TU Cent Thoughts, 12-28-05

[greybeta]

*EDIT*: I am so uncultured I have never seen some movie called "The Princess Bride."

Administration
Cleaned up my bio a bit more and added some stories. Eventually I will have to write up some of the good Quiz Bowl memories

Making enemies
It is said that you can only make enemies by talking politics and religion. I want to teach AP American Government. I'm going to be making a lot of enemies.

Project report
Thirty pages in Vietnamese from Dad. Now comes the tough part of translation.

Medical
Doctor agreed to reduce dosage in half. Yay!

Convos of the day
[D2 calls Kat, gets her voicemail message]
Kat: Hi, you've reached Kat but she is unavailable right now. She's off fighting a dragon. One of three things has happened to her...*
D2: [Laughs] This is hilarious!
*-Corrected message posted in comments

[Kat calls D2 back]
D2: Hello.
Kat: Hey!
D2: Hello?
Kat: Hey it's Kat!
D2: Hellllllooooooo?
Kat: Can year hear me...
D2: Oh, hey, if you've just heard three "hello's" then D2 is currently available...or he just doesn't want answer your phone call. You know what to do after the tone, right? Alright.
[beep]
Kat: You have an evil voicemail message.

Kat: A lot of people get nervous about getting into the education program here.
D2: Arkansas and Oklahoma just want teachers, period. How awkward.
Kat: There you go again. You're using awkward wrong.
D2: No I'm not.
[Kat defines awkward from a dictionary]
D2: How awkward.

Maph: A part of you dies in Iraq, another part of you wakes up.
D2: Whoa, that's profound stuff, samurai Maph.
Maph: Man, it sucks here. They're paying us to die.
D2: I thought they were paying you to protect America's interest.
Maph: Dude, we do "patrols" where we're just asking to get shot. And we can't do anything until the bomb is about to explode next to us. Freaking strict ROE, man.
D2: Sounds tough.
Maph: I'm getting those bastards back for taking my first sergeant and friend.
D2: What happened?
Maph: One was killed in a VBIED, the other in an IED.
D2: VBIED, and IED?
Maph: Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device and Improvised Explosive Device.
D2: Ewwwwwwwwwwwww.

Quote of the Day
"Reading Daniel's Xanga is like watching softcore porn on Cinemax. It's all fake and contrived and doesn't go anywhere, but you keep reading in hopes that it might eventually get interesting."
~Random Jameson

Links of the Day
I totally missed the memo that first class postage will be 39 cents starting Jan. 8.

BlogPulse lists its Top 25 posts of the year. wicked_wish has the number 10 and number 14 posts of the year.

Sports Report
Sidney Crosby may be a phenom, but he can't save the Penguins by himself. Or hockey, for that matter.

Movie Watch
I should be able to go see Syriana this Thursday with lucky Andy.

A question on politics
Apparently, not very many social conservative but economic liberal people voted for Bush in the last election. Then again, a lot of people tell me that there are not very many people who are socially conservative but ecomically liberal in the first place.

Am I really that unusual?

Comments

[zarhooie.livejournal.com]

The actual voicemail is this:
Hello, this is Kat's voicemail. Kat has gone off to fight dragons.
If you are getting this message, one of three things has happened.
A, Kat is still fighting dragons
B, Kat got eaten by the dragons
C, Kat got distracted on the way to the dragon lair and is actually somewhere in the vicinity of Fangorn and is chilling with Treebeard.

You choose.
In any case, voicemail's purpose is to leave messages for Kat when she is not around. I suggest you do this at the tone. Thanks! *toooone*

Secondly, the exact quote was, "you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." which is a quote from "The Princess Bride" which you have not seen. A plauge on your house.

[odclay.livejournal.com]

"What about the Arr-Oh-Yoo-Esses?"

[yndy.livejournal.com]

You can only make enemies by talking religion and politics

As demonstrated admirably over the past few days, I'm clearly one exception to this "rule" -- I can make enemies by turning off a light switch.

Oddly, I seldom make enemies over politics... despite being strongly opinionated.

Mostly, I make enemies by looking cross-eyed at people and not apologizing.

[yndy.livejournal.com]

And the only appropriate response?

"Inconcievable!!

;)

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Princess Bride? What in Gondor is that?

