Works in Theory

I am here in Naples, Florida on a non-celebratory Christmas family vacation. Nothing against Christmas -- I'm officially Hindu. Buddhust undertones, but Hindu nontheless.

In Naples, I have found that they have a good amount of round-abouts and I got to thinking...

Many people pawn communism with the cliche saying, "it wotks on paper - just not in reality." I think round-abouts are the same... in a sense.

They work if you know how to use them, but in the current America we live in, there is a lack of understanding. They work great in England - with several lanes in them and all - but even with one lane and two turn outs, Americans can't do it.

Not knocking Americans, as I am a product of an American living and up bringing, but Americans enjoy being told when to go in traffic... by a machine with three colors. God forbid a person honk their horn and tell them when to go... oh, how fast the rage begins.

Avoid it all, and I say it again, just hug it out.

Oh, and keep moving in those round-abouts!

As the holiday season begins to get closer, I've come to realize that this holiday season we need to believe in giving to others - especially in a time of economic crisis.

As people have less to give.

I am you and you are me and we are all together.

Something everyone [doesn't] need...

I have a Swiss notebook backpack and I was having some issue with it, so I went to the manufacturer's website.

While going, I was just poking around and came across the the "Giant Knife" 

It has over 85 tools, costing you a mere $1200. You're not a lumberjack, or real man, if you don't have this.

I think if you have one of these, you maybe able to save the world, or do anything... 

One thing I did notice though, it does not have the USB-drive many of the newer ones have.

Hah. I thought this could do everything. They lost my purchase. 

NoBama NoMore

I woke up this morning and was getting ready when I saw yet another person wearing a 'NoBama' shirt. To give you a slight at my political stance, during the election season, I put a large Obama '08 poster in my window as I live in a 3 story building on the first floor which is the first building you see when pulling into the complex. I am a large advocate for change... 

As I digress... 

When I first saw these 'NoBama' shirts prior to the election, I thought they were fair game. People who wore them were showing distaste in a presidential hopeful - nothing wrong with that, it's a part of the political game. 

When I see people wearing these shirts today - it shows a sense of Anti-Patriotism. A distaste for a man and that has not yet laid one foot into office, yet people are already showing a disliking for him. Why are we showing distaste for a man who has not had a second to make reform as President yet? Why are we creating groups against a man who hasn't the ability to anything yet. I know it may sound extreme, but if you are looking for a chance to hate on a man who has not done many tasteful things - lets look at our current presid..... Nah, that would be too easy. 

Obama is indeed a democrat through and through, but he is definitely bringing rivals together in the same party and bringing in great minds from the Republican party - something that has not been done in a while. Sure, most of the people around him will be Democrats, but that's what happens when you win a political election - you help to bring in 'your own'. 

Lets take the next month and a half to join together - in a sense of Patriotism and unity - and look up for the coming years. If you are heading into these coming years with a closed mind, then that seems like a personal issue to me. If we always had closed minds, women wouldn't be able to vote, America would still belong to the British, and the education system would be in shambles. 

Things men should invest in...

...or at least give some thought.

Throughout the years, if I may, some have mentioned that I pay particular attention to the way I look and feel. Yes, I will admit, it is important to me that I feel good about the way I look and I feel even better about the way I feel. Nothing sucks more than waking up in the morning feeling and looking like shit, and knowing that you do.

 

After thinking about the smaller things in my life, I realized that there are some items that I think all men/gentlemen should have or consider. These things are not for everyone - though I will say, they make me... well, me. Sure, you maybe thinking - the last thing I want to be is 'that guy' - but I've done my research on all of them and think they do good things.

Give it a whirl...
(in no particular order)

-Shampoo and Conditioner (in separate bottles)
I can't help but to notice how many of my buddies have something like Pert Plus - the all-in-one formula that you can put in your hair for 10 seconds and you're set [or are you?] Take an extra two minutes in the shower and use two different products. Not saying go out and buy $20 shampoo - regular stuff from the grocery store is fine - just not an all-in-one. Maybe you make your hair smell good...?

-A nice pair of jeans
A guy needs a pair of nice darker jeans that he can wear with nicer shoes. Not tennis shoes. These are not the jeans that you just toss in the wash with the rest and hope that after you wash them 10 times they are not faded like the jeans you wore in 5th grade. On the note of shoes...

 

-Shoes

People notice shoes. Get yourself at least one pair of comfortable semi-dress shoes. A light brown usually does it. Something you can wear with nice jeans [see above] and the most versatile pair of pants a man can wear - khakis. Get comfortable ones - if they are uncomfortable - you wont wear them. I have a pair that I trust more than I do my tennis shoes for comfort.

-Hat
Not all guys are 'hat-guys', I know. But I think all guys should have at least one hat that they don't mind wearing. Whether it is a baseball cap, fedora, or Monopoly style top hat - find one that you don't mind putting on in a rush or to look nice(r).

...more to come.

If you have any questions or concerns about this and you don't want the world to know - email me.

