Dallas

Took a trip to explore the far reaches of the place modern scholars refer to as "Dallas, Texas." on Monday. The three of us—Rachel, Ryan, and myself—adventured, basically, to downtown.

This view is from the top of the Reunion building. The weird stick-with-a-ball-on-top building. Pretty high up, as you can see.

This was some kind of horse made out of old automobile bumpers. Oddly, it was tail-less.

Some dinosaurs I was really excited about. Also made from old chrome bumpers.

Me sitting, quite awkwardly, on the dino's nose.

Rachel apparently got her hand stuck in its mouth. Agonizing indeed =]

And now for our trip to the aquarium. My camera and I are mortal enemies, so some of the shots came out frustratingly fuzzy.

This fish was TINY, which is deemphasized by the large type. Nevertheless, it was a tiny fish and my camera does pretty well with close-ups, as long as I can manually adjust the focus. The sea-anemones were quite small too, and I was impressed with how they came out.

Some kind of weird rock-looking fish. I walked by thinking there was nothing in the tank. There were a bunch of "rocks" which were actually fish. Must be God's sense of humor because, seriously, they just look ridiculous. I think that bump sticking up is one of the little guy's eyes. Hmm, could do with losing a few pounds as well.

Ryan was gracious enough to drive us around too, because neither Rachel nor myself had any clue where anything was. Overall, after the experience, I must say I'm still a proud Austinite.

Melli's Donuts

I new tradition has surfaced in Jonathanland...in Marlin, TX:

Not content to sob, mope, and moan about Krispy Kreme's (aka "The Kreme") recent expiration, matters were taken into our own hands. Yes, we ventured to Marlin, one of the many third-world towns that dot the rural areas of these fine United States. What is there? Not much, really, besides a sizeable population of rural/semi-rural poor. Much more to the point, however, was the existence of Melli's DONUTS. Soft and glazed, like The Kreme's, these have a slight vanilla flavor, bursting with doughy goodness.

We went a little donuts.


That's my buddy Choong-kun. He's 100% Korean. From Seoul. Todd drove us.

Street level, this is a typical sight in Marlin:

So poor, sadly, that that we weren't charged sales tax—neither at Melli's nor the nearby gas station. Which reminds me: Those fighting poverty shouldn't forget that poor folks don't just live in big cities...it's counterpart, rural poverty, in the small towns across the U.S. is alive and well, and receives very little attention from both the media and from aid groups.

Grateful

Well, I reclaimed my seized vehicle last Monday, after a quick little exchange of $241 (apparently, they did not round to the nearest day for the extra $20 impound fee)—which definitely came from Visa. So perhaps a begrudged thank-you is warranted to Visa for it's efficient money-lending services. With interest, of course.

I had a short discussion with a close friend last night regarding our different employers' many thanks to us for our services. Whether it be working in a dorm, Starbucks, or the library it always amazes me how appreciative my various employers have always been in response to my performance at work. In D.C. this summer, constant accolades for my work and ability. At the library this semester, many thankyous and compliments abound. I even received a gift card to Wal-Mart as a token of their goodwill. At Starbucks from more than a year ago, my manager continues to herald my "achievements", which, rather inconspicuously, remain outside of my performance at Starbucks; there, I remained a simple barista for nearly 3 years—largely, mind you, because of school considerations and my perceived disinterest in pursuing the position of
"shift supervisor," on which, I must say, few achieve and maintain.

At any rate, we decided that we perceive as being overvalued at work is not necessarily overvaluelization, but rather the great value placed on being responsible, working citizens. While I admit to not working as hard as I might under the "perfect" working conditions, I will say that it is ingrained in me to work for whatever dollar I make, whether I view the exchange of services as equal or not. Indeed, we concluded that our employers are grateful for the most basic of services, which, apparently, are of a kind of rare occurence: showing up on time, being responsible, taking one's own initiative, and pursuing high quality in one's performance.

Sure, I might be flattering myself a little in discussing this, but the point remains: work hard and it pays off.

Hijacked

So my truck was towed from Sterling last night. I should get it back tomorrow for the small some of $281. No visitor's parking spaces available? No problem! J&J's Towing will be glad to take care of it for you.

