Jallow!

Halo Tomorrow at about 6pm. Bring some food if you're nice. That's Wednesday, not tuesday. Birthdays are too busy, but you can still bring me stuff if you want (like Jeremy did last year, he was the only one to remember [or care??])

Halo

I'm thinking some birthday halo next week. Tues the 20th.

Nerds

I will be coming home on Sunday. Quit Asking. Nerds are delicious...

I will be blogging a lot today...

More like whining. My mind is muddled, a sick combination of stimulants and sleep deprivation. My resting heart-rate is near the 100s. I'm always slightly adgitated. Did i spell that right? It is well. I've been thinking deep thoughts, I am lost in them. My mind is begining to hurt, my dendrites are stretched. I may be experiencing mild hallucinations, and i don't know why the first digit on my index finger is red and splotchy. Should i be concerned? Shall i be concerned? It would all be easier if i had something more concrete than rationalization, logic, and impressions. I don't like lying. I'm getting quite good at it. This place is bad for me in that way. I don't want to conform, but i don't want to rebel, so i have adapted. I don't think my mother would approve. Who would approve? Why did i type that. Don't drink the new mountain dew flavor MDX that has the black label. It is gross, has a sick aftertaste. I tried the sugar free kind last week and enjoyed it alot more. This one tastes more like an energy drink and a soda. I prefer soda, although i have little to compare it against. I don't like being graded for religion class. I know they try to make it simple: true or false honesty scripture reading and class attendence points and what not. But what it feels like its coming down to is an assessment of faith, one i don't want to give, but will lie to get. Have i no morals? No, not anymore...

I must now sort out some fiancial aid papers, i don't know whether i am relieved that they will prevent me from continuing my rampant thoughts. i suppose i am, but i am slightly annoyed that my roommate is still in bed as i wanted to practise with a recording and i don't like the hike to the practise rooms. oh well. there is only anoher week. i wish to try biofeed back. it intrigues me.

Teri Hatcher is 41.

I've never been really excited about religion. I dislike having to prove a private part myself in a class. I've done the math and it's not looking good for the grades. Its hard to care. Ehh. I should have started sooner...but...ehh...At best I can get like a D. I don't know. Its hard for me to justify the effort I suppose. Everything can be rationalized. The morals come after the decision. I bet surf boards don't taste very good to sharks. They should make them smell rotten to them, I bet that would help. Taste aversion. It's too bad the early mormons spread out and colonized instead of staying centrally located. If they had stayed contained, I bet they'd have created an independent state, much like the Vatican. Yeah. Deseret City. Why not? I'm having a hard time voicing my thoughts. It's probably best...

freak out

the power is out
using battery power
internet still works
everyone is freaking out
novel is exciting
more later
when not on phone

Resistance is Futile

You have to conform, that's all there is to it. Rebellion is punishable by expulsion. They can't prove that I'm not conforming.

Up and Up

Today was an improvement. Aside from slipping on some ice, my day was fine, that put the rest of it in the toilet. I'm feeling less sick, but i have boogers the consistancy of hot pizza cheese. Facebook is blocked by myspace now. I hate living in the dorms. Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning totally blew my mind today. An extended epiphany, intoxication on an idea. Might have been the last of my Sudafed. I should get some more drugs, but I don't want to walk anywhere far in the cold (16F with a 10 degree windchill currently). I need to woodshed like a horse and do laundry like an 800 pound gorilla tomorrow. I can't seem to get any updates to work on my firefox 1.5...

I have a cold

Snow sucks ass. Snow’s all fluffy and pretty. Snow is a bitch. It’s cold, and likes to land on your nose as if to say “Hi!” like that annoying freshman in high school who had that crush on you but never anything to say, but wants your attention regardless of how frivolous it might be for you to listen about how they like toe-socks. That same one that found out your instant messaging handle and sent you messages the exact moment you signed on, usually about how bored they are. Plus, in lowlight it makes everything grayscale, which is about as much fun as listening to that girl complain about how she hates her parents and no one understands her, but for some reason, she illogically thinks you might. Shut the hell up, Snow, I hate you. Snow was only cool when you see it once a year, like your “funny” uncle. Spend more than a weekend with him, and someone must die.

Sleet is 1337. I should get that on a fucking shirt. I have a cold. I never have experienced sleet, but I have a feeling it would kick my ass.

