PHILOSOPHY AND SUCH
Cody's gone till the 1st. I already miss him terribly. This year has flown by. One more day left and then BAM! 2004 is upon us. Funny thing time. The world jsut keeps moving. Oh well, I'm happy and more appreciative of the things I have now - knowing what I've gone through in the last year - I can't complain.
So one of my friends (yet to be named) really pissed me off. The got was fooling around with my ex-girlfriend. Yeah, I'm living with mine. Yeah, I'm happy. But a slapass. I have ZERO repsect for a guy like that. Not mention he swindled $800 from her. WTF?? Hey, if I'm not making enough money (which I've been known to do), then I get another job. The guy is just straight up lazy. I look at the choices I've made over the past year and just think some people never get outa that "college phase". I feel more sorry for him than anything else. Jsut when I thought I didn't have much and my life sucked, leave it to someone I know to make me feel like Bill Gates. lol
So I have yet to lay my board on powder yet - but that doesn't bother me too much. Paul and I are going up to WhiteCap in a few weeks - so I'm stoked on that.
The Vikings collapsed on Sunday - which was to be expected. Lots of talk this week on wether Mike Tice will keep his job.
Nuttin much more than that. I'm going to pick up my gifs engagement ring tomorrow. I'm excited to see her face light up when she gets it!!!
Oh well - random, lost thoughts. . .
More tomorrow. .
LATERS
HERE AND GONE AGAIN. . .
Alright - so the holidays are ALMOSt over. It was a pleasant experience. We had everybody over on the 24th at my gif house. Then Christmas morn we all got up and opened presents, My 8 year old (Cody) couln't wait to get to the presents and was well rewarded for his patience. Then we went over the Gif's brother's house down the block and had a huge brunch with her entire family - which was great. Then we headed over to my family's place and opened more presents, had dinner and then we had the rest of my extended family over for desert.
The high point was when my cousin Tom, took out his pictures from Iraq and was explaining about his tours and a lot of really cool stories. He had pictures of Saddam's palace that were just crazy. So I thought that was really cool.
So here I am the day after. My son is off his "other" grandparents for a few days. I figure I'll be picking up and putting together my skateboard. Hopefully next week I'll have some time to go ride at the 3rd Lair.
Other than that - it's STILL all good.
A short entry, but important nonetheless
LATE
CHRISTMAS IS CLOSING IN.. .
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the money pit that is the holiday's. I think I've dropped so much money over the past weeks it's crazy. But in the end, it's all worth it. Seeing my son smile and my grilfriend tell me she loves me is all priceless to me.
Soccer is over till after January, and I'm going to skip Hockey the next couple weeks since my son is here. What I'm really looking forward to skateboarding again. I got all of the videos I got off of ebay and have been just soooo amped to ride again. Not to mention a few calls to Gullwing and talking to their owner was a total thrill for myself. Telling the guy he would be able to corner the market if he made a slightly shorter truck was pretty cool for me.
So once we're on the other side of 2004, I'm going to be lovin life. My life is settling down (no drama), and I really appreciate everything I have. A great family, a great gif and son that adores me. Yeah, I don't make a million dollars, but I'm VERY VERY happy with my life, where I'm going and everything that's happening. I used to wish that the days would be just over, or wish the weekend would come. Now, I relish every day. Every little thing, I stop and appreciate. I've come to see, notice and appreciate all the small wonderful things that happen everyday to me. No more watching my life go by. Fuck does it feel good.
Justin and I are also working hard at this project that seems to have spun out of control. It started more as a documentary and now is morphing. Think about the history of skateboarding in Minneosta. All the people that are still around, all the vidoe footage laying around in people's houses. It's exciting - that's for sure!
Still haven't been out snowboarding yet. The MOZ and I already have a trip planned to Whitecap layed out. I think this is going to be an anuual event. Last year the trip got nixed because I was working at vphone (no cash) and ERIKS a lot. He had a serious girlfriend and we didn't hang out much since he lived in Canada errrrrrrrrr Anoka. Now that he lives a lot closer - I think we'll be hanging out a lot more and riding more together.
So it's old news but we captured So Dam Insane (Saddam Hussein). Hopefully that will crush these crazy ass insurgents bent on stopping what we're doing. Muslims make no sense to me. Oh well, I don't let it get to me too much.
I'm sure I'll have more later. . .my fingers are getting tired typing all of this out - hahahahaha
Alright - to all who read this dribble. . .
RACK THIS - I'M OUT!!!
A MONTH GOES BY. . .
Holy shizzy!! It's been almost a month and I haven't been compelled to keep this updated. Usually I get on a rock and need to spew about something that irks me, but thus far, and for the past month - nothing has really caught my fancy.
Everything is going well, I moved in with my Gif and life couldn't be better. Soccer is soccer - same thing different day. I just consciously started to skip the games against the better teams in the league so as not to get pissed and take everything too serious.
B and I are also working hard to get our downstairs room finished. Her brother is really kicking ass and we've got the room sheet rocked and the first layer of mud is done.
