Civilized Savagery

If you were up late Sunday evening you may have heard that the evil Osama bin Laden was found and killed in a shootout in Pakistan. And assuming you haven't been hiding under a rock for the past two days, you may have also noticed that not only has this event been at the forefront of everyone's conversation, but news programs have been picking apart and talking about the event in great length.

Personally, I could care less for Osama bin Laden. It's not that I don't believe that he was actually hiding and hadn't been killed previously. Or the conspiracy theories that he was a scapegoat for the 9/11 attacks in America, he was still easily the most wanted man in the world, he was bound to be picked-off at some point or another.

Prefacing aside, I wanted to bluntly say that I'm just a bit beyond disgusted with the general (American) public. If you take pride in you country, that's fine, I understand that you love your civil liberties, and you'd die for the basic freedoms that you have in your homeland, but I can't help but take issue with the assholes chanting "USA!" while waving the American flag and offering me high-fives because we killed some dickface who lives in a cave. Don't misunderstand, anyone who commits a crime should have to pay his debt to society, however, it was the general public who's at fault for behaving no better than the savages who'll drag a corpse through a city street to make an example.

Pardon the cliche, but I don't think that it could have happened to a nicer guy, but just like the terrorist acts, the fact that we were so driven to need this man killed is shameful. I really question whether or not Americans truly believe that the quality of their life is better or if somehow this has even brought closure to the past decade of fear and lies.

Bin Laden was a really easy guy to hate, but for once why don't people think about the message that their actions send to the rest of the world. I truly believe that regardless of how we handled the bin Laden situation, he would have ended up on the chopping block one way or another, but what right do we have to cheer at his demise?

Disorganized Religion

I can recall George Carlin's abridged commandments rather well. Of course, the one that always stood out, was "Thou shalt keep thy religion to tyself." Having been raised a Catholic, there was a point in time where I was very devout. This period was mostly during my childhood. I was an altar boy for a number of years before I realized that I was too damn old for that sort of thing anymore. Later, around 16 or so, I thought I had what I thought was an epiphany, I needed more spiritual guidance in my life. I can remember cutting a crucifix into the grip-tape of my skateboard, proudly wearing my faith on my sleeve. (True story, I still have that skateboard too.)

As Time went on, my faith seemed to wane. I never did anything in particular for the Lord, I just thought it'd be cool not to burn in hell. Around the time High School had ended, my thought process was just to take life at face value. Never mind about some deep hidden meaning- we're born, we eat fast food, we fuck, some of us get married, then we all die. For the most part, life is pretty open and shut.

Recently, I've been thinking. Mostly about this...


The validity of this 45 second clip is overwhelming. So what if we have mountains of empirical evidence that proves that evolution exists or that the earth's features were the result of millions of years of weathering and continental drift? Is it not all that improbable that someone who could have put this in motion could have, or continues to exist. The possibility is just mind-boggling.

Personally, I'm not a big believer that things just happen on their own. Creationists have argued for years against the big bang theory, claiming that something came from nothing, when in fact, Genesis clearly states "In the beginning there was nothing..." (Forgive me for paraphrasing...) So where is the reason there to jump on this religious bandwagon now, and get a first-class seat to salvation?

I think that it's safe to say, that when I enter a debate with someone who's religious, I offer my disclaimer; "I don't mean to deter or disparage your faith." I'm usually reassured that nothing I can say will do that. I think that their resolve is just amazing and for once, I'm being sincere. Religion does have its share of redeeming qualities.

Of course there's the ever-popular argument that claims that Religion serves as a moral code that we're supposed to pass on to our children. While the idea makes sense, we can't forget that everyone thinks differently. Life isn't a one size fits all ordeal, no two people will ever lead their separate lives according to a religious guideline, it's just not realistic. While granted religion tends to lean more toward charity, good deeds unto others and respecting those around you, think of all of those alienated by religious groups; homosexuals, slavery has always been ignored and of course other religions. Even to this day we're still fighting those useless crusades to see whose god has the biggest dick.

Religion in a nutshell:


One of the things that makes America great is its offering of religious freedom. Nowhere on earth will you find a more diverse assortment of religions with just as diverse worshipers. It's each individual's prerogative to worship in his own particular way, but let's all agree that what we're currently is doing more harm than good. Amen.

