Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.

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Saturday, August 30th, 2008
jonsan	1:28a	Miracles I tend to have problems discussing religion and spirituality with most people. Those who have grown up religious and either view it as a Sunday morning meeting or an absolute truth are often disinterested or offended by my perspectives. Those in the growing atheist/rationalist/humanist movement all too often are solely intent on explaining the absurdities of conventional and fundamentalist religious traditions ad nauseum. I am not sure how Miracles: A Preliminary Study by C.S. Lewis ended up on my book shelf, but I found it a short time ago, and have been slowly reading the first non-fiction book by the author I have encountered. I love it. I am not Christian, but I find Mr. Lewis's observations and insights quite relevant regardless of specific religious or spiritual tradition. I won't go on and on about the particulars, I figure that if you are interested in theology or religions or philosophy that you will simply go read the book and develop your own opinion. I will, however, leave you with a short section that brought a smile to my face. Note that, in my opinion, the word Christianity below could be replaced by any religious or spiritual tradition or pursuit. "It is a profound mistake to imagine that Christianity ever intended to dissipate the bewilderment and even the terror, the sense of our own nothingness, which comes upon us when we think about the nature of things. It comes to intensify them. Without such sensations there is no religion. Many a man, brought up in the glib profession of some shallow form of Christianity, who comes through reading Astronomy to realize for the first time how majestically indifferent most reality is to man, and who perhaps abandons his religion on that account, may at that moment be having his first genuinely religious experience." (Comment on this)
ekzept	1:20a	WTF DNC! i haven't the foggiest what this nonsense is all about, but it seems to me the Democratic National Committee should intervene with hotel and Denver cops to get charges dropped. pronto. it should have happened already with noone nudging them. Current Mood: angry Current Music: "All I Want Is You", U2 (Comment on this)
Friday, August 29th, 2008
timprov	10:10p	I might consider voting for Michael Palin. Really, I'm just glad it wasn't Pawlenty. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
morlith	10:19p	Dear Science: You're Making It Damn Hard For Sci-Fi Writers These Days French scientists have, for the first time, destroy a brain tumor by using a high-precision laser on a conscious patient. "The patient remained wide awake throughout and was said to have felt nothing. Once all the cancer cells were dead, the cable was removed and the patient allowed to return home the same day." (2 Comments |Comment on this)
kipaji	9:28p	It's done. I'm going... After way too much time spent agonizing over whether I should or not, I finally did it... I've booked a three-night stay at The Mirage, starting Sunday night. If I hadn't been waffling for so long, I could have gotten a fourth night for the same price: $750 for everything, airfare and hotel. Still, that's not at all bad on two days notice. I tried hard to both convince and dissuade myself from going over the past couple days. But in the end... I'm still not sure why, but it felt like I'd regret it more if I *didn't* go. Guess I'll find out. So be it. My trip is locked in now. Flight leaves out Sunday 11:20am from RDU, connecting in Charlotte. My plans when I get there? Maybe some leisurely $3-$6 limit cash games the first night, a $125 tourney at Casears on Monday around noon, a couple sit-no-gos at the Mirage, and probably one Mirage evening tournament as well. Aside from that... a lot of walking and taking in the strip (in the evenings when it's cooler), a lot of pool time, my regular pilgrimage to the Secret Garden, comped dinners at the opulent Mirage buffet... a little craps, maybe a show. Relax, enjoy myself, and enjoy the adult playpen that is Vegas for a spell. I guess the bottom line is I need this, even if just for a couple days. Current Mood: hopeful (Comment on this)
lordremo	5:19p	We GOT MOVIE-SIGN!!! Some quick entertaining videos for your perusal. This is a gymnastic performance you might have missed at the Olympics, but don't miss it now! And here is what Craig ferguson thoought about Sarah Palin before the announcement... And how quick gold medals turn into cash endorsements! For Shawn Johnson fans... but I doubtthis diet would build a champion gymnast??? Show some love, as Darth Vader's got the blues... And lastly my vidblog friend Natalie (with the sexy accent) explains why she jogs in the mornings... My opinion is jog in the morning, find the body. Jog at night YOU ARE the body. Chow; fish on my mind. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
