Woh

http://www.leekspin.com/
This site is like wathing a lava lamp, i was spinning for 4.11 minutes, i had my headphones on and the music hypnotized me.

Cavaliers Blow yeah the football team lost on saturday, 17-0, we didn't even score a dignity touchdown. The soccer team, which i don't follow has made it to the final four of the national comp.

-we should be thankful that we don't have deciduous trees in Australia. The woods are so creepy now, just a whole bunch of wood and creepy leafless branches. Not to mention all the work, there have been teams of people running around with blowers for a couple of weeks, moving all the leaves into big piles. I can't be bothered walkign outside right now and taking a photo, perhaps next time.

Presidential Honors

I was back in DC on the weekend, and the secret service got me again. This time a little more overt than before. My friend Matt, who is a fellow faulkner resident, picked me up from union square train station in DC and took me for a tour of capital hill. We were passing by the whitehouse and i had my video camera out, then matt turned into a closed off section of road, to do a U-turn. (everyone else was doing it, and since 9-11 pretty much all the roads have been closed down.) Anyway Matt didn't see the sign, and about half way through the U-turn and uniformed secret service agent chick went ballistic. "hey stop there, what are you filming, where are you going, give me your license.' I didn't have my passport, so i gave her my aussie drivers license, and heard her in the background,'we have an american and an austrlian passenger.' and she was spelling out my last name, 'C-charlie A-alpha ... A few police officers came over and actually confronted her, i heard one guy say, just give them back their licences and let them go. To which she then became more enraged to assert her authority, she made us park and wait for ten minutes while she ran checks, and harassed Matt for having his registration in the trunk not the glove compartment. 'Why is it in the trunk, what's in your glovebox that you're afraid for me to see.'

Then she made me delete my film footage, which it turns out i didn't because i wasn;t sure how to. See the others around were police officers, and she was uniformed secret service,(they don't have the cool job, they just guard entraces) so she was on a different mission. Mind you we had only pulled off two yards into closed off road to make a U-turn, and there was people walking passed with video cameras and digital cameras. And about a dozen other people were making u-turns while we sat waiting. So the chick grabbed a fine booklet from a police officer(because uniformed secret service don;t normally fine people,) and she wrote matt two tickets, one for 500bucks and one for 30bucks, at least he can get out of the 500 buck one, because he couldn't provide insurance details, but he was in fact insured. This chick was so rude too, she would yell. 'Wind down your window , now!'

Anyway, later on when it was dark, we were walking around the back of the white house, and no one else was around. And the undercover secret service drove by, and the dude was whispering into his lapel.


This is the white house, hidden a little, from the top of the old post office, if i panned left you would see the washington monument.






















This is the spirit of saint lois; the first plane to cross the atlantic. This is in the smithsonian museum. Remember Bart was playing in it, when the whole simpson family visited DC, when Lisa won the esaay competition.
'Bart! Get out of the spirit of saint louis.'

I had a brief meeting with the president on Saturday, it went for a couple of minutes. He basically just wanted to know a few of my travel plans, and i gave him a brief outline of my vision of the future.











This is the capital building from the top of the old post office. YOu can see the supreme court next to it, on the top left, and bottom right out of shot is the FBI building. If i panned 180 degress to the right i would see the washington monument and the white house.







Quote: i love this quote.
Skinner: My mind is made up! I'm not coming back! And that's final.
Edna: Oh, Seymour.
Skinner: And I'm not Seymour. My name is Armin. This is Armin's apartment, Armin's liquor, Armin's copy of "Swank", Armin's frozen peas.
Homer: Can I see your copy of "Swank", Armin?
Skinner: Yes, you can

One small step for man

This is from the top of the old post office. That is the FBI HQ, just to the right and up the street is congress. It was good to have birds eye view of capital hill.











This is the washington monument. For two miles to the left of it, is open grass straight up to the foot of congress. There is a platform at foot of the steps of congrees/capital building where the president is inaugourated. So you can see straight from the steps of congress all the way down to the washington monument.








The supreme court















This my mate matt, he lives near DC and was visting family for thanksgiving, so he gave me a guided tour. This is the smithsonian museum. It was free! i couldn't believe it. We are standing in front of a reconstruction of the apollo 11 landing, that put Neil Armstrong on the moon.





End Transmission

Capital Hill

This is the capital building by night. You used to be able to walk right up the steps, but since 9-11 you aren't allowed to do much.
















