100 things about me

Here is my "100 things" list. They are things about me or my opinions or thoughts on particular subjects.

1. I like making lists. Must be my analytical mind combined with the computer geek in me. Organizing data, etc...
2. I'm tempted to post lists like "My top 10 favorite comic book characters" or "Top 25 greatest guitar solos" but they wouldn’t fit in with the level of maturity I'm trying to keep on this blog. (The easiest would be the list of the hottest celebrity babes, but FHM and VH-1 do fairly well themselves anyway, plus I'd probably offend some of my regular female readers.)
3. I'm not attracted to the waify supermodel type. I don't think the beauty standard of being so thin was a man's idea. I think people who encourage women to be so skinny should be assassinated.
4. I think the media influences culture way too much. There is bias in the news media (mostly bleeding heart liberal) and entities like MTV and broadcast networks dictate too much of what is acceptable and hide a lot of things that should be seen.
5. I'm not much for politics in general, though I do vote. I am not a member of any particular party, because I have opinions on specific issues that crisscross party lines. I generally vote Republican, but hate the fact that they're in bed with large corporations and the Religious Right. Don't like Democrats much either, because I don't like big government, free welfare, and militant vegetarian hippie tree-huggers who think anything man-made is satanic evil.
6. While I think diet is important for good health (see #7), I do not believe in the concept that we all build up pounds and pounds of "toxins" that only seem to come from artificial ingredients. (That may be the subject for a whole other post.) The average person consumes just as many potentially harmful substances (which means "if you ate a thousand times more of it, it would be dangerous, but nobody does) that occur in nature as they do those that are artificial.
7. The only thing worse than my usual diet is my continuing lack of regular exercise. My only saving grace is that I still maintain about 180 on a 6' 3" frame.
8. I had the cleanest bachelor apartment most people had ever seen, and my current place stays pretty close to that too. I was raised by an Olympic cleaning champion.
9. So far I am putting way too much detail in this list.
10. Geek factor #1 ~ I built the two computers I use at home. I used to build them professionally.
11. The other term for a computer is "machine" or "PC". A "box" is what you ship it in.
12. I believe in "Keep it simple", but not in "Trash the entire system to accommodate the stupid people".
13. I think Microsoft is still the Evil Empire. And that AOL is becoming one too.
14. My first computer was a Commodore 64 that my parents bought me. I learned DOS (5+) and Windows (3.0+) on the first computer I bought, a 386. I also still have a working Kaypro 4 that runs CP/M.
15. I still use some DOS style commands to this day. I do, however, usually prefer to use the mouse than the keyboard.
16. I think spammers should be forced to manually compose letters of apology to every single recipient they've ever emailed, and then be stripped of all wealth gained in the process of spamming. They should be then banned from doing business of any kind online.
17. My lucky number is 17. Though not lately.
18. I share a birthday with Richard Nixon, Crystal Gayle, and Jimmy Page. Missed Elvis by a day.
19. I am old enough to remember black and white TV, Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show, dial telephones, gas prices under a dollar, and Watergate.
20. I am not old enough to remember the Vietnam war, the Beatles, or the Washington Senators.
21. I recently got back into collecting sports cards. Mostly football. Redskins & Priest Holmes.
22. I’ve been to Redskins games (once in 1974, once in the 80’s), Colts, Baltimore Stallions (CFL), and Ravens (2005).
23. I am a two time fantasy football champion. I love the NFL.
24. I have never been much for college sports.
25. I don't like the NBA at all. Between the primadonna Olympic team and the fights in the stands, they lost any respect I had for them.
26. I'm on eBay all the time. (For #21, and computer parts)
27. Geek Factor #2: I also revisited my comic book collection even more recently.
28. I have discovered that the concept of "These (cards/comics) will be worth a fortune in 20 years" was largely a myth, due to market saturation and the internet.
29. I probably wouldn't have sold them anyway.
30. Most of my hobbies are expensive.
31. Anti-Geek Factor #1: I have never been into video games. They just never keep my interest for long. First person POV games make me nauseous after about 20 minutes.
32. Geek Factor #3: I have been a Star Trek fan for many years. Though I haven't watched a show since Voyager went off the air. Never got into the Enterprise show. I used to go to conventions in the 90's and actually own two uniforms. Don't think they fit any more.
33. My DVD collection is mostly action movies & sci-fi.
34. So is my laserdisc collection.
35. I prefer widescreen to full screen. Movies are shot in widescreen. Full screen is a distortion of the original film.
36. I did not see Titanic until after the year 2000.
37. I like anything Pixar does.
38. The Matrix is the coolest movie ever, but the second one was only okay, and the third one was kinda lame.
39. I am not opposed to watching a "chick flick". Though I rarely ever do it on my own.
