In preparation for the VP debates tonight

Some snippets from an interview between Katie Couric and Gov. Palin can be found below and describe some of Palin's personal views and convictions. It is clear that the Governor and I are fundamentally different people, although there are definitely a few (very few) areas where we agree. However, during the interview Palin does make a good point about VPs not making or interpreting laws while in office...of course the concern here is that she won't remain only VP during McCain's administration. I know that essentially it is a terrible thing to discuss some one's potential death and I do hope that McCain lives many more healthy satisfying years, after all he deserves all the happiness in the world after everything he has been through. I just can't shake the uncomfortable feeling that McCain chose one of the least qualified individuals in our nation as his running mate. I feel as though his selection shows some seriously bad judgement on the part of himself as well as his campaign managers.

Anyway, I will let Ms. Palin speak for herself:

On Abortion:

Couric: Let me get your take, if I could Gov. Palin, on a number of social issues. Because that's, they've gotten some attention, your position. If a 15-year-old is raped by her father,you believe it should be illegal for her to get an abortion. Why?

Palin: I am pro-life. And I'm unapologetic about my position there on pro-life. And I understand good people on both sides of the abortion debate. In fact, good people in my own family have differing views on abortion and when it should be allowed. So … I respect people's opinion on this.

Now, I would counsel to choose life. I would like to see a culture of life in this country. But I would also like to see taking it one step further. Not just saying I am pro-life, and I want fewer and fewer abortions in this country. But I want, then, those women who find themselves in circumstances that are absolutely less than ideal, for them to be supported for adoptions to be made easier. For more support given to foster parents and adoptive families. That is my personal opinion on this.

...

Couric: But if you have a moral problem with abortion, it seems to me you would do everything in your power to make it illegal and overturn Roe v. Wade and …

Palin: Of course, it's the legislature, the law-making branch of our third, of our three branches of government …

Couric: But they …

Palin: …makes the laws.

Couric: …your vision or the administration's vision.

Palin: Well, let's be practical about it and let's be realistic about a vice-president's role in this debate. I can personally share my views, which I don't apologize when I share my views of being pro-life. And, you know, I'll do that all day long if you want me to. But a vice-president does not make law. And a vice-president does not interpret the law either.

Couric: So you're saying this won't be a top issue for you if you're elected?

Palin: I will do all that I can personally to encourage that culture of life, to remind women that I believe with more empowerment, they - more and more women will realize that they are strong enough … and they are able to carry a child and still continue a career, still continue education opportunities, all with the goal being fewer and fewer abortions in this world.

On Evolution:

Couric: Do you believe evolution should be taught as an accepted scientific principle or one of several theories?

Palin: Oh, I think it should be taught as an accepted principle. And, you know, I say that also as the daughter of a school teacher, a science teacher, who has really instilled in me a respect for science. It should be taught in our schools. And I won't ever deny that I see the hand of God in this beautiful creation that is Earth, especially coming from one of the most beautiful states in the Union and traveling around this country also in this last month. My goodness, just seeing, you know, the beautiful landscape of New Mexico recently. That was just breath taking and seeing the rolling hills in Virginia and all … the beauty that is this Earth, I see the hand of God in that. But that is not part of state policy or a local curriculum in a school district. Science should be taught in science class.

Couric: Should creationism be allowed to be taught anywhere in public schools?

Palin: Don't have a problem at all with kids debating all sides of theories, all sides of ideas that they ever - kids do it today whether … it's on paper, in a curriculum or not. Curriculums also are best left to the local school districts. Instead of Big Brother, federal government telling a district what they can and can't teach, I would like to see more control taken over by our school boards, by our local schools, and then state government at the most. But federal government, you know, kind of get out of some of this curriculum and let the locals decide what is best for their students.

On Homosexuality:

Palin: But you are talking about, I think, a value here, what my position is on homosexuality and can you pray it away 'cause I think that was the title that was listed in that bulletin. And, you know, I don't know what prayers are worthy of being prayed. And I don't know what prayers are gonna be answered or not answered. But as for homosexuality, I am not going to judge Americans and the decisions that they make in their adult personal relationships.

I have, one of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years who happens to be gay. And I love her dearly. And she is not my "gay friend." She is one of my best friends who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I have made. But I am not gonna judge people. And I love America where we are more tolerant than other countries are. And are more accepting of some of these choices that sometimes people want to believe reflects solely on an individual's values or not. Homosexuality, I am not gonna judge people.

Ignorance Personified *Warning: Strong Language*

I am in awe right now. I cannot believe how rude and disrespectful people can be to perfect strangers especially when attempting to conduct an exchange of goods for money. You would think there would be a slightly higher level of 'customer service'. The funny thing about this interaction (well there are multiple things) is that my friend was attempting to get information about a laptop and at some point along the way there was a severe breakdown in communication.