Oh no, I'm already starting to reflect on Baylor - heh, not that that hasn't happened already

The last day of class was today. Only one more semester! I will miss it, to a certain extent, but I've always felt a little held back by Baylor: the culture here, the sheltered conservatism, the wealth. Not that there's anything wrong with those things in their own right—only that the down-to-earthness and level of what I term social maturity is much the same as in high school for many of the students I have observed. And I observe like a hawk, let me tell you. Not in a nosey, stalker-like way mind you. But it is more than apparent when people are obviously only willing to let so much of their personality out in full view of the world—though I will readily admit to occasionally harboring such a dasterdly habit—that the real "they" as nice as they might appear, remains shrowded in mystery—saved—perhaps, for a few close friends or their significant other. Insecurity, if you will, that isn't dealt with until after college.

There is nothing wrong with this on the surface, I shouldn't think, but underneath and in the longterm, this poses some difficult—and one in particular—questions about how one will emerge out of the warm, fuzzy environment of college and enter a world where being open, easy going, and willing to branch out gets you places. I've heard the stories, of course, to support this claim. Each year, potentially hundreds of popular (and unpopular), well-liked graduates of this school cautiously enter the "real" world. The real world, is, unfortunately, full of swearing, vulgar joking, drinking and everything else under the son, including, rather stupidly, the propensity of early-twenty-somethings to go to bars to find a good girl or a good man. This I simply do not understand, and is something to which I will adapt, but as a rule avoid.

So there's some thoughts for today.

Christmas is close, my friends, so raise your glass!

Another Quickie

I have been reading about China, as many of you know. A lot. A HUGE amount. 1500 pages worth, to be exact. I have read or will by Thursday:

About Face: A History of America's Curious Relationship with China, From Nixon to Clinton (435 pages)

The United States and China: Into the Twenty-First Century (242)

China's Use of Military Force: Beyond the Great Wall and the Long March (291)

The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time (414)

The Travels of Marco Polo, by Marco Polo, beginning in 1297 (291)

- - -

I also have a number of class-related ends to tie up, such as my 4000-word profile story on a professor, which needs to be revised, and some other papers for Dr. Adams.

- - -

Thanksgiving was a success, even with the 25% expansion of our family from my brother's new wife, children and in-laws. Much turkey, ham, and rolls were had. And party mints—my favorite.

- - -

From now until January, I will be extremely busy, staying in Waco writing 20 pages of short stories and preparing grad applications, as well a final push for studying for the almighty GRE. Hopefully, during December, the State Department will call me for another internship next summer.

Other than the latter, nothing to speak of has occurred here in Jonathanland, which, potentially, does nothing for the already-nonexistent rating for this blog. Nevertheless, this relfects a highly stressful part of my life in college as I prepare to graduate, and is limited to school-related activities and maybe a few others in there as well. I do go to all the Lady Bears basketball games, however, to take a break from working and schoolwork.

This is the short list of things that have gone wrong with our apartment:

Leaky faucets, toilets, bad showerheads

broken A/C causing two $230 electric bills (one month)

balcony cracked all the way through, a potential collapse could take place

broken bathroom vent

broken garbage disposal

you could see light coming all the way around our doorway from the inside, allowing cold air to just go outside

cricket infestation, though temporary

ant infestation, up until a week ago...we still have them but we sprayed the crap out of the place with our own poisen and then the poisen people came and sprayed

and now what do we have? A












Yes. A mouse. Iran said that Israel should be wiped off the map. So should our garbage dump apartment complex.

Panda!

I was a Panda last Thursday...

Randomly came across this little guy too, called a Kleine Panda. =]

Me, Me, Me....Me too

Yes, a new post is at hand. But is it worth reading? Who knows. Will anyone read it? Not sure.

Things have heated up around here, including the physical temperature outside, but as far as I go, things have been sizzling:

1) studying for my second GRE exam
2) Reading the 1,500 pages of books for my reading course on U.S.-Sino (China) relations
3) Discovering what I want to do for a living
4) The always-present possibility of me actually dating someone
5) Writing articles for the Lariat
6) Writing short stories for the application to UT's Michener Center for Writers
7) Writing entrance statements for: Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham College, Saint Joseph's University (all professional writing programs)
8) School work
9) Working in the library producing press releases and interviewing people for a promotional video

Next semester plans:

An internship with Baylor Press (Baylor's publishing arm) is on the horizon. That will be the equivalent of, count it, a total of FOUR internships. Yeah, take it! The course is a 'Professional Writing Internship' through the English Department. And I already know a girl working there; perhaps, just perhaps, I could find a way to get it paid. How could I work at the library and work 155 hours at Baylor Press at the same time? Answer: not possible. Figure that out later.

