, rusted out commie parts in it, if you do have an interest in me please let me know.  If men and women are truly equal, then there is no problem with her making the first move.  Part of the problem is that society has taught the traditional gender roles of man/aggressor and woman/non-aggressor.

9. Men prefer inexperienced women
"That's one of the great myths," admits Chuck, 52. "In reality, we'd rather be with someone who knows what they're doing."
This is also like #5, nothing I could say will be construed in any good way.  I'll just shut up.

10. Men are strong
"No," assures Michael, who just turned 40. "We're babies, especially when we've got a cold or you break our hearts.
Babies, nah.  Of course if I'm having a cold or a broken heart or both at the same time I am definately feeling miserable!  How do you want to measure 'strong' anyway?  Strong, silent type?  Capable of handling any problem by himself?  Bleh, stupid myth if you really think about it.

Obnoxious Road Singer

You know those people that just crank up the radio and start singing along with the lyrics to the detriment of the fellow travelers? That was me today :-) I couldn't help it I swear! One of the best party songs ever hit the radio and I had to start screaming along with it with the windows rolled down.  The 50-something lady in the Caddy next to me didn't seem to appreciate my lyrical ability.  I just cranked up the radio even louder with the appropriately placed pelvic thrusts.  So what was the good song?

Baby Got Back by Sir Mixalot!

I like big butts and I can not lie
You other brothers can't deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waste
And a round thing in your face
You get sprung
Wanna pull up front
Cuz you notice that butt was stuffed
Deep in the jeans she's wearing
I'm hooked and I can't stop staring
Oh, baby I wanna get with ya
And take your picture
My homeboys tried to warn me
But with that butt you got
Me so horny
Ooh, rub all of that smooth skin
You say you wanna get in my Benz
Well use me, use me cuz you ain't that average groupy

I've seen them dancin'
The hell with romancin'
She sweat, wet, got it goin' like a turbo 'Vette

I'm tired of magazines saying flat butt's the only thing
Take the average black man and ask him that
She gotta pack much back, so
Fellas (yeah), fellas (yeah)
Has your girlfriend got the butt (hell yeah)
Well shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, shake that healthy butt
Baby got back

(LA face with Oakland booty)

I like'em round and big
And when I'm throwin' a gig
I just can't help myself
I'm actin like an animal
Now here's my scandal

I wanna get you home
And ugh, double ugh, ugh
I ain't talkin' bout Playboy
Cuz silicone parts were made for toys
I wannem real thick and juicy
So find that juicy double
Mixalot's in trouble
Beggin' for a piece of that bubble
So I'm lookin' at rock videos
Watchin' these bimbos walkin' like hoes
You can have them bimbos
I'll keep my women like Flo Jo
A word to the thick soul sistas
I wanna get with yaI won't cus or hit ya
But I gotta be straight when I say I wanna fuck
Til the break of dawn
Baby, I got it goin on
A lot of pimps won't like this song
Cuz them punks like to hit it and quit it
But I'd rather stay and play
Cuz I'm long and I'm strong
And I'm down to get the friction on

So ladies (yeah), ladies (yeah)
If you wanna role in my Mercedes (yeah)
Then turn around
Stick it out
Even white boys got to shout
Baby got back

(LA face with the Oakland booty)
Yeah baby
When it comes to females
Cosmo and got nothin to do with my selection
36-24-36
Only if she's 5'3"

So your girlfriend rolls a Honda
Playin' workout tapes by Fonda
But Fonda ain't got a motor in the back of her Honda
My anaconda don't want none unless you've got buns hon
You can do side bends or sit-ups, but please don't lose that butt
Some brothers wanna play that hard role
and tell you that the butt need to go
So they toss it and leave it
And I pull up quick to retrieve it
So Cosmo says you're fat
Well I ain't down with that
Cuz your waste is small and your curves are kickin'
And I'm thinkin' bout stickin'
To the beanpole dames in the magazines
You ain't it Miss Thang
Give me a sista
I can't resist her
Red beans and rice didn't miss her
Some knucklehead tried to dis
Cuz his girls were on my list
He had game but he chose to hit 'em
And pulled up quick to get with 'em
So ladies if the butt is round
And you wanna triple X throw down
Dial 1-900-mixalot and kick them nasty thoughts
Baby got back

Conventions

One of my more liberal friends made me aware of this. I figured I should share. He has a sense of humor...sometimes.

Congrats To The Mentee

I adopted several first year students last year.  They're like lost dogs that I find and take care of.  I try to offer wisdom and guidance, or at least beer and restaurant recommendations.  One of them has made it onto a law review.  Yeah.  Sadly it is not the law review I am on.  Sadly I can't mentor you over there. 

The work involved in a law review journal is extreme.  It will involve much sacrifice of time and effort.  Still it is a good experience.  The law review provides a ready made support structure for someone to write their paper.  I feel very sorry for those third years who needed to come up with a paper before graduation on their own.  An experience I'm glad to have avoided.  If you do happen to get published it is a thrill to the ego.

Good luck young one.  You'll need it, but I have faith in you!

What's In A Name

My ultra sexy ethnic stud-muffin name is Sebastian Suave.
Take The Ethnic Stud Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

Courtesy of Lawren.

Good Self-Torture

I know what The Color Test is doing and it is very difficult for many people.  I did get 100% twice though :)

Cool Horoscope is somewhat lame, but there is at least one section of the 'analysis' that I found to be absolutely funny.  Just be careful about the people you pick ;-)  Oh, don't open Cool Horoscope at work.  Nothing naughty on the sidebar, like nudity, but definately not a professional sidebar for the work environment.

Who Wants Lunch?

I'm going to look at the positive aspects of this unemployment issue.
Who wants to have lunch sometime?
I'm a people person and I miss my people. I have plenty of free time now so I can cruise around town or up a highway to say hi to my favorite peeps.
Just call, email, or reply here.

Possible Iraqi Nukes?

I'm currently hearing this on the radio right now and haven't found anything online yet to confirm this.
As reported by UPI, near Tikrit, Iraqi security forces have found 3 missles that appear to have armed with nuclear warheads.
As this is an unconfirmed report I am of the opinion of wait and see.That being said, if it is true the implications are amazing.

Finally a public transportation decison?