gunga_galunga	6:02p	Happy Birthday from John McCain! It's my birthday too. Last night during Obama's speech, I couldn't put my finger on what it was about his speech that didn't resonate with me. I've been thinking about it today and I think there are two things. First, it was actually a very negative speech talking about what bad shape the country is in. For me, this is not true. If I look at my personal economy the last eight years have been great. But the real issue is while watching I kept thinking, "it's a shame he's not going to win." Then today McCain chose Palin as his running mate. To me, this strikes as a desperation move, a "Hail Mary" if you will. It's a very risky move. It may end up panning out for him, but I don't think so. I think three main things will happen. First, on the experience front, suddenly Obama looks like Ted Kennedy when it comes to experience. Palin essentially has 19 months of serious government experience and it makes Obama's 12 years in the Illinois State Legislature look much stronger. I was watching CNN and Bay Buchanan damned Palin with faint praise that really crystallized it for me when she said, "her son is going to Iraq, that's a good start for foreign policy experience." I've already seen quotes on line where Palin said a little over a year ago, "I haven't really thought about Iraq." Obama certainly doesn't have much foreign policy experience himself, but I'd be willing to bet that he's spent a huge amount of time in the last four years studying and being briefed by experts. So, she's got a lot of catching up to do. I think for the Republicans the best they can hope for is that she's a really quick study and can at least memorize the key talking points. I think in the debate and on the stump we'll see a lot of pat answers. Maybe I'm wrong and she'll be a really quick study and bring some nuance to the campaign and completely exceed my expectations. The second thing this will do is highlight McCain's age. I was struck by how old he looked next to her on the stage in Dayton. I think they will have very few joint appearances before the election. I feel sorry for her family. Everyone else involved has gotten into it gradually and gotten used to the intense pressure the spotlight brings. Is there a Billy Carter or Roger Clinton waiting in the wings to do something that makes them a national joke? I certainly hope not for their sake. The potential upside for McCain is large, however. Maybe she comes off really well and connects to those middle class white women. Her background seems to be such that this is possible. But the real thing this brings up is that the McCain camp must not think this race is as close as it seems. This move strikes me as borderline panic. McCain had met her just once before this week. This was not a move of confidence. And this is what makes me feel the most confident that things are actually looking really good for Obama. The other thing that strikes me is that the McCain-Palin ticket is lacking intellectual depth. McCain isn't stupid like Bush, but he's certainly no deep thinker. Maybe Palin is, but compared to Obama's background, neither Republican seems to be that deep policy thinker. heh. Just found this on wikipedia, "She married Todd Palin, her boyfriend since high school, on August 29, 1988. She then briefly worked as a sports reporter for local Anchorage television stations while also working as a commercial fisherwoman with her husband." Interesting coincidence that this happened on her wedding anniversary. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
morlith	8:15p	You Gotta Be Fucking Kidding Me I arrived at home to discover that the spare tire on our Honda CR-V was missing. That was rather surprising since I didn't get a "I have a flat tire" phonecall from my wife. I affirmed the fact that Allison hadn't even driven anywhere and then told her that our spare tire was missing. That's when she remembered the black Honda CR-V that was parked on the main street with a flat tire. When I went out to look, it was gone. Apparently, the jackasses that own the vehice saw an opportunity (they had the special lugnut key to get it off the vehicle even) and helped themselves to our spare tire. The fuckers didn't even leave us the lugnuts. I hope that their car breaks down and causes them no end of problems. They fucking deserve it. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