Pressure

I'm sick. I don't know wether it was the airport, the change in air pressure and temperature, or thrusting my tongue against the roof of my mouth while tapping slightly above the space between my eyes on my forehead (try it!). Aside from being sick, today sucks because I have a lesson tomorrow I haven't practised for and two tests this afternoon I neglected to study for. Also, the whole sick thing. But The Office is on tonight, joy!. Aside from being sick now, thanksgiving was wonderful. I have skipped my last two Book of Mormon classes. I really didn't feel up for them. Blech, I feel like crap. Stupid snow. Furthermore, because I failed to complete my finacial aid papers correctly (i thought that i had!) i can't yet register for classes, which was enabled on sunday. Suck.

blech

I don’t want to go back. I’ve had a great time here at home. Sure, there are giant flies everywhere in my house for some reason, but still. Juxtaposed to this, school sucks. I’m unhappy and I don’t want to go back. Not much I can do I suppose. There’s only like three more weeks until I can come home again. Need to find a ride for that. In addition to not wanting to go back, I’m also not physically ready to. I still need to pack up all my stuff. I never did practice. Oh well. My family is asleep. I don’t know if that’s really good or bad.  Oh well. Enough bitching I suppose. Last night was fun. The whole weekend was fun. I wish I could play Halo from school, I can’t find my xbox controller adapter anyways. I should get packing.

Badger Badger Badger

A Snake!! OOOH It’s a snake!

This is the worst plotline ever. From IMDB: “On board a flight over the Pacific Ocean, an assassin, bent on killing a passenger who's a witness in protective custody, let loose a crate full of deadly snakes.” Could they have a worse plot? Fandango has this gem set to theatres in August of ’06. You have to give them credit for a descriptive title, Snakes On A Plane (aka SOAP). Oh, Samuel El Jackson, what have you gotten yourself into?

However, the pure comedy gold comes from this thread on the IMDB message board where they discuss the various sequel possibilities to SOAP. There are too many to name, but I haven’t laughed this hard since I watched the Colbert report like half an hour ago. I prefer Stewart’s interviews better, but Colbert’s news briefs are hilarious. I especially love the Threat Down.

Follow-up

Damn. Someone beat me too it. Not hard, I only now got frustrated enough with one thing [practicing] to want to finish writing. They did a better job than I would have, very concise. I would have been much more harsh and very verbose. That is probably why I never got around to finishing it; I would have put alot of work into it. Dustin Ellenberger makes many of the same points I had, with the exception of pointing out the lack of knowledge of the constitution that the editor had. Here's what Dustin wrote:

Criticizing the president

Dear Editor, Let’s not forget one glaring piece of information that a Scroll writer forgot to mention in her editorial about criticizing the president: Bush ran for president. We didn’t just simply appoint him. It is our job as conscientious Americans to wonder what our leader is doing. I didn’t ask for this war in Iraq. Remember, we didn’t get invaded or attacked by Iraq. Did we get attacked by people who may have had connections to some other people that happened to live in Iraq? That’s the great debate, isn’t it? So before someone starts quoting (and misinterpreting) the 12th Article of Faith, let’s remember that No Child Left Behind was his idea and so was his Social Security plan and therefore criticism is likely to follow. Does Bush get bashed? Sure he does, but he is supposed to be our leader, someone the entire world looks at for an example of what the United States is about. So while most of the media attention is sensationalism and over-analysis, Bush is ultimately responsible for America and needs to be held accountable for his actions just like every other citizen. So let’s not cry for President Bush; after all he is a grown up who did beg for votes two different times, or did someone forget that?

Dustin Ellenberger a senior from Federal Way, Wash.

I'm going to use word to blog from now on. Anyways, as I read the editorials one written by a professor here jumped out at me. It was on ID. Here:

Intelligent design
Dear Editor,
While the phrase “intelligent design” may be naturally appealing, Latter-day Saints need to be aware of the underlying assumptions that are not supported by the Church.
Foremost is that the earth was created in a very short period of time a few thousand years ago.
This position, otherwise known as “creationism,” has never been advocated by the Church. Another assumption in Idaho is that evolution is false. This position is also not supported in official Church statements.
The BYU Library Packet on Evolution represents the official positions of the Church as given in First Presidency Statements. It is available online via the David O. McKay Library, under “Research Guides” and “Geology.” A careful reading shows that the details of the origin of Adam and Eve’s bodies has never been revealed and is not addressed by the First Presidency. They make no statement concerning evolution of plants and animals and simply state the obvious, that evolution is a “theory of men.” They do not say it is false.
While some General Authorities over the years have made statements opposing evolution, others have supported it. There is no unanimity among the General Authorities past or present, and so we should rely only on the official First Presidency Statements, which are neutral.
Science does not and cannot address the existence of God (or a creator) because that issue is outside the realm of objective observation, testing and experiment.
Therefore “intelligent design” is not science and does not belong in the public science classroom.
Robert ClaytonBYU-Idaho professor Geology Dept.