Though ultimately it is simply a decision on merely having a route that goes from downtown Indy into Hamilton County, it is a good sign that at least some public officials appear to have the balls to finally MAKE a decision on some possible paths.

"The question was, was it more important to hit the airport or to go more into Hamilton County for a starter system?" said Philip Roth, senior planner for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization. "That's what will be decided Wednesday."

While both an airport route or a deeper penetration into Hamilton County have merits, I would initially choose the airport route.  Whatever route selected will get into Fishers at least allowing a good base of customers to select public transit for their daily commute.  The airport route is pure advertising and bragging rights to outsiders.  Normally not the strongest argument, but this is a special case.  Indy is a HUGE convention city.  The ability to have some type of transit from the airport to the downtown would be a big advertisement of a 'world-class' Indianapolis to convention planners and attendees.  Sometimes you need a perception of world-class in order to build the reality of world-class.  Building an airport leg would aid to that perception.  Who knows, with an increase of convention spending the city could collect enough taxes to extend the other leg further into Fishers/Noblesville territory or *gasp* build another leg to another section of the metro area.  How about south towards Greenwood?

"Because standard federal support is limited to $425 million, planners explained, the pathways are somewhat limited. With an equal sum from local revenues, the transit system could extend 17 to 28 miles from the inner city, depending on the transit method chosen.
For example, the projected $850 million investment would carry an elevated people mover system 17 miles from Downtown Indianapolis, light rail 21 miles and a rapid transit bus system 28 miles, reaching into Noblesville."

I realize the elevated people mover has a higher upfront infrastructure cost, but it's per-mile passenger cost is around a dime per mile.  That means it can pay for itself.  Light rail needs around $1.30 to $1.50 per passenger per mile, and a rapid bus is over $2.  The later will need public subsidies to operate.  The first will not.  How about using the 'profit' (I know a weird term to use with public transportation) to maintain and enhance the system?

Choosing a route and choosing a form of transit are decisions that will require vision and leadership.  Sadly those are two traits that are lacking in many 'leaders' today.  Just build the damn thing!

EDIT 7-21-2004:

The Northeast Corridor route from downtown to Fishers/Noblesville was selected.
No decision on what type of technology to use, nor any specific route itself.  At least it is a start, but the earliest we'll have rapid transit in the Indy metro area would still be 2010.  Sigh.

Failure To Recycle

Work has a phrase that just reminds you of how much of a cog you are in the machine: recycled.  If you fail to qualify for grading an assignment you get recycled into another assignment.  If your assignment finishes early you'll be recycled into another assignment.  Last Wednesday our team finished grading all the math exams so we were recycled into new training for 8th Grade Social Studies.  If I thought the math exams had some fuzzy standards on how to grade them, it was nothing compared to the truly nebulous standards of review I was learning now.  Not quite arbitrary and capricious, but not too much better either.
 
Work also has a rule of only allowing you two chances to qualify for grading.  If you fail to qualify you will hopefully get recycled if there is work to be done elsewhere.  Today was my second and final chance to qualify.  To give you proper perspective on how difficult this assignment was, the first group of 23 people qualified zero individuals.  To find the 6 members of the original social studies team, it took the attempted qualifying of over 60 people.  In contrast my math team qualified 5 out of 6 people and we got done a week and a half early.  56 new trainees started last Thursday.  The strategy was simple: train everyone available, weaken the standards a little bit, and get as many people qualified so the assignment will end on time by next Tuesday.  12 people qualified the first time on Monday.  The rest of us attempted to qualify again today.  I don't know how many failed, but I was among them.
 
To make it even worse, there are no new assignments coming up.  I was under the impression that this place was pretty busy year round.  I was wrong.  By next Tuesday everyone would be out of work as the assignment finished; the next assignment wouldn't start up until early October.  Great, as a law student I can handle a job for about three and a half weeks before being let go.  I really needed this job, or at least any paying job for the summer.  Perhaps a job at Wal-Mart or Target is in order?  Do I need to tell them that I only want the position until mid-August?  Hey, if I were hired by the end of the week, then got through the pee test and training would it be almost time to give 2 weeks notice?
 
This is truly the frustrating thought: I am a responsible adult who has gotten himself into a situation where I have so little control over my own life.  I have put myself into a position where fairly ordinary life events now have major impact upon my life. 
 
This has been one of the higher prices paid to be in school.  I am at the mercy of events beyond my control and I no longer have a safety cushion to fall back upon.  I've been laid off numerous times before.  Though angry at those times I wasn't very worried because I always had a rainy day fun set aside for exactly that purpose.  My rainy day fund was exhausted almost two years ago to pay for books, pay off debts, buy a laptop, etc.  I despise being in a position where I have to ask my family for the money to pay for summer classes because the school suddenly had no money available for summer students, unexpected E.R. visits, broken differentials, leaking bathroom pipes, or just the damn phone bill! 
 
This has been the summer of one step forward, four steps back.  Even the smallest victories seem to have been such a struggle to achieve.  The minor defeats so ultimately frustrating.  The major defeats so utterly devastating.  The sad thing is that adding all these problems together still results in a moderately small amount.  The money cost of the problems are not that big in the grand scheme of things.  Many people would kill to have my problems.  There are people dying in civil wars, suffering from cancer, getting called up for active duty, living through a tornado, getting beat with alligators, or having their bedrooms flooded in the monsoons!  Yet it is all about the feeling of control.  I can't control cancer, war, the weather, and domestic violence.  I used to have some control over the problems in my life and now I don't.  I decided to go to school so I could chart my own course in the face of the wind, yet as many of us are discovering now, the wind still controls us.
 
Tomorrow is a new day.  I'll see if I can salvage anything from today then.  I think I'll start off with dumping some things in the recycling bin.

Don't Make Me Break Out The Gator On You!

I couldn't make this up if I tried:
 
Man accused of hitting girlfriend with alligator
July 19, 2004
PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- A man is facing charges of battery and possession of an alligator after he hit his girlfriend with one of the animals during an argument in the couple's mobile home, authorities said.
 
Why is it always a mobile home that is involved in stories like this?
 
Nancy Monico, 39, told investigators that David Havenner, 41, beat her with his fists, then grabbed the 3-foot alligator and swung it at her as she tried to escape, sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said. 
 
