Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...They have to be real places, names,

things...nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st

initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name:
Doug

Famous Artist/Band/Musician:
Def Leppard

4 letter word:
Damn

Vehicle:
Dhow (Mid-East sailing vessel)

TV Show:
Daily Show

City:
Denver!

Boy name:
David

Girl Name:
Denise

Alcoholic drink:
Double (what, MIXED drink?  Those are for girlies)

Occupation:
Ditchdigger (not everyone gets to be an astronaut)

Something you wear:
Dress

Celebrity:
David Copperfield

Food:
Dressing

Something found in a kitchen:
Drip Tray

Reason for Being Late:
Drivetime

Cartoon Character:
Duke Devlin

Something You Shout.
Damnit!

Body Part:
"Down there" (remember that?)

[one] what is your natural hair color?
Brown

[two] where was your default picture taken?
In front of a mirror

[three] what's your middle name?
James

[four] your current relationship status?
Single, Hunting

[five] does your crush like you back?
I hope so!

[six] what is your current mood?
Tired, but satisfied

[seven] what color underwear are you wearing?
White, grey waistband

[eight] what makes you happy?
family, video games, accomplishment, sex

[ten] if you could go back in time and change something, what
would it be?
be aggressive with the ladytypes

[eleven] if you must be an animal for one day, what would you be?
Dolphin

[twelve] ever had a near death experience?
I've had hit and misses, sure.

[thirteen] something you do a lot....?
waste time online

[fourteen] what's the name of the song stuck in your head right
now?
"Unskinny Bop", Poison

[fifteen] who did you copy and paste this from?
Emily

[sixteen] name someone with the same birthday as you?
Louis Farrakhan

[seventeen] when was the last time you cried?
The building's ill, I swear...and the pollen count is ridiculous!

[nineteen] if you could have one super power what would it be?
Channeling my body heat to something besides sweat (like...fire!)

[twenty] what's the first thing[s] you notice about the opposite/same sex?
smile

[twenty-one] what do you usually order from starbucks?
cocoa, small, no foam

[twenty-two] what's your biggest secret?
none of YOUR business!  Who the damn do you think you are, anyway?

[twenty-three] favorite color?
Blue

[twenty-five] do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
I like my classic Disney.

[twenty-six] what are you eating or drinking at the moment?
water, and honey-nut oat ring cereal

[twenty-seven] do you speak any other languages?
a little German, and some C

[twenty-eight] what's your favorite smell?
cast-iron beef-sear

[twenty-nine] if you could describe your life in one word what would it be?
developing

[thirty] when was the last time you gave/received a hug?
Around the last family get-together, on my birthday

[thirty-one] have you ever been kissed in the rain?
yes

[thirty-two] what are you thinking about right now?
sleep

[thirty-three] what should you be doing?
sleeping

[thirty-four] what was the last thing that made you upset/angry?
"Well, delightful work you've done on this drawing, and I appreciate that you know what parts we need, but

we're taking another direction--these last 2 hours are now wasted."

[thirty-six] do you like working in the yard?
I had garden duty as a childhood punishment--bring on the gravel!

[thirty-seven] if you could have any last name in the world, what would you want?
Goldsten or Goldstone, so I didn't have to spell it out every damn time (or have people mispronounce it)

[thirty-eight] do you act differently around your crush?
Table manners?  Yeah, I remember those...

fill in where the sentence left off......

1: the last thing I ate was: a handful of honey-nut oat-ring cereal

2: my brother is: a doctor-in-training, pretty damn smart, and 1000+ miles away

3: i love it when the air is: alive with sound

4: i would much rather be: satisfied than well-rested

5: one thing i regret most is: slacking off on my job hunt the first time

6: i think about : what to do next with the ladytypes, what my next work project is, how to make Chicken

Marsala in my C-pot

7: i try not to : look sleepy

8: yesterday I went to: work, the mall, Irvine, heaven

9: in the past 3 days I have: eaten the best things, heard the best songs, and set up my air mattress

10: Irish people are funny when: they sing songs about drinking and/or sex

11: the boy with red hair is: always in trouble

12: i think the police: in O.C. are jumpy and dangerous

13: my family: knows what's best

14: in my house we: sleep

15: the best thing about today was: feeling sore and knowing why

16: last phone call I made was: to Dad, about work

17: 1 thing i missed the most this month was: mo' money--everybody needs it

18: my best friend: is the one in front of me right now (meaning, it changes with the scenery)

19: too often i find myself: sleepy in front of a C.R.T. screen

20: i wonder: I wa wa wa wa wonder...why...why why why why she ran away...(yay oldies, indeed)

==============================================
answer these truthfully..................

