James Phillips

God, it's hot in my apartment. This is getting to be the second half of month two without A/C, and I'm not sure if it's worth the lower electricity bill. I'm tired of sweating... x.x

I can't wait to visit bellaforte this weekend!! It's only an hour before I leave, and I'm super-antsy. Hopefully we'll go eat breakfast with my sister over the weekend sometime-- *crosses fingers*...

I went over to Woods' last night, and got to see his new Colt AR-15. God, that's a smexy piece of kit. I can't believe how small and lightweight it is! It's got the rails for the flattop receiver, and I'm going to push him into buying an Eotech. Yay, living vicariously!

Class went smoothly this week, despite all of my anxieties. I gave them back their essays yesterday, and I just know that I broke some hearts >.<

I've been going to the gym *nearly* daily for the last week so far! It's been really incredible, every time I go I feel so much better afterwards...

Hmm. That's about it. Oh, 6 dollar teapot at Ross *dance*

THERE IS BLUE IN THE SKY!!! THERE IS BLUE IN THE SKY!!

My xbox red ringed! I have to send it back! I sure hope that the warranty is still good, otherwise I have to pay to get it fixed!

It couldn't have happened at a better time, though. I have to get the syllabus for my class ready. So I guess that there's a silver lining.

 
I hate the summer. I hate the summer because the trickle of money that comes monthly from the university comes to a  grinding halt. I sold my SKS (one of my three rifles) for $200 (I lost half of the investment) so that I could pay utilities this month. 

Thankfully, taylor's helping me get a job, and if I get lucky, I'll be a techie at the theater here on campus. He put a good word in for me and showed me around the theater. I was pleasently surprised at how hands-on the job will be, if I get it.  I'm a bit tired of doing menial office work.

I like outside. I like weeklong hikes in the appalachias.



My skin does not.



See this chicken? Yea. It's made out of blood.



I KILLED A TREE. WEEP FOR THE WORLD.



MRR



ZOMBIE



Zombie looks like Shaun's dad



Creepy bunny.

I don't know what everyone else is planning on doing, to deal with rising market costs, but I'm going to start a garden. I'll build a raised platform, I've found an old book detailing how to do it, and how to deal with watering, etc. I'm pretty excited, I love gardening, so this'll be fun. I'm also stocking up on basic goods like flour, rice, syrup, powdered milk, et cetera, because if fuel prices steadily increase, food's going to get really expensive, and we'll have to deal with mad inflation rates. If anyone's planning on depending on the government for their food, you're making a huge mistake- cryptogon.com cites from the Tri State Observer, that US food reserves are tapped out- we have about enough wheat on hand to make each person a half a loaf of bread. So be prepared, keep your eyes on the news, and network with others, because we're going to have to depend on each other to deal with what may be an epochal crisis for our civilization. Don't forget that the most of the world's great civilizations were brought to ruin by resource shortages.

http://www.masdaruae.com/index.aspx


The UAE has begun plans to build the world's first "green" city, which will house 50,000 inhabitants. The program plans to build magnetic rail transportation systems which will get the inhabitants to work in individual pods. Air conditioning will be powered by wind turbines, electricity by solar, water from a desalinization plant. The cost is going to the beat of $20bn, and anyone who's familiar with budgeting knows that that cost is going to rise sharply once they get started. But it's exciting all the same, and if anyone has the money to pay for it, it's the UAE and Dubai.

Wow so I'm NEVER on livejournal. I hate it when I do that crap! I'm really sorry for disappearing off the face of the earth for so long! I miss everybody, so I want to reach out. If you guys care. Which you probably don't. I wouldn't blame you for not caring. SO! What have I been up to?

Well, I started working on my MA in English. I've basically worked on my papers this entire time. I read a whole bunch of texts and assisted my professors with their research by gofering. Exciting stuff. I got books from the library for them. Stuff like that. Anyway, it's been a lot of work.

Otherwise, I have a car now. And a license. I can drive places.

That's all the stuff I have left. Nothing much else beyond working. I have a new betta fish, for christmas from kimberly. He's named Count D, his fins are a deep red with really bright blue ends. His body is turquoise colored. His head is red. He's adorable.

