Why we're pissed off

Don't read me today.

READ THIS.

And then read this follow up.

The only thing I would add is that I'm angry at parents who hurt kill their children because of their crazy beliefs.

...and non-believers

We got thrown a bone. Maybe it was because of all the ruckus we've been raising lately. Maybe it's a genuine desire to move past the divisiveness of the past. Maybe it's because President Obama really is a closet atheist. For whatever reason he saw fit to include that 16.1% of the population that had never been included in an inaugural address before. He said: "... [W]e know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers." Sorry Sikhs, Pagans, and Buddhists. Better luck next time.

He threw us this bone even after we filed suit, for the third time, to keep "So help me god" out of the inaugural oath. Although there was valid legal grounding (the phrase isn't in the constitutional version of the oath) the larger secular community was heavily divided regarding the wisdom of such a stunt. Many, perhaps rightly, feared the backlash such an obviously futile gesture would bring about in the general public. Others, also perhaps rightly, saw value in standing up for the separation of church and state.

He threw us this bone even after we angered the nation by launching an ad campaign on DC buses over Christmas asking "Why believe in a god?" That campaign lowered the national dialog to the level of bumper stickers by provoking Christian ads responding "...Because I created you! - God." (Who knew God spoke through marketing!)

He threw us a bone as Americans which means a lot when you remember that it was only three presidents ago when #41 said "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." What a slap to the face of 21% of the military. I guess they were all just worm dirt.

Those three little words mean a lot coming from the new president, but what about the rest of the country? According to one blogger at the inauguration the only time there were boo's for Obama was when non-believers were mentioned. On TV the next day, "The View" commentator Joy Behar (the liberal one!), said, "I've never heard a presidential speech where they also acknowledged non-believers. I mean, there was a lot of Jesus and a lot of religion, but to actually say we're reaching out even to you pathetic atheists out there, you know, who don't believe, I thought that was a great thing." Sure, she was trying to show it in a positive light, but can you imagine the uproar if she had said, even in passing, pathetic Jews, pathetic blacks, or, Allah forbid, pathetic Muslims? Fatwa's all around! Considering that there are more non-believers than Jews in America, it seems absurd that the level of disdain directed toward us is, not only unchallenged, but spurred on by the popular media!

But this gesture does give me a good feeling about the direction the new administration is taking. They are being inclusive, and maybe that's not so surprising. Remember, Obama was raised in a very secular home. His father was born a Muslim but became an atheist as an adult. His mother was raised by non-practicing Methodists and Baptists and he freely admits that he grew up with a "healthy skepticism of organized religion." So when the inaugural oath had to be repeated last Wednesday evening because of the flub-up during the ceremony Tuesday, perhaps it's no surprise that it was done without the bible. Although I'm assuming they still used the "So help me IPU," bit.

It's too damn cold

The average January temperature for Boise is -1.6° C (which is 29° F for you 3rd world folks). My average body temperature is 37° C which is a discrepancy of 38.6°. The wind chill factor at 40 mph (which is about what I do on my scooter) puts the perceived temp down to -10.3° C. That's a perceived difference of 47.3° C (110.6°F!). I don't think my face is meant to withstand such things, I should get a helmet.

Can you tell I'm getting ready for my physics class?

oh man, it's poo

Ok I kinda watched a couple of more episodes. I'm not even in nitpick territory any more. This show sucks.

Why bother basing a show on a set of decent books if your just going to defecate on them?

When the webmaster of the forum for the book series has to delete whole threads and threaten to ban people if they aren't 'nice' to the TV show you know someone has sold out. They actually split up the site into a section where comparisons to the books can be made and where they can't. Let me repeat: They split it up so there is a section of the forum where THE BOOK THE SHOW IS BASED ON IS NOT ALLOWED TO BE COMPARED TO THE TV SHOW.

Zedd you suck, you should be leading the angry mob! Instead you've played the sycophant.

BUT: It's still a good time to be a fantasy fan. Apparently Terry Goodkind isn't the only one making TV shows behind my back. George R. R. Martin is doing it too! This is even more exciting, and scarier. Like I said I wasn't ever a very big fan of the Sword of Truth series. But A Song of Fire and Ice? Oh yeah, me likey.

If they screw this up, I'm going to be pissed.

On the rediscovery of old pastimes

It is a good time to be a fan of fantasy. Apparently they started making a TV series based on the Sword of Truth series without telling me. Legends of the Seeker is available on Hulu up through episode 8 as of now. Now I don't make a habit of watching television shows, especially not before a series is finished. It's usually too much of a time investment for something that might turn out to be utterly disappointing. Given the fact that this is a fantasy series the only other shows I can even remember to really compare it to are the old Kevin Sorbo - Conan and Xena shows. Well these are definitely a step up. Of course it has been years since then so I would hope that production values have gone up.

