Friday night at Adam's was a night to get wasted. I had lots of dark liquor, a little light liquor, beer, some fruity drink, and lots of fun. It took me until early this afternoon to realize that I had way too much fun and was way too coherent for the amount of alcohol I consumed. After seven shots, a coffee mug, three beers, and whatever that other drink was, I should have been on the floor. Okay, after the third shot of tequila, which followed several shots of Jagermeister, I should have been on the floor... the beer and blue drink came later.

I only mention this again because Saturday night was also a night to get wasted, but I opted instead to be the driver. Jessica specifically told me not to take advantage of her while she was drunk (so naturally I waited for the buzz to wear off a little... err, I mean, never mind), and that point has nothing to do with this post. I drove so that Abby, David, and Jessica could have a good time; I knew I would have a good time anyway, and after Friday night, I didn't care to test my body's ability to take alcohol again.

I always thought of Whiskey River as more of a redneck bar and dance club, mostly because that's how people described it to me. What I actually saw on the inside was a dance club like the others I've seen, except Whiskey River has more space, more room to breathe, and more people exhausting the clean air supply. I never enjoy being around cigarette smoke, and I've never really enjoyed dancing at the club either, but tonight I had lots of fun. I guess it the people you're with has a lot to do with it.

I'm not subtly hinting at anything, here. But you can email me and ask about it anyway. Interested parties should probably pursue that. Uninterested parties should resume practice of your daily rituals and enjoy whatever it is you enjoy...

Finally, I have two papercut-like injuries on my right thumb and left middle finger, and it's annoying. I use my thumb all the time, and I got the cut at Adam's Friday night, but I have no idea how or why. It kept bleeding off and on today, which was annoying the snot out of me. After I finally got it under control, the first thing I did was miss the parking brake release in my car and yank at something much less forgiving, and *scrape*, off with my finger's skin! It's no bigger than a papercut, and it's actually not painful and already mostly healed (how?), but it bled at first and pissed me off!

Have a good night and holiday weekend!

My brain is telling me that I should have a hangover that feels like a 6.5 on the Richter scale, but my body says no, and I refuse to argue with it. After four shots of Jagermeister, three tequila, more vodka than I should be able to handle, and some fruity Puckers drink, I'm thinking I shouldn't even be coherent yet, let alone feeling ready to face the day. Especially considering that I've only been drunk maybe four times in my life, and the last time was about seven months ago (thanks, Dalila). Is this another quirky side effect of kicking the caffeine habit? If so, I'd rather not know... I don't want to feel encouraged to do it regularly.

It's Football Saturday! Time to watch UGA kick somebody's ass, then I'm going to watch Auburn beat USC in Warner Robins with my dad later tonight. Enjoy your weekend!

Surprise, surprise -- I'm in Warner Robins again! This time, I'm here (a) to see Jessica and (b) to be a part of the festivities for the grand opening of the new Warner Robins campus. Now I've been charged with the task of stealing a shirt for a fellow student... I'm such a good student government president. Let's see how this goes!

I am now officially the new Title III intern at the Tech Services Department at Macon State College. I showed up for 90 minutes yesterday just to do some paperwork, setup my workstation, and hang out with my new team, and I'm getting paid for it!

Today, I'm learning how the MSC Online system works so that I may show a professor how to develop his faculty and class web pages. It is actually a very intuitive setup and is very self-explanatory, but it helps to have lots of time to play with it. Instructors who are less computer savvy will find it much easier to work with if someone familiar with it can show them how it works from the beginning.

Dr. David Adams is the professor who built the MSC Online system, and he also wrote the Web Development Tutorials that can teach you the basics of everything he knows, so even you or I could develop a web development system like MSC Online. I've used those tutorials more than any other online resource when I've needed help for something involving web development, with the exception of anything involving PHP for this site. (You see, Dr. Adams likes Microsoft and Microsoft's .NET architecture, so he uses ASP and ASP.NET, whereas I prefer the less-bloated and speedier PHP... and this server uses PHP, not ASP, so there.)

Anyway, back to work for me. I should be familiar with this system in about an hour or two, and then I just sit around and get paid to look pretty. Supposedly. Er, I mean, you really don't want to work here. Sure, it's fun when there's nothing to do, but a lot of the work is really boring and really annoying... so they say.

The teaser for today's "Lead Story" segment of Congressional Quarterly's "CQ Today" reads:

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the federal deficit could total $2.5 trillion for the current fiscal and the next five years if Congress clears a Medicare prescription drug benefit, extends tax cuts due to expire and protects middle-income taxpayers from the alternative minimum tax.