For the less tech savvy readers here is a quick background on laptop resolutions: They are a measurement of the amount of pixels across the screen by the amount of pixels down the screen. So, when someone asks what the resolution of your laptop is you would give them the highest possible setting available in order to show how good your product is. In the email that follows the seller mentions that his resolution is 1024 x 768 which is really low relative to what is available these days. A standard screen resolution could go up to 1600 x 1200 which makes a large difference. It is possible to set your resolution according to your preference but not all laptops let you set it very high.

Below is the email conversation between Jesse and Kevin:


Subject: DELL LATITUDE D610,VERY CLEAN LIKE NEW CONDITIONS,Fast Centrino,2.0ghz - $380 ( L.A. )
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 9:31 AM

Is the dell D610 still available?
Where are you located?
What is the screen resolution?

--Kevin


Subject: Re: DELL LATITUDE D610,VERY CLEAN LIKE NEW CONDITIONS,Fast Centrino,2.0ghz - $380 ( L.A. )

Yes i have the dell available, the resolution is normal set, 1024x768 so let me know


Subject: Re: DELL LATITUDE D610,VERY CLEAN LIKE NEW CONDITIONS,Fast Centrino,2.0ghz - $380 ( L.A. )
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 10:39 AM

Oh, that is a low resolution. How about $320 instead?
where could I pick it up?


From: JESSE
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 10:44 AM
Subject: Re: DELL LATITUDE D610,VERY CLEAN LIKE NEW CONDITIONS,Fast Centrino,2.0ghz - $380 ( L.A. )

resolution can be set to higher or lower, so is all about to set it up, $320.00 is way to cheap, i know the market and this laptop on e-bay for over $400.00 for such like new clean conditions, so i know what i got, NO LESS THAN $370.00!!


Subject: RE: DELL LATITUDE D610,VERY CLEAN LIKE NEW CONDITIONS,Fast Centrino,2.0ghz - $380 (L.A.)
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 10:49 AM

Its going for $260-$300 on ebay. I think $320 is fair, especially with the screen resolution being so low. Let me know if you change your mind. --Kevin


From: JESSE
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:56:26 -0700 (PDT)
: RE: DELL LATITUDE D610,VERY CLEAN LIKE NEW CONDITIONS,Fast Centrino,2.0ghz - $380 (L.A.)

LOOKS LIKE DID NOT READ MY LAST MESSAGE, TOLD YOU THE SCREEN RESOLUTION CAN BE SET TO HIGER OR LOWER, I GUESS YOU DO NOT KNOW ABOUT HOW TO SET A RESOLUTION, SI MY PRICE IS NO LESS THAN 370.00 SO DO NOT WASTE MY TIME, YOU WONT GET IT FOR LESS, I KNOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW THE MARKET. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND FIND A CHEAPY ONE ALL SCRATCHED AND LESS THAN 2.0 GHZ AND 512 MB RAM, NOT LIKE MINE. BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE


Re: DELL LATITUDE D610,VERY CLEAN LIKE NEW CONDITIONS,Fast Centrino,2.0ghz - $380 (L.A.)
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 10:59 AM

Um, ok, so, laptops have a maximum screen resolution, and yours is 1024x768.
I prevoiusly bought 2 others on craiglist for 300 each, same specs as yours but higher resolution versions, so please don't tell me I don't know the market.
Have a good day.
--Kevin


Here is when is takes an odd turn, why couldn't Jesse just tell Kevin what the highest setting was rather than simply stating there was one and resorting to such confusing attacks:


From: JESSE
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 11:13 AM
Re: DELL LATITUDE D610,VERY CLEAN LIKE NEW CONDITIONS,Fast Centrino,2.0ghz - $380 (L.A.)

MY LAPTOP HAS HIGER RESOLUTION IF YOU SET IT HIGH, ALL RESOLUTIONS CAN BE SET IN ALL LAPTOPS, ONLY THOSE WHO CAN NOT BE SET OR HIGHER LIMITED.

YOU STUPID FAG, YOUR FAG ASS U STUPID SHIT HEAD FAG.

GET LOST YOU TRASH CHEAP FART, STUPID IGNORANT, STOP REPLYING OR I WILL HARASS YOU BADLY AND U CAN CONTACT LAPD AND WILL SHOW THEM U DID NOT STOP MESAGING ME YOU WEAK LOSER FAG STOP.. GET IT OVER SHIT HEAD FAG. ONE MORE MESSAGE FROM YOU AND I WONT STOP HARASSING YOU FAG.

