Greg

Ah c'mon

2009-08-15T00:32:06Z

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090814/ap_en_ot/us_people_bob_dylan

Yeah, I know the 60's was a long time ago, but come on, this is Bob Fucking Dylan.

My Life, According To The Cure (Stole from Mikey)

2009-08-12T19:45:26Z

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Re-post as "my life according to (band name)"

Pick Your Artist:
The Cure

Are you a male or female:
Boys Don’t Cry

Describe Yourself:
A Short Term Effect

How do you feel:
Homesick

Describe where you currently live:
The Same Deep Water as You

If you could go anywhere where would you go?
The Edge of the Deep Green Sea

Your Favorite Form of Transportation?
The Walk
Jumping Someone Else’s Train

Your Best Friend is:
Close To Me

You and your best friends are:
Open

What's the weather like:
Hot Hot Hot!!!
Prayers for Rain

Favorite Time of Day:
10:15 On A Saturday Night

If your life was a tv show, what would it be called:
Untitled

What is life to you:
Never Enough

Your last relationship:
To Wish Impossible Things

Your Current Relationship:
The Perfect Girl
All I want

Your fear:
Sinking
The End

What is the best advice you have to give:
Fight
To Wish Impossible Things

Thought for the day:
How Beautiful You Are

How I would like to die:
6 Different Ways

My soul's present condition:
The Caterpillar

My motto:
Just Say Yes

Newses

2009-07-23T15:50:26Z

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32100589/ns/us_news-life/?GT1=43001

moondarq @ 2009-07-01T15:02:00

2009-07-01T22:04:52Z

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/01/BU2618GKE7.DTL&nopu=1

Yeah kid? It'll be interesting to see your face in 30 years when some 13 year-old smartass gives you the same line about your iPod. But enjoy your superiority for now.

moondarq @ 2009-06-21T23:03:00

2009-06-22T06:07:34Z

So yesterday I decided to get in touch with my Dad's family to see about getting his current phone number. I haven't spoken to him in a couple years, but I figured I should call him, what with it being father's day.

My uncle's number was disconnected. As was my grandfather's. The internet didn't help much either. It isn't like I'm mad at any of these people. It's just that none of us are very good at staying in touch.

Father's day is almost over. I wonder how my Dad is doing.

PETA replies

2009-06-19T15:40:45Z

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/06/obama_and_the_f.php

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/06/obama_and_the_f2.php

This mitigates my opinion of PETA significantly.

Although I still think it's funny that they consider swatting a fly a character flaw. It's also funny that they "forgive" the President partly because his swatting of the fly was reflexive. In other words, if he had swatted the fly with malice and forethought they'd have thought much worse of him.

Interesting how humans "reflexively" swat at flies without thinking. Almost like it's a natural, normal thing, and not the animal cruelty it obviously is.

For fuck's sake people! (and a sruvey)

2009-06-18T23:49:53Z

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31422688/ns/us_news-weird_news/?GT1=43001

Some people consider PETA a ridiculous group of extremists. Until this article, I was inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

In other news... A SURVEY!