The wording of this paragraph is intended to instill a fear in Americans that the federal deficit is ballooning to ungodly proportions and that we must stop tax cuts now. But one very peculiar word sticks out like a sore thumb to me, but mostly because I have trained myself to look for truth, and not just rhetoric. That word is "could". The deficit could reach ungodly numbers. The deficit could also completely disappear in that same time period as a result of fiscally responsible programs designed to work with the tax cut and put America's economy back on the right track.

Democrats and Republicans are alike in one horrible way: neither party wants to reduce government spending. Why? Because they share a trait far too common among America's politicians: they believe that they need more of their own programs rather than fewer of the opposition's programs in order to gain political momentum and capital. (Ironically, what is common sense among America's politicians is completely nonsensical.)

It should be no secret that throwing money at issues doesn't resolve the problems associated with them. Sometimes you need to make some cuts and reforms in order to make an industry or department more efficient. Government is no different than any other business in this regard; in fact, the government is exactly like a business, the biggest business there is, where more money is raised, spent, and wasted than in any other.

Sure, some jobs are lost for the short term, and the money spent to make the necessary changes will boost short-term deficits while overall productivity for the short term is reduced. This is simply how business works! In the long term, the business is more efficient, more useful jobs are available, and the result is vastly improved productivity numbers that make available more jobs and money to those who thought a short-term loss was unacceptable.

This is a physical challenge for the American government. It's time to get lean, to work out the fat cells sucking the energy out of the living process. The government is a living, breathing machine, and in a way we are the organs of that machine. It's time we treated it that way and fought to get our government back in shape -- and, as most of us can agree, neither the obese or anorexic looks are in these days.

I hope you know what I mean, but I'll spell it out for you in case you don't: our government is turning into an overly bureaucratic, irresponsive fatass of a government, and it's time to slim down. I'm not looking for an overly anarchic, purely libertarian, anorexic, holier-than-though bitch of a government, but something a little slimmer than fat and fatter than toothpick would be nice.

Being between jobs for a week has given me lots of free time, but it also means that I have a five-hour gap between classes from 10:00am and 3:00pm on Monday and Wednesday. Today, I left school at about 10:00 and met up with Zach in Warner Robins (again!) to watch "Family Guy" for about two hours. I think I've seen him more in the last two weeks than I have since he graduated from high school.

Now I'm sitting in International Economics, which should be a very interesting class, but the introductory basics are boring. The good news is that this class should be very easy having just taken both Macro- and Microeconomics. Did you know that the second wave of globalization following World War II was a result of agglomeration economies specializing in manufacturing niches and reducing trade barriers in order to allow for the liberalization of trade?

For the first time since high school, Zach and I hit the lanes for two solid hours of bowling, talking about girls, and bowling. We bowled ten games each and then split an eleventh game -- that's 105 frames for each of us in 120 minutes, or about 35 seconds per frame. Zach threw considerably more strikes than I did, so that means I probably heaved a bowling ball at an excessive rate of speed down an oily, wooden lane about 200 times. As you might imagine, my arm should be sore today, as well should be my legs and hips. Call it good luck or say that I'm in shape, but the only hint of soreness is in my fingers, and even they are not swollen or even in pain; maybe I'm just stronger than I once was. Well, naturally!

Zach bowled very well in one game in particular, picking up several strikes in a row for a 183 finish. I had 90-something after the fifth frame in one game, picking up a couple of strikes and a ton of spares, but screwing up the end of the game left me in the 140s. Considering that I used to approach 200 with regularity, it was somewhat disappointing not to break 150 at all in ten games, but it was the most fun I've had bowling since my senior year in high school. Zach and I have decided that we're going to put not less than two and not more than three weeks between bowling weekends for the rest of this school year if we can help it; we will hit 200 before this semester is over!

After bowling, we visited with Amy Griswold for about an hour. Zach was visiting her little brother, Brian, to discuss something about their wasteful expenditures on making their cars more attractive to traffic law enforcement than they already are; I was more interested in catching up with a friend I hadn't literally seen in three years (aside from a brief visit with Zach, um, a while ago). Anyway, it was good to see you again Amy! I hope you have fun in Australia!

You know, if I hadn't already adjusted to Macon, if I hadn't grown so comfortable where I live now, and if I had a job that would support a rent payment (and who knows, the job I have now might...), I would love to be Zach's first roommate in "his" house (parents moved to Tennessee, leaving him with the house and an ungodly rent payment -- that is, until he finds a roommate to split it with, then it's a great deal!). I'm still thinking about that as an option, except that I know it is highly illogical. Still, I plan to be in Warner Robins a helluva lot more this year than I have been in the last two years, so I imagine it might become something of a second home anyway. Maybe I'll be the honorary roommate that contributes to the necessities budget and crashes in the family bedroom (reserved for family visits) whenever I feel like it. Hey, that's actually a good idea. I'll have to float that one by Zach...

