Memoirs of an Atheist

Cultural Wastland

2008-05-01T01:16:36Z

Some idiot asked me this: "Why do you hate your country so much?"

Well, I've got an answer as a treatment for his stupidity.

I told him:

I don't hate America. I hate the people who run it and live in it. A place that claims to be free, but has very little religious tolerance for anyone who isn't Christian. A place that's supposed to be for equal opportunity, yet has plenty of people who are still racist and won't even let two people who love each other get married just because they're the same gender. This nation is turning into a cultural WASTELAND because people do nothing but watch TV while books and art become faded memories. A place where the smart people get picked on by those who are feeble minded. Intelligence is the LAST thing that should be looked down upon. THAT is what I hate and the people who feed this stupidity.

For all who don't and do believe

2008-04-05T08:46:42Z

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com

Get Enlightened

Stupidity at its finest again

2008-03-30T08:55:34Z

http://www.karimpie.com/soulja.html

I don't want to be an American idiot.

2008-03-27T09:35:43Z

^ an American idiot

The only threat to U.S. security is their own stupidity.

2008-03-19T06:04:19Z

I am ashamed to be a human being and an American at that.

Heterosexual Questionaire

2008-03-08T21:01:07Z

1. What do you think caused your heterosexuality?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. When and how did you first decide you were a heterosexual?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Is it possible your heterosexuality is just a phase you may grow
out of?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Is possible your heterosexuality stems from a neurotic fear of
others of the same sex?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Isn't it possible that all you need is a good Gay lover?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Heterosexuals have histories of failures in Gay relationships. Do
you think you may have turned to heterosexuality out of fear of
rejection?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. If you've never slept with a person of the same sex, how do you
know you wouldn't prefer that?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. If heterosexuality is normal, why are a disproportionate number
of mental patients heterosexual?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. To whom have you disclosed your heterosexual tendencies? How did
they react?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Your heterosexuality doesn't offend me as long as you don't try
to force it on me. Why do you people feel compelled to seduce others
into your sexual orientation?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. If you choose to nurture children, would you want them to be
heterosexual, knowing the problems they would face?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. The great majority of child molesters are heterosexuals. Do you
really consider it safe to expose your children to heterosexual
teachers?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. Why do you insist on being so obvious, and making a public
spectacle of your heterosexuality? Can't you just be what you are
and keep it quiet?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. How can you ever hope to become a whole person if you limit
yourself to a compulsive, exclusive heterosexual object choice and
remain unwilling to explore and develop your normal, natural,
healthy, God-given homosexual potential?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. Heterosexuals are noted for assigning themselves and each other
to narrowly restricted, stereotyped sex-roles. Why do you cling to
such unhealthy role-playing?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Why do heterosexuals place so much emphasis on sex?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. With all the societal support marriage receives, the divorce
rate is spiraling. Why are there so few stable relationships among
heterosexuals?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. How could the human race survive if everyone were heterosexual,
considering the menace of overpopulation?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. There seem to be very few happy heterosexuals. Techniques have
been developed with which you might be able to change if you really
want to. Have you considered aversion therapy?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. Do heterosexuals hate and/or distrust others of their own sex?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Developed by Martin Rochlin, Ph.D.

Wonderful song

2008-03-07T01:08:13Z

There's a stupid intro, but this song is seriously one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.

My 20th Birthday Celebration

2008-02-20T10:02:08Z

My birthday is on February 14th, but I didn't celebrate it then. Justin and I have a friend named Hunter who has a birthday three days later than mine, so we decided to celebrate it on a day that Hunter and I both had free in order to celebrate our birthdays at the same time. That day was the 15th. Hunter was going to turn 16, and I was 20 yrs old and a day.

I woke that day with a nice phone message from Joseph yelling that they were going to be at our apartment within minutes and that my ass had better be up by then. Then about a second after that message ended there was a knock at the door. I thought "I guess they lied and are already here." But it wasn't Jon and Joseph, instead it was someone I wasn't expecting to see that day at all. It was Chani. If you don't know who the hell that is, she's a lesbian friend of ours we met through Jon and Joseph. She presented a birthday card and candy to me. It was dark chocolate, which I loathe so I nicely told her how much I hated it and said she and Jon could have it all since they love dark chocolate. Jon and Joseph arrived about 5 minutes after Chani did. We had time to kill since Justin wasn't home from school yet. It was around 1 p.m. and he didn't get home until about 2 p.m. so we just sort of sat in the living room and talked and watched stupid, weird videos on the internet that Joseph had found. Joseph loves torturing us with weird videos on the internet. I wish he'd find a new hobby. Jon and Joseph said I'd get my birthday present later because they didn't have all of it yet. I just shrugged it off. It was code for "we haven't bought your presents yet because we like to wait until the last minute."

At about 1:45 p.m., I started getting ready because I had smeared eyeliner all over my face from the day before, and my work clothes on. For the day, I wore a long sleeve fishnet, with a "Bleach" anime t-shirt on over it, and my traditional black and purple Hot Topic Tripp pants. While I was getting ready Justin came home and started bitching at me to hurry up like always. You know, for me to look half way decent, it takes a lot of time, so you all can shut the fuck up. Chani said that she had other things to do and that she was going to leave. I hugged her good bye, and then we all headed out. Chani really meant "I'm too shy to hang out with people I don't know very well so I'm going to leave." She doesn't know our other friends at all so yeah. We were going to pick up Bruce and Hunter at their high school in Roan Mountain which was about 45 minutes away, and we were late leaving.