40. I get my hair cut in a fancy salon, and get massages at a spa. People are confused as to why I go to girly places like that. I tell them "Those places are full of beautiful women getting (or making others look and feel) beautiful. What's not to like?"
41. I don't go out much. Can you tell?
42. I don't smoke. Well, I haven't had a cigar in years. And they almost don't count.
43. I don't drink (often enough to mention.)
44. I don't like the taste of beer. Or rather, I don't like the gasoline aftertaste that occurs beyond the first sip.
45. I don't cook. But I reheat a lot.
46. I can't stand sauerkraut, mushrooms, or rye bread.
47. Although I like Pepsi and Coke, I'd rather have Black Cherry, Grapefruit, Grape, or Orange soda.
48. I can feel the effects of caffeine if I drink one cola without eating something else with it.
49. I have never tried drugs or marijuana, and don't have any interest in doing so. I didn't even like the smell of weed in college.
50. I am not working in my degree field.
51. I once worked for the Smithsonian Institute, and another time for Toys'R'Us.
52. I was once involved with Amway.
53. Once at an Amway function, I met ZZTop in an elevator, but didn't get any autographs.
54. My favorite music is 80's metal.
55. I like country too. Mostly female artists. But I don't listen to country as much as rock.
56. I don't have that many mp3s.
57. I used to read a lot more than I do now.
58. I own a lot of books, mostly hardcover, bought cheap. I like buying them more than reading them.
59. Right now those books are packed in boxes awaiting shelves. There are almost as many boxes of VHS tapes piled in with them.
60. One of the other rooms in my house is decorated in a jungle motif.
61. I have several friends originally from African nations, including Nigeria, Gambia, and Togo. Other friends are from India, Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador, and Ethiopia.
62. After being around them for several years, I still don't know Spanish except for a few words. I know a few Amharic words too.
63. I took French in high school, so that didn’t help.
64. I’m good at imitating accents, though.
65. I think speaking with an accent makes a woman sexier.
66. I have never traveled outside the US, except for just over the Canadian border.
67. I have been on driving trips to Colorado, New York and Florida, and flew to California (twice) and Washington state.
68. I like airports and don't mind flying.
69. Some time I'd like to take the train.
70. I'd like to visit the town my family is from.
71. Both sides of my family are from Germany.
72. My last name is ten letters, but is a lot easier to pronounce than people think at first glance.
73. I am an only child.
74. I have one half sister.
75. I think my family line will end with me. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
76. I'm glad my relatives are all comparably sane and supportive. I have no fear of ending up on Jerry Springer or any other daytime talk show.
77. I know a few people who probably don't have that same feeling of security.
78. I'm not rich, but I feel I manage my money well. I have great credit.
79. I have always considered it more important to like what I do for a living than to make more money at something I may not enjoy as much.
80. I like working for a school system and getting the minor holidays off.
81. I think a good boss is someone who is not beyond "getting their hands dirty" and working alongside their employees. A boss should be one of the gang, not someone you stiffen up and look busy around.
82. I try to treat people with respect and dignity, but I don't like unnecessary formality.
83. I'd rather wear jeans and a sweatshirt, but I like dressing up every once in a while.
84. I sometimes like to wear military or police style BDUs, usually black or blue.
85. I only own one suit. Which I bought last week.
86. I can tie my own tie. And without a mirror.
87. I recently learned how to fold fitted sheets. I didn't think it was possible for a male. (Thanx D!)
88. I sort all my laundry and read every tag.
89. I've been told I have decent taste in decorating for a straight guy.
90. I think being gay is abnormal. It's not so much a moral question as it is biological. The parts don't fit, there's no reproductive purpose, so it's incorrect.
91. I think there are far less gay people in the world than the media make you believe.
92. I don't think legislation helps reduce drug abuse, abortions or handgun crime.
93. I think war is sometimes necessary. There are some people you can't negotiate with.
94. My patriotism far outweighs my enthusiasm for religion.
95. I was raised with and hold Christian values and principles. But I have too many technical questions to call myself a Christian. And I can't deal with blind faith.
96. I believe in God, but more as an abstract force. I don't follow any particular denomination because I think they're all interpretations of the same basic themes. I don't believe any major religion is valid over any other. There are too many other choices to say one is right and the others all wrong. (For a list, go here.)
97. I accept my mortality.
98. I think there is life on other planets. I don't think they visit often. I don't think they are still in Roswell, NM.
99. I believe the assassination of JFK was performed by more than one person. I believe the investigation was completely mishandled. I think that's when corruption in government and politics began to flourish.
100. I think I would have enjoyed living in the 1940's or 50's.