As you have read, I'm enjoying Warner Robins more than I have since I moved away, and I'm almost eager to go back. That can't be a good thing, can it?! Maybe I'll end up staying here for the rest of my life after all... *shudder* Actually, that wouldn't be so bad, except that if I do, I know I'd have to do some serious traveling and exploring to make up for it. I think I'd prefer to live here anyway, in a place where I am familiar and comfortable with the environment, especially the school system. I'll move away when my kids graduate from high school... Hah!

Now I'm just delirious. It's been a good weekend, and hopefully this era of good feelings continues. I'm expecting school to be a blast this semester, and I have other ideas up my sleeve that I'm hoping will evolve into even more good times. And, in any case, there's always Family Guy!

Last night I met Zachary and Alex, Chris's two younger brothers. Zach is about one, Alex is probably three or four, and Chris is probably eight or nine. Jessica is their aunt, and she invited me to dinner with them at O'Charlie's. A note for all the grownups out there: when they bring out drinks with lids on the tops, understand that those lids are intended for the adults not the kids, and further that the adult drinks should have lids too! I tipped over Chris's drink, but the lid saved it. Jessica tipped over my drink, and Chris and I had matching wet spots when we left.

Anyway, we fed the kids, let them play a bit afterward, and then just hung out for a bit. Then I went to Zach's and watched Bad Boys II on my laptop, listening to it through Zach's stereo. I had no idea the movie was that long, or that I would be able to stay up so late (4:00am) to see it after getting to sleep sometime around 11:00 or 12:00 for the last week solid.

People are bound to ask questions about Jessica, and I think that's adorable. Ask your silly questions. I think it's funny to hear what you guys think of asking next. :-)

I am in Warner Robins yet again! I like being down here, even if I don't have as much time to spend with my friends and my dad as I used to. I try to make myself available, especially to Dad, whenever I can, which unfortunately is hardly ever. This semester is going to be lighter than most (except for being President of the student government at school), so I should have more time to spare for friends, family, and just being out and about.

Last weekend, I played baseball with Jessica and some of her friends and family. This weekend, I might see Jessica, or I might not. I'm reasonably certain that I will be bowling with Zach tomorrow night for the first time in too long; that alone will make this weekend worth driving back and forth. (If you're unfamiliar with why bowling with Zach is so critical toward my keeping my sanity, refer to the archives of this web site around my senior year. I bowled a 223 game once, and one day I hope to better that top score.)

π was a damn good movie, reminding me a lot of The Matrix at times, of A Beautiful Mind at other times, and of classic weird comedies like Dr. Strangelove the rest of the time. A really bizarre film, π is not for everybody, but the idea that everything in the world can be represented in numbers, and the idea of putting that to film, are two good ones.

I just finished reading Jennifer Government by Max Barry. I said I wanted to read one book, this book, in the two weeks between my summer and fall semesters, and I was barely able to squeeze it in. In all fairness, however, I didn't read any of it for about a week while I was in Warner Robins. That trip was exactly what I needed -- I wish I could go back and do it again!

Err, oh yeah, the book. I was very surprised after reading the first few pages. It kind of picked up and ran away with me. It took me all over the world, blew a few things up, and left me eager to read what was happening next every time I put it down. (Damn responsibility!) Clarissa tells me that it led her into a conclusion that she was almost expecting; I didn't get that at all. I guess what she meant is that the ending made sense; it wasn't a chaotic ending that could lead into some random sequel.

Jennifer Government is the first fiction book I've read in quite a while -- the first since I read 170 pages of Atlas Shrugged last Fall -- and it is easily in my top five fiction reads of all time. Dystopias have always been my favorite fiction genre, and this book took it in an all new direction. Rather than exploiting the fear of an all-oppressive government, it undermined the fear of totalitarianism with a healthy disrepect for capitalism gone wild.

Now we just wait to see if Nike sues.

Today marks the first day of my senior year at Macon State College. It's hard to believe that this will be my seventeenth complete year in school. I am signed up for four classes, or twelve semester hours, which is going to be the lightest semester I have ever taken. There are two reasons for that: (1) primarily, I have nearly reached my attempted-hours limit, and to pass it would mean HOPE would have the option of not paying my tuition in the spring; (2) I am president of the Student Government Association, which comes with enough of its own workload, a lot of which I still haven't figured out. I need to get on the ball!

