Dead Man Walking

Welcome to my nightmare!  ...just kidding. 

Well, how have you been, my Internet buddies?  I've been pretty busy doing not really anything.  The last few months have seemed like I've been in stasis...maybe frozen in a tube floating towards some out of reach planet...or more likely in a self imposed stupor that is the 9-to-5, paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle that I currently enjoy.  It was only 3 years ago that I was a "swinging" college dude with hardly a care in the world, spending money on video games, Surge, and other less useful things.  I know everyone is supposed to be broke and whiny during their 20s but this sucks!  :^)

Here's some things I've noticed lately:

• Both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions happened although nothing "really" happened.  There seems to be evidence that Bush was even more of a draft dodger than he was before.  Of course, his men, in true Big Brother style, say the allegations are meaningless.  The economy seems to be improving ...somehow.  I don't know where or how that's happening.  But, since the economic drop of 2001 couldn't be blamed on Bush, I don't see how this "recovery" could be attributed to him...but it'll be done repeatedly until November. 
• I've spent the last several weeks listening to 1984 and Animal Farm on audio book as I drive to work.  I read 1984 is high school and maybe that's why I have such a repulsion towards government figures like Bush and his cronies.  I will finish Animal Farm on my drive home tonite but so far the story seems similar and just as compelling. 
• Over 1,000 miltary deaths in Iraq.  Zero WMDs or Bin Ladens found.  'nuff said. 
• Lately, I've been trying to listen to Air America while at work.  The Al Franken Show is on over the lunch hour and is the solution to Rush Limbaugh's mean spirited and ignorant rantings.  Again, I may only be 25 and relatively broke, but the things Franken says seems to be quite a bit more rational. 
• I've been working on a new php/mysql/imap e-mail application for my website.  SquirrelMail has been a good so far but there a performance issues I believe would be solved by starting a new version of the software.  Unfortunately, I can't control that but thankfully I can control mine.  I've also had the inkling to move my site from a web hosting solution to a server in my home.  That is a far off dream as I am still lacking the hardware and the correct Internet connection...but a dream nonetheless. 
• Nintendo as of late has been doing a much better job in marketing their products.  I notice many more ads for games and the GameBoy.  News of their new system has been minimal but I hope they put some oomph behind the Revolution and the DS so they may offer more of a challenge to Sony's juggernautthat is the PS2.  BTW, I suck at SSBM anymore. :^)
• I've been thinking more and more of making websites for people as sort of a side job.  The trouble is that I don't know how qualified I am for that task.  I would need to definitely learn how to do web commerce and exactly how one gets paid "correctly" to do it.  Make sure I don't get ripped off by anybody.  Anyone have any ideas? 
  
• One thing I wish I knew about was cars.  If you think about how dependent the average person is on that ton of metal which sits in their driveway, it's scary to think what would happen if it were to suddenly stop working.  Then there's the threat of paying too much money to a crooked mechanic for doing little to no work.  Why isn't there a website that lists mechanics and rates them like people do for computer hardware? 
• Health insurance is still a fucking joke.  I don't pull any language punches because the system is shit from waiting room to "payment is due".  You rearrange your schedule and spend two hours filling out forms and sitting in uncomfortable chairs for the doctor to spend a scant 15 minutes telling you you're fine or you'll have to come back some other day for tests.  Then the office loses your insurance card or files the claim incorrectly.  Next up, the insurance company waits a few months to pay on even a simple office visit or deletes it entirely from your record.  Finally, the financial section of the doctor's office loses your payments or accidentally sends your account to collections even though you've done everything in good faith to follow your agreements.  It's enough to make you sick! 
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse is out today.  I want to see it pretty bad because I liked the first one.  Of course the critics said this and the previous movies are horrible but they can byte my ass.  [UPDATE: Excellent film!  Critics can find a hole somewhere because the film was quite enjoyable and a perfect segway from the first and to the third film in the series.]
• Who's Line is it Anyway? is a great show.  I watched one the other day with Robin Williams...wow.  He should have been one of the original guys on the show.  Yesterday Drew Carey (who I found out recently is a no-good Republican) asked the audience for two unlikely roommates and was given Bill Cosby and Hitler.  A censor shot up to his desk apparently nixing the idea.  Drew and the cast spent the remainder of the show cursing and doing other crude jokes saying, "we can do this can't make fun of Hitler?" Funny stuff! 
• I've been watching a lot of TV the past week due to the illness my son decided to share with his family and I would have to say CSI is a pretty good show as well.  I would have to say I still prefer Law & Order.  The criminals seemed to give up way too easy on CSI, which seems to spend so little time on why the crime was committed than on what happened.  Still a good show regardless.

That's enough I guess as I should really get to work!  Have a good weekend and I hope I can find more motivation to do...something...