Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Randall's LiveJournal:

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Sunday, May 8th, 2005
9:52 pm	I don't usually do this, but I promised Renee... It will be a long time before I do something like this again. I can't believe I'm doing this... I Y=Yes N=No M=Maybe, if u ask OR I don't know WOULD U? [_] go out with me? [_] give me your number? [_] kiss me? [_] let me kiss you? [_] watch a movie with me? [_] let me take you out to dinner? [_] let me drive you somewhere [_] take a shower with me? [_] be my bf/gf? [_] have a fling with me? [_] let me buy you a drink? [_] take me home for the night? [_] Would you let me sleep in your bed? [_] Sing car karaoke w/ me? [_] re-post this for me to answer your questions? [_] give me a piggyback ride? [_] Come pick me up at 3 am because my car ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere [_] Lock me in your room and take advantage of me? [_] lick my cheek? [_] dance with me? [_] let me make you breakfast? [_] tap that ass? [_] help me with homework? [_] tickle me to death? [_] let me tickle you? [_] stick up for me if i was being put down? [_] carress my body? [_] play strip poker with me? [_] say yes if i asked you out? [_] borrow a pair of my underwear if yours for some reason got ruined? [_] let me borrow your underwear if for some reason mine got ruined? [_] get wasted with me? [_] instant message me? [_] greet me in public? [_] hang out with me? [_] bring me around your friends? D0 Y0U... [_] think im cute? [_] think im hot? [_] want to kiss me? [_] want to cuddle wit me? [_] want to hook up with me? ARE WE... [_] aquintences? [_] friends? [_] in a relationship? [_] gonna have kids? AM i... [_] smart? [_] cute? [_] funny? [_] cool? [_] loveable? [_] adorable? [_] compassionate? [_] annoying? [_] great to be with? [_] attractive? [_] mean? [_] odd? HAVE Y0U EVER... [_] thought about me? [_] thought there might be an "us"? [_] thought about hookin up with me? [_] found yourself wanting a kiss from me? [_] wished i were there? [_] grabbed me? [_] had a crush on me? [_] idolized me? [_] wanted my number? [_] had a dream about me? [_] been distracted by me? ARE Y0U... [_] done with this survey? [_] happy you know me? [_] mad at me? [_] thinkin bout me? [_] going to repost this so that i will return the favor Current Mood: embarrassed (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 20th, 2005
11:33 pm	The adventure begins Today, after 3 trips to MEPS Jacksonville, having to pass the body fat test, and getting X-rays for my flat feet, I was officially sworn in to the Army Reserve as a private first class (continguent on graduating basic training). My job in the Reserve will be "Human Relations Specialist." Basically, I'm a secretary. My unit is in Orlando and I start there after basic training. As far as that, I report back to MEPS Jacksonville on May 19th for transport to Fort Knox for "Week 0." Officially, Week 1 begins May 27 with graduation being in late July or early August. It will be tough and demanding. I am going to be broken down, but then rebuilt into something better. Right now, my main goal is to get my run time down below 8:30 (right now I'm at 9:22). Other than the run, I am confident of success! Also, Tom has decided not to run for State House. Instead, he will focus on business school. However, in the future he will consider running again. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 13th, 2005
9:35 pm	This week has been tough and the one coming up looks to be no easier. Sunshine is having trouble at home again. Her parents are being bastards and keeping her at home on Valentine's Day. That sucks! I'm making a gift for her, which I hope will cheer her up and make her happy. She also now has a car! We just have to get insurance, tags, and a driver's license (and some other stuff which I probably forgot!) and she will be able to drive! The Super Bowl went as I expected with the Patriots winning, though I thought it would be a blowout. This week, I have a speech to give and a report in Philosophy bue Tuesday. The diagnostic APFT is on Thursday and while I probably won't pass the 2-mile run, I am a lot more confident now after working on it. I will get it! Had a concert last Tuesday night on Black Composers. It was good, though I felt a little weird considering the crowd was almost entirely white. That was a little awkward. Also this week, I have to sign up for Model Senate. Supposedly it is free for Stetson students. On Friday I go to Tampa for the regional competitions in Brain Bowl, then I have to turn around and return on Saturday night in order to work the Daytona 500. I worked the Budweiser Shootout hosptiality booth last night then went in and saw the race. Saw Kurt Busch in the Crown Royal booth (his new sponsor) and the ticket takers initially turned back the President of NASCAR, but after they found out who he was, let him pass. I was able to snap pictures of both and hopefully they will turn out good. Can't wait for next Sunday!!! (Comment on this)