Political Quote Fun

Sarah Palin has advocated teaching both creationism and evolution in schools. To his [Dawkings] mind "the evidence for evolution is so strong that in order not to believe in evolution you must either be ignorant, stupid or insane". Prof Dawkins is not merely point scoring. He is concerned that a failure to accept evolution alters our conception of life, which in turn has an impact on medical science - particularly embryonic stem cells.

"While partisan bloggers and the sun scare industry will use this as an opportunity to undermine Gov Palin and demonize the indoor tanning industry, the fact is that Governor Palin's decision to get UV light from a tanning bed positively impacts her health."
Indoor Tanning Industry responds to the news that Sarah Palin installed a sunbed in the Alaska Governor's mansion

Washington correspondent Daniel Greenberg's reports while observing President Richard Nixon awarding the prestigious National Science Medal to a group of scientists, the president was heard to say: "I have read the citations and I want you to know that I do not understand them, but I want you to know, too, that because I do not understand them, I realise how enormously important their contributions are to this nation."

"What a president has to know is the amount of uranium necessary to set off a Hiroshima type bomb… how long it would take, what kind of infrastructure you'd need and how much money it would take to assemble," states Mr Kaku, before adding "this is the stuff for which nations go to war"

Note to self: Do not travel during hurricane season...

So, I had big plans to travel to a newly opened resort in Jamaica and it was going to be glorious! An all inclusive resort that was opened to the public for the first time in September 2008, meaning I would have been the first person to sleep in my room! Anyway, the weather frightened us away since there was Gustav near it and Hanna and Ike were following closely behind. After a bit of scrambling I came across a really good deal on a 5 night cruise that would stop in Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada (Tami and I had agreed we would stay on the ship in Ensenada).

We were set to leave on Saturday, September 5 so we decided to stretch it out by spending the night in San Diego:

It was a very nice start to the whole vacation. Becky came down and we all had smores and hung out, it was lots of good wholesome fun!

We then went to the Port to meet up with our ship, The Elation:

After a little while on the ship I realized it was the exact same one I went on with my family when I graduated from High School...kinda neat.

Overall it was a lovely trip, but it does have a good punch line...Remember what I said about not going to Jamaica because of the weather? Well apparently the weather was in the Pacific also making it impossible for the ship to make it down to Cabo San Lucas! Tami and I simply found it amusing, OF COURSE we aren't going to Cabo, why would we??? So we decided to get off at Ensenada which was an exciting one hour jaunt through a Girls Gone Wild audition. It is so depressing to see the behavior of some people. So, Tami and I each bought a souvenir and made our way back to the ship for some more tasty food and relaxation!

Here are some highlights:

No Title Needed...

(http://xkcd.com/197/)

Things I Want to Do

I know it has been a while, so I thought I would do a quick post with some visual aids. You know what they say...a picture is worth a thousand words.

The pics link to more relevant sites with more words...why reinvent the wheel?

Hopefully I will be back again soon!


i - Visit Matt in Shanghai:




















1 - Visit India:



2 - Finish My:



3- See all of the movies I have been missing:



4 - See more bands:




















5 - Move to Silver Lake:










6 - Sleep:















7 - Experience more LA Art:

Read like you mean it

Adrienne found a list of 1,001 books a person should read before they die on listology.com. It was fun to see what I was missing and to assess how well I have done thus far. While reviewing my completed books I realized that I have read many "cliché classics" (for lack of a better phrase). Overall I have read 72 of these books....I have waaay too many to go! Perhaps someday I will be allowed to return to the land of leisure reading

Edit:

At Katie's request I am posting the books from the list that I have read (which is 74 on recount):

33. Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
93. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
143. The Virgin Suicides – Jeffrey Eugenides
166. American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
181. A Home at the End of the World – Michael Cunningham
203. The Satanic Verses – Salman Rushdie
238. The Cider House Rules – John Irving
241. Contact – Carl Sagan
246. Queer – William Burroughs
256. The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
294. The Book of Laughter and Forgetting – Milan Kundera
301. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
320. Interview With the Vampire – Anne Rice
335. Ragtime – E.L. Doctorow
348. The Black Prince – Iris Murdoch
358. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson
367. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
375. Slaughterhouse-five – Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
427. Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut
436. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey
437. A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess
445. Franny and Zooey – J.D. Salinger
451. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
456. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
461. Naked Lunch – William Burroughs
472. Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
484. On the Road – Jack Kerouac
492. Seize the Day – Saul Bellow
494. The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
496. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
508. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
521. The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
529. The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
539. I, Robot – Isaac Asimov
547. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
559. The Plague – Albert Camus
564. Animal Farm – George Orwell
565. Cannery Row – John Steinbeck
574. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
587. For Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway
592. The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
608. Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
619. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
649. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
663. A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway
667. All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque
671. The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner
676. Lady Chatterley’s Lover – D.H. Lawrence
717. Siddhartha – Herman Hesse
723. Ulysses – James Joyce
767. The Jungle – Upton Sinclair
778. The Immoralist – André Gide
780. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
781. The Hound of the Baskervilles – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
790. The War of the Worlds – H.G. Wells
794. Dracula – Bram Stoker
808. Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
809. The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
820. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson
825. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
840. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
863. Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
868. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
873. Les Misérables – Victor Hugo
876. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
883. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
889. Walden – Henry David Thoreau
895. The House of the Seven Gables – Nathaniel Hawthorne
897. The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
913. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
931. Frankenstein – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
983. Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
992. Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
1001.Aesop’s Fables – Aesopus

