How Did We Not Post This?

A few weeks ago, Will and I were at a bar, and we were reminiscing about a photoshop contest that we collaborated on.

The theme for the Fark.com photoshop contest was, "In light of the current steroid scandal in baseball, photoshop some other performance enhancing substances". Again, if you don't know about Photoshop contests by now... go to Fark.com and check 'em out.

At the time, Will was not versed in the ways of Photoshop, so the idea was his, and I was just the vessel that put it together.

After we talked about it, I've now noticed that I never posted the finished product here. Know What I Mean would like to apologize for the grave error, and make amends now.

Nort Says

You Can't Make This Sh*t Up...

"I actually got amazing-ass test scores on it. Not that it's the hardest thing in the world. But especially the math. I got pretty high test scores for... California."

-Kevin Federline, husband of Britney Spears, on his GED high school equivalency test.

How did that jackass hit the life lottery? He went on to say that he earned almost 2 million dollars from UPN for his reality show with Britney, but now he's "almost broke". What a fucktard. I'm busting my ass starting a company, and this jagoff didn't even graduate high school? I'd like to punch this guy in the face.

I Won't Forget

(this was the desktop image I had today... someone posted it on Fark, it's the skyline from this morning in NYC, and five years ago today, the WTC would have been right in the middle of the image)

So I've talked about how the day has affected me, and how I can't shake why it's affected me the way it did, and today was no exception. CNN ran a video feed for free on the website of their broadcast from that day, in realtime. The original plan was for me to work out of the house this morning, but I got pulled away... which was prolly for the best, cuz I wouldn't have gotten any work done, I just would have sat there watching the CNN feed.

I watched football tonight - while taping the "Path to 9-11". Like an idiot, I didn't DVR the first half, which aired last night, but I imagine sometime after I finish this post, I'll sit down and watch the second half.

I heard alot of talk on the radio and TV today, about how America isn't any safer five years after 9-11. I read alot of editorials in the last few days saying how America is still on the wrong path. I've heard alot of people bitch about how they're afraid the government is overstepping their bounds, and that they're afraid their rights are going to get taken away. I'm hearing alot about a crazy woman that just bought a house in Crawford, TX, and wants President Bush brought up on charges of war crimes.

Before you read any further, check out a post by PG, and then come on back to this post. Don't worry, I'll wait while you read the whole thing.

Has my life changed since then? Not a whole no, at least not on a day-to-day basis. I may have to wait longer at the airport before I go anywhere ( which isn't as often as I would like ), but most essential functions of the day haven't changed. But I do feel safer. Not 100% safe, but safer. There are those that want you to believe that it is possible to be totally safe, and that if you're not, then government isn't doing their job. But being 100% safe is not a possible end result.

The people that want to hurt us, are willing to DIE in order to achieve their goal. Think about that for a second. Someone is willing to end their existence in order to advance their beliefs. And that's what we're up against. So to say that the government shouldn't be doing what it's doing makes me sick. There's over 3000 reasons why we have to remain steadfast in our goal.

And if you don't think so, go back and read PG's post one more time.

Help Me Understand This....

I pay some attention to politics - but not as much as I probably should. Politics usually end up pissing me off, and it's very hard to have a civil discussion with people involved in politics, because they let their views cloud their judgment, and you get nowhere with anything.

And then there's just plain old stupid. I just read this article. And here's what I got out of it.

1. Mark Green, the Republican candidate for Governor of Wisconsin, is being told to return over $400,000 of campaign money. He either has to return this money to the contributors, to a state fund that feeds schools, or IRS approved charities.

2. This money that is supposed to be returned is money currently in his state campaign fund. It came from money in another account of his, which was used for a congressional campaign of Green's.

So far, I'm not confused.

3. Green has to return the money because a state election board just voted on the 'legality' of the money. A rule was put into place in January of 2005, making it NOT possible to transfer funds from one campaign account to another.

4. Green transferred the money BEFORE THE RULE CAME INTO EFFECT.

5. Incumbent democrat Governor Jim Doyle has launched an ad campaign stating:

...that Green was "just found breaking Wisconsin law, illegally accepting donations from the special interests he votes for in Congress."

Okay, now I'm confused.

The election board ( which are mostly Doyle appointees ) has always had a large jurisdiction over money that is used for running for office. So I wonder this.... if he transferred money before the rule came into effect, why does he have to return it? And how can Doyle say that what Green did was illegal?

In 2001, then candidate Tom Barrett transferred money from his campaign war-chests, and was approved of unanimously by the election board. Yes, this was before the rule, so it makes sense that they would allow it.

Green did it BEFORE THE RULE TOO!!! So how the fuck is this illegal?