We found Bruce and Hunter at Cody's house. Cody is a friend of theirs that lives directly across the street from their school so it wasn't out of the way at all. To our surprise Jamie was there with them and was going to join in on our celebration. This is rare because Jamie's parents are super paranoid and don't like her to hang out with a lot of guys but because I was going to be there they let loose of her leash a little. Justin and I arrived there before Joseph and Jon arrived in their car. So we stood around and talked a bit waiting for them. I gave Hunter his amusing birthday card and my homemade post card of Kon from "Bleach." Justin had bought him a real post card last year so we thought it would be funny. Jon and Joseph finally arrived about 10 minutes after we did, and we had Cody take a picture of all of us. If I can, I'll have those pictures put on a downloadable CD for the computer, that way I can put them on here and myspace later. Cody couldn't go with us because he had to work. Plus, he's more of just Bruce and Hunter's friend, the rest of us didn't really know him. Bruce went with Jon and Joseph in their car, while Hunter and Jamie went in our car.

We met at a place called Pizza Inn in two towns over from Roan Mountain. Joseph hates it there, but everyone else likes it so the majority ruled. We ate, talked, and laughed for about two hours there. Give or take 15 minutes. Joseph played all of the phone messages Justin and I have left them over the past months. All the funny ones, of course. Once I pretended to be an adult video store calling about overdue gay porno films and named a long list of gay pornos without a single giggle. There was one of Justin and I pretending to be having sex while leaving them a message and at the very end Justin says "Ouch! You pinched me!" but that wasn't even fake, I really did accidentally pinch him but it was funny anyway. There's one where Justin bitches about how one night they told us to call them when I got off work, but when we did call them back they didn't answer. But Justin bitched in a funny way, he basically made it a whole lot more dramatic than it really was.

We then went to the mall in Johnson City, and went to the usual places. Hot Topic, Spencer, and GameStop. We also went to the food court to get drinks. We have a lovely picture of Jon and Joseph attacking Hunter in the food court. The story behind that is that Bruce and Hunter's dad treats homosexuality as if it were a disease and they were making fun of the concept by trying to "give Hunter the gay." All together we spent about probably two hours at the mall, give or take a half hour. Jamie for some reason looked rather sad sometimes. Jon once told me that she's depressed but often tries to hide it. Everytime we asked her if she was okay, she told us she was tired. That doesn't fool me, because I used the same excuse once upon a time.

We went to another GameStop in Johnson City, and then Best Buy. Nerds like electronics, so yeah. Jon and Joseph "snuck" around and bought some of my birthday gifts. I received from them in total: a Blood+ manga, the first volume of the Death Note anime series, a Disturbed band t-shirt, purple eyeliner, and $10 toward the third season of Veronica Mars (it was on sale for $20, and I couldn't resist). I swear, Jon and Joseph racked up quite a bit for me, and now I get to try to scrape up money when their birthdays come around to out-do them on gift giving. I always feel guilty if I don't give bigger, more expensive gifts to people than what they got me. I honestly would rather they got me cheap stuff. Well, Joseph's birthday is in May, so I've got time to save up. And Jon's birthday already passed so no worries for now. Hunter got me ditily squat, but he's a 16 yr old with no car or job so I was expecting as much. Bruce gave me a card with $10 in it. That made my jaw drop because Bruce and I aren't exactly good buddies. I don't hate or even dislike Bruce but we have the LEAST in common when it comes to our little group of friends. He could possibly know my secret about feeling guilty and want a $20 from me when his birthday comes around again.

We went to the Carmike movie theater to find out that we were too late to see a movie of our choice so we went to Sonic instead to have a little treat. This was at around 9:30 p.m., and we had to start heading back to Roan Mountain at around 11 p.m. in order to get Bruce and Hunter home on time since their curfew was midnight. Jamie was still looking sad from time to time so Jon bought her a dessert to try to make her feel better. She did cheer up momentarily at least. Then we went back to our apartment. Bruce, Hunter, and Jamie had never seen it before. We pretty much just relaxed and took a break from getting in and out of the damn car all day and walking around places. We all talked and made jokes, and various things. Joseph showed us more obscene videos on the internet, which made me want to kill him. Bruce and Jon kept getting Nimbus (our older cat) to chase a crayon around on the floor. I told them to get it away from him because I didn't want a sick kitty, but they never listened to me because I found it on the floor later. Hunter jokingly got underneath my desk and said "Look, I can sleep right here when I move in with you guys." *sigh* Hunter desperately wants to move out of his parents' place the second he turns eighteen, and has his eye on our place. This is a place barely big enough for the two of us. However, this doesn't concern Hunter, he said he'd rather sleep on the floor every night here than live with his parents. I don't blame him though, his parents are rather awful. I honestly wouldn't give a damn if he wanted to live here, but Justin has a problem with it. Well, that's about two years from now so I'm not worried about it.

When we finally got back to Roan Mountain, I was making fun of the name Jimmy Bo Johnson because well, duh, just say it. It's funny. I said that the spirit of Jimmy Bo Johnson was gonna get Bruce and Hunter as they crossed this creepy, dark field to get to their trailer. Bruce got his books and stuff out of our trunk first and walked across the field without Hunter. He then dropped his stuff in the middle of the field and started picking them all up. I then burst into laughter because I just warned him that the spirit of Jimmy Bo Johnson was going to get him then out of nowhere he dropped his stuff. You had to have been there. I don't believe in ghosts so I know that's not why he dropped his stuff, but it was so funny and coincidental. After Hunter got his stuff out of the trunk he just gave me that look he does when he's confused as to why I was laughing, and then proceeded across the field too, and I joked that he'd best be careful or he'll get attacked too. Jamie was still looking sad when we dropped her off at her house. We asked if she was really okay and that if something was wrong we'd try to be of help. She kept insisting that she was tired and that she really did have fun with us.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told

2008-02-07T09:01:44Z

This was not written by me. This was written by a friend of mine from California. I liked it so much I thought I'd pass his words on.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told:

"The young men and women in the United States Military are fighting to defend our freedom."

