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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
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11:01 pm - Jeff and Becky's Wedding: The highlight reel
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| Monday, March 10th, 2008
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6:04 pm - Ping!
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Ping!
1. Been in Dallas for the last week. On night 1, some fuck broke into my rental car and stole the GPS unit. I don't know how the hell they saw it, it was tucked UNDER the driver's side seat. Of course the hotel's security cameras "were only sporadically working" in the days before the break-in.
Dammit Dallas!! Why do you make it so hard for me to like you?? I see parts of you like Addison, Deep Ellum, and Greenvile and I start to think that maybe you don't suck ass.....then this happens. Fuck!!
2. Sorta related to number 1 above: The cops won't come out if you report something stolen there. In fact, the Dallas PD website instructs you to call 911(!!) if you want to report a property theft. What the hell??? I sure hope the someone wasn't getting hacked to pieces and got a busy signal merely because my ass wanted to report a missing Garmin.
3. Yes, I am a hater of Guitar Hero (yea I said it sucks big whoop wanna fight about it?) but I have to give respect to Rock Band. They have "Don't Fear the Reaper" and yes, you can PLAY THE COWBELL! (Well, unless you're playing with drunken Beth. Then she'll greedily hoard the cowbell while you get a steaming pile of nothing!).
I didn't drink enough Friday night to actually PLAY the game, but if someone finds a way to make this into "Rock Band: The drinking game" then I'm in! I don't know how it would work, but I'll bet that one could get really shithoused really quick playing it.
4. Define Irony: The sixth floor museum putting on a beginner's course on forensics.
I wonder if the course will cover how someone can be shot six times with one bullet that magically changes direction three times? Eh, of course not. That's probably an advanced class......
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| Monday, February 4th, 2008
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2:02 am - Brain dump: A couple random thoughts
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1. A recession is inevitable, if it hasn't started already. The economic signs that everyone is talking about are trailing indicators. That is, they tell us after the fact what is happening. The LEADING indicators (such as "Dr. Copper") have already been pointing this way for awhile.
If you're reading this and you have money in the markets, consider moving it now! (as I type this, I have just finished entering my "put" orders to hit the market Monday morning. By 9:35 a.m. eastern time tomorrow I will officially be "on the sidelines"). Safe places for to move to include:
oil - oil is a fungible good. If the U.S. economy slows down and we use less gas, the supplies that we don't use will be easily absorbed by other nations. Regardless of what happens here, the demand for oil will not decrease as it has in previous recessions.
commodities - Gold, metals, etc. Gold in particular does well when the economy suffers, although it may be a little late to get in now. This also holds true for the commodities market. People start looking for real tradeable assets to put their funds into when the economy goes south.
Foreign currency, particularly the Euro - Recent drastic cuts in the bank lending rates mean that we are set for higher rates of inflation over the next year. If you get in now, you are going to take a bit of a hit due to the conversion rates. However putting your holdings into foreign currencies will ensure that you do not lose purchasing parity while the Fed is busy printing money.
China - For the next 12 months, China can't miss. Their economy is growing by leaps and bounds, and only some of the growth is tied to the U.S.. The Chinese have wisely taken our money via trade and decided to save it. So when U.S. banks need capital in order to stay afloat, they go to thier ole uncle Ling Ling who gladly loans them the cash. Put your money here and experience a minimum of 10 percent growth in 2008.
Treasury bills - Still the safest investment on the planet today, backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Your money won't grow very much while it's parked here, but at least it will still be there once the recession is over and the markets are through cratering.
2. The Super Bowl commercials this year sucked bad. Not funny. And holy God, did anyone else find those two sales genie ads racist as all hell, or was it just me? My mouth was literally hanging open after the panda one. Bravo to sales genie. They follow up last year's horrible showing with two absolute racial bombs on nationwide prime-time television. Nice. The CEO of sales genie wanted to make sure that the country was talking about his company again this year, and we sure are. Unfortunately the conversation is revolving around whether or not the CEO's white table cloth has to eye holes cut out of it. Awesome.
