Go Buy This.

I recommend anyone that is a history buff (like myself), go out and pick up the latest issue of Time. It has Teddy Roosevelt on the cover, and is almost entirely dedicated to him. It's not world class history, but it gives you a great picture of this man's life. This is possibly the first issue of Time I've read cover to cover in at least 5 years, if ever. So often these magazines are filled with pointless BullShit. There are stories covering every aspect of his life, from almost dying in the Amazon, to being the most successful third party presidential candidate ever. He tried doing a lot of things that were ahead of his time. Most importantly he is responsible for our national park system.

Also on page 60 is one of my all time favorite photographs. It's by Jacob Riis, and called Bandit's Roost. I'm sure you'll recognize at least one or two of his photos. Children Sleeping in Mulberry Street is another one of his famous photographs, and is prominently displayed on the site linked to his name.

I hate haircuts.

Yesterday I went to have my hair trimmed, I hate it. I don't dislike the haircut, I just hate having to have it cut. My disdain for haircuts has gone to the extreme, I avoid them. If you scroll down you'll notice my post about my beard, and you'll see the length of my hair. A few years back I came up with this great system to minimalize dealing with my hair. I'd let it grow to a length between my chin and shoulders, then cut, rinse and repeat. That worked for a while, until I realized I was causing myself an unnecessary hassle. I hated having to style my hair while it was at that short length. So I decided to simply leave it long, but now it needs to be trimmed more often. A nice toupee would be nice. I'll just have electrolysis done to my head, and then wear a wig. I really really hate styling my hair, it ranks up there with shaving my face as one of the worst aspects of life. I suppose life is good when those are two of my top problems. But, they are annoyances nonetheless. I just don't ever want to touch my hair, I'd shave my head, but that'd lead to a whole 'nother set of problems.

Fast Day on the Highway.

In keeping with my recent barrage of car related posts, I had a pleasant day on the highway today.

We have this highway in Connecticut called the Merrit Parkway if you are traveling north, the Wilbur Cross Parkway if you are traveling south, and if you are traveling north of Meriden, it is known as the Berlin Turnpike. Regardless of the direction, it is Rt. 15. I suppose all that can be confusing for someone not in the area, but let me continue.

The highway is a wonderful highway, with no trucks or trailers allowed. The entire thing is two lanes, and can be quite windy at certain sections; this is why no trucks are allowed. It is one of the oldest modern highways in the nation, and is nationally recognized as something or other.

Have you ever had one of those days on the highway where everybody around you is driving 80+mph, and it is no big deal? I had one of those days, and it was wonderful. I love it when everyone can drive safe at high speeds. Too often there are groups of people that want to drive 55mph, while everyone else is trying to do 75+mph, but not today. It was quite relaxing to be free to drive at a highspeed without worrying about slow people.

The other day I heard a commercial on the radio that was a petition to have an American Autobahn. I got sooooo excited to have someplace where people would be allowed to drive at extreme speeds, but then at the end of the commercial my hopes were dashed. Turns out they were tricking me, and they were selling tires or something. Bastards!!!!

The funny thing is that some days I love a slow highway just as much if not more than a fast highway. The days where everybody is doing the opposite of the above mentioned can be just as enjoyable as the fast days. Driving 55 is not an issue so long as you're not in constant competition with the jackass trying to pass you on the right at 80, and weaving in between cars.

As long as I get where I want to be without having to deal with idiots, I'm happy.



I don't expect anybody reading this to be at all amused by my day of driving, nor do I expect you to even care. I just needed something to wright about, and this was on my mind. 'Till tomorrow (or whenever).

Time to Sell

Well I went down to pick up my car Friday afternoon, and pay $1,300+ for repairs, that I didn't know I needed. That left a sour taste in my mouth, and I shall now be moving on to greener pastures. Yesterday the sign went up. I will be selling the first ever car I bought, with my own money. Tis a sad day. I love(d) that little blue hatchback. You will be missed *empties 40oz on the ground*.

I think I'll either be replacing it with another, newer, Golf or going brand new, and buy a Rabbit. I took a Rabbit for a test drive on Friday, and the vehicle is more than capable of replacing my current car. I'm going to wait until August when the '07 Rabbit comes out, then I'll decided. The '06 was only offered in Gray & Black, neither of which are colors I want on a car.