Back to Blog

Generally speaking, I only contribute to my own blog when something pisses me off enough to provoke a rant. Why should tonight be any different?
My vacation to Chicago last week was a wondrous trip filled with cramped airplane seats, extensive subway rides, tourism, Carl Winslow's house, and of course, liquor. Since I've started working, I can't ever recall taking a vacation, not even actually being allowed time off- paid or otherwise.
My vacation was the perfect time to relax and put my life into perspective. The first thing I realized, was how much I actually hate my job. (Note: from this point on, this will be about how much ass my current employment situation blows. Bear with me...)
Not 15 minutes after setting foot into the Home Depot Monday afternoon, the good mood brought about by a leave of 9 days, was ruined by the stupidity which inspired the idea of taking a vacation in the first place.
Anyone who's familiar with the movie "Office Space" should be able to empathize; you know your job, you know it well. Occasionally, someone changes a minuscule detail pertaining to your job while you're still doing things the old way, then after the initial "we've changed this" spiel, 15 other people come and tell you the same thing.
Aside from the lack of leadership, the job also comes with a hearty serving of ineptitude. Generally, management works together with their team to accomplish their goals and build confidence, this idea is completely thrown out the window, and replaced with a system of dictation and ass-backwards delegation. The previous year on the job, was much different. Without the uncertainty of the economy, most people were comfortable with their positions, and were not intimidated by idle threats. It seems that this year, more and more people are being intimidated into performing certain tasks that overstep the boundaries of their job descriptions, and in some cases, their personal safety- all in the name of aesthetics. As I was getting intomy car, I saw a day employee coming in for his shift 3 hours early, just because he's worried about "the big walk". Since when did appearances and nitpicking become huge turn-offs for the type of shopper who frequents The Home Depot?
Business has definitely shifted gears, and it's headed right for a brick wall. Aesthetics and overbearing customer service are slowly taking over properly stocking in-demand product, and providing a functional and easy shopping environment. Running around like a chicken with his head cut off, doesn't sound like any way to go to work every day. This may be your livelihood, but for me, it's just my job. I refuse to be intimidated by those who believe they have power over me, because once I relent, they actually do.

Update.

The other day in Horutoto Ruins, Julianne says "Tom, you should update your blog." This is a pretty pathetic attepmt in doing just that.

Because nobody knows what Horutoto Ruins are, I guess I can breifly explain that... The Horutoto Ruins are a low(ish)-level area in Final Fantasy XI. As you may have already ascertained, by blog is updated so infrequently because of the time-sink known as Final Fantasy XI. It's funny how something with no apparent goal can eat up so much time...

Real life hasn't been too much more interesting. I'm still not getting laid and I still don't have a car, (both of which may be changing this weekend, lolcauseandeffect) so FFXI is seriously my only real activity. I started my new job at The Home Depot this week. For the past 2 days I've spent entire shifts on a store computer doing e-learnings. I don't doubt that the whole ordeal would be slightly more tolerable if only they didn't take hours at a time to complete, or if you actually learned anything from them.

Today my new processor for my computer came in. It's an Athalon 64 x2 3800+. I thought I ordered thr 4200+, but it seems to be working really well so far, dual core processors aren'y completely fool-proof, but it seems to be handling the workload I throw at it really well.

In other computing news. I upgraded to Windows Vista Ultimate over the past few weeks. (This is where I tell you about where I didn't actually pay money for this "disappointment" of an OS, and there's a working OEM version on quite a few torrent sites, but I'm an honest American against software piracy so I paid in full for this wonderous new product :P) All silliness aside, my opinion of Windows Vista is such; If you haven't used Windows Vista for your own personal computing, you have no valid opinion. Word of mouth really can't speak for this Operating System, its value is really in what it can do for you, not what it can or can't do for your friend or a software critic. With that being said, I feel that Microsoft put a lot of time and effort into their new operating system, and the results weren't fantastic, but really very moderate. A few things that could have been better:

• Speed - If you're upgrading from Windows XP to Vista, (like I did...) You're probably going to notice that your PC is running pretty damn slow. But there's good reason for all of this, Most people who run XP have fairly modern PCs, which can zip around XP without much difficulty (Christ, it's been out almost 6 years.) With vista being so new, most people only meet the minimum requirements for any version. Case in point, you use minimum hardware, you get minimum performance. While this sounds like a nightmare, think of the first wave of XP machines, 1Ghz or less single-core processors, 128MB of RAM, 30GB HDD. That's no impressive by any means, and yes, XP lagged to shit like that. How do I know? I had that PC...
• Other Bugs - Some of the other bugs that people complain about are hardware errors, and networking. Hardware errors are common with new Operating Systems for obvious reasons, primarily due to the fact that they're new. Most common soultion? Go to the god damn manufacturer's website and get the updated drivers. I know it sounds complicated... maybe for a 3 year old, but problem solved. Networking iussues with Vista are a full-fledged nightmare, and I can assure you, I have no argument otherwise. In order to network a small LAN with mixed Vista and XP computers a complex series of steps is required that I can't even explain. And after taking all the effort for your system to even recognize the other PCs, you still have the issue of setting up file and printer sharing- which I still have no idea how to get working... yet.