1. when was the last time you worked for free?  I'm salaried; every month-end is a new chance!

3. what is your worst habbit? playing chicken with my bedtime

4. is there anyone you miss right now? I miss everyone.  More hugs!

5. who? everyone who doesn't live near here.

6. where did they go for you to miss them? out of state.

7. describe your dream wedding? Friends to the left of me, friends to the right, the woman I love looking

good, a good dance floor with a live band and open bar

8. who was your best friend as a young child? A very nice guy who moved away for reasons (that I was NOT

responsible for) I can't disclose.

9. how did you find out santa was not real? When, at the tender age of 8 days, I learned how all those nice

doctors make money on their weekends.

10. do you wear glasses? No, except sunglasses.  Sunshine hurts my eyes--not sure why.
==============================================

my last __________ was.....

1. kiss: months ago

2. relationship: beautiful but not meant to be

3. fight with someone close: over why it wasn't meant to be

4. fight with a stranger: over my age vs. my preference for video games

5. birthday: surrounded by family, coated in sugar, and filled with promises of things to come

6. period: 15 lines ago.

7. day of school: a short, but stressful, presentation of my final project before a less-than-impressed group

of professors

8. airplane ride: back here from Colorado

9. road trip: Lake Hemet--beautiful place

10. drink: water?  Rum with coke
==============================================

have you ever......

1. been addicted to anything? mostly sleazy things

2. lied to your best friend? to spare feelings, to protect my aura of innocence

3. hurt someone on purpose? sometimes, what's right isn't what's easy.

4. forgot a loved ones birthday? Yes

5. thought you were being lied to? at the office, it seems a hobby of the management.  On the bar scene, it's

nearly a given.

6. gone to hawaii? why should I?  I can see the ocean from here!

7. swam with the dolphins? they scare me, no.

8. stole from a department store? nope.

9. ate anything not edible? Paper.  Some things can't be shredded well enough

10. played any sports on teams? nothing worth noting

favorites.....

1. book: "Bone in the Throat", A. Bourdain

2. holiday: One that flies me home

3. sibling: Got one, and I like him--my brother

5. car: mine!  Or a large van with quick-fold seats

7. place to visit: Colorado

8. childhood memory: involves video games

9. dream: involves the museum of tomorrow (or sex...do sex dreams count?)

10. pastime: video games

1. How old will you be in 12 months?
27

2. Do you think you'll be married by then?
No

3. What do you look forward to most in the next 3 months?
Spending time with those I care for

4. Who was the last person you called?
My Dad.

5. Who was the last person to call you?
My Mother.

6. Do you prefer to call or text?
text, then call

8. What were you doing at 12am last night?
dancing a quick-step on steel plates and plastic pads, to a song I don't understand

9. Parents seperated/divorced/married?
married

10. When is the last time you saw your mom?
April 2nd

11. What happened at 11:00pm?
I was dancing a quick-step on steel plates and plastic pads, to a song I don't understand

13. Which cities/towns have you lived in?
Chattanooga, TN, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Boulder, CO, Cleveland, OH, Laguna Niguel, CA

14. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
bare feet when possible

15. Are you a social person?
I can be

17. Favorite ice cream?
Mint chip, but I experiment

18. What is your favorite dessert?
Cheesecake--custard with puff

19. What is your favorite TV show?
Good Eats

20. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?
Apricot

21. Do you like coffee?
Only with sugar--lots of sugar--more than that

22. How many glasses of water a day do you drink on average?
8?  9?  Not sure

23. What do you drink in the morning?
Milk or chocolate soy milk, and water

24. Would you rather kiss someone with or without tongue?
without, unless we're dating / etc.

25. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
yes.

