Here's something you haven't heard for probably 5 or 6 years. Maybe 8 years, I don't know:

What's Going On - by Four Non-Blondes.

Heh.

Oh, the '06 Tax Return Present gets shipping "beginning of this week." So I'll hopefully have it by Friday. Saving money to spend on car repairs? That's for suckers.

Rioting by "youths" hit a major Parish train station today. (Warning: FoxNews link - here.)

But this is only to be expected. The last I heard, there were parts of the Paris suburbs that were so hostile to non-Arab police officers that the police began refusing to even enter those areas to attempt to quell rioting and general lawlessness that has persisted since the beginning of the rioting in 2005.

If you don't go in there and root out the problem, it's just going to spread. The same goes with ignoring the problem, or pretending that there is no issue to be dealt with.

If they continue to be big do-nothings regarding the latent racial/religious tensions, next year it won't just be burning cars and smashing windows.

Made a nice purchase online today while at work. Expect me to show it off in a couple of weeks!

To the angry, white Toyota Carrolla driver out there on N. Sheperd street:

Hello. I'm sorry I did... whatever it is that I did that so upset you. You see, I didn't do anything on purpose to make your drive-time commute more difficult than it had to be, so I didn't understand why you floored your crappy 4-block piece of shit car to "zoom" past me while giving me a dilapidated and weak middle finger, which at first, with your wrinkley hand up in the air next to your rawhide face and frizzled $8 hair-style made me think that the Cryptkeeper was driving next to me, until you opened your mouth to yell something to me (sorry, I didn't catch it because there's 20 feet and two pieces of pneumatically-sealed glass between us) and I saw your ugly and small pointy teeth and realized that it was some feeble old lady trying to tell me I was doing too well of a job trying to drive slowly and carefully home from the supermarket.

Life's too short to be that much of a bitch, sweetheart.

watch the sun,
as it crawls across a final time
and it feels like,
like it was a friend.
it is watching us,
and the world we set on fire
do you wonder,
if it feels the same?

and the sky is filled with light
can you see it?
all the black is really white
if you believe it
as your time is running out
let me take away your doubt
you can find a better a place
in this twilight

dust to dust,
ashes in your hair remind me
what it feels like
and I won't feel again
night descends
could I have been a better person
if I could only do it all again

and the sky is filled with light
can you see it?
all the black is really white
if you believe it
and the longing that you feel
you know none of this is real
you will find a better place
in this twilight

-NIN's "In This Twilight"

Two things happened today:

I found a man dying (more than likely already dead) of a heart attack in a parking lot at the gun range. This poor guy was face-up sprawled out on his back when I pulled into the range. At first I was dreading finding someone who'd shot themselves and hit by an accidental discharge or some freak accident while putting some guns into his car, but there was no blood, just an older-looking man lying peacefully on his back. His name was Michael, he was 53, and he rented a place from Gary, the gun store owner and worked at the range. I went in and got some help, someone started CPR as we called 911, they came fast and got to work on him, but he didn't make it. It was his time to go.

The saddest part is that he has no family. His story was apparently a pretty rough one, although the last part of his life he had essentially got everything worked out, he had a rough early adulthood, it sounded like. At the least he had friends that cared about him.

I hope he was ready to go. It's times like this that I feel a need to pray for God's mercy.

On a lighter note, depending on how much of my tax return I get to keep after a car repair, I'm going to be acquiring an AR-15. The AR-15 is all kinds of awesome.

How long do you let someone treat you without respect before you dissolve the friendship from your end?

NIN's new album, Year Zero, so far sounds like it's going to be amazing. They have this theme for the album - almost a concept album - where in 2022, some kind of rightwing fundamentalist Christian politik has taken over America. They put stuff in the water to subvert the people. And this... thing - called "The Presence" - which is some kind of Hand of God - reaches down from the sky, and the only people that can see or feel it are (if I understand correctly) those that aren't taking the medicated water.

At any rate, the music sounds like it's going to be top notch. I was a bit worried after With Teeth because there were really only 3 tracks on the album that I really enjoy listening.

I'm designing the rest of these primers at home, where there is terriyaki beef jerky and cold Diet Rite Tangerine soda.

I cut my hair. Not too short. And, no, Dan, not to be like you.

By the way - how did it get to be 6:40am? I mean, the equivalent of 5:40am? Got a lot of work to do tomorrow.

Today I:
*repaired my pair of sandals using a high-power staple gun, a hammer, and a dinner fork - in that order
*cleaned the Beretta 92FS 9MM. Such a pretty gun, I really need to keep that baby cleaner, like she deserves. Who knew so much gunk could get stuck in there?
*started watching Rome season II. Really damned good. So far it's not quite as entertaining as season I, but that's like saying the second ribeye steak wasn't as good as the first when in reality you didn't need two steaks, you fatty
*and speaking of steaks, I weighed myself and discovered I'm getting fatter
*cut my hair to a reasonable length
*stayed up way too goddamned late!!

In other news, I feel like queuing up some Tool and going for a ride in the automobile. Maybe out I-10 west of town, or I-45 south towards Galveston.

Dark highways are good for the soul.

See ya later.

I didn't win $50 million. Three bucks wasted!

Yeah, so I went to the bookstore, then to Big Lots (then back to work.)

And here I am, busting out my new phosphor-electro-sparking multi-colored glass electro-swirly-sculpture and my new 4x4 LED color pattern generator. Together less than $20, these babies will bring me endless joy here at work.

You, reader, have little or no understanding of what I'm saying, do you?

Well, here's a link to the LED Color Cube thing from Homedics (I paid just $6 for it!) and here's the Mini Electra lamp.

The best part about this? Whoever the hell is reading has absolutely no interest in all of this!

Plane wreckage on some island

A capsizing luxury boat

And in Utah, the satellite picture captures some kind of missile (ICBM?)
mid-flight.

It helps if you zoom out a little bit to get more context, but still - pretty fascinating.

If you're going to be using Windows Vista, here's a great article to show you how to configure that 'pewter to use less electricity.

Meanwhile, I'm going to be here late tonight developing an RNA blot because I'm just starting the washes and it's already past 5pm. But that's cool - I mean, what else would I have to do on a Friday night besides do high-stringency salt washes and antibody detection?

Now to get some Metallica copied onto the music player so I can rock out with my science out.

There's only one thing that's going to happen for sure, and that is the purchase of additional RUSH albums.