morlith	8:13p	Discovering A New Low It takes a special brand of asshole to go into a men's room and take a piss in a handicapped stall without lifting the toilet seat. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
temalyen	7:54p	I need to get SEMagic reinstalled on this machine. Posting via website for now. Anyway, reinstalling didn't fix a problem I had hoped it would. For a while now, I've been unable to successfully burn CDs or DVDs. I had been assuming it was SecuROM (installed on my machine when I put SimCity Societies on it. The Sims 2 contain similar protection.) SecuROM is known for making Burners not work correctly. So, I had assumed it was SecuROM because that fit what was happening. No, I'm freshly installed (no games of any kind installed yet) and all my burns are still failing. God, I hope I don't need _another_ DVD burner. (It'll be my third if I do.) They aren't particularly expensive anymore, but it's just annoying to have buy a new one. My first DVD burner was something like $140, my current one was (I think) $25. You can get el cheapo ones for $12 or $15. Not burning anything important now, just trying to make a BSD installation CD. Oh well, I guess I'll see. (Comment on this)
deadmonywalking	7:46p	Last at the Mohegans I was at Mohegan Sun for two hours this afternoon, although I was not among the throng lining up at 9:50 am to get in.  I am unsure if I will be adding a "Mohegan Chronicles' tag.   Here are my observations:    ( Poker at Mohegan Sun ) (Comment on this)
spidurman	6:46p	PSA For the Weird Poker Crowd Stars is running a $2 8 game MTT at 7:11 PS time tonight (24 mins from now) (6 Comments |Comment on this)
frdelrosario	3:16p	Amanda Rego of the University of San Diego joined the Halle Lions in the German DBBL Women's Basketball League. A report said Rego might be tested as soon as Sunday against Chemnitz. Kerri Burke of Sacred Heart University left Halle after less than a month with the team. (Comment on this)
lordremo	2:25p	From one of my comments This was something I put in jloopy's post after reading some of the critics of Palin as VP choice. They are mostly from people who weren't voting for McCain anyway but some were quite petty in many respects. I shoot them all down easily. Palin has turned me around and put my support firmly behind the ticket. But what cracks me up are the criticizms of her stances and experience. I'll illustrate: * Less experienced than Obama? - She's been a mayor for 2 terms and a Governor for almost 2 years when Obama started running before his first full year as a Senator. She has executive experience where he has none. While Barack was organizing block parties and taking signatures outside of Wal-Marts with his legal degree, she was rooting out corruption and whistle blowing. So... what are Obama's accomplisments from that time??? * One heartbeat away from Presidency? _- She is the VP candidate and as normal, should have less experience than the person in the top seat... unlike the Dem. ticket. After all if she isn't qualified for VP then there's NO WAY Obama could be for President. * Can't be a feminist, pro-life and pro-death penalty? - That assumes you MUST be pro-abortion to be a feminist? Doesn't sound like much choice or standing for your beliefs, eh? She is a perfect example of feminism in that she didn't ride her husband's coattails for her career, she DID the work. And people who see it ok to kill innocent babies but NOT kill convicted mass murderers have a screw loose. If they had their way we would have no children alive with Downs or other problems, because they are not Perfect, Loved enough... or convienient. * Religious? Creationism? - With the hate-filled, seperatist pastor Obama supported for 20 years, this is an area they should seriously skirt. And for teaching "unscientific, ignorant crap " in schools? That would be MANMADE GLOBAL WARMING! Just another religion by a false prophet. There is nothing wrong with including Creationism AS AN OPTIONAL theory. It adds a popular cultural idea and covers a historical belief not unlike teaching beliefs before Galilleo, Newton, Darwin or Einstien. *Just grabbing the female vote? - While it's true that McCain had the courage to pick a woman relatively unknown to most, it shows change as she is not a government insider, taking lobby money and promoting spending. It's also true that Obama lacked the courage to choose Hillary, the most popular option, because she was a woman. Instead of change he picked party compromise. The Hillary Forum is showing strong support for