The show certainly isn't quite up to Heroes production levels but it's good enough to please me. I've only ever been a modest fan of the SoT series (Terry always seemed to be borrowing a little too much from the Wheel of Time for me), so I'm sure I'm not as picky as other fans but that's not going to keep me from nitpicking a little anyway.

Spoiler alert!

So knowing that Rahl is Richards father I can't help but think that they should have cast someone older to play the ruler of D'hara. I guess that actor could be in his late 30's but he seems more mid-30's to me, a little young to have a 23 year old son. Even if I could forgive the age discrepancy the guy just doesn't seem all that menacing. He's more Snape than Voldemort if you'll excuse the cross-creation analogy. Meh, maybe he'll get scarier as we go.

The cheesy explosions are bothering me a little bit too. Seriously, I know it's only TV and there are budget concerns and whatnot but I've seen smoother FX transitions on stop-motion lego you-tube videos. Get some new fire effects too, the wizards flame wasn't bad but whatever they were using at the end of the 2nd episode for the battle at the boundary was weaksauce.

My last nitpick may be minor but exemplifies the problems with screen adaptations of novels. Kahlan just doesn't seem regal enough. Sure she looks good and fits the description fairly well (am I the only one who really thinks her hair ought to be a LOT longer though?) but the TV version doesn't strike me as a character used to being in command. In the same vein the Gar's seemed to ugly, I know, I know, they are supposed to be ugly, but remember our boy Richard is going to be dragging one around for a long-ass time once this gets going (if it gets going...), and I'd rather it be something a little easier to look at.

That last bit brings up another concern. Are they really serious about this? I mean it took an hour and a half to get through just the first little bit of the first book. How much of the series are they planning to do? A season for each book? It seems like they would need that much time. And what will that mean for the plot? Books aren't written with a neatly tied up mini-story every chapter, how will audiences react?

I don't know how it's going to turn out, and to be honest I'm more exited about it because of what it means for the Wheel of Time. Red Eagle Entertainment is now talking about making a live-action movie with Universal based on The Eye of the World to go along with some new video games and I hope they are paying attention to the mistakes being made in Legend of the Seeker. Of course this is the same group who let us down with the New Spring comics. Seriously, who puts out the first 5 of an 8 part series and then stops? That's just rude!

I just ordered the Wheel of Time books 1 - 8 in hardback. I either wore out the originals I had (most were either paperback or book club editions) or never got them back after loaning them out. This will bring me up to date on the series and should give me enough time to read through the 13 volumes currently out (counting the oversized guidebook and New Spring) before Brandon Sanderson releases the final volume, A Memory of Light. 

Generally when buying books I've found the best prices by checking between Amazon's marketplace and Abebooks. Usually Abebooks is cheaper but sometimes you get lucky at Amazon. This time around I got 1, 2, & 4 from Amazon and the rest from Abe. 

I, like everyone else who has invested so much time into this series, was devasted when James Rigney (Robert Jordan was a psuedonym) passed away in 2007. And I was both relieved and apprehensive when I heard that Brandon Sanderson would be finishing the last book.  Relieved just to know that the series WOULD be finished but apprehensive because Brandon is a relatively new author and I'd never read anything by him previously. Well I've rectified that situation and am happy to say that I'm much less apprehensive after reading his Mistborn series. It certainly wasn't as complex or moving as the Wheel of Time, or A Song of Fire and Ice (which I put at just about the same level), but it did prove that Sanderson is a capable author. Given the enthusiasm he has for the project and what are described as extensive notes for the final book left by RJ I am eagerly awaiting the conclusion. Originally the estimate was late 2009 but I'm expecting something more like Summer 2010. Hey I've waited since '94 already, what's another year?

Finals - ugh.

Doing well enough in school. Got an A- in my chemistry class over the summer but at least I don't have to be paranoid about blowing my 4.0 anymore. I try not to think about how much longer I'm going to be taking classes. No electronics classes next semester but it should be the last of my prereq's.

The Secular Student Alliance of Boise State is getting more and more established. I had a rough time getting things concretely planned out at first but I think I'm learning how to plan ahead a little better now. We caused a bit of an uproar after one of our banners got taken down at an event, we're still awaiting an apology.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving break. More because I might have time to make a dent in the pile of books on my nightstand than because of the turkey. We might be heading up to visit Sherry in Oregon too, I'm letting Gesi work out the details of that.

Ok, I decided not to wait the usual 3 to 15 months this time around. Besides I used up all my exclamation points last post so it should be safe for a little bit.

