We have Liftoff... kinda...

I am the owner of a brand new stove. Bought it at a discount supermarket the other day, and managed to hook up the gas lines without blowing myself up. Slightly worried the first time I tried to use it and heard the gas seeping out, but not seeing the spark. Such a rancid smell, natural gas. But I jiggled the batteries and there she was, pure, beautiful Promethian fire.

I had found some sales last week, so already had a new pot (to piss in), a strainer and frying pan, so the logical choice seemed to be garlic oil and sauteed mushroom fetuccini as my first home cooked meal. Utter brilliance, the flavour was.

So I tucked in and watched Forest Gump for (get this) the first time. Yup. First time. I boycotted it when it came out cause of all the hype, and the boycot just kinda stayed on until I realized it was half price day at the DVD shop and I may as well.

Considering the Forest boycot ended, I may get around to seeing Apollo 13 soon too, as I boycotted that too. I'm nearly certain my Titanic boycot will remain strong for some years to come, however.

This bothers me

I'm a little upset to learn that Canada is quickly turning Putin-esque.

But at the same time, the best literature comes from the clandestine press.

Life just got simpler

So I moved into my new apartment on the first of this month, actually. While some things instantly became more convienient (seeing かりん, going to work, coming home drunk) some things didn't change. I still don't have a fridge or a stove, so I am still buying food in it's prepared form, though I do have all my spices lined up in the kitchen ready to go.

But today I found a tiny little fruit and vegetable stand not a two minute walk from my house. Talking with the old farmers that run the stand, I now know they are there Tuesday and Friday mornings, and have a good little selection of fresh produce ready for my cooking needs.

I told them I still don't have my kitchen set up, so I couldn't really buy anything today, but they wouldn't have me leave without a gift of some fruit, cause they don't need a fridge. I should come at 5 am or so because if I come then, there will be a bigger selection... I like to think I will do that at least once.

Cause and Effect

I've been thinking a lot about cause and effect lately. I mean, it's always interested me, but recently with having moved so many times, and the situations that brings about, I've been thinking about it more actively. Often in hindsight.

The post about the baby shower shooting was located in Springfield. As a result, I've been thinking about the Simpsons the past couple days, which is a masterful user of cause and effect. My last post was about supply and demand, so my brain dominoed and cross-referenced to the episode where Apu is fired from the Kwiki Mart for selling bad meat that Homer gets sick from, as a result, Apu offers his services to the Simpsons to repay a Karmic debt, and as a result we get the great scene where Apu stacks cans of corn on the counter.

Marge: Apu, we usually put our cans in the cupboard.
Apu: The cupboard!? They'll never move that way.

How true.

Supply and Demand

Manny has a good post up over there on Sugar D with an interesting article linked. I guess I'm feeling a little anti-American right now, possibly because my American co-worker walked into the office Monday morning and quit without notice, meaning I've been working double shifts making myself hoarse teaching kids all day, using my time inbetween classes to call people to see if they can work some part time hours at my school.

Anyway, while Manny was taken aback to 1997, I'm thinking more 80s when Nancy brought about the foolish "War on Drugs". America always seems to think there are two sets of rules. This is apparent in who can have weapons and who can't, as well as something more ecconomic: supply and demand. The States got rich off this principle, but don't realize that it works for other people too. Make drugs harder to get, and it doesn't stop the need for drugs, it just raises the price. Make the boarder harder to cross, and yes, you put more money in smuggler's pockets.

Someday ecconomists will study the Nancy Factor in illegal opperations.

Onnnnnly in America!!

First, an apolpgy to my American readers and friends. I am fully aware that the vast majority of Americans (the majority of people for that matter) are decent law abiding citizens not neccessarity prone to rash acts of violence.

That being said, there is something about the States that seems to be somewhat humerous. Places that one would expect to safe errupt in rediculous scenes of meyhem. Schoolyards apparently being the choice of the young gerneration. Well those youngsters are growing up, graduating, and it seems, taking the fight to the streets... or in this case, baby showers.

Yes, I'm aware this follows a post about a man setting fire to himself in a Canadian coffee shop, but still, I don't think I've ever heard of a baby shower brawl.

Right down the Crapper

I realize now that yet another word's meaning has been altered by the stupidity of the people. Another word from my cherished English language, whose so many ups and this-away make it beautiful to write, has come to take on something different from its original form.

I've written before on the true meaning of decadant, and today I see terrorism has also changed. I've been watching the word terrorism take on its new meaning for a couple years now, but this article seems to suggest that it has been accepted.

Terrorism is the act of inflicting terror or fear in the witnesses through force, or the threatened use of force. Yet in today's age, the word has changed to mean the work of al Qaida, or other such groups that we fear. A terrorist, has become to mean a dark or olive complexioned man with an islamic name weilding a weapon.

The police feel the man in the article wanted to either torch the place or kill himself. I would argue that arson is a form of terrorism. Yet police have ruled out terrorism, stating "He's not a strap-on al-Qaida bomber guy"...

I realize my language is alive and constantly changing, but I think this is a dangerous change. We are, I believe, living in decadance.