This homeless lady is out the front of the whitehouse!!!. The small building in mid-right shot is a guard station and just to the left of it, behind the tree is the whitehouse. So the president can look out the window of the white house and see a freaking homeless person on his doorstep.

At the top of the tower, in the old post office. The highest point in capital hill. You can see the capital building, or known as congress in the background




















This is the whie house at night.















End Transmission

Thanksgiving

The feast. I spent thanksgiving with my surrogate family; a doctor, his wife, their five daughters some grandparents and Bernhart from germany. And i mean the old germany, this guy was in the hitler youth. He was born in 1921, see i know this because in the middle of the feeding, he very randomly burst out talking about Judy Garland, and how because he was infatuated with her at the time of germany falling (he was hard to understand but i think i got the gist) anyway he could only remember songs by Judy Garland and not the nazi songs, so that somehow allowed him to escape to Canada or something then they were going to deport him, but he got a job the same day, so they couldn't. I have no idea. Everyone was is mid conversation when he started and we all had to be silent while Berhart woffled on for about ten minutes, then he stopped and went back to eating his pureed fruit, while we devoured the turkey.
--Isn't that funny though, it was so real for this guy, nearly being killed and living in such a wacked out time. Now his big day out is having thanksgiving with his doctor's family,and struggling to have a story about Judy Garland and Hitler comprehended by an audience who can't share his pain. And then to be returned, after dinner, to his lonely apartment while he informs us that he is afraid it isn't as secure at it used to be, but like having no money to fix his teeth, he can't move to a safer area. And the family smiles and wishes him well, but won't have a moments thought of him, untill he shows up next thanksgiving, if he is still around.

-It was great, a real all-american family and a real thanksgiving day feast, topped of with a delicious dessert of american apple pie and pumpkin pie. Then a walk to the beautiful river, which flows just below the mountain that is home to Monticello.

-The doctor was on call, and he went to his surgery to check a baby with a fever, anyway i seized my opportunity and went along with him because i thought i had a kidney infection. So he took a urine sample and checked it under the microscope, and it turns out i don't have an infection, but they could mean my pain is something worse, it's on both sides of my side where the kidneys are. I'll have to go for some blood tests on monday, i have noticed the pain comes on after drinking, so i'll have to seriously give that away for about six months.

The only thing i missed out on was watching the thanksgiving day gridiron games.





You can see benhart bottom right with the spectacles.























Making the all american apple pie.














The daughters, who go to different colleges. one said she went to Radford, and if you remember one of my earlier blogs you'll know what Radford is.










Movie of the week.
Casino Royale. This bond is brilliant, i fucking hate brosnan , the up himself bastard, but this guy and the movie was real feel. No gadgets or anything, so i liked it just like Mission Impossible three, some fancy stunts, but good old punch 'em out action.
The Fast and the Furious; Tokyo Drift This was great too, i saw it on dvd. Pretty close to being as good if not better than the first one, the second one sucks. And the appearance of my favourite car; the mustang really topped it off.

Quotes:
'You make choices, and don't look back' - Tokyo Drift - there was a lot of wisdom in this film, i forget the other good lines.
***
Brian Griffin: Ah, if my memory serves me, this is the physics department.
Chris Griffin: That would explain all the gravity.
***
Lois Griffin: Peter! You're bribing your daughter with a car?
Peter Griffin: Ah, c'mon, Lois, isn't 'bribe' just another word for 'love'?

Good Times

my time at uva is drawing to a close, the only thing that will make my time sweeter is if we beat those damn hokies this saturday, then i will have closure- extreme closure, virginia tech must be humiliated.

This is my home now, and it will be sad to leave. I know everyone at college, everywhere i go i meet up with friends, just now we went to a bar then back to a mates house, he has 7.1 surround sound, not 5.1 but 7.1 and wow- it was marginally better. It's like you have 7 minute abs, then someone comes out with 6 minute abs and you're like wow, that is marginally better. I mean how much more can technology change while you still see benefits. Like a 60inch tv, do you really need bigger-perhaps images projected straight into the brain or something, anyway i digress.
This whole trip has greatly exceeded my expectations, it was so easy
to fit in and really feel comfortable in my dorm room. And there is always some place to be and some socializing to be done. People just come into the apartment and hang out or we go somewhere. I wish i could have some of these friends back in Australia, not to put down my aussie friends but to have them plus some of my american friends, its different than when i was just travelling around the country and meeting people for a few days, this is different, i have grown with these people, and i won't see any of them again. I won't be able to just walk out of my room, and hang with everyone. America has treated me well, minus an alcohlic incident with a bill attached. USA a-ok

I purchased my first copy of the new yorker from barnes and noble yesterday, the cartoons are brilliant. I hope to find it in Australia i am very impressed with the depth of the articles.