3. All fees for my law school apps are in. The nuns that review apps for St. Mary's have finally gotten off their asses and requested my application. So now I just wait. I'll update the law school scoreboard as information arrives. Here is the current status:
Saint Mary's:
Arizona State:
University of New Mexico:
University of Houston:
Southern Methodist Univ: Wait listed (pretty much expected this)
Texas Wesylan Univ:
South Texas School of Law:
Texas Tech:
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| Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
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5:11 pm
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| Wednesday, November 7th, 2007
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10:05 am - Narrative. *Warning: This entry probably isn’t worth your time*
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It was high noon on a crisp, cool day in the Sun City. The mysterious stranger walked up to the front of a non-descript elementary school. Wearing a black trench coat with a cigar dangling out the corner of his mouth, he came here for just one thing. Pausing in front of the school, his left hand twitching in a mix of nerves and anticipation, he briefly reflected on his purpose. "Let's do this" he muttered to himself. He walked up the front stairs, and threw open the yellow double doors.
Once inside it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the changing light. He half expected to be mobbed by hordes of angry people. Instead, it was just him and the legendary outlaw known only as "The Blue Hair." The room was silent and tense. He had heard only stores of the Blue Hair. In the back of his mind, he knew that he would have to do battle with her eventually. But today wouldn't be that day. Instead he looked across the room and saw the true enemy: The nefarious half machine half beast named El Dlobeid.
He squared up with El Dlobeid, sweat starting to bead up on his brow. Not only was El Dlobeid notorious, he was clever like a sphinx too. The battle would consist of a series of questions, each one more nefarious than the last. "It's business time El Dlobeid!" the man shouted. And with that, the battle began.
"Ok stranger" El Dlobeid hissed slyly, here is your first test:
"The issuance of $120,100,000 hospital bonds to provide funds to construct and equip a children's hospital as part of the hospital system of El Paso County Hospital District."
"El Dlobeid," the man exclaimed, "I see through your clever tricks! You can't hide behind the defenseless! I deny your proposition!"
"Very well stranger." But let us see how your heart of stone holds up against this!"
"The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt all or part of the residence homesteads of certain totally disabled veterans from ad valorem taxation and authorizing a change in the manner of determining the amount of the existing exemption from ad valorem taxation to which a disabled veteran is entitled."
"Ha ha El Dlobeid, your sorry attempts to use the hallowed memory of warriors past doesn't blind me to your attempts at government welfare! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
/Hey, what do you want from me? I have to do SOMETHING to make voting sound exciting.
//That's right, I said nein to sick kids!
///Yea, I also said no way to disabled vets.
////Both propositions passed anyway.
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| Monday, November 5th, 2007
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6:09 pm - I’ve got MP3s and hot backdoor sluts on my computer! It’s a miracle!
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Slashdot yesterday had an article about Jammie Thomas. She is the first file-sharing RIAA defendant to actually appear in court. And she lost. There was much weaping and wailing on the internet at the news that she had been beaten down. Well now she is speaking out "in her own words" on a p2p site. She goes into the court case and some of the background behind it.
Jammie Thomas in her own words.
Despite the fact that:
1) Kazaa was on her computer.
2) The username used in Kazaa matches her email address.
3) The IP that was sharing 3,000+ files corresponds to an IP from the DHCP logs that was assigned to her,
her argument essentially boils down to "wasn't me." And not the cool "It wasn't Me" by Shaggy. This is the "shrug your shoulders with a vapid look on your face" Wasn't me. This is the "Wasn't me" you get from your kid when you find a broken jar of Skippy, and then find his hands covered in peanut butter.
This whole argument just chaps my ass. It's bad enough that I have to hear users outright lie to my face day in and day out about why there is porn and spyware and trojan horses on their machine. Now Jammie Thomas is turning this into a legal defense.
That God sure is a prankster. He likes to miracle Kazaa and hardcore porn onto people's machines! Praise the White Jesus!
