The equation for HOORAY! Click here to comment

Last auto insurance policy: ~$940
This auto insurance policy: ~$711
Happiness went up: +40%

-TJ

<3 Click here to comment

Well my family is in the Philippines right now, they’re celebrating Christmas and New Year over there. Dad wanted to show my sisters what the holiday season is like in the Philippines.

Also, the big day, the moment of truth is about to come. Let and the rest of my family is going to meet fairly soon in the Philippines. I assure you, if I’m ever sad all I have to do is think about this happy fact and all my pain is taken away. I really feel it in my heart, my girl is my destined better half. It took 24 years of poking around in the dark to finally flip that light switch, and I’m glad I didn’t end up settling for a girl I’d be 85% happy with. This is the girl I was meant to be with. It’s going to happen. It’s too right, with no negative repercussions. She’s perfect and perfectly imperfect all at the same time.

I love this girl with all my heart. She is one more reason I will continue to thrive and do my absolute best in my own life.

I do this for:
- my family
- my friends
- my heart in the Philippines

-TJ

A conversation of note Click here to comment

Times posted are MDT.

[00:02] psychogears: Man what’s your take on this execution tonight?
[00:02] psychogears: I’m personally conflicted over it
[00:03] psychogears: I personally wish for clemency, no matter how bad he deserves to die, because for me only God can take away life….
[00:03] noisewar: yeah pretty much, i was going to post more indepth thoughts on it tomorrow
[00:03] noisewar: i would lean more towards denial of clemency personally, but there are plenty of sides to take
[00:03] psychogears: Yeah a big part of me wants this to go through, too
[00:04] psychogears: Then there are all the ACLU yahoos that want this guy to be freed for the wrong reasons
[00:04] psychogears: And they’re relying on celebrities to carry their case instead of just old-fashioned thesis/support statement
[00:05] noisewar: well you can’t demand thesis and support for subjective processes
[00:05] noisewar: this is one of those things where there is no right answer imo
[00:05] psychogears: Yeah…..

-TJ

zzzz…. Click here to comment

Dead tired. But before we left, I won another 300 bones. Roulette, again.

-TJ

Victory in Vegas! Click here to comment

Hey all. I’m in Vegas right now, about to hit the hay.

By the grace of God, I turned $10 into $400+, and I tipped the game hosts heavy along the way.

Go me! All this money is going into my trip fund for May (maybe sooner. ). I’m gonna see my baby!

-TJ

We need self-discipline…. Click here to comment

I was watching O’Reilly today, and specifically he was covering the shout-down of Ann Coulter at a U Conn appearance.

One of the things I want to say is that I think it is great that people get so passionate about politics, and that I think it’s great that people finally care enough about their futures to become activists and actually work to bring about the future that they want for themselves.

That said, I believe we now need some self-discipline in the way we use our 1st Amendment. It’s great, and sure we all have the right to yell out our beliefs and not be shut down, but now that we all want to speak, we need a way to convey and talk about our issues in a rational manner where all sides get the chance to speak.

Am I being too… what’s the word. It’s not “wishful”… AH! It’s “idealistic”. Am I being too idealistic? I think not. Though I have never seen an actual debate team competition, I think that a similarly structured, publicly televised program kind of like the old Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, only more structured and with actual rules requiring the support of thesis statements with facts and evidence would benefit the public more than our current news shows with featured speakers. Watching shows like Cavuto, Hannity and Colmes, and O’Reilly, where they interview analysts often seems like I’m watching some kind of cluster fuck happen in front of my eyes. Specifically I think of the way people will start talking, and the person who doesn’t agree does *not* respectfully wait their turn, but instead interrupt and often initiate a mild shouting match with the other person.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is not the way to “discuss” today’s issues. I would personally much rather see the aforementioned Politically Incorrect structure, only like the following….

Imagine, if you will, “game day”. My program can be shown on ESPN 3. Specifically I am thinking of something like a televised football game, only instead of watching a football game, we’re watching a debate. I want to see commentators, side A, side B, side C (if applicable), and referrees. As for the actual structure of the debate, I want to see:

- a coin toss of some sort, or a mutual agreement on which side goes first
- 2 minutes per side for opening statements
- 5 minutes per side for supporting the opening statements, citing sources, perhaps accompanied by a listing on some kind of sidebar on the screen.
- 2 minutes per side for posing questions to the other team.
- 5 minutes per side for answering the questions, again citing sources.
- finally, 5 minutes per side for striking down the opposing team’s arguments, again citing sources.

Of course, it’s not perfect, but we need a better way to communicate than shouting louder than our opponents.

-TJ

Self-centered ego maniac… have we discussed this before? Click here to comment

Yo yo.

So I was reading my buddy Lorenzo’s blog (http://my.opera.com/noisewar), and pondered the wide variety of topics he talks about and his mental musings on them. I notice that many of the more popular blogs out there are usually pulling from news. But more than that, they hardly ever focus on the author. I, on the other hand, seem to be addicted to the words “I” and “me”, as I keep talking about myself with each sentence… even this one. :/

One thing I realized, though, is these days I spend less time receiving news and more time just living in the present. I think this is why my posts tend to be so self absorbed, because I’m not pondering news, but rather pondering myself and what my next moves are going to be.

But in (huge) addition, I’ve gotten into the habit of noting my own mental musings because sometimes I don’t know why I react to certain things the way I do. I think this public-yet-private diary that I keep has helped me to learn from my past and become a better, more learned person now.

Anyway, enough about blah blah blah me me me. I’ve spent alot of my day thinking about my GIRLFRIEND. Yep! Still thinking about her! I got her to talk with my mom last Saturday. I think it went pretty well considering my baby is 7681.36 miles away from Colorado Springs, CO–and therefore, me. I hate to admit it, but my head swims with dizzying thoughts of being together with this girl and exploring the physical, intellectual, and internal worlds. I want to visit Asia and Europe with her. I want to talk about politics and ethics and scientific developments and….

D’OH! Almost forgot I told her I’d call her when she got off of work… Later!

-TJ