Saturday, February 5th, 2005
11:32 pm	Spong was somewhat boring on Monday. The crowd was of course packed for him and he just said what I had expected. If I had known it was going to be like this, I probably wouldn't have gone. Also, since I have always been a security junkie, I was appalled at the lack of security at the event. They had the public safety rent-a-cops there plus some religious studies majors and that was it. Considering this guy's controversal stands and past attacks on him, I think there should have been at least a metal detector there. Oh well, at least nothing happened. Classes have been coming along. In Public Speaking, I got a C for my first speech and have to prepare for another speech next week. As far as the professor, she is a total klutz. I already know most of it thanks to Ms. Adler's Speech class. She always shows up late to class (I know that she lives in Orlando and has to fight traffic, but she can always leave a little earlier). Why does ROTC make this class mandatory! Arabic is coming along. I have my first major test on Monday, which I'm nervous about. Tomorrow, I am going to have Sunshine quiz me over it. I am currently running every day. The practice APFT is on the 18th, though I'm aiming for the Record APFT in March. Hopefully, I will pass it. Tomorrow, after church, Sunshine will come over to get on the Internet and I will go running and do the other exercise stuff. Have the weekly meeting with Tom and have to talk with him about setting up a meeting with Peter about FRAG. The practice quiz will happen (as mentioned) and of course, the Super Bowl! I think that the Patriots will win and that Tom Brady will get a 3rd MVP. Of course, seeing my predictions for the year, I could be wrong. Also have to get the PC stuff going!!! Its due by March 15! (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 30th, 2005
11:25 pm	Opening eyes Today was a day that opened my eyes as far as my relationship with Sunshine is concerned. I now know about the true state of her financial and mental problems. She is grounded for the week and I have instructed her to make a budget and to take her medication. The problems will not be solved overnight, but we will work through this together. I love her and I will stand by her. She has made Deland home for me. Sen. Russ Feingold came to Stetson on Friday. He gave his speech and took questions from the audience. I got the chance and asked him a quote from 1998 that expressed his support for Clinton's tough stance against Iraq. Feingold responded by saying that he agreed that Saddam needed to be removed but that he disagreed with how Bush went about doing it. Afterward, I shook his hand and asked him about his plans for 2008. He responded by saying that he would take a few years to consider his options and that he would support whoever the Democrats put up. My thoughts on this. Why else would a senator from WI come to Volusia County three years out from a Presidential election except to meet and greet with local Democratic activists (like Dr. Bailey, who introduced him) in order to establish a base of support for a Presidential run. I think that Feingold will make a run, but he has no chance to get the nomination. As of today, I think the 2008 Democratic nomination is Clinton's to lose. Of course, three years is a long time. Things can change. Tomorrow, Bishop John Shelby Spong will visit Stetson. Since Sunshine is grounded, I will now attend the speech. It ought to be very interesting. I will provide a report in my next entry. Current Mood: awake (Comment on this)
11:13 pm	Inauguration Here is a day-by-day account of my trip to the Inauguration: Wednesday: Arrived in DC just hours after a snowstorm went through. It was cold! (Something I would have to get used to on the trip!) Went to the hotel and basically just unpacked and prepared myself for the next day. Clint decided it was a good idea to sleep on the balcony, which he would do for the entire trip despite our pleas (eventually he would come to annoy all of us on the trip). Thursday: Inauguration Day! Went to GOP National Headquarters and got "Yellow" tickets, allowing me to get to ~750 feet of the President, from where I could see Bush by TV's and binocolers. After the swearing in, I tried to leave in order to get to the parade, but it was so jammed, I couldn't move. Because of this, I was able to listen to the speech (and hear those "Code Pink" fools try to interrupt the speech. They failed miserably and