27. Do you like to cuddle?
sure

28. Any plans for this weekend?
Nope...ran through my plans before this moment

29. Do you eat out or at home more often?
home

32. Would you ever get your nipples pierced?
sounds way painful

33. Have you ever been in an ambulance?
No, thank G-d

34. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
ocean, unless it's COLD

35. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat?
aisle

36. Do you know how to drive a stick shift?
I'm outta practice, so give someone else the wheel

37. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
GFs, friends, or food

38. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7?
no

40. Can you roll your tongue?
yes (and my eyes)

42. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
no

43. What is your favorite song?
"Ideas for Walls", Men Without Hats

45. Do you still have clothes from when you were little?
I sincerely hope not

46. What is the color of your bedroom walls?
off-white

47. Do you shut off the water when you brush your teeth?
yes

48. Have you been kissed by anyone this week?
no

49. Do you like overly sensitive people?
No.  They never get my jokes, they can't take criticism, and they get in the way.

1) What stickers do you have on your car?
none

2) What posters do you have in your room?
none

3) What do you hear right now?
a few gentle fans

4) If you could drink anything right this second, what would it be?
water...brb

5) Does anything hurt on your body right now?
My left foot (actual pain), my pecs, jaw, and left hand (just sore).

7) Whats your job position called?
Design Engineer

8) What size ring do you wear?
9

9) Do you own a camera phone?
No

10) When's your birthday?
Look up Louis Farrakhan, we share (yeah, surprised me too)

11) What was your elementary schools mascot?
Cougar

12) Whats your favorite bottled water?
Arrowhead (by the case at the price club!)

13) What's the next concert/show you're going to and where?
No idea

14) What were you doing at 9 pm last night?
Watching game demos in a shopping mall.

16) Do you exercise as much as you should?
I bet I don't.

17) Did you attend your High School prom?
No.  I didn't come out of that shell until college.

18) Did you go to someone else's prom?
No.

19) Would you give your bf/gf a second chance if they cheated?
If they don't ask fidelity of me, I shouldn't expect it of them.

20) Something red within 5 feet of you?
An American / German combination flag pin (from Octoberfest)

21) Do you smoke?
no

22) The funniest thing you've seen this week?
Something about TV's Stephen Colbert and Enzyte

23) Ever done the Electric Slide?
Over, and over, and over

24) How much French do you know?
Just a handful of words

25) Favorite sparkly thing?
Women.  Do women count?

26) Ever crash a car, been in accidents?
No.  My collisions were all low-speed.

27) Do you look good in yellow?
No.

29) Ever sang in front of a crowd?
Yes.  And I liked it.

30) Do you dance?
Yes.

32) Least favorite color?
Flourexcent-cast off-white.  It makes everything look bad

33) Favorite kind of pizza?
Thick-crust.

34) Ever had Dippin Dots?
Kind of cold and pointless, eh?

35) Ever make fun of a homeless person?
No.  I can be skeptical, though.

37) How old were you when you got your first car?
23--just as my job search was going nowhere fast.

38) How many driving tickets have you had?
2--speeding

40) How many parking tickets?
None.

41) Do you own your own car?
Yes - got the title and everything

42) Do you want to get married?
To the right person

43) At what age do you want to get married?
When I have a stable income, housing, and future

44) Have you ever been married?
No.

45) Have you ever had to get a restraining order?
No.  I don't get stalkers.

46) At what age do you want to have kids?
See, Marriage, above

47) How many kids?
2, maybe

48) Ketchup or Mustard?
ketchup on fries, mustard in barbecue

49) When is the last time someone deleted you from their space?
Never, I think

51) Ever been kicked out of your home?
No...

52) Favorite character on Friends?
Beats me.  Why does Ross, the biggest character, not simply eat the others?

53) Have you ever been in love?
Yes.

54) Have a crush on a teacher?
I'd remember it--no.

55) Favorite class?
In High School?  Orchestra.  In college? Physiology

56) Have a best friend?
I told you, it's whichever is closest to me.

58) Have a girlfriend?
No

59) One place you want to travel?
Sacramento, CA

60) If you could have anything right now what would it be?
Mo' Money (gotta have it)

Body:
The Dirty Thirty.
30 unknown facts/secrets about yourself:

1. When was the last time you shaved your legs?
For division finals of High School swimming

2. What were you doing this morning at 8 am?
Sleeping like lumber

4. What are you wearing?
tan pants, green shirt, underpants, all dirty with sweat

5. Are you mad at anyone right now?
Not really, though some resentment has found a harbor.

6. Last person to say they loved you?
Mom

7. Last time you kissed someone?
Months ago

8. Do you know the words to the song on your MySpace profile?
What song?  I guess so...

9. Last thing received in the mail?
Cable bill--so necessary in the hills

11. Have you ever had sex in a public place?
Well, no.  But I'm game.

12. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
No.