Defending it from what? The stereotypical freedom-hating, terror-loving, holy war-declaring Muslims of the Middle East? How slanted and biased, and derogatory towards a group of quite misunderstood people who suffer over-generalizations that all Muslims out there hate America. Are you implying that the moment people in our military stop fighting, we're going to be overrun with terrorists and Muslim extremists and whatnot? How foolish.

The young people in the United States Military in the Revolutionary War fought to defend OUR (the U.S.) freedom, so you can say that. The young people in the United States Military in the Civil War fought to defend the Africans' freedom, so you can say that. The young people in the United States Military in World War II fought to defend EUROPEAN (their) freedom, so you can say that. But the young people who fight in the wars going on today in Afghanistan and Iraq that the U.S. is involved with are deluding themselves by claiming that they're serving some higher cause by being there like "DEFENDING YOUR FREEDOMS BACK AT HOME," or nonsense phrases such as, "they're fighting so that you can have the RIGHT to say things against them." We're in both those countries for oil. Not for defending the freedoms of the already overprivileged American people.

The only freedoms we're defending by being there are these: One, the freedom for the poor to always be the first to step up to be cheap labor and to do the dirty work for; Two, the rich, who profit off of war, via oil deals, business incentives, and weapons contracts.

Thus I submit to you, soldiers in the U.S. military are NOT defending our freedom. We'd not be "overrun by enemies" if they stopped fighting in the Middle East. Soldiers are defending and perpetuating the very system that exploits them for profit. Therefore, please boycott military service.

- joe

"The Pioneers of a war-less world are young men who refuse military service."

- Albert Einstein, German Scientist

"It is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

- Hermann Goering, Hitler's Military Leader

Hot German Guys

2008-02-06T05:16:14Z

It's a German band called Tokio Hotel. The lead singer looks and even sorta sounds like a girl, but nope, that is a guy. He has a penis. haha. I have no clue if he's gay and frankly I don't care. He's a fucking hot goth.

In this second one, you can tell it's a boy (physically anyway) a little better. He's younger in it.

Yo

2008-02-05T16:56:16Z

I'd write more often, really, I would if I had something important to say. Nothing really out of the ordinary happens these days. I work, and Justin goes to school. We hang out with Jon and Joseph about every week and hang out with Bruce and Hunter whenever we can. I wish I had pictures of all of them on the digital camera, but sadly, we always hang out in public places or at their houses so my digital camera is never around. Jon and Joseph are still a couple and going strong. I'm happy for Jon. Before he met Joseph, he was always depressed and longing for someone to be with. It really is difficult to be homosexual/bisexual in a place such as this. Tennessee, as to be expected, is very Republican and 80% of this state voted against gay marriage. So as you can guess, many people are closed to the concept. Bruce and Hunter's parents still assholes and don't like for Jon and Joseph to visit them because of them being gay. So we haven't all hung out together for a really long time. We still visit Bruce and Hunter but it's never often enough. Their parents aren't really fond of us either. But other than all that shit, everything is going good. With everything going as planned I'll be in ETSU by summer time and I can quit ol' Wal-Mart (and thank goodness because I'm getting quite sick of the place).

THE BEST COLLAGE EVER!

2008-01-24T07:35:43Z

Bush lied ... a lot. Big surprise.

2008-01-24T06:10:07Z

I knew all of this from the beginning, I just wish the rest of the nation wouldn't have been so naive too; and now it's too late.

I got this from MSN.

President Bush, seen at the White House on Tuesday, and officials in his administration made 935 false statements on Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to a new study.

WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.

WMD, al-Qaida links debunked
The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."

Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

Media 'validation'
The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.

"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded.

"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.

Hot Japanese Guys

2008-01-15T22:34:05Z

You might get infatuated.

The Hall of Shame

2007-12-19T03:09:29Z

The Hall of Shame

Written by a Wal-Mart employee: M. R. D.

Warning: This entry contains bitching, ranting, and complaining. It is dedicated to all my favorite customers that I come across while working at Wal-Mart. It shall reveal true stupidity, ignorance, and arrogance in everyday people. Hell, you might even be one of them!

These are in no particular order:

- Here's a classic. I absolutely love it when people do not use dividers. Because they're really just there for show and not for letting me know when your stuff ends and the next person's begins. Here's a wonderful example: A woman didn't put a divider down and so I started scanning stuff that wasn't her's and I was trying to get the attention of some customers that were getting in my line even though I was closing, and the next person was on her cellphone. Then, after about 4 items later, the lady screams "For the tenth fucking time, that's not my stuff!!!" She either whispered it the first "nine times" or she's just a fucking bitch. Seriously, don't get mad at me if your shit ends up in someone else's bag. It's your own fucking fault.

- I get this everyday. When idiots don't use both handles on a bag. You know, when you grab the side of the bag or just one of the handles there's probably about a 75% chance your bag will bust because there's not enough support, but it won't be your fault. Oh no, you'd blame me for your stupidity. You'd say "You put too much stuff in my bag!" And then I'd feel like killing you, because you're a dumbass. The handles are NOT for show.

- This happens probably like every other customer. It's very inconsiderate AND lazy to throw extra bags on the floor. When you pull your bag of shit off, and you stupidly grab more than just yours, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't be a bitch and just toss them on the floor for me to pick up later or for someone else to slip on. Because if someone did slip on it, I'd be to blame, not you the one who actually threw them down there. It really isn't that difficult to hand them over to me.