Hockey has been a blast. the guys we play with are so great. Just really good skaters that keep you on your toes. It's done ownders for my staminia and quickness for soccer.
So my son Cody is coming to visit on the 19th and will be here through the 5th.. I asked her repeatedly to make sure that Cody has some warm weather clothes BEFORE he comes up. Yeah - so she says she left a big box full of all his winter clothes at her moms. So I call her mom, and sure enough, all that's there is a pair of snowpants a hat and some gloves. What a dumb bitch. I held off calling her and telling how stupid she, and instead will just go buy some stuff for him. This is my point. She is constantly obilvious to all that is going on around her. She only concerns herself with herself.
OH! So I had a guy in my office that went to high school with her - that was a hoot. He basically told me everything I already knew. . . oh well *sigh* I guess I shouldn't be surprised - right?
Ummmmmmmmmmmm been trying to get together with Justin Lynch lately, he's been working on documenting the history of skateboarding in Minneosta, I guess I'm the only one who thinks that this is an awesome idea. The preservation of a local culture, I think that is really admirable.
Oh wellllllllllllllll - that's all I got for right now. I'm excited to see my son again. It's been too long and it's going to be crazy to see him again. I can't wait to see how much he's grown.
LATE
TOO TIRED TO CARE. . .
The last few days have been long. I woke up Monday thinking it was actually Sunday. The last few days have just melted together and I'm so tired I can barely stay awake.
I got into another argument with Karis about Cody calling his STEPdad just "Dad". I think we go it cleared up, but I just can't talk with her anymore. My contempt has reached an all time high. I think she just argues with me to hear her own voice. After we started arguing, she got pissed and while I was in mid-sentence, she handed the phone back to Cody. Smart. . .so fucking smart. The less I think about her and the less I deal with her - the better off I am. I guess she will be my cross that I bear for the rest of my life. I think of it as God's way of testing my faith. How far can she push? How much will I take till I push back? That's what she wants. She WANTS somebody to fight with. Mark probably isn't around much (anther GREAT reason to get married - what a dumb bitch!) so she needs a punching bag. Oh well. . . .
What else is going on? Not much. Local Number Portability is in a few weeks and that is going to change everything, I can feel we're going to be SUPER busy again. That will translate inot mega $$$$$$$$ to spread around.
Oh well, more later. .
RACK ME - I'M OUT!
FUN FUN FUN
Well, I didn't let this lapse for as long as I thought I would this time. Less than ten days between entries - so good, so far.
My first rant is that of my soccer "team". I use quotations because the only thing I have in common with these people is that I play soccer with them. I am not firneds with any of them and the few times I have been out with them after games, I feel like I don't fit in. Thus, I show up at our games, play, and go home. Since I started playing hockey on Friday nights, soccer just hasn't been that big of a deal for me. I play soccer because I love it. Not necessairly because my teammates are goofs. So let's get to the point - aight?
My team continues to think we should play in the competitive league. So then we get smoked 13-4 (like last night). This leads to people complaining, bitching and just not playing well. Nobody gets that as a group of club level players, we do not have the skill to play at this level. Oh sure, when our great players finally mesh and we have a good game or two - they think this is how it should be. the problem is that if we want to play comp, I have no problem. Let's at least get together and have some set plays, develop a stratdegy and actually have a few practices. It's like these guys just think they can show up and expect to win games. the league is too strong and the guys we are playing against are too good. Someday they will get it. Unfortunately, they haven't yet.
Oh well, nuf said onto the next topic. . .
So these Green River Killer guy kills 48 women and gets life BECAUSE he confessed and helped the cops close a ton of unsolved cases. So here's my question to ponder. .
If the most horrendous serial killer in US history doesn't get the death penalty - then why would do we have a death penalty?? The cops gave up their opportunity for Justice when they allowed this piece of dirt to plea for his life in exchange for solving some murders. What a pity.. . . .
My last point and/or rant is this notion that the political/religious left continues to remove all of the judeo christian symbols that have stood for years. Why do people feel the need to push thier PC crap on everybody?? These people seriously scare me. It's like they want to do something that has never been done before and COMPLETELY separate the church and the state. Why must we continue to erase our cultural history?? This makes NO sense to me.
Well - that's all I got. More probably later. . .I hope.
LATE
WTF?
I guess the last few weeks have been hectic as usual. LOTS of shit has gone down (mostly good stuff though) and once again I feel grateful for what I have.
Soooooooooooooooo this past weekend was the fucking bomb. Friday night I had hockey at 10:30. It has taken a while, but my skills are getting better. The guys we skate with are really good and it's pushing my fitness for sure. I'm stickhandling much better and just being more aggressive. Saturday my gif and I got a TON of stuff done. We worked on the basement with her brother, I got all my laundry done and then we went over to my parents for my sister's b-day. then afterwards I went to the 3rd Lair for an after contest party. It was a blast to say the least. Saw and talked with some of my old skater friends. I still have yet to get a new board, but will be riding before the end of November - that I know for sure!
