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| | You want fries with that? | | | | Friday, May 16, 2008 (10:17 AM) | |
At the risk of sounding whiney again, the post-Bloodlines Part I week has been pretty depressing. I've not been sleeping again and it's pretty detrimental to my mood. Thus while the creative spark is there, the desire to actually work on the videos I have to work on, "get ahead of the game" as it were, is not there. That sucks because Bloodlines was particularly well received and I hope my next efforts will be nearly so.
There are many contributing factors to this. One of which is where I'm spending the majority of the weekday period, work. Want to feel like you've been demoted but not without the loss of pay? Get transferred from a high profile, challenging job to another one that you can do in your sleep (and would if not for that whole firing thing). That's basically what I've got right now. Ostensibly, it's to address a weakness in my resume, managing people, but damn if it doesn't feel like I got shafted. Problem is, that's all I do. And since I firmly believe that you don't have to micromanage people, I spend a lot of time doing nothing. I don't add value, I just sit here and make sure people are working. You know, while I don't.
Under ideal circumstances, getting paid to do nothing would be a dream. However, trapped in this office, I have to give the appearance of doing work (i.e. writing this blog so it looks like an e-mail). The whole concept loses its appeal when you can't doing everything you want. I couldn't take a nap for example, something that would really help right about now. I can't whip out a PSP. I'm always looking over my shoulder while I surf the web. That's neither fun or relaxing. That's an attempt to retain sanity.
So I have three choices. One: Suck it up. Two: Ask for more work. Three: Quit. None of which are particularly appealing. Choice two seems like the best choice. I've already been doing things far beyond what is technically in my job description. That's meant volunteering for pretty much everything and creating my own stuff. Most of the time, that would be considered good but office politics being what it is, I don't trust that it doesn't show that I'm just gunning to get out of here ASAP (I am but I don't want that to be too apparent).
Such is life in the corporate world I guess. I'm not surprised, just irritated.
Omega One Out
Code Monkey have boring meeting
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| | On the affrontery of meteorology and other irritants | | | | Monday, May 12, 2008 (9:12 AM) | |
BlueEyez just made a video about being bored. I think my head has imploded. Or it was just sucked into the black hole of charisma that eminates from that channel. Have I mentioned the fixation problem I'm having lately?
I want to make you aware that I have a couple major projects coming down the pike very soon. Both are collabs, written by yours truly, and involve familiar faces. No doubt many of you are saying "Hey, he's talking about me!". Consider this your assurance that I am diligently working to complete the tasks assigned to me. As always, People Who Should Be Beaten vids can and will come at any time. These do not count in the aforementioned projects.
I heard an amusing song by MC Frontalot this weekend (nerdcore 4 life) called "I hate your Blog". It was like he was talking to me because my blog sucks. I now provide said suckitude in the form of a short discussion of my weekend.
I've been making a concerted effort to put my house in order as there remains the ever present possibility that I may have to move within the next few years. As such, I began a program to repair my yard as I was cultivating more weeds than actual grass. Having failed in prior years on my own, I called in a lawn service who promptly killed all my weeds. The law of unintended consequences then took full effect. You may be aware of the storms that ripped through the south last week. While I didn't get a tornado, I did receive some torrential downpours. These downpours then washed out my yard since I had no weeds to prevent erosion. Fucking weather. So I filled it in with topsoil and replanted. Before I could get some germination blankets on the soil, another storm decided to be much meaner than expected and washed all my work out again. I repeat, fucking weather! So I've now reseeded a second time and managed to get the blankets on before the heavens decided to open up yet again. My neighbor is probably pissed. I was going to clean it up but I had something to do first thing Saturday so I didn't get to it until later in the day. Well he decided I wasn't going to fix it so he went ahead and did it. I now feel like my neighbor thinks I'm a dick.
He may be right, but that's beside the point.
Omega One Out-
This whipping boy done wrong
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| | Yeah, now I'm just fixated now... | | | Saturday, May 10, 2008 (10:27 PM)
(I'm feeling angry) | | This is old but...
Surveyed Americans Believe in Biblical Truth
CBN News
December 22, 2007
CBNNews.com - Most Americans believe the stories in the Bible are true, according to new research by the Barna Group. The survey asked U.S. residents their take on some of the Bible's stories. Here are the results.
It was found that 75 percent of adults believe that the story of Jesus being born to the virgin Mary is the literal truth. Sixty-eight percent of adults surveyed believe that Jesus fed 5,000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish. Barna also holds that 64 percent of adults surveyed believe in the story of Noah's Ark and the Flood that covered the entire earth. Another survey Barna conducted questioned Americans on six other significant Bible stories.
