Words of Wisdom

1. The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.
2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.
3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.
4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?
7. Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.
8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?
9. Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job.
10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy who wants to buy a car.
11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.
12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 AM. It could be a right number.
13. Think about this..., No one ever says "It's only a game." when his team is winning.
14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.
15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like it.
16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.
17. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of OLD LADIES running around with tattoos? (And RAP music will be the Golden Oldies!)
18. Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Corvette than in a Yugo.
19. After a certain age, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead.

Steve Jackson has irked me!

Yes, our good friend Steve Jackson has done it again. The Illuminati expansion Bavarian Fire Drill has been postponed yet again! It was originally scheduled for May of 2006. Now it has been moved back (yet again) to January. When will it end? I got Illuminati for my birthday and I would really like this expansion to come out so I can buy it and the previous expansion. It is very frustrating.

In other news, one of my roommates has moved out. So I now have my own bedroom. I've started moving stuff in. It was Kristen who said that once you have your own bedroom it's very hard to share again. She is right!

Things are looking very good at work too. I can't put it up here yet, because it's not official and I'm not supposed to share... but it's very good news. I can tell you that I've done very well and in the past couple weeks I've sold three massage chairs. We get $25 bonuses for each one we sell. I really *love* my job!

Doua-zeci si opt

Yeah, I'm 28 now. And it feels good actually! My birthday was on the sixth. I had work that morning at ten AM. But before I left my roommates gave me Illuminati! Wahoo, now when the new expansion pack comes out, I will buy that as well as the old one. You will beware the Orbital Mind Control Lasers!

Work went by pretty fast, but it was no fun as I was at the worst of my cold. Grr, fever, chills, sore throat, aches, and achy sinuses made the entire day not quite as happy as it could have been. But I didn't let that keep me back.

After work my mom picked me up. I gave her a tour of the new place and she approved. Phew. Well, I knew that she would. It's a very nice place and very roomy. It's a big improvement over my last place. I went to my parents' place in Layton. I rested a lot there and took some meds. My mom gave me black clothes for work, some candy and some sorely needed new shoes. The black clothes were sorry needed too. I have to wear all black to work.

That night we went to my nephew's too. He was born on my sixteenth birthday. We had cake and ice cream and watched him open his gifts. (Everyone else ate, I didn't feel like it.) Those gifts included a drum set from his parents. Crazy parents!!

The next day I spent resting more and playing Upwords with my mother. Then I came home and went to work. After work is when I came and checked my mail and saw my e-cards. Thank you friends who sent those! I really enjoy them! Also thanks Bob for the phone call!

Two notes that are not birthday related. First, I've upgraded to the new beta blogger. It's really great and has good improvements. However, right now it says that I can't leave comments on non-beta blogs. So I've wanted to comment a couple of times and have been unable to do so. Sorry! Second, there is now a new Mega Monopoly that has a lot of ideas from my Super Monopoly. I'm going to buy it!! I'll let you know what it's like.



PS - I bought the game today!

Something new...

...and political! No, tonight I'm not bringing you anything trenchant (the original mandate for this blog). But it is political in nature. Last week I began watching a show whenever I see it on. It's Glenn Beck on CNN. I highly recommend it. He is conservative, but he doesn't care about party lines at all. So if Republicans or Democrats do something stupid, he points it out. Now I've never been a fan of political shows (radio or especially television) but Mr. Beck is entertaining. You learn something about the real state of politics in the United States but in an engaging manner. The other day a friend of a friend was over while I was watching the show. This acquaintance hates Glenn Beck, but I learned through him that Glenn Beck is LDS! (Glenn Beck was this person's relative's home teacher.) Yeah! And truthfully, I think it shows too. I checked on his site and Glenn Beck was baptized in 2000.

Check it out: http://www.glennbeck.com/home/index.shtml

Halloween is upon us!

Here are the pics for my zombie costume for the first Halloween party of the year! The really creepy dark pics were taken at home with my black lights. They turned out really well I think.





I tried out one recipe of blood vomit and it looked disgusting coming out of my mouth, but it didn't stick to me. So back to the drawing board with that idea.

Why do iPods suck?