Of course, using a gator as a club is perfectly reasonable.
 
Monico said the animal hit her at least once. She also told authorities that Havenner threw empty beer bottles at her, Davidson said. 
 
What?  Alcohol was involved?  You have to be kidding me!
 
Havenner's version of the story differed.  He told investigators that Monico bit his hand because she was upset that they had run out of alcohol. 
 
So the gator was used in self-defense then?  Does Florida allow open carry on a gator or is a special license required for conceal carry of the gator?
 
Havenner was scheduled for a bond hearing on misdemeanor charges of battery and possession of an alligator.
 
I wonder what felony possession of the gator would be?  Battery can be bumped up to a felony if deadly enough means are used.  Would you need to swing a larger gator as a club to get felony charges?

Quotes From The Weekend

Names withheld to protect the guilty.
 
Wow, I didn't expect you for another hour.  How fast we're you driving?
Don't ask.  Don't tell.
 
Okay, pick any DVD you want to watch.  That way you'll be entertained as I finish up the last boxes.
Oh you can be entertaining to watch at times.
 
You have succeeded in picking a movie that I would have no inclination to see.  Perfect :)
 
[Halfway through the DVD] Wow, Desperado was so good.  I can't understand how Once Upon A Time In Mexico is so bad!  This movie is so bad it's now funny to watch it.
 
Hey look out for that hole.
What ho (thud)?
 
I have no idea how this table got in here in the first place.  I've taken 5 screws out and burned out the tips of two cheap screwdrivers already and it still is in one piece.
Hey, you don't suppose that if we spread the tabletop apart there might be a bolt of something we can reach to take the top off?
[clack, clack, clack, as table leaves spread apart]
SONOFABITCH!
 
I don't think these stair meet code.
You mean 15 degree lists aren't allowed in Chicago?
 
Great, you've just wedged me against this wall with the cabinet.
Sorry man.  Are you feeling okay?
No, the door handle is in my crotch right now.
 
Wow, this U-Haul has a Triton V-10 engine in it.  I wonder what the gas mileage on this thing is?
About the same as a navy cruiser.
 
Yeah my new apartment is on the third floor.
The third floor?  Oh this just keeps getting better and better.
 
[upon learning that I would be driving the U-Haul]
Okay, I'll follow you, but don't accelerate or break quickly on the interstate.  Boat this big don't stop on a dime.
 
You give a 15 year old Mountain Dew and he keeps going and going just like the Energizer Bunny.
Oh to be young and invulnerable again.  Hey if he wants to carry that big box by himself I'll watch here from the shade.
 
Once we shower we can go to dinner.
True, but that would involve us getting off the floor wouldn't it?
 
[Upon peeling my shirt past my nose]
WHOA!!  OMG!  I have found weapons of mass destruction!
 
Well, the good news is that I've found the flaws in your new shower.  The bad news is that they are the following: . . .
 
I love this window.  It is such an odd architectural feature.
Yeah it is.  A shame it looks upon a Chrysler dealership.
 
Let's not mess with the small stuff.  Just go directly to the pitcher of marguritas.
 
 

Live The View

Your host is up in Chicago for the weekend.  This wayback file is meant to keep you entertained until the host comes back.  Strangely enough this travelogue touches upon many issues that the host has previously discussed on Confessions.
 
Wednesday June 20,  2001
 
Hello All,
I'm sorry I haven't kept you up to date.  Due to technical, social, and timing issues I haven't been online very much.  So let's have some fun.
 
Monday was nice and lazy.  Portland is "the city of roses" and they have a Rose Garden to prove it.  My mom would go nuts in this place.  Several acres of rose displays.  I truthfully did stop to smell the roses.  Some were quite sweet.  What was cool was that there were so many surprises.  I would go down a trail and see a great scene of downtown Portland.  I took a pic.  Go another 20 feet and take a slight turn and suddenly there was Mt Hood in the distance.  WOW!
 
Up a rather tall hill was a Japanese Garden.  Very peacefull and tranquail, and quite authentic.  They warned there were no wheelchair ramps and that the whole place is slippery when wet.  I proved that the hard way ;-)  By a pavilon was an excellent view of downtown Portland with Mt Hood in the distance.  got a nice pic of that.
 
The big thing Monday was spending time with my old friend Val and her new daughter Erin.  It was good to catch up.  Luckily for Val Erin appears to still be in the eating and sleeping phase of life.  That'll change soon enough.
 
Tuesday was traveling a bit.  I headed out 40 minutes east to see the Bonneville Dam and Locks.  Amazing the amount of hydroelectric power they generate there.  I saw a properler that weighed 18,000lbs.  The fish ladder was cool to wait.  Look through the glass and catch the fish swimming upstream including salmon coming back to spawn.  In the next room are fish-counters.  They manually count the fish they see and keep track.  Not a job I would want.
 
Portland is the only US city to have an extinct volcano in it's city limits and they turned Mt. Tabor into a cool park.  I drove up as far as I could and then hiked the rest of the way to the top.  Views of Portland on one side and on the other was a bench that had some trees removed in front and there was Mt Hood again.  I'm on one volcano (1,000 feet tall) looking at another volcano (10,000 feet tall) some 40 miles distance.  Gave me a chance to write some post cards.  Nice way to spend a mid afternoon.
 
I saw Tomb Raider with Rob and Steve.  It's a live action video game, but it wasn't bad.  If you're looking for a next generation Indiana Jones though....not even close.  I've been having some good Thai food in Indy that IS NOT the watered down midwesteren version.  Nice and spicey.  So when the 3 of us went to a Thai place after Tomb Raider I figured their medium would be...well medium-ish.  It wasn't scolding and I did enjoy it, but wow, it was far more potent than I had planned.  I normally deal with the 3 out of 5 or sometimes level 4 hot.  But that was nuclear fusion hot ;-)   Tasted great.
 
I hope those native to the area truly appreciate all they have.  Mountains to climb and ski on, big rivers to play in and windsurf on (who would have thought a windsurfing mecca would be on the Columbia River east of Portland and 90 miles from the nearest ocean?)  It would be nice to have a few things in Indy like bike lanes, easier access to recycling, and a Dept of Transportation that doesn't use salt on the roads in winter.  There are mid-80's cars here that still look great because of the lack of salt in the winter.  Believe me, not due to lack of snow.
 
