31.1.04

My dear friend Tak's husband is a real momentum-killer; the two of us were slated to go view Bubba Ho-Tep, staring everyone's favourite Chin Bruce Campbell, and in a rare fit of expeditionary fervour, said Husband decided to leave his Isolation Chamber and join us. Now, I'm not a natural conversationalist. In fact, I tend to shun the talkative people in favour of those more reserved. But Tak and I are so fundamentally similar yet posessing of very different backgrounds that there is usually plenty of fodder for Chat.

Perhaps ten words were said in the car that were not related to directing the actions of the Driver. The whole mess felt awkward, and it went a long way towards hilighting the nature of Tak and I's relationship. One's own spouse should never be viewed as the Intruder, but that's exactly how it seemed, and that is Wrong on a subconscious level that I am not prepared to attack or question. I am DOOMED on this planet for the next thousand lifetimes to be one-upped by Fate, the dirty whore. Fuck you! If that is my destiny then So Be It, there appears to be fuck-all I can do aside from swallowing the whole dirty nut with an expression of hopeless determination.

Allright. Enough of that violent horse shit. A true Warrior makes his own path, and you'd better believe I'm playing that card to the hilt. There is nothing quite so comforting and terrifying as the realisation that the sword in your hands can swing both ways, and wielded by an amature it is just as likely to maim you as it is to cut down the opposition. There would be no weeds on my path if I could stop nicking myself like a twelve year-old shaving for the first time. Bold Strokes and small cuts are both necessary, bubba, to rid the countryside of those nasty green stalks that carry ticks and disease to every part of your body if you're not careful... fuck, where was this going? I was trying to write about Life, and I got hooked up on this Path metaphore, which did no one any good.

There are a few things about life that annoy and vex me, but no one else with any mind at all could give two shits. I clearly am wandering off the Path.
This story makes me happy.

New Hampshire Republican Primary a shocker...

Actually, I'm a naturally happy person. This story gives me hope, perhaps more than I've felt in a long time, that we are not doomed to another 4 Years of the Chimp in Chief. There is mounting evidence that more people are pissed than are pleased, that what should have been obvious to everyone from the beginning is now finally being understood by the Masses. The Crown Loyalists will have a hard time explaining away the fact that 1 of every 20 Republicans in N.H. voted against Junior.
My evening letter to Renfield

The 2005 Mustang GT is pure sex. You can tell that it was built by stone-crazy Torque Lovers, and at half the price of a Vette I'll use that extra $20,000 to crank it up into a genuine Demon and stomp the guts out of every Son-Of-A-Banker rice-burner who's stupid enough to rev his phony muffler tip at a stoplight.

I love the fact that the interior looks exactly like mine. Even the goddamn speed gauge is the same, with some neat trick lighting thrown in for added zest. The entire enterprise is Zesty, the way real wasabi burns your sinuses, and I can hardly wait until the day I have enough time and money to convert the BeBop from a rust pile into a real car again. Tak and I will go to the auto show here, unless the entire city is buried in an Ice Storm. Do you know what real cold is like, brother? For weeks here the high has not exceeded 20, and unlike those flat plains out west we get real snow storms, bubba, you're walking down the street one night and WHAM a bucket of white powder covers your face and turns the streets into a free-for-all of panicked old women and 40-Something SUV Identity Whores. I was Born and Raised in the mountains, brother, and we never got snow the way we do now in Anytown.

But that was pointless. My writing gets savage whenever I'm reading Thompson. "Kingdom of Fear," indeed, and where are the text books I ordered online, goddammit? I paid those dirty bastards with real cash, and I expect Results soon.

My life for the week of Mardi Gras will be chronicled on the NROTC website, for our Drill Team will be competing at Tulane during that wild week-long orgy of booze and beads. We are traveling straight into the Heart of the Beast with a busload of trained killers and rifles at the peak of hunting season, and when the hammer falls, the Warriors will have their way. Count on it.

More later, or when I'm feeling less sane. Tell Russel that he is a Warrior, as well, and that he is welcome to pray at my alter of SPEED and POWER anytime he comes this way.

-Liam

27.1.04

Written this evening to my dear friend Renfeld

You amuse me, brother, you amuse me. The children you describe are not unique to one place or time on this earth; their kind is the rule, not the exception. Idiocy thrives among us like the creeping vines of a rain forest floor, or VD among Viet Nam GIs in the 70's. There is little we can do to escape it, until Mistah Bush builds his moon colony and passes legislation to have the Sane confined to it's rocky surface while the Loonies are left to roam like wild, horny geese across what is left of the earth.

Do not challenge any Established Position; that is the road to Trouble and Bad Vibes, and it is far more likely to get you locked up for disturbing the status quo (or PEACE) than to actually make any difference in the way this foul world is run. Can you overpower the guards of the insane asylum with an army of banana-armed monkeys? That question merely points to a deeper one, namely, why would you want to?

"Last night I had the strangest dream I ever had before. I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war. I dreamed I saw a mighty room, the room was filled with men, and the paper they were signing said they'd never fight again."