For the curious, I am taking Public Service Management (PBSV 3010), International Economics (ECON 3175), Ethics (ENGL 4340), and Sociology (SOCI 1101H). That's an interesting load for an Information Technology major. I expect four A's, and I will be very disappointed with anything less!

Now I must cope with the fact that my first class is at 2:00pm (9:00am tomorrow)!

Dalila just moved into a new place for the new semester, and she and I were talking about roommates' habits, at which point I realized that, despite occasional outward appearances (if you've been here you know what I mean), I'm a very neat person! At first, I was thinking I might be a neat freak, but that's not accurate, because I don't mind leaving a couple things out on tables or desktops if that's where they will be most useful within a few hours, or a day or two depending on the item. Neat freak, no -- highly organized, definitely. All of my books are arranged by category, and then alphabetically by author. My CDs are arranged alphabetically by artist so I know where to look for [insert CD here], or so I know when one is missing. My DVDs are arranged alphabetically by title. I always rinse dishes thoroughly and then put them in the dishwasher. I generally put things back where they belong, and I keep most of my things arranged or otherwise neat.

This can't be a normal thing for a guy my age. Why is my living space so organized, and why do I accomplish this and still have a healthy social life? If logic can't explain it, maybe you can.

Requiem For A Dream is the most depressing movie I have ever seen. The movie itself was highly stimulating, appealing to all the senses and even to that little part of your chest that thumps when something isn't quite right. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys partaking in the consumption of illegal or otherwise harmful substances (caffeine and junk food aside).

Maybe now I should sit down and watch Pi, just to complete the circle. (Sadly, that pun was not intended. Does that make it more or less clever?)

Mom is on her way to Wyoming this morning, leaving the house to me for a full week. This means two things: (1) food is harder to come by; (2) party! Of course, by party, I mean I might have a few of my friends over for drinks and movies -- nothing as elaborate as my sister would have pulled when she was in high school (seven years ago!).

And for whatever reason, I felt like arranging my things yesterday, so everything I own is pretty much in order. My room is as neat as it ever has been, you can actually see the surface of my dresser, and it is clean behind closed cabinet doors, which is usually where my junk stacks up. Ironically, it is always clean in the closet and under the bed -- I guess parents were so intent on keeping those areas clean when I was growing up that they never thought to cure the cause, so I still just throw stuff somewhere on occasion.

I'm not a neat freak at all, but it's nice to have a neat place to sleep and move around; and it stays that way for a while, since I don't really play with anything in here.

I don't know whether to be pleased or frightened, but someone from Berkeley was reading my web page for a good 45 minutes yesterday. Of course, I know how my stats-tracker works -- for all I know, the person could have visited a few pages, then surfed elsewhere, and come back to the site in the same window 45 minutes later. But this person looked at several pages... I wonder... In any case, I don't see why anyone at Berkeley would be interested in my views, unless I challenged theirs or something. If this person should return, feel free to leave a note.

I also think you should know that I seldom check my site's visitor stats, but when a significant portion of the eastern seaboard of the United States and Canada goes dark, I get curious about how it might affect traffic to my site. FYI, it seems as though traffic dropped suddenly between 4:00 and 6:00 and spiked between 9:00 and 10:00. And I was asleep by 11:00... isn't that weird?

There could be another wrinkle to the ballot. There is, election officials noted, the possibility of write-in candidates.

The hype surrounding California's gubernatorial recall election is turning out to be more fun than the election itself may be worth. Of the 247 candidates who filed to run if Governor Gray Davis is defeated, only 135 were certified (either because they didn't pay the $3500 fee, or because they failed to get the required 65 signatures of California voters). In any case, you can bet that I'll be paying attention to at least some of the campaigning between now and October 7, and I'll definitely be eager to get the final results in the following mornings!

The last caffeinated beverage I consumed was a Dr Pepper on Sunday afternoon; since I no longer consume chocolate or other foods containing caffeine, I am essentially caffeine-free since then. I had anticipated withdrawal symptoms, most noticeably a crashing headache, to force me to indulge in the last Dr Pepper in my refridgerator (which I did not realize was there when I looked for it Monday), but to this point there has been no such headache. In fact, aside from feeling a bit run down (which could just as easily be a side effect of a significant amount of emotional stress), there has been little to no effect at all. And even in my run-down physical state, I ran a little over a mile this morning for the first time in several months.