I'm thankful of the last few days.  Nice and slow paced.  When you're seeing friends it can be that way.  Normally I'm on full afterburner for 4-5 days at a time on a vacation.  So now we're going to what I'm used to ;-)
 
Cruised up to Seattle today.  3.5 hours of driving.  Got caught in some traffic jam for a few miles.  Was highly annoyed.  I'm trying to find my parking garage, but it's too choatic.  So I park in one garage ($5/hour) so that I can scout around for the other garage that'll let me keep my car there overnight for only $10.  Actually they'll have it for 3 days but more on that soon.  I didn't mind the $5 to park because at least I found the things I needed while walking.  Driving around in a city you're not familiar with while looking for some things is never a good thing.
 
I parked and walked 6 blocks to my hostel and checked in.  For those unfamiliar with the concept you live in something that's akin to a college dorm.  So I'm sleeping in a room with 5 strangers, so what!  We're all strangers to each other and for $20/night you can't beat it.  My stuff is in a locker in the room that you padlock and you just carry your daybag for what you need for the day.  Great way to meet interesting people if you ask me :-)
 
I took the monorail to Seattle Center (Space Needle)> and found "Ride the Ducks".  With a cool title like that you have to be interested.  When it involves WW2 amphious assualt vehicles (ducks) it's mega-cool.  We're cruising around the waterfront, Safeco Field, the highways and byways and then launch INTO Lake Union.  Got to see some nice boats, houseboats, and floating homes (not the Sleepless in Seattle one though).  Then it's time for the Space Needle and one very nice meal at the SkyCity restaruant.  500' up, Lake Union to my left, Puget Sound to the right, in front is Mt. Rainer.  So priceless.  As the place revoled you see all of Seattle area.  Only takes a 1.5 horsepower motor to rotate the dining area.  Normally I wouldn't partake of a $50 meal, but you have to have the seared tuna with Almond Joy drink and a cheese cake.  I wanted to keep seeing the view so I kept ordering deserts and drinks ;-)  Not tipsy at all occifer ;-)
 
Their motto is Live The View.  Quite appropriate given what's there and what I've seen these last few days.  I'll be doing a camping trip for the next few days.  No computer obviously.  Go to Mt Rainier tomorrow and Mt St. Helens on Friday.  Get back like 9pm then.  They provide the gear (backpacks, sleeping bags, food, etc) and I just bring a few things like flashlight, clothes.  www.bearfootbackpack.com I believe is the web site.  Quite a few views there I suspect.
 
It's tempting to just move out here ;-)  No wonder Indiana has a hard time keeping it's people.  It's very flat with no rivers.  Ummm....don't give me ideas.
 
But I do thing we could learn a few things in the Hoosier State.  I rather like the aggressive urban growth policies of Portland.  Build nothing past this line until we're full on the other side.  No sprawl, but the downside is rising housing prices.  Perhaps there's a medium out there someowhere.
 
Time to go for now.  It'll be a few days before I can right back.  I don't entend to fall of the mountain.  Have fun all.
Brian

Leaving Pieces Of You

The more philosophical side of me believes that in our stronger, more meaningful, relationships  we leave pieces of each other within ourselves as a reaction to being so intensely involved with that other person.  The types of relationships I'm thinking of are as a parent, child, a close friend, spouse, lover, significant other; the kinds of relationships where we have to be vulnerable to each other. 
 
I'm helping CAG move this weekend.  I've found it cosmically humorous that we have a better relationship now 200 miles apart than when we dated when she was a student here, hence why I let her talk me into helping her move.  The pairing of a liberal feminist who never wants anyone to hold the door open for her and the old-fashioned romantic conservative who liked to bring a few flowers at times and hold the door open for a woman had to be a cosmic joke.  Since I'm writing in the past tense you can tell the romantic relationship ultimately failed, though not for our political/philosophical differences I feel.
 
So what piece of her is within me?  I can't identify any trait that is a result of our relationship, but I identify a result: I'm in law school partially because of her.  No I don't want to sue her for intentional infliction of harm.  She was an older returning student and I figured if she could quit a good job to become a student to chase her dreams, then I could quit a bad job and become a student chasing my dreams as well.  She inspired me quite a bit, though she never knew it at the time.
 
So what piece of me is within her?  For the last few years I've thought nothing, but a few weeks ago something happened to change my mind.  Her mother, whom I don't believe knows that CAG and I dated, told me something interesting: Brian, whenever she talks about her male friends it is always Bob and Mike or Rich.  But when she talks of you it is always 'my friend Brian.'  She always talks of you differently with that extra meaning: my friend Brian.  You mean something special to her.
 
Perhaps I had much more of an effect than I realized at the time?  So ends the philosophy discussion for tonight.

Run Ditka Run!

This isn't even on the internet yet, but I just heard it on TV so it must be true ;-)

Mike Ditka, yes the Chicago Bears linebacker and coach Iron Mike Ditka, has decided against running for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

'Dit-KA!' stated that he was unsure how he would react with Senators that disagreed with him. That was the point! I wanted a helmet underneath his desk so when I'm watching C-SPAN with my beer and nachos and he suddenly launch a spear tackle against Teddy Kennedy I can do happy dance! Where's Terry Tate and is he from Illinois?

Some Random Thoughts

Warning: tonight was the Chatterbox, the Rathskeller for a school/Indy Bar Association social function, and even more Chatterbox. So I am definitely having many profound thoughts. I simply can't articulate all of them at this time. I may not be able to articulate the ones I get out very well either. Geez.

1: Many lawyers are closet alcoholics. Or they are close to being alcoholics. The amount of beer myself, my classmates, and the attorneys that were assigned to us is amazing. It isn't like we were drinking Miller Lite.

2: Always good to see my favorite Brainy Blonde Babe who got me interested in blogging and was the first student blog I read. Good luck in your studies and you will be invited to a 'Cheesy Movie Night' upon your return from vacation in August.

3: It was good to meet, if briefly, Joshua Claybourn who allowed me the chance to first blog at Sapere Aude. It is somewhat weird to know someone from their writings, yet not know the person who writes them. Which reminds me, I need to post something there soon as I've had an idea for a post for the last few weeks, but simply haven't created it yet. I don't want to be accused of shirking my duties there. The ability to communicate to my classmates is something that I hold sacred so the written craft sometimes needs to ferment with me.