were arrested.) Trying to get into the parade, I had to go through two areas of security, which took ~1 hour. It was a little annoying, though after I learned of the attempted riot by the ANSWER people later, I changed my mind (They were given part of the parade route to themselves for protesting, but decided it was a good idea to storm the fence. DC Police launched tear gas and pepper spray to repulse them. Later that night, 80 anarchists were arrested after marching through a DC neighborhood and raising hell.) The parade started and I saw the Presidential motorcade and some of the bands, but the two girls I was with, Hannah and Adrianne, got to cold, so they dragged me back to the hotel in Rosslyn. That night, I ate at the restaurant on the top floor with Phillip and a bunch of freshmen girls who were all hot over is British accent. It got to be really sickening (and good, because they were staying away from flirting with me :) After dinner; Phillip, Frank, Heisner from ROTC, Hannah, Adrianne, Clint, and me went to DC to walk around while others got gala and ball tickets. Clint got annoying so we dumped him by GWU and walked around the White House and the WWII memorial. After picking up some girls from the OAS gala, we went back to Rosslyn around 1 AM Friday: Went to the American History Museum and saw the "Americans at War" exhibit. After that I went to the WWII and Korean memorials. After Korea, I found out about the possibilty of going to the Capitol, but decided to go to the other memorials instead. At the Lincoln Memorial, I saw the exact spot where Dr. King spoke and took a picture of that. Then, I went to the Vietnam memorial before I walked by Blair House and the White House on the way back to the Metro to go to Pentagon City to buy a teddy bear for Sunshine. On this night I went for a little adventure with Philip, Clint, Hannah, and Adrianne to find Adrianne's lost cell phone, which was reported at Largo Town Center (the end of the Blue Line on Metro). The phone was not there, but it was interesting. Saturday: Went to the International Spy Museum, which was pretty cool. Then I went to the Holocaust Museum. That museum leaves you absolutely overwhelmed as to the depths of man's inhumanity to his fellow man. Everyone should see it in order to make sure that it is not forgotten. If it is, then the future of humanity is at stake, especially since man now possesses the capability to destroy himself. Another thing, 6 inches of snow fell on this day, which made travel very interesting. Matthias and Eric cancelled one of the rooms at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn in order to get a room at the Ritz-Carlton in DC. There, they organized a party for the Stetson students along with members of other state chapters of the College Republicans. The party was fun, but I knew they had alterior motives for the party (resume padding and establishing connections). Sunday: After finding out that I no longer had a coupon to use the hotel cafeteria (back at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn). I went out into the 25 degree weather with 25 mph wind from the north. You haven't really lived until you've been in that! After looking for 20-30 minutes, I finally found an ATM and got money for McDonald's. I went to breakfast, then went back to the hotel to pack up. For a while, I thought I had lost my cell phone, but I found it in my backpack :) There is my trip! If I remember anything else, I will add it. Washington is so much fun! Inaugurations are so much fun. I've been to three and seeing the ceremony, even if the other guy gets in, is inspiring. (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 27th, 2005
11:15 pm	A new job I will post my Inauguration experience this weekend when I have the time. Right now I am too tired to go into the detail that I want to get into regarding the trip. School has been alright. Philosophy and Arabic are the two trouble spots, but Arabic is getting better I think, or at least I'm more confident about it. I still have to work on Philosophy. Sunshine has had a bad week at work. She has had to work at 6 AM all week, plus her parents haven't been helping this week. Because of this she is depressed. That sucks. On Saturday I have a land nav exercise up at Camp Blanding. It only lasts a day and I should be back by 7 PM, but I have to get up at 5 in the morning :(. But at least I'm not staying in the barricks. One thing that I have forgotten to mention lately in this journal is that, as of January 9th, I now have a job. Officially, I am Chief Political Strategist for Thomas Keller. Yes, Tommy is very serious about running for state House down in District 88 in 2006. Its an uphill task. He is going against an opponent who cruised to reelection in