"The story of Jesus Christ rising from the dead after being crucified and buried," the most important account in the Bible at the heart of Christianity, is believed to be true by 75 percents of adults surveyed. About 65 percent believe in the account of Old Testament prophet Daniel surviving the lion's den. Did Moses literally part the Red Sea? It's reported that 64 percent of Americans deem this to be true.
How about David killing the massive Palestinian warrior Goliath? Approximately 63 percent of surveyed adults believe that he hurled a stone at the giant with a sling shot - a fatal blow described in the Old Testament. Sixty percent accept as fact that Peter walked on the water with Jesus.
The same percentage believe in the Genesis account of creation, which tells us that God created the universe in six days. The findings of the Barna Group show that a large majority of Americans believe a large number of accounts in the Bible to be absolute truth - despite the fact that its authority is constantly challenged in today's society.
Source: The Barna Group, CBN News
Yeah....enough to make me ill. Granted this is Christian Broadcasting network poll but it echos an ABC news poll from three years earlier.
I know this is difficult to believe, but I really try to get it. Really I do. But I can't get there. I was forced to listen to it for twenty years and finally I could take no more. I can't understand how people I otherwise like and respect, intelligent individuals, believe this.
IT"S A BOOK!! Gah. A book that has been constantly revised over the centuries. A book written by various non-supernatural individuals. A book that is open for interpretation!!
Okay. I'm a little obsessive this week. I apologize. I amazed myself at how little I care what people think about my stance.
Omega One Out
I hate your blog | | | | 37 Views | 10 Thumbs Up | 6 Comments | |
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| | Third Eyez Blind... | | | | Thursday, May 8, 2008 (9:35 PM) | | You know. I really try to understand the appeal of the former kb82. But I can't get there. That vlog on the front page? Um. The hell? (Sorry Sara. It doesn't quite have the same effect).
I mean, I know nonsensical videos. I made an entire video where all I did was scream "NOOOOOOOO!". But try as I might, I can't find the point or entertainment valueof her vids. They're just dumb. I don't find her the least bit interesting.
That and she made this huge deal about getting an ashtray and some coupons. Umm, o.k. I mean I get that you don't smoke but Jesus, just throw the damn thing away or give it to a smoker. Christ, it's junk mail.
Full Disclosure: I actually work for the company that sent her that. I was a bit miffed at the lack of brand recognition (It's Kooool stupid. Not coal. Sounds like cool, you know, that thing you're not. I know you're Canadian and all but I'm pretty sure double o still makes that sound in the Great White North. Hooked on Phonics apparently didn't work for you) I was also a bit perturbed that she somehow got in the database. That's not supposed to happen (it does but it shouldn't). I would like to know how but it probably involves someone getting hold of her docs (like that never happens here).
Now, I know I'm not everybody's cup of tea and I'm sure I'm not nearly as good as I think I am (and I don't really think I'm any great shakes). But knowing what I know of the average person on here.....I just can't see her appeal. Seriously.
And I'm sorry. The eyes just really bother me. Why pick a new screen name that calls attention to them?
Mac must be lovin' this blog.
Omega One Out-
Mmm bop | | | | 72 Views | 16 Thumbs Up | 11 Comments | |
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| | Tonight's video gets me thinking.. | | | | Wednesday, May 7, 2008 (10:35 PM) | | ...about people who cannot separate reality from fiction, illusion from the occult, a parlor trick from something sinister.
You know, Bible thumpers.
If you take the train of thought (and I use that term loosely) out you start seeing the laments of the ultra-religious against Las Vegas stage shows and yes the Great Satan himself, Harry Potter. An entire generation of youth corrupted with devils and spirits and black magic. Now, I got a lot of problems with most mainstream religions like Catholicism, but at least they can separate the reality of these things from even their farcical beliefs. The guys that take the Bible to the literary depths of insanity (the ones who really believe in the talking snake) really make me fear for the gene pool.
I find myself more infuriated by religion with each passing day. And while it will continue to provide me with ample replenishment of comedic material, I can't help but wish that one day everyone will wake up and "What the fuck have we been thinking?!" Life on this planet would likely be a lot easier, for a while anyway. Look what religion wreaks in the world. War, genocide, and polygamists in funny clothing. You know, I never got the Amish way of life. I cannot fathom subjecting myself to that while the promise of technology lies so tantalizingly close. But as far as religions go, they're probably some of the least fucked up and I'd never thought I'd say that.
Granted most of you reading my blog are like minded or at least have resigned yourself that I'm a heathen and deal with it. That's fine. The true nutballs avoid sites where actually transactions of unrestrained logic occur. It upsets them. But then again, waking up in the morning still constrained to this mortal plane upsets them, so there's really no winning there.