- Why do people have kids? So that they can bother others at work, I guess. I HATE it when kids stand there and stare at every single move you make. I HATE it when kids want to scan the items themselves because it for some fucked up reason makes them feel important. And I REALLY HATE it when kids press buttons on my register or the card swipe machine. AND I REALLY FUCKING HATE it when parents watch and let all of this shit happen and do nothing to oh, I don't know be a parent and discipline their fucking brats.

- Speaking of the card swipe machine, if your card is declined, that's not my fault. That's your fault for being a poor-ass bitch. Screaming at me will get you nowhere. Nor will ripping the machine off the counter and mashing it to the floor (yes, that actually happened).

- Yes, your foodstamps card will only pay for the food. There's no need to separate all the food items from the non-food items and create two separate bills.

- I'll give you a hint about who you should ask when you need to find something. You should ask people in the particular DEPARTMENTS, because they stock stuff. Cashiers spend ALL of their time upfront at the register and do NOT know where everything is. Or, you can call me crazy, and go look for it yourself, you lazy-ass bitch.

- There's this very special lady I'd like to talk about. She came in seeming well in health. I scanned all of her things, gave her the total, she gave me the money, and I gave her the change. Then suddenly, without warning, she yelled "My arm is hurt, and I thought you were going to help me with my bags, but I guess you're not going to!!!" I suppose word has gotten around - I can indeed read minds. It's true! You don't need to tell me anything, especially something as important as one's arm being injured. OH NO! Please, keep all information to yourself! Yes, little old lady, I'm a mean ol' Wal-Mart employee who hates helping people. I somehow KNEW that your arm was hurt even though you had no cast on it, nor was it in a sling. Staying perfectly silent until you bursted into anger was surely the right thing to do!

- That reminds me of another little old lady. I scanned all of her things, gave her the total, she paid, and I gave her the change. Then she stood there staring at me for a few seconds and asked "Oh, is it self-service these days?" in an angry tone. I felt like saying "Why, yes it is. Exactly. This is Wal-Mart, lady." Seriously, if you want help with getting your bags into your cart, just ask. Being an arrogant bitch will not get you help on that.

- Can you read? Apparently lots of people can't. The "20 items or less" sign isn't for show. The bagging area and counter is designed for only a few items. So having a cart full of shit will not fit on the counter, nor will I have enough bagging space. Not to mention the people behind you in line that only have one or two things will now have to wait for your impatient ass to get through. So that makes you arrogant, impatient, and inconsiderate. Good job.

- If you grab something without a price tag or barcode, that's not my fault. So don't get bitchy with me when you're standing in line for an extra 10 minutes because I have to call the department for the barcode and they like to take their ol' sweet time. Nor is it my fault if the price rings up to something you don't like. If you don't like it, then don't get it.

- Speaking of prices, I hate matching to competitor's prices. Because these pathetic housewives with nothing better to do with their time like to buy every sales paper in the world and make a list of all the stuff they want, and make you match them all. This takes probably triple the time a regular order would take because I have to do a lot of shit in order to change all those prices.

- I don't double bag things for my health. It means the item is heavy and that it needs double the support to carry it. Grabbing the outside handles (meaning totally ignoring the fact that I double bagged) pretty much makes what I did pointless. If your bag bursts because you didn't grab all four handles, you can seriously fuck off.

- Register 15 is the ONLY register that sells cigarettes and tobacco products at the store I work at. No, I cannot walk over there and get you a pack and sell them to you at a different register. It really isn't that difficult to get into another line. In fact, technically we're not supposed to abandon our registers at all, especially for something that's about 10 registers down. That's why there's a designated register, otherwise they'd be at every register and minors wouldn't be able to work for Wal-Mart.

- Your eggs and bread are not going to explode if something else is bagged with them. I promise I'll put LIGHT items in with them. Seriously, I have no intention of smashing your bread or breaking your eggs. I have better things than that to do with my life. Perfect example: A little old lady yelled at me for putting a 16 slice pack of American cheese in with her carton of eggs. Oh yeah, let me tell ya, that cheese was going for the kill. Occasionally I put bag of chips in with bread, and some people act like I just put a gallon of milk in with it. Seriously, chill out, people.

- If you pick up a broken/damaged item, do NOT expect me to go and get another one for you, you lazy-ass bitch. I CANNOT leave my register, and nor can I call someone else away from their job just to do your shopping. You should pay more attention to the stuff you pick up, instead of talking on your damn cellphone all the time.

- If you come in with a $1,000+ paycheck to get cashed, do NOT do it in the early morning hours when the registers basically have nothing more than a few hundred dollars worth of ones, fives, tens, and change. And DO NOT bitch to me when you have to wait for a Customer Service Manager to come with a "loan" to my register because I do not have enough to give you. Seriously, ever heard of a bank since you got all that money?

- This is the story of a big, burly redneck. He was buying himself some manly energy drinks one night. He watched the prices go up on the register as I scanned each one. He handed over his money, and I handed back his change. I shut the drawer completely. He looks at his receipt for a few moments, and then proceeds to tell me that the prices that came up for those energy drinks were wrong and of course, he wants ME to fix it. Let me make this clear to you all, WE CASHIERS CANNOT DO REFUNDS!!! You have to go to the Customer Service Center, no matter how long the line is there! If you tell me about incorrect prices BEFORE we finish the transaction, then I can help you. Yes, please, storm away angrily to Customer Service and say that I was a mean ol' cashier who refused to give you a refund. They'll only agree with you because you're a customer, NOT because you're right.

- If you don't like waiting in line, then don't come to Wal-Mart during the holiday seasons. The line will be long, and slow no matter how much you bitch about it. From November to the end of December is the busiest time of the year for retail. If you can't handle it, then don't shop there.

- You do not have to fill out your check. You're just wasting time and holding up the line. The printers print out everything for you. Get with it, people.