November. The district is heavily Democrat and he is a Republican. But I feel that it is possible. Both Tom and I have backup plans in case it doesn't work out in '06 (Tom goes and gets an MBA and runs for the seat in '08 when Bucher is term-limited. I go to Stetson law or the Army). But if he wins, wow! We're both young and have big dreams as to where this journey might take us. Wherever we might end up on this journey, I will keep this updated here. Two things before I go. One, today is the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz death camp. I will simply mention this for now and go more into detail this weekend when I describe my visit to the US Holocaust Museum. Also, Johnny Carson died on Sunday. My dad told me when I called him from Reagan National. It sounded like he was about to break down over it on the phone. I shouldn't be surprised as he was late night to him and his entire generation. Just from the highlights that I've seen, he is still better than the wannabes out there today. When he came onstage with the band playing (a real jazz/big band style group, instead of the crappy bands on today's shows) you knew he was the man. What a shame. (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 16th, 2005
5:51 pm	Back at Stetson/Inauguration Preparation Well, its been over a week, so I guess its time to update. My classes for the semester are as follows: Public Speaking: Have to take it for ROTC. Its just like the speech class I took w/ Ms. Adler in senior year. It should be easy as long as I study enough. Philosophy: I think I will do alright, but the theories can be tough to comprehend. Arabic: Took it because it looked interesting. It looks to be a tough class :( Political Analysis & Statistics: Another tough class. Going to have to study hard in this one too. ROTC: Toughest part will be to pass the APFT. If I do that, it should be alright. PT starts on Tuesday for that running part. Chorale: Well, as long as I show up and don't suck, I should get an easy A. Yesterday, Wess Brooker and I got up at 3 AM to go to Disney-MGM to try to get into "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?" We started by getting wristbands with numbers on them and filling out forms. At 7:30, the host the "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?" attraction at Disney came out and started drawing numbers. Unfortunately, I didn't get chosen, but Wess did! He went to further questioning while I got to sit outside and wait for his parents to arrive from Gainesville (I still got the theme music from "Dallas" and "The Magnificent Seven" stuck in my head, though the latter is wonderful to have stuck in there as it is one of the greatest film scores ever in my opinion). When they arrived, we tried to go in, but Disney screwed all of us by overselling the tapings. That made me mad and I expressed my opinions very clearly to Valleycrest and Disney over the situation. At least I made it into one taping and saw Meredith do her thing. While she is a good host, I think Regis was a better host. Well, it is off to Washington on Wednesday to see the Presidential Inauguration. It is so exciting to see all the hard work pay off. However, I am a little perturbed that we couldn't get nonstop flights from to Reagan. There are other airlines flying than Airtran and they go there nonstop. Also, this trip has put my bank account back a good $500. No more fancy trips like this for awhile. Don't regret making the choice to go however. Inaugurations, regardless of whether or not your guy is being sworn in, are a majestic experience. Everybody should see at least one in person and I have been so fortunate to be going to my third in a row this week. One bad part though. Sunshine is not going. I am going to miss her terribly and worry about her. I asked if she wanted to go and she said no for two reasons. One, she has to work. Two, she voted for Kerry. Oh well, I will by her a teddy bear and give it to her. Our 1 year anniversary is next Sunday also! I will make it a point to do something special for her when I get back. (Comment on this)
Friday, January 7th, 2005