Here I am on the scooter in full 'gear'. I know, I know, everyone laughs at scooters when they see them putt-putting around. Well they can laugh at me on the road, and I'll laugh at them at the gas pump. :)

Now once I get the paperwork to actually title and license this thing I'll be really happy. I knew the delay could happen though. It happens a lot when you buy from people on ebay. Oh well, I saved $200 that way so I guess that's what I have to deal with. The bike I got for $1500 the jacket was $60 and the helmet was $40. Still don't know how much the lincense plate is going to cost me, but I bet it all pays for itself within the first year. Especially if I end up selling my car. We'll see.

We're in Boise! I'm out of the Marine Corps! I got a scooter!

See you in a few months!

In Washington DC for the weekend as the representative of Chapter 44 of AUSCS. The conference/training should start in a couple of hours and I suppose my roommate will show up sometime soon also. My command granted my special liberty request too, so this isn't going to cost me anything in the way of leave. And AUSCS is reimbursing the hotel cost and payed for the flight up here. I feel like I'm scamming someone!! I'm excited to be a part of this and think I'm going to learn a little bit more about how the government actually works this weekend.

As an added bonus Marc Prickett still lives here in DC so I was able to hang out with him a little yesterday and probably will again later this weekend.

Happy Veterans Day!

I'm now the treasurer for Chapter 44 of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State located in New Bern, NC. That's great, I feel like I'm getting started on something I'll probably be involved with until I die. Joining this organization and also the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers is just a start. When I get to Boise (which still seems like where I'm going once I get out) I'll join any similar organizations there, or create them.

I've already checked the Boise State University clubs and there is no Secular Student Alliance Chapter so if they don't have one by the time I get there (granted that's more than a year from now), I'll do my best to get one started.

All this activist thought really started back when I was in Iraq and found out that people with influence were trying to lie to students in school, and keep evolution from being taught. I see that as an example in microcosm of much that is wrong with our country/society today. We have stopped being a positive example for the rest of the world. Our best measures of intelligence for public schools show us lagging in the international community in math and science (which are basically the only things that can be effectively tested at a global level). Now there are many different idea's about how to "fix" the broken school system, Time magazine listed some in the same issue that it gave the No Child Left Behind Act a C- grade in, but I think that a damn good starting point would be to simply STOP LYING TO CHILDREN!!!!!

Our kids are not allowed to learn because they might end up smart enough to realize how stupid their parents are!

Fucking shameful.

My knee got all jacked up during a basketball game my senior year in high school. I underwent surgery to repair my ACL, MCL, and meniscus. Four staples were left in my knee attaching the replacement ligaments from my hamstring to my knee. I was under the impression that these staples were to be removed at a later date. Well, seven years later, I'm finally having them removed.

In other news, Gesi actually did make me get rid of the dog. And then I went and got us another cat. I think that makes me a pussy, or at least a pushover. But at least I'm still a married pushover.

The vacation: Daytona was great, Orlando was crowded, and the Bahama's were ghetto. Next time, I'd rather stay at home, or at least spend money on stuff that's fun but nearby.

So I spent a month or so in Arizona sleeping on a cot in a military tent with 9 other guys and a few scorpions. I used to love camping. After I get out I don't think I'm going to be into it any more. Or maybe it's going to be "camping" like Gesi expects with an RV and running water. Whatever. I'm glad I was only gone for a month, any longer and I probably wouldn't have a dog. Gesi nearly convinced me that Jewel had to go, well she did but then I renigged on her once I got back and saw the mutt again. I just like her too much.

Have a vacation trip to FL and the Bahama's coming up in Dec, and my brother is getting married at the beginning of the year, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to make that. Rather doubt it actually.

Jewel is her name. As you can see she's way too cute for her own good, although I've gotten pretty calloused to the whole "puppy dog eyes" thing. She doesn't get away with much any more. Then again Gesi probably would disagree with me.

She's supposedly part Whippet and part American Fox Hound but I don't think either of her parents were what you'd call "pure blood."

I got this half black eye a few weeks ago while playing basketball. Though you can't see them, I already have three stitches in my chin from a game a couple of days earlier. Gesi still loved me enough to kiss my mangled face, but I was forbidden to play anymore basketball. Not that that stopped me. Anyway I just wanted to use this as my profile photo and needed to get it somewhere online before I could use it. Hope you enjoy.

I'm debating with myself about whether or not I want to transfer all of my writings onto here. It would probably take a little while, and it's a little frightening to expose so much of myself. But it's really not that much exposure at this point... I don't think anyone but me has ever seen this, and I don't plan on trying to draw traffic in anyway. This blog; it's really sort of a personal experiment. I'm just not sure what I'm trying to discover with it.