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| Friday, November 2nd, 2007
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4:31 pm - Pictures from scenic drive
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| Wednesday, August 1st, 2007
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6:11 pm - My letter to the editor
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| Saturday, July 28th, 2007
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1:09 am - The Simpson's movie
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Short review: Piece of shit that suffers from the same shortcomings as the TV show.
Long review:
It's not that the movie is necessarily bad. It's that it embodies all the current elements of the television show that make it unwatchable, especially when compared with the older work.
When the Simpson's first started, the episodes were marked by a certain brand of humor. That is, the writers relied on subtle (and sometimes obscure) pop culture references and background jokes. If you weren't paying attention, you may miss the joke. Hell, there were other times where the reference would be obscure to the point where you may not even get it. But that's ok too. The humor was smart, and it wasn't for everyone.
All that started to change around 1998. Perhaps it was due to all the talented writers leaving the show. Perhaps the ones they had were out of ideas. Perhaps the creators were busy swimming in their piles of money and just didn't care anymore. Whatever the reason, the show began to lose it's obscure edge. Instead, writers began relying on ploys to move the plots along. Character development fell by the wayside. This is about the time when Homer began doing all sorts of "crazy" jobs and "wild" plot twists became more common.
Two of the most common devices used in the show today include "stupid homer" (homer engaging in obviously dumb things oblivious to the consequences or common sense) and "bad bart" (bart doing bad things and then trying to skirt the consequences). The movie uses the "stupid homer" method here.
This movie is about 5 years too late. It would have had more impact if it had been released back when the Simpson's was relevant. None the less, the sad fact is that this movie will be number 1 for at least one weekend. Hopefully the American public will catch a clue, and this sad shell of a formerly great show will be dead and gone from the theaters by week 5.The
current music: Jay-Z - 99 Problems (Produced By Rick Rubin)
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| Sunday, July 15th, 2007
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1:35 pm - In other non-economic news...
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Here's some stuff that's been going on with me (like ya'all want to read about any of THAT):
1. Got a new car. The old one was starting to break down and strand me. Yes, it's a saturn (there is a semi-long and boring story behind that). It's a step up from the last one in that it's more than just basic transportation this time. It actually has power-stuff (windows, door locks, etc) and an alarm....which I actually use....sometimes.
2. Sorta related to number 1, the car came with XM. I'm really undecided about whether or not I want to keep it. XM doesn't have NFL games (Sirrius does). XM doesn't have Texas A&M or Big 12 games (Sirrius does). Tom Petty had a radio show on XM, but it's gone now. And I haven't really found any stations that just grab me (Sirrius has "Left of Center" which plays alot of really good alternative and underground rock). It was nice to be able to drive up to Albuquerque and listen to the same stuff, but ya know I could that with an IPOD too. The cost per month is $14.95. That price point is a little higher than what I was prepared to pay. It would be way more attractive at $10.00.
3. The new car also came with onstar. I had to use it yesterday for the first time to call Sheila when I left my phone in her car Friday night. Eh. I don't like the idea of being tracked via GPS, and the rates to use the hands free cellphone calling are outrageous. I probably won't renew that. In fact, I'm actively looking for any mechanic that knows how to disable it completely. Anyone?
4. Studying for the LSAT is coming along. I'm on book 10 of a 15 book review. The test is still tentatively scheduled for Sept. 29th in Albuquerque (with the stress releasing after-party to follow soon after). After a conversation with Tommy two weeks ago, the law school picture has changed somewhat. UNM does not allow ANYONE to work their first year, and only 20 hours a week (with dean's approval) thereafter. If you work at all first year, you're out. Scott can't afford to outright not work while studying to be an ambulance chaser.
With that in mind, and after talking to my boss about some alternatives, the top law school choices as of right now are St. Mary's in San Antonio and University of Houston, with South Texas School of Law coming in after that. All three offer part-time programs in cities where I can keep working at my current job.
So, yea. All that was exciting.