Last week

I dressed up as a panda. Yes, a panda. Why would Jonathan pull such an out-of-character charade? Well, author Lynne Truss came to Baylor, author of the NY Times best-seller Eats, Shoots and Leaves. The book is about punctuation, but from a humorous British author. The title is from a joke about a badly-punctuated wild-life manual that says that a panda "eats, shoots and leaves." Which is basically a killer bear. No comma would have discussed the panda's eating habits: eats shoots and leaves. Got it? Anyway, I dressed up in a big panda suit for the occasion; fun times. Pictures soon, hopefully.

This coming weekend

I will be heading to San Antonio for KXA's annual formal. It's been about two years since I went on KD's Take-a-Date to Dallas, so this should be fun.

I discovered today that I tend to try and repair other people's issues and problems instead of facing my own various dilemmas. I truly do have some large ones to take care of, and I simply don't want to think about them. The biggest is this: do I go to graduate school and be poor for a few more years, or do I finally get a job and actually not be so 'fiscally' stricken, and then go back for the masters degree, knowing what it is exactly that I'd like to spend 8 hours per day doing. That's the question, really.

See, I want to be outside, not stuck in an office all day for 30 years. That's rather not appealing. But how do you move up and be successful? Usually, you're stuck in an office. Maybe it's the cake and eat it both, but I want a job that gets me out there, where I travel and meet people and do interesting things. In short, I'd like to enjoy my job and work up from there.

Granted, I realize the logic in my previous post was largely flawed, but I still feel that it is true. I like Harriet Miers, perhaps simply because the Democrats aren't whining and moaning about how mistreated they are and President Bush supports the nominee. Instead, we have the conservatives, to which I claim most of my allegiance, very concerned about what she will do when she gets in. But the secret is this:

George W. Bush is really a moderate in disguise.

Complain all you want about how he's too hardcore about terrorism, but remember that his domestic policies have often been more moderate, which has always been a concern for the really really right-wingers. Campaign finance reform? Folks, John McCain and the President both supported that, and Limbaugh used up thousands of gallons of oxygen tearing the idea to shreds. And what about all that aid to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa? Where did that come from? Restructuring medicare? He did that too, even with the support of the AARP.

Honestly, I'm not sure what all the hub-bub is about. It seems to me that Bush chose a woman who is a moderate to replace outgoing Justice Sandra O'Conner. If Bush and Reid can compromise on a nominee, I can only see that as a positive thing.

Of course, I am a bit iffy on her record, but this isn't the first time a non-judge has been given a seat on the Supreme Court.

Oh no! A moderate! What will the crazies do?

The new Supreme Court justice nominee, Harriet Miers, was chosen, I believe, in the same way as Chief Justice Roberts. To the rather odd surprise of those on the right and left, Bush mentioned "there is no litmus test" on whether or not Miers was pro-choice or pro-life. "What matters to me, " he said, "is her judicial philosophy. What does she believe the proper role of the judiciary is relative to the legislative and the executive branch?"

That might seem like a lot of hot air coming from Bush, but if you take it at face value, what does it mean? It means that Bush chose someone he trusted to have great intellect, integrity and character who was a woman, and did not have a public opinion about hot-button issues. Those three aspects alone give anyone a head start in my book as long as they are true. The problem that many of the crazies on the left and right have is this: they can only see the justices from the standpoint that they might vote against their own narrow interests, whatever they may be.

Of course, abortion is always the big one, but there are many others which should be considered, but the point here is this: Bush is saying that there is a difference between being a congressperson that votes for a certain bill that might ban something and a justice who interprets the Constitution according the intent of the Founding Fathers. A justice's beliefs on a certain issue that comes up in the Supreme Court should have little bearing on cases, because judges are supposed to be as impartial as possible, and should not try to change laws they disagree with (morally speaking), which is where the "legislating from the bench" comes in. They are merely there to interpret the Constitution and protect citizens from overzealous government.