For those of you who actually know me... http://kevan.org/nohari?name=loweb1 is a way to tell me how to improve my personality. I think it would be interesting to see what others feel are my downfalls.

Puppies. This one better be worth it.

At the library in Awatukee, trying to finish up Gesi's taxes. She owe's more than I got back, not good news but oh well. I do like driving on paved roads. Soon we'll have our finances all figured out. My income is going to be more stable come next month and she just got another raise too. We'll have about two months to get all caught up before she quits and we get ready to head cross country. We should be ok by that point. The military will give me extra money to make the move and we should be able to get there and get set up without too much trouble. I hope. Seems like no matter how much money I make, or how much I try to conserve all that I get it's always just barely enough. At least so far it has been enough. It could be worse.

I wonder how she's going to adjust to life in NC. Where's she going to work, can I get her back in college. Will I be able to get some night schooling in? I want to. They say Cherry Point is going to be deployed right before we get there, which means I'll probably be standing a whole lot of duty. Nothing I'm not used to. And at least I'll be able to come home to my wife.

Nothing tells me what to write. No one looks in to see if I'm doing the job correctly, and there's not a damn person who cares whether or not I write at al really. The only obstacle to keep me from really letting go of myself and writing what I willis the fact that I have to do this from my classmate's barracks room. While he's watching Stargate. It's distracting as hell, and I'm not sure when he's going to want his computer back.

Down and dirty.

Boot camp 030317 (Mar 17, 2003). It sucked, but the crucible wasn't nearly as hard as I expected. My girlfriend surprised me by showing up at my graduation, very nice surprise. We spent ten days after boot camp together that were amazing, especially after three hard months apart. Then I had to go back. MCT and the first few moths in 29 Palms I was still getting used to the Marine Corps. Eventually Gesi convinced me to let her move closer to me, about the same time I decided I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I proposed on my birthday and she moved to Phoenix half way through December. We got married on the 29th of February, and I'll be graduating from my radar school on June 7th. After that Gesi and I will finally be able to live together. We'll be in North Carolina by the 7th of July, which is where we'll stay for the next three years at least. Supposing I don't get deployed or something anyway.

It just feels good to be able to type again. I can't wait to get my computer fixed, or to buy a new one anyway.

Been in for a year now. Just barely getting back online really. Going to do more with this as soon as I can.

No one wants to hire me. I suppose it’s mostly because I’m leaving in March. I admit, if I were an employer I might think to myself: “What’s the point? This guys only going to be here for long enough to get trained.” Tomorrow I’ll go to the temp services and sign up for as many of them as I can. It’s probably my best bet anyway.

It pisses me off that everyone in the house loves kicking me when I’m down. I always try to be considerate of their feelings when things aren’t exactly going good for them. I try to be helpful – but these assholes just love to shove it in my face. Tyrel mostly. What the fuck is his problem? He was a jobless bum for two whole months! We paid his rent! And here I am, laid off, unexpectedly, just two days ago and he’s already giving me shit. I ought to fuck him up for it, and I want to. But it wouldn’t do any good. God, he pisses me off though.

I went and saw a mid-night showing of the Two Towers last night. I figured it was worth the splurge to go see it since I was looking forward to it so much. I’m glad I saw it, but I was totally disappointed. I can’t believe how different from the book it was, how horribly different. I was disgusted with it. Very disappointing especially after how much I enjoyed the first one.

I like the changes I’m seeing in my body. I like the way it’s starting to spring back from years of little use. I hope to be in good enough shape to take whatever they can dish out at basic. And I think I can do it if I keep this up.

The pool function for recruits and deppers for December was slightly disappointing as well. We played laser tag, but we didn’t get to see our scores (I think I did pretty good though). And we did a little room clearing exercise, but just once each – there were too many people. We didn’t even run or workout at all beforehand.

Since I began considering the Marine Corps as part of my future I’ve been unable to concentrate on my schoolwork. I am weeks behind in physics and I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m not looking forward to it at all. I have been unable to motivate myself because I hope that it won’t matter. I want to be a Marine. And at first, while they were still telling me that my bum knee wouldn’t be a problem everything seemed to be going great. But now things have begun to look a little different and the schoolwork I neglected earlier is going to have to be faced. Bad news on both accounts and no easy way out.

How can I let myself be so lazy? What happened to the determination that used to define who I was? Where has my self-integrity gone? Since removing television from my life, three days ago, I’ve had more and more time to analyze my dejected state. And while that’s brought me to new levels of self-loathing, it has not done much for my motivation. I wish I could just snap out of it. But I’ve been trying for days now over the Thanksgiving break and all I have to show for it is a completed Rubik’s cube and a couple more games of chess under my belt. Pleasant these things are, but not what I need.