Well, that only took three days. Now I have a few ideas for full posts too.

Cognitive Byproducts ~ Part Two

A continuing series of random thoughts, questions, and musings accumulated over time.

• What exactly does it mean to be flossin'? I'm not talking about the dental application, I mean the hip-hop street lingo definition, like the J. Lo song among others. The white boy don' unnastand. Holla back!
• I figured out why my memory is so bad. The reason I can't remember current things is because my head is so full of 80's song lyrics and useless TV knowledge. I was driving home today and found that I still knew every word to an old Night Ranger tune, and could even tap out the cool drum part at the end. How much brain space are all those songs taking up? And how much is wasted on goofy stuff like MC Hammer and other genres that I don't even listen to? I can recall commercial jingles from 1973, but I can't remember my savings account number. Have they come up with a storage device that you can plug into your head (like Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic) yet? I need a data dump!
• You know, I miss the Muppet Show. Guess I'll have to buy the DVDs....

Bean 9 from Outer Space!

I've been convinced for years that soybeans are an alien substance. No other edible object can be made into as many different things as soybeans, and it's this diversity that freaks me out more than a little. The following is more a warning than a promotion.

Soybeans start out as beans, but they are far more than just vegetables. They can be baked and turned into soynuts. They are liquified into soy milk, and then that can be heated and curdled into tofu. Tofu is weird enough by itself because it comes in crazy colors like pink. And did I just say curdled? Normal dairy products are normally thrown away if they're curdled, aren't they? (The Wack-O-Meter is jumping...) But let's continue. There is also soy sauce, the most common condiment on Chinese food. A lot of vegetable oil used to make different foods is soy oil. Soy flour is ground roasted soybeans. And then, my favorite screwy adaptation is the meat alternatives like soy burgers. Go here for more details on soy foods.

(A side note: I always thought that vegetarians who made substitutes for meat products were cheating. If they say that people shouldn't eat meat, or it isn't natural, why do they make the substitutes? Stop cheating and do without, you hypocrites!)

So let's review. We have beans, milk, flour (for breads), and meat substitutes. That's ALL FOUR food groups! That's just not right. It's a freakin' bean! They were originally planted by little green men, I'm tellin' ya!

But wait there's more. At this site, they list some other applications for soybeans. They list real products for body & hair care, candles, cleaners, crayons, diesel fuel additives, fabric conditioner, paint removers, pens, polishes, solvents, furniture and waxes. Ye gods, it's a full scale invasion! It's like that old Saturday Night Live sketch: "New Shimmer is a dessert topping AND a floor wax! Mmm, tasty! And look at that shine!" There are some clever ideas, but several of the items in the list seem to me to be the result of bleeding-heart liberal tree-hugging lobbyist groups. I'm all for recycling and conservation, but sometimes it can go a little too far.

So next time you order a veggie burger on a soy flour bun with tofu and milk in a Chinese restaurant, get 'em to throw it all in a blender and puree it. It's all the same anyway. Just be sure to look for UFOs in the parking lot when you leave.

Cognitive Byproducts ~ Part One

This is the first in a continuing series of random thoughts, questions, and musings accumulated over time.

• TD Waterhouse: Knock it off with the hipster editing style on your commercials. You're a highbrow financial corporation, why are you trying to appeal to the MTV crowd? Those insert shots that are off angle to the Law & Order guy aren't innovative, they're annoying. Keep it simple.
• I've already discussed people talking on cel phones while driving. Today, I saw the next level. People REALLY shouldn't talk on cel phones while driving if they talk with their hands. This lady behind me was basically driving with one wrist while carrying on an enthusiastic conversation and gesturing with the other hand. I doubt she'd maintain control if I were to slam on the brakes....
• Is it just my home system, or is Yahoo! mail starting to break down? I've had a couple different malfunctions in the last few weeks....
• Part two will have some positive things to say, I promise.