Update: My Car on Craigslist

Fricking cars.

This morning I brought my car ('00 VW Golf) into the local dealership to have the blower fan serviced. That's the fan that blows either hot or cold air into the cabin. Well they called me back a few hours later to tell me that I have other problems. I have two leaks in my coolant system, some boot on my right front strut is damaged, and I had a muffler bracket in need of welding. Ok not a big deal, right? Wrong. Blower fan = $600, Strut Book thingy = $350, Coolant leak = "about $905," Muffler bracket = I didn't ask. So I'm not even getting my blower fixed, the coolant and boot thingy are more important, and I can't afford to fix all three (or four). So it's costing me about $1,300, and I'm not even getting the thing fixed that I went in for.

No vacation for me this year. I was going to spend a week back packing in Vermont with my girlfriend. But the cost of supplies was adding up, and I need to return a bunch of crap just to pay for the car. I just want to curl up and weep.

Vermont Independence

I've been a long time supporter of Independence movements of all varieties. Be it deserved as in the case of the Basque in northern Spain and southern France, or the not so deserved in the case of the Welsh (sorry Welsh people).

Yesterday I was poking around Wikipedia and I came across a movement within Vermont to regain(??) independence. I don't know what shocked me more, the fact that Vermonters want a nation on to their own?, or that they actually were an independent republic at one point. This doesn't even include the shock dealt to me when I saw the original name of the nation was the Republic of New Connecticut. But, forget about that, lets get down to the meat of the idea.

In 1776 Vermonters led a successful rebellion against Britain, New York and New Hampshire, and declared themselves independent in January of 1777.

In 1791 Vermont voluntarily joined the United States as a counterweight to the admission of slave holding Kentucky.

In 2003 Thomas Naylor formed a movement to secede from the US. The movement is support by 8% of the population according to VermontRepublic.org. Which, the same site claims, is the highest rate of secessionist leanings of any US state. Even higher than that of the other two nations the US annexed, the Republic of Texas, and the Kingdom of Hawai'i.

Enough history and stats, I want to tell you why I support this movement. I don't like new age hippies. I can't stand patchouli smelling, dreadlock wearing, bare foot, phish fans. Don't get me wrong, there are hippies I like, but on a personal level. I don't like hippies as a group. For that reason I would love for Vermont to be independent. I'm sure hippies would flock there like flies on shit, only smelling worse. Think of all the Netherlands-esqu laws they would enact. Living just down the river from them, I'm sure the weed would be making its way down (not that I condone such behavior, I just think marijuana should be legal). Vermont as a nation would be free to make all the cheese, and ice cream their little hearts desire. I could always go visit for the skiing. Not only that, but as I stated above, I love the idea of small break away nations. I was behind the Quebecois in their effort for independence. I was saddened when they failed. I would support Newfoundland and Labrador if they chose to secede as well. It's not just Canadians I support. I support Texan independence, but that's because I don't like Texas (and that has nothing to due with GW Bush), and I just don't like the state. I'd support Scottish independence from the UK, Greenlandic and Faroese independence from Denmark, Basque independence as stated above, Catalan independence from Spain, Chiapas' independence from Mexico, Tibetan independence from China, Kurdish independence from Iraq and Turkey, Flemish and Wallonian independence from Belgium, Corsica - Brittany - Alsace Loraine and Normandy from France, Bavaria from Germany, and not mention just about anything in Africa. None of those African borders mean anything, just let everyone break up.

In addition to my distaste for hippies, I would also take advantage of the situation by moving to Vermont prior to independence. In doing this I would gain Vermont citizenship, and yet retain my American citizenship, and would finally have my long desired dual-citizenship.

I know very little of this is realistic, but I can dream can't I?


The official flag of the Republic of Vermont.

Thank You Jalopnik.

Jalopnik is a blog run by the Gawker Media. It is an invite only blog, in that you can read it all you like, but you cannot comment with being invited to do so. Today, after 7 months, I was given an invitation to comment. This is excellent news for me, I just need to be careful and not over-comment, I don't want to abuse the priviledge. In order to achieve the status of invitee, I have periodically sent in tips, and comments through the tips e-mail address. I was not overly aggressive, and I didn't harass, and it paid off for me. Thank You Jalopnik.

