Free Speech

We take free speech for granted. In this day and age, we've gotten used to being able to say what we want. And if something comes up that restricts what we do, we can claim that it's actually encroaching on our speech and we are therefore allowed to do it.

It didn't used to be like that. The English government used to have the right to punish anyone who threatened the image of ruling class because they couldn't rule properly if they weren't properly respected by the people. That was later done away with in America, but changed into the government being allowed to punish any who threatened the harmony of the community. It didn't matter if the things being said were true or not. In the case of that English law, it was even worse if it was true because it only highlighted that the rulers were like the commoners and equally fallible.

These are troubled times, my friend, when initiatives turn into debates for laws-in-the-making about issues that will take away freedoms that have been paid for at a premium during the decades it's taken us to get away from that time when someone could be punished for honestly stating that the judge was corrupt.*

There are reasons behind what's going down, but acts like SOPA and PIPA are not the answer. No matter what good security comes from such highhandedness, so much more collateral damage will build up as innocent bystanders are wiped out either by accident or from abuse of the system. And it's not okay.

*Source: Freedom of Speech, for the thought we hate the most, a biography of the First Amendment.

Does this match?

Getting dressed successfully in the dark is actually a great accomplishment. First of all, you need to get the right garments: the right number of underthings (bra, undershirt, undies), two socks, one top, one bottom, two shoes, and maybe one jacket. Not including accessories. Secondly, and the thing I often find most difficult, you need to put these things on properly. Undershirts are easy to get mixed up with regular t-shirts. Did you get all your buttons in the right holes? Oh, nope. You missed that one in the middle. Gotta do it over again. Socks are interchangeable, but are you sure you didn't put them on inside out? How about your underwear? Are they on right or maybe they're either backwards or inside out? Maybe it's all of the above. Oopsies. Kind of as an after though, do all of your clothes match now that you've put them on properly? Black, red, blue, green, purple... they all look the same at 5:30am in the faint reflected glow of the porch light as it bounces down the hall.

If you're one of those who doesn't like additional light when you first get up, setting your clothes out the night before is a huge help. If that's too put-together for you, make sure you're really familiar with your wardrobe. Know where everything is and know what the different articles feel like. Sadly, Method Two is how I keep from being naked all day. I know that the clean laundry is on the chair by my bed. I know that the rough socks are the ugly green ones. I can tell by feel which shirts I don't want to wear. I can't really tell which are the ones I do want to wear, but the uncertainty at least lessened some.

But you know what? You have my slacker respect if you put on whatever is on your way out the door. Doesn't matter if it's backwards, doesn't matter if it's clean. You're out of bed and dressed. What more can we ask of you?

Extended Sales Force

Maybe you've been to an electronic store like Fry's or Best Buy recently and seen new sales guys with different uniforms and been like "What's up with that?" Well, probably not, but I'll explain anyway.

The guys in the white polo shirts with the assorted computer company logos on them are employed by the guys on the shirt rather than the logo on the building. The guy in the Lexmark shirt is not being trained on the sales floor at Fry's by the guy in the suit even though it might look that way. The white shirt guys are hired and trained by their respective companies to be experts about their products and are placed in the different storefronts as part of the Extended Sales Force, ESF, to answer questions about the ins and outs of the different machinery. Wait, they're getting people who know what they're talking about to talk to you about the merchandise? *shock*

If you want to know about the new Epson printer, find the white shirt with Epson on it. If you want to know about the new HP laptop, don't ask the Epson guy where you can find him cuz chances are, you'll never find him.

If you happen to be at Fry's or any other store where a regular store employee is stalking you, it's probably because they're trying to hunt you down and take the commission.

Fried Worm Sandwiches

It's a little late for Halloween but this is definitely something to remember the next time you have some kids to entertain. I admit that I haven't tried it yet, but I heard one of the best uses for hot dogs.

Cut the hot dogs lengthwise into quarters.
Dip them into a mix of mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard and then fry them in a skillet with a little bit of oil.
The hot dog strips will curl up a little and the condiments will add color so they look like disgusting, dirty worms.
Serve on a bun with some relish and you have one fried worm sandwich with a bit of mold for garnish.

pseudo "slaved all day"

My new favorite ingredient is green enchilada sauce. It comes in whatever spice intensity that suits your personal tastes, it's readily available in grocery stores, it has all the seasonings you need (though it can always stand a little bit more :), and someone else did all the work to give it that rich and deep flavor that you can pass off as your own. I currently have two favorite applications for my new favorite ingredient: chile verde and regular chili.

Chile verde: Cube then brown whatever kind of meat you want (doesn't have to be pork but pork shoulder really does work the best) with an onion and some garlic in a deep skillet until it all picks up some good color then add a big can of the green stuff and maybe another can of diced green chiles. Let it simmer for 30-60 minutes and it tastes like it's been several hours.

Chili: brown ground protein (again, doesn't matter but ground sirloin is absolutely delicious) with onion and garlic, throw in whatever tomato products you like as well as any pre-cooked/canned vegetables or starches, and drown it with the enchilada sauce. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors mingle, but the longer it bubbles on low, the better it tastes. If you don't use juicy tomato products or only a small amount, you'll most likely need to add some water to loosen your chili up. I have used a can of tomato sauce before and tonight I used a large can of crushed tomatoes. I haven't tried ketchup, but go for it if that's your thing and report back!

"new" roof

We got some work done on our roof. It's a traditional wooden shake roof that looked like it was time for an update, but we don't have the money to re-roof. So when this guy going door-to-door came by saying they could restore the roof for a fraction of the cost, we were all for it. No, it wasn't a scam. They made the roof look beautiful. They power washed it to get all the dirt and moss and lichen and whatever else out/off of it and then they sealed it, maybe they also stained it. It makes the house look so much younger and lighter. BUT! But, I think that the sealant blew into the leaves of a nearby tree because it's already started to turn colors while the others haven't. Maybe it's not because of the roof stuff because, as I said, the other trees haven't turned yet. It's just that the timing is rather sketchy.

Regardless, our roof looks fantastic.

Right vs Left (brain, not wing)

I've taken those lame magazine quizzes: I am whole-brained. And I agree. My left and right lobes seem to be equally prominent. While in general that seems to be awesome, it can make me a little bit obsessive and impulsive when only half of my personality seems to be getting quality time out in pubic.

When I was a science major, it was fascinating at first but became very very hard and drew out the creative side of me. I was driven to write and felt like I was going crazy under all of the figures and facts and tables when I didn't. I cranked out A LOT of wordage in those few years. When I switched majors, it went away. I joined the College of Humanities instead and couldn't produce a single decent piece outside of a classroom assignment for several months. I tried because I missed writing, but there wasn't anything behind the drive aside from habit. My muse was free of her prison and she wasn't ready to come back.

The right side of my brain greatly enjoyed all the reading and essays I had to do, but the left side missed the structure of the sciences. It began to self-medicate with crossword and sudoku puzzles to try to erect structures in the void. Not a big deal, no, but the puzzles were easy and slightly interfered with my concentration during class. Classes which were not conducted in English, I might add.

Now that I have graduated university, I work. I don't know if it's because of the whole left-right brain thing, I got creative spark that won't be satisfied until my project is done, or because I feel ineffectual at work and need something with enduring results but I have become crafty. There is an afghan-ish blanket that I want to make and I've been spending a lot of my free time working on it. I've also been checking out project books on almost every trip to the library. They're mostly beyond my skill level, but I like looking at them.

I often say that my style involves a little bit of chaos. Perhaps that's what it takes for both facets of my personality to assert themselves since they obviously haven't discovered how to play nicely with each other.