Well, so much for my update turned Vista rant. I hope everything is well on anyone who decides to read this' side. I'll be sure to update again soon with either FFXI info or some more stuff I hate. Peace.

I really hate scene kids

Now, before I start ranting, I wanted to tell you about something that I actually enjoy (Hard to believe, I know.) I really enjoy music. Who the hell doesn't? Music of many different genres has always appealed to me for some inexplicable reason, so I figured I'd always find some sort of refuge in music when it seemed that the world was against me. That is, until they came along... Scene Kids. You may ask yourself; "But Tom, What's a scene kid?" Well, in all fairness the term was coined in order to depict emo kids, but you can apply it to pretty much anyone. (Anyone who listens to music that is.) Withing the past few decades, most genres of music have their own "scene;" a movement in which a particular style of music defines who you are and apparently manipulates your each and every action and behavior.

Scene kids are poseurs by definition. Rather than enjoying music at face value, the scenesters are intent on finding the hidden meaning in everything; even if it's not there.

To help create some sort of mental image of what an scene kid may exemplify, I'll use the ever so popular emo kid example. Emo kids are easily distinguishable. The dyed, disproportional greasy hair, along with tight/ dark (usually black) clothing, a scowl and the face with tears unceasingly streaming down. Question time; what's the point in dressing like it's Halloween on a daily basis? I'll bet you dollars to donuts, any emo kid will tell you it's to maintain his sense of individuality. Way to go dipshit! Looks like all emo kids can be nonconformists together!

Here we see 2 "Emo Kids" who obviously refuse to conform to cultural norms. You know, they remind me a lot of someone I know...

I'm sure you've seen them everywhere; most likely at shows or concerts, the wallflowers who, seemingly aren't having a good time. Worst of all, you know that anyone at any given venue not into the show or "part of the crowd" has wasted an average of $20 to essentially so something he could have done in the comfort of his own home; listen. At least in your own house, you won't have assholes bump into you and spill alcohol on you. (Unless you're into that sort of thing... And in that event, I think we need to hang out.)

So, why do I now rant and rave about these "fans" gone awry? Well, my dear friend, I believe that question deserves an explanation. Last Friday, Boston's finest Punk Rock band, Darkbuster, had made their way to play a small show in Taunton along side some other guys who, to be honest, I didn't bother watching. Since I've been a fan, Darkbuster has never failed to impress me with the crowds they draw, no matter where they play. That is, until last week. The room was filled with a bunch of High School kids crowded around a barren wooden dance floor. I couldn't believe the travesty I was witnessing, it seemed that no matter how many shows they could have sold out and venues they may have filled in the past, this time, it seems as if it had all been for naught.

Now, undoubtedly, not everyone will be a fan of whomever you happen to be seeing, but 9/10 you can spot the phonies. See you next time.

(Foot Slap)

Why I'm Never Going Back to Community College

When I graduated High School, I was 17. At that point in my life I thought Community College would be a good step to help me save some money so eventually I could actually do something with my education. Lo and behold I'm 21 now, and have very little to show for it.
The Fall 2003 semester at Massasoit Community College went by rather slowly. At that point in my life, I could have cared less about anyone or anything. Back then it was about the "here and now" rather than what would potentially be. So, like many college freshmen, I skipped classes and slept past noon most of the time, usually only waking up to either go to my shitty movie theater job or waste the money I earned from said job. As a result, it was no surprise that my grades were below mediocre at the semester's end.
Midway through my winter break I developed a hardcore case of insomnia which really fucked me up with school. By the time March had rolled around, I had officially had it, and just up and stopped going to class. My grades came in shortly afterwards earning me a record-breaking 0.0 GPA for the semester. I was prevented from registering for class for a while, until I finally decided to go back for the Fall 2005 semester.
After the semester, when my old grades were factored in, it seemed that 2005 had left me with a 2.57GPA. Unfortunately, given the number of attempted credits, 2.75 is what I needed to be in good academic standing. So, I was kicked out of community college.
Summer of 2006 rolled around, and I was on a mission to get back in good academic standing, so I took 1 course which I recieved an A- in; boosting my GPA well over 3.0.
I figured since I didn't want to rely on the Financial Aid department for my schooling, I'd pay my way this semester unless I adsolutely couldn't.
Once the semester ended, it was the same scene of a familiar story; I was sub-par in some way, therefore negating me eligability for Financial Aid in the Massasoit Community College system. So much for saving it for times of need... So even though my cumulative GPA is 3.o, the ratio of completed credits to the number attempted is slightly more than half.
Given my current grades and academic status, I've been left with only one real option; Get the fuck outta Dodge. It's official, I'm packing my shit and leaving Community College for good, in pursuit of bigger and better things. I'm considering throwing my trascripts around to a bunch of schools to see if I'm eligable at anywhere other than Bridgewater. But for now, I'm going to reflect on my time spent at Massasoit... or not. Glad to be out of that hell-hole.