I'm not dead yet! I just turned in a 20 page paper and an 18 page paper and I have a presentation on wednesday on the 20 page so whoooo this is fun. I hate graduate school but how I love it. Anyway, kimberly and I wanna go to AC this year. So maybe we can work it out. I hope so. If anyone's wondering, she hasn't been on in forever 'cause she's busy doing art stuff for class and she's sociophobic and whatnot. So she loves you all still. AHH busy! This is insanity.

So I just found out that my apartment got taken up, so I have no where to call my own for sleeping at school other than kimberly's apartment, which is a problem because of space (i.e., there isn't enough of it).

Does anyone know of someone needing a roommate in an apartment in walking distance from campus?

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/33

Everyone MUST watch this!

Comment here.

WATCH IT!

alright, so I got my GRE scores back. For those who don't know, the GRE is the graduate record examination, basically it is the test you take to get into gradute school. I got a 630 on Verbal and a 630 on Quantitative (math), out of 800 each. I scored better than 85 percent of the people who took the test. My essays were disappointing- 4.5 out of 6. The rubric states that the only flaws were minor errors which didn't confuse the text. My essays were still good and insightful. I made a high enough score to get into UWG's graduate program. Woo.

Speaking of, I have no idea how I am going to pay for graduate school. I have no job, though I'm trying to get one. I have 230 dollars to my name. Somehow by mid august I need around 1000 to pay for all of my expenses and for me to be comfortable. I don't know how that is going to happen.

I might be getting an apartment with my friend Taylor. That's going to be awesome, but I'm not sure if I am going to be able to pay for it. I am going to have to get a job during school to handle all of the expenses. I can't get a loan because I'm not going to be a full time student, as graduate classes are rough like anal sex with a sandpaper dildo.

In other news, I got cyber dreds, I'm excited about those. They're silver and blue and pretty and woo.

Oh, I need to figure out how to get a car.

And I'm working on getting a license. I've been driving on the expressway, and I'm not intimidated by it. Horray

For those who are wondering, caishide is in a funk and not on the internet. I'm trying to keep her updated but since I'm in a funk too, it's hard. Any news which is important, post here, please ^.^

I bought one of these: http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=153490&catid=50621&crpg=4&tab=1#1

Any tips from any girls on how to keep the pain to a tolerable level? I haven't gotten it in yet, but I'm pretty excited.

Also, I have a corset! Horrraaayyy!

I just got back from german immersion weekend, and it was alot of fun, minus the fucking nazi, but that's another story for another time. Fuck nazis.

For those who don't know what it is, german immersion weekend is where the department takes students out to a state park, and we speak in nothing but german. It sounds simple, but since we view films, discuss them, cook, clean, sing, and so on in nothing but german, the experience is really powerful. This is my third year doing it, and once again I dreamt in german. My english isn't very good right now, and I'm having problems coming up with terms.

We ate spaghetti the first night, not a very german meal, but since the department is poor, that's what we ate. It was actually really good, though I wasn't able to eat much. I ate the rest of my plate for breakfast. We went to bed really early, like 12:30 or so, and then I got up at 8:00, which is goddamn early. For me, when I'm not used to getting up before 10:00. I didn't bring a blanket, so I didn't sleep very well at all, because it was f***ing cold and there wasn't much heat, and the camp is a big cabin with lots of windows. I slept in my hoodie and two pairs of socks, I would have worn my boots but I didn't want to mess up the mattress.

We had a fire, which was neat, especially since I had the thought, and noticed the wood that had been cut. Woohoo for me.

Eggar was there, which was supremely awesome, since I haven't seen him in 2 years or so. He did really well, especially for a first year student. I also saw one of my old co-workers, who still works at Downs (poor guy).

And we ate bratwurst and sauerkraut and red cabbage for dinner the next night, hur-freaking-rah. It was delicious.

Saw some films too. One was particularly neat, called "Die Fetten Jahre sind Vorbei", or the fat years are past. It was released in the states. called "The Edukators"... it's a film about the roommates who, unable to protest the poverty and unfair conditions legally and make any effect, end up breaking into ridiculously wealthy people's houses who are assholes and taking all their furnature and stacking it in a giant pile. They also did some neat stuff with photographs and so on, to make their point that they have too many things that they don't use. It was inteteresting, because they didn't steal anything.