Did you accept or deny your last friends request?
***Golly It has been a long time since I added an LJ friend. I did accept the last Facebook request I received.
Was the last person you hugged a male or female?
***Female. My girlfriend
Do you have a pet fish?
***Nopers
Have you ever had an abortion?
***No
If you could travel back in time, how far would you go?
***the 60's. I'd go see Hendrix and the Who. I'd bring ecstasy.
Are you wearing rings?
***No
What did you last go see at the cinemas?
***Watchmen
Are you doing well at school?
***No. School is a distant memory for me.
Do you like guessing?
***No
Have you ever seen the film Aristocats?
***Yeah
Believe in God?
***I grok that thou art God, water brother
Do you read books often?
***whenever I can
Did your night suck?
***I slept through it
Are you starting to realize anything?
***every day
Do you have empty alcohol bottles hidden anywhere?
***Does the recycle bin count?
How late did you stay up last night and why?
***Midnight. Because I didn't go to sleep before that (duh)
Did you go out or stay in last night?
***stayed in
Where were you at 10pm last nite?
***I don't answer questions with cute misspellings. I'm too old to spend the "nite" anywhere.
When was the last time something bothered you?
***Something bothers me every day
Are diamonds a girls best friend?
***I wouldn't know
Do you straighten your hair?
***No
Do you wear clothes/ shoes/ jewelry that are uncomfortable?
***No
Do you text message a lot?
***Not really
Do you freak out if you miss your favourite show?
***I am irritated by people that have never been to England or Australia, but effect their spelling habits as a way to seem cute or sophisticated.
Last person you talked on the phone with?
***Jenny, from the corporate office.
What was the first thing you did when you woke up today?
***Opened my eyes
Do you get along with your parents?
***pretty much.
Do you believe that what comes around goes around?
***Yes
What are your plans for tonight?
***No plans as yet
Do you miss anyone?
***Yes
Do you give out second chances too easily?
***Second chances: yes. Third chances: no.
What did you do yesterday?
***worked. Laundry.
When was the last time you talked to your number 2 on your top?
***Great, I'm halfway through this damn thing and you want me to page back and see who my number 2 is? Or wait, do they even have that for Livejournal?
Are you happy at the moment?
***Relatively
Why do you feel like that?
***because I'm in love and things could be a lot worse
What are your plans for tomorrow?
***work
Do you know if anyone likes you?
***yes
Are you open with your feelings to people?
***people I care about, yeah
Have your parents ever smoked pot?
***I don't think so
Who did you text last?
***Clare
Do you think you can last in a relationship for 3 months?
***I know for a fact that I can
Are you an alcoholic?
***No
What would you say if you found out your friend who was your age still slept with a blanket?
***Um, don't most people sleep with blankets? It does get cold at night sometimes.
What was the last email you deleted without opening?
***Something from FLIXTER
What was the last thing you complained about?
***Being broke
What was the last list you made a list of?
***Wha...? I don't make lists out of lists. I make lists of things other than lists.
What was the last interesting thing you wondered about?
***animal "handedness". Well it was interesting to me.
Explain something that frustrates you often?
***
What is the first movie you remember seeing in theaters with a friend?
***chicken run
What term do people use that you hate?
***anything with the words “dude” or “man” but mostly “dude”
Do you have emotional ties to the town you are currently in?
***Fuck that
What was the last thing that truly made your heart smile?
***a message from an old loved one
Which bills do you have to pay?
***the bills
Have you ever just washed your hair over the tub?
***many times
Is there anything you're trying to do more often?
***calm the fuck down like I used too
Do you know anyone whose initials spell something?
***little brothers name spells SAM
What is your favorite line from your favorite movie?
***humm currently?….Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed- interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing sprit- crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing you last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life: I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who need reasons when you've got heroin?
Approximately how long do two people have to date before you'd say they're in a long term relationship?
***I don’t say
How many open houses did you go to last summer?
***bwah?
What would you do if one of your best friends was trying to meet a guy they met online?
***never tried to stop her before…
Do you have any photos on your camera you should upload?
***no, they are all shite

moondarq @ 2009-06-04T08:52:00

2009-06-04T15:54:53Z

I know I'm living in California when there's rain and lightning in June and everyone's freaking out about it. In my neighborhood, people stood outside watching it, taking pictures of it, wondering aloud about the End of Days.

This is typical Summer weather in my homeland of South Dakota. Except crank it up about 10 notches and multiply the occurrences to about a dozen times before the end of summer.

Of course, weather like this is very unusual here in these parts. Global Warming, perchance?

I'm Crushing Your Head

2009-05-15T15:45:30Z

We now own the entire Kids in the Hall series on DVD. That's five seasons of KITH goodness.

Also we got Brain Candy on VHS for 99 cents, plus shipping.

All we need now is the rare and elusive pilot episode, which for some reason is not included (mebbe it never aired or something).