- There are three kinds of Harry Potter movies being sold at Wal-Mart. One is the regular ol' copy of it, and it sells for $14 something, while there's another one that looks similar to it, but has an extra disc with a bunch of special features and shit on it. It sells for $20 something. Then there's a HP movie that sells with little HP toys on the side of the package. I don't remember what it sells for but it's more expensive than the regular ol' copy. I don't care what the sign said, these are the price differences, and no, I cannot change them for you. Just because you see a sign that says $14 something doesn't mean that EVERYTHING on that shelfing is that price, especially if there's a big ol' sign next to it with a different price. Shut the fuck up, already.

- I don't care if you're an 90-year-old man, rolling in on his death bed, I MUST card every single person who wishes to buy alchohol. It is Tennessee state law that requires me to do this. I WILL get fired if that little black bubble above my register containing a camera in it sees me not carding you.

- Within the three months that I've worked at Wal-Mart, I've heard around 7 or 8 announcements about a parent having lost their kid in the store. ... If you don't want to take responsibility for your kid, then you either should have had an abortion or you should GROW THE FUCK UP AND NOT LET YOUR KID RUN AROUND FREELY!!! Seriously, what kind of idiots can lose a kid in a store? It doesn't take that much effort to keep them in the cart, or to hold their hand. Quit talking on your cellphone and shopping, and pay the fuck attention!

- A woman got ran over in our parking lot a few weeks ago. Seriously, if you're in that big of a hurry, why not just plow through the store and kill a bunch of people instead? Pedestrians have the right away whether there are stop signs all over the place in the parking lot or not. The store won't get up and walk away if you take your time getting through the parking lot, I promise.

- I once saw like a 9-year-old girl in a belly shirt and short shorts. I guess a mom somewhere wants her daughter to be a slut just like her someday. That's fucking ridiculous.

- When the register light is off, and there's a sign that says "Lane Closed" that means it's CLOSING. Just because I'm standing behind the register doesn't mean you should run over to me because there's no one in line.

- I especially love it when parents make their small children put the bags in their cart for them. I especially love the part where the kid drops the bag because it is much to heavy for them. Here's a little tip for all you moms and dads out there, your kid is NOT your slave. You've got arms and hands, use them.

- No, I don't want to join your church, religion, or cult. Thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart.

Who agrees with me?

2007-12-17T07:18:56Z

Who agrees with me?
I want everyone who agrees with me to post a comment on this bulletin. All of you who disagree can go fuck off and I don't want to hear your goddamn opinion because I'm a bitch.

There was this ultra-religious Christian politician on TV who said that the reason why there was an attack on 9/11 was because "god" lifted "his" shield of protect on America because people were allowing abortion to be legal.

Do you or do you not agree that this man is a complete fucking idiot?

Mmm, rpg and anime characters!

2007-12-08T18:41:59Z

This is a test my boyfriend wrote. I had sort of an advantage though since I helped him make it.

Your perceptional skills are 92%!

Your overall perception shows how good or how bad you did when guessing the character's genders. The higher your perception, the better you did. For example, 100% shows that you correctly guessed each character's genders, while 0% would show that you guessed every gender wrong.

This test tracked 1 variable. How the score compared to the other people's:

Higher than 99% on Perception

Link: The Guy or Girl Test written by Terror_Of_Death on Ok Cupid

A new kitten!

2007-12-03T08:13:54Z

By the way, we got a new kitten like a month ago. I've been really lazy and just got around to uploading a photo.

It's a picture of Nimbus (the cat I've had for two years now) and the new kitten named Luna cuddling.

Here's Luna being cute.

Here's Luna playing peek-a-boo with me.

It's Nimbus and Luna eating together.

Thanksgiving Myths

2007-11-15T04:40:28Z

Thanksgiving Day Myths

By Timothy Walch

Mr. Walch is the director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in West Branch, Iowa, and a writer for the History News Service. His book, Uncommon Americans: The Lives and Legacies of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover, will be published in 2003.

Thanksgiving dinner: never has the history of a meal been so obscured by myth. Every year on the fourth Thursday in November, Americans sit down to eat with family and friends. Some gather to give thanks for all that they have received over the previous year; others get together just to enjoy turkey and football. We all celebrate Thanksgiving in our own ways.

So what do most Americans believe happened on that first Thanksgiving Day? Most still cling to what they learned in elementary school. The Pilgrims sat down with Indians for a big meal of turkey, cornbread, cranberries and pumpkin pie. The Pilgrims dressed in black, and the Indians wore feathers and colorful beads. In fact, many Americans today still recall if they were "pilgrims" or "Indians" in their school pageants.

It's a charming story, but it's a myth. To be sure, it's a powerful one -- one that will be repeated many times this November. The fact that it's so pervasive is evidence that American myths have long lives.

So what are the facts of that first Thanksgiving? In fact, the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony in today's Massachusetts did share a meal with the Wampanoag Indians in the autumn of 1621, but the rest of the details are uncertain. The only documentary evidence of the event comes from the journal of Plymouth Colony's governor, Edward Winslow, who noted simply that the colonists met with Chief Massasoit and 90 of his men for a feast that lasted four days. No one worried about cholesterol or obesity in 1621!

Though they don't have much evidence, historians and archaeologists do have an educated hypothesis of what the Pilgrims ate, how they ate, when they ate and what they wore at that first Thanksgiving meal. The historical facts are not at all like the scene usually painted in elementary school.

Start with the menu. It's not likely that the Pilgrims and the Indians consumed any bread dressing, mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie. In fact, it is not likely that they ate any roast turkey either. The only items listed in Winslow's journal were "venison and wild fowl," and it is likely that dried corn and fruit filled out the bill of fare. In colonial times, a person ate what was available, when it was available. No one back then saved room for pumpkin pie.