How disconcerting is it that any candidate for significant U.S. Federal office would be immediately denounced if he or she did not end their speech with "God Bless America". Are we truly any better than the Middle East in that regard?
Faith is too often eqivalent to blind loyalty. Do this. Why? Because we said so. Or the book says so. Fuck, is independent thought that hard? It seems to come to me with relative ease.
Dammit. I'm just rambling now. I could doubtless go on for hours but sleep calls. I've been up too late as it is.
Omega One Out-
So sayeth he | | | | 48 Views | 8 Thumbs Up | 7 Comments | |
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| | And the bells tolled eight times | | | | Monday, May 5, 2008 (10:49 AM) | |
So you couldn't watch the news this weekend without hearing about the Eight Belles tragedy at the Kentucky Derby. Not to make light of the suffering of an animal but tragedy? Unfortunate yes. But tragedy? The possibility of 10,000 PEOPLE dead in Myanmar is tragedy. The Derby event was the death of a horse, albeit a talented and expensive one.
You see people, these are the realities of working with animals. Just like people get sick or have accidents, so do animals. Eight Belles had a freak accident. I've watched my father put down cattle and even his favorite dog to alleviate suffering. It happens. Horses simply do not recover from that type of injury and it was the right thing to do in the circumstance. Even if they horse could heal to the point where they could walk again, the recovery would be excruciatingly long and torturous. Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.
Now, there is the argument about whether or not the sport is brutal, inhumane, whatever. I hear all sorts of arguments about whipping the horse etc. Let's get this straight. The horse are whipped for a short times during racing and training. They are not beaten. There is a difference between training and abuse. And I wouldn't really call these horse abused. They sleep and eat better than some people for chrissakes.
PETA, always a bastion of thoughtful logic, would have you believe that it’s the jockey's fault. Let's think about that shall we? Would a jockey who rode horses into the ground be a jockey for long? These horses are potentially worth MILLIONS. The owners are not foolish enough to risk their investments. Just being in the race is probably worth thousands. You don't get to the most prestigious race on the planet by being a scrub and an owner would be idiotic to chance that kind of injury on a unproven jockey.
Horses run. That's what they do. Racing them isn't cruelty in that sense.
I won't sit here and say that the sport is faultless. I'm not a horse guy but questions like whether they are racing horses too young, have bred poor legs, or simply race too often seem like legitimate concerns. And I'm sure there are abuses that happen with non-performing race horses. But it's a sport. The horses are athletes and like human athletes in any sport, injuries occur even in the best of circumstances.
I'm not going to change hearts and minds here obviously. If you think horse racing is cruel then nothing I say will change your mind. But consider, if Eight Belles were human, I'm sure she rather be remembered for running 2nd in the Derby than as a posterchild for some extremist.
Omega One Out
Misery is my business | | | | 35 Views | 0 Thumbs Up | 0 Comments | |
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| | This man is my new hero. | | | | Tuesday, April 29, 2008 (2:57 PM) | | http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/28/games.censorship?gusrc=http://www.kotaku.com//rss&feed=technology
Grand Theft Auto 4 came out today. Of course, the anti-video game crowd is out in force. But then I read that article...
Yep. All you politicians, moral watchdogs, and self-righteous stick-in-the-muds can give up now. You've effectively bred yourselves out of existance. The gamers have won, it's only a matter of time.
Consider this, video games really took off around 1980. When I was 4. Now the only thing between me and a hypothetical (and unrealistic) presidential campaign is three short years (plus half a billion dollars but that's a minor detail). I and my compatriots represent the vanguard of the gamer revolution. The first wave of gamers with real numbers and real voting power. We've been playing games since games weren't cool, when we were derided and scorned, relegated as anti-social children detached from reality and having no future.
And then we grew up. We got jobs, created technological empires (well not me), suceeded and failed, watched as countless talking heads talked about trumped up dangers and suppressing our freedoms. AND THEN, we had our own kids. WE MULTIPLIED. To the point, where the eldest of us are now grandparents and many are now raising the next generation of gamers. Then, all of a sudden, gaming was the norm. It's is cool to be a gamer. Soon, the halls of power will have a Nintendo DS (or its future equivalent) sitting on a desk, paused, as its owner goes before Congress to make a speech. How long before the frivolous question that decides somebody's presidential vote is not religion or race but what console do you own?
You...have...failed. Evolution has passed you by. The inexorable march of time has caught up with you and your opponents now grow as you slowly die off. So yes, rant and rail. Make your speechs and thump whatever drum motivates your blind, out-of-touch followers....
....while you can.