Do not weep for me, brother. I chose to become a member of our civilisation's Samurai, a trained, ruthless, and completely loyal killer, bound by an ethereal code of honor and duty, but my master is not one man. It is the TRUTH, brother, and because the TRUTH as most people accept it does not exist, I serve nothing but the future. I am Free in a way that only a prisoner can appreciate.

We are all prisoners of our intellect - that is the boundry that defines what we can accomplish. Few among us live to that extreme, however. Most are ruled by Fear.

Weep for those that live in Fear, brother, for they will never know themselves or any human being. I share in your pain, as "...one shock of recognition runs the whole circle 'round."
Two very complicated failings - in a recent debate Peter Jennings, who I had previously applauded, made the claim that the charges against G. W. Bush regarding his time AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard are "unfounded." There is in fact extensive documentation, including Bush's actual military records, that he went missing for over a year and neglected his duties. So, Peter, the charges stand; smart people do not debate the fact.

Mr. Clark, for all his claims that he's not a professional politician, sounded like a professional question dodger as he refused to answer Peter and stated that Bush's previous record was not germane to his current campaign. I'm sorry, but Bush's military record should absolutely be a part of the debate, particularly if you're leaning on your own record to help get you elected.
Paris Hilton should be made the spokeswoman for America. She is a noisy plastic whore with no vision beyond her own material desires, a perfect front for Bush and his cabal.

It is not hard to imagine the towering rage that the Republicans would summon in their media if it were discovered that the Democrats had been rooting around like crooked pigs in the trough of GOP internal computer communications. "But my hand was made strong by the hand of the Allmighty..." Thank you Johnny Cash, for that insight - is it indeed the truth that these sick politicians believe that they are guided by God Himself? That they can do no wrong when the Lord is clearly on their side? This is not like overhearing a conversation stupidly held in a public place; the GOP raided the home mailboxes of leading Dems, then blamed the victims for not using combination locks and biometric certification devices to prevent such theft.

And now there's a poll that places Clark in second place in NH behind Kerry? This is Madness on a grand scale. What a spectacle for historians of the future!

24.1.04

It shouldn't be that difficult to make George Bush look like a fool and a posuer. He does it himself daily, but it's so painfully obvious that most people choose to ignore it. There is no honesty in his face or his words, yet people trust him because they cannot accept the idea that he is not what they want him to be. That is the Mystic Power that guards him against scrutiny and debate, but it is beginning to erode as the truth slowly seeps out from the edges.

Kerry earned several standing ovations, and his oration matches Edwards' and Dean's, except at the end as he began eerily chanting "Bring it on! Bring it on!" as a challenge to Bush. I suspect he has strong support in NH already, and the next week or so will broaden that across the Primary States. I would be happy to vote for him, or Edwards, or Clark, or Dean, but I still hope that the General will get his act together.

I will drink ten glasses of water this evening to cleanse the interior of this dirty human sack, and stand beneath hot jets of the same element to burn away the outer layer so that a new one can grow clean in its place. Water is apparently my source of strength in this world, and I emulate it in many conscious and unconscious ways...

Water
You are guided by water. You are generally calm and peaceful, but you can be very destructive without even realizing it.

What force is your soul?
brought to you by Quizilla

And now the Penguins are taking lessons in offense from the Avalanche, and former Mayor of the Universe Rudi G. is pooh-poohing the entire Democratic party from a taco restaraunt. This poor sap should know a thing or two about fighting "tear-ists," or at least the results of terrorists ambitions. He, like the rest of this country, was eager and thirsty for Vengance, the blood of our enemies, and if we couldn't find the men responsible then we'd settle for the spiritual co-conspirators. No one who is taken seriously by either side really questions the moral rightness, or rightousness, of Gulf War II, but anyone who thinks that it made us safer is a fool or an idiot or both. We should tape them up and place them in a new padded holding pen to be constructed in the middle of Montana, but we'd have to start with Rudy, and no one who values their political lives could get away with that outrage. The People would raze the headquarters and stomp the volunteers of anyone who tried, so we must live with this sterling voice of reason calmly telling us the biggest lie of the year, that Everything Is Really All Right. Keep the Goofball and his Republicans in charge forever, and they will make you Kings in the eyes of your neighboors and Vengeful Gods in the hearts of your Enemies.
Check that. Dean and Edwards just stomped all over Clark on the podium. Yes, when it comes to choosing a presidential candidate, one must look at the issues and the merits of the person, but when it comes to electing any figure to public office they must in these times be able to impress us at the stump. Of course the pimply geek has the best plan for spending the student council's money, but the Jock will always win in a vote-off because people instinctively trust their eyes to tell them the truth, and they believe anyone who looks good must be good.

The Handlers were the downfall of Gore in 2000, and they will ensure Clark's defeat in the middle stages of this contest. That will leave us Kerry, Edwards, and perhaps Dean, if his money spigot can be unfouled. Edwards has the lamest tag line I've yet heard, ("We can do it, yes we can!") but his speech is fueled by real energy and intelligence. Shit, even Leiberman sounded better than the General, but Joey is so busy admiring the rust on his ship that he's failed to notice it's been sinking for six months. He will be stomped in NH by the four top dogs, and perhaps Kucinich and Sharpton will take the opportunity to leave gracefully.