In the end, the Supreme Court can best be viewed this way: far from attempting to represent the beliefs and wishes of the masses, which is the explicit responsibility of Congress, the Supreme Court exists to interpret laws of the United States in relation to the Constitution, so that an overzealous Congress or Executive does not infringe on the rights of the majority or the minority.

Also, Bush's nominee shows us that Bush really isn't as staunchly conservative in every area - he gets beat down for his war in Iraq, but many people seem to forget that a lot of conservatives and libertarians never really liked Bush's more moderate stances on a variety of issues, including abortion rights, welfare, and the size of government.

A quickie

This is why I don't trust the anti-war people. Gotta love that first-class NY Times journalism.

Austin City Limits Music Festival: Jason Mraz & Coldplay

Jason Mraz and Coldplay were all I hoped they'd be - completely astounding.

If I were African, however, and the city of Austin didn't surround Zilker Park, I might have been at a music festival in sub-Saharan Africa, in the savana, where thick dust, 108-degrees of mercury and high humidity come together to squelch any possible enthusiasm for such heavy hitters as Coldplay and Mraz. However, me and my buddy Choongkun braved the scorching conditions and fought for our place in the festival. And indeed, the bands knocked my socks off. Wowzers.

I took a few pictures, and Choongkun about a gazillion, stopping what seemed every 35-and-a-half seconds to get out his pair of very nice cameras to take some wide-angle and zoom shots.

We arrived for Jason Mraz (the so-called "Geek in the Pink") precisely on-time, at 4:30. Here's a few shots:

Afterwards, we waded through the dust-polluted air to (1) find water, (2) get $ from the ATM (3) look around. The next couple of just randomly taken at what looks like to be about an hour before Coldplay came out.

Last but not least - the best out of only a couple shots I took of them - night shots are difficult. I'll get more of Choongkun later.

Coldplay was by far the most amazing of any of the other bands I saw - it was a whole show, production if you will, besides just the band. Special cameras, huge display behind the band, and even a good dose of personality from Chris Martin (lead singer, guitarist). There were rumors that Gwyneth Paltrow was seen ealier with the couple's baby.

So that was Sunday. Anyone up for SXSW...

Non-profit?

I discovered today that Baylor is very protective of its faculty fax machines. So protective, in fact, that the University charges $2 per page to students to fax anything anywhere, even though we pay roughly $17,000 per year in tuition and general student in fees. I know with gasolines prices up, and the world getting bigger with the advent of costlier communication services, that the the cost of faxing a document has risen.

Some things are so ridiculous there's really no way to accurately describe them.

Sometimes I just wish I was an O.G.

The cool thing about being an O.G. must be the fact that an orignal gangsta could not possibly ever be overwhelmed with academic life. Nor does one have to worry about, say, getting good grades, getting a job, or even being socially accepted by society--say nothing of women, who, in the land of O.G.s are like cool articles of clothing. However, an O.G. must always worry about getting his wig split. That isn't any fun.

Anyway, I've been busy lately...GRE is on the horizon still, and I have less than two weeks to cram in all the studying that should preclude it. Nonetheless, I'm enjoying actually having an income, from the library, and being busy encourages productivity.

That's it for the moment. Oh, I've semi-continued my Xanga...we'll see how that turns out...

The finger game

It's easy to be insensitive and overly emotional simultaneously when viewing events in retrospect. The Katrina disaster, the most pertinent example here, illustrates just how much the mass media centered the criticism of slow responses on the Bush Administration (the Feds) and not on the states themselves, the ones actually responsible for having disaster management plans. One of the critical elements of federalism is the sharing of governmental responsibility between the federal government and the state/local governments.

The Palm Beach Post ran an article today focusing on the fact that Louisiana and Mississippi didn't have any acceptable plans for dealing with huge disasters such as Katrina, and didn't want any, at that. Did this come up during the initial outbursts from Mayor C. Ray Nagin of New Orleans, when he berated the Feds and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco for not doing any work?

Well, now some tough questions have surfaced against Nagin, naturally, after criticism has been focused by the media on the federal government. Robert E. Pierre in the The Washington Post today speaks of Nagin's apparent loss of control in New Orleans shortly before Katrina struck:

'"Should there have been a better plan to evacuate those without cars? Was his police force up to the task? Why weren't there supplies for the legions of people directed to the Superdome? Why were all those city buses left in low-lying areas? Why did so many of his officers leave their posts as the city descended into a chaos that left many residents afraid that either thugs or the elements would kill them?