Hedonism bot, getting the chocolate icing lathered onto his ample frame. 'Jambi... the chocolate icing.'






Some cavalier daily comics













Donkey of the week: this week, in the spirit of preemptive action, The Virginia Tech Hokies get the donkey of the week award, for getting flogged by us this saturday.










Quotes:

'mom why don't i have a brother?'
'That's why moomy is going to happy hour.'
-The Cable Guy
***
Kids, we just have to learn to accept this. Like one of those stories on Dateline where a family member suffers a horrible accident and becomes a burden on everybody. Sure, they pretend to be happy, but they're dead inside, they're dead. And that'll be our lives.
-Family Guy

Home game cheer

We did it, we won our last home game!! 17-7 over miami. They are a reasonable team, so its a solid victory and it sets us up for the last game against arch rivals virginia tech @ tech.

Thanksgiving is later in the week, i'm not sure where i'll be yet, either D.C. or NYC. I'll be eating at least six turkeys and three galons of apple sauce. At least we have a week off. The term goes for 16 weeks and then two weeks of exams and the break is week 15, bad timing. I remember newcastle university having only 12 or 13 weeks in the semester; four and a half years and i don't remember.







This is just file footage from the first game i went to.



And some file footage of Pittsburg.















I'll try to get some photos of the secret societies for next time.

Quotes: Hedonism Bot, the best robot in futurama. Someone actually made a robot whose only purpose is to seek pleasure, brilliant.

fry: "i've never written an opera before..."
hedonism bot.: "and i have never heard one! but if you can keep me entertained through the overture, i shall consider it a smashing success!
**
"surgey? in an opera? how wonderfully decadent!"
**
"Ah, Fry, congratulations. Your latest performance was as delectable as dipping my bottom over and over into a bath of the silkiest oils and creams.
**
'Jambi... the chocolate icing!'

Holiday spirit.

I am going to put my political cap back on the stand and let it gather dust. I wore it in these last couple of posts, because several people were questioning me about the election and my views and stuff, and I thought I’d share for everyone the ideas that were in the forefront of my mind. I don’t generally sit around thinking about that stuff! Now to tie up a few last points in two quick metaphors I just thought up. It is just about explaining the rationale behind my tract of thought.

And separately; on the world being boring if it was all democracy. India and New Zealand are thought of as two of the best democracies in the world, and they are vastly different places. Democracy doesn’t destroy culture. It allows it to flourish, and ebb its own way; as opposed to a culture being forced down some ones throat. And if that is still unconvincing, then as a people are we so interested in having a non-boring world, that we need to be entertained by the rape of people in other cultures? Like a grand stage, where we sit on the balcony in the theatre with all the luxuries and wine, while we watch people battle it out below on the stage—and without wanting them to join us on the balcony, just so that we can have a show to be interested in. And after the show, we nobly throw down our scraps left over from the feast.


On the spread of democracy:
You are walking down the street and see someone being beaten to death, there is no one else around, and the police are yet to arrive. You can:

1) Help: No matter what the nationality of the person being beaten, you can come to their aid.

2) Walk on by without any action because:
a) You are scared you will be hurt, and want to go on living your life.
b) Say that it is up to the police, who have yet to arrive, (and by the time they do the person will be dead)
c) Say that the person should rally, and help him or her self get out of the situation.

On having ideals on democracy in the first place:
At an archery range; there is a target. Several people take aim and fire, some will get closer than others to the bulls-eye, and some will just turn and shoot the person next to them.

--The ideals of democracy are the target, different countries get closer than others. And some countries, end up just enslaving their own people. The target, never translates to a perfect hit—you just try and get as close as possible. And without such a target, we might as well let chaos rein supreme, and all go fight each other in the caves.