Hmmmmmmmmmmm what else? I FINALLY got all fo my stuff over to my gifs place and life is great. It feels good to be with her and come to her and a warm house. OH! Soccer is starting tonight and already I have my reservations. I don't know yet how I'm going to play and how serious I want to take this session. With soccer on Wednesday's, Hockey on Friday's and skating in between - I will be LOVIN life!!!
The WILD lost gabby - which pisses me off. My Red Devils are in 3rd place in the EPL. Hmmmmm my best bud Paul moved back from Anoka and is back in the heighboehood, so we'll be hanging out more in the near future. This winter looks great for snow. I almost have everything I need, but my gif still needs everything. I gave my board, boots and pants to Channy. she was happy to have them and hopefully will get some use out of them.
Work is going smoothly. WLNP is coming next month and should give us another landslide of business. ERIKS has slowed to a crawl and I'm averaging MAYBE ten hours a week. At least I know when I want to go ride, I can. More free time to do what I want - that's how I see it.
I'll have to wait to see Cody till Christmas. I miss the guy so much and just hearing his voice and spending time with him is killing me. Karis is not coming up for Christmas, but at least I will be able to see him for at least a week. I dont see how that is going to make up for the time I dont see him - but when he gets old enough he'll figure it out. . . .
Life is good, I pray everyday - and don't get to church as often as I should. Other than that, I'll try to do more and try to make an impact every day.
LOVE IT!!
Late
FRIDAY'S ROCK!!
Aight - so much going on, gotta get it all down somehow. Tonight I'm playin hockey. I missed last week because my gif's grandmother died and she was a wreck - so I stayed over with her and skipped - so this week ITS ON! Also, I'm getting a new skateboard and will be riding again soon. I'm stoked to be skateboarding again. I figure it will be a way for me to stay in shape, have fun and learn some new tricks along the way.
So we got hockey, skateboarding, and hopefully we'll get TONS of snow this year for snowboarding. Soccer is starting at the end of this month as well, which I'm amped for.
Work is going well and I activated my new TREO through T-mobile yesterday and am having a blast figuring it out. I think I might just get rid of my Verizon phone - who know's??
As for my hacking exploits. . . I'm starting to learn new stuff and am almost able to start applying some of this stuff. . . should be fun, I'll be doing this today - seeing as how the boss's are both away for the weekend. .
Oh well - more next week!!!
LATE
MY CONSCIOUS SPEAKS - AGAIN
I apologize for not keeping up to date. I should be writing in this thing every day, but as I get involved in something (usually internet related), time just disolves. This month has been sooooooooooooooooooooooo slow that I have found myself digging deeper into the hacker/cracker realm, reading up more about my chemtrail stuff and generally just reading a lot of stuff.
So last night I was out with my co-worker Jon and our imbezzler errrrrrrrrrrrrrrr salesperson Richard. This morning my boss told me that all they did was to "bill him" for the 12 grr that he helped himself to. I also found out that he's kinda a MAJOR cokehead which probably isn't helping much either. Remember what I said man? Vices, they'll get you EVERYTIME.
So the big weekend that my son was here was a blast and all but a quick flash and memory. I miss him a ton and pray for him everyday. Apparently things are all that great. His step dad is a weirdo and does things that seem wrong to me - I dunno. Like feigning that he's going to hit him then just joking about it. Yeah, that's smart ya toolbox. Keep the kid scared of you. Then when he needs somebody guess who's going to deal with it? That's right. . . M O I! So my heart weeps for him and I hug him and tell him that I love him whenever I get a chance.
So hockey starts tomorrow night and I'm really amped to skate again and trim up a bit. I'm going to get most of my stuff moved over to my parents this weekend so that will be fun. Soccer and a snowboard clinic on Sunday - hmmmmmmmmmm FUN weekend.
I also talked with Jon. Seems that Gail and Rick are very happy to have us running the joint. They both lamented that in a few years when they are ready to cash in, they'll leave us the buisness NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
Oh well - what else? Mom's in France for a couple weeks and I had lunch with my dad this afternoon which was cool. I like to keep him company when ma isn't around.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH here's a short rambling about the more in depth chem trail arguments I've dug up. . . oh bully, I just do it tommorow and keep this entry short and sweet.
LATE
THINGS GOING SOOOOOOOOOOO WELL!
Holy biatch! I had forgotten to write for the past week. Must be that all is going well, huh? Oh well, here's the latest. . .
Big controversy going on at work. Seems that one of our prime outside salesperson is doing a little bait and switch tactic on my employer. Getting paid multiple times on the same account and same activations. The shit is really going to hit the fan soon. This has been building like a monster for the past week. . .EWWWWWWWWW!!!!
The office has been slow and John (my co-worker) and I have been talking more. The kid cracks me up. He keeps asking if I want to go "go-peding" with him. I feel like we have the best staff in our office in a long time. Ethan was here for 5 fricking years and Rick continually kept his ass afloat. Loaning him money and stuff. So Ethan bails and Rick tells him he's stupid if he does. So what does he do? He decides to be a mortgage loan officer. HA HA HA HA. Guess what happens after he takes the job?? Rates fall off the table. . . .bad choice my friend. So what is he doing now? Painting Rick's house out in Lake Minnetonka. Oh....how the mighty have fallen. Vices man, they will get you into trouble all the time howlie.