4: I STILL have someone's surprise package that she has not picked up from her mail folder. I took it out of your folder and I hoped to see that someone at the IBA Summer Connection so I could give it to you at the 'Skeller, but you weren't there sadly. You want to do Starbucks or dinner sometime so you can finally enjoy your surprise package? No I am not telling you what it is as it would not be a surprise package then.

5: Resolution for the new school year that I will keep. I WILL be more social with my law school family. As I saw the many faces tonight I realized that time was short to enjoy each other's company. This is our special time now. It is time to cherish it through our work and sacrifice.

6: Concerning a conversation at my second Chatterbox encounter: given my unique social situation as the old man do you truly believe I'll simply settle for anyone? When you find that soulmate you don't simply settle. One advantage, if you want to call it that, is that I've seen far too many people settle. The price paid is too high in those situations. I may not learn from my own mistakes, but I tend to learn from other's.

7: As a classmate noted, "It is time to mark our mark." Time for me to kick it up a notch. It is time to blaze a trail of glory.

That Slow Sinking Feeling

Oh how lovely. You remember that take home Business Associations final that I put off until the last minute? I got the grade I likely deserved. At least a 2 credit class can't really affect my cummulative GPA that much. After that first job grades won't matter at all. It is that first job that I'm worried about. Come on Sales don't fail me now!

Grades are not the measure of a person. Grades are not the measure of a person. Grades are not the measure of a person.

The Children Are Our Future & We're So Screwed

Tomorrow our little group will likely finish grading the 11th grade math exams for Kentucky two weeks ahead of schedule. Why so fast? We're so good at our job! After grading 11,000 of these things I've become convinced that I'll either need to double check that my future children are learning what they are supposed to be learning or scrap up the dough for private school.

I realize there will be a few great math students, several good ones, many average ones, and hopefully only a few bad students to create a proper bell curve. However I am getting the impression that 'average' is being dumbed down. Some of the answers I am grading are so unrealistic that I have no idea what student could have legitimately put pencil to paper on some of them. 3.2 ka-jillion dollars?????? The odometer on a car going backwards????? Converting inches to miles??? Oh boy!

Hopefully I'll get to grade science next. The social studies essays sound like garbage.

Wonder & Mundane

The fury of an Indiana thunderstorm is a wonder to behold. The wind, the clouds rushing by, the splash of the rain, the cacophony of thunder, and the arcing of lightning. I find it relaxing to turn off the lights, the radio, and everything else just to open the blinds and see Mother Nature in all her glory. The front went by and I was watching back end of it from a bench. I saw the lightning start at the far left of my vision, arc from cloud to cloud, and go near to the far right of my eyesight. The whole thing easily took at least 6 or 7 seconds. Then the train rumble of thunder took so long you thought it would never stop. So as I'm watching in awe of the planet we can't control, what are my thoughts? I hope Kelly's basement isn't flooding again!

While definitely an important thought it didn't quite do the moment justice. No offense Kelly.

Great Quotes

I wish I could find a copy online to double check, but I will relate this quote as I heard it on the radio today. Regardless of your political philosophies you have to admit this is a great quote.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and John Kerry's foreign policy adviser were on some morning talk show. Kerry's adviser said that they would be tougher on North Korea than President Bush.
Newt Gingrich replied, "How are you going to be tougher than the president who has invaded both Afghanistan and Iraq?"

¿Dónde está mi conocimiento español?

Sol De Mexico is gone! That was good Mexican restaurant and it was within walking distance. I rather enjoyed watching Mexican soap operas when I was in there. I could catch one word in four. I really need to brush up on my Spanish and get those atrophied neurons fired up again.

Luckily there is another good place on the opposite side of the interstate and their Mexican game shows are just as good. I guess Mexican Star Search was on or some musical show. Plenty of dancing and different bands many of which had a good brass section, including a sousaphone! That's it I need to give up law, head south of the border and be the gringo tubaristo. Roadies and groupies come to me please and enjoy the heavy metal sound. Well, at least it's weighty brass. I could become the next David Hasselhoff you know.

The burritos were good, but I tried to figure out the commercial for the new Dodge Magnum. Suddenly I had to try to figure out what the words on the screen meant. I couldn't do it. Yea, I really need to brush up on my Spanish and get those atrophied neurons fired up again. Maybe there is a Spanish club meeting where people gather once every week or two just to speak the language? I know there is one for speaking French in Indy, but I have no desire to learn French. When I was in France last year my Spanish started to come back to me. It was totally useless in Lille and confused the locals when I ended the sentence with Spanish vocabulary, but the knowledge is trapped in my fragile mind. You either use it or you loose it. I don't want to be purely monolingual. Any Spanish speakers around here that I can learn from?

Something Isn't Right Here!

Let me describe some of my activities these past few weeks. Usually 3 to 5 times a week I've been working out like a good boy. Usual workout consists of 3.2 miles on ski thingy, 2.3 miles on a elliptical stairmaster thingy, and a 1.25 mile run. Hey, 12 more miles and I'll be ready for the Mini-Marathon. Yes, this does take me over an hour and a half and the amount of sweat produced is amazing. Such conditioning has appeared to help me with my weekend warrior football game as I had surprising, to some, speed this Sunday and I'll usually win the battle of momentum. So how come I've gained 6lbs?

It better be all muscle damnit! Great, just what I need: MORE leg muscles! Below my waist everything is great, but if my upper body was built like my lower I would be in Hollywood making $100 million dollar summer blockbusters saying cheesy one-liners and blowing stuff up. I am the Brianator! I hate weight machines and free weights, but I might have to start using them a bit. Lifting a 26lb backpack (I weighed it last semester) shouldn't be all the upper body conditioning I get. Besides, you never know when I'll need to smack down an uppidty first year!

