Songs from my noggin

"Hell" - Squirrel Nut Zippers

Who Here Thinks the British Royal Family Is Out of Touch?

Apparently Queen Elizabeth is going to give an honorary knighthood to BILL GATES.

Let that percolate around in your mind for a while.

Latest Sign that People Are Getting Lazier:

Just went to get coffee at the coffee bar in OSU hospital. You pick up your coffee and then naturally move over to the condiments counter where they have cream, sugar, honey, stirrers, napkins, etc.

Right in the little basket with the packets of honey, someone had thrown two dirty stirrers. And the trash was about two feet to the left of that.

I worry about this world.

Songs from My Noggin

"Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter From Camp)" - Allan Sherman

Support the Troops?

Okay... it's been several months since the War in Iraq officially ended (though no one seems to have told the "enemy"). And I think it's finally okay for me to ask this question:

What exactly does it mean when people say "I support the troops?"

I mean, I hope they don't get killed or wounded. I hope they come back home safely. I've sent care packages to them. I hope their families are well-taken care of. I let people know when the government isn't doing what it should be doing to support them, such as our president trying to reduce their hazardous duty pay or removing the benefits that families of soldiers in hazardous duty get. Is that what it means to support the troops?

Because I see a lot of people driving around with their "Support the Troops" signs and American flags on their cars, and I wonder - what exactly are THEY doing to support the troops?

It seems to me it's a lot of backlash from the Vietnam era, where you heard the stories about soldiers' poor treatment upon coming home. I can understand making note that the war itself isn't the troops' fault. It's the government's fault. And taking frustrations out on the soldiers doing the fighting is the wrong and immoral way to go. Reminding folks of that isn't a bad thing.

But is that what's happening here?

It's the Little Things That Bug You Sometimes...

This morning, as every morning, I reached Neil Avenue on my way to work (after getting off the bus, so I was walking). And, this morning, as every morning, I sat and watched in silent amusement and partial annoyance at the idiot college student who stood watching both ways in rapt attention to cross the street against the light. And of course, when the light did change, he wasn't paying attention to it so I walked right past him into the crosswalk.

Even better, yesterday I watched a kid try to cross against the light, forcing the oncoming car to slow down. Then they did that little dance where one starts to go just as the other starts to go, etc. All this while the walk light was on "Don't Walk." Finally, he just went. And about 2 seconds later the light turned to "Walk."

Folks... what the HELL is so hard about waiting 30 seconds to cross with the light?

Songs from My Noggin

"Dirty Old Town" by the Pogues (but as performed by Brigid's Cross)

Songs from My Noggin

New feature - here's the song that has been in my head all day.
Today: Edwyn Collins - "A Girl Like You"

Best Picture Ever

Okay, my friend Joachim sent this to me... this may very well be the BEST PICTURE EVER!

Super Bowl Woes - CBS Sucks

I'd never think to tell people they shouldn't watch the Super Bowl. I mean, more than any other sporting event in the U.S., it's THE GAME. And I'm not even that huge a football fan (well, not pro football, at least).

But... I'm totally against it being on CBS this year, and that's because they've decided they can't show the MoveOn.org ad called "Child's Pay." Apparently it's too controversial. But they're still running ads for President Bush... who I think is even more controversial.

Here's a link to MoveOn.org and the issue at hand. Make up your mind for yourself.

(3/10/2004: MoveOn.org's picture has been removed - but the information is still there).

Top Notch Blog

Want to see a blog that puts mine to shame? Check this out: http://www.henry.martinez.net.

This guy has everything. Check out his videos, especially #1 (the robot dance one) and #14 (the best dog one).

End of Year Thoughts

Another year is ending and it's time for me to give my thoughts (I'm good at that):

• Marriage rules. I love my wife more now than the day we were married. Having someone to share life with makes things so much more pleasant and fulfilling. And I'm lucky as hell to have found someone who shares so much with me.


• President Bush needs to go. I'm a big Dean supporter, but I'll take just about ANYONE over him as long as the new president isn't a holier-than-thou conservative christian like our current moron. I've never hated a political figure as much in my life. This guy not only needs to be defeated, he needs to be indicted.


• I love ARMA. Being a member of such a great martial arts society has given me something that is hard to explain - but suffice to say I enjoy being part of a community that accepts everyone from every walk of life, as long as they're training and learning and trying to add to the whole. I've never met a group like this before and I probably never will.


• The Columbus Crew are still my favorite soccer team, but they need help. The Brian Dunseth/Mark Williams move was a fiasco, injuries plagued us, and coaching was substandard without Oscar Pisano in there to charge things up. Also, the staff needs to be more forthcoming with information. TheCrew.com is a joke when we're the last spot on earth to release stories about our own team.
  

That's about it. I'll try to post more regularly.

No More Church For Me

Been months since I did anything with this blog, but I'm adding to it today.

According to an AP article, the Vatican has just started a campaign AGAINST gay marriage. Pardon me for the language, but who the hell do they think they are? How can a body made up of people who have NO idea what marriage really means make choices for the rest of us who actually CAN and DO get married?

Marriage is a bond between two people who love each other and want to support each other for the rest of their lives. How is THAT a sin? Who cares if they're straight or gay? The day I got married was the happiest of my life. Who is the Vatican, whose ruling body can't get married at all, to say that someone can't enjoy that same happiness because of some stupid rule?

Suffice to say, I will never step into a Catholic Church again (barring a funeral or some stuff). I'm done with them. This is the one that pushed me over the edge.

Clara Peller

Don't ask why I've been thinking about this at all... but I never really understood why that whole "Where's the Beef" ad campaign for Wendy's was funny.

Crew 3:0 Deportivo Arabe Unido

Oh... this was fun.

Whenever I see a diving crap team come into Crew Stadium I want to throttle them - diving and such histrionics are everything that is wrong with soccer. So to watch the Crew run roughshod over such a team (two goals by Edson Buddle with assists by Brian McBride and a goal off a flubbed DAU free kick by Kyle Martino) was pure bliss for me.

DAU had a one-goal aggregate lead going into this game based on a similar game in Panama and were obviously coming out to bunker in and not let anyone score. So... you'd think that when the Crew tied it up, they'd stop bunkering, wouldn't you?

Nope. This team was an embarrassment to the country of Panama. The fact that we lost down there should be (and was, according to Buddle) embarrassing to the Crew, because Deportivo Arabe Unido was simply a bad team. They had some good players, and it's a shame they play the way they did, because they could have been really good. But instead they flopped around like a salmon on the shore of the Columbia River, waiting to be eaten by a bear. And that bear was Columbus.