I now have the ability to comment on any one of the Gawker Media blogs. Including:
Jalopnik: For cars, Wonkette: For Politics, Fleshbot: For Porn, Gizmodo: For Electronis, and a whole bunch more.

Hello Canada

Let me tell you a little story about my brother Cody.



He went to Montreal with a few of his friends this weekend (Thursday-Sunday), and in a style all his own, managed to have his wallet, cell-phone and SHOES stolen. I have no idea why anyone would want his shoes, but they did. Due to the fact none of you know my brother, you don't have any idea how funny this is. Cody is a kid (19) that looses everything. Or at least he had for a while. I haven't misplaced sneakers in years, yet I can recall Cody loosing sneakers as recently as this past winter. Cody has little locater buzzers jammed in his wallet, and glued to the back of his cell-phone, because he looses them so often. I love my brother, as I should, but I can't help to think it is hysterical that at 19 years old he is still dealing with problems I haven't dealt with since I was in the 5th grade. I have no idea how he is so damn forgetful.

From what he relayed to me he was swimming at the hotel pool, where he was staying, and left his wallet and phone inside of his sneakers by the side of the pool. At some point someone managed to simply walk along and take his stuff, which is truly unfortunate. This was Friday morning, and left him with no ID, and no money. I had told him, more than once, to bring his passport. I know they aren't required to cross the border, yet, but they will be soon, and I figured better safe than sorry. But, he didn't listen to me, and now he didn't have any form of ID, and who knows what kind of trouble he'd have at the border. Not to mention the lack of any money. And now for the good news...

In a stroke of genius, I decided to contact Cody's cell phone. I sent a text message that went something like this, "Hey Assface, Quebecois, give my bro his stuff back." As you can see with heaps of charm and cultural tolerance I fully expected this person to turn around, and return Cody's belongings. <<---Sarcasm (in case you missed it). But, to my surprise I got a phone call Saturday morning from a girl wanting to give Cody his phone back. She wasn't the one who had taken the stuff, or so she claimed, but she did have his phone. She said she found it in a bar. I gave her number to my mother, who in turn gave it to Cody, who then called the girl, met up with her, and received his cell phone. She didn't have an accent, and claimed to be a college student, which leads to me assume she wasn't French Canadien (<-- notice the French spelling), and possibly wasn't even Canadian. Perhaps she dislikes the Quebecois, perhaps she was just being nice. Who knows? What I would like to do is say thank you Canada. First you gave us Fries with Gravy, which I'll never stop loving you for. Then you gave us the McKenzie brothers, with I stoped loving you for years ago. And, now, in an act of karma never before seen from someone called assface, you returned my brothers cell phone.

Best of Both Worlds (as sung by Van Halen)

Seeing as my AC is not working in my car, I feel it is imperative that I do something to cool me off whilst driving. First, I've decided to wear only shorts for the time being. I don't like shorts, I like pants, so this is a tough decision for me. Second, I've decided to shave what was amounting to be my first "real beard." I've grown out my facial hair a few times over the last 4 years or so, but I've never let it get any longer than about 3/7s of an inch. Up until yesterday, I was looking at close to 5/8s, and lovin' it. But, I had to do it, it was too hot. My neck was always getting sweaty, and grossing my out. Which left me conflicted. I wanted to have the beard, and I also wanted to remove it. I got it. Half a beard.



I doubt this look will last long, I'm not a big fan of fancy facial hair. I always get annoyed when I see guys with sculpted face pub's. It's a rather simple concept, you have a few options. Side Burn, Mutton Chops, Full Beard, Neck Beard, Goatee, Fu-Man Chu, Mustache (of varying styles, Hitler to Rollie Fingers, everyone is included), or northing. See it's not hard, we don't need to see people with those chin strap things. They are about 4 hairs thick, seems too much trouble to me. Thanks enough me. I've got to go to work and drive my un-air-conditioned car for a couple of hours.

Why Today?