So Aresenal and Manchester United TIED 0-0 this past weekend. Fucking Arsenal is nothing but a bunch of thugs. I hope the FA smokes all 7 players that were involved in the fracas, and they get to field their second tier team against Chelsea. That would make them think about pulling that obsurd behavior again!
Hmmmmmmmmm, I can't wait for Winter. My gif and I are planning a few nice trips to go snowboarding. I got new boots, a new helmet and some goggles at the sale. I also picked up some nice hoodies for like $25!!
Soccer is this weekend. I was feeling AWESOME in our first game. After a few parties and office birthday's - we'll see if I still have the giddy-up. I'm going to start playing hockey with a co-worker from the SLP store. Getting my legs back would be AWESOME for the upcoming indoor session.
Oh! I FINALLY finished the Super Dope Trance Addict Mix 5 and it totally smokes. The first two tracks kicks you in the nuts - the rest are smooth riding trance mixes. I mixed in some vocal trance to break up the motony.
Tomorrow I will address the shootings that happened in two schools in our state. I'll have to let the emotion sink in first.
Till then. . . . . . .
OUT
THURSDAY AND WAREHOUSE SALE MANIA!!
Today it finally started raining like a mother! I'm excited, today is the warehouse sale at ERIKS and my gif and I are going over and getting some snowboarding stuff for this winter. The week has been rather slow - so I've been getting some stuff done.
I'm going to miss the big Manchester/Arsenal derby this weekend because I'll be working the warehouse sale 8-5 both days. :( Of course I'm going to miss my soccer game too - but ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh wellllllllllllllllllllllllll.
Jay Mohr was hosting "The Jim Rome Show" today and I was laughing so hard, at times I could barely drive. He kept taking calls and people kept getting run (Jim plays a very loud horn and then they cut the caller off - this is known as "getting run"). It was hysterical and Jay couldn't find a decent call the whole time. I felt bad for the guy, but the "clones" (Jim's listeners refer to themselves as "clones") just were not helping him at all. The show was by far the highlight of my day - no doubt.
I'm not in any mood today - nuttin going on and I'm too laid back to really care about the little things going on. Today, all I've done is to answer phone calls all day. I had one moron complaining that he couldn't get a cell phone for the "new line" price from Nextel. I TRIED (in vein) to explain to him that all we get paid on is new activations and for us to give him a new $300.00 phone (our cost), for $150 - we would be losing $150. He still couldn't fathom why Nextel would give up his $3,600 in revenue each year over the fact that they wouldn't sell him a phone. HELLO!! WE DONT GET THE MONEY - NEXTEL DOES!! I hardly think Nextel is going to go out of business if you change providers. . . he was a toolbox, what can I say?
Aight - looking forward to getting my new helmet (for riding halfpipe), boots and goggles.
More lata,
OUT
QUIET WEEKEND - NICE MONDAY!
Aight! It was a nice slow weekend of doing little or nothing. I worked both days, which was fun. Erik "the bike man" showed up both days and was in rare form. Since he knows my current employer, we had some laughs about their relationship. The Vikings won - big whoop. Our soccer team won it's second game of the season (I had to work, so I missed it) which is great. The big game of the week is going to be my Manchester United Red Devils vs. My gifs Arsenal Gunners. The match is slated for Saturday night - no plans have been made yet. . . . .
Anyways, I also found out that my son is coming this weekend and I will be able to spend some time with him the following weekend. The warehouse sale is this week and I'll be getting some new goggles, a helmet (for when I ride pipe & park) and some new boots. My gif wants new pants and some new gloves. So this week is already starting with great anticipation!!
Last thing - was listening to Dennis Prager today and he had a rabbi one that was talk about Psalm's #23. It was a VERY stimulating conversation and Dennis had some profound insight into why he lets his children watch violent shows. His reasoning was that in this shows - the good guys always win and the bad guys loose. He said it sends a positive message to his kids and gives them the idea of safety and security.
Other than that - LIFE IS GOOD!!!!
LATE
BACK TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING
The weekend was fun. My cousin's wedding was a blast and the weather could not have been better! Today has been interesting thus far. I had to call the IRS this morning (NO FUN!), and do some paperwork.
Funny, my boss and I are currently engaged in a deep discussion about conspiracy theories. We were lamenting about how weird the weather has been lately and I brought up HAARP and the Chem Trail stuff. He dragged up the a show he watched last night with Bob Lazar and aleins and AREA 51. Just some spooky stuff. I'm finding more and more people are starting to believe this stuff - which I find interesting. Usually the people I don't think would give any of this stuff credibility - are usually the most ardant believers. And vice versa, naturally.
So here's a few fun links to jog your brain a bit - just cut and paste!
http://www.ufomind.com/area51/people/lazar/
http://www.carnicom.com/contrails.htm
http://www.earthpulse.com/haarp/
Have fun kiddies!!
LATE
OK SPORTS FANS!!!
Ok - no heady "the meaning of life" post here. . .