13. How long is your hair?
Somewhere between nerdy-short and hiding-my-eyes

14. How many different drinks have you had today?
water, coke, Dr. Pepper--3

15. What have you eaten today?
Various sushi and rolls, cheesecake bites, teriyakis of various kinds, starlight mints, chicken marsala,

jalapen~o bites, and a few handsful of honey-nut oat-ring cereal.

16. Are you any good at math?
Yeah, and it helps me understand my job.

17. Do you have plans on Saturday night?
Yes. 

18. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
Nah.

19. Do you prefer beer or liquor?
Liquor--take it straight to go fast, or mix it to look cooler.

20. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
No.  I just can't.

21. Do you like the ocean?
Yes.  But, sometimes the shore is less cold.

22. Do you stay friends with your ex?
They drifted out of my communication range after we split up, but I think so.

23. What are you excited about?
More future opportunities for work

24. What did you do last night?
I ate a mess of food at the mall, then went to a bar / arcade.  I was dancing a quick-step on steel plates

and plastic pads, to a song I don't understand, for some time, until I ran down on energy and decided to

drive home, got a few text messages, made a call, before

dropping off to sleep.

25. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive?
No.  That'd be one great trick of medicine.

26. Where do you keep your change?
In fountains--or on the counter next to my wallet

27. Do you remember the most naughty night of your life?
That would be telling.

28. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone?
With someone else, because it rarely happens, and I'd probably like it (wait, do we get to *choose* whom we

sleep with?)

29. What was the weather like on your birthday?
Sunny and warm, like usual.

30. Would you kiss anyone on your top friends list?
Yes.  Would they slap me?  I suppose they might.

1. Where is your brother right now?
Asleep, if he knows what's good for him.

2. Last time you went swimming?
A year-or-so ago, when I last swam the ocean.

3. Name five things you did yesterday?
Did some design drawings, wrote some engineering reports, wrangled with managers, wrote a check in excess of

$900, deflated my air mattress.

4. Last person you text messaged?
Family.

5. What kind of phone do you have?
Motorola V190

7. What do you smell like?
Sweat, and Cheerios(r), which I am not actually eating.

9. Have you ever done a chinese fire drill?
No.  Why?

10. What color is your bedroom floor?
Tan carpet.  What color is it when it's steam-cleaned?

11. Do you have a chair in your room?
Not the bedroom, but here.

12. What are you doing tomorrow?
Sleep and nothing.  Maybe some eating.

13. Do you know someone named Betsy?
No.

14. What color is your mom's hair?
Ask her.

15. Do you have a dog?
No, but family and friends do.

17. Who is most likely to repost?
Who knows?

18. When was the last time you talked to one of your siblings?
A month ago, maybe.

20. Do you like fire?
Yes. 

21. Are you allergic to anything?
Pollen and dust?  I take Zyrtec, miracle drug.  But it may cause...

22. Do you have a crush on anyone?
Well, an attraction, maybe...

23. Best friend?
Whichever one is right next to me.

24. Have you ever been to a spa?
No.

26. Do you think whomever you miss misses you too?
Yes.

27. Have you ever seen your school counselor?
????No.

28. Have you ever wanted to be a teacher?
Teaching's tough enough for me not to want to do it as my job.

30. Is anyone jealous of you?
Bangladeshis sometimes draw their idea of heaven--one-story house, tree, car, sunshine--it looks exactly like

the ranch houses in CA.

31. Ever been stuck in an elevator?
Not for long.

32. What does your mom call you?
Usually my name.

33. What does you hair look like right now?
Hay, or straw--I'm about to go shower

34. Has a friend ever used you?
What you mean? 

35. Has anyone told you that they like you more than a friend?
Guys don't do that, I thought...

37. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?
Straight.

38. Who was the last person you drove with?
A date I had a week ago.

39. What are you looking forward to?
Many things, such as a stable job future, a good night's sleep, and a special lady, in no particular order.

