Oops... I did it again.

So, yesterday I posted a status update on my FB page which was then reposted by a friend. My intent was to point out that, yeah, Amy whats-her-face drugged herself to death (Darwinian theory working as intended) and people were making a huge deal out of it while ignoring the more important event that had occurred that day: 92 people being murdered by a Christian extremist in Norway.

I just had to post the ensuing conversation for posterity and hilarity. So, for those of you not fortunate enough to have enjoyed this on Buie's FB page, I give you "The Angry Teabagger."

 

I apologize for the shitty image quality. 

I didn't feel the need to throw gas on the fire by pointing out that I am not alone in viewing the tea party as an extremist fringe political cult. With figureheads like Limbaugh, Bachmann, Glenn Beck, and Sarah Palin it's hard to take them seriously, and easy to see why I would equate them to gun loving, religious, xenophobic, anti-anything-not-Christian fuckbags like this Norwegian bomber chap. 

Being Wil Wheaton

I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to come out and say it. I have always felt that I have spent much of my life trapped in the wrong body. I'm not saying I have a pressing desire to wear silky bottoms or anything. My problem isn't one of sexual identity (I like innies, not outies), but rather one of expectations. It struck me recently when I was accused of acting macho simply by standing with my arms crossed (I have back issues so standing with my arms crossed helps align my posture into a comfortable position) that people see me as some oafish man-brute.  I am often called things like "Big fella" or "Hoss" (whatever the fuck that means). When I talk to people they genuinely seem surprised that I am a moderately intelligent individual. I think when people look at me they expect me to act something like this:

When on the inside I think, act, and feel more like this:

Seriously... I'm like a neck beard away from joining a LARP group! (No offense to my LARPing friends... I'm just not that far gone yet).

Take tonight for example: in my Intro to Psych class we were discussing cognitive abilities associated with learning and memory. The professor put a series of numbers on the board (1-7-7-6-1-4-9-2-1-8-1-2-1-9-4-1)  and asked us to memorize them and then moved on. At the end of class I raised my hand and recited them perfectly. He seemed kind of surprised that I remembered them. I said it was easy. As soon as I saw the numbers I recognized them as significant dates in American history, so I broke them down and remembered them as simply as this:

1776-Declaration of Independance

1492-Columbus sailed the ocean blue (and wiped out an entire native population)

1812- comma the war of

1941- The bombing of Pearl Harbor. 

To me, no biggie--a simple task. But the Professor seemed surprised. 

The moral of this story is that I feel like people look at me and expect some mindless slab of idiot-meat. My physical being does not reflect my mental being. I look like someone who should be out tailgating, "ahhh-guy'ing" about football, high-fiving my buddies, and chest-bumping over our sexual conquests. In reality I am a 5+ year subscriber to World of Warcraft with multiple max level characters. I love reading fantasy novels (WoT, Song of Ice and Fire, Malazan etc.).  I love video games, comic books, cartoons, super heroes, and movies about all of the above. I watch just about every sci-fi show on the Sci-Fi channel (I refuse to use their idiotic new moniker). And--brace yourself--I like Star Trek more than I like Star Wars. *ducks*

So basically what it boils down to is that I want be like Wil Wheaton. The man just makes geekdom look cool! 

...okay... maybe not THAT cool.

My boy Darwin

Okay, I admit it. I lapsed. I promised I wouldn't fall off the planet, and I did. I lied. I'm a big fat liar pants. Get over it.

I'm Kinda sorta working again. I took a part time job working for a friend of mine at the State Liquor and Wine outlet. I love it. The people are awesome, we have a lot of laughs. It is a total reversal of my last eleven years where I hated the majority of the people I worked with, and wouldn't piss on most of them if they spontaneously combusted. I would more likely roast marshmallows on their twitching corpses... and I don't even like marshmallows! I'm also back working the door at "The Bar". Again, I like it. Easy money. The store is great, but I'm not sure it is a long-term deal. My severance is slowly shrinking and I should probably start looking for something more permanent and lucrative if I want to maintain my little nest egg. I'll hold onto the bar as long as possible--easy money and all--and it wouldn't really interfere with a M-F 9-5 type gig.