11:04 pm	Sunshine tried to send me an instant message today, however, since my home computer sucks, I can't read instant messages. However, I did get her email, so that wasn't a total loss. I will try to call her at work tomorrow and talk to her then. At any rate, it is only two more days until I return to Deland and see her. I will also be able to do instant messaging again. Got my laundry and sheets done today. Then I went to look for new running shoes since my current ones have holes in them. Looked all over Largo Mall, two Payless stores, and Wal-Mart looking for cheap size 15 shoes. I thought that I had found the right pair, but after contacting SFC Thorpe about shoes, I was informed that I couldn't use basketball shoes. I then took the pair back and got a refund. The day in this regard was utterly frustrating. And scary too. One of the places I stopped at in Largo Mall was also a medicial place in addition to selling shoes. There, the doctor/salesperson told me that if I keep doing what I'm doing as far as running and working out, I will need knee replacements in 30-35 years. That's really nice to know. Tomorrow morning, I will set out to find a pair of shoes, and I will be successful! Also got my oil changed today. Brother had a soccer game tonight which I did not go to since I had gone to Wednesday's game. Turns out that I should have as the team won this one 5-3 and performed better all around. Damn. Tomorrow I will go looking for shoes, plus I will be eating lunch with my family as a birthday celebration for my mom and I. I will call and try to talk to Sunshine, and if she responds to my message, get together with Christina. If that doesn't work out, oh well. At least I tried. Got to mention the Armstrong Williams thing about him getting nearly $250,000 from the Department of Education to promote No Child Left Behind. What a fool! Not only is his career as a serious political commentator finished, he looks stupid. The administration also looks stupid for being involved in this fiasco. This is not how you want to start your second term. (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 6th, 2005
10:34 pm	Ohio electoral vote challenge Today, a slate of electoral votes was challenged for the first time since 1877. The challenge was shot down by an overwhelming margin in both houses. What happened today will be forgotten by most people, except by the politically active, within a few days. However, before it does, I want to put down my thoughts about this, first as a supporter of the Republican party, then as an American. As a Republican, seeing the fringe elements of the Democratic party try to overturn the Presidential election results from OH was highly entertaining. These same fringe elements, who were most helpful to destroying Sen. John Kerry's lifetime dream of being President, are back for more fun in 2005, despite being humiliated before the nation and the world. These elements are truly the gift that keeps on giving. Just when you think the Democrats are about to turn a corner and try to make themselves more marketable to middle America (and I have very little doubt that the majority in the party, and that most Democratic supporting people want to do this), these fringe elements come back and make the party and its membership look like a bunch of (to quote the wonderful representative from AZ, JD Hayworth) sour grapes. If this keeps up, then it just might be possible for the GOP to get to 60 senators in 2006. As an American (which comes before being a Republican) this was an awful day. While most Americans will forget about this in a day or two, people overseas will not. They will look at the ridiculous allegations laid out today as proof that America is a fraud and full of hypocrites. Terrorists and enemy nations will use this as proof that we are evil. Here on the homefront, the impact will be just as bad. Those people who are politically active, whether on the right or left, will now be less willing to compromise because of this. The day when the political divide begins to heal (I'm not so naive as to believe that it will ever be completely closed) look to be farther away than ever. Damn. Thanks a lot Sen. Boxer, Rep. Tubbs Jones, and the 30 other Reps in the House who voted to uphold the objection. Current Mood: cynical Current Music: Watching a repeat of C-SPAN's coverage (2 Comments |Comment on this)
9:55 pm	Interesting days lately. On Wednesday, I went to the Elections office and got signed up for an absentee ballot for the Largo Commission elections on March 1st. Ballot should arrive at Stetson about two weeks before election day. Also went to PPHS to get my transcripts and visit with people. Turns out my transcripts are no longer at PPHS because they were moved to Central Records. I then went to the newspaper office and was able to get the issues that they have put out this year, and they are very impressive. The paper is now a broadsheet instead of a tabloid plus the overall quality of the newspaper is better than it ever was when I was there. I then went to see Mr. Folsom and we talked for a good 45 minutes about life and how PPHS was coming along (I'll write what we talked about in a private entry). Also discovered that Kimmie Sabiel, SGA president and graduate of PPHS from 2000 (my freshman year) is now back as a social studies teacher. She has come full circle. I halfway considered going to see her but I don't think she would rememeber who I am. Today was a quieter day. Went to help dad, then went out to eat with him and my mom. Afterward, I came and watched the electoral college mess on C-SPAN. Later I went to the gym. Talked to Christina, but she was busy at work. I ended up calling her cell and leaving a message. Oh yeah, one more thing... I talked to Sunshine!!!!!!!! She called me from worked and we talked for a few minutes before she had to go back to work. But we talked at least! Only three more days! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 4th, 2005