As you know, I believe that iPods suck. There are many reasons for this, but now there is one more. Some of the iPods shipped in the last month have a virus on them. Yep! Now those lucky people who dock their iPods to their computer will get a virus. This is the first time something like this has happened... and I doubt it will be the last. To read the full article, go here.

The Second Amendment

You... are a part of me.

"I am a part of all that I have met....
Tho much is taken, much abides....
That which we are, we are--
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
...strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."


Today I remembered a quote that was on a poster in my AP English class in high school. It was the first stanza of the above quote. So I googled that and came up with the entire quote. Does anyone know where it comes from and who said it? I've always identified with that phrase.

Okay class,

It's time for a pop quiz! I know, I know... but you need to be tested to see if you are my friends.

Take it here.

The grading scale will be as follows:

8-10 correct: You know me well and ought to be considered a close friend.
5-7 correct: Fair weather friend? It must be raining outside.
3-4 correct: Maybe you've heard of me... my name is Scott.
2 correct: Would you even wave to me if we crossed paths?
1 correct: Lucky guess?
0 correct: Did you just stumble across this quiz? Stumble elsewhere.

How did you do? This test is also used to determine if you're a doppelganger alien replicon.

Hooray!

I have a job! Sharper Image just called and asked me to come in on the 2nd and bring all my information. Phew! I finally have a job in Salt Lake. I can finally start making money. I am dirt poor right now and I guess it'll take 2 weeks till I get paid, but hey I'll be making money! I've already started making a list of what I buy once I have paid my bills, what I owe, and have disposable income.

• a cell phone
• a video card
• materials to make a bunk bed
• new clothes
• clothes for work
• a 24 Hour Fitness membership
• World of Warcraft
• a digial thermostat
• "V for Vendetta"
• food, some good stuff
• Star Trek: Voyager, seasons 5-7
• Ninjaburger
• Descent: Journeys into the Dark
  
• And I'm sure I'll come up with some others.
• Renew my perscription and get new contacts
  

Also, I need to be thinking about when to have our open house and invite all you guys over. I'd like to play games with you. Especially Illuminati and Settlers of Catan! But, for sure we are going to play Murder in the Dark once it's dark. If any of you have ideas, let me know. Oh Kate and Gill, the Descent game in my list... you're gonna love it. I have a friend who has it.

I have a job!!

How dare you...

...insult Turkishness. I just read an article about an author who is bring tried because one of his fictional characters insulted "turkishness". Apparently it is illegal in Turkey to "insult Turkey, 'Turkishness' or the government." That is ridiculous. Not only is it a serious inhibition of free speech rights, but how do you define "Turkishness"? If I said that I thought Turkish Delight was disgusting (which is exactly the contrary) could I be arrested? It is Turkish afterall. This is coming from a country trying very hard to get into the European Union. But both sides of the issue are using the case to support their cause. The author did get acquited. So progressives are saying that Turkey is making progress. Traditionalists are using the proceedings to keep Turkey out of the EU. Personally, unless the government cannot see the absurdity of the law, then I don't think they should join. Truth is, they will have to give up *many* of their Islamic fundamentalist ways if they want to join the EU. You can look at that positively or negatively. Either way, they need to be willing to go all or nothing.

Hello again

Hey all, just checking in again. How are all of you doing? Has school started? I'm doing pretty well. I don't have much to report right now. Our house is cleaner now and things are starting to have some order to it. Aaron and I worked on the back porch today. There were a lot of leaves and branches and even some broken glass, but that's all taken care of now. Our friends still have their stuff in our living room so we aren't really moved in yet. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day they will be able to move into their place. When their stuff goes out, our place will look so bare. But it's a nice place with lots of room. I'll take some pictures when it's clean and post them on here.

It's pretty cool up here though. Aaron and I were driving in Sugarhouse (which is pretty close to us) and found a fun used bookstore. Aaron turned in two boxes of books and so he has $75 credit at the store. He let me use the credit to get two books, one is a sci-fi and the other is 100 spooky short stories. It'll be perfect for our Halloween reading. They're all about a page or two long. Perfect.