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| Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
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11:09 am - RIP Boots Randolph
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That's the guy who did the Benny Hill theme. We should all be thankful that he has given us a song that can be used to make ANYTHING funny.
(The following are safe for work, but not safe for your soul)
Exhibit A: The Passion of the Hill
Exhibit B: 9/11
Goodnight funnyman.
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| Tuesday, June 12th, 2007
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2:14 pm - White Sands
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2:17 am - Dream of a butterfly
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We all have our self image. It's those traits that we like to think of ourselves as possesing. And we try our best to project those traits, believing that perhaps if we show them strongly enough they will become us. But do they? Is man made by his belief? Or perhaps are there inalienable self-truths that cannot be erased?
Once Chuang Chou dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Chuang Chou. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Chuang Chou. But he didn't know if he was Chuang Chou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Chuang Chou.
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| Saturday, June 2nd, 2007
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1:08 pm - The third part of a magic act is called The Prestige."
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Texas may be moot in 2008 presidential primaries
Texas voters will go to the polls on March 4 of next year to vote for their presidential nominee. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that the race will have already been decided a month earlier on February 5th. By the time we hit the polls, 57 percent of the delegates for each presidential campaign will have been chosen. And if the last 3 presidential cycles are any indication, then the nominations will already be well in-hand by this point.
The legislature had the chance to move our primary forward, but they would have first had to change the state constitution to allow incumbants to file in the same calendar year before their terms are done.
Longer campaign seasons benefit the lesser known candidates because it gives them more exposure and allows them to build up steam and collect money. Shorter primary seasons benefit the front-runners and established candidates because they've already collected their funds. Now they're just trying to manage their image long enough to collect the nomination.
In reality, the ones who really benefit from all this is the political parties. The party leadership decides who they want for their candidate, and they absolutely can't stand it when a Bill Clinton or John McCain comes along and actually *gasp* TRIES to unseat the annoited one. Shorter primaries will give the media less time to investigate candidates and find something incriminating (like they did with Gary Hart). It also means that the front runners have less of a chance of going tits-up because they did something dumb (such as with Howard Deans YYYEEEUUUHHHH!).
Towards the end of the Roman Empire, it was publically acknowledged that the position of Caesar has become a hereditary title. It would seem that we have not yet reached that point of disclosure. Regardless, soon enough the party leadership will decide who they want to run. At that point, the illusion that is the presidential primaries will be complete.
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3:18 am - Friday night
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(sidenote: A review of our memorial day weekend trip to San Antonio and Austin is coming soon)
So I spent much of this evening doing my LSAT review (studying on a Friday night? What's become of me? :) Around 10:00 I decided it was time to destroy the brain a little bit. Luckily Sheila and Michelle (and later Jess) were willing to help.
Noteable revelations from this evening:
-- Zippo has the greatest business model EVAR. "Gee, let's charge people a premium to buy our really cool looking lighters. Then, we'll do a shitty job of sealing said lighters from the air. Then, we'll make our lighter fluid unstable so that it easily evaporates when it comes into contact with air, thus forcing the poor sap that bought our lighter to have to refill the thing every 1 - 2 weeks. Of course they'll have to buy lighter fluid from us, assuring our profits." It's actually rather brilliant. It's also freaking hard to find zippo fluid when you need it.
-- Why is the girl at the bar wearing the really skimpy red dress that barely covers her ass busy flirting with the Vato looking dude who is covered in tats and wearing a wife beater? Usual protocol says that he's either rich or sporting 10 inches, but still, what the hell? And how does one portray the necessary image in order to attract the attention of said skimpy dress wearing girl?
-- It's cost me a fair amount of money to get it back into good running condition, but it's warm summer nights like these that make me glad I bought my Porsche convertible. Cruising down the freeway with the wind in your hair makes you WANT to miss your exit just so you can drive around that much longer.
-- Johnny Walker Gold label and a good cuban cigar is still the best way to wind down an evening.
In short:
"Royal would have found the event to be most satisfactory."
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| Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
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12:29 am - A series of unfortunate events.