Sitting at work with nothing better to do this morning, I checked a couple of online reports regarding caffeine withdrawal and its symptoms, and one report in particular struck me; this report, with an statistically insignificantly small sample size, concluded that the most likely cause for suffering the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal is not necessarily the nonconsumption of caffeine (although dropping the habit suddenly usually results in headaches and tiredness), but instead is the awareness of the fact. As much caffeine as I consumed on a daily basis, I would thus expect a massive headache to put me down for a few hours at some point, especially with how much attention I have given the situation, and especially considering that I have had caffeine withdrawal headaches before after only half a day without caffeine!

But... nothing. No headaches. Maybe a little fatigue, but I have actually gotten more work done as a result of that, oddly enough. I am beginning to wonder if the symptoms are simply avoiding me, and I am hoping that this means I have broken a habit that I have talked about breaking for a few years now. That would be nice.

In any case, I am counting the days, because it is a significant achievement for me -- even if I am breaking the habit without crawling in agony through the symptoms of its withdrawal.

Here is another good article on caffeine dependence, with a chart of the caffeine content of some popular beverages. I have seen more elaborate charts, and you can also email the help-desk of any caffeinated beverage's production company and they will answer any questions about it. Not that you care. :-)

Microsoft claims that half of all Windows crashes are the fault of third-party program code. Of course, this means that the other half are Microsoft's fault. I think it's pretty silly to blame half of it on anyone, though, since saying "half" indicates that someone knows (a) exactly how many times Windows has ever crashed and (b) exactly how many of those crashes were caused by Microsoft code. No one knows that, so Microsoft is talking the same kind of trash as Dean, Gephardt, and the gang.

Zach and I were discussing a particular ex-girlfriend of his, and he was explaining to me that she (like all girls, and guys too for that matter) comes with baggage. He volunteered a couple of things (I've never been the prying type -- in fact, I flatly rejected offers of any information before dating Claire, and she and I lasted 19 months), most of which she herself had already told me, so I let him know that apparently I've seen the baggage and I'm not deterred. Then came one of those classic lines that you just sit there and laugh about for a solid minute before swearing that you're going to put it on your web site's quotes' page.

I had a nice weekend. Did you? Last night sucked, though. I feel better now, and incidentally, I think I've stopped drinking Dr Pepper cold turkey. Works for me! No more soda!

Posted in its entirety below, because I'm shameless, is perhaps the most entertaining Newsweek article I have ever read. Subject: Family Guy, the greatest cartoon the world has ever known, and I've only seen fewer than ten episodes.

Devin Gordon's article appeared in the July 14 issue of Newsweek, an MSNBC magazine.

I just watched Basic (John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, others), and I have a challenge for you: explain to me what the hell I just saw! Fair warning to anyone who hasn't seen it yet: pay very, very close attention to the dialogue throughout the movie, and keep quiet while you're watching it! For the type of movie that it is, I thought it was very well done, and it was obviously a job well done, because I'm left with this urge to see it again!

It's been a good weekend, and now I need to work a little on school stuff before heading back home and diving back into the working ritual with full steam ahead. School begins next Tuesday, and presumably I already have all my books (I haven't checked my mail since I came to Warner Robins four days ago, but I am guessing that my other three books have arrived by now). Four classes, student government, a job with tech services... I feel like I shall be enjoying more freedom this semester than I have in any other since my first semester freshman year.

Life feels good again, for the moment. I expect it to drop back to feeling just normal any minute now...

I think I failed to mention that I was visiting Warner Robins for the weekend, but it's true! I have left the cozy confines of my usual home in Macon for five nights in my old home in Warner Robins. There are two goals, and I don't know which is primary and which is secondary: (1) to hang out with dad, who loves to see me any time I get a chance to drop by, since that's become so rare; (2) to hang out with the few close friends still accessible from my hometown, namely Tony and Zach. So far I am enjoying myself, and that's all I have to report. Don't be alarmed if my responses to [insert news here] don't make it to the web; I'm busy.

It's official. I got one A and two B's over the summer. Both B's were borderline; an 89 in Multimedia and an 84 in Microeconomics (an 85 is an A in that class), so I'm a bit upset that I didn't at least two A's. I could have slacked off a little in one of my B classes or the other and earned the A in the other one without dropping to a C... Oh well. My GPA after three full years of college is at 3.55 and rising. I plan to be above 3.6 easily before I graduate, and hopefully approaching 3.7. We shall see!

I have two teams: the Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs. I've been a big fan of each time since 1992, when I first started watching college football. This year, for the first time in my short history, Auburn and Georgia are picked as the preseason favorites in the SEC, and that's got me anticipating some exciting Saturdays this fall!

ESPN's Coaches Poll ranks Auburn #6 and Georgia #9. Another of my favorites, Tennessee, comes in at #16. Marcy's Florida Gators are way down the list at #21. I actually like the Gators (I like any SEC team over any non-SEC team except Georgia Tech), so I hope they pull that number up without hurting Auburn or UGA.