10:26 pm	Largo has been alright. Still going to the gym and the laundry everyday. Today I got my tag renewed for another year. Tomorrow (or by the end of the week), I have to: get to PPHS to get my transcript for the PC program I'm trying for get my oil changed see my Great-Grandma try and see Christina and some other stuff... Tomorrow I will call McDonalds and try to talk to Sunshine. Today was a hard day in that regard. I really got to missing her today. Only 5 more days... Also, tonight is the national championship. USC is currently destroying Oklahoma 38-10 at halftime. I'm really tired right now so I don't think I'm going to stay up and watch this execution, unless they somehow begin a comeback. One more thing, Reggie Love of Duke got his first start ever a few days ago in his senior year, and he goes and breaks his foot or something. Nice. You finally get the trust of your coach back after pulling a DUI and taking a trip to the UNC frat party and you go and injure yourself. Really nice. Hopefully, when he is out he won't decide to go get trashed at the UNC frat houses, or if he does, hopefully this time he wakes up when the frat brothers start teabagging and photographing him. Oh my! Current Mood: tired (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 2nd, 2005
10:50 pm	First post of the year! I know this is pretty cliched, but here are my predictions for 2005. If I'm right about 50% of these, I'll consider it to be a good showing. News Some Soc. Security reform, some tax reform, no immigration reform. More Republicans in Congress will be critical of Bush, McCain will be at the forefront, estabishing him as a candidate in all but name for the 2008 GOP nomination. Sen. Clinton, looking to make herself electable in 2008, will begin to attack Bush from the right. The most notable attack will be on immigration, in order to make herself look more centrist to the American people. A Supreme Court Justice will retire, causing a heated Senate battle over the new nominee. Blair will call for a new election and will win, but with a majority of less than 100. Successors from within Labour will plot to take Blair down from within the party (ala Thatcher), though they will not be successful in 2005. Ecoterrorists will draw blood for the first time. Attacks on the President will grow, and may unfortunately become physical (Hopefully I'm wrong about this). Iraq will hold successful elections, but violence will continue. Support for the effort will remain as is or will decrease as patience begins to wear thin. No terror attacks in the US, though it won't be for lack of trying by the terrorists. Florida 1 hurricane will strike FL, but the season will not be anywhere near as bad for FL as 2004 was. Betty Castor and Charlie Crist will emerge as the Democratic and GOP front runners for the 2006 Governor's race. Amendments to ban gay marriage, reform legislative redistricting, and to reform local land planning (Hometown Democracy), will advance in 2005 in hopes that they will be on the 2006 ballot. Sports Super Bowl- Pittsburgh over Green Bay as the Steelers finally return to dominance. NBA- Miami beats Phoenix in a hard fought series going 7 games. NHL returns in the fall, with replacements + a few regulars who cross the picket lines. No one cares. Devil Rays win fewer than 70 games, finish last in the AL East. Bucs have another sorry season, Gruden is fired as a result. BCS messes up again, though this is like saying the sun comes up in the east. Personal I will continue to be engaged, though not married during 2005. I will attend the graduations for Largo (brother's friends), Northeast (Christina), and PPHS (still have some friends there). (Comment on this)
Friday, December 31st, 2004