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The last couple days have been a mixed bag.
Good: Had a chilli pot-luck at my house on Saturday. Started around 6 p.m. The last guest left around 3 a.m. Overall everyone had a good time. Jess cooked two great pots of chili. Lots of beer and liquor consumed. Good times for all.
Bad: 3 hours before the party, my Saturn died at Albertsons. This sucked ass. The symptoms lead me to believe that it was either the car's computer or the fuel pump. Either repair would cost big $$$.
Good: Turns out it was the ignition relay. $200 and one day in the shop later, the Saturn is back on the road.
Bad: The Saturn mechanic (different form the kraut that works on the Porsche) fucked up the wiring in the steering colum. Now the Saturns passive anti-theft system thinks I'm trying to start the car without the key, and it shuts down the entire electrical system.. I'm hoping that the Saturn customer service center will be able to offer up a bypass tomorrow so I can get it back to the shop.
Even worse: The clutch on the Porsche started acting up last week. The pedal only comes halfway up when released. I have a bad feeling that this is the original factory clutch with a rubber dohnut in it. When the engine went out last year, I begged the mechanic to replace it. He did not. Stay tuned to see if Scott kills the mechanic. For those who have never had a clutch in a standard replaced, it costs an assload of money due to the time involved. Damn.
And just like last year, all these expenses are happening right before a major trip. Chris, Jess, Batty, and I are heading to east Texas for Memorial Day weekend. Not a good time to be laying out cash. Ugh.
Why do the vacation gods always wait until right before you're ready to leave to give you the business??
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12:28 am - Lawyer Scott rides again
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In anticipation of my (hopefully) future legal career, I took on what I guess could be my first case today. Patrick got in an accident, so he took the car to a mechanic on Doniphan and dropped it off for repair. That was a month ago.
Far as I can tell, Patrick visited the guy last Wed. Yesterday they discovered that the dude has gone out of business. Their car, missing hood, fender, and all, is now in an adjacent impound yard. So the car was impounded sometime between Wed. night and Sunday morning. And the salvage yard wanted $200 to release the car.
This is where the legal issues come in. The car was left, complete with contract, in the hands of the renting tenant. Furthermore they pre-paid the guy $600 for repairs. They called the number listed on the impound fence and got nowhere. Contract law at this point says that the body shop becomes the temporary custodian of the automobile. However they do not have authority to turn it over to a third party. Furthermore as a debt was owed to Andrea and Patrick in the form of services to be rendered, the landlord does not have a case for holding the car for payment (as this is a titled asset however, none of that applies anyway).
Texas law is pretty wide open when it comes to regulating tow truck operators and impound yards. However Texas has one important remedy that most other states don't have: If your car is impounded, you can request a "tow hearing" within 14 days of being notified of the seizure. Basically it is a hearing where the tow yard must show probably cause for why the car was impounded. The hearing is granted an expediated status, so usually you're before the judge in less than 10 business days after the pleading is filed. At this hearing, you can also challenge how much you were charged for the impound, etc. If you win, you get your car back plus associated car costs. If the ruling is that the tow yard did not have probably cause, then you also have a green light to sue the yard in small claims court for damages.
Other tidbits in case you ever need to fight an "involuntary impound":
1. The rights of owners of "stored vehicles" - Chapter 685 of the Texas legal code.
2. If your car is involuntarily moved, the police must be notified within 2 hours.
3. The impound yard must notify the owner of the vehicle in writing that they have the car. They have 5 days to do this for in-state cars and 14 days for out-of-state cars.
4. TXDot page on towing vehicles.
5. Storage facility FAQ - You have the right to retrieve items from an impounded car.
6. Chapter 684 - Removal of vehicles from public and private roadways.
7. Chapter 683 - Abandoned motor vehicles.
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| Saturday, May 19th, 2007
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12:08 pm - Funniest site you will see EVAR.
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Ok, well maybe not ever. But this year at least.
I can't believe he's still single!