Sports Illustrated's Top 25 poll puts Georgia at #5 and Auburn at #9, with Tennessee consistent at #16 and Florida off the chart at #34. Finally, although I thought I had seen a report of the AP poll earlier this week, it appears as though their rankings are not yet available.

I like to average all three of these polls together for an overall poll ranking, and I ignore these polls completely in calculating a derivative of the BCS score -- which basically means I try to determine what team is best according to the BCS formula but without consideration of a few sportswriters' opinions. Or, that is, I like to keep the measure of opinions and performance mutually exclusive.

You don't care, but I do. I'm looking forward to a good season -- it starts August 30! Auburn at USC (wow!) and Georgia at Clemson is a good way to kick off. Place your bets...

CK Rairden of the Washington Dispatch writes an intriguing bit on Howard Dean, calling him "a Karl Rove wet dream":

He is an anti-war liberal in a time when soccer moms have become security conscious. Dean has also promised to raise taxes if elected president. These are two losing platforms that have a McGovernesque train wreck written all over it. The GOP now has to consider whether they will now take an even more active role in securing the nomination for Howard Dean.

According to Rairden, the real question that has emerged is: "Will rank and file Republicans cross over and vote in the Democrat Primary elections to help get Dean the nomination?" I don't think it's a matter of crossing over, really. I believe that, when one party's nominee is already secured (such as when an incumbent President has no opposition for the nomination), it is every American's right and responsibility, if they choose to have it, to vote for the opposing candidate who they believe would best serve them. In other words, I sincerely hope that Republicans, Libertarians, Greens, and everyone else vote in the Democratic Primary, and I fully expect them to.

On the other hand, this only works in states with an open primary system, like my state. In closed primaries, I do not believe anyone should register as Democrats just to swing the vote -- that would be unethical. The system is set up to work a certain way, and exploiting the loopholes isn't respecting the system. An open primary is meant to be open to anyone and everyone; a closed primary is meant to be open only to the group putting forth the candidate.

Oh, look... Howard Dean's sharp politicking has sucked me back into the political jet stream. I knew I'd come back!

I caught the tail end of the rerun of last night's Democrats' debate on C-Span this morning. Basically, I was just in time to hear all nine closing statements, which was probably the summary of all of their potential presidential policy plans. My conclusion, based on what I heard, is that Joe Lieberman, John Kerry, Richard Gephardt, Bob Graham, and Ted Kucinich (if that's his name) are planning to win with typical, misleading, liberal rhetoric; Carol Mosley-Braun is planning to win as the only woman; and Al Sharpton and Howard Dean are the only two candidates telling it like it is. I'm leaving out one, and all that suggests to me is that he must have been less than impressive, because apparently his words and face have not been impressed onto me -- and I pay attention to these things!

Sadly, I see only one credible candidate for the Democratic nomination, the former governor of Vermont, Howard Dean. The Reverend Al Sharpton is looking more and more legitimate, but he is a socialist -- aside from his socialist views, he may as well be a legitimate candidate for the Democrat nomination. I don't see how I could be twisted into pulling for any one besides Dean at this point, though. (And let's keep in mind that, at this point, I fully support Bush, but in choosing the least of nine evils, I'm hoping to pick the one Democrat who would best serve my political agenda -- and right now that's Howard Dean. At least his words are substantive and not simply rhetorical!)

If you click on the "hypertxt" link above, your browser will relocate itself to my web site's links page. You might notice that I have finally gotten around to updating the links, and I am adding brief descriptions of every web site. You may or may not find my favorite links useful, but they are there for you nonetheless. I intend to modify the links page to a more intuitive interface in the future, but for now I just wanted to get the information up.

And in case you were concerned, my ear has stopped ringing. Thankfully, it appears to have been a minor respiratory infection, which Tylenol Allergy & Sinus knocks right out.

One ear is ringing; the other is not. This is not exactly a normal situation. I have done a little research, and at this point I'm not worried. But if it gets worse or turns out not to be more than just allergies or an infection, then there's more to think about. If anyone's familiar with the condition, feel free to share some information.

For the etymologically challenged, Tony has an explanation for the varying irregular plurals of the English language: "The short explanation is that all those nouns came from (1) different languages at (2) different points in the history of English, and their plurality is not grounded in any system or logic, but rather in linguistic, lexical, and etymological ways."

Don't know "etymology"? Don't know "lexical"? Look'em up in a dictionary! Oh, the irony!