Just the simple note that I will be GHANDI for the weekend. I'm off to my cousin's wedding in Bayfield Wisconsin. I'm leaving tonight and will be back on Sunday. Soccer starts on Sunday and I'm rather excited. I've lost three pouds already and am feeling good about the upcoming match.
Alright - to all those that read these hollow letters and thoughts. . . .
TILL MONDAY HOWLIES!!
karl
A NEW DAY - AND CHILLY!
Yeah, yeah - I know, it's been a while and you're all fussing over what's going on in my life right?? *taps mic*, *taps mic*, "Hello?", "Helllllooooooooooooo??"
Well, things have been a fricking roller coaster lately. My Gifs nephew is still in and out of the hospital. He's lost 20 pounds and is NOT doing well. She in turn has become a crusty distant person. It's a relationship, so I know there is always good with the bad and the like. I'm just trying to suck it up and go. I usually dont let stuff get to me, but with a pretty important weekend coming up (my cousin's wedding), this is the LAST thing I need on my mind. Oh well, move on - it will get better!!
Work was a bear at the beginning of the week and now has slowed to a crawl. I actually got some stuff today, which is a nice change of pace. Dealing with people coming at you from all directions can be frustrating and mind numbing all at the same time.
WHAT is good? Soccer, roller hockey starting. The possibility of getting a new bike ( a SEVEN CYCLES no less!), and working the annual ERIKS warehouse sale. That means my new snowboard boots and goggles are FINALLY within reach!!
WEIRD WEEKEND MOMENT
After I told my parents that I needed to bring home some extra stuff to store at their place, they asked my help with moving some furniture when I came over. My mom made me go through a half dozen boxes of stuff that had piled up since college. It was a trip. Out of all my college stuff - I must have pulled 25 little scraps of people's (mostly women) numbers. NONE of which tripped my memory in any way. The worst was going through the mother of my son's old letter's and cards. Not to mention all the pictures of us laughing, hugging and kissing. I'll have to admit - it was tough. I took all that stuff and put it into a separate box.
LIFE OBSERVATION
After going through all this stuff, it struck me again. What have I missed, where did I go wrong? What could I have changed?? I often think what my life would be like right now.. . . would I be happy? I don't know. My X was pretty intense, and I'm pretty laid back by nature. Whenever we were together it was obvious we were into each other. I just don't know what I would be doing or where I would be working. I got into wireless and telecommunications because it interested me, and since it was taking off - a good sales opportunity, not because I was qualified to do so. . .
Our relationship was pretty volitile. After I got a glimpse of how manipulative she can be, she just drained the life and love out of our relationship. I've never known such hate towards one individual in all my life. I don't let ANYBODY get to me. But she got to me and got under my skin - which NEVER happens. Maybe it's just resentment on both our parts for what I did (yeah, I did some pretty stupid things!) and how we both fucked up such a wonderful thing. In any case, it's an old circular argument - what could have been done? Would I have changed anything? Honestly, if it meant my life went in another direction - maybe. It's always easier to make a decision and then change it. The hardest is when your dealing with your future. People make choices (wrong or right) and it takes your life in different directions. I made a decision that I could not handle her and I chose to live without her constantly trying to paint me into a corner. I dunno. I still have mixed feelings about the whole affair. Don't get me wrong - I'm still happy.
How fitting? Here's my song of the day
"Scene of a Perfect Crime" by Concrete Blonde:
My eyes are jaded and complicated,
Tired of the liars and the masqueraded
Who steals our innocence away,
Like a thief in the night?
Who took away our faith in what we know to be right?
That was another world, then
That was another time
You can never go back to the scene of a perfect crime.
Whatever became of the child I was
I never want to lose her no
I won’t give her up
And now my heart is harder,
My skin is getting tougher and tougher
That was another world then
That was another time
You can never go back to the place where love is blind
You can never go back to the scene of a perfect crime
Whatever became of our sweet blind love
As long as we could be together it was more than enough
Now we’re all grown up and we need so much
I never knew that the price would go up as such
That was another world then, then
That was another time
Well you can never go back to the place where love is blind.
You can never go back to the scene of a perfect crime.
Sorry - that's all I got today. . . my mind has been unloaded of it's burden. .
OUT
YOUR ALL STUPID!
Ok - it's been a while since I've really lost it - but all the BS in Iraq has finally gotten me to boil over. If you are a bleeding heart liberal, best you leave now. I'm sooooooooooooooo sick of all the crap that they continue to spew. In the following I will debunk all the "theories" being bandied about and hopefully return some sense of logic to these assinine arguments.
ARGUMENT 1 - Iraq did not provoke us - we should not be there
This is by far the stupidist thing I have heard to date. Below you will find a list of terrorist attacks we have sustained since 1983 - ALL WITHOUT ANY MILITARY ACTION!!