Or maybe not. They're both convinced that by simply being in the race, they're doing good things for their party. And maybe they're right, who knows? The one thing that we should have learned from the last presidential installation is that no matter how good you think the point spread is, you're wrong. Long odds don't make anything impossible, just unlikely.
Damn, democratic debate on. I was all fired up to write something long and awful, but now I have to listen in for a few hours. More later. P'raps.

20.1.04

It is difficult to live with the fact that my heart is full of hate, but the Chimp In Chief arouses such primordial feelings of anger and dispair that it would take a metaphorical backhoe to uproot them.

We have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the whole world - a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just Whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that is how history will judge us....No redeeming social value. Just whores. Get out of our way, or we'll kill you.
HST


Two of my roomies are fairly liberal, but one is quietly conservative. Like all the other ones I've met and spoken with, they usually say something like "I don't know, I don't think he's doing a bad job. Who would you rather have, Gore?"

Well, yes. Gore had real military experience. Gore had vision for a better tomorrow and the guts to do the hard thing to get the right thing done. Gore also has intelligence, which some think should be a prerequisite for directing the most powerful nation since Great Britain ruled the waves and 25% of the earth's surface.

Who does vote for these dishonest shitheads? Who among us can be happy and proud of having all this innocent blood on our hands? Who are these swine? These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid little rich kids like George Bush?


Barring a string of heinous fuck-ups, if Clark takes New Hampshire or even comes in a close second he will be the Democratic nominee. That sounds quite official and certain, coming from a sophomore history student, doesn't it? My own hopes for the future of this nation of Meat People have been dashed and resurrected so often that making a judgment call on anything NOT written in granite seems like wishful thinking.

19.1.04

I'm seeing the world through the bottoms of Coke bottles. Everything is distorted and I feel slightly drunk all the time - This Midshipman has just purchased new glasses, which I haven't worn for around four or five years.

I was led to believe that the DODMERB (Department Of Defense Medically Excruciating Redundant Bulls**t) physical was an intensive, six-hour full body workup, designed to test the real limits of our physical capabilities so that our fitness for the Service might be properly assessed. I did a hearing test, and I had to take my shirt off and touch my toes. It was a bit of a letdown, although no sane person should complain of being spared a routine proctological exam.

I keep buying music and ripping old CD's, but my iPod Trixie still insists that I haven't used even half of her capacity. I'll have to scavenge my roommate's collections...

13.1.04

In this life, there are nothing but possiblities. Panther seems to have killed my printer, or at least pissed it off so bad that it won't talk to me anymore. And the writing bug bit, briefly, before I was loaded down with a record number of books to read for my classes. (10 at last count, not including what I might end up reading for an independent study course)

February is already shaping up to be quite interesting. But why am I even thinking about shit that far ahead in the future? The Wayfarer accords with the present.

Right on.

12.1.04

Here are a few new gems from the Spam Department, although I'm sure you all have gotten a few of these yourself:

"You frozen coffee mug."
"Next to the fritty body lies a used lemon."
"Look at that, someone is grabbing the model."

And, my personal favourite,
"What if he saw a bitter triangle that was sending mail to a homeless man?"

These are obviously some form of English. But why? Anyone who speaks english would recognise this for the jibberish that it is. Perhaps some form of advanced anti-anti-spam utility.

8.1.04

Apple, I think the new mini iPod is a great device. These new color-screened media players will take a while to gain traction with the general gadget-buying public, particularly since many of us have just made a significant investment in a similar peice of hardware. The mini is well-positioned at the high end of ultraportable players and the low end of ultraspacious jukeboxes. And for the low low price of $149, almost anyone will be able to afford one with some judicious saving over the next month or so.

Wait. I'm sorry. It's actually $249, a mere 50 smacks less than the new 15 GB version. For 50 buckos, I can nearly quadruple my storage space? Why the flaming fuck would I want an inferior model, then? At this price range, 50 samoleons is not nearly as large a gap as it would be in the $20-$150 range - we're talking about a whole other segment of the electronics-buying market. $150 is within the realm of possibility for your average high school student who's still operating on an allowance. At $250 you need rich relatives or an after-school job, and how many teenagers you know are willing to go through that kind of hassle?

Goddammit. I thought we'd learned something about pricing after the whole iMac thing. That was five years ago, Apple. People only love you as long as you're nice to them.

4.1.04

Okay, here's a good solid reason to support Clark. There was a story recently in Anytown's local daily paper about what ol' Wes did for new years eve. Instead of attending a huge fancy party or something, he went on one of those chintzy boat tours in New Hampshire where they have a table of deli meats and pass out sparklers. He had no signs or stickers to hand out, no supporters gathered round the dock, no press presence really at all. He walked around the boat and talked to people.

He exhausts his aides by stopping to talk to everyone who waves at him. He's also one of two candidates who have made a public declaration that he will not badmouth Dean as a means to make himself the "front runner." These two decent acts on his part are the antidote to modern politics, and I really really hope that it's not isolated to the helter-skelter primaries.