A Grief Observed

When addressing the issue of death it seems that the default coping mechanism is religion. I have a great respect for the power of religion and the peace of mind it can offer to so many. Though, the ability for religion to alleviate the grieving process is generally where my respect for it ceases. I have been fascinated with religion since I was fairly young and have had the opportunity to learn about and experience a variety of churches in different faiths. During this process I never found anything that spoke to me deeply. I would be momentarily moved during a Hindu mantra, a Christian sermon, or a Buddhist prayer, but I think I was mainly feeding off of the spirituality of the followers especially since some of my experiences would be in languages I could not understand. The depth with which those around me were experiencing their religion would touch me. I have some fundamental issues with all religions I have experienced which can loosely be summarized in one word: Hypocrisy. Anyway, this is simply meant to illustrate that I have chosen a path without religion to comfort me, although it is not from lack of effort on my part. So, how does one without the support of their faith cope with death?

I searched the ever useful internet to see what others have said in this arena. It seems to me that even the most nonreligious attempts to offer insight still refer to verses in the bible. How can this be a comfort to everyone all of the time? I guess it doesn’t need to be everyone, but simply most. I have however, found snippets here and there that are somewhat helpful. Of course, there is no real answer as everyone experiences grief differently and no one can ever fully understand exactly what you are going through. The most important tool in our box is the support of the living. We don’t need them to understand what we are going through or even try to, but simply letting us know that they are there and that they exist in this world as someone who cares about you and your wellbeing. I would think that in the end this is the ultimate comfort.

I am not entirely new to loss either, yet I continue to struggle with it. I have been to about 6 funerals now and not a single one is easier than the last. It seems a bit strange that experience with loss does not make losing any easier. Anything else we do in our lives gets easier as we do it more often. I find that when I am reminded that our time here on Earth is limited my mind wanders to those who are still living and who are so important to me that I could not imagine trying to live without them around. This group of people is actually quite large. How do you ever get used to not being able to pick up the phone knowing that the person on the other end is the only person that could solve the particular problem you are calling about or the only person that could relate to what you want to share or the only person that knows you well enough to even want to listen to your silly story? Does time truly heal all wounds? Or do we learn to embrace our wounds with time?

“A life remembered in the hearts of the living is not lost” ~A headstone at Rose Hills I saw yesterday

With that sentiment I wanted to remember our recent losses

Grandma Rose (Matt’s Paternal Grandmother)
She was an amazingly kind and open woman. I was immediately welcomed into her home when Matt took me there to meet her as his girlfriend. She had a full life and actually received her BA in Social Work in 1946 which is an impressive feat in itself! She has three daughters and one son who will all hold her close to their hearts. I feel privileged to have known such a wonderful person and honored that she was able to make it to my wedding last year. I got this email from her the day after the wedding “The wedding was so nice. I'm glad I was able to be there. Love, Grandma Rose”

Jack
Although not on the same level as the loss of a person I feel the grief experienced from the loss of a pet effects us a great deal. My friend had to make the very difficult decision to put his cat to sleep today. This kitty was extrememly young but had a terminal illness (FIP) that has no cure. The vet thinks he probably already had it when he was adopted. As any pet lover will know this is the most difficult thing to go through and my thoughts are with him.

LOL

see more crazy cat pics


see more crazy cat pics

Black Dog

I can't believe how long it has been since I have updated this little blog of mine. It isn't exactly like nothing has happened I think it is more along the lines of too much happening. I don't have a well thought out coherent theme today so I will just go with the flow...

My cousin, Brandon, sent me this picture from his First Anniversary trip to the Grand Canyon. I guess what they say about the first year being the hardest is true as demonstrated here by Whitney's desire to throw Brandon into the canyon. Good thing Brandon was strong enough to catch himself on the edge. I hear she regrets doing it, but I am not so sure I will ever trust her again!
















Now you have to watch this video that Brandon just sent me:




On a less amusing note, I would really like to be at the beach today. This office exhausts me, especially being alone in it most of the time. Here is the torturous view from my office (a little blurry):