1983 - American Embassy in Kuwait bombed: 6 dead, 80 injured
1984 - American Embassy annex in Beirut bombed: 24 dead (2 americans)
1985 - Hijacking of cruise ship Achille Lauro: 1 killed
1988 - Pam Am flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie Scotland: 259 dead
1993 - World Trade Center, New York: 6 dead, 1,040 injured
1996 - Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (Marine Barracks): 19 dead, hundreds injred
1998 - 2 US Embassies in Kenya & Tanzania bombed: 224 killed, 4,500 injured
2000 - USS Cole bombed: 17 dead
2001 - World Trade Center Bombed: over 5,000 dead or missing
Need I go any further?? We have been atttacked repeatedly by terrorists since 1970, with little or no military action. Many middle east countries have harbored and supported these activities. One of their biggest supporters has been Iraq. Have WE been provoked?? How many more innocent Americans must die before you get the point??
ARGUMENT 2: THIS IS ALL ABOUT OIL
WRONG - again. If it was about oil, then why the hell did we give up the Saudi's oil fields the first time during the Gulf War?? If we really wanted those oil fields we could have taken them at any time and NOT given them back. This is another stupid argument that has no logic or evidence to back it up.
ARGUMENT 3: Where are all the weapons of mass destruction?
This was just ONE reason we went over to Iraq. If you were Saddam, you would have these hidden and or loaded up on mobile carriers to transport them to any given spot on a moments notice. It will take a while - but we will find them.
ARGUMENT 4 - this was a personal vandetta to be settled by Bush Jr.!
Perhaps I would pose this question to you. Iraq WAS run by Isamlic extremists (before we smoked the Taliban and put Al-Qaeda on their fricking heels). They don't like us very much (see above terrorist attacks since 1970's as proof). Now these crazy bastards have fucking nuclear weapons (yeah plural). Where o where do you think they will lob them?? Using some common sense - I would say there would be a DECENT chance one might land here. DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THAT CHANCE?? I don't think so and I don't think the millions of other Americans do either.
So to all you bleeding heart librals left over from the Viet Nam era - give it a rest. Your only doing your fellow Americans more harm than good. The servicemen and women over in Iraq are laying down their lives so that you may continue to speak your mind. They guard your freedom every night and every day. You all seem to take your freedom for granted. Know that we live in the most tolerable, accepting country in the world. When others threaten that - we must take up arms. What would the founding fathers say of your remarks?? They defended our country with their blood - so that we may live in peace. THINK before you speak. Remember your history and those that have given thier lives so that we may have a better place to give our children. If THAT does not move you - I would direct to US Army center of military history. Just read some of the stories - if you don't feel like a total coward, like what your are doing is damaging in any way. Then you have no patriotism, no honor, and no morals.
Here's the link for those who died so you could live in FREEDOM:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/moh1.htm
Enjoy the weekend - and remember:
WE NEVER FORGET - NOBODY IS LEFT BEHIND
LATE
"WHATEVERS BARNEY"
What a cool day. I finally got my cd player in my car!! Now I'm looking for some speakers and I'll have to install my amp as well. I was listening to the Manchester United darby on the internet (which is totally cool - come to think of it.). They were up 1-0 when the MU.TV servers went down - oh well, I hope they hung on. . .
Today's Observation
Is it just me or are people becoming more and more reliant on other's and technology in general? Since I was always brought up to try and figure something out BEFORE I go asking anybody else, this troubles me. I figure you learn more by doing it yourself and in turn get confidence that you can do more in the future.
I run into people everyday that just assume that something is totally out of their reach. So they call me up and I in turn walk them through it. So what am I rewarded with them wasting my time with mindless tasks? "Cool, now I can call you WHENEVER I have a problem!!" Gee thanks people. The conversation usually goes something like this:
CUST: "I dont know how to store numbers in my phone."
ME: "Have you tried reading the manual?"
CUST: "Nope - I threw it out with the box."
ME: "You try finding any info out on the internet?"
CUST: "Nope - I just figured you could tell me how to do it."
ME: (thinking to myself) - yeah sure buddy - WHATEVERS!
Anyways - all is good with me - I went biking last night at Lebanon Hills. It was quiet and I ran the trail in 23 minutes. My friend Bad Andy did in 18 min, so I figure I can improve my climbing skills and I think I can tie that time. I'll keep working at it. My cardiovascular strength is coming back and I've already lost a few pounds (I want to loose a total of 5 lbs) and am feeling my legs returning. Jeeps, last time I rode Lebanon it was a disaster! My legs felt heavy, I had no cardio and I felt like I was dying every turn of the pedals. So things are turning around.
My friend Pat is doing better. He was in Fargo for his brother's wedding and just went into for a biopsy to see how his blood level are doing. He said he will know by Friday. I pray for him every night (along with the usual suspects) and hope that he gets better!
Work is continuing to go well. Rick just siged this HUGE deal with DishTV to do all of thier installations. So far, we've been doing 6-8 installs for them a day. The guy at DISH said once this ramps up - we'll be doing 15-20 installs a day!! The wireless side is going steady too. Verizon just launched its push-to-talk service. We have four phones but have yet to light them up to see how it actually works. When I get the skinny and a decent field test - I'll post it here!
Anyways - thats all I got. . . . .and I got to go help Johnny get on the internet (new NIC in his puter!).