I am also taking two classes this term. History I, and Humanities II. History isn't bad because it's in class. I somehow thought it would be a great idea to take Humanities as an online course. I was wrong. I liken it to repeatedly hitting myself in the face with a bag of hammers. Anyway, the impetus for this post is that in my humanities class we have to post discussions about historical figures, artists, literature, paintings... all that smartsy type shit. So I posted about Darwin and the theory of evolution since it was period specific (Neoclassical/Romantic era). Holy fucking Christ on a stick you'd think I just prison raped the virgin Mary!

I get comments like this shit:

"i find darwins  ideas and beliefs to be intriguing,  although i have christian beliefs and therefore i do not believe his  theories, i still find his  work to be very interesting everyone has a different perspective in life."

Really? You don't believe hundreds of years of scientific proof, human genome mapping, genetic studies of both flora and fauna, entire libraries filled from floor to ceiling of documented, empirical, scientific data that all points to the fact that evolution is real and ongoing? Do you also not believe that the sun is the center of the solar system and that dinosaurs once roamed the earth? You do realize that even the catholic church accepts the principles of evolution to be fact right?

"I also have Christian beliefs, and I do find Darwin's theory interesting and I could see why people would believe that. A part of me thinks that what he believes makes sense and all, but I've had the fact that we were created drilled into my head for so long that it's kind of hard to think anything else happened."

And a part of me believes you almost pulled your head out of your ass long enough to think for yourself instead of letting years of indoctrination do your thinking for you.

Don't get me wrong, if a grown adult wants to believe a fairy tale about a giant magical dude in the sky wiggling his fingers to make things happen, all the power to ya! I have no problem with people looking for an explanation for their existence. It's just when people bury their heads in the sand and refuse to THINK outside the biblical box that I get a little perturbed. I may be a godless heathen, but even I know that your good books tells us that G-to-the-D gave humans the gift of free will, which comes with perks like making your own decisions and questioning the workings of the natural world. I am even okay with the belief that G-to-the-D kick-started the universe and let it evolve on its own. But to deny scientific proof of something simply because it wasn't written down in your book is just childish and inane.

I'm not a "take things on faith" kinda guy. I believe in what I can see, touch, feel, examine, question, and tangibly witness. I would love for God to come down, pat me on the back and say "hey, look, here I am. All my glory and awesomeness and shit. Let's talk." And I would accept his existence without further question or denial, but until that day I rely on proof. Hard proof. Not that frilly shit like "well then how do you explain *insert some seemingly miraculous event here*" or "Well the bible says *insert circumstantial evidence of God here*." I'm sure there are all sorts of events that, on the surface, appear entirely miraculous. Just as I am sure there is a scientific explanation for all of them. I don't believe in ghosts, Zeus, Coyote,  Allah, Yahweh, or any other member of the forgotten pantheons of gods and goddesses that came before this incarnation of convenient explanation, or any that may follow. If that means we cant be friends, I'm sorry to hear that, but at least you used your "god given" ability for free thought to come to that decision.

Mediocre Man Vs. Provocation II

Got a facebook email from *Frank* this AM.

Hey MM, I wasn't taking a shot at you personally. I sometimes consider it a bit unfair to take all of the shots at Bush. It has become politically hip to denigrate him. I didn't agree with a lot of his policies either, but I sometimes feel that he is far less appreciated for what he did do, and the manner in which he did it. I usually like to call things as I see them and don't always go with the flow. Good discourse here though, and no offense intended and none taken.

