Rants
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Somewhat political
I try not to be so negative on a regular basis, but I've got to be at this moment, and here's why:

First: I hear that Saddam will soon be returned to the Iraqi interim government. Now that's thinking it through! If not in the first few months, maybe after there is little/no U.S. presence in Iraq, some crazed terrorist types are going to bust him out of prison, and all will be worse than before the U.S. got involved.

Second: The sooner our gov't. pulls out our troops, the better. Iraq will not change in our lifetime, and there will always be political unrest and terrorism of some sort. There has been for centuries, right? What makes Bush think that we can turn it around for them in this amount of time. All we're doing is sending our troops off to fend for their own lives, and we've lost too many of our sons, daughters, husbands, and wives, brothers, and sisters, moms and dads already. What Bush is doing is just being stubborn; it's the "I'm an American, and I'm not giving up or standing down for nobody" attitude. Frankly, it's getting old, and we're losing more people everyday. This IS turning into a Vietnam. I'm just glad to hear that, come June 30th, Iraqis will have their own gov't of sorts, and hopefully that means our troops will all be home in the near future.

Third: The innocents are being slaughtered by inhuman beasts; surely these terrorists who behead these civilians will rot in hell. But the governments of the countries that these hostages belong to are pulling the "stubborn American" thing, knowing that the terrorists will kill. It upsets me deeply when I see the families of these slain hostages suffering. What if it were the son or daughter of a world leader that was the hostage? What would that president or ruler do then? Anything to ensure the life of their loved one, I'm certain.

Don't try this at home...
Mood:  accident prone
Topic: Learning from experience
After four hours and no sunblock later, I must have received the worst sunburn of my life. A great day at the pool, but 'OUCH' is the magic word. Three days, same shade of red, and many blisters later, it's starting to suck. I dread the everday necessities of bathing and sleeping, as any contact with my skin (shoulders, mostly) is insane. I guess wearing sunblock is one of those unstated rules. Why is it that you can take these kinds of things better when you're younger?

Finger brushing is now 'in'
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: computer hum
Topic: Other Places
I've found out the name of the product I wanted to tell you about since two weeks ago. Apparently, Oral B has come out with "brush-ups", a new take on the old 'finger-brushing' technique. You know, when you wake up ten minutes before work/school and totally forget to brush your teeth. It's the worst. "Maybe rubbing my finger across my teeth will at least get out some of the plaque!" Maybe not.
Anyway, these "brush-ups" are textured and specially treated to make brushing 'on the fly' almost as good as taking your toothbrush and paste with you. I don't know. They remind me of those little finger puppet gloves people use to clean their dog's teeth. Dammit, I'm not an animal! (Ok, I am an animal, but that's beside the point)

My site
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Other Places
Forgot to mention the fruits of my labor. Though it lacks any serious or vital information and is incomplete, I've enjoyed putting it together. It gave me a chance at building a site and learning a little html. Anyway, one of these days, I'll finish it and get everything running. Actually, here's my first attempt, which I recently moved (to Tripod (more storage space).

On TV...
Due to my recent choice to cut some expenditures, including cable TV (I've got plenty of movies to watch, I guess), I had to hear second-hand about some of my favorite shows, like the Sopranos season finale. It was an interesting read, I think.

I also heard about J.Lo's third wedding, this time to Marc Anthony. Reflecting on her last romance with near-husband Ben Affleck, I loved the funny, even gross title of "Bennifer" given to the couple. Like it was some sort of subhuman man/woman creature covered with matted fur or something. I don't know.

Because of the lack of cable tv at home, I watched the Tony Awards. Though I might have rather watched some movie on HBO for the eighth time, or even Discovery HD, the Awards were pretty entertaining. It's funny that when you're choices are limited, you still manage to be content.

coldbacon.com
This is a must-see for all you pseudo-intellectual types. Or not. Either way, it's entertaining, and will take at least a lifetime to sift through. Coldbacon.com covers topics including art, movies, music, literature, food, humor, and all in vivid detail. Amazing.

Ugoff
"Please, I am Ugoff." Another great site that features an extended version of the Burger King commercial seen on TV.

www.ugoff.com

All your base...
Are belong to us! Check this video out:

All Your Base...

Great fun. May take half a minute to load, but well worth it. Taken from an old video game called "Zero Wing", this catch phrase elaborates an alien/government conspiracy. Or something like that.

All-American!
In recent years, there's been a surge of patriotism in the U.S. That's great; people can express their passion for the freedom they possess. It's funny, though, that sometimes this expression comes with a tad bit of hypocracy.

Today I was driving behind a Nissan Altima, one of the newer models. I admired it, because it looked nice and clean, had the tires all shiny, etc.

I also saw a HUGE picture/decal of a Bald Eagle's head with an American flag in the backdrop. I swear it must have taken up 3/5 of this car's back window.

With an expression as large as this, it struck me funny that a person shows this much patriotism in his or her own country, but sports it on an import car!

Don't get me wrong, I like foreign and domestic all-together, but it was just one of those things that make you think, "what's this guy doing?"