Till tomorrow
LATE
IT HAS YOU. . .
Finally got to see the "Animatrix" DVD last night. WOW what a mind bender. . . if you have a chance to go see this - I would HIGHLY recommend it.
The last few days I have attempted to stop and smell the proverbial flowers. The book I have referred to earlier is playing on my brain again. Seeing as how I had approximately two years of my life ripped from my memory - those being my final two years of college life, I will always wonder what would have been different. What could have been, where would I be now. It keeps me awake (for instance, the last two nights) and constantly thinking that I have missed my whole life, never appreciating much that has come by my good luck. My son has changed my life dramatically. Although I was never ready for it, he has had a profound effect on my life. Something that, if his mother has her way, will never know.
So more dribble about the menaing of life - huh?? Oh well, it has consumed me for the past few days and I have thus been unable to shake it. What eats at me even more is what I would like to do with my life (even now,a s I enter my mid 30's). I have so much creativity bottled up, I dont know where to store it anymore. I LOVE photography, I love digital art, I love trance music. Anything that can set my soul free from these human restraints is what drives me.
What is out there? What have I missed? I feel like I have been sprinting for so many years, now I stop on this deserted road, turn around and everything I knew has lost its meaning. Where to go, what to do?
More Dribble
These days they linger
only in memory
light into darkness
darkness into light
what changes?
what remains,
pictures, memories?
one shot
one life
one soul
he waits for no one
but my time is short
I will stop
and let it engulf me
forever more
this words spill out
of my soul
the time is late now
and I must press on
LATE
THE MEANING OF LIFE
Funny, it FINALLY rained today. How fitting. What a day I had yesterday. My gif's brother's son appendix burst and he was taken to the hospital. Apparently it burst a while ago and by the time they got to the hospital, there were infections all over his colon. The doctor said they will probably have to remove most of his colon to avoid the infection spreading. He's only 19 - terrible, just terrible.
Other than that - work has been unbearable and slow. The heat has made people very tense. Although my boss keeps our office at a cool 70 degrees all day long.
So I'm reading a book entitled "The Class" by Eric Segal. The book details five guys who end up at harvard and their various experiences and where they end up after their education. After reading some it - I came to the conclusion that the meaning of life is the relationships we make our entire life. the cultivation and keeping up of those relationships makes us who we are. All of our lives this is the pattern. We go to junior high and high school, we play sports, we have our "clicks" and people we hang out with. Then after making all of these important relationships - everybody goes off to college. People move away, go off to different parts of the country to pursue their academic dreams and look forward to joining "the real world" soon after. Fast forward 5 maybe 6 years of college. After culiminating another 4-7 years of relationships, everybody moves on. People graduate, start families, join the workforce, have kids, move to different areas of the country for work or grad school. So what are we left with after all of these life long experiences? Our friends. The people that have stay together through all these changes.
Once your done with college, you just don't make friends as often as you used to do. Add in the mix that the midwest is VERY closed and people run in VERY tight knit circles - it's hard to meet new people. You work, you play, you go home. What else is there? When you die - you take nothing with you, but you leave all those memories, the people that you have touched during your life are there to make sure your not forgotten. Dante, in his Divine Comedy related that those souls lost in Purgatory can only move on to Paradiso only after people have prayed for them. Without your friends, this would not be possible - theoritically speaking. So it is possible that EVERYBODY will leave their mark during their life - but it's those friends that make it all possible.
Anyways, it was a short moment of clarity that needed to be shared. . .
LATERS HOWLIES
THE DAY AFTER IT ALL WENT DOWN
Alright - so it was a crazy weekend. I had my birthday (woot woot) and everything actually came off without a hitch. No drunk fests, just something simple and quiet. I did have to work on Sunday at ERIKS - but that's cool. I got enough sleep and was actually selling well - despite the heat. . .
Probably the thing that really crushed me was the fact that my son called but never wished me a happy birthday. I KNOW his mother knows when my birthday is - but obviously doesn't care that much anymore. I went out of my way to make sure he called her to wish her a happy birthday and I get this in return - THANKS, BUT NO THANKS. I must move on - otherwise I will end up with some kind of manifesto on why this women just doesn't get it - and drives me crazy in the process. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I guess we'll move along with some more thoughts. .
So other than that - my life is well. I currently have two jobs, which is more than I can say for most of my friends. I just had my best friend RETIRE from his financial advisor job. He didnt quit - he RETIRED. That means he losses all of his customers and walks away from his 10 year career. I'm worried about the guy. He is depressed and its obvious. I wish I could help him - but everything sucks in his life right now. I have tried to take his mind off of everything, but I'm doing so a great job.
My other friend has Leukemia and is doing awesome. We went to a Minnesota Thunder game (which was awesome, they won 2-1 in a thriller). It was great to catch up with all the hot gossip about my college friends. Since he was diagnosed - all of his different blood levels that they track are coming around - so now they are not sure if he really has the Leu or not. But seeing him in good spirits put me at ease.