If you use Netscape 5 or any of its derivatives or Opera 7, you now have the advantage of seeing my web site as it is meant to be seen. If you use Internet Explorer 6 or any other standards compliant web browser, then you can still see the web site in its flawless form, only without the simple special effect of having the header and footer wrap the body of the page. For IE6 users, the effect is simple: using CSS and JavaScript, I caused the header (cloudy sky, links, quotable) and footer (bricks) to sit permanently at the top and bottom of the page, respectively, and the text content of the page scrolls in the whitespace between them. For IE6 users, the cloudy sky and bricks scroll with the page as they have since I put them there.

Mozilla, Netscape, and Opera users should direct comments or complaints toward the "contact" link above; I am aware that there is not much whitespace in smaller resolutions, and I need to know if this change is worthy of negative feedback. I've been meaning to add this graphical feature to the page for a long time, and now that I've done it, I am only disappointed that it does not work in my primary web browser. However, I can get over that...

This marks a first: I'm getting involved in an election campaign more than a year before the election. But why? I don't believe getting involved is necessary, since I don't believe Bush will be beaten -- in fact, I don't think anyone will come close. However, while on that subject, I believe that Senate Republicans stand a better chance of faring better in this election than does Bush. What I mean to say is this: Republicans will gain a little more in the Senate, and they will peak either with the 109th or with the 110th Congress. Bush, on the other hand, will win, but not as emphatically.

I've looked over the Democrats' candidates to oppose Bush in the general election next November, and a couple of them look promising, but only one looks like a guy I could feasibly vote for: Howard Dean. Throw out his support for labor unions (not that I am against the freedom to form them; I just don't support them) and for repealing Bush's tax cuts (which, by the way, didn't directly help me a bit), and for the most part Dean is a candidate for whom I could vote. In any case, he's probably the best Democrat of the bunch, and I hope he wins the primary just because he used the Internet so well.

My primary focus when considering a candidate is economics: where does Dean stand on the economy? Directly from Dean's economic policy statement, we find that his "economic policies for America are based on four fundamentals":

Repeal the Bush tax cuts, and use those funds to pay for universal health care, homeland security, and investments in job creation that benefit all Americans.

Set the nation on the path to a balanced budget, recognizing that we cannot have social or economic justice without a sound fiscal foundation.

Create a fairer and simpler system of taxation.

Assure that Social Security and Medicare are adequately funded to meet the needs of the next generation of retirees.

Has it ever occurred to anyone that perhaps the most significant reason behind decreasing job quality is technological advancement? As computers are developed that can do various jobs more efficiently than we can, naturally the job supply decreases and job demand increases; people still employed command higher wages, and people left unemployed struggle to find a decent job. Now, I'm not saying this is that primary cause behind rising unemployment, but I am saying that Bush's economic policy has very little, if anything, to do with the economic downturn: it takes economic policies, at minimum, about fourteen months to really grip the economy. So the effects of the Bush administration's policies should slowly begin to take hold right about now. For better or worse, the next year of economic activity can be attributed to the combination of Bush and Congress.

Back to Dean's policies. The main problem I have with Dean is that he utilizes the same rhetoric that is so typical of today's liberal politicians: he accuses the Bush tax cuts of helping only the wealthy while everyone else labors. And saying that the richest 2% of families receive the bulk of the benefit of the tax cuts doesn't mean anything, because it could have one of several meanings. Be specific, Dean. Do they receive the greatest percentage per capita (no)? Do they receive the greatest percentage overall (well duh)? Do they receive the greatest dollar amount per capita (well duh)?

Of course, this is not to say that the Bush economic plan is perfect. It is far from it. But it is much better than anything Clinton or any other "progressive" liberal has done in this century, and I'd like to see it continue. I have a very good reason for that too: We will never know what the true effect of supply-side economics could be if we never truly give it a chance. I, for one, believe in the trickle-down theory. I have done the math myself, and I have read the correlating and opposing theories. I have studied the effects on banking, disposable income, consumer price indexes, and so on. And while I am no self-proclaimed expert on the matter, I think I am qualified enough to have an educated opinion on the matter. (If you have read this web site for even a couple of months, then you have seen a couple of lengthy, documented essays regarding this topic.)

Suffice it to say that the Election of 2004, especially the Democrats' primary, will be interesting. At this point, I'm pulling behind Howard Dean for the Democrats -- he's the least of nine evils. And, while I will probably never again support the Democratic Party, I do occasionally support Democratic candidates, and Howard Dean is one I could imagine supporting if the Republican were particularly bad. (Of course, I am assuming that the Libertarian candidate is worthless, as usual; I would vote for a good Libertarian or independent long before I would vote for any major-party candidate.)