her because they do feel abandoned by Obama so yes, he will grab the female votes Obama surrendered. * Abandoning a child with Downs Syndrome? - Then how did Obama's kids survive HIS sacrifices? Palin has raised 4 other children, took 3 days off to give birth to the latest and it hasn't affected her governorship one bit. Is THIS a question that would be asked of a MALE candidate? And Charles Krauthammer made an interesting notation on the weeklong convention hyping Obama... something that was missing. Working, lifelong endorsements? It seems everybody who could stand up there (except Michelle who got turned into a Stepford Wife by the looks of her demeaner) and say they've spent years alongside Barack and could vouch for his character and beliefs... either would be too troubling for the campaign or don't exist! http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=304815058044423 All you got were party rep.s with "expected soundbytes" or candidates. Even Hillary only spoke of him being the party nominee, not that she came to respect him after an ardous battle in the running. And lastly don't forget;At the convention they halted the count and took a voice affirmation. To echo a jab at Gore and many from 8 years back... He was selected, NOT elected! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
bigpaulyb	4:43p	My Advice for Labor Day: Get Gas! I just want to wish all of you who view this blog a happy Labor Day weekend.  This site has had a bit of an upswing after I got a new notebook computer in July, and I'm glad to have you all with me once again. But, as they say in the mob, a word to the wise: if you're traveling this weekend...if you're staying close to home, it might be a good idea to get some extra gasoline.  We have a fellow about to enter the Gulf Of Mexico named Gustav.  It's too early to see it, but it appears that Mr. Gustav might be a menace, much like many of the hurricanes in the tumultous 2004 and 2005 seasons. The forecasters seem to think that Gustav will hit somewhere between New Orleans and Houston at the type I this, just before 5pm EDT on Friday.  A hit anywhere between those two big cities is bad news. All those black dots off of Louisana and Texas are oil platforms.  If Gustav does as is expected at this point, a good chunk of these rigs will have to be evacuated.  Which means oil supply will be reduced, which probably means gas prices will go up as they did when Hurricane Katrina did three years ago.  (Katrina hit shore three years ago today in fact... August 29, 2005) So like I said, might be a good idea to get some go-go juice while the prices are still as low as they have been recently.  Not trying to cause a panic or anything. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Ellen on WFTS, waiting for ABC Action News... (Comment on this)
morlith	3:23p	The Backstory For A Familiar Figure En route to a training camp in Quebec during World War I, Canadian army lieutenant Harry Colebourn bought a bear cub for $20 from a hunter in White River, Ontario. He named her Winnipeg, after his hometown, and smuggled her to England, where "Winnie" became the mascot of his militia regiment. Eventually he donated her to the London Zoo, where she became a great favorite of Christopher Robin Milne, the son of a local playwright. You know the rest. Click here to see the picture that goes along with the post at Futility Closet. (Comment on this)
samidha	2:21p	Matters of Agency. SamPOV. Sam/Jess, Sam/Succubus, Sam/Dean. One-shot. ( You are about to view content that may only be appropriate for adults. ) (10 Comments |Comment on this)
backseatgaffer	1:27p	I guess I should say something Haven't updated in almost three weeks, so I reckon I should provide a bit of an update on life here. Work is fine. Got named Great Team Hero for the month of August and was asked to be a team trainer. European soccer is back up and running, with me following an eclectic mix of teams from Fulham (EPL) to Ebbsfleet United (Blue Square Premier in England) to Celtic (SPL) to whatever other teams have Americans. I participated in a golf tournament last Friday to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Had lunch with a business analyst from my company yesterday (a little talk about work, a little talk about soccer). Was at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival this past Sunday as part of colgaffneyis. Haven't been playing much poker lately (busy with other things). That's about it for now. I hope to do better on updating. (Comment on this)