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Mostly, I make enemies by looking cross-eyed at people and not apologizing.
They say to live a live with no regrets...

[renough.livejournal.com]

*EDIT*: I am so uncultured I have never seen some movie called "The Princess Bride."

I almost just defriended you... ;)

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Rouses, what are those?

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I still know the reference to "I am Inigo Montoya..."

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

LOL, I suppose "The Princess Bride" should be put on the top of my queue of movies to rent.

[odclay.livejournal.com]

An ROUS. Rodent Of Unusual Size.

[samroswell.livejournal.com]

Yes it should.

[zarhooie.livejournal.com]

but he does not know what it means and so he keeps using it.... my poor father, he turns in his grave. /inigo.

[zarhooie.livejournal.com]

:P

[cathawk.livejournal.com]

I don't find it hard to believe you are socially consertive yet economically liberal, although, I agree, one doesn't hear of many people who fit that description. I do think there are more of the reverse (economically conservative, socially liberal), as well as many people who just keep quiet and are hard to classify.

Does your economic liberalism extend to tax policy, as well?

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Does your economic liberalism extend to tax policy, as well?
To answer this question, I need you to answer three questions for me. What's the conservative stance on taxes? What's the liberal stance on taxes? What's the key differences between the two?

I ask because I have no idea...

[cathawk.livejournal.com]

LOL...I'm not sure I'm the best one to describe these--but my understanding is that conservatives generally support as little taxation as possible, with tax cuts especially for the upper income and tax brackets (because they believe that that money will into the economy and stimulate it). Liberals believe in a graduated income tax that places a heavier tax burden on those with more money so some money can be redistributed to support those with fewer resources and to support education, vocational training, other social programs etc., all of which liberals believe will stimulate the economy and improve the lot of all Americans (I've probably butchered this, but hey, I'm an addiction and trauma specialist, not economics or politics).

[jew-part-two.livejournal.com]

This is Grace Baldridge. I ran onto your post from Ryan Dunlap's blog.

I am socially conservative and fiscally liberal. Join the club. It's the thoughtful Christian's attempt at navigating through the American political system while upholding TRUE Christian values.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Oh hey Grace!

I'm glad to know I'm not the only political oddball Christian...

If you haven't read the book, you're missing out on most of the fun

[fub.livejournal.com]

which is a quote from "The Princess Bride" which you have not seen. A plauge on your house.
Really, the movie is only so-so. Fun, but it leaves out the vital issue: the book is very, very boring, and the father leaves out all the not-interesting parts when reading it to his son.

Really, get the book. It's so much better and funnier.

[fub.livejournal.com]

No! Don't rent the movie, get the book from the library!

[fub.livejournal.com]

...and then watch the movie and laugh at the puny people berating you for not having seen the movie -- since they missed out on so much stuff by not reading the book. ;)

[samroswell.livejournal.com]

Movie is better than book (and came first, IIRC).

[thanoslug.livejournal.com]

Princess Bride - great movie, go and see it. The book is cool too. I find them both to be worthwhile.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Will do.

[thucyditron.livejournal.com]

By socially conservative and fiscally liberal do you mean that you favor government restrictions on individual social behavior and also government restrictions on economic liberties and business?

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Something like that, yes.

[fub.livejournal.com]

No, the movie is not better than the book. That is not to say that it is a bad movie, but it is not the best incarnation of The Princess Bride by a long shot.

[thucyditron.livejournal.com]

Can't we be more specific and call that authoritarian instead of the confusing and semi-misleading socially conservative but fiscally liberal.

I understand what people mean when they say they are fiscally conservative BUT socially liberal. They view these two arenas differently, hence the but. But you view them as the same, so the but and liberal/conservative distinction just seems to muck things up. Just say you are authoritarian.

[thucyditron.livejournal.com]

"TRUE Christian values"?
Were you being sarcastic here? I can't tell.

What about the competing sides in the English revolution, all of whom were Christians but some of whom fought for monarchy, some for a republic and some for socialism?

What about Christians who believed in upholding individual and economic liberties, like the founders for example. Were they applying false Christian values?

If Christian values tell you a thing is a moral wrong, must you vote to restrict it for the entire community?

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid not everyone is as well versed in political speak as we are, fellow pupil of Rahe.