This site is GOLD. The personals by themselves are epic. The comments just add to the appeal. While I have no doubt that some of these personals may be fakes, there are many that look very very real. Check the site out. Add it to your bookmarks. You won't be disappointed!
Quotes from some of these personal ads:
You've got people who just lay it all on the table and get to the point:
"I’m just looking for a good, honest, decent girl I can have lots of sex with."
And:
"If you like quiet intimate times at home, this may be the perfect set up. Right now, I have to wear this stupid ankle bracelet. Rest assured, as soon as it comes off and I find gainful employment, I’ll take you to the KFC’s here by my house.
And:
"Looking for dirty whores
Age: 28
Location: Florida
Ok, not really. If you are in actuality, a dirty whore or have VD, I am sorry for the misunderstanding, but please see your way out."
And my personal favorite:
"I'm pretty well read. I've recently had a chance to read a lot of the classics, the Bible, and a lot of trade manuals. You would not be at a loss for conversation with me ever. I can wax poetic on the intricacies of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning."
This site also rocks because they have contests like "caption the bachelor" featuring profile pics like these:
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| Friday, April 27th, 2007
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12:59 pm - No update in a while.
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And there is a good reason for that: Fucking Time Warner has been screwing the pooch on my internet service for the past two weeks. On top of not being able to post my pretentious blog posts (which I KNOW you all have missed :D ) I've been unable to do work at home. Anytime internet access has been needed, I've had to go into the office or go to an internet cafe (there was also that incident last week where I had to do the creepy "drive up and down the neighborhood looking for an open accesspoint" thing, but let's not speak of that).
I should have DSL installed early next week.
Right now the connection is up. By tonight it will probably go down like a... well nevermind.
Anyway, the summary from the past two weeks:
1. College station went well. Mike is all moved in, and his house is cool. Fulfilled my craving for Layne's and Freebirds. Sorry Jeff, I didn't have anything to eat at Wings N More (although I feel ya! One of my favorite places to be sure).
2. Before leaving College Station for Austin, I took two hours and meandered around the campus. And yes, I got all caught up in the moment and shit. But damn, campus has changed so much in a few years. I can only imagine what the old Ags from the 60's must think when they come back and visit. Still, it's where ole Captain Happyhour came of age and it still gets me right *here* just driving around the place.
While there, I took this pic (props to carlos for pointing out this little photo op. It had never even dawned on me):
All I have to say to that is "Cocaine is a hell of a drug."
3. While there taking pictures, I put my new T-mobile phone in my pocket. Little did I know that it's got a design flaw. I didn't exert any pressure on it and I didn't hit my hip against anything, but the next thing I know the damn screen was jacked up. The new phone arrived on Tuesday, but if you called me or sent me a text message before then (basically all last week), I didn't see it.
A visual (note the big black spot on the lower-left corner of the screen. Bascially only the bottom quarter of the screen is visible):
Let's see. Finals are coming. After this semester I've got one more left. Uh....Jess, Chris, Batty, and I will be doing a roadtrip to San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas over Memorial Day weekend. More details to come.
I think that's it. Gosh, I haven't been able to use the internet in like a week and a half. Hopefully the cable will stay up for a while. I need to go place my NBA bets and download pornogra.....I mean.... catch up on world events and make sure my stock portfolio is diversified (yea right).
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| Friday, April 13th, 2007
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9:49 am - Heading to college station
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T-minus 2 and a half hours and counting.
Mmmmm....Freebirds.
Mmmmm....Chicken oil company.
Mmmmm....Layne's.
And of course the obligatory Tom Petty traveling song (he seems to really like those):
There's some friends that I know
Living in this town and I've come far to see them.
Gonna track em' down.
They live in a brick house painted white and brown.
Left a tip for the maid and I packed up my guitar,
Dropped my key on the counter, rented a car.
Gonna hook up with em' later and go hit the bars.
I need a big weekend. Kick up the dust.
Yeah a big weekend.
If you don't run, you rust.
current music: Tom Petty - Big Weekend
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