40. How are you today?
Tired, sore, and satisfied.

    Noted economist Frederic Bastiat once asked, if a child breaks a window, has he not done the town a favor?  Has he not given new work to the glassmaker, the window hanger, the guy who does the tinting?  This paradox, to break it down succinctly, haunts us today:
    The malware and virus peddlers, while making a tidy pile for themselves, are quick to point out that the nasty mess they leave behind is worth having, because it gives the virus hunter / malware remover populace something to do.  Have they not improved the lot of these coders, and the people who ship their code?
    No.  In both cases, the petulant child who broke my windows, screwed with my registry, and wasted 3 hours of my time (it being 5:40 AM RIGHT NOW--a time I rarely see) deserves a spanking, or at least a docked allowance to pay for the time and talent it will take to fix the problem.  IF he had done something useful, the town would have the window, AND something new could be made by the glassmaker, window hanger, and tinter, or the coders and their kith and kin.  The new Windows, for example--hung up for months by concerns about "viruses" and "spyware", necessitating a complete re-design of the core software and months of press conferences to "prove" that it is secure.
    Jail them.  Fine them.  Beat them raw.  I care not--they wreck things, they must be punished. 
Noted political satirist P.J. O'Rourke once wrote, in the above book,
that "Break it and You Bought it".  He went on to state that, despite
so-called "economic miracles" in certain countries after WW2, someone
was not counting the death and destruction beforehand, and that if war
and destruction were the way to get ahead, we would all be studying the
economy of Albania (which, at the time the book as written, was full of
crime, theft, murder, and riot). 
    As with material goods, so it is with time, computers, and coding talent--you break it, you bought it.  Sleep soundly, my friends.
     Oh, I use "Lavasoft Adaware" and "Spybot Search and Destroy", and I caught "Spylocked 4.1" while trying to install "Active X" junk on "MySpace" trying to view a profile of a "pretty girl" during a "friend request".  I humbly suggest the person responsible be "beaten".

I'd just like to point out, for anyone, that the best way to tell people that they did wrong, that they gotta fix it (or that someone else had to), and how to improve future behavior is to frame it like this:

--Tell them what they did wrong
--Tell them what they must do to fix it (or that they fixed it, or that someone else had to)
--Tell them how to improve future behavior

Just my arrogant opinion, but it does NO GOOD WHATSOEVER to throw in:

--How you feel
--Who takes the blame
--How they should feel
--How various third-party people feel (unless you have to apologize to them--you loser, you)

When a kid wrecks a car, or a co-worker misses a document, or some idiot starts a trash-can fire, it doesn't help to say that "feelings were hurt."  Now, if the hurt feelings WERE the issue, then that's what must be sorted out, but otherwise, well, hugs and apologies aren't putting out that blaze and ohmygoodness there were fish in there and now it smells like burnt mackerel everybody run!

Just a few words from a cog who's been put in his place lately.

[edit: The title should include also: Milton Waddams, Patrick Sherrill, Joseph Harris, Thomas McIlvane, Christopher Green, Jennifer San Marco, Larry Jasion,  and Bill Phillips]