Relax and smell the flowers

Tales Of The Gun

"The gun has played a critical role in history... An invention that has been praised and denounced... served hero and villain alike... and carries with it moral responsibility. To understand the gun is to better understand history."
- Prologue to The History Channel series 'Tales of the Gun'

"With great power comes great responsibility."
- Postmodern American Philosopher Stan Lee

A classmate expressed her realization of the power and responsibility of a gun when she held her brother's police-duty weapon for the first time. My thoughts were that is a good sentiment to have if you've never held a gun before or even if you have. Regardless of your position on guns, they are always a thing of great power and should always be treated with respect.

That being said, I was saddened by her desire to never want to even touch a gun again. Actually 'saddened' is too strong a word as I respect her decision to not want the responsibility. If it were a decisions solely based on fear, then I would be saddened. You may not conquer fear, but you can confront it to an extent.

I've had the pleasure of teaching numerous people, both male and female, proper firearms safety. I've had the classes to become a certified firearms safety instructor, but never turned in the paperwork and fee due to a bout of unemployment that occurred at the time. First and foremost throughout my lessons were the themes of responsibility and power. That shotgun, pistol, or rifle can inflict terrible damage if handled improperly aka you did something stupid. One reason why I never let a student near a gun for the first 30 minutes. We covered lots of other important things first as I didn't need a jittery person near the trigger regardless of the fact that nothing was loaded! My responsibility was to provide a proper, safe, and hopefully fun educational experience. Sending lead downrange is fun, and seeing an uncertain student realize that the mystery within an enigma isn't as complicated as they thought is fun for me.

Have all my students desired to accept the responsibility of so much power in their hands? Likely no. Have all my students realized the responsibility involved with such power? Yes. That is the best I can do.

Publish or Perish

One reason why I decided against going for my Ph.D. (well after I failed to get into grad school the first time) was that in academia you had to publish or perish. I disliked the culture that forced you to write when perhaps you had nothing to write about or maybe you preferred teaching to performing research. Novel concept, I know, but some professors preferred to teach!

ironically enough, through blogging I've occasionally experienced some of this. You, the audience, really like to read these things. You may not like to comment, but you do appear and spend some time here. Some days I feel a little guilty for not having anything up or if I do have something up it's a fluff piece. But what happens when the bloggers suffer burnout? Unlike others I don't feel the need to shut down comments, heck I don't get that many so I feel no need to moderate them. I certainly don't feel the need to shut down Confessions, but it is amazing that even within this small circle of Six Degrees of The Cooper we've expressed a little burnout at times.

I do feel a little burnout now, with a little of it from blogging, but most of it from my online discussion group. Currently Atlas, our group name, is rehashing, yet again, a topic that we've beaten to death for over a year and a half. Because this is an election year the battle lines have been drawn between the factions and the action gets hot and heavy. Well, at least it gets heavy for one faction that has been foaming at the mouth for at least 6 months as the Pillars of Centrist Indiana and the conservative base have been quiet this week. I feel those two factions are simply watching the rapid discussions with mild amusement and letting our liberal base expend lots of energy early. It's a marathon, not a sprint, but I'm not going to explain that to them. They may publish a lot, yet perish from their own exhaustion.

RIP Retro '80's

So 93.9 FM decides to change formats. All week they've been playing TV themes as a joke to keep us guessing what the format would become. I loved hearing Airwolf as I was taking a curvy road. 21 Jump Street was a cool show, but horrible theme song. Rawhide is a classic.

So at 6:45am 93.9 The Song was born. A family friendly and uplifting experience according to the promo. It is all crappy religious music. Please don't misunderstand me, many a great song has been inspired by religion or religious experiences. That is fine. Rockified hymnals on the other hand are never good. If I want to listen to church music I would go to church! After listening for 10 minutes I was nearing a sugary sweet induced coma and I reached for the CD player with Limp Bizket loaded in as an antidote. Thank you lord for angst and power riffs!

I have to wonder what numb-nutted, ass-munch, shit for brains moron in the Emmis empire decided that this was a good programming change idea? Luckily under the Business Judgment Rule management can't be sued for bad decisions unless they are really off the wall. This might be close. Jesus channels are usually reserved for low wattage stations because they aren't that popular.

Sadly there is nothing between 93.1 and 94.7FM that I can reprogram my preset button to. Man I hate wasting a button!

EDIT 7-10-2004: Whoops. The Emmis Communications empire doesn't own 93.9FM. They're owned by some group called Susquehanna. I figured I made a mistake when I drove by their studios this evening as that building is only a mile up the road from me. I didn't think Emmis would make such a bone-head manuever so I'm pleasantly surprised. I didn't think CEO Jeff Smulyan, former Seattle Mariners owner btw, would be goofy.

Try This One Starbucks!

Spent the last hour working on something real and it's just taking too long. And now for the lighter side.

I was in a hurry this morning and poured my coffee into a travel mug. I reached into the fridge and started pouring the 'milk' into my coffee. Imagine my surprise when I noticed my 'milk' was orange! Running late I decided to go with it. Who knows, perhaps orange juice and coffee is a good idea.

Perhaps orange flavored coffee is a good idea. Orange juice mixed with coffee is not! One sip convinced my of that. I got out to the MGR during my lunch break and decided to pour the contents out of my travel mug. The 'coffee' wasn't the interesting part. The orange slurry that exited at the end was the interesting part. I don't think we'll see this combo at Starbucks anytime soon.

The Fox and The Brian

I finally hooked up an antenna to my TV. I may have to fiddle with it so Fox59 comes in better as I get extreme static at times. I need it for my Simpsons fix and the Fox59 morning show. They're funny, the lift my spirits, and I'm in lust with several reporters. One has a masters in political science and I would love to pick that brain over dinner and wine. No, not Cody Stark.

I'll have another post concerning antenna TV, but I'll warn you know it'll be Rated R.

Milestone: Happy 3,000th

On July 4th was visitor 3,000 to Confessions. This collection of Brian's random thoughts is slowly becoming more popular. I wonder what will happen when I actively let a majority of my friends know this place even exists?

Confessions has come to serve a purpose that I didn't originally intend, yet is likely one of the most important things to me currently. Confessions allows me to be creative & artistic. Believe it or not I do take great care in the posts I craft. They are things of interest to me at that particular moment, or things that are of general importance to me, yet they are simply not posts that I create to just have something new online. Everything here has some purpose.

Confessions is like my massive travelogue emails and postcards whenever I go on a vacation. I'm taking you along with me on this ride. Buckle up now, you know I have a wild side to me!