Omega One Out
Instinct over intellect | | | | 61 Views | 2 Thumbs Up | 1 Comment | |
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| | On the psychosis of small blue birds | | | | Thursday, April 24, 2008 (1:33 PM) | |
WTF is up with Twitter? I mean the damn thing is everywhere. So much so that I can't even make an original rant on the topic because no doubt EVERYONE has already done so. In the span of twenty minutes of internet time, I was asked to subscribe to four feeds, read a Penny-Arcade comic on the subject, and was informed that I could sync it up with my Myspace mood? Jesus Christ.
Was this the natural evolution of blogs? I mean, are we now so ADD that we have to condense our treatises to a one or two sentence bullet points?? Who needs that level of minutia to be communicated to the world? I don't CARE what you had for lunch, or that Nancy looks like a whore in that dress, or that your ripped your pants, or any of the other 1,500 useless information bits about your rather PEDESTRIAN day you feel compelled to impart to the masses. These "twits" as I've taken to call them cannot require that level of attention to validate their lives. A human of that level of psychosis would quickly go catatonic.
By the way, I am aware that my use of the word "twit" is neither original or funny, a fact that further infuriates me. If you want people to take your damn software seriously, don't name it something that so easily converts to pun form. Just sayin'.
The irony is also not lost on me that I'm using a similar, albeit larger, medium to convey my own potentially irrelevant thoughts. I however prefer to consider my blog as the five star restaurant to Twitters fast food dollar menu.
Omega One Out
I thawt I thaw a puddytat | | | | 48 Views | 4 Thumbs Up | 2 Comments | |
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| | The $100 fillup | | | | Wednesday, April 23, 2008 (2:18 PM) | | $4 a gallon gas, that's goddamn insane. Yes I know people in other countries pay more, have been for sometime. I get it. But can we at least agree that record crude oil prices hurts everybody and leave it at that? Actually, that's not true either. The weak U.S. dollar is contributing to these prices so other countries are not feeling the pinch as keenly.
But this blog is not about economics, something I am only passingly familiar with. It is about harsh realities. Like it being nearly twice as expensive to do ANYTHING around here anymore. Fortunately, when I took this job several years ago, I bought a house close to work because I didn't want to commute. That has paid off since I need only drive 10 minutes instead of 30 or 40 and can even get by without fueling my car but every couple of weeks. What used to cost me $25 now costs me nearly $50 on the same salary. Not sure how that math is gonna work for someone less fortunate than me. I'm not exactly rolling in cash either so it's certainly hurting me too.
I don't see how we're going to pull out of this downward economic spiral anytime soon. Without gas coming down A LOT then I think we're going to see further slides and massive layoffs. Nobody's buying houses so even if I wanted to trade down I don't think I could. I've pretty much seen my equity disappear to nothing as prices have dropped. I know I'm not the only one. I for one take responsibility for my own foible still, this SHIT is not HELPING.
Driving the 14 hours home to see family just really isn't much of an option anymore, not on any regular basis. Granted it's cheaper than 4 round trip plane fares. And if it were just that it's one thing but even one tank of gas at $50 still sucks.
Cutting back is the only option. The problem is if everybody cuts back it only makes things worse overall. Soooo….things are not likely to get better anytime soon. Lovely thought, ain't it.
Omega One Out-
Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire
EDIT: I don't know if I need to mention this but I'm not in financial trouble or anything. I like many, am merely having to cut back on the lifestyle a little bit. Kids tend to put a dent in 'disposable income'. | | | | 57 Views | 2 Thumbs Up | 5 Comments | |
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| | Like a log | | | Wednesday, April 23, 2008 (9:39 AM)
(I'm feeling cranky) | | I quite literally passed out on the couch last night. Nearly as soon as I laid down, lethargy took hold of me with an iron grip and refused to allow me to enjoy my evening of politics and/or videogames. I went to bed far earlier than I have in YEARS.
My sleeping patterns are completely shot lately. Either I can't sleep or I'm too exhausted to move. I used to blame LiveVideo but honestly, it's not that anymore. I hardly go into LiveShows and I have no plans of hosting again anytime soon. The true primary contributor is that I have discovered Myspace karaoke which I have lost HOURS in (which looks just as sad in the written word as it sounds in my head) . Acknowledging that my voice is certainly not "good singer" caliber, I've had fun discovering music I can sing passably as well as finding out how much I truly suck by listening to other people. Karaoke sites are not new obviously but it was right there in front of me so…
Still…that's really no explanation for last night. Even after 11 hours of sleep it was extremely difficult to wake up this morning for work. Plus, I had a really good dream going….
Omega One Out
To be the next freak show
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