So, there I am, at my favorite arcade / bar / restaurant / watering hole, trying to maintain conversation in a noisy environment, when my eyes drift to the CNN TV over the bar (one of 7, but they're showing NBA tournaments), and it's the Virginia Tech survivors and families coverage. 
I'd like to put my two cents in before this is over, and the somnolent public retakes its place in the theatre of culture.
    Let me start off by saying those names are no coincidence; each is a person (mostly men, not all) who decided to stop their productive place in society, take up arms, and ruin their lives and others'.  Each has done their horrific deeds after 1985.  Each has ended their life in the same grisly fashion as their victims'.  Each has left people scared, worried, and wondering why.
    I would like to tell you that some things can be ruled out.
    It's not the availability of guns.  Workplace violence occurred at least a century ago (James A. Garfield, assassinated by pistol in a train station), and guns as we know them have been lethal tools for 300 years, at least. 
    It isn't the violence in media.  I'm pretty sure that LIVE murder--of the gladitorial kind--has happened a lot in world history, and didn't result in workplace rampage / suicides (no source here).
    It's not the video games.  Consider--While the first three on this list were indeed soaked in video games, they were by no means famous for it (before the tragedies, that is).  If the computer games they played caused this havoc, then only those who played them would do it, and more players would do it.  Consider this author--I have no urge to do what they did, and I've been playing Doom for years.  Hope that makes sense.
    It's not a background of poor, minority, or suchlike.  Harris and Klebold, for two, were normal, average, kids (before the tragedy).
    And it isn't...it isn't drugs, or metals in the air, or any such physiological environment nonsense, or the violence we saw those fateful few days would be EVERYWHERE.
    No.
    It's the grind that modern life has become.  The certainty that only by providing the correct answers, time and again, can one advance--that creativity, wisdom, and wonder count for nothing.  The fear that any number of authority figures could come down on you and end your span under the fluorescent lights and over the cheap, crappy tiles, or the smelly, crappy carpet.  The realization that the only happy moment the day holds are the beginning of lunch and the end of the day, and that all in-between teeters between ok and abysmal.  The sudden reaming-out for what would be perfectly normal behavior, just because some rule was violated. 
    Yes, I mean school--endless codes of conduct, teachers and counselors watching every move, grades and tests being the sole means of advance.
    Yes, I mean work--endless protocols for every little thing, bosses upon bosses upon HR watching every move, time in service and total units moved per annum being the sole means of advance.
    Well, assemblies, gifts, extra money--they help, a little, maybe--serve to remind everyone what awaits when the ceremonies stop and things resume. 
    It's difficult to see that a bullet-proof few, bound by friendship and camaraderie, escape this in these situations, and know you will NEVER be them, always the "other".
    It's frustrating to no end, for those whose minds are too slow to grasp things, and wind up working double-hard to learn, and those near the top, whose creative urges are subdued in favor of honors classes or helping the others. 
    And It's maddening to know that the only escape is evenings and weekends, whose time is spent recalling the days, or attempting to forget them.
    [by the by, how does Japan manage Karoshi?  That tradition of working extra-hard, then going to the bar to booze up, have fun, and then return to work?  No one here seems to know--or care.]
    And it's enraging to a few, who realize all of the above, who know it will be their entire life for years, if not decades of this, before they can take their own business, their own investments, their own ideas, and run with them; who have heard--and seen--how the casually mischievous are repeatedly beaten down, and who see that there's only one way out.
    I don't want to turn back the clock; I don't want society to come apart like cheap, smelly carpet; I think many aspects of this system are ok.  But in a world where such types are ridiculed, their souls crushed, and their dreams forever deferred in favor of keeping order, well...
    American history is replete with riotous "movements" that started with just such a situation--southerners, blacks, labor unions, women, to name a few.  If the "slaves in white collars" are next, it'll be crazy, for sure.

Among the sources I used: Movies: "Fight Club", "Office Space", various accounts of violence at Postal Service, NASA, and others, and the myriad blogs.Special consideration to the women and men of Columbine High School, NASA, the U.S.P.S., and Virginia Technical.  
    The clue-ful will notice that I didn't cite Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" above.  He cites America's violent culture and gun availability, plus he adds some fake scenes to his "documentary".  Also, I can't stand him.
[edit: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070422/ap_on_re_us/virginia_tech_shooting_strangers      good summary of what the media thinks.]

Overheard at the bookstore (I was reading Gordon Ramsay):
"Hmm...she says, 'do your best to love your man'...'give him comfort'...I wonder why men don't think about stuff like that?"
My reply was "Are you sure you want an honest answer to that?"
"..." "..."
Of course, I didn't, at the time, but now I do (developed it 15 minutes later, riding down the escalators to the exit).

     It's simply because the whole transformer issue is dead. 
Partly it's the call for the stand-alone man.  As Laura is a throwback to, say, the 50s, the men of the ohs (as well as the women) have become hybrids of that era and the others--the far-out hippie of the 60s, the tycoon a-hole of the 80s, the sensitive, caring creampuff of the 90s.  At each point in feminism (except one), man is valued only when he is emotionally strong--first (pre-) as a cold rock, then (first-wave) as enemy, then (second wave) as competitive equal, then (third wave) perhaps as sensitive (but unwavering) companion, and finally (now) as some mixture. 
     But the real product of this topsy-turvy four decades is the realization that true happiness, like true power, comes from within.  The idea of taking on an over-caring persona (not that Laura's a phony, here--she believes--but her followers will be) implies that the alone person needs to change to take someone, and that the taking is more important than being happy alone.  Therein lies the rub--if you're not happy being yourself, the new persona's victories will just feel hollow, and if you are happy, the phoniness is a step down.  And WHILE some great conquests can be had (boy, howdy!), the pressure to maintain the phony will eventually make it slip, either slowly (in which case she leaves) or abruptly (when man dumps woman).
     If she doesn't like you for you, in other words, you'll have to leave her eventually.

