Moday-itis

Friend's Facebook Status: "I'm going to start putting 'Uber' in front of everything I say to make it sound way more important and interesting than it really is."

My Comment: "Welcome to 2004! With a little luck, you'll be caught up to present day in no time, fist-pumping and getting your 'GTL' on in no time!"

I'm an asshole. And I wander why everyone at work avoids me on Monday mornings...

Dear Foursquare...

Dear location-based services (i.e., FourSquare, Places, etc),

Please don't be creepy. I mean, we all use you for fun or connecting with our friends, not to enable stalking. Shit like this only enables the tin-hat wearers, and no one likes to tell a crazy paranoid person that they were right. So please, just find a way to prevent insanely sexist, creepy, and outright disgusting apps from using your API to ill effect.

LYLAS,

Dickie

I Give In

I give in. I still think this whole 25 Things MEME is just downright silly, but here's my list regardless:

1. I've lived in 8 different states and in 2 countries
2. I attended 9 different schools during K-12 education
3. Prior to living in Northern Kentucky, I had not lived anywhere more than three years in one stretch
4. Every couple of years, I get an insatiable itch to move
5. I haven't had that itch since I've been in Chicago, but it hasn't been 3 years yet
6. I want to go back to school to get a PhD so I can teach, but I'm pretty fluid in what I want to teach
7. I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to make #6 happen
8. I always feel awkward in new social situations, even though most people say they don't notice
9. If I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is move my family to Chicago
10. I wasn't sure I would find happiness in a relationship until I met Esvan
11. Peanut Butter and Crackers is one of my favorite foods. Best. Comfort Food. Ever.
12. I really only miss a few people from all the places I lived, and I've been lucky enough to find them again later in life. Mostly
13. I often day dream about moving back to Cincinnati, then I remember that my friends and family are the only things I miss there. I hate the rest of that place with a passion
14. I've always been the rebellious type, but I'm usually subtle about it
15. I miss religion in my life, but I despise Christianity
16. Music is my favorite outlet
17. I haven't found an album that I can relate to in over 2 years
18. I haven't written any music or touched my guitar in over a year
19. I'm constantly trying to leverage my skills into another revenue stream, but I can't seem to monetize anything I do
20. I have an unhealthy love of J-names - Jesse, James, John, Jack… love them.
21. The reason my style has changed drastically since I was younger is because I'm really an introverted guy with slightly shy tendencies
22. I've always wanted to front a rock band
23. I also want to get back to drumming
24. I love video games, but most can't hold my attention for more than a night or two
25. I feel extremely fortunate to be where I am in life, and confident that it's not by accident

27-Year-Old Friends Of The Most Powerful Man On The Planet Do The Darndest Things...

Obama's Head Speech writer is 27-years-old. He's also, apparently an internet newb and likes to post silly pictures of himself, friends, and card-board cut-outs of our Secretary of State to be (like the one on the right. He's the guy fondling Hillary), but what 27-something doesn't like to do that?

The point is, Jon Favreau is 27. And the head speech writer for the President of the United States of America. This is the guy that put together some of the most memorable speeches of this most recent campaign season (possibly ever). This is a man who works side-by-side with the most powerful man on the planet. This is a dude that works tirelessly to ensure that our nation's first African-American President will be well received in public.

And he's 27. My age. Still probably paying off school loans. Young enough to still want to throw keggers, but old enough to have to spend two days recovering from them when he attends one. And he writes the President's speeches.

I hate this guy. Sooooo much.

Ok, really, I'm just jealous because the biggest accomplishment I have in my professional life is a mid-level analyst gig, a fun (but still unknown) tech blog, and an absolutely unread barely read personal blog. And this guy dines with Obama and writes some of the most sweeping spoken words I've ever heard. Yes. I am jealous of his talents and his accomplishments. I'm also extremely proud to know that someone of my generation is that close to the President's ear, someone that can speak for me as a Gen Y-er. As a guy that would molest a Hillary Clinton stand-up poster at a party, take pictures of it, and blast in onto Facebook for the whole world to see. Because I would absolutely do that. Well, he did it first, so I'd have to do it with someone else, and I'd totally do it with a Republican like

So, anyway, I'm jealous as hell of Jon Favreau, but I'm also glad he's there. Congrats on landing the gig, bud!

(P.S. - If you want to invite your friend there to a party some time... the cute one kissing Hillary... I'm just saying, you know how to reach me!)

People I Know Still Support Him?

I don't get it. I'm really not understanding it. In fact, I am completely confounded.

Today, yet again, I opened my Facebook account to find that another one of my friends from Cincinnati had added some sort of "I support McCain," or "Palin PWNS U!," or "I'm Scared Of That Black Guy" thing to their account, publicly stating that they support The Anger Ball and The Idiot for the White House. Sure, it's only Facebook, but you know that means that they'll actually vote for the douchebag. Luckily for the rest of us, most of the people that I know in Cincinnati don't actually live in Ohio, rather they live in Northern Kentucky. Why do I say luckily? Because no matter what happens, Kentucky is a tried and true Red State, so it's not like we're planning on those 5 Electoral College votes anyway.

Why does it amaze me? Well, for one, I know many of them have absolutely no clue why they support McCain, or are simply single-issue voters. They heard somewhere that McCain will not eat as many babies as Obama, or they perceive that a crazy-ass Christian Extremist Scare Bear will somehow benefit the world. To them, politics is really menial. They have been convinced that the President doesn't really have much power, sway or authority, so the idea of actually understanding the totality of who they are voting for isn't important.

A few others though do understand who they are supporting and choose to support McCain nonetheless. These people simultaneously make me happy and scare the shit out of me! They make me happy because they have taken time to invest in the political process and own their beliefs. They may not agree with everything that McCain/Palin are, but they believe that they would perform a better job than Obama/Biden. However flawed a decision that is, it is still more admirable than being these guys. But they scare the shit out of me because, even after researching and listening and understanding who exactly they are voting for, they are still choosing to vote for McCain.

It's usually a combination of a few issues. Usually, they support what the Republican party stands for: Lower taxes for the exceedingly wealthy (so that the middle class and poor can keep caviar on the wealthy's plate), lowered market place regulation (example: look at our current national economy and banking industry), and decentralized government (a.k.a., no socialized programs designed to raise the bar of society, instead allowing the bottom rung to fest and rot America from the inside out). Usually, they agree with a foreign policy stance or a few choice issues. Usually, they don't agree with a few other issues, but to them, when they balance that all out, they still think McCain is a solid choice.

Never mind that Obama soundly believes in balancing the burden of society off of them, because I assure you, none of my friends are in the wealthy elite. Never mind that Obama has a real plan that could lead us to real, actual healthcare in this country, because a few of them don't even get health care at their jobs. Never mind that Obama supports equal rights and protections for their gay friend(s), because marriage rights do not directly affect them. Never mind all of that. They still think that McCain and Palin are a better choice for this country, just as McCain and Palin both believe that my sexuality is a choice. That, my friends, is scary as hell.