Another myth has to do with how the meal was served. The Pilgrims and the Indians did not, as the myth has it, sit down at tables, bless their food or pass the serving dishes. It's more likely that food was set out on every available flat surface: tables, boxes, benches, and tree stumps. The meal was consumed without ceremony over three days, whenever someone was hungry.

No one used plates or eating utensils. Although both the colonists and the Indians occasionally used cloths or napkins if the food was hot, they usually ate with their hands. And not everyone ate everything that was served. Most diners ate what they liked or whatever dish was closest to them.

Finally, it's important to dispel one last Thanksgiving myth -- that the Pilgrims dressed in black and white clothing, wore pointed hats and starched bonnets and favored buckles on their shoes. It's true that they dressed in black on Sundays; but on most days, including the first Thanksgiving, they dressed in white, beige, black, green and brown. And it's likely that the Indians were fully clothed to ward off the chill of autumn in New England. Who would wear only a loincloth in Massachusetts in November?

So it's a good thing that Americans today are not tested on the history of that first Thanksgiving, because few of us would earn a passing grade. It seems that the historical evidence of Thanksgiving is not as compelling as the myths that cloud our memories. It's too bad that childhood images of Pilgrims and Indians aren't based on historical facts.

And yet there's a legacy about this holiday that threads its way from past to the present and defies both myth and historical evidence. That legacy is generosity. To be sure, Americans today may not be as religious as the Pilgrims, but most Americans do share their plenty with their family and friends on this special day. It's a holiday that brings all Americans, no matter their creed or disposition, together. And that's something worthy of our thanks.

Mmm, Politics

2007-10-20T03:02:06Z

Deportation of Illegal Immigrants:
I honestly just don't have an opinion on this. Make them leave, don't ... I really couldn't care less either way.

Juvenile / Underage Drinking:
If it were like how it is in Britain, I think people would be getting less drunk actually. Because you see in Britain, kids are allowed to taste wine and stuff at a younger age so when they start getting into the teens, drinking alcohol doesn't seem like a big deal, therefore not a means to be rebelous so ... how about it shitty ol' USA?

Legalization Of Marajuana:
I don't smoke the shit, but I really don't care about this one. As long as it was regulated like alcohol, whatever.

Capital Punishment / Death Penalty:
I always thought that those who cannot be "corrected" should be killed, and those who can improve themselves mentally and otherwise should stay in prison be "corrected" then released back in society for another try.

U.S. Involvement in Middle East / War In Iraq:
LEAVE ALREADY!!!

Pornography:
Thumbs up here. ;)

Music Censorship:
Stupid, and pointless ... seriously, even if you do censor the words, you can tell what was there still anyway!

Sex Education In School:
Please do. Maybe if teens knew about the fucked up STDs they can get more often, and how difficult raising a kid is, they'd have sex less.

Smoking of tobacco products:
If people wanna kill themselves, so be it ... but smoking in public should definitely be banned.

Euthanasia (Assisted Suicide):
Seriously, what good does it do for a person to suffer and wait for death or for someone to sit there and veggetate and have no conciousness of the world around them? If someone wants to die that badly, they should be able to.

Legalization of Gambling:
If people want to waste money, go ahead, I don't really care.

Publishing names of known Gang Members:
Uh ... don't care.

Programs For The Homeless:
Yes, please. The problem with people who are against the homeless is that they fail to see how hard getting a job can be for someone who is unable to bathe, have nice clothes to wear, and actually have a phone number. You sort of need those things to get a job, so how is telling them to get one going to help, hmmmmm?

Preservation of Endangered Species:
Yes, please. I don't know about you, but I'd sure like to not disrupt the natural cycle of life. For every animal that extincts, just means another is about to as well. For example: Animal A only eats Animal B. Animal B extincts one day and soon so shall Animal A. Animal C likes to eat a lot of Animal A so if it dies that means more starvation. ... And it goes on, and on.

Legalization of Abortion:
YES!!! It's bad enough that we have a lot of stupid people in this world, I'd sure like to NOT have another 246,600 a year in America.

Nuclear Warfare:
What's the point? I mean, if there's some arrogant bastard out there that's like "Well, if I can't beat you, I'm gonna take everyone down with me." than they deserve to be shot in the fucking head. ... President Bush anyone?

Censorship In The Media:
Maybe I'm just old-fashioned this way, but I'd sure like to hear the truth on the news considering that's the point of watching it.

Cloning:
Sure ... whatever ... I don't care.

Stem Cell Research:
Sure, why not?

U.S. Foreign Relations:
It's good to keep in touch.

Underage / Juvenile Sexual Relations:
Look, if a girl has boobs, that means she can be sexually attractive to someone. I hate how it's called pedaphinilla (or however the fuck you spell it) when someone over 18 likes someone who's 16. That's ridiculous. I'm not saying to lower the age to 13 or something stupid like that, but I think there should be more like laws against radical age differences and not laws against 17 and under.

Nationwide Legalization of Prostitution:
As long as it's REGULATED, sure. The last thing we need is the spread of STDs and AIDS.

Environmental Conservation:
NO! Let's just destroy the Earth as much as we can so that by the time this generation's grandchildren get here they can suffer severely on a horrid wasteland of nothingness!!! (sarcasm)

Legalization of Incest Relations:
Hmm ... this one is seriously a toughy. I'm open-minded to be sure, but ... it would seriously depend on circumstances. It's sort of difficult to explain. Like to me, honestly, if someone likes their second or third or fourth cousin ... I don't really give a shit. But someone getting it on with their sibling or mom ... ewwww, just don't tell me about it!