Winter is coming and I cant wait - SNOWBOARDING is back!! I'm sooooooooooooooo amped!! Yeah, it's a few months off - and soccer is about to start up in full swing again as well. Lots going on, AND I can't wait to get my setup so I can go skateboarding again. The park they are building in Edina looks wayyyyyyyyy sick!!
So will I ever grow out of this stuff?? Prolly not. It's in my blood, in my soul. It's so hard these days just to eat healthy. Finding something your passionate about is always good. I don't think I'll ever loose my passion for this stuff.
Lastly, I got caught up in watching "making the band 2" with p-diddy on Sunday. What a joke these guys are. 8 people that cant get their shit together and they have EVERYTHING going for themselves. All they have to do is lay down 10 rap tracks and make an album. Artists everywhere must be laughing out loud about this group of "deliquents". They can't go more than about 20 minutes without some sort of disagreement and a fight. If I was P Diddy, I would have dropped them long ago. They're all lazy and I could find 8 HUNGRY people and have the album done in a week. These jokers have had over a month and DONT EVEN HAVE A SINGLE!!! I guess that's reality tv though huh? Even when you have the deck stacked in your favor - you cant do anything - what a mess. . . .
AIGHT - I'm done for now. Gotta go mix my Trance Addict vol 6 for my friends house warming party next weekend!
LATERS for NOW
LONG WEDNESDAY
Here's the links for tday: www.carnicom.com and http://www.rense.com/politics6/chemdatapage.html
Alright - conspiracy buffs, here's my two cents on something that is REAL and is easily verified. So this week has been hot and humid all week. "They" have stopped spraying, but as of yet - no rain. It's easy to understand several of the theories discussed in Clifford Carni's webpage. All of my friends and relatives have sore throats and a mysterious "flu" like symptoms. This seems to run rampant when spraying is heavy. During these times, I keep my ears open and hear many people complaining of sore throats and strange flu like symptoms that seem to never fully bloom into something serious - just symptoms that nag for days or sometimes weeks. Strange, very strange. Don't believe me, look at the pictures, then look up someday. These are not CON-trails either. Nor are they regularly forming cloud patterns. Keep informed, keep your eyes and ears open. . . .
On a lighter note. . .
Things right now for me are great. I have a girldfriend I love very much (yes the "M" word has surfaced recently), I have two - yes TWO jobs I love very much. I can't recall a day where I woke up and didn't want to go to work. I have a beautiful, intelligent son that is the love of my life. I think of him everyday and pray for him and his Mom. I'm in decent shape, and very comfortable with where my life is going. I guess it seems natural that I have come to find out that one of my best friends quit his job, quit golf (one of his beloved hobbies), and now is severly depressed. Talking to him was hard for me - seeing as how well everything is going for me. I felt bad - but understood that he is the only one who can help himself. Since he was a financial planner, I chalked it up as another casualty of the bad economy. Oh well, life goes on and so must I.
So keep an eye on the sky. . . .
LATERS
ONE DAY CLOSER
Yeah, my birthday is coming up here pretty soon. Yeah, I'm getting older - I just don't have that feeling that I WANT to celebrate my birthday anymore. I used to love going out with my friends in college, and getting all pissed. Then waking up and talking for a week about what a crazy time we had. Oh well, I guess when you get older - the body doesn't heal as fast and your maturity level should be such, that being hung over is not looked upon as a badge of honor anymore. So much for my youthful days!
So the TYPE O NEGATIVE concert was awesome. Pete was in an exceptional mood. He was cracking jokes all night long ("I want to thank everybody for coming out - I assume most of you just came from Church") that got raucus responses from the assembled crowd. Lacuna Coil opened from them. The more I see of them, the less impressed I am with their live show. They played almost all of their slow songs. They also played a song that is completely in Italian and then went right into another slow song?? Whatevers howlie!
Work is slow today - so I spent a lot time getting caught up on paperwork and my commission sheets. It's going to be a slow month, that's for sure. I almost always check out the onesidezero board as they are the coolest people. More like a big family than anything else. Great place to vent and get support and the people on that board know their music - which is what I like the best. If your looking for stuff that's about to break - check there first.
Okay - yesterday was a pretty tough day and I didn't get to drop some thoughts about Minnesota's last hockey icon. Herb Brooks died in a car crash on 8/10/03. When I heard the news, I felt like I got punched in the stomach. The guy has meant so much to hockey in Minnesota and hockey in general. Although he will be mostly remembered for his "Miracle on Ice" in 1980, it's his total committment to hockey that inspired me to play for as long as I did. The guy just had an amazing way to motivate people and get the best out of anybody. He will be dearly missed. God Bless Herbie and Godspeed old friend.
Aight - that's about all I gots for now, I'm going to drop some serious conspiracy theories tomorrow and must hello to my B O Y - CODY!!!
Laters for now howlies!!
KARL
THE FIRST DAY
Okay everybody here I am! This is my first entry - so I probably will not put too much down, so check back for more info more some killer links and some stories. Mannnnnnnnnnnnnn have I got some stories. My next entry will probably address my upcoming birthday, Manchester United loosing David Beckham and some interesting stories from the weekend.
AIGHT!
Later Howlies,
Karl