I'm not even gonna try to explain this

2009-04-13T15:55:56Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_QAPjtO2cA

Thanks, Amanda

2009-02-27T22:06:46Z

http://www.homestarrunner.com/4gregs.html

nuff said

A pointless rant

2009-02-05T00:10:14Z

The new Star Trek movie is coming, with an all-new cast playing the beloved characters I watched in syndication as a child. Here's an age breakdown of both casts actors:

Old Kirk (35)               New Kirk (29)
Old Spock (35)           New Spock (32)
Old McCoy (46)          New McCoy (37)
Old Scotty (46)            New Scotty (38)
Old Uhuru (34)           New Uhuru (31)
Old Sulu (29)              New Sulu (37)
Old Chekov (30)       New Checkov (20)

So we have a significantly younger Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Chekov. Uhuru and Spock are about right. And the new Sulu is actually older than old one.

I know it shouldn't bother me, but it does. Kirk is a Starship Captain - roughly the equivalent to a Navy Captain - a Captain of a Capital Ship at that. In the show it is mentioned that he is one of the youngest men to command a Constitution-Class Starship. He mentions in the "Deadly Years" that he is 35 years old, thus the character's age matches the actor's.

McCoy and Scotty are both experienced heads of their respective departments. While I don't doubt that younger men have similar positions on other ships, I'm not in agreement with casting actors nearly a decade younger than the originals for these rolls.

I disgusts me that Hollywood has done almost everything it can to eliminate character actors. In the 70's you couldn't watch a movie or television show without seeing Ernest Borgnine or some other ugly-ass old guy playing some role. Now every male has to be pretty, or at least ruggedly handsome, unless he's playing a serial killer or a comedian.

I'm sure Karl Urban is a great actor, but like my Doctor McCoys old and crotchety, damnit.

P.S. I made a quip on Mikey's blogg referring to "Baby Spock" - my bad - it turns out Spock is one of the few characters cast at the correct age.

Update

2009-01-08T00:45:51Z

Survived Christmas and New Years. If I haven't wished you a merry former and a happy latter, please don't feel snubbed. I fucking hate the holidays.

In other news, the company I'm working for is cutting everyone's pay by around 7%.

Last night I got nauseated and threw up a bunch. This morning my throat is raw, my ribs and stomach are sore, and I feel empty inside. I hope it was just something I ate, and not cancer or AIDS.

If we let them get married they'll steal our babies

2008-12-05T17:04:07Z

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3530723/Gay-penguins-steal-eggs-from-straight-couples.html

(stoled from dwarfstarzero)

Writer's Block: Crepuscular Drama

2008-11-21T16:35:01Z

The Twilight movie comes out today. A lot of people are really excited about seeing Bella and Edward on the big screen. Others couldn't care less. Where do you fall on the issue?

View 500 Answers

Couldn't care less.

moondarq @ 2008-11-10T08:37:00

2008-11-10T17:09:20Z

There was a protest in front of the Mormon Temple in San Diego. Some church bigwig there commented on it. I can't be troubled to find the link to the article, so I'll paraphrase what the Mormon Grand Poobah said.

"We're being unfairly singled out and discriminated against"

Yes, I can see that. The Mormons have been persecuted since the religion's inception. It isn't like they were the ONLY organization that supported Prop 8. Still, it seems rather funny to me that they would play the discrimination card in this situation.

"Normally our church does not get involved in politics, but in this case there was a clear morality issue."

As soon as we start making laws based upon the morality as proscribed by any religion, we start down the path that so many of the countries in the Middle East have trod. You know, where our enemies, the terrorists come from?

"Please accept the will of the voters."

This law passed by what, about 55%? Barely a majority. So perhaps he should have said, "Please accept the will of a little over half the voters."

Of course, it is easy for the victor to ask the loser to accept the outcome. But I don't imagine he'd "accept the will of the voters" in regards to a law that made it illegal for Mormons to get married.

I have a feeling Jesus isn't too happy with his Latter Day Saints right now. I seem to recall him saying something to the effect of "Woe to the hypocrites."

Pass it on

2008-11-06T16:53:16Z

I got this from my lj friend Hildeaux, who got it from from sftallguy, via leolz. I'm pretty much posting it verbatim:

If you're angry that a church can meddle with another state's political statutes, here's something that you can do.