Prevention Of Suicide:
This is really vague. You already asked about assisted suicide so ... uh, do you mean like we should try to prevent stupid emo teens from killing themselves? Or that we should try to promote a positive outlook on homosexuality so that less homosexuals kill themselves every year? Or that we should discourage bullying in schools so that there's no more school shootings and suicides? ... Seriously, this is vague!

Minority Assistance Programs:
No, that's still racism.

Genocide / Ethnic Cleansing:
I don't know enough about this subject to form an opinion.

Gun Control:
Getting rid of guns isn't going to do any good. While an average person will be unable to get one, criminals could easy illegally import guns so ... uh ... this helps how?

Marine Resources Conservation:
I don't know enough about the subject to form an opinion.

Sex Offender Awareness Programs:
Sure.

School Safety:
This is a totally gray area. I'd like for weapons not to enter schools, but having patrolmen at every exit to the school like a prison is sort of ridiculous. *cough* My stupid high school ... *cough*

Child Labor:
Not forced, of course, but I don't think there'd be anything wrong with a 13 or 14 year old getting a job.

Specialized Programs for the Mentally Challenged:
Sure.

Controlled Population Growth:
YES!!!! Thank you for that wonderous suggestion!

Stiffer Penalties for Drunk Driving:
Yes, please. Much, much stiffer, severe penalties actually. :-D

Theory of Evolution in Education:
Uh, duh, yeah. You know, because it's not much of a theory anymore. They only have a shitload of evidence while the CHRISTIANS don't have dittley swat for Adam and Eve.

Controlling Child Abuse:
Uh, yes!

Protecting Social Security:
YES!!! ... Fuckers! Those fucking old fucking foegies in the goddamn greedy seats in the government that they hold already have their damn money so of course they're not worried about not having any fucking money when you're too fucking old to work anymore! Fuckers.

Homosexuality Awareness / Recognition:
"The Gays" aren't going anywhere. You might as well just get over it narrow-minded America.

Increased Control of Terrorism:
Sure, as long as you don't do cavity searches for everyone at the airports and you don't invade anymore countries where you don't belong.

The Cool Crowd

2007-10-03T00:56:58Z

Why Popularity Doesn't Matter
A Truthy Analysis of the Popular Kids

We all know the typical "popular" group: the captain of the Varsity football team who is dating the head cheerleader, and their friends that get drunk every weekend and never seem to remember what happened the night before. They always pick on the "losers," that spend their Friday nights studying or playing computer games because they're rarely invited to parties that aren't hosted by a friend-of-the-family's kid sister.

They cut the valedictorian and AP nerds in the cafeteria and never limit their bullying or hazing. No one seems to care that the only reason the star lacrosse player is passing chemistry is that he cheats off the smart quiet girl at his lab table… until these "popular" kids graduate and realize the real world is a little harder than high school.

According to a recent national survey made by the Department of Education, 67% of young adults (ages 25-35) that self-described themselves as popular in high school end up working menial service jobs and only make $20,000/year with no health benefits and no prospect of a promotion. If you're popular, you may be saying no way, I got into college, and I'm going to be just as successful as I was in high school. That may be the case, but "popular" students are 80% more likely to drop out of college before getting their degree.

These kids that party all weekend and excessively drink will not do well in college. Most universities, even the party schools, have stringent policies on underage drinking and drug use. Even though a majority of college students may drink underage, the once popular high school kids are far more likely to get caught and dealt with because of their arrogant attitude and utter disregard for school policies. Even if these students aren't thrown out of college, they may still drop out from unwanted pregnancies or failing courses.

Being popular may be the cool thing to be in high school, but once graduation comes, the bad habits the popular kids learned in high school will only worsen, setting them up to be the nation's most UN-successful.

Note: This was not written by me. It was written by a really "cool" college student on a forum I go to.

Favorite Cutscenes

2007-10-01T16:40:32Z

The following cutscenes may be spoilers for video games, so if you haven't played the video game they've been labeled, I suggest you not watch it. Unless you have no intention of ever playing any of these, then go right ahead. Anyway, they're my favorite cutscenes, and the graphics are orgasmic! So beautiful!

This is a really good romance scene from Final Fantasy X. It's my favorite above all favorites.

This isn't too much of a spoiler, but still, if you're one of those people who are all like "NOOOO, I don't want to know anything!" then don't watch it. Anyway, it's a scene from Final Fantasy X as well.

This one is a bunch of cutscenes recorded into one from Final Fantasy X. It's Yuna's wedding, where she's getting married against her will. It goes from Tidus (blonde-haired dude) and the rest of them trying to save Yuna to them being captured, and the part that's not seen is Seymour (blue-haired dude) saying that if they try anything Yuna or them will be killed. Then they get married and then it goes to Yuna falling off the balony. The part in between is that Yuna escapes to the side of the balony since she can't try to kill Seymour.

This is a beautiful scene from Final Fantasy X-2. Yuna singing "1000 Words" it's really good. Spoiler though.

This is the ending of Kingdom Hearts. It isn't particularly spoiling, but if you haven't beat it don't watch it.

This is the opening to Kingdom Hearts 2 so this really isn't a spoiler.

This isn't a cutscene from a game. This is a scene from the movie Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. It's a movie that takes place a year (I think) after the story line in Final Fantasy VII the game. Tifa (the woman in the scene) is my favorite character from FFVII so I like it! Too bad she loses the fight.

Life

2007-09-20T18:24:30Z

Grrr, I still can't type up the big mega journal entry yet. Not that anyone is waiting for it. *cough* ... Anyway, I'm just going to give a few brief updates on what's going on. For one, the place we moved into doesn't have a phonejack. Nice, eh? Well, the landlord said we can have one installed so it'll be a while before I can use my own computer and internet. Right now I'm at the ETSU computer lab.