The On-going Struggle Between Man and Public Transportation

With December closing in on us ever so rapidly, I can't help but be reminded of how it's been nearly two years, and I still remain carless. This is a good time to try something that you probably haven't done in a while; use your imagination. Now assuming anyone is actually reading this, pretend that for the past 2 years you're the "proud" owner of a 1993 hatchback that screams "Gay," but has very much squeezed itself into every aspect of your miserable life. Done imagining that? Well, that was my reality just two years ago.
However gay it may have been, the lame P.O.S. I had dubbed the "Homo-bile," really made my life what it is, or at least what it used to be. However, the sleepless nights and mindless waste of precious fossil fuels was put to an end when the car eventually drowned itself in its own anti-freeze. So, a dead car has since left me with a single option; Public Transportation, primarily, the bus. Now, assuming that working around someone else's schedule isn't hard enough, it's even harder when a disgruntled bus driver decides to leave the end of the line ten minutes early, therefore ruining any chance I had to make it to work on time. Also about 99.7% of the time I have more productive things to do than waiting for the bus, like sleeping... at least I'm good at that. But it's not only issues pertaining to time that frustrate me with the bus, the average bus patron is a major pain in the ass. Here are some abusurd scenarios that have actually taken place on the wonderful Brockton public transportation system.

1. Fat insane lady - Needless to say, there's always a nosy bitch nearby. But to fair, she can't help that her social-life is nonexistant and that she's lead an otherwise pitiful life. Oh wait... you can help that. Which brings me to Fat Insane Lady. Fat Insane Lady (or FIL for short,) just couldn't keep to herself on the bus, butting into everyone's conversation gave her immense satisfaction to a disgusting degree. I actually feared for my life when she screamed at me for saying that a bus pass was a waste of money for someone who rides the bus as often as I do, and back then, it was less than once a week. So I'm wondering, why the hell would she care in the first place? Of course, we realized that FIL was insane by the time she was speaking to a girl about how DSS had taken "the children that had come from her womb". Yeah, why would they take children from a stable parent such as that?
2. Lady with Mirror - It's always nice to have a mirror. After all, nobody wants to leave the house ungroomed and otherwise unkempt. However, it's quite another thing to transport a frameless mirror on a public vehicle that is prone to making sudden stops. The entire trip I was waiting for the damn thing to break, but it figures that it didn't. Point is, imagine what would have happened had the mirror broken. Think physics.
3. Smelly people - I'm well aware that some people are less fortunate than others, but since I live in the real world, I can pretty much pinpoint when someone just plain doesn't shower. Just the other day, I saw someone in his work uniform, representing a popular, local eatery. And when I passed him, he was the most rank bastard I had ever caught a whiff of. It was so bad, that the smell lingered long after he had gotten off. Just the type of person I want handling my food.
4. Loud, rude, vulgar or otherwise obnoxious People - I squeezed all of these people into a single category because they essentially do the same thing that continually pisses me off; live. Now, while I may sound bitter, I believe that the world would be better off without such people. After all, you don't need some woman who points out the fact that you're white when you kindly ask her to close the window in the middle of a snowstorm. I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of people who act in such a manner aren't making any great contributions to society. After all, they're still riding the bus.
5. Litterbugs - Don't get me wrong, I'm no hippie, but I'd rather not sit in flith. That being said, consider a public vehicle that was so grotesque, even the driver wore rubber gloves... Well, welcome to my world.

While public transportation gets my ass to school and work, it's still a pain in the ass having to deal with all of its many flaws. While the public transportation system as a whole seems to be working well to accomodate its patrons, I personally believe that the system could be significantly improved my removing its one true flaw; people.