Potty Etiquette

This simply falls under the YUCK files.
The nice thing about being a man is that we can pee standing up, oddball devices for the ladies notwithstanding. We can cycle in and out of a restroom with speed that is unknown to females. Yet there is a certain etiquette that must be upheld: never talk to the person next to you unless you're carrying on a previous and ongoing conversation, selection of open urinals, things like that.

One thing I would like to add: do not pee on your neighbor. One thing about my job is that I get to wear shorts. Normally I like this, until today when my calf received a splash effect. How do you even bring this up with the offender? What rules govern such a bathroom foul as this? Luckily the offender finished first and then left, without washing his hands I might add. I used a paper towel and soap to scrub down the afflicted area.

I know that sometimes we can project with so much force that it feels like we can put out a western wildfire, but please remember to use CONTROL!

On a slightly less disgusting note: it appears that other people are willing to answer their cell phone while using the facilities. Dude, let the call go to voicemail. You'll be able to call back in a minute or two.

We Try To Take Care Of Each Other

Thanks to Kelly for reminding us that it as time, or past time in our case, to register for the MPRE. Once upon a time I could remember my calendar in my head. Now if I don't have it in a Day Planner and have reminders in it for deadlines I'll never remember it. I love paying the doubled late fee :-)

Stupid grad-school induced senility!

Have You Ever Noticed ...

that the food pyramid put out by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture is very anti-Atkins. They want 6-11 servings of bread, rice, ceral, and pasta in a day. I'm not sure you can get 6-11 servings of bread and pasta in a week on Atkins.




Speaking of food, have you ever noticed that the tastier something is the worse it is for you? What kind of cruel joke on us is that?

Along the same lines, have you ever noticed that sometimes something bad can be repackaged into something good. I've always hated mushrooms. The texture is spongy and the taste does nothing for me. Over the weekend I was served some mushrooms that had some oil put on them before they were cooked over a charcoal flame. Being slightly burnt actually added some texture to and taste to them. I picked up a few mushrooms tonight at the grocery store.

One last have you ever noticed that the spam you get must indicate you're a really messed up individual. Todays check of my InBox indicates that I need not only a penile enhancement, but breast augmentation, and hormone replacement therapy as well! I didn't realize I was so sick. On the plus side someone in Nigeria is willing to give me $1 million dollars and I appear to need more education. A B.A. in psychology and J.D. are appearantly not enough learnin'.

Learning To Be Superman and Aquaman

"Three, two, one, pull!"
I heard the shouted command and reached for the ripcord. I paused for a split second as my mind contemplated how far above the water we were. The world was slightly fuzzy as I left my glasses down below. I couldn't see any of my body as it was pulled behind me. I pulled the ripcord and felt the mechanism release. For a second gravity had turned off just like a Road Runner cartoon. Then gravity decided to turn back on and we headed towards Lake Schaffer and a boat below us with our interlocked arms. Cindy screamed, "Whoa," as I went "Oh God!" The vertical drop became more horizontal as the bungee cords tightened around our harnesses and started our pendulum motion upward. We swung over the boat with the bikini clad woman at full speed and went incredibly far up again. All motion stopped and we were truly weightless.

After several arcs we started a slight spin. I could see the cottages across the lake and hear the roller coaster passing behind us. I wasn't scared, but I can't say I was having fun either. I was having an experience! Once our height lessened the handlers shouted at us to hand onto a rubber ring they had at the end of a pole. Here's a hint guys: tell us that the swing before you actually want us to do it. We let go of each other and grabbed the ring. It released from the pole and used another bungee cord to slow our arc down. Another ring on a pole was used to guide us back to the platform. The adrenaline had caught up with me as I noticed my hand trembled slightly as if I were in an oral argument. Let's be honest, in the end I am a ground pounder! Cindy and I have an odd friendship: one of mutual respect and agitation. She didn't think I would go up and I had to call her bluff. Would either of us do this again? Only if a bet or challenge were involved.

I had planned on heading back to Indy as soon as we got back her parent's cottage as I thought about pseudo-crashing a 4th party that I wasn't formally invited to. Either no one loves me, or it was couples party, or the grapevine didn't get to me formally as that will happen in a large social group. Yet the neighbors asked if I wanted to go tubing. They even loaned me a swimsuit. Note to self: when going on imprompteau visit with friend at a lake front cottage, please remember to bring contacts and a swimsuit.

It was a big two person tube so the two of us were together again. I noted that I was intentionally leaving a perfectly fine boat as I slide off the stern onto the rubber raft. Between the wake of our own boat and the chop from other boats on the lake it was a bumpy ride. Within the span of a few seconds I would be weightless and airborne as I held onto the tube and then in the seat and plowing through the waves which sent us airborne again. It was a wild ride for a few minutes and then we hit the worst waves as even those in the boat were worried. We were airborne one last time as my feet started towards my head. I decided that I could live with a bruised ego more easily than a torn rotator cuff so as my ass went over my head (always a bad sign of things) I let go. My leg hit Cindy's head pretty hard and I felt sorry about that as I started to submerge. A good thing that I was no longer in the raft with her! When my head finally broke the surface like Excalibur I simply laughed.

As I boarded the boat I said I would go again. You fall of the horse, err..tube, and you just got to get back on it. Someone noticed the back of my calf was bleeding slightly, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. Broken bones heal, chicks dig scares, glory is forever! Dan, the boat owner, was my next co-rider. It was the exact same ride, rough as we ploughed the water and rough as we were airborne and landing back in the water. This time my departure mode was different as I exited while we were airborne. I saw the tube pull away as I cannonballed into the lake again. Since we were airborne when the weight suddenly shifted, or departed in this case, the raft flipped over and dumped Dan in the water as well. I rode the bronco twice and I was done. Others could go this time.

I thought about heading back to Indy to catch the great fireworks show from downtown, but was invited to be on the boat again to watch the Indiana Beach show from the lake. After dinner seven of us boated down the length of Lake Schaffer and anchored about a half mile south of the amusement park. Most of the ride lights dimmed and the blossoms, stars, and streaks commenced. After the 12 minute show we started back up the lake with various homeowners now launching their own cool, yet illegal, fireworks.