Well, I'm going to turn in my first job application today. I miss money. I can't wait for that first check... when I'll get online and go to t-mobile and get a cell phone. *sigh* I miss cell phones too. That way I can actually keep in contact with people (namely my mom... she worries about me because she can't contact me at will. lol) I miss you guys too. I'm trying to figure out how I can go to the Stake Opening Social. Do you guys have details on it yet? When is it, etc? Let me know.

Well, I best get going. But I hope all is well in Happy Valley.

My new home

Yes, I made it. I am now officially moved into our new place. Well, only in the fact that I now live there. None of our stuff is put away (and our friends' stuff is there too). But here I am. Already today I put away some of the kitchen stuff, fed the geese at the park, set up my computer (no wireless internet to pirate), and gotten a library card at the Salt Lake City Library.

I will be checking out "Dune: House Atreides". The sad part is that unlike the Provo City Library, the SLC Library does not group the science fiction and fantasy books in one section. They're spread through the adult fiction section. Silly. How am I to find new book ideas or series to read? I did look in the juvenile section and they have sci-fi grouped together. And they aren't just juvy lit either, it's the same kind of stuff that I looked at in Provo. So all is not lost.

Oh, you may be wondering how I am blogging this. I'm using the SLC Library computers. Interesting fact, Liberty Park is Wi-Fi accessible for free. Makes me wish I had a laptop. I could go hang in the park, play some chess, feed the geese, and blog. *sigh* That would be the life. Tonight for FHE I will probably go by myself to a foreign dance festival they are having in the park for free. That'll be fun. Maybe I'll call up Kristen and invite her. I know I'm rambling, but it would be very nice to get a job at the library. Gill, Kate, are there jobs at libraries that don't take a degree in library science or custodial work? I would love to work here. :)

Well, that is my update. I hope all is well in Provo. I miss all of you a lot. But I will talk to you later.

Teacher Applicant

I found this on the blog, Lisa's Life, which is on my blog list. In true blogger style I quickly copied it to my own blog.

TEACHER APPLICANT

After being interviewed by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said: "Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning, and I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits. You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise theirself esteem. You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job. I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of anti-social behavior, and make sure all students pass the state exams, even those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments. Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental or physical handicap. I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card. All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a big smile AND on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps! You want me to do all of this and then you tell me... I CAN'T PRAY?"


Our teachers certainly deserve many thank yous. They deserve a lot more than that, but at least give them the thanks.

Planet Reunion

If you have been following my blog, you know about the current planet debate going on. Just a quick overview. A new planet-candidate was discovered outside the orbit of Pluto. This has caused debate as to a formal definition of planet. There is currently not a definition of planet for astronomers. The International Astronomical Union has set out to make such a definition.

In my previous entry, I guessed that the committee would choose to keep the status quo and reject Xena (2003 UB313) as a planet. In my experience committees generally just want to keep the status quo and thus keep everyone happy. The most desired outcome I had hoped for included accepting Xena as our tenth planet. It seems the IAU has outdone me... by a lot!

The IAU has proposed the following as the definition of planet: “A planet is a celestial body that (a) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (b) is in orbit around a star, and is neither a star nor a satellite of a planet.”

This definition does more than make concrete Pluto's status as a planet and Xena's invitation into the family. With this definition, Pluto's (former) moon Charon is now a planet. In fact Pluto and Charon will be considered a double planet. As well, Ceres (a large celestial body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter) is welcomed to the family. This will make the planet family a large one of twelve!

Some additional definitions will be introduced. These include: plutons, dwarf planets, and double planets.

Pluto and Charon will be considered double planets. They rotate around each other, where the center of gravity is outside the surface of either planet. The eight planets (excluding Pluto) are considered "classic planets". This is only a historical term, not a IAU definition. If this new definition is adopted, it could result in many more 'planets' being discovered. Astronomers and scientists already believe as many as two dozen exist.

I for one am all for this new definition of celestial bodies. After all, science is the discovery of new ideas and principles. We should not bind ourselves to a definition when new discoveries contradict it. Definitions are made for science, not science for the definition. I welcome Xena, Charon, and Ceres into our planetary family.