Jack Frost: Son of Satan

Snow fell on my area again today. We're supposed to get between three and eight inches here in western Maryland, north of DC, depending on who you listen to. When bad weather hits, you'd think we lived in Yuma, Arizona (91% sunshine annually - see record here) the way the locals deal with it.

The government should import the unemployed from the Buffalo area and set them up here to teach courses on winter weather. Classroom instruction would include discussions of supply allocation and that wearing a coat will not drastically reduce your hipness. Then the group would go outside for a practical hands-on lesson in clearing your WHOLE vehicle, (not just the front window), and using gearshifts to slow down.

When I was working my first job ever at the grocery store, I observed the most ridiculous phenomenon. Whenever there was snow or sleet or ice in the forecast, the whole town would be in the store to stock up on bread, milk, and toilet tissue. (At least they've got both ends of the process covered.) Like they're going to be stranded in their homes for a week and a half if we get four inches. But that's not the worst part. If we didn't get any snow, (or even if we did), and there was another forecast for some a couple days later, they'd all be back!! What did they do - have french toast fart parties?

The media just encourages the panic too. (That's their job in general, but that's a whole other post). TV and radio stations sensationalize the snow forecasts like it's going to paralyze the community for months and wipe out half the population. Tune in at six and eleven to get the up to the minute best guess by our certified meterologist and his InstaDoppler 25000 AccuZoom satellite technology that can detect temperature differentials with such a fine resolution, they can tell you've left the fridge open again.

I'm sure I am not the only one in the blogosphere that has that one relative who will watch six hours of the Weather Channel straight through. Anything more severe than a drizzle happens, you can forget about your regularly scheduled programming, it's Updates on the Eights until the system is over the Atlantic. I personally prefer to skip all the hype and crisis coverage and LOOK OUT THE WINDOW for myself. Maybe even walk outside!

A late afternoon report of snow showers provokes claims of "Watch out! there's BLACK ICE out there!!!" As if Lucifer himself is hosing down the pavement, and then waiting for innocent victims by the side of the road. Black ice is the most feared weather condition of all. It is spoken of in a tone usually reserved for campfire stories of the undead.

And don't let them announce any accidents on the highways. That'll prompt a call by itself to warn about the fifteen car pileup near exit 37. Of course, what I encounter when I actually get there is one cop, a tow truck, and some jerkweed sitting off in the ditch. This is the guy who still hasn't figured out that slamming on your brakes on a slushy road (which is not the ice-encrusted path of doom that was foretold) is STILL a really bad idea.

But he was never in any danger of being stranded. He was probably on his cel phone already.

It slices, it dices, it connects at 56k baud....

I'm waiting for the collapse of "pop" technology, especially cel phones. They're just getting out of hand.

I've got to give them credit, though the people who invent and market these things are pretty savvy. They draw two crowds: the people who never stop talking, and the gadget people.

The first crowd is larger than I thought it would be. In all the public places, you always see people walking around shopping, eating, and attending events, all while talking on the phone. Maybe it's just because I'm slightly antisocial or that I'm comfortable being by my self, but WHO ARE THEY TALKING TO? Cashier lines have gotten just a little longer while the person in front fumbles for change while keeping their head cocked to one side. A lot of times you'll see a group of several people together, either a family or a group of friends, and one of them is on the phone. I say, you should've invited that person along too! I mean, I can see if you're shopping for something and you have to ask a question, but the majority of callers I see seem to be having regular conversations. What is it that couldn't wait until you got home?

And don't get me started on those who do it while driving. They sure as hell aren't controlling the car by voice command! It should become part of the licensing procedure to test whether you can maintain the speed limit and position in your lane while on the phone. If you can't, you should be banned from talking while driving. A few states already make it generally illegal, but it's not enforceable. I sometimes think it would be worth the FCC penalty to have a device that would disrupt the signal to the guy in the next lane who's doing 48 and drifting. Bzzzt!! Hang up and drive, sucker!

I wonder how much money is spent annually on cel phone bills just for this conversation:

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, what's up?"

