there are four basic types of people in this world:

-people who think they are the most important thing around and act like it;
-people who think they are the most important thing around but hide it through "concern" for others;
-people who know better than to think they are hot stuff, and so devote themselves to helping others because they truly believe others deserve the devotion;
-and people who know they're not that important, but pretend they are anyway.

Where do I fit into that?

*shrub*

talking away
i don't know what, what to say
but i'll say it anyway
there's another day to find you
shying away
i'll be coming for you, that's okay
take on me, take me on
i'll be gone
in a day or two

Ah-Ha - Take On Me

Quick post before I hit up the homework.

This weekend... I knew it would go by fast. I hate how I look forward so much to the weekend, and then I get there, and it's gone like *that*. Friday was a fun-filled evening of watching The Big Lebowski in the lounge with Jeff and some other people who wandered in close to the beginning of the movie. It was a pretty good film, I thought. Not side-splitting hilarious, but well done nonetheless. Walter is by far my favorite character from that movie. Anna and Tara came in at the end of the film, so I need to watch the last 15 minutes again because I wasn't paying attention, and I didn't really know why Donny was dead.

Saturday, I had a fun day of work and then I hung out with a friend who lives in Redmond.

And now it's Sunday, and my O-chem is far from learned. Dar. So I'm gonna go get a start on that. Maybe I'll tell you about work on Saturday some other time... it was definitely one of the most bizarre shifts I've ever worked...

The Dude abides.

I was sitting in the HUB Husky Den today, eating my chowder with goldfish crackers (as is my wont), when a group of about 6 Kerry supporters just march in, singing songs with lyrics that included what sounded like "Wanna know what to do with Bush? He needs some good ol' psychiatric help." And then they cycled through and came by again, this time singing about "Cheney Dick". Man, if the College Republicans chose to EVER do anything like that, they would be booed and pelted with food bits until they finally resigned to submission and left the food court. Liberal wankers. How do they get away with it?

We begin today with a disturbing escalation in the trend of coffee retailers giving stupid names to cup sizes. As you know, this trend began several years ago when Starbucks (motto: ''There's one opening right now in your basement'') decided to call its cup sizes ''Tall'' (meaning ''not tall,'' or ''small''), ''Grande'' (meaning ''medium'') and ''Venti'' (meaning, for all we know, ''weasel snot''). Unfortunately, we consumers, like moron sheep, started actually USING these names. Why? If Starbucks decided to call its toilets ''AquaSwooshies,'' would we go along with THAT? Yes! Baaa!

But it's getting worse. Recently, at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Death March, Mister Language Person noticed that a Starbuck's competitor, Seattle's Best Coffee (which also uses ''Tall'' for small and ''Grande'' for medium) is calling ITS large cup size -- get ready -- ''Grande Supremo.'' Yes. And as Mister Language Person watched in horror, many customers -- seemingly intelligent, briefcase-toting adults -- actually used this term, as in, ''I'll take a Grande Supremo.''

Listen, people: You should never, ever have to utter the words ''Grande Supremo'' unless you are addressing a tribal warlord who is holding you captive and threatening to burn you at the stake. JUST SAY YOU WANT A LARGE COFFEE, PEOPLE. Because if we let the coffee people get away with this, they're not going to stop, and some day, just to get a lousy cup of coffee, you'll hear yourself saying, ''I'll have a Mega Grandissimaximo Giganto de Humongo-Rama-Lama-Ding-Dong decaf.'' And then you will ask for the key to the AquaSwooshie. And when THAT happens, people, the terrorists will have won.

More from Dave Barry available at www.davebarry.com.

Also: an email in a newsletter I get regularly. It's from a Canadian woman:

Subject: Make your vote count

As a non-American - but a North American (yes, Canadian), I cannot
tell you how many people I have had political discussions with in the
previous four weeks about the American election - and how we all figure
that we should be allowed to vote in this election. This decision can
and will affect my life, just as much as it will affect the citizens
of the USA. Making an informed decision and voting is a precious
commodity that many do not understand the value.

Um, lady... if you want to vote in the American election so badly, MOVE TO AMERICA. Otherwise, butt out. It's our president, so it's our "informed decision". If you were somehow to obtain voting rights in the USA, then I'd have to demand some for Canada, which I have to admit I could probably care less about. Not that I don't care about your government; it's just that I don't demand to participate it, nor should I, seeing as I'm not Canadian. Tell me, exactly how do you "all figure" that you should be able to vote in our election?

*Sigh* Canadians.

As I write this, I'm sitting at a computer that has somebody's old boarding pass for an Air Canada flight from Seattle to Vancouver lying on the desk next to it. They print in 3 different languages: English, French, and German. How tolerant of them! Probably more so than us...

why is the abbreviation "o-chem" when we all know that it really stands for "ridiculously hard chemistry"???

Midterm tomorrow. Don't know if I'm going to make it. In any case, I'm not going to reveal my score. Not even if I get a hundred percent on it.