I’ll try to find some time to check out that pamphlet. Link

Gah, it posted poorly from Word. I can't seem to get the layout to do what I want. The link is there, just view it.

Dumb Laws

It is illegal to throw snowballs within the city limits of Rexburg.

Public Officials Deserve Scrutiny [in progress]

An article in the school newspaper got me a little miffed, so I’ve started outlining a retort. Feel free to add any comments or criticisms.

Public Officials Deserve Scrutiny
In response to http://www.byui.edu/scroll/20051108/opinion2.html

FEMA as part of the homeland security agency is part of the executive branch, therefore under the president’s direction and thus, his problem.

Michael Brown has head of the Arabian horse association and was appointed by Bush to be the head of a federal agency charged with the safety and lives of countless American individuals. Downplaying the role the incompetence the executive branch showed during September is disrespectful to those that gave their service trying to help innocent people that were neglected and to dishonor the individuals to needlessly died while the government twiddled their thumbs.

Taking a long vacation, and taking a vacation during a crisis are two very different things.

Bush proposed the No Child Left Behind Act as well as the war in Iraq, any problems with those are his own fault.

Much of the “nuclear weapon threat” has been exaggerated or faked, as the yellowcake uranium scandal is indicating. The only weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq have been those we’ve brought in.

The patriotism of the post 9-11 America yielded the patriot act, which is an abomination that strips individuals of the very rights America was founded to give. An atmosphere of with us or against us has been fostered that is very unhealthy in a democratic society, squelching alternative, independent ideas before they can be heard and weighed on their merits. The nation has always rallied in times of peril, for example in WWI and WWII and in other instances. [That passenger ship that was sank by U-Boats and pearl harbor also think of other instances]

The indictment of Tom Delay has nothing to do with Bush. They are elected by different people and for different offices. The only guilt Bush has in connection to Delay is their red elephant banners.

As for Libby, I will not comment on an ongoing investigation. (zing!)

The president doesn’t really come up with solutions. He is a figurehead of a cabinet of individuals who gather and process and plan. He is the end result of the works of these people. Plus I could totally come up with solutions.

Iraq was ran by a dictator who ruled by force. Tyranny is not comparable to the American republic (yet!)

Criticism is part of being in a public office. He should be able to deal with it, knowing fully well that it would be an occupational hazard to deal with. Although since he doesn’t read newspapers or watch tv and is surrounded by yes-men, he probably doesn’t hear a lot of it. Critics play the vital role of offering differing opinions in our system, which is why it is different from a tyranny, and criticism often contains a constructive aspect, hence constructive criticism.

Despite what he or fringe group zealots may believe Bush is not the world’s savior. Nor does the world want him to be. This has been made evident by the riots so easily induced by Hugo Chavez in Argentina at the Americas Summit.

Everyone has rules they must comply with in their occupation and their daily lives. (traffic laws, the honor code, timecard procedures, etc)

The president does not have the power to declare war, only congress does.

Thousands of American’s have been killed so far as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as countless citizens of those nations, whom the Lord does not love any less than the fallen Americans.

No, I don’t want such an enormous responsibility, but he volunteered to do it. No one forced him to take the job and he can resign at any time. And just because I don’t want to do it doesn’t give him an excuse to do it mediocre. He has an obligation as commander in chief to fulfill responsibilities, and I as an American citizen am going to exercise my freedom of speech when I feel he is doing his job inadequately. I may not be in a place to judge him, but I am in a place to voice my dissatisfaction with the government. That is what our country was founded on.

Bush does not decide who the next Supreme Court justice will be, he only nominates candidates to be voted on and confirmed by the Senate. Furthermore, it is not the role of the Supreme Court to create pseudo-laws with their rulings. [tie this in somehow]

How I could be a better president than G.W. Bush:

1. Take fewer vacations


2. Not declare holy wars [refer to BBC story]


3. Pronounce words correctly


4. Pay attention to current events


5. Look interested at International Events (ie UN)


6. Not pass notes at UN


7. Appoint qualified individuals to important government positions (no cronyism) [we all remember the infamous Heckuva job, Brownie]