On conservative talk radio, especially, Nagin has been characterized as an irrational and incompetent local official who lost control of his city, his police force and, ultimately, his senses when he publicly dressed down the president. Even some of his underlings think the critics may be right.

"He should have evacuated the place earlier," said one city firefighter, echoing a mostly whispered sentiment here as the collection of dead bodies begins in earnest. The firefighter asked not to be identified for fear of retribution.'

Of course, a view like "well, it was the officials in New Orleans' fault" for the mess is not going to be popular in the news. Obviously the federal response was less than adequate, but, we must remember that New Orleans could have evacuated, or at least had a plan to evacuate, those who could not leave the city. This is a basic part of managing a city, especially one the size and location of New Orleans.

On top of this, it's well known that New Orleans is a seedy, poverty-stricken and corrupt city almost to its core. This could not have been a positive influence for a city living literally on the edge of complete disaster. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) wisely noted that it's a valid question whether or not New Orleans should completely be rebuilt. Should the federal government reward crooked leaders and incompetent officials with billions of dollars in reconstruction money? It's still below sea-level, and many of the inhabitants have moved out. Indeed, according to one woman who was relocated to Houston, TX, she wanted to start anew, and was surprised at the opportunities available to her outside of the Big Easy.

Maybe they listened to my call..

The State Department has been accepting offers of aid when it will help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and the Red Cross has accepted numerous donations from over 90 countries. Here's the story.

As far as I go, things have been heating up around here. I'm working in the library in the Office of Library Advancement, doing Habitat for Humanity, writing for the Lariat, a bible study, and Sigma Iota Rho. I'm taking 3 classes and one independent readings course. The latter is going to be interesting - I have to read over 1300 pages (roughly 4 books) for the course, and write book reviews on each. I haven't gotten started on these yet. On top of this, I have the GRE to study for, scholarships to apply for, and graduate school researching to do, all in about 2-3 months. So far, however, I've enjoyed being busy.

The foosball table has been added to the repertoire of fun and games at our apartment. Already, it has been a success.

The bad kind of pride

George, accept the aid offers. They're offering it to Americans, not to the U.S. government. The USG is not always going to be all what it's meant to be. The world's people, by-and-large, like and care about Americans. We do, after all, give billions of dollars in private and public donations (and invaluable training, assistance) to other countries every year. We're not above receiving aid when we need it; it's good PR, and it helps Americans.

Already, charges of racism are surfacing from black leaders. I think it's 99% rubbish, but, civil rights activists aren't what they used to be. In saying that the placement of refugees in large city convention centers is somehow racist, we must also assume that giving displaced blacks and whites free medicine, food, clothing, housing and many other things for free, is probably somehow racist too. The problem with activists like Jesse Jackson is that they inherently focus on what makes themselves appear to be legitimate—not on how to better the black community, which is bridge-building. Obviously, if racism was not a problem in this disaster, but only poor logistics, they would be useful only in raising money for victims and nothing else.

Also, some of you may remember my prediction on Friday that Congress will want an investigation on the slow federal response to Katrina. Well, it's already starting.

22 years, and nine little-person months

I feel sorry for people named Katrina. Though today marks my 22nd birthday, my thoughts and prayers are almost completely on the subject of hurricane Katrina's rampage through the Gulf Coast states. I’m thinking of going with a Baylor team over fall break to help in the reconstruction efforts. Who’s with me?! (Warning: this post has some boring bits, but there's a surprise at the end!)

On the radar, she, the harlot of the sea, seems beautiful as the storm spins across the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. "Oh look! How fluffy she looks!" But she is not – indeed she is the opposite (like a temptress indeed!)

Some of you may have noticed, but even in the midst of the media storm associated with Katrina’s aftermath, a recent poll by some organization noted that President Bush’s approval rating was at a career low: 45%. That said, a lot of other presidents have had it much lower, and for much longer. But that’s not the point I want to make.

