Just Sad

Today is Black Friday, probably the closest this country comes to a nation wide consumerism-orgy, all in an effort to find the best deal on stuff that more than likely was produced in China. There are always stories of local police having to tame rowdy crowds (usually at a Walmart), but for the most part no one gets hurt. That is, until this morning. While perusing the intertron, I happened across this story of a person who was trampled to death at a Walmart in Long Island after the crowd became impatient in their quest for cheap goods. One witness said:

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping".

I don't even know where to start. In addition to this guy being killed, several other people where sent to the hospital due to injuries, including a woman who is eight months pregnant. To say that anyone who was involved in this incident should be ashamed of themselves does not even begin to speak to the depravity of people who would put $10 off a toaster above another person's life. All of the people who contributed to this absolute failure of civility should be lined up in front of that store and shot. While that sort of punishment might be considered harsh, those people forfeited their right to due process when they decided to break down a metal door just so they could get a good deal on more stuff they do not need.

Keith Olbermann Is My Homeboy

There are several reasons to love Keith Olbermann. His Special Comments are constructive, ultra-critical rebuttals of their respective targets in a time and place where "spin" is all the rage. The latest installment, however, is more than just another great piece of journalism; it is the essence of one person's beliefs, looking for logic and sense amidst an ideological cesspool.

If You Can See The Cop...

...who is out clocking, it's too late buddy. Just like when you see a sniper; he's been watching you for fifteen minutes already. California drivers for some reason seem to think that just because they slow down when driving by a cop, they were not really speeding. Who are they kidding? That highway patrolman already knew you were doing 80 in a 65; slamming on your brakes only reaffirms that fact that you were driving like a complete idiot. So next time you get the urge to try and fool yourself and all the idiots like me on your bumper, don't. Just keep on driving whatever insane speed you are cruising along at and accept the fact that you will likely get away with it. Why? Because it's Cali-freakin'-fornia.

Something To Chew On

Next year is the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. While I have a general dislike for coincidences (and fate as a whole), there will be a certain tinge of irony on February 12th. That is because the ceremonies to honor Lincoln, a single term senator from Illinois, regarded as our greatest president for his actions to begin freeing our nation from the tyranny of slavery, will be presided over by president-elect Obama, a single term senator from Illinois, and the first black president in our nations history. Think about that for a while.

Lending My Support...

...from all the way out in crazy California. It's time for some much-needed change.

Thankfully I'm Not A Betting Man

This weekend has been pretty crappy for me from a sports perspective. Let's take a look at the evidence:

1) The Yankees are not in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. Meanwhile, Joe Torre is a couple of games away from managing Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers into the World Series. That right there is enough to make me want to puke my guts out.

2) Oklahoma's loss to Texas on Saturday ruined their bid for an undefeated season, knocked them off of their #1 ranking, and all but takes them out of contention for a Big XII championship (since Texas own a tie-breaker over them now). Sounds like it's time for several Prozac and a bottle of Jameson.

3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. cut a tire early in the race Saturday night, effectively ending his bid to climb back into contention for a NASCAR championship. While he was probably already mathematically out of it already, this hearkened back to his last couple of years with DEI where he floundered thanks to shoddy equipment.

So there you have it. For the sake of time I have omitted any fantasy football shortcoming from this week (thanks a lot, Phillip Rivers). All was not lost, however. Kansas City had a bye week, thereby preventing them from being embarrassed in a game this week. Next week will be a different story...

GFC: Playoffs Round 1

After a week layoff due to Rosh Hashanah, playoffs finally began last night. Since we finished first in our conference (and in the division overall), we drew the lowest ranked team in the opposing conference, the Ball Breakers. It just so happened that not only did one of our current team members use to play for them, there were also some intra-office rivalries sparked as co-workers squared off in a battle to the death (not exactly, but you get the point). Not to take anything away from the Ball Breakers, but the game was over pretty quick. Our prototypical suffocating defense was in top form while our offense hit on all cylinders (two homeruns and 4 extra base kicks) en route to a 12-0 win. With our undefeated record now up to 9-0, we face Feets of Fury next week in what should be the first game of a double header. That's right folks; quarterfinals and semifinals are on the same night. Why, do you ask? Because that's just how kickball rolls (bad puns not withstanding).

You Can Never Go Home Again

Growing up, I was always perplexed whenever hearing some variant of the quote "you can never go home again". Obviously someone was greatly mistaken. If I visited somewhere, going back home was achieved with absolute simplicity; get back in a car or an airplane and Bam!, I was back in Wichita. Maybe the person who generated this quote had something happen which precluded their neo-enlightenment on the shortcomings of their hometown. Now that I have lived in California for almost five years, however, I realize that a person would be hard pressed to find truer words that have ever been spoken.

Only now do I realize the fundamental error in my previous logic. In order to realize the difficulty in leaving home I had to actually leave home, i.e., move away. It's one thing to travel somewhere else; it's a completely different ballgame to pick up and start a new life somewhere else. During my time in college, I saw the writing on the wall and realized that in order to start a career it would probably be in my best interest to move away from Wichita. Little did I know that an opportunity to do just that would present itself. Looking back, I now realize the magnitude of a single decision. In the span of two weeks, I went from being a degreed Mechanical Engineer working at Pizza Hut and living in his Dad's basement to living in California working as an engineer. Talk about doing a complete 180.

The first year was not too bad. I had some family members come out to visit me, and going back home felt just like any other time I had left. That second year, however, was the turning point. After a couple years of being on my own, I had started to become set in my ways of doing things. Little by little, I had started to forget streets and places that had once been as famaliar as a part of my own body. Now I have become so entrenched in my lifestyle that any more than a few days at a time and I begin to yearn for the comforts afforded by California. Driving is a chore when visiting home, because going anymore than 5 mph over the speed limit is asking for a ticket, rather than being the absolute slowest car in a twenty-mile radius. Instead of doing whatever I want to, I have to take into consideration other people who might want to see me during my annual pilgrimage back home. You could go so far as to say that Christmas vacation is actually more work for me than my actual job. I have to deal with however many hundreds of thousands of people are flying in and out of LAX to fly half way across the country only to spend my time driving between the various factions of my family who want to see me, but insist on me making the effort to travel to arrange a meeting (even though I just traveled half-way across the country).

Now, I could put my foot down and say "enough". The end result would that a lot of people would be hurt, and I would look like a bad guy. In fact, I am ready to stop going back home until someone comes out to visit me since my first year out here. While I realize everyone is still back home, I am tired of being the only one who is expected to make an effort to shoulder (both the time and financial) burden of traveling.; it's time that folks realize I am out here to stay. There may come a time in the not so distant future when I will not be able to come back. Someone will have to come out here and accept that I have built my own life, and my time in Wichita is only a distant memory to be recounted in stories when I'm old and gray.