To which I responded:

Hey Frank,

I never felt that our discourse strayed into ad hominem territory. It seems we are making the same point only from opposite sides. It has become equally popular to denigrate Obama. I just feel passionately that people should look at things from both sides before passing judgment. I wasn't a Bush fan but I can agree that he did some things right. It may surprise you that I am not a big Obama fan either, despite having voted for him. In times like these we need fiscal responsibility, not rampant spending and governmental nannying. It may also surprise you that I voted for some republicans in the midterm election for those reason exactly. I'm pretty centrist really. 

I never felt attacked. I just enjoy a good honest argument now and then and can get a little punchy. Likewise, no offense was intended and none was taken.

And then to the thread, which continues:

My friend the Bushist: I do not think we can color confusion . Confusion is a state of mind. Bush did what he needed to do to protect our country. I do not agree with a lot of his policies. But, you have to agree that with the current President we have now, is that he does not have a clue.

Roger: 8 years with Bush ,2 with Obama, 10 years of confusion. i believe the old addage is true, men will not ask for directions when they are lost. (2 people like this. Me and Frank.) 

Frank:  Well put *MM, Bushist and Roger*. I believe the whole political process as it stands now is lost. The political dialogue is mostly being hijacked by both far right and far left activists who conveniently control different aspects of either the ...media or vast amounts of capital that is used to control back door attempts and sometimes not so back door attempts to sway public opinion through quite often not totally honest statements. The problem is that what makes common sense to a far righter is abhorrent to a far lefter and vice versa. And most people for years have become far removed from the political process. The average voter is far less informed than he or she should be. And political advertising consists of mostly dishonest or disingenuous sound bites. The answer ? At stake ? What direction is this country going to go in. Will it continue to to be what the forefathers set it up to be ? Or is it even that now ? This is a very interesting time in the history of this country and so, for the world. We might not all realize it but the future as we will live it is being determined as we go. There is truth in what all of us have written here but ultimately the people we elect will determine that direction. Food for thought for us all. (2 people like this. Me and Roger) 


Me: To Roger's point: I couldn't agree more. The thing is, we aren't going to fix 8 years of mess in 2 years. I voted for Obama, but I'm not exactly thrilled with the rampant spending in a time where fiscal responsibility is needed. I just think it is fair to cut the guy a little bit of a break considering the shit storm he walked into. Anybody stepping into that office, even old Crusty McDusty McCain himself would have been hard pressed to please anyone in such a climate.

And to Frank's statement: Again, couldn't agree more. Somewhere along the lines we forgot to be a nation of, for, and by the people and became a nation of, for, and by the highest bidders. Our government was lost the second it became a get rich quick scheme with officials in the pockets of big business. I understand the system needs money to grease the wheels, but I also don't want my government run on the whims of billionaire industry looking for more billions.

Gentlemen, good discourse. It was a supreme pleasure to converse with such well versed individuals.






And we all live happily ever after. 


(Surprise! I'm not a Democrat as I am often accused. I vote independent of party affiliation.)

Mediocre Man Vs. Provocation

Why do people provoke me? Seriously!

Another tale of woe from the Facebook chronicles. A friend of mine (despite his irrational love of the retard formerly known as President Bush) posted a link to Dubya's new memoir with the caption "He did care about this country!" Which was fine. I took no umbrage to this.  We are all entitled to our opinions. I didn't like Bush or his policies, but my friend did and I respect that. As a rational human being I don't understand it, but I respect it.

Of course, then the right wing loons have to come out and play. This is the thread, word for word (names changed of course) that ensued.


Frank: He took one for us and never complained or defended himself. He protected the country and the office of the President. (2 people like this)


Deb: LMAO! History will tell.

Me: no comment (aren't we having fun!)


Karen: *name removed* are you sure that's not a coloring book he's signing? (1 person likes this. Me.) 


Jane: *Karen* funny comment will give ya that..but be is alright..straight shooter and 1000xs better than the dickhead that is in office now!

(now my ire is stirred.)

Me: Forget not who the present dickhead inherited his mess from.