The link to Katrina is this: it is a rare sight to see someone not blaming the President for something bad that happens. In this hurricane’s case, President Bush and his alleged oil allies in no way can be blamed for the disaster. If anything, they suffered a major blow (oops, little pun there). Anti-oil company folks might be thrilled about this…surely they got what was coming to them…but wait a minute, how much are gas prices now? And how many families who work for an oil company in the Gulf region are displaced, killed, or not working?

(Update: I spoke too soon, as blame is quickly befalling Bush)

If blame can be placed anywhere, it can be on the general public. The biggest national effect of the disaster is the price of oil. If you’re a peace-loving massage therapist in Seattle, Washington, the last thing on your mind, probably is how delicate and how essential petroleum is to every single aspect of our comfy lives—even if you drive a hybrid. The same is true, for say, the gas-guzzling, conservative CEO riding around in his Hummer H2 40 miles to and from work. The truth of the matter is this: the dirty, unglamorous petroleum industry has been lambasted by every kind of person in the United States, but few realize how much goes into getting those European groceries to Whole Foods or getting that cheap TV shipped to Wal-Mart. Almost everything that moves is somehow connected to the petroleum industry.

I am thankful though, that Skinny’s down the street kept regular under $3 (Well, 1/10 below).

Others, of course, always will profit from disasters, and almost exclusively from the (yet another “evil”) insurance industry. Who pays to rebuild all the mangled wrecks of houses, cars, ships, and bridges? Insurance companies. Well, maybe they’re good for something after all. Construction contractors, builders, wood and steel providers, Wal-Mart, Target, and really any other household-supplies retailer will make billions off the disaster, but it won’t be as much as it would have been if the oil industry wasn’t so disrupted. With gasoline so expensive, generating profits will be much more difficult, and one may wonder if, in the end, Katrina actually produced more profits or shrunk profits due to gasoline prices. Those truckers only get like 4 miles per gallon.

I am thankful to God, however, that amidst the crisis at hand, that we and the survivors live in a country so greatly endowed with resources to pick up the pieces--these resources being more than money or helicopters--the resource that so mysteriously drives good in the United States--the generosity and hospitality of the American people. Rich or poor, and whatever color, people reach out and devote their time to helping victims--no matter their color or background. It's a sight to behold, and its a model for other people in other countries to see.

As such, those are my thoughts at the moment. BIG NEWS THOUGH: WE'RE GETTING A FOOSBALL TABLE THIS WEEKEND. Hardcore, people, hardcore. =] Note: the table I'm getting is not the one shown here, and doesn't come with girls in bikinis, sadly.

Crawfordfest 2005: A hot afternoon's tale without all the bed-knobs and broomsticks

Let's say, for a moment, that you had nothing better to do on a 101-degree day on a Saturday, than to drive to Crawford and see who some of these hardcore liberals and conservatives really are. What drives men and women, mothers and fathers, indeed, veterans from across the U.S. to cry out against or in favor of the doings of the U.S. Government?

Well, to lay it out there for you, I don't really care. That is, I don't care because I already know why people come out to 'speak out' for what they believe in. The people who came to this rally, many of them, lost a loved one in Iraq, and that's brought them here. It's sad, but it's a good reason to come. What I will say, however, is that I got some great pictures from the pro-Bush/troop rally that I decided to attend this Saturday, as a information-gathering mission and, of course, to support our troops there in Iraq and abroad.

I will start off this do-it-yourself montage with a photo of an individual who felt that peace was worth fighting for. Funny enough, everyone in Crawford feels that way, they just differ in how best to achieve it and for how long.

These two people came up towards the end of the rally, and they appeared to be unrelated, but had collaborated together for the event. I'm not sure where they were from, but it was clear that people have either flown in or drove from all over the US.

The horse I just thought was funny. No explanation needed here. There were actually two of them and they were roaming about on the road in front of the football stadium. The following photo requires some more of my candid insight, however.

There were about 1,500 people there, according to journalists, and this is a panoramic (click for the actual image) of the main area where people were looking towards the stage. Speakers included mothers and fathers who spoke to the crowd, generally repeating the, to me, blatently-obvious reason for supporting the mission in Iraq: to support the troops. If you don't support the mission—then you cannot support the troops, because they are there to support the mission. It's plain to me, but of course, I dont know anything. Other speakers included, and you'll see them further down, a father with his son (in Iraq) on the phone, telling us that they needed support for both themselves and the mission, because that's why they're there. It was pretty cool.