If they pass a law that says I can't stand in my front yard without a shirt on... then I understand that if I do stand there with no shirt on, I'll get arrested. But they can't go back in time and say that I'm in trouble for being in my yard with no shirt on back in July.

This is one of the many examples of why I hate politicians.

Bombers Anyone?

So who knows if it's gonna happen? But the uniforms would look pretty f'in sweet.

I'm just sayin'.

Lawyers, Referees, and... Economists?

So gas is down to 2.69 at a few gas stations around here, reaching a low since God knows when.

Do economists really have a fucking clue as to how the economy works? I thought gas prices were supposed to go up because of the 'hurricane' season??? And at this point, from what little I know - the academics are in agreement that we're past Hubbert's Peak... so there's only going to be declining oil reserves from here on out. Supply and demand would tend to say that would increase prices.

How disgusting does it have to be to go to school for that long, and then get out in the real world, and despite all your newfound knowledge... watch the market and economy go up and down, up and down... and you still have no control over it? The Fed raises interest rates to try to slow down economic growth ( which to a layperson sounds stupid when you say it outloud ) - and lowers 'em to spur growth.

What really cracks me up is when the market is affected by things that haven't happened yet. Like when the market people know that the Fed is meeting in a week. The market bobs up and down like a Clinton intern because the Fed MIGHT do something to the interest rates. Or like the aforementioned gas prices. "Oh no!! It's hurricane season... and even though it hasn't happened yet, lets RAISE prices, in case we get hit by one!!"

WTF is that? Ford Motor company MIGHT have a massive fire at one of their production plants. They don't raise the prices of their cars during the dry season, on the off chance they lose production capabilities from one of their plants.

I said it before, it's amazing we've made it this far. Cuz the older I get, I'm pretty sure we have no fucking clue what we're doing around here.

End of the Road

300 posts now. That's alot more than I thought I'd make it through.

The Hitmen season ended abruptly on Saturday night, in an eventful game against the Trojans. A low scoring affair that saw an unlikely missed XP, and a brawl with a minute to go in the game. The end of the game may have marked the end of my career, which I didn't take as well as I had thought I would. But it was tough, despite what others may think. I can still play, but to be in a situation like this is pretty ridiculous. I watched one quarterback fumble and misread his way through 4 and a half games - and watched another give it a good run, but his limitations were very evident in the opportunities that he got.

My opportunity? 2 series of meaningful play. TWO SERIES. Are you fucking kidding me? You say to my face that I'll get an equal opportunity... and then this? Kiss my pasty ass. Two seasons, 21 pass attempts. All while watching the golden child of the coach attempt 167 passes. Willy got hosed too. A position coach that couldn't even follow practice directions, and not being from the high school really axed him out of the defense.

I can't fathom that where you're from would factor in how you're viewed as a football player - but that's the only thing I can come up with. When the decision was made for who would play QB before the Bulldog game - I was told that despite outplaying the other two guys, it came down to "experience". Well, seeing as how I've played at a higher level for six years prior to this, compared to the 2 and a half years at this level for the guy they picked... what they were really saying was "you're not from around here", and that was the end.

It was such a different situation from when I joined the team two years ago. Everything was so perfect then - and now, I don't even recognize the team. And despite everything that went on this year, they still had the balls to ask if I was coming back next year. Wow. I guess ignorance is bliss.

There's been discussion of starting a new team. And I can't come up with a scenario that the brain trust wouldn't be able to do it right. But I'm still hesitant. I think the only reason I'm hesitant, is that I don't want to hang them up just yet. But thanks to some wonderful decisions by just a few people, that may not be up to me anymore.

On another ending note - Steve Irwin (crikey!) passed away this weekend. If only we could all be so lucky as to leave this earth doing what we absolutely loved. By most accounts, he was a pretty good guy - and a well respected member of the conservation community. And I'm no marine biologist, but stingrays are the least likely of creatures that he was around that should have killed him. I saw a show where he kissed the second deadliest snake in the world on the 'lips'... IN THE WILD. This wasn't a captive snake... he just wandered around the jungle in India until he found this snake... then sat there for a while till he thought it was safe to kiss it on the lips. A snake. A snake with venom that will kill you in under five minutes - EVEN IF YOU ADMINISTER ANTI-VENOM.

Now I'm not saying he should have died - although I'm sure he had one of the higher life insurance premiums on the planet - but the line I heard about him that I liked was this:

"Would you rather be 44, well respected in your field, worldly traveled, moderately famous worldwide, well off financially, and actively doing something you love when it's your time... or pass away as a relative unknown, in a nursing home as the 'Price Is Right' is on? Neither is a good time to go, and both people can say they lived full, productive lives, and be surrounded by loved ones. But here's to thinking that if Steve were given the choice - he'd pick the former."