My friend who posted: brotha you do have to remember who put us there. Barney Frank Chris Dodd (Housing mess), wow they were Democrats, and they controlled Congress. *Karen* I hope so I like to color. (2 people like this)


Jane: Yes *MM* it was his fellow dickhead democrats in the house. (1 person likes this)


Frank: George Bush didn't create the housing mess (Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and liberal Dem lending rules) nor did he create a no win climate in the US auto industy (unions). He did instill confidence and a sense of unity and pride after 9-11, which everyone seems to forget. I would have had no other Pres on 9-12. And, he is a selfless, sincere Patriot, proud to be an American, which cannot be said about the current socialist apologizer. (1 person likes this) 


Me: Bush also got us into a useless war that has cost us trillions of dollars. And the housing crisis started before the Clinton administration when the elder Bush administration chose to ignore warnings about derivatives regulation. I'm not blowing rainbows up Obama's ass here, I'm just saying that the right has a tendency to ignore/forget the past while blaming the new guy for everything their party is responsible for.

(Am I the only one being reasonable here or am I playing devils advocate?) 


Bill: And the left contiues to believe in "HOPE".....close my eyes and let's hope this all gets better in the morning? It was the Dems that refused to have Freddie & Fannie investigated by stating that both (freddie & fannie) were stable....according to Barney Frank....but then again maybe Barney was having a conversation about the TABLE....being stable.


( I think Bill tried to make a funny and failed.)


Me: I dont disagree about the left's unrealistic optimism. I just think that if people are going to lay blame and point fingers they should at least attempt to learn the facts involved. Blind obsequence, regardless of party affiliation, does nobody any good.

Frank: it seems the blind obsequence started with your quote "Forget not who the present dickhead inherited his mess from". Don't forget, despite the rejection that just happened in this last election, both Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have all stated that they "didn't properly sell their message to the American people". The American people know exactly what they are selling, and that is exactly why the people aren't buying !

(I don't think Frank knows what "obsequence" means.)  


Jane: Bravo *Frank* well said!   (yeah, he really showed me!)

Me: Color me confused. How exactly is my original statement blind obsequence? Are you denying that the current administration inherited a mess of a war and trillions of dollars of deficits and record debt incurred by the Bush administration? I ...harbor no illusions that the Obama administration is infallible, but nor do I think the Bush administration is inculpable. I never claimed that Obama hasn't had his failings, just that it is unfair, and lazy, to lay blame solely on the Obama administration. My original statement was not an indictment, but rather a call for rational thought. Something I often forget is an unreasonable expectation when dealing with single minded party extremists on either side of the aisle.

My point... if you are too lazy, or just incapable of doing your homework before running your mouth... STFU.  

I'll update if any further developments occur. 









 

Mediocre Man Vs. Unemployment week 1

Last week was the end.

I showed up at work Monday morning (on time) and my boss announced that we were done. A coworker who had been previously released showed up so he and I and the other shipping guy hit the Bratskeller Pub for a nice extended lunch and a few Sam Adams Octoberfest's before heading back to the office for our exit interviews. Being slightly buzzed makes dealing with the retards in HR a little less annoying. So at noonish on Monday October 4, 2010 I officially became a member of the unemployed masses.

I woke up Tuesday and it felt almost like a vacation day--only without the cold dread of my inevitable return to work breathing down my neck. I made a short, kinda sorta list of goals Tuesday morning:

1. Continue to go to bed and get up at the same time I usually do. 

This will hopefully keep me from falling into the trap of staying up all night and sleeping all day. 

2. Get as much of my course work done for my current class as I can. 

My goal here is to finish all my assigned course work before the end of next week. I need to take my final a week early since the GF and I will be embarking on our Jamaican adventure during the last week of class. 

3. Establish a routine to keep myself from becoming too lazy and complacent in my unemployedness. 

Tuesday: I worked primarily on finishing the 4 page research paper I had been assigned on the first night of class and was due that evening (and in true 11th hour fashion hadn't started until the week before). I managed to bang the paper out and read a full chapter and complete one of the lab assignments. I was quite proud of the accomplishment of actually doing something productive.