7:03 pm	Today I was able to talk to Sunshine! She is getting her voice back and was able to call from her house again. We talked for ~5 minutes about several things, like this being the anniversary of her calling my house for the first time (my first hint that she liked me!) and what we were planning to do tonight. She is going to be babysitting her stepsiblings and a 10-year-old neighborhood boy who has a crush on her. She then had to go. I miss her and can't wait until the 9th when I go back and hear her sing! She has been the best thing that has happened to me this year. From January 23rd, when she confessed that she liked me to our engagement on November 19th, we have had a year to remember. We have had our fights, and we have both confessed to flirting with others, but we are still together. No idea when we are getting married (not in 2005), but we are together. Hopefully that will remain the same next year at this time. Talked with Christina finally today. She is starting up at Northeast on Monday so she told me to call her at work on Monday for a better idea as to when we can talk. Also talked with Daniel from Caucus 10 too. Tried to set up a time to meet when I am up in DC in a few weeks, but he will be going to Belgium in the upcoming semester, so that fell through. I will continue to send out email on the Facebook to find out where everyone else is at, and if they are in DC for school I will be trying to set up meetings with them when I go. OK, so it is New Years Eve, so I guess I should put forth some resolutions. For once, I have some real ones... I will be a better Christian (though I know that I will fail miserably at this). I will pass the APFT this year (all aspects, including the 2-mile run). I will be a better b/f to Sunshine. I will not procrastinate so much in 2005. There is probably some more stuff that I will think about later that I should put here. Finally, the best game I saw this year has to be... the Super Bowl and Game 4 of the World Series. I couldn't choose so I picked both. Don't like it, too bad. Now off to find something to do on New Years Eve other than be bored out of my mind. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 29th, 2004
10:51 pm	Bad news. Turns out the disaster in Asia is one of the great natural disasters of our time. Total dead as of right now is about 100000, and it will go higher. The pictures and video from there are nothing less than ghastly. Bodies are strewn all over the place. In trees, on the beach, in piles of wreckage. What a mess... Also found out today that Jerry Orbach is dead of prostate cancer. He was best known to those of my age for playing Det. Briscoe on Law & Order. I was hooked to the show from the moment that I saw him in Mr. Regan's CJII class sophomore year. This really sucks. Haven't been able to talk to Sunshine since Sunday because she has not paid her phone bill and her dad & stepmom won't let her use the house phone. Tried her work today around 3:55, but she was already gone. Tomorrow, I will try at an earlier time, probably around 9-10 AM when it won't be busy. As for what I've been doing lately here, I've been going to the gym and helping my dad. Yesterday, I ran into Melanie Aganon while I was showing up at the gym. She is now a freshman biology major at USF who is working at one of the doctor's offices as a file clerk over winter break. We talked about safety over at the apartments and how life in general is going. She has a current GPA of 3.9 which made me a little jealous. She had to break off our conversation because she was in an argument with her b/f and had to go find him, but it was nice to see her again. Oh yeah, also told her about the Facebook. Haven't been able to talk to Christina. Her cell comes back with saying that her phone is turned off or something like that. I will try again tomorrow and if the cell doesn't work, I will try the other number that I have. (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 26th, 2004
10:37 pm	Today has had its ups and downs... I'll start with the up. I saw Sunshine again today! She was up in Pasco with her stepmom's relatives for Christmas dinner. I hung out with her during the afternoon and enjoyed bountiful food and desserts! Plus I got to talk and play with her. The bad news is that I won't see her again for two weeks. But at least we had today. Two bad things. First was that earthquake/tsunami that killed at least 14000 today in SE Asia and the Indian Ocean. Utter devastation throughout the region and it will get worse before it improves. Unfortunately, I had to go to Drudge to find out about this because all the cable news channels were running their normal weekend garbage. That is a pitiful performance by them today. The second thing I found out about while hanging out with Sunshine. Reggie White is dead at 43. Apparently he had either a heart attack or respiratory failure due to sleep apnea. I can't believe it. I remember watching him on Sunday afternoons growing up, always dominating the opposing offense. What a shame. (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 25th, 2004