So HA.

experiment.

haha. i am such a dork...

I was driving my sister and her entourage to their homecoming tonight in my father's Suburban. I managed to get them off to the dance fine, but then I was leaving and the car started in with the darn brake lights. The little signal was flashing which meant that my e-brake was on... I definitely hadn't pushed in the little foot pedal, but the indicator wasn't turning off and I was still in the high school parking lot, so I pushed in the e-brake, causing the Suburban to come to a full halt. And THEN, I couldn't find the release handle!! So I was sitting there in the path to the exit (thankfully there was no one behind me) and I couldn't move. Irritated, I called Dad, because surely he would know where the lever is. All the advice he could offer was "it's down there." Hmm, how helpful... but I guess that's all really one can say, isn't it? So I got out of the car and looked for it. Finally I found it - it was a push button, not a release handle - and I pushed it. And the car started moving forward because I had never put it into park.

I'm awesome.

So I had to chase down the Suburban and hop in while trying to tell Dad bye on my cell phone without letting on that I didn't have control over the car.

Yeah, it was sweet.

Well, off to watch a little of the first Lord of the Rings before I go back to pick up the kids from the dance and take them somewhere else for the after-party. Then I get to go to a different after-party hosted by Manzanita's little brother... he's a senior now so it's all good. We'll probably... play a lot of poker.

Here's some food for thought.

The Daily Record
Wed.,October 6, 2004.
By Mathew Manweller, Political Science prof. at CWU

Election Determines Fate of Nation
In that this will be my last column before the presidential election, there will be no sarcasm, no attempts at witty repartee. The topic is too serious, and the stakes are too high.
This November we will vote in the only election during our lifetime that will truly matter. Because America is at a once-in-a-generation crossroads, more than an election hangs in the balance. Down one path lies retreat, abdication and a reign of ambivalence. Down the other lies a nation that is aware of its past and accepts the daunting obligation its future demands. If we choose poorly, the consequences will echo through the next 50 years of history. If we, in a spasm of frustration, turn out the current occupant of the White House, the message to the world and ourselves will be twofold.
First, we will reject the notion that America can do big things. Once a nation that tamed a frontier, stood down the Nazis and stood upon the moon, we will announce to the world that bringing democracy to the Middle East is too big of a task for us. But more significantly, we will signal to future presidents that as voters, we are unwilling to tackle difficult challenges, preferring caution to boldness, embracing the mediocrity that has characterized other civilizations. The defeat of President Bush will send a chilling message to future presidents who may need to make difficult, yet unpopular decisions. America has always been a nation that rises to the demands of history regardless of the costs or appeal. If we turn away from that legacy, we turn away from who we are.
Second, we inform every terrorist organization on the globe that the lesson of Somalia was well learned. In Somalia we showed terrorists that you don't need to defeat America on the battlefield when you can defeat them in the newsroom. They learned that a wounded America can become a defeated America. Twenty-four-hour news stations and daily tracing polls will do the heavy lifting, turning a cut into a fatal blow. Except that Iraq is Somalia times 10.
The election of John Kerry will serve notice to every terrorist in every cave that the soft underbelly of American power is the timidity of American voters. Terrorists will know that a steady stream of grizzly photos for CNN is all you need to break the will of the American people. Our own self-doubt will take it from there. Bin Laden will recognize that he can topple any American administration without setting foot on the homeland.
It is said that America's W.W.II generation is its 'greatest generation.' But my greatest fear is that it will become known as America's 'last generation.' Born in the bleakness of the Great Depression and hardened in the fire of WW II, they may be the last American generation that understands the meaning of duty, honor and sacrifice. It is difficult to admit, but I know these terms are spoken with only hollow detachment by many (but not all) in my generation. Too many citizens today mistake 'living in America' as 'being an American.' But America has always been more of an idea than a place. When you sign on, you do more than buy real estate. You accept a set of values and responsibilities. This November, my generation, which has been absent too long, must grasp the obligation that comes with being an American, or fade into the oblivion they may deserve. I believe that 100 years from now historians will look back at the election of 2004 and see it as the decisive election of our century. Depending on the outcome, they will describe it as the moment America joined the ranks of ordinary nations; or they will describe it as the moment the prodigal sons and daughters of the greatest generation accepted their burden as caretakers of the City on the Hill."