hex_16	1:43p	Choice? Really? I'm seeing another disturbing meme amongst blog comments regarding VP-nominee Sarah Palin: Peter on Gothamist: "Pro-choicers cannot expect any understanding from Palin. Late last year she refused to have an abortion after learning that her child would be mentally retarded." I thought the abortion debate was about "choice." Apparently, that choice is invalid if it involves choosing to let a baby with a birth defect live. God forbid she and her husband decide together to raise such a child! Eugenics isn't coming. It's already here. Current Mood: cranky (10 Comments |Comment on this)
deadmonywalking	1:39p	Sarah Who? Well, it will be fun to watch the Democrats talk about experience. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
prock	10:14a	GILF FTW (7 Comments |Comment on this)
timprov	11:25a	Unhappy. This may be my last convention, apart from relaxacons. Not for anything bad that's happening here. There just may not be any options for me after this. I should shut up and do my best to enjoy the last Farthing Party. Moping through the whole thing is not acceptable. (Also unacceptable: being grumpy at one of my favorite people here for doing something that, while unfortunate for me, is potentially happy for a couple hundred other people.) Will do my best to be grumpy on LJ so I don't have to in reality. (8 Comments |Comment on this)
tomspud	12:19p	Palin-Worse Than Quayle http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/29/104611/395/220/578471 My liberal blog friends are all over this one: "So it's official - John McCain has thrown a Hail Mary and tapped Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. The trad med types are ga-ga about what a game-changing choice Palin is. And they're right. It is a game-changer. The Palin pick takes a race already leaning toward Obama and pushes it further into his corner. Why? Because Sarah Palin is the most unqualified VP nominee in modern history, with the possible exception of Admiral Stockdale. She's worse than Quayle. After his selection in 1988, Dan Quayle was rightly lambasted as a dim, inexperienced lightweight with no real pertinent experience who was named by George H. W. Bush as a gimmick - a case of an old, out-of touch candidate trying to appear relevant by teaming up with a much younger pol. Now, Palin's not Quayle - by all accounts, she's quite bright. But she's fantastically inexperienced, far more so than Quayle was when he was tapped. And she possesses an attribute far worse than Quayle's stupidity - she's a big corrupt wheel in Alaska's big corrupt Republican Party, arguably the most corrupt political apparatus in the United States. We're told that McCain really wanted to pick his old friend Joe Lieberman to run with him, but that Karl Rove and the rest of the elite Republican politburo nixed the idea, and told McCain that he had to take a conservative. And as he has at every step of his campaign, the one-time "maverick" sold out to the venal, icy core of the Republican leadership, and acquiesced by selecting Palin. Palin is really a Republican after Rove's heart - she's a product of the party that produced the indicted Ted Stevens and ethically tarred Don Young, and she's embroiled in a Troopergate scandal of her own, with state investigators looking at serious allegations that Palin abused her office by pressuring the state Public Safety Commissioner to fire "an Alaska state trooper involved in a rough divorce from Palin's sister." Sounds like a woman after Karl Rove's heart." Current Mood: by the Repugs (6 Comments |Comment on this)
frdelrosario	9:13a	I know where Wasilla, Alaska is I sent a Facebook message to Chandice Cronk, who scored 1,000 points for the University of Santa Clara: Dear Chandice: I hope you remember me from two seasons at the press table at Leavey. I'm writing to ask what you know about the Republican VP candidate, considering that she was mayor of your hometown, and you probably broke her high school scoring records. *** Sarah Heath (right) earned the nickname "Barracuda" for aggressive play at Wasilla HS, then went on to earn a journalism degree, and work as a sports reporter. She went horribly wrong with her social conservatism. (Comment on this)