Later on, and I'll include the photo also, was an African-American pastor who came and spoke to the crowd, telling them that the reason we can't pull our troops out is so the deaths of so many soldiers lost (around 1800) won't be in vain, given the possibility that chaos would ensue if we pulled out of Iraq. He was met with cheers from the predomenantly white crowd - but most common nationalities were represented. And just think, a predominantly white, conservative crowd cheering for a black preacher, who'd a thought? Well, it's not that surprising to me, really.

The next image is something funny I saw near the principle stop-light in the town of Crawford, some genuine Texas port-o-poddies, if that's how you spell them. I hope they can handle Texas-size...

From here on out, is the collection continued, and I save you from any more commentary, as they pretty much speak for themselves.

And last but not least...an awesome old military vehicle.

I know a lot of the big images are blurry - let's just say my camera and I have a rather tumultuous relationship.

Senior year has commenced

Today marked the first day of class for my senior year. Two days a week, my friends, that's Tuesdays and Thursdays, that I will have class, suckas, take it. A grand total of 3 classes and one independent study course. Hmm, I wonder if I'm as arrogant as I think everyone thinks I am. I don't think so. Anyway,

As I said before, I wanted to post some pictures from my new digicam. To the right appears a mary-gold that measured about an inch across. The actual picture was huge, but I resized it. The flower in the regular picture is the size of a your screen. It's quite pretty. Ok, now for some pictures that are a little less, shall we say, effeminate.

As some of you know, my dad and I drove back to Texas from Washington, D.C. through the Smokey Mountains. These are spectacular mountains that deserve as much attention as any Rockies, in my opinion, simply on their merit as having more than 3 species of trees among them. Indeed, to diffuse the impending confrontation between pro-Rockies people and pro-Appalachia people, both ranges have their pluses. Thank you.

The trip, however, was grueling. Why? Because, as you can see, it was raining the entire time we drove though the switch-backs, tunnels, and fog-engulfed peaks. Still, the beauty of a rain-soaked mountain landscape was incredible, and I will definitely return there when I have more time. This particular photo was taken from a look-out on the way up to the top, in the rain, and, unfortunately, I had never used the camera really yet, so some of the pictures turned out slightly blurry. Oh well. The last photo was taken in a quick run down into the creek that seemed to flow along the road all the way up and all the way down. It was beautiful, and so this was a semi-decent shot, again, in the rain.

And that concludes the digicam experience.

I've begun to settle down into my new life at the new apartment, but it's taking time to reorganize myself after a two-year stay in an old apartment.

And while we're on the subject of our new apartment, why are so many things broken? First of all, we can barely open the front door, because the frame is warped and the door doesn't really fit anymore. I think most would join me in saying this something pretty basic. The smoke detectors (there's two right next to eachother) don't work either, basic too. My shower constantly drips, and there's ants sometimes in there keeping me company. Twice they've said they're coming but they never come. So,

On the subject of classes, the three I'm taking will be interesting, especially the Writing for the Popular Market. I've told some of you, but I still remain undecided about a foray into the "Arts" as I call general writing, or a foray into the public sector. Within the next months, I will be forced to make a decision regarding this choice. Nonetheless, I obtained a position in the library which will require my writing services as well some creative graphic design, which will hopefully offset the exceedingly low pay of federal work-study students.

In other news, I'm still single. Indeed one wonders why this is the case given the large proportion of intelligent, attractive girls here. What exactly am I saying here?

I came across this every-guy's-dream picture the other day, and I must say it's amazing. Every guy (shoot, every girl!) deserves a 400-hp BBQ grill.

Bienvenido

Ah yes, a new me, on Blogger. Same great taste, of course, and probably a few more calories. Hopefully a lot more calories, if calories can be thought of as words in this quick little tittle. Yes, I said tittle, and a little tittle at that. A jot and a tittle.

To inaugerate my decidedly more professional weblog, I will post a couple of pictures from my new digital camera I shouldn't have purchased a few days ago. It boasts an unnecessarily large 5.0 megapixels, and a thin size (the all-too-great combination of big and small), as well as a number of features that I have fallen in love with, which are all boring and won't be mentioned here. Check it out: Casio Exilim ZX50.