The Most Important Article in Our History
By TOM KUNTZ

If the presidential election were Mae West, her reply to a flatterer calling her the "most important election ever" could easily be: "I bet you say that to all the elections, big boy." Surprise, all you election 2004 superlative-pushers, from Bruce Springsteen to the Christian Coalition: This election is the "most important" in our history - our lifetimes, a generation, whatever - only if you ignore a slew of others.
Here is a sampling of comments stretching back more than a century and a half.
1864 Lincoln vs. McClellan
"We have had many important elections, but never one so important as that now approaching."
Gen. James H. Lane,pro-Lincoln campaigner, The New York Times, March 31

1888 Harrison vs. Cleveland
"The Republic is approaching what is to be one of the most important elections in its history."
New York Times editorial, July 2

1924 Coolidge vs. Davis
"I look upon the coming election as the most important in the history of this country since the Civil War."
Joseph Levenson,Republican leader, The New York Times, July 20

1976 Ford vs. Carter
"I think this election is one of the most vital in the history of America."
President Ford, debating Jimmy Carter, Oct. 22

1980 Carter vs. Reagan
The International Union of Electronic Workers said it felt it was important to take a stand early because the critical problems the nation faces may make the 1980 election "the most important of this century."
Associated Press, Nov. 2, 1979

1984 Reagan vs. Mondale
"This is the most important election in this nation in 50 years."
Ronald Reagan, Nov. 5

1988 Bush vs. Dukakis
"It may be the most important election of this century."
Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, Oct. 22

1992 Bush vs. Clinton
"I ask you to join with me for these last three days to reach out and call your friends and family and neighbors to tell them this is the most important election in a generation."
Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas, Oct. 30

1996 Clinton vs. Dole
"This is the most critical election in the long history of the American labor movement."
John Sweeney, AFL-CIO president, The Washington Post, March 3

"It's the most important election of our lifetime."
Ralph Reed, Christian Coalition director, The Tulsa World, April 14

"Talk about a bummer! Can you imagine how the Republicans must feel at this, the beginning of the most important election year in decades? Pass the Prozac, please."
Robert Beckel, Democratic political analyst; commentary in The Denver Post, Jan. 31

2000 Bush vs. Gore
"The first national election of the 21st century is the most important election (so far) of the 21st century."
Ebony magazine, November

United States Representative Zach Wamp said last week he believes "2000 historically is the most important national election in my lifetime."
Chattanooga Free Press, Nov. 22

2004 Bush vs. Kerry
"This is the fourth presidential election which Pearl Jam has engaged in as a band, and we feel it's the most important one of our lifetime."
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam,www.pearljam.com

"This is the most important election I can remember, at least since 1968."
Al Franken, comedian, Minneapolis Star Tribune, July 8

"Christian Coalition of America believes this is the most important election in our nation's history."
Press release, Aug. 24

"We share a belief that this is the most important election of our lifetime."
Statement on Bruce Springsteen'sWeb site on the Vote for Change tour

"My fellow Americans, this is the most important election of our lifetime."
Senator John Kerry Democratic National Convention, July 29

"For that reason, ladies and gentlemen, the election of 2004 is one of the most important, not just in our lives, but in our history."
Vice President Dick Cheney Republican National Convention on Wednesday

Larry King: "Is this the most important election ever?"
President Bush: "For me it is."
"Larry King Live," Aug. 12


And last but not least, a quote from my brother:
"I got online to read your blog thing, and it was in German. It made me sad. It ruined my whole day."

I dare you to come bug me again. I love distractions.

I promise you a treat! Similar to the usual standard for vocabulary and zits.

Only goes for another hour, though. Danach Schluss damit. :)

how faithful of a reader are you?

today's discoveries:

1. it takes 270 votes from the electoral college to win the presidential election.

2. many people think that the popular vote should determine who becomes president. I think this idea is stupid based on the large ratio of dumb Americans to smart well-informed ones.

3. the band "They Might Be Giants" is an extremely weird band. Really.

That is all. oh, and this.

Is it really that great to be a Republican? You decide.

lots to do this week.... the least of which is a math midterm tomorrow. so, I think i'll get started on my German essay as I sit here in the Mary Gates Computer Commons. Just have to write, and don't want to make a Word file and email it to myself (how lazy am I??), so, yeah. ta da.

worueber soll ich schreiben? ich darf keine Geschichte schreiben, sondern einen Aufsatz. und es muss sich um die Wende und Hausbesetz handeln. ich glaube, die Hausaufgaben von gestern passt gut zu den Vokabeln und deswegen werde ich einen Aufsatz ueber die Besitzsituation im ehemaligen Ostdeutschland schreiben. es gaebe zwei moeglichkeiten, das ekonomisches Problem zu loesen. 1. Vorzutreten, dass der Kommunismus nie existert haette. Zurueck zu 1945 zu gehen und die landstuecke zurueck zu den ursprunglichen Besitzern zu geben waere ganz fair.

Oh, diese Idee ist viel besser als die andere. Hier geht's los: wie waer's, wenn der Kapitalismus ausgefallen war?

nein, scheisse, was fuer eine bloede idee. das geht nicht um die geringste vokabenliste. bin ich ja doof...

muss nach mehreren infos nachsuchen.

I am NOT missing Scrubs this week.

I can't wait to go to Oly next weekend! Hopefully Manzanita and I find a ride...

take me, don't leave me
aby, love will come through
it's just waiting for you
-Travis, "Love Will Come Through"