saxwoman	10:39a	Is this really happening? The American Stroke Association wants you to learn the warning signs of stroke: Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination Sudden, severe headache with no known cause A small one, maybe, but a stroke no less.  She has almost all of the symptoms. They had to call 911 to get her out of her wheelchair last night.  Three hours later, they called us.  Three of us tried to lift her from the floor.  She'd fallen while moving from her portable toilet to her chair.  After about an hour, we conceded that this was impossible.  By this time, I was dizzy from the persistent smell of old urine coming from under her nightgown. "911, is this an emergency?"  "No, my grandmother has fallen on the floor and she just needs help getting back up.  We can't do it.  No, she's not injured.  No, she's not breathing abnormally.  No, nothing is broken that we know of.  No, she can't lift herself up.  She weights almost 300 pounds.  Yes, we just need help getting her up."  While I was busy making the call, my mom was busy cleaning the floor.  Typical.  On her hands and knees, all she could say was, "This is so embarassing.  It's so dirty under her chair... they'll think she fell because we're neglecting everything."  Um, really?  I didn't realize you could make those kind of judgements based on a small bit of dirt under a large chair. So the exact same crew came back to help her off the floor.  One was the Lieutenant of the fire/paramedic department - he was so disgustingly frank I wanted to hit him.  He looked me in the eye and said, "Nursing home time."  What?  Who the fuck says that right in front of the person they're talking about?  He turned to her and said, "Virginia, if we have to come back out here again tonight, you have to go to the hospital."  She just laid on the floor and stared at him.  Since when did emergency rescue workers and firefighters turn into assholes?  I always remember them being kind, chivalrous, warm, helpful. Then they asked for a large towel;  to do some sort of magic trick, I'd guessed.  Ha - well, maybe it was magic, because a few minutes later, she was back in the chair.  Then one of the guys said, "Wait, look at your arm."  Her entire left arm was ripped open - she has tissue-paper-like skin.  All of the skin was just folded up one one side of her arm in various layers, like wrinkled bedsheets on a Sunday morning.  I had to look away.  That's when I almost puked. They wrapped her up, chimed out the words "nursing home" a few more times, and left.  Then the madness really began.  She had to pee again.  Just the word "pee" was a nightmare for us.  She said she couldn't move, her legs were stiff, her hip was hurting, her tailbone was aching.  My mom and aunt somehow managed to get her back onto the pot, then back into the chair.  I was rendered almost useless by this point.  I was so nausiated, but kept trying so hard to play it so cool and so calm.  My chest muscles felt like they were violently shaking inside.  I haven't felt that way since my mom sliced open her right hand and we had to bounce from hospital to hospital to get seen by a doctor.  Bienvenidos a Miami. Then she wanted food.  Raisin bread.  But wait, food means you have to take your insulin, Grandma.  So they brought her all of her gadgets, alcohol pads, machine, needles, insulin.  She needed help just to take her reading.  More blood.  210.  "How much insulin should you take if your sugar is 210, Mush?," my grandfather asked her.  "185." "No, seriously, how much?"  He laughed. "If my SUGAR IS 210 (yelling), then I need to take 150!" "Ok, something is not right with you.  Your sugar is 210 - WHAT DO YOU N-E-E-D FOR INSULIN?" "125." That's more than the shot needle will even allow, a lethal dose.  We tried repeatedly to get the right answer out of her, begging, hoping she'd say it.  I thought she was joking, but as I personally pleaded with her for the answer, I realized she wasn't.  She said everything from over 200 to 125.  My grandfather said she was probably supposed to take about 20 units. The up and down, the lifting, the moving.  I finally got so sick of it all that I had to go to sleep.  It was the middle of the night anyway, and my mind was shutting down.  I went to my grandfather's room, fell into the bed and slept.  My mom woke me up when the sun was coming up and told me that they had been trying to get her into the bed for hours.  Are you serious?  Into the bed?  Don't you just lay down?  They had finally figured it out, though.  Well, that's good.  Now who will help her out when she has to pee again?  I came home, put the ipod on and began searching for sleep.  I had to keep changing the songs... none of them made me feel right.  They all seemed so inappropriate.  Awakened just a few hours later, I couldn't lay there anymore.  I heard my mom on the phone with the doctor, my grandmother, my aunt and grandfather.  An ambulance is scheduled to come back around 1pm to get her to the hospital for a CAT scan.   Current Mood: sick Current Music: Little Bombs - Aimee Mann (2 Comments |Comment on this)

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