Secret Societies;
If anyone has seen the movie- skulls- then they will know about secret societies in colleges. It’s like a fraternity that has no open pledge. Well now that I know the signs, they are plastered all across the grounds. There is a giant ‘Z’ painted on the steps leading to the rotunda. I asked people because I thought it was some official UVa thing, but no, it a secret society showing just how powerful they are by being allowed to graffito tag the campus. There is three at UVa my sources tell me, IMP, Z, and something else. The power elite of college!

The pledge:
I found out why I had to sign that pledge not to crazy with booze today, at the last home football game. I was told about this by some friends, but here is a clip from the cavalier daily.

-Several University organizations are working to tackle the emerging "fourth-year fifth" drinking trend this week by sponsoring awareness campaigns and offering alternative activities for fourth years.
The practice involves consuming a fifth of alcohol -- approximately 17 shots of liquor -- before the season's last home football game. University Peer Health Educators and the department of social norms began their campaign for awareness last weekend with the annual fourth-year 5K run. Normally, the race is scheduled for the morning of the final home football game in order to counteract the fourth-year fifth, Peer Health Educator Coordinator Tara Schuster said.
"The fourth-year 5K is a healthy way to celebrate the last game," said Susan Bruce, director of the Center for Alcohol and Substance Abuse Education. –

I know which one I would prefer! They get 24hours to do it; the softcocks, I used to finish a bottle of beam in about 8hours. But now I am reformed, so I guess I might do the fourth-year 5k. And I did sign the pledge, I wouldn’t want to go back on my word.

Women deserve respect

This is from BBC news. People against the war often say that imposing democracy on people is wrong and that they should come to it themselves. There is a resistance but often they don't have the way, the will is there but not the way. And this article is in Pakistan, it shows the power of what a moderate leader can do to affect his/her people for the good. When a dictator takes scripture literally there are consequences, scripture needs the wisdom of topology. Not a megalomaniac, who opresses people and uses the scripture to enforce their power.

--Pakistan's national assembly has voted to amend the country's strict Sharia laws on rape and adultery.
Until now rape cases were dealt with in Sharia courts. Victims had to have four male witnesses to the crime - if not they faced prosecution for adultery.
Now civil courts will be able to try rape cases, assuming the upper house and the president ratify the move.
The reform has been seen as a test of President Musharraf's stated commitment to a moderate form of Islam.
"It is a historic bill because it will give rights to women and help end excesses against them," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told parliament after the vote.
Religious parties boycotted the vote, saying the bill encouraged "free sex".
'Lewdness'
A woman is raped every two hours and gang-raped every eight hours in Pakistan, according to the country's independent Human Rights Commission.
The bill will turn Pakistan into a free-sex zone
MMA leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman said.
Rape victim's blog
Correspondents say these figures are probably an under-estimation as many rapes are not reported.

Red, White and BLUE

The democrats- The Blue people, have won control of congress. And people keep asking me, more being facetious than anything else, what it's like living in a blue state now. Well it's just horrible, everyday i wake up in physical agony and i want to vomit on the floor. No really i don't mind, but i thought i would clarify my conservatism in plain terms. I report, you decide- as the much beloved fox news would say.

Pretty much my belief in a free market place is where it begins. I know free market place, yadda yadda yadda, but to me it just makes more sense.
-Lets take the pension as an example. Much of the income tax of the wage earner is put into secured accounts, earning 1-2%(lower than inflation) interest per annum. This is the divied out to all the old folks, who no longer earn a wage. The blue people say this is fine, we will keep taxes high and take people's money away from them, and put it into these extremely low yielding secure accounts. And perpetually place the onus of a high tax on the wage earner , and then once you retire, you will be looked after. --a pension that wastes the earning potential of people's money. with essentially every dollar they take for pension, you get less than a dollar back, and you need a constant supply of wage earners to prop up the aging population.

-I prefer the Red approach, yep G. dubbya and his personal accounts, which the Blue people vehemently oppose. He says well, let's allow the wage earner to put their money into investments of their choice. Superannuation, and these investments yield above inflation interest, 8% on average, some managed funds getting an even higher unbelievable return. This allows the tax rate to be much lower, and it allows the poor old wage earner the control of his own money and actually getting a decent return on it. Now you might say well the key word is SECURE accounts in the blue approach, and what if the bottom falls out of the economy and you end up with negative growth in the personal accounts. Well 2 quarters of negative growth is a recession and 4quarters of negative growth starts to become