The place we're in is really cool despite there being no phonejack. Big living room, big bedroom, medium sized kitchen, and the bathroom is okay too. I have TWICE the closet space as I did in my mom's house. Hell, I even have EXTRA space for more clothes. That's never happened before. Anyway, there's no air conditioning, which is fine because oddly enough it isn't that hot in the house despite the crazy heat outside. All we really need is a fan and we're good. We have heat though, well, duh. But every room has it's own little heater in the wall. Is that weird or just uncommon? Because I've never seen it like that before. But it's good, I think, because then instead of paying a big electric bill for trying to heat the whole damn apartment, we can just keep the living room and bedroom heated during the winter.

... I'm really happy here. For once, I feel at ease. It's as if I should've been here from the beginning. We've hung out with Jon, Joseph, and their friends a lot.

As I've said before, I can't start at ETSU until I get tax papers so I have to wait until the Spring Semester to enroll. Until then I'm gonna work, you know, just to make sure we've always got income. Justin's financial aid is $2,000 to $3,000 a semester, so even if I lost my job, we'd have enough for the essentials. But who the hell just wants essentials? DID YOU KNOW THAT THE BASIC CABLE HERE HAS LIKE 100 CHANNELS?! INCLUDING CARTOON FUCKING NETWORK!!! In fucking Indiana, we only got up to 32!!! And I'd like to have DSL, and not my usual ancient dialup AOL. I've been hired at Walmart of all places. Got take what you can get, right? $7 per hour, 32 hours a week. Not bad, really. I start next week ... in ELECTRONICS. Oh yeah. Life is good.

GOODBYE NORTHWEST INDIANA

2007-08-31T06:20:30Z

On Saturday, at the crack of dawn (5 a.m.), I will be leaving Northwest Indiana forever!!! I'm so glad to get the fuck out of here. I'm moving down to Johnson City, TN (that's eastern TN so it isn't hillbilly paradise or anything). I'll be moving in with my beloved boyfriend Justin whom I hope to be with for the rest of my life. I'll be sad to not see any of my Indy friends for a long time since I probably won't visit IN for a long-ass time. I will miss you Billy, Angel, and Jessica. I promise I won't forget about you. We've had some good times.

I plan on attending college at East Tennessee State University (a 4-year college) eventually. Sadly, I won't be able to until the winter time because I need my tax papers in order to apply for financial aid and all that good shizzle.

For those of you who are awaiting my arrival in TN, I shall see you soon!!!

Oh, and I promise to write a longer journal entry. I basically need to write about Independence Day (4th of July), my trip to Indiana Beach, and some other shit that's been going on. The computer is being dismantled so I won't be able to update until everything is all situated down in TN.

Wish me luck, it's gonna be a 9 hour fucking drive!

That is so homosexual.

2007-08-22T07:42:29Z

As much as I'd like to claim this well written piece of work, it is not mine. I have to give credit to a college student from New York for this.

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"That is so gay."

Just for reference, in case there are those of you that do not actually know, the word GAY is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, the definitive record of the English language, as an individual with sexual attraction to those of the same sex.

The misuse of the word gay is clearly not specific to our site alone. It's used on school playgrounds and in cafeterias, at sports practices and on blogs. Basically, it's everywhere. In the most recent National School Climate Survey from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in 2005, nearly nine out of ten (89.2%) students reported frequently hearing "that's so gay" or "you're so gay," meaning stupid or worthless.

"Gay" seems to flow far more easily from many people's lips in a way that is synonymous with stupid, lame, worthless, etc. instead of using those words themselves.

What's with Josh's haircut? I don't know, dude. It's pretty gay.

You're going out to dinner with your parents tonight? That's gay.

Did you see that new movie this weekend? It sucked. It was totally gay.

Now, unless you're referring to Brokeback Mountain, what could possibly be "gay" about a movie? Was it having sex with another movie in the neighboring theatre? And what would be so bad about that anyway?

In these instances, it's strongly inferred that "gay" is not a positive trait. Instead, it refers to something dorky, weird, cheesy, socially unacceptable or simply not okay, implying that to be gay is also not okay. So how could that phrase not perpetuate negative feelings? The way this term is being used today, it's obvious that being gay is not a label you want to have. What you should know is that using gay without any explicit reference to sexual orientation is an act of homophobia. GLSEN's 2005 study also revealed that nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) students (64.3%) feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation.

So though comments mistreating the word "gay" may seem insignificant, it can lead to more violent abuses: according to the FBI's 2005 Hate Crime Statistics Report, the LGBTQ community accounted for 1,171 of the hate crimes reported that year.

One of the most infamous instances of said violence was the 1998 murder of 21-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepherd, who died from head injuries inflicted upon him by other men, merely due to his sexual orientation. "Matt is no longer with us today because the men who killed him learned to hate," his mother Judy told the Senate Judiciary Committee in an effort to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. "Somehow and somewhere they received the message that the lives of gay people are not as worthy of respect, dignity and honor as the lives of other people. They were given the impression that society condoned or at least was indifferent to violence against gay and lesbian Americans." That indifference is exactly what saying, "that's so gay," implies-- and we neglectfully simply let it slide.

Hollywood is no different. This month's GQ magazine, for example, features an article on Matt Damon, who talks about what he did with his first big paycheck after he and Ben Affleck sold their script for Good Will Hunting. They both wanted a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but couldn't both purchase it because "we knew it would just be so gay to get the same car." Matt's comment has simply gone under the radar without condemnation so how should anyone else be expected to believe it's wrong?

Words have much more power than we often think they do. It doesn't take much effort to say, "that's lame," instead of "that's gay." If we all just said what we meant, instead of slapping on a term incorrectly, maybe there wouldn't be so much intolerance or abuse.