Just when I thought I was happy being Agnostic....

I go and read a bunch of crap about Humanists

http://www.religioustolerance.org/humanism1.htm

As if I needed another label..... (You'd think 'turtle' would be all-encompassing enough!)

New found music love

I used to have "lifetime upgrades" and a yearly subscription to MusicMatch Jukebox and MusicMatch radio. I used it not only for the Jukebox, but for all of my online radio listening. It was a great product, but slowly became stagnant after being bought out by Yahoo! Music. I didn't care for that too much. I didn't like the deletion of some of their best features and having every aspect of my actions tightly woven into all of Yahoo's crapware.

So, for a couple of years I have suffered along using Winamp and (gasp!) Windows Media Player, but that really hasn't filled the custom-content internet radio gap left behind by MusicMatch's once glorious service. A few months ago, however, my boss tipped me onto Pandora Radio. I checked it out briefly and then forgot about it. Several weeks later one of my other lovely internet timekillers, Stumbleupon, dropped me there again. Now I'm in love again. I have customized a few stations for different moods, and you're welcome to check them out. Here's my profile: http://www.pandora.com/people/randy306

Not only is it a free service, but my favorite Firefox add-on, Adblock Plus (along with the Filterset. G updater), blocks out all of the annoying ads that fund the site beautifully. Yeah, I almost feel a little guilty, but I'm throwing them all some free advertising right here, so it balances out I guess.

Time Warner loves my dogs

Another remote, another $10....



















I believe this is number 4

She turned me into a newt! ....It got better...

For those who may have missed my subliminal message of comedy lurking within my political strife;

I guess I'm liberal

Recently someone called me "very liberal" on my stance that homosexuals should be allowed to get married (seriously people, how is it going to hurt you?). Liberal? Really? That's rather sad. We may be a nation with a majority of Christians, but that does not mean that our laws should be based explicitly from the Bible. You don't complain when Atheists are forced into a religious ritual like marriage in order to get normal benefits like everyone else. You don't complain about Jewish weddings, or Mormon, or Muslims. They all have equal rights here, even if you disagree with their personal beliefs. But someone who is stuck living a life that makes them feel like a social degenerate already can be denied those equal rights? And people feel that judging homosexuals, telling them that they are abominations to God, and denying them the right to live happily without having ever done anything to actively hurt other people is their Christian duty. What happened to "Judge not lest ye be judged yourself...?" Simply put, marriage is not exclusively Christian.

I'm sick of this being a religious issue. I don't like the fact that the state has a hand in religion to start with. Don't tell me what your God wants me to do and how I'm wrong for not following your interpretation of His word. Unless you can come back from the dead with a certified and notarized letter from the Creator himself stating that that is His true opinion, step off! Seriously, you want to change the laws to exclude gays from marriage just because you think it's icky? Are you afraid that when they get married they'll run around in the middle of the night killing babies and trampling your flower garden or something?

So I replied, "Yes. I guess I am. I believe women should be able to vote, and men should not be slaves. Royalty should not be the only landowners, and you must provide compelling physical evidence before burning a witch that she is not only a witch, but an evil one (most compellingly by the ability to weigh equal to a duck). I believe in a democratic society, and separation of church and state. Once upon a time, these were all very liberal ideas, and many people have died defending them. So if that is the bar, I am a liberal, so that in the future my ideals might someday seem conservative."*

Liberal? Really? For believing in equal rights for all humans regardless of color, creed, religion or ability to color-coordinate pillows and curtains? I thought we were past that.

*Okay, so I paraphrased. I did actually mention the first two points, though.

I'm back, and I feel the same

Our trip to San Diego was fun overall. I spent two days doing tenant improvements on our rental there, and Sunday we celebrated my wife's 30th birthday with a big surprise party, so I didn't get to get out and do, well, anything. That's not so much of a gripe though. We all got to spend time with the in-laws including my daughter's cousin. Contrary to pop culture, I actually really like all of my in-laws. But then, I'm the black sheep so I'm sure it was better for me than it was for them...

Within 30 minutes of arriving in Cali I realized what a great choice we had made and how hard it would ever be to move back. We flew in on a redeye Wednesday night and came in early Thursday morning. We got the rental car and stopped in a bagel shop for breakfast. Sitting in Einstein Brother's in Point Loma, I saw almost every yuppie stereotype I could think of. It could only have been worse in a Starbucks. On the way out a woman tried to pull out of the parking spot next to me. She was in a chromed-out GMC Yukon with oversize rims and low profile tires that would surely pinch the sidewalls at the mere sight of a pothole. She was trying to pull out, talk with her trendy little phone against her ear, and apply makeup all at the same time. After 4 failed attempts in one direction, she made a 5 point turn the other way. I'm sure she was telling her friend that she didn't realize why all these people in the parking lot were staring at her while they waited for her to unblock the driveway.

An otherwise common occurrence was suddenly set in a completely new perspective. People here will completely block a lane of traffic to let people in out of "Aloha." As we flew out of LAX for home Monday morning, I saw the inversion layer of smog that blanketed Southern California at least to 5000 feet.
The smog, the traffic, the ultra-trendy culture; it's just not the same place as when I grew up. I might be able to handle Northern California, but I can't take So Cal anymore. I do miss the progressive and conservationist culture, but that's fodder for another post. This solidifies a view I've had since childhood. I love the mountains and the ocean. I can live without the ocean, but I really love mountains. I could easily live in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and parts of Northern California. I don't have to compromise here though. The culture is great, and I can hike in the mountains and snorkel in the same afternoon. And my lungs will never suffer like those in California.

Short Hiatus

We're headed to the mainland (not "The States." Hawaii is not only a state, it is the southernmost state, so how the continental US is the "lower 48" is beyond me...) for a few days for a family get-together. I'll have computer access, but I don't want to be attached to it (too badly). I'll see about posting some good stories upon my return. If I can't, then all you'll get will be bad stories. ;p

Oldie but goodie

It's a spoof, but still hilarious. Bambulance!