To report the LDS Church to the IRS, simply take 5 minutes to print these articles out and any others you can find:

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10839546
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10842051

Then print and fill out http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f3949a.pdf

List the taxpayer as:

Thomas S. Monson, et al
50 East North Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150

List his occupation as President and the business as the ridiculously full name of the church (same address).

Check the boxes for False Exemption and Public/Political Corruption.

Then in the Comments section demand that the LDS Church be fined and their tax-exempt status revoked for repeated and blatant violations of the IRS's separate of church and state rules, and for conspiring to interfere with a state's political process.

Check Yes under "Are books/records available?" and write in "campaign finance records."

You don't have to provide any of your own personal info. Mail the form and the printed articles to:

Internal Revenue Service
Fresno, CA 93888

So I have seen many different interpretations on what a 501(c)3 organization can do regarding elections and politics. It is a very fine line. The IRS produced publication # 1828 specifically for churches about their tax status, with several call outs about how they could put their tax status in jeopardy, see the following:

Substantial Lobbying Activity
In general, no organization, including a church, may qualify for IRC section 501(c)(3) status if a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying). An IRC section 501(c)(3) organization may engage in some lobbying, but too much lobbying activity risks loss of tax-exempt status.Legislation includes action by Congress, any state legislature, any local council, or similar governing body, with respect to acts, bills, resolutions, or similar items (such as legislative confirmation of appointive offices), or by the public in a referendum, ballot initiative, constitutional amendment, or similar procedure. It does not include actions by executive, judicial, or administrative bodies.

A church or religious organization will be regarded as attempting to influence legislation if it contacts, or urges the public to contact, members or employees of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation, or if the organization advocates the adoption or rejection of legislation.

This is what has gotten other churches into problems in the past.

The obligatory post

2008-11-05T22:34:41Z

Overall the election results have left me optimistic. The right man won the Presidency. The guy with the bad grammar did NOT win the School Board position.

And yeah, I'm disappointed about Prop 8. Very disappointed. But I'm not gonna let it get me down right now. And this issue is not settled. Believe that.

moondarq @ 2008-10-27T09:01:00

2008-10-27T16:04:40Z

So there's this guy running for school board in my district. His campaign slogan is

"Expect more, I do"

Okay, this may sound petty, but if you wanna get MY vote for school board, you have to know better than to link two independent clauses with a comma.

moondarq @ 2008-10-23T12:08:00

2008-10-23T19:11:57Z

So apparently Disney has acquired the movie rights to the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

That's just fucking great.

(for those of you who are unfamiliar with Barsoom, John Carter, or Edgar Rice Burroughs, google it. I'm too filled with grief to explain)

moondarq @ 2008-10-13T12:20:00

2008-10-13T19:37:39Z

Page 56 Meme
* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next seven sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

The guards laughed at me and said foul words about my foulness and opened the gate a crack to let us out. And we ran on down the hill in the starlight.

To escape from a prison so easily, to run through locked doors, people have said, I must have been God indeed. But there was no God then, as there is none now. Long before God, and long after also, is the way things are, which we call chance, or luck, or fortune, or fate; but those are only names.

And there is courage. Rauway freed me because I was in her heart.

On the light rail today....

2008-09-26T16:06:58Z

I heard a young African American woman say "...You is..."

I know I'm something of a grammar Nazi, but I fail to see any reason why anyone born in the United States in the this or the last century should say "You is"

I guess we still have a long way to go.

moondarq @ 2008-09-18T11:18:00

2008-09-18T18:23:33Z

I'm getting frustrated today. My boss is a man in his 50's with decent desktop publishing skills that are all self-taught. But he doesn't know shit about scanning, and he can't understand why this desktop publishing job he's giving me to do is a lot more difficult than he thinks it is.

feh.

RIP: Barney Fife, Mr. Furley

2008-08-12T23:10:52Z

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/arts/television/27knot.html

He was one of the greats at playing the not-even-close-to-greats

Farewell.

Orson Scott Card is a big fat dumb homophobe

2008-08-01T16:05:36Z

(reposted from Evilgeek's journal)

http://mormontimes.com/ME_blogs.php?id=1586

Kinda sad really.