I thought this was a clever poem. Thanks to Lucy for sending it to me! Just so you know, that last stanza was originally the fourth and only had three lines; I moved it to the end and added the last line myself, thinking it added the perfect flavor to an already tasty treat of a poem.

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
Only the Cat in the Hat knows where this goes!

Now, here are some reasons to be grateful if you grew up speaking English, as opposed to learning it as a second language. If you understand each of these sentences, you are among an elite class of linguists.

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
22) I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

Anyone who has another to add to this list should feel encouraged to do so! I'm surprised I didn't think of something to say about to, too, and two or there, their, and they're.

I just turned in my resignation to my boss at Riverside Library. My career as a library employee, the first real job I ever held, will end Monday, August 18. Tendering a resignation is a weird feeling, at least the first time, and I hope I don't have to do it too many more times. (That is, I hope to move up and fall into whatever career suits me relatively quickly and easily -- hah, right!) The people I've worked with for the last eighteen months (nineteen months exactly when I leave) have been some of the nicest, most interesting, and most enjoyable people I've ever known, and it's been great working with them. I've had perhaps the world's greatest boss ever, and I'm hoping that any boss I have between now and my post-graduate career makes working for him/her feel even half as comfortable as I did working for Judy.

If I stopped there, the five people who read my web site all would email me first thing and ask, "Where's your new job?", and any other relevant questions. I'll save you the trouble: I've landed an internship with the Department of Technology Resources at Macon State College, as per requisite of the Information Technology baccalaureate program at MSC. (I didn't have to get the internship with the school, but as student government president for the next year, it made more sense to find one on campus. And at $9/hour and a guarantee that the potential employer would meet the standards of my degree requirements, it was easy to land a job where I did.)

My first day at work at MSC will likely be August 19, the first day of classes. I'm actually looking forward to finally putting my computer skills to (good?) use. From the outside looking in, it seems like my job will mostly involve developing presentations and similar projects for faculty and staff who lack the time or skills to do it themselves -- hey, that's what the Department of Technology Resources is for (or, grammatically correct but aesthetically painful, "that's for what the department is").

An IT job at an IT school. Who'd o' thunk?

Georgia's Sales Tax Holiday for 2003 is upon is; now would be a good time to buy a computer, some school supplies, select clothing items, and anything else that qualifies according to Section 12 of House Bill 43 (PDF).

Any time I think about a "sales tax holiday", my politically and economically inclined mind is inclined to question whether such a holiday does more harm than good to society -- especially in a state like Georgia in a time like now, when the state government is facing an economic crisis bad enough without foregoing several million dollars in gimme tax revenues. On the other hand, I throw all of that out the window and allow the holiday justification to stand on this condition: it gives us the opportunity, for four days out of the year, to see just what good or bad can come from it. If we actually study the effects of the sales tax holiday and learn how to harness its effects, perhaps it can be used for nothing but the best.

In any event, I think I might hit up the mall for some shirts and pants or something. I see no reason why I shouldn't take advantage of it!

Imagine being the father of two loyal sons killed by a powerful government, simply because of their relation to you. Imagine, then, being unable to attend their burial. From a humanist standpoint, I could feel sympathetic. From the same humanist standpoint, I wouldn't care at all if the father's name were Saddam Hussein.

Last night I picked up four new DVDs: Daredevil, "Pi", Requiem for a Dream, and The Thirteenth Floor. The last I picked up for under $10, the first was on sale being brand new, and the other two were picked up in a 2-for-$18 deal -- and I've still seen neither of them. All things considered, I think it was a steal to get the four of them for under $45. (Tony, we now have more than just laptops to entertain us next week!)

The White House Department of Faith is a source of, erm, entertainment. Just think Kevin Smith, Presidency, and movie reviews, and I think you've nailed it!

Lance Brown has unofficially announced his candidacy for president for 2008 on his weblog, Free View (www.freedom2008.com). This is what I would call planning ahead. I'm sure Hillary Clinton is planning something like a presidential campaign behind the scenes, but that's even less official than what Lance Brown is doing. So shhhh, you didn't hear that from me.

In order for me to vote for a Libertarian, two things must be true: (1) the candidate must be true to political libertarian ideals; (2) the candidate's "legalize drugs" mantra must be toned down to a nearly inaudible level. I am actually in favor of legalization of a few drugs (by legalization, I mean decriminalization), but any candidate who concentrates a presidential campaign on that issues does not deserve to be taken seriously.

That's all for now. Expect to hear more from me as soon as I found out what Libertarians are doing for the election of 2004.