Boats are cool; I want one someday! Amazing that what I had intended to be a several hour visit on a late Saturday afternoon became a very good two night adventure. Sometimes when I go with the flow it actually works out surprisingly well.

I Am An American

Happy Birthday + One Day America (Hey, I was suddenly out of town for a cool weekend of fun so forgive the belatedness)

Words played to 'America The Beautiful' before every Purdue football home game.

If you want to know more about the tradition.

Some Public Comments Wanted

This would have been yesterdays post, but I had the choice of seriousness or fun due to the limited time before sleep. I choose fun. And now for the seriousness.

I would like to note that the Indianapolis Star or IndyGov or both should have a column or webpage that announces all the meetings that will occur in a week that public comments are wanted on. Seeing a little blurb on page B2 Thursday for the Transit Task Force meeting at 5:30pm that day is not much notice! Sometimes I think that government doesn't want to hear from the people given how hard it is to find out about meetings of interest. I have odd fascination with public transportation. I refuse to use it here because IndyGoNowhere sucks. Hence why they are in the Links of Shame. Yet I am a major proponet of a viable, multimodal, inexpensive transit system that could be shared by all the citizens of the Indy metro region. What can I say, I loved the subways of London and Paris and their ability to get me wherever I wanted to go. I've attended various meetings on the proposed rapid transit system that everyone has been talking about building for 5 years now. Will you just build the damn thing?

I signed up to have 3 minutes of speaking time. I wish I had time to at least change into a good shirt and dockers, but instead we're living with shorts and a t-shirt for the advocate. For what appeared to be short notice there were easily 150 people there. The purpose of the meeting was to look forward and discuss what we, the citizens of Indianapolis, would want from a public transit system. You knew from the crowd that most were going to talk about the past and how IndyGo has been crap, and how the cutbacks in service have affected them. After going through the printed pages of a powerpoint presentation the public was allowed to comment. The first person was a female reverend who started her time with a singing prayer. Oh my, what have I wandered into? There were angry people speaking about how the loss of the bus had screwed them. There was the middle-aged hippy woman. There were those who challenged Mayor Bart (D'oh!) Peterson and the City-County Council to ride the bus everywhere for a month. Others thought the government had conspired against poor black folks. We even had Pat Pritchett, the Indianapolis Public School Superintendent, speak for the needs of improved transit to allow students better access to education.

After an hour it was my turn. I had no pencil, no paper, no bullet points, just a mental list of a few quick items that I wanted to highlight. Damn if I only had been better prepared. I spoke of the well-documented past analysis of the problem, and pleaded with this board to finally act on the information they had. The time for study was over. The time for action was now. To be a true world-class city an efficient, multi-modal system, such as enhanced bus service, rapid transit rail, rails to trails, city streets re-laned to accommodate alternative transportation, and construction and repair of sidewalks, would all be required for this effort. I spoke of the fact that the Indianapolis Star just printed a story in which the Indy metro area had been recently cited by the Envrionmental Protection Agency for being in non-compliance with soot particulate and ozone regulations. I spoke that I would rather see my tax money going to invest in viable public transit than in paying the tremendous fines the EPA would levy upon us. I spoke that the money would be an investment and not a expense. I reiterated that the time of action was now and the clock had already started.

I received a fairly strong applause from the crowd actually. Oh, and I had about a minute to spare.

Money, Money, Money, MONNNNNNNEEEY!!

I haven't seen one of these since September of 2002, a paycheck! Only 15 hours on it, but it is a good start! Looks like I need to go to the bank tomorrow morning. If I can just pay my living expenses until financial aid comes in August and pay off my credit card bill I'll be happy. Doesn't sound like too much to ask for doesn't it?

Giving up a $52/month cable bill is looking smart. Speaking of which it finally got killed on Monday. I haven't really noticed the lack of TV due to the fact I haven't been home much this week or if I was home I was working on that last final. I've already noticed one thing that I'm missing about cable TV, instant news information. I feel like I'm having information withdrawl.

Spider-Man 2

When the ticket dude informed me there was not a 8pm showing at Glendale I must admit that was the best Chewbacca growl I've had in 20 years to express my displeasure. I could have made the 7:30 showing but I was starving and needed a meal. Taco Bell provides a good fascimile of a meal. It was my fault as I transposed the theaters in the paper. Sometimes I do wonder if I'm dyslexic. 8:30 showing at 96th street was doable.

Could the sequel live up to the original? Could it live up to all the hype? Could it live up to my own jazzed up expectations? The original Spider-Man was a 5 star superhero movie in good company with Batman and Superman. You never know, this sequel could be even better than the original. Think of The Wrath of Khan superiority over the original Star Trek.

First, I loved the review of the original movie through the prism of the opening credits. Pretty slick and a touching tribute to the comic book medium that spawned the film. If someone hadn't seen the original film they now had all the information that they needed to know. Second: it was good to see all the subtle cameos: Bruce Campbell as a snooty usher and creator Stan Lee was in there so quick that if you blinked you would have missed him. Didn't spot Xena though. Third: the humor is everywhere in this movie. The 'elevator scene' in the first quarter of the film is absolutely hilarious. Fourth: the special effects were awesome; however, I expect that from a $200 million movie. What was good about them was that many things were subtle instead of in your face. Fifth: I'm curious about seeing Tobey Mcguire and Kirsten Dunst in a different movie as they really have good chemistry.

But Brian, what about the movie itself?
The movie has many enriching sideplots that add depth to the story. The original's plot seems almost anorexic by comparison. There is much discussion of duty, sacrific, dreams, prices paid, and the long term consequences to long completed choices. One scene told why we need heros. Sounded like things I've posted about in the past. We truly watch the weight of the world on the shoulders of one far too young to carry the burden. My one somewhat significant complaint is that this movie really sets up the third one, so parts feel unresolved.

I give Spider-Man 2 4.75 Stars. It is a compromise rating because I leave with this one caveat. These two movies present the classic Star Wars/Empire Strikes Back issue. Both movies are fantastic and modern classics. Star Wars is the more popular of the two, yet Empire is the better movie. I believe the same thing will happen with Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. The first is more satisfying emotionally, the later is more satisfying intellectually.

I'll likely see it at least twice more on the big screen with various groups of friends. I don't have a problem with that. That is one way to rate the film.