The Ironic Comatose

I find it interesting that after I posted last about going comatose that I, well, in a sense, went comatose. August 3rd, really?! Where did the time go and why am I posting almost 4 months later?

I suppose I'm fairly bad at this - I was good for a while, and I lost it. I wish I hadn't. What really opened my eyes was the notion of ideas. 

All of a sudden, I started to get ideas about ironic situations and things that make my own mind work - and I wondered where I should write these thoughts down. Then it hit me...

What have I been doing since August 3rd... besides working on my rap album, you mean? I'm now in Toledo, Ohio - quite different from Orlando or Atlanta, but in a solid program working on my masters. I'm literally up to my head in studies, but I'm managing. I have quite a few things brewing in the head right now - so check back soon.

I recently updated my photo gallery and that's it for now. 

More to come later...

In a conversation...

...I was joking around with someone who woke up around 1PM. I was saying things like, you have missed so much, everything is different now, and you slept through it. Then I got to thinking...

[Sorry about the brief Debbie-Downer moment...] What if someone was to have an accident, go into a coma, a profound state of unconsciousness, and not wake up until February? They would be missing SO much, or would they?

Who would be the president? Did enough American's actually pass their drug tests to actually perform at the Olympics? Is the economy actually better? Did Paris Hilton put out another amazing CD?

These next coming months are going to some exciting times! Stay safe and watch it all unfold.

Biggest Quarterly Profit... agian.

Exxon Mobil just announced its quarterly profits. I feel bad for the guys - they didn't meet what the market was projecting their profits at - about $12.1 billion.

Despite not meeting projections, they just broke the United States record books again. They brought in a whopping $11.68 Billion dollars in profit. In numerical form, that's $11,680,000,000. The previous record was $11.66 Billion in the fourth quarter of 2007. Sure it may be only 0.02 points, but don't forget that 0.02 points is $20 Million dollars. That's a lot of cash.

Sure their shares are down 3%, but lets look at some of the other industries of this nation. It seems like 3% for the largest publicly traded oil company is not that much in comparison to the downfall other sects have experienced around the country.

Much of the increased profits that are seen in the oil industry [in comparison to other industries] comes from government tax cuts that are issued to Exxon Mobil and companies alike. Some argue that these tax breaks allow for new drilling sites and would eventually raise the price of crude. I can understand this, but as energy is getting more expensive, roads are getting worse, and education budgets being cut - it seems as though we should be taking equal tax money in an effort to improve roads, develop 'green' technology, and get America's children the proper education they need and are entitled to.

Maybe it's just me, but for some reason I think that if the executives at Exxon Mobile had to fork over a little more in tax money, they would still be able to eat pretty well. Hah!

New Ad-Campaign?

Now, I guess this post will really hit home as far as what party I support, but I'm doing it anyways...

John McCain recently decided he was going to endorse a new campaign advertisement which begins with camera flashes, a little cheering, and images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton saying that Barack Obama is the biggest celebrity in the world. Well, he just may be, but I feel that McCain's ad is lacking a vital component - propulsion.

I'm not talking about rockets here, rather, the idea that McCain knocks down Barack, but does not take the time to bolster himself forward. It's easy to show one's disapproval for another person's ideas and views, but you need to self promote as well, thus creating a larger gap between you and your opponent. This is the presidency here - there is no time to sit and say how bad the other candidate is, rather you need to have America see how great you can be.

This maybe the Buddhist ideology in me, but we all can play the tit for tat game, and just talk about others only causing misery to them, or we can rise above and show others what we can really do.

The political arena wasn't always a place to throw mud. At one point, people got along and were friendly. Can't we all just get along?

Cultrual Combo

I'm sitting at the library doing some work [surprise], and an elderly gentleman comes into the area I'm sitting in and is about to sit down at the table across from me. I, like many men, acknowledge him and he does the same - but the way he did it was slightly out of the ordinary.

[I forgot to mention that he is a very large African man. Not an African-American who was born or even raised here, rather, a man that has grown up in an eastern African country and has just arrived here.]

After acknowledging his presence he he opens his mouth and says 'HOWDY!'.

I was slightly taken aback by all of this. I really enjoyed this man say a greeting from the Old Midwest. It's not everyday that you hear such an expression, but it made me smile.




I was going to call this post 'Cultural Clash', but then I realized that this situation was not a matter of cultures actually clashing, giving a violent feel, rather a soft combination which embraces such change.

Yelling Kid

I was walking into the library today when I saw and heard a child, about 7 or 8 years old, yelling into his cell phone at the top of his lungs, "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! I'LL PEE ON THIS BOOK ON MY OWN!"

Now, there are several questions one should ask -

a) Why does a 7 or 8 year old have their own cell phone? I was in high school when I got mine!
b) Why is a kid threatening to urinate on a book?
c) Why is there someone on this kids phone encouraging the child to pee on a book (causing them to say that they will pee on their own.)?

...and I thought my generation is weird.


Riddle: What is the chemical compound for dog urine?



K9P.