What do you think? Leave a comment on this blog. As well, vote in MSNBC's poll, here. To read more about the discovery and changes in planetary matters, go here and here.

Does the RIAA sleep with the devil?

Yes. They decided out of the goodness of their small gray frozen piece of an unbeating heart not to sue the family of a recently deceased man. Actually at first they had decided to give the man's family 60 days to grieve before they began the legal process again. Yep, "Sixty days for you to cry before we pull you into court for something your son did."

*shudder*

More Trek XI news

Michael Dorn and Marina Sirtis agree with me. *smile* How often do I get to say that? Not often enough. For those of you don't know or have forgotten, Dorn and Sirtis are two stars from Star Trek: Next Generation, Worf and Troi respectively. The two were asked what they thought of the upcoming Star Trek movie.

Dorn said referring to Paramount, "From what I hear, they're tired of it." And when asked about Star Trek XI being a prequel, he replied, "that would be a mistake...you don't go backward in Star Trek."

Sirtis stated, "Gene Roddenberry always said that Star Trek should go forward...I just don't think anyone at Paramount gets Star Trek anymore."

Sirtis also joked that the studio was only interested in reaching a new "lost" audience, punning on producer JJ Abrams' series Lost.

Truth is, they're both right. Star Trek is about moving forward. It's exploring new frontiers and expanding mankind's boundaries. Doing a prequel isn't doing anything new. And it doesn't please those who know anything about Trek.

And Paramount's quest for the "lost audience" is the wrong way to approach a movie with an existing fan base. Let's walk through the logic. Paramount (and other studios) believe: Star Trek fans will see the movie no matter what. So, we don't need to make a movie they will enjoy. We practically have their money in our hands. What we need is to get all of the people who won't go see a Trek movie, or who are undecided to come see the movie. Then we could make *lots* of money.

They need to step out of themselves and ask, has that ever worked? Has alienating your fans ever worked? Did it work for Star Wars? For X-Men? Anything? No. When you make a movie that will please the fan base, they draw others. If I see Star Trek XI and I love it, I will tell other people. I will convince them that is good and that they don't have to be Trekkers to love and enjoy it. And more importantly, I will return to see it again. I will buy it on DVD. New fans will be born as well.

A short analogy: Perhaps lately I have been hearing a lot of good things about motorcycles. I'm a little curious so I do my research and decide I want to buy one. So I go to a dealer and look around. One of the salesmen comes out and starts to show me the various bikes. We come to a scooter and he says, "Now this is the motorcycle for you!" I look at him funny. "That is not a motorcycle." I say. But he insists. He pushes me and tries to get me to buy. Will I buy? No. I wanted a motorcycle. And I will definitely not recommend that dealership to anyone else.

Trek isn't anything but Trek. We shouldn't remake it into something else and sell it as Trek. It will make fans upset and they will tell the "lost audience" that they should not see the movie, after all it isn't Trek.

From Mercury to.... Xena?

A tenth planetary body has been discovered! The IAU, which is a committee for astronomy will decide on the planetary body's status. There is a little bit of controversy as to the upcoming decision. Apparently there is a field of debris starting at Neptune and contuining outside of our solar system named the Kuiper belt. There is no official way for determing a planet. And Mercury itself has been named the "largest object in the Kuiper belt"

So this decision could go one of three ways. First, we could gain a 10th planet. The committees would choose the name. However most of the Greek/Roman gods' names are already taken. One of the nicknames give the object was Xena. I find that pretty cool. This is my personal favorite outcome. And probably the least likely.

Second, they could determine that "Xena" is not a planet... but neither is Mercury. That would bring our planet count to eight. Now as pragmatic as scientists are *supposed* to be, this is the least likely outcome. You have to remember, this is being determined by committee. That means they're afraid to upset the status quo. And as planets go, Mercury is status quo. We like our dear dark planet from the Netherworld. So I vote to give Mercury a companion planet!

Third (and most likely), the IAU will decide that "Xena" is not a planet but just a Kuiper anomaly. (Don't you love that word!) And Mercury will keep its status.

It would be nice if the IAU would determine what is a planet and how one applies for planetdom. But I am sure they are bogged down in red tape and would be unable to make such a logical step. Much like post-communist countries. And I can make that statement, afterall, I am the BIG RED HAMMER.