Now, I disagree with their methods, but I find their idealism worthwhile, even though it's misplaced. In any event, they get caught by the owner of a house, and kidnap him. They come to find out that in the late 60's, he was one of the leaders of a revolutionary party, who were pro democracy/pro human rights, as they are. They then find out that all people aren't the same, and ect. If the film didn't have that section, I would have found it totally shit. Hmmm... in any event, it's a good film. There's alot more to it that I didn't spoil, so I advise seeing it, it's well done.

We saw another film, "Verschwinde deine Jugend," I've already seen it, but one of the primary characters is really hot, and the other's adorable. It's about the early electronic scene in germany. It's a silly film, probably only good to be seen once.

Oh god, the squirrels are chasing each other. I'm outside waiting on my ride, because I can't go into Cobb Hall, and they're chasing each other and biting each other's tails, but I think that it's friendly, because they aren't acting too territorial and they're pretty young, though to be honest I don't know that much about them.

http://www.citizencorps.gov/

Apparently 74 percent of americans are being "served" by the citizen corps, a federally funded arm of the DoD which is run by citizens. Kind of a super-powerful neighborhood watch. That reports any and all suspicious activity to Homeland Defense.

The DoD's goal, as of 2002, was to ensure that 4 percent of Americans could serve as informants (TIPS program), informing on suspicious activity conducted by fellow citizens.

That's twice as many informants as the secret police in the DDR had.

And since the president can imprison anyone, whom he decides is an enemy combatant, that means a huge danger to you and I.

Found this on the internets. Wondered what everyone thought about it. Too apathetic to actually look at the research today.


To believe that Bush won the election, you must also believe:

1- That the exit polls were WRONG...(remember--they have been used for over a decade and considered reliable)
2- That Zogby's 5pm election day calls for Kerry winning OH, FL were WRONG. He was within a less than 1/2 % point margin of error in his 2000 final poll and previous polls for other elections.
3- That Harris Poll last minute polling for Kerry was WRONG. They were also within a 1/2% point margin of error in their 2000 final poll.
4- The Incumbent Rule #I (that undecideds primarily break at the end for the challenger) was WRONG.
5- The 50% Rule was WRONG (that an incumbent doesn't do better than his final polling)
6- The Approval Rating Rule was WRONG (that an incumbent with less than 50% approval will most likely lose the election)
7- That Journalist Greg Palast was WRONG when he said that even before the election, 1 million votes were stolen from Kerry. He was the ONLY reporter to break the fact that 90,000 Florida blacks were disenfranchised in 2000.
8- That it was just a COINCIDENCE that the exit polls were CORRECT where there WAS a PAPER TRAIL and INCORRECT (+5% for Bush) where there was NO PAPER TRAIL.
9- That the surge in new young voters had NO positive effect for Kerry, even though it was the largest number of youth voters 18-29 ever and a huge jump from 2000 and they were over 55% in favor of Kerry.
10- That Bush BEAT 99 to 1 mathematical odds in winning the election.
11- That Kerry did WORSE than Gore against an opponent who LOST the support of SCORES of Republican newspapers who were for Bush in 2000.
12- That Bush did better than an 18 national poll average which showed him tied with Kerry at 47. In other words, Bush got 80% of the undecided vote to end up with a 51-48 majority--when ALL professional pollsters agree that the undecided vote ALWAYS goes to the challenger.
13- That Voting machines made by Republicans with no paper trail and with no software publication, which have been proven by thousands of computer scientists to be vulnerable in scores of ways, were NOT tampered with in this election.

Apparently crime is on the increase at UWG. According to the newspaper, there have been several robberies, and they've been making a killing- ipods, laptops, cash- they've used both small numbers, in one case, a fellow fended off a lone robber, and large numbers, wielding revolvers and semiautomatics. All of the suspects so far have been black males, aged 18-24.

Mostly robberies have occured at the apartments on maple street, but there was also an attack near tyus. So far there have been three muggings. One person was assaulted in his car (they had handguns) and led him at gunpoint to his apartment, where they stole a crapload of stuff. Awesome. So we're even less safe on campus than usual. Maybe I'll wear my micromail, since it's for industrial protection (same material used by chefs to prevent major injuries- a cut tendon in the hand is pretty nasty.)...