"A living planet is a much more complex metaphor for deity than just a
bigger father with a bigger fist.  If an omniscient, all-powerful Dad
ignores your prayers, it's taken personally.  Hear only silence long
enough, and you start wondering about his power.  His fairness.  His
very existence.  "
"But if a world mother doesn't reply, Her excuse is
simple.  She never claimed conceited omnipotence.  She has countless
others clinging to her apron strings, including myriad species unable
to speak for themselves. "
"To Her elder offspring She says - go raid the
fridge.  Go play outside.  Go get a job..."  ~David Brin, Tree Hugger

     The biggest enemy of the Church is, arguably, not the fanatic, battering from without, whose ravings drive the flock inside for warmth and bomb shelters, nor the protestant at the door, whose heresy drives the blood, but the apathetic one, wandering around outside, who doesn't give a hang.  The atheists who ascribe godly power to chance, physics, or ungodly things reassure those who'd rather spend Sunday morning in bed and 10% of their income on food. 
     And the environment?  A religion for the lazy, and in the same vein.  If you truly see the divine in everything (or everything natural), then worship is easy--just step off the road and onto the grass. 
     But does G-d need our help?  Perhaps religion does (Simony!  Indulgences!  Tithing!  You name it!).  I prefer to think that a deity that gives us free will would rather we NOT subordinate others' wills just to worship G-d. 
     And an omnipotent G-d not intervening on behalf of the faithful?  It's been done--it doesn't shake me.

     As far back as I can remember, the most sensitive people in my life are those that cared for me as I am.  Those that liked my intellect, my charm, my gentlemanly qualities.  A handful have even grown to like my playful, naughty side.  And I've gotten to know theirs, too.  But there's always some part of me I gotta keep a rein on--guess that's life--that scandalized them all.
     So, while Internet pornography has taught me rudimentary collage skills, file sorting, and browser caching, it's also taught me a lot about lying.
     There's a current of thought that decided, long ago, that sex for money, for pleasure, and for anonymity was wrong--that, in some way, we degrade everyone (or, perhaps, everyone but our own selves) if we seek quick encounters, prostitutes, or pornography.  I agree--for the sake of speed, and my reputation here, but I have a few words about that last one.
     I don't speak for all (and who can?), but racy images, words, and videos serve a positive purpose for me.  First, they allow for an immediate release; while my imagination can cover the time between dates, usually there's a gap there.  Second, it gives some information about sex in general and what I might like in the future; free-form fantasy with your significant other might force a relationship to dangerous areas if you're tempted to act on them.  Third, it's better than renting people (if only, as some contend, by a narrow margin).  Lastly, it allows for self-controlled self love--useful if you're alone (as I have been).
     Cheating, you say?  I guess, in a way, it is, but consider--female adult film stars come and go without traces remaining--their names and faces only a memory to their photographers and sponsors.  To me (and, perhaps, to many), they exist as stand-ins for real people, their distinguishing marks wiped away, their personalities obscured by a script. 
     As for the exploitation factor, I have to demur on that one--the world of adult film is so diverse, so messy, and so unknown to me that I can't say.
    
     It's worth noting that women of all varieties don't believe a whit of this, and have vigorous arguments.  I would recommend, in that case, hiding the evidence, clamming up on the subject, and working towards the relationship.  If you can't imagine doing that, walk away from her and live in your basement--you do your S.O. a disservice otherwise, and they take it personally.
     If you can, be at peace.

P.S. This song is a classic--about lovin' machines (I kid you not).
P.P.S.  This may be my only rated R post, so enjoy (?) it.