"Just seein' what you're up to."

"Where you at?"

"The mall."

"Okay, call me later..."

"Okay."

What a waste. I'll bet we could get a lot of better use out of all that money. Put the figures on the news, and the bleeding hearts would have a protest. I think there's even one wireless provider whose slogan actually is "Where you at?"

The other audience is the gadget fans. Nowadays, a wireless phone can have special ringtones, a color display with custom background graphics, internet access, photographic and video capabilities, and oh yes, unlimited call minutes as well. All those people like me who either run out of people to call, or run out of things to say after the first few hours, now have all these other wonderfully convenient (aargh) devices built into the phone that you carry everywhere. Hey, let's blind the world by giving them a screen two inches wide and tell them to compose pictures and read web pages on it! It's like the digital camera and laptop computer are too complicated, so let's make a simplistic versions that will fit in a three cubic inch space and operate with less than a dozen buttons! Nobody needs all that, the novelty's gotta wear off at some point. Just ask my PDA. (Of course, I put that down because I could put all my phone numbers on my new cel phone!) It's all got to crash at some point. People will get tired of buying laptops, PDAs, portable video cameras, and remote controls just to have them replaced by inferior versions on a telephone.

Maybe the monthly bills will get them. I can't find a phone plan for less than $40 any more. Pretty soon, they'll have financing available for qualified buyers on the latest model wireless digital color picture-taking, internet ready, car DVD remote controlling, mood sensing, stress relieving, variable speed massage wrist phones from the new monopoly corporation Cingurizint & T-MobileOne.

"For just $369 a month, add unlimited second lines so everyone you've ever met can ask you 'where you at?' for free."

Found on beach after channel surfing

Been watching way too much TV lately. A few observations, some old, some new:

BASF - "We don't make the products you buy, we make the products you buy better." So WHY do you advertise??!!!!

College football may be the purer game, but commercialism rules off the field. In my opinion, the only way a sponsor should get their company name into the name of the bowl game is if they had an active role in establishing that bowl game in the first place. If Nokia financed the development of the Sugar Bowl, then we'll call it the "Nokia Sugar Bowl". But if not, it should be the Sugar Bowl sponsored by Nokia.

Same goes for corporations putting their names on the stadiums. Are they financing the construction or maintenance of the building or just paying for the ad space? Large structures like that should still be monuments to the people that made them possible. Name the stadium after the late great founders of the franchise, or the revered coach that brought glory to the team. The company names keep changing so much that they're insignificant.

And why do they have to list the sponsors of a game, college or pro, after the commercials for those very same sponsors? It's not only annoying, it's redundant.
The Westminster Dog Show did one better. After a commercial break, they came back and showed all the logos for the sponsors in a graphic frame which had the main sponsor's logo (Pedigree dog food) in the corner the whole time. And what do you think the last one in the list was? Pedigree! The Westminster dog show sponsored by Pedigree, brought to you by Company A, Company B, and Pedigree!

The other thing about televised sports that causes forehead smacking in my living room (especially since the NFL basically became my religion in the past year or two), is when announcers use the term "nicked up" to describe an injured athlete. Players, especially in football, don't get "nicked" up, they get beat up. The only way to get nicked up is with a lousy razor in the morning. Bad shaving will never make the highlights. (I submitted this to my favorite column on NFL.com ~ Tuesday Morning Quarterback, but wasn't published this time. Watch this space for more references to that column, I'm sure.)

AOL, the exploiters of computer amateurs around the globe (and now in Spanish too), says in their ads, to try their service "for a better Internet". Sorry guys, IT'S THE SAME INTERNET no matter what service you use. Yours just has more extra areas that aren't really internet at all. (Not to mention the extra poppups and junk mail.) AOL, the Wal-Mart of Internet providers.

Super Bowl ads were a little thin this year. But the best one is a series that is still running. The Wuss, Suck-up and Mama's Boy action figures. Took me three viewings to realize they're deodorant ads.

Journey of a thousand miles...

...begins with the first step.

A dear friend recommended I explore writing and suggested blogging as a starting point. So here goes.

Hmm. Ok, I guess you have to save something in order to see what it looks like.

Is it just me or does anyone else get worse at typing as time goes by? I thought dyslexia was a predominately vocal affliction. All hail King Backspace!

GCA