I used to live in a suburban city in Southern California. With the exception of an Uncle and Aunt and cousins dodging fires, after 19 years of life there, I have no reason to go back - not in any sort of permanent basis at least. The rest of my family and some friends live in the desert capitol of Arizona, and I was born there, but it's also not my home. No where and at no time will I return to the same high school friends up to the same old antics, and I'll probably never frequent the haunts of my childhood.
It seems romantic to be free with no ties, but it's also very strange.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Oh Snap
Get a Cash Advance
What, don't they teach you how to use a toaster oven in a Masters of English program?
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
These Are
Some pictures you've probably all seen, but they're just up here cause I'm trying to post them somewhere else so I need them to be hosted.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
For Your Service
There was a flyer up at my work that was noticed by a few friends of mine. "Free tickets to the Nebraska - Kansas St. Game". We just had to go in uniform.
Two of my friends, Copp and Wing, saw it, and they being football fans, wanted to go. I said I'd go too, thinking it was in Omaha. It ended up being in Lincoln, 45 minutes away, but not horrible. We drove down there today and stood on the sidelines, just behind the fence where the players and media all go. I think we may have gotten on TV too. During half time we were all leaning on said fence and one of the cameras came over and we were put up on the big megatron thing, or whatever it's called - bunch of Air Force cats in flight suits.
The whole day people were going by, shaking our hands, saluting us, some 10 year old said "Thank you for your service." Why is it that when people say that I just want to say "Shut up, leave me alone."? I wonder if it's cause I joined for purely selfish reasons, or because I don't want to be in anymore. It's because I don't like the system, and don't like how I feel completely pointless where I am - going thru 2 years of language training to just be a warm body on a plane.
I'll never go to China, never really use Chinese again in my job, once I graduate from this class. I appreciate being able to learn chinese, and yeah I've had to deal with this shit, some of which the vast majority of the population can't really relate to at all and will never experience even to a small degree- but I didn't do it for anyone's service.
I did it for free credits, free college money, and free parking. It must be a kind of shame I feel. Like I should be more patriotic, should look at the kids and say, "I'm fighting for your freedom kid." Just leave me alone. I'm just another working stiff that hates his job, it's just cause I wear green and a dumb looking hat that you might think I'm special. But I never graduated from college, gave up on my dreams, took the structure over the freedom, god knows why. I'll probably never be shot at, and if I am, it's cause I'll go to jail if I refuse to run out into the line of fire - not because I believe in anything - any kind of cause. That's how most of "The Service" is, whether they admit it or not. There are the few gung ho master sergeants and wannabe pilots - but the rest of us just want to get our 20 year retirement, or 3 year GI Bill, or clearance, or alcohol, and then forget we ever -literally- signed our life away. We appreciate the appreciation, somewhere deep down, and some of us think we deserve it, but for most all of us it's a job with good benefits, crappy pay, bad hours, and low morale. So if it's a service to you to deal with that, you're welcome.
Your taxes pay my salary, but then, my own taxes do too.
Two of my friends, Copp and Wing, saw it, and they being football fans, wanted to go. I said I'd go too, thinking it was in Omaha. It ended up being in Lincoln, 45 minutes away, but not horrible. We drove down there today and stood on the sidelines, just behind the fence where the players and media all go. I think we may have gotten on TV too. During half time we were all leaning on said fence and one of the cameras came over and we were put up on the big megatron thing, or whatever it's called - bunch of Air Force cats in flight suits.
The whole day people were going by, shaking our hands, saluting us, some 10 year old said "Thank you for your service." Why is it that when people say that I just want to say "Shut up, leave me alone."? I wonder if it's cause I joined for purely selfish reasons, or because I don't want to be in anymore. It's because I don't like the system, and don't like how I feel completely pointless where I am - going thru 2 years of language training to just be a warm body on a plane.
I'll never go to China, never really use Chinese again in my job, once I graduate from this class. I appreciate being able to learn chinese, and yeah I've had to deal with this shit, some of which the vast majority of the population can't really relate to at all and will never experience even to a small degree- but I didn't do it for anyone's service.
I did it for free credits, free college money, and free parking. It must be a kind of shame I feel. Like I should be more patriotic, should look at the kids and say, "I'm fighting for your freedom kid." Just leave me alone. I'm just another working stiff that hates his job, it's just cause I wear green and a dumb looking hat that you might think I'm special. But I never graduated from college, gave up on my dreams, took the structure over the freedom, god knows why. I'll probably never be shot at, and if I am, it's cause I'll go to jail if I refuse to run out into the line of fire - not because I believe in anything - any kind of cause. That's how most of "The Service" is, whether they admit it or not. There are the few gung ho master sergeants and wannabe pilots - but the rest of us just want to get our 20 year retirement, or 3 year GI Bill, or clearance, or alcohol, and then forget we ever -literally- signed our life away. We appreciate the appreciation, somewhere deep down, and some of us think we deserve it, but for most all of us it's a job with good benefits, crappy pay, bad hours, and low morale. So if it's a service to you to deal with that, you're welcome.
Your taxes pay my salary, but then, my own taxes do too.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Happy Anniversuree
Sis and Bro in law.
this is a deftones song called "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event" which might sound harsh, but I like the song, and it has "Anniversary" in the title.
this is a deftones song called "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event" which might sound harsh, but I like the song, and it has "Anniversary" in the title.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
An Interesting Bit of Biology
Females have 2 X chromosomes and males have an X and a Y, right?
Well, those X and Y chromosomes produce "gene products." All that means is that the gene codes for something, that is, it tells the cell it's in to makes something, usually a protein.
Since females have 2 X chromosomes that are identical, their cells go thru a process called lyonization. All it does it makes one of the X chromosomes in each cell inactive, otherwise it would produce twice as much of the gene products - twice as much as males.
In placental animals (most mammals), the X gene that is inactivated is random, it can either be the one the father or the mother contributed. However, in marsupials, it's always the fraternal X chromosome.
I learned that while procrastinating in writing my paper for Biology.
Well, those X and Y chromosomes produce "gene products." All that means is that the gene codes for something, that is, it tells the cell it's in to makes something, usually a protein.
Since females have 2 X chromosomes that are identical, their cells go thru a process called lyonization. All it does it makes one of the X chromosomes in each cell inactive, otherwise it would produce twice as much of the gene products - twice as much as males.
In placental animals (most mammals), the X gene that is inactivated is random, it can either be the one the father or the mother contributed. However, in marsupials, it's always the fraternal X chromosome.
I learned that while procrastinating in writing my paper for Biology.
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