OK, just a short rant. 
The first pet peeve I usually experience with people is their mispronunciation (ok, ok.  Sometimes it's "failure to bathe", nevermind) of common words.  Lately, the company's had sexual harassment meetings for all the managers (state law--retraining every year, or something).  And what do you suppose that word is supposed to sound like?
Her-ass-mint?  Hare-is-mint?  Frankly, the word "ass" either does, or doesn't belong in that word, but isn't it odd that it might?  Like when the person giving the speech there has big physical features--I mean like ridiculously huge--like why is someone that attractive doing these?  I guess that's what you call irony.
Or how about the month we're in--February.  How many times have people had that R thrown at them by dictionaries?  And yet many (including this overrated band right here right now) drop it-- Feb-you-wary.  Screw it.   How do you feel about being indoors for weeks on end?  Right.  And What do you do?  Feh-brew-ary. 
Something to ponder.

    "The first half hour of Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' deals with a revolutionary moment in the evolution of man...a forward thinking hominid ponders...a goat femur.  Curiosity begets idea, idea begets action,...getting all the chicks, all because he learned to use a tool.  Later, a tool named HAL shows a couple of astronauts what happens when you don't keep your mind on your tools and your tools on your mind."   --Alton Brown, "Gear For Your Kitchen", page 6

    One of the benefits of going to college far away and finding a job somewhere else entirely is that it gives you a light load to tote.  Having to haul or ship everything also gives you a certain disregard for unused items and items of sentimental value.  And while I have my fair share of books, movies, and clothes, each with a story behind it, I park it all on plastic cabinets and particle board.  I've taken the liberty of hiding the special items I own at my parents' house, and taken care to only attach to the lighter items.

    Why?  Besides the hauling issues, there's the matter of storage.  My Mother retains furniture from the House She Grew Up In--big beds and tall chests forged in unnatural shades of turquoise, and so old the drawers cannot open.  My Aunt has a player piano she'd be better off burning, but wasted hundreds of dollars moving it with her, after it spent a year next to my Mother's (in similar condition and perpetually out of tune).  My girlfriend and my Aunt both maintain storage lockers full of stuff--remnants of their former lives, taking away in excess of $170 a month.  Frankly, I cringe.
   
    And so, I fight.  Every stick of unused furniture?  Back to the parents' house, or out into the dumpster (particle board--it's so easy!).  Empty boxes?  Stashed by the dumpster (free for anyone who needs'em).  Tools I can't work with?  Dump 'em at work, or toss 'em out.  If I worry about getting a new item that won't fit?  I pass on it.

    Final analysis?  Though my place is listed at <700 sq. ft., it's more than enough for me, my stuff, and the occasional pair of parents in need of an overnight rest.  Oh, and I'm more than happy to help you throw out the unused, the useless, and the lost. 

G-d can come at you in many ways.  Some believe that their S.O. is a gift from above, for instance.  I would contend that some extreme catastrophes of the world were due to godhood within man (such as the cults-of-personality around Mao Zedong or Joseph Stalin), or to G-d himself (tsunamis can't be created by us--yet).
    So, what do you believe?  Most of us go by the aspect of G-d that blesses us.  Ancient farm cultures went by the sun, which grew crops, and the rain, which watered it.  I personally think at least one aspect keeps traffic from crashing.
    But why are we blessed in one aspect, but not another? 
    The way some explain this differential fortune is that G-d has a plan for each of us ("lessee here, if I give him a big brain, no friends, and a pathetic sex life, he'll become a genius inventor, huh?  Let's do it!"). 
    Some splinter their view of G-d into lesser deities, including some that like them and some that do not. 
    But if you think that this is absurd, it sounds downright rational to some, who can't BELIEVE that the multi-faceted world can come from just ONE mind. 
       Again, how can just one thing create hot things AND cold ones?  Dark and LIGHT?  And if it is all-powerful, why doesn't it help all of us?
       And yet, and yet.  The problem with approaching things from a ONE master with a BIG PLAN way is, why pray?  If the path is set, why ask for things?  Want G-d to change the plan?  Just for you?  Ballsy of you, isn't it?  And yet, your rational examination of things can make an atheist of you. 
    I had a quote awhile back: "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." --historian Stephen Henry Roberts (1901-71)

And what do *I* believe?  I'm a Jew.

By the way, this revelation came to me during a Doubles dance stage on a DDR dance game, a week ago.