Vote for Xena!

Space... The Final Frontier

A friend of mine has started his own Star Trek simulation. I will be playing a Federation Marine Major. The sim is based on a starbase orbiting the planet Ulysses IV. He has asked me to create a planetary map for U4. In doing so, I would like to create a realistic map. An impressive one at that. I've done some research and I've found some interesting things. So I thought I'd share them with you.

I found an interesting site from Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA. It allows you to view most celestial bodies in our solar system from any of the other bodies. This includes all of the planets, their moons, exploratory satellites, and the sun. You can visit it here.

But what I found afterward, is even more amazing. I remember back when we discovered Google Earth. It was so cool to visit all the places we'd been or heard of. Well, now imagine something like Google Universe. That's what the program Celestia is. This is a must have program! You can visit any celestial body you can find... in the solar system and out of it. And this program lets you manipulate the time period. Would you like to see where and when the next solar eclipse on earth will be? How about on Mars? Ever wonder what Jupiter looks like in the sky from Uranus? This program is incredible. Right now I'm watching Mercury rotate. It is just pitted with craters. Now I'm looking at Deimos with Mars in the background.

Cindy Strikes Again

Cindy, Cindy, Cindy... when will you learn? Shrill voices only make people cover their ears. For those of you unfamiliar with dear Cindy, let me introduce you. Cindy Sheehan is a 49-year-old woman who has taken up a crusade. Two years ago she lost her son while he was serving in Iraq. She began crusading to end the war and used part of her son's life insurance to start her campaign. No one will disagree that losing a son, daughter, or family member is an absolute tragedy. It is compounded more if they are young. My condolences and sympathies go out to Cindy and any other families that have lost loved ones, whether in Iraq or in their own backyard.

There are no bad emotions. Hate, love, sadness, and the rest are part of the human experience. It is what we do with these emotions that can be good or bad. Ms. Sheehan has taken her grief and turned it into something I'll bet that her son would not be proud of. I am making some assumptions here, but they are ones that have a lot of examples out there. I would say that most people in the United States military are patriotic. They are willing to serve the good of the nation, protect it from harm, and if necessary give their lives for that freedom to continue. It must take a certain amount of faith in our country, its leaders, and its Commander in Chief. It is admirable beyond compare. God certainly must bless those who serve their nation for good. If those generalizations are true... Then I am sure that Ms. Sheehan's son served with honor and is proud to have died for what he believes in.

But Cindy Sheehan is not proud. She has set up camp outside of President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. There she continues her 24-hour campaign to end the war. Her shrill cry is heard again: "US out of Iraq!"

To quote the Chicago Tribune: " She has become a household name, yet her once-strong family ties are in ruins. Her work has become a 24-hour-a-day obsession, generating praise from around the world, yet it also brought condemnation--even death threats--from opponents who suggest her constant harangue has made her a bit of a political gadfly. Others say it has served to dilute her message."

And more from the Tribune: " Sheehan's fiery rhetoric and inflammatory attacks on the president have sent once-close friends running for cover. She has referred to Bush as a "terrorist" and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as an "angel of death."

Sheehan's 28-year marriage is over.

'Out of everything, that hurt me the most,' she explained. 'After 31 years of being in the family, I thought they would support me. They totally disowned me and chose George Bush over murder.'"

I will disagree over her terminology. Her family chose their family over her disunity. She chose something that is temporary over something with infinite potential. The war will end. It will end whether Cindy is screaming her complaints, or if she goes to Iraq and fights herself. And when it does, Cindy will be left without a cause. Oh, but I don't underestimate her... I'm sure she'll find some new cause to tranfer all her hate and rhetoric to. Afterall, she doesn't have a family anymore. What can she do?

Later in the article Cindy says, "People who still support this war have blood on their hands. It was not right to begin with. It's not right now." Does she realize that her son is one of those? That she is campaigning against the very son she thinks she is memorializing? The son that has stood up and protected the very rights and priveleges she is abusing.

I feel sorry for her.

The Chicago Tribune article

The AP Yahoo article