So last Thursday the fan that blows either hot air or the AC out of the vents in my car shorted out, not a big deal (it was in the 70s that day). Today it was almost 90 f-ing degrees out. Holy shit is that hot when you don't have AC. I had to drive with the windows down, but the wind was so strong it hurt my left eye, and I had to drive with one eye open. In addition to that, the speakers on the right side of my car seem to be craping out. The car is 6 years old, and I cannot imagine they should be this bad this quickly. I need a new car, I've had the car for just over 2 years, and I've put on about 73,000 miles total. That is about 36,500 miles per year. I want to lease a car, but I've never heard of a lease that allows for close to 40,000 miles annually. Oh well, I'll just drive it until it dies.


PS: The Red Sox just lost to a walk off Grand-Slam in the bottom of the 12th!!! WTF?

Remember Your Rights.

In these times of political uncertainty it is necessary to remember the Second Amendment to the Constitution, the right to Bear Arms. Loose your appreciation for this great law, and the government will be unhampered in it's attempts to steal your "honey."

World Cup: Game 1, GOOOAAAALLLL

Soccer's back with vengeance. Awesome. Although I've never mentioned it here before, I love the World Cup. Now typically I don't trust sports with off side rules (hockey, soccer, the 7 varieties of football around the world), but I love the World Cup. I had never watched a futbol game prior to the '02 World Cup, but I got hooked. Man I love this game, I couldn't watch it like the Europeans or South Americans do, but I can watch a month of games, and be set for the next four years.

Today was a good game. Germany was all over Costa Rica (or at least they were while I was watching). I missed most of the game, but I saw the first three scores. I must congratulate Klose from the Germany squad, two goals on his birthday. That's got to feel good. I don't really know enough about soccer to go on for long, but expect more from me when the USA plays their first game.

Mobile Alabama Leprechaun redux

How many of you remember the story of the Mobile, Al, Leprechaun? No? Let me refresh your memory: it was a "leprechaun" living in a tree in the ghetto of Mobile. There was a news story about it where they interviewed your typical ghetto residents. Some bystanders blamed the entire incident on some bad crack that got out. Others didn't really care, they just wanted the gold. Well some enterprising young'uns took it upon themselves to remix the news segment, with Mr. T and all. Check it out:

If you haven't already seen the original check it out here: Leprechaun.

If you have already seen that and what to jump straight to the remix check this out.

No More Robots!

Yesterday I recieved an e-mail from Google's Adsense division stating that I had been using some service to generate invalid clicks on my website. Therefore I was defrauding advertiseres, or something like that. They claim that I may be using robots to do this. I'm not a robot, and I don't click on my own ads, so it's not me. I guess what I'm trying to say is, Which one of you is a robot? Is it you Iceman? Or what about you guy that checked my blog from Churchill Canada? All I know is I have to ban robots from my blog. You assholes had to ruin it for everybody.

Anyway check out the e-mail.

It has come to our attention that invalid clicks have been generated on
the Google ads on your site(s). In the future, we may adjust your
payment for any days during which invalid clicks occurred in order to
properly credit advertisers for any invalid activity.

As a reminder, any method of generating invalid clicks is strictly
prohibited. Invalid clicks include but are not limited to any clicks
that are generated through the use of robots, automated clicking tools,
manual clicks by a publisher on the publisher's own web pages, or a
publisher encouraging others to click on his ads.

If you are clicking on the ads on your web pages for testing purposes,
please note that clicking on your own ads or encouraging others to do
so for any reason is prohibited, due to the potential for inflation of
advertiser costs. Please be assured that there is no need to test the
ads on your site, as our specialists review all of our ads to ensure
that they meet Google's advertising standards.

To prevent Google from being the bitch that he is please don't click on my ads more than once per visit. It really hurts me to say that, I'm getting so close to my first $100 check from Google. I'm already over $70. :(

World Cup/ Bono Espn Commercial

Because U2, and more specifically Bono, are the real life Wyld Stallions they are always trying to save the world. What that has to do with soccer (football), I have no clue, but this are some pretty good tv commercials. I like the first one better, but the one about Ivory Coast is pretty good too.

la la

Hey I received 10 la la invites this morning, which I can share with anyone that wants one. If you're interested let me know by leaving a message in the comments box, or send me an e-mail at larsedeen3@hotmail.com.