Mostly they seem to be using knives, so I don't think that would be much of a problem if I was faced with one attacker. If there was more than one attacker, especially armed with a gun, I'd just give them my crap, or run, since they can't shoot worth a fucking damn.

I left my laptop power supply at kimberly's house. Oh god, life without a computer is boring. I had no idea. I thought that it couldn't be that bad- left devoid of any entertainment, I burned through all of the books I have stored away here for a rainy day, and now I have nothing. Hopefully later today the charger will get here in the mail. I can only.. hope.

Lulz at dramatic sarcasm.

My fantasy presidential candidate's first speech:

"My fellow Americans, it is my great displeasure to inform you that I am running for president. Yes, it is my displeasure, because America should have never reached the point that an individual such as myself should be forced to run.

I agree with the previous administration's assertion that our country is in great danger. Our country is overflowing with cowardice and weakness. We cannot see through our fears to know the real dangers we are facing. I'm not talking about terrorism; our country's future economic collapse, our joke of an education system, the massive trade deficit, and our service industry provides enough danger to worry about without creating new ones.

If I said that I would die to preserve American freedoms, would you really know what I was talking about? I'm not talking about sending boys to Iraq, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, or any of the other places our military maintains garrisons. I'm talking about laying my personal existence on the line for Liberty. Yes, Liberty, that concept you might have heard about in civics class. Most of the people who appear on this box (which we spend more time watching then learning useful skills) would tell you that they would die to protect your liberties. They're lying. What they mean to say, is that they would send a gopher to die for them. If a man came in right now, waving a gun at me and threatening me, most politicians would make a law saying that men cannot carry guns. I, however, would shoot him first, and shoot well enough that he died quickly, before he could kill me or any of mine. If I didn't carry a gun, I'd still kill the bastard, with my bare hands, even if it meant I would die. That's what laying your life down for liberty means.

If our forefathers were transported to our day, they would likely disparage what they saw. We are what they hated most; we are another England to them. We have built our own colonies, but we call them emerging markets.

I am elected, I'll do my best to force states to remove anti-self defense legislation. If a man comes on my property, threatening me, it is American to beat the hell out of him.

Furthermore, I will immediately recall every military division from every defensive position on the planet. If a country cannot defend itself from outside forces, they do not deserve their freedom. Similarly, if we cannot defend our freedom on our own soil, then we do not deserve our freedom. I'll be in a pine box before I let that happen, I promise you that. I expect every individual who calls himself a citizen to have the same feelings about the matter. But I know that many among us are cowards, and it is our freedom to be cowards. But I'll not make it easy to live in fear.

Ben Franklin once said that our government should be overthrown every twenty years. I suspect that we are overdue. Because most among us are cowards, however, they will let our government do what it wants- we shouldn't allow that anymore. Americans used to be a headstrong people, who had the courage to overthrow the shackles of tyranny. We have minted our own shackles now, and I intend to rend those fetters in twain, in such a manner that Fenris shall learn from me.

Freedom is certainly not free, but the market for freedom seems to be very disfavorable at the moment.

To conclude, if the Other wants to come on over here, and challenge our way of life, we'll show them, just like we showed every bastard before them. And this time, we can be proud of it, because if, or when, they come, freedom will be won again, and we'll have earned it, and not been born into it, with a silver spoon and a pacifer.

http://www.thewildgeese.com/pages/opinion.html

(The arrest is what I am writing on, not the opinion article).

For those who do not know, I am an avid supporter of nationalist independance movements, especially that of the island of Ireland. I've always been extremely proud of my country's active participation in the peace accords, and of the US attempts to grant Bobby Sands and those who participated in the hunger strikes POW status. Indeed, the American and Irish wars for independance were so closely tied together (i.e., Ireland's formation of the Volunteers and gaining of legislative freedoms during that Period), and I have always kept that history dear to my heart.

President Bush is making a terrible precedent, a horrible choice, one that makes my heart sore. Arresting two individuals without trial, deporting one of them, for an "expired Visa," though no evidence for that exists... these soldiers were not breaking the ceasefire, were hardworking immigrants.. the orginization which they were members of are not on the federal list of terrorist organizations, yet these men *were* summarily arrested simultaniously, false charges created..

I really don't know what to think right now, I'm just rather upset at this. I suppose that I had the naive thought that history was still important.