9:52 am	Christmas morning has been good so far. Got a bunch of DVDs and some other stuff, which is cool. Going to Christmas lunch later and then watching Shaq destroy Kobe later this afternoon. Unfortunately, the weather around here sucks today. It's been raining on and off since last night, plus bigger storms are supposed to come in later. I'll continue with some other 2004 stuff now too (To anyone who reads this, I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for myself) Biggest stories of the year: 1. 2004 election At least it is over. The first Democratic debate was held 3 weeks before I graduated high school! And now I'm preparing to see the final act of it on the 20th. 2. Iraq Hopefully it will get better next year with elections, but I have a feeling the violence will continue. 3. Hurricanes Seeing Ulmerton Rd. packed with thousands of people fleeing east is not fun. Fortunately, the worst of the storms missed Tampa/St. Pete, but areas of FL and elsewhere got slammed. Hopefully 2005 will be an off year for hurricanes... Losers of the Year: The "Anybody But Bush" crowd who cost Kerry the election. Going into this year, Bush was vulnerable. His job approval numbers were on the lower end of historical reelection patterns, plus the media continued to throw scandals at him throughout the year. Despite this, Bush won reelection. Why did this happen... It happened because the "Anybody But Bush" crowd couldn't contain their hatred. Instead, they accused Bush of outrageous acts and compared him to some of history's worst dictators (e.g. Hitler, Stalin, etc...). Voters who disagreed with Bush ended up voting for him anyway because they didn't want to elect a candidate being supported by such groups and individuals. It definitely didn't help when major figures in the Democratic Party started hanging around this crowd (Jimmy Carter with Michael Moore at the DNC, John Kerry with Hollywood celebrities, Dan Rather being caught lying on national TV). On behalf of a Bush supporter, thank you for not having the common and strategic sense to watch your mouth in order to succeed in your goals. They had a great opportunity to get what they wanted, but they couldn't help themselves. Hope it was worth it...
Thursday, December 23rd, 2004
11:39 pm	Oh yeah, also got my grades today. In most of my classes they were what I expected, except in Comparative Politics, which was better. Here they are.. Fall 2004 Computer Science D+ History B ROTC A Comparative Politics A- Chorale A At least I'm done with computer science forever!!! My GPA at this point is somewhere around 3.1. (Comment on this)
11:35 pm	Today was a good day. I helped my dad out when he had to go to the bank to get the change deposited into the account. I listened to part 2 of the Jim Rome year-in-review this afternoon and that was a whole lot of fun. Tonight, I went with my mom to Target and picked out my watch. I then went to the gym and walked around the neighborhood. Today marks the 7th anniversary of me officially becoming a clone. I can't believe its been that long since I started listening to Rome. Time sure flies when you're having fun, and it has been fun indeed over the years. Anyway, today's show was the last half of the year-in-review. The call of the year went to Iafrate and his Smak-off winning call back in April. It was fun listening to the review over the last two days, remembering all the amazing things that happened in the Jungle, sports, and culture in 2004 (and some of the stupid things as well). Rome has guest hosts next week who should be good (no Skip Bayless! Yes!!!) and he will be back on the 3rd. I also continued playing with Facebook today. Got more friends at Stetson and elsewhere today. Also started looking at some people from Caucus 10. When I go up to DC next month, I have already decided to try to meet up with some of them. Hopefully I will and also hopefully my friend list will continue to grow. Tomorrow I will continue with my own year-in-review (if I feel like it). (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004
10:34 pm	Saw the season finale for "The Wire" tonight. It was pretty damn good and makes me want to go out and start buying the DVDs for the series. It is such a great show. However, there was a sense of closure at the end of the show, sort of like they don't expect to get renewed for a 4th season. That would be wrong. Damn Desperate Housewives for taking away all the viewers! Also got introduced to Facebook today. That is such a great thing. I have gotten back into contact with some people who I haven't seen in too long. I will also be going after more people later. I will also be emailing Christina Burch tonight also. She is probably been wondering where I've been... Finally, I talked to my fiance today :) However, she was busy preparing for bed so we didn't talk for long. But it is simply wonderful to talk to her again. I can't wait until Sunday!!! (Comment on this)