Wednesday: I decided to tackle some of the clutter. I am a renowned neat freak and drive my GF crazy. She sees a few things on the table as no big deal, I see a few things on the table as a mess that will niggle at my brain until I clean it up. So Wednesday I spent cleaning, vacuuming, organizing, did a load of dishes, and generally picking up the house. Once that was out of the way I flopped down and proceeded to clean out the DVR by watching some neglected shows. (So far, not loving Undercovers as much as I loved Alias, but I have faith in J.J. Abrams to do me proud).

Thursday: By Thursday I was already feeling like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. That whole "vacation" feeling from Tuesday had already worn off and I was feeling more like a shut-in than a man on hiatus. On vacations I don't mind being cooped up in the house because I know my time of relaxation and rejuvination is limited, but that feeling has already turned to stir craziness. I did some more homework, picked up the house a little more, and finally scraped off the week old growth of beard I had been cultivating for my stint as a jobless bum.

 I didn't draw this, just found it here and thought it was funny.

Friday: "It's Friday... I aint doing shit!"

So sayeth my facebook status. I decided that, being Friday, it would be perfectly acceptable to do as little as humanly possible. I slouched around the house in my boxers and played WoW until noon (yes, I am a fat gamer geek) and didn't clean myself up until almost 1pm when I ordered lunch and brought food to the GF at work. After lunch I came back home and watched some more DVR (not enamored with Haven either. Cute lead actress but the acting is bad and the stories are kinda lame and played out. I shouldn't have expected much considering it is a Stephen King brainchild). 

The weekend was an average weekend. I decided Sunday afternoon to clean up the back yard while the GF was out at a friends birthday gig. I mowed, did a little raking, put away the patio furniture for the winter and made a Home Depot trip for some pavers to put the fire pit on. And since I had this newly situated fire pit I decided what better time to have a fire. I made a fire for myself and hung out alone in front of it with Pandora playing me some nice relaxing tunes (Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, and Social Distortion). 

Week one wasn't so bad. I know for week two--and beyond--I will need to expand my list of "things to do when you're unemployed" to combat the stir crazies.

Medicore Man vs. Potpouri of everything

As I stated in my last entry, my company has finally begun to shut down. Things happened super fast. After our notices a few weeks ago we wrapped production, all our production people were released and we started breaking everything down. There are only like 10 of us left and it is super quiet. My coworker and I have been showing up to pretty much hang out and wait around in case something happens. Yesterday we both arrived a few minutes late and my fucktard of a boss chewed us out for not being on time. After that we sat around and waited all day for the dumpsters to be emptied (never happened) and left 2 hours early for lack of anything to do. Seriously? You are going to bitch because I am ten minutes late and I dont end up doing a fucking thing ALL DAY!?

My mind, it was boggled.

Boss man tells me that he wants to hold on to me and the other shipping guy until after the auction which is October 6th, I was hoping to be out of here before then.

In School related news, I am about midway through intro to IT already. My professor is actually pretty effing awesome, and he looks EXACTLY like Tommy lee Jones. There is also a kid in my class who could be Dane Cook's twin.

I've not been to the gym in almost 2 months (bad Rob! Bad!) But in my defense it had been quite hectic at work trying to get everything finalized. I was sweating my ass off for 8 hours a day and the last thing I had the energy to do at the end of it was truck my tired ass to the gym for another 2 hours of sweat and labor. Hopefully once I am finally released from purgatory I can get myself onto a better routine. My plan is to follow in the footsteps of my friend Nicki who has begun her journey to become a runner. I would like to start running and riding my bike and trying to eat healthier. We'll see.

And that's about that. I'm on the verge of stepping into the great unknown, and that is where this whole blog should get interesting. I stated in my original post that this blog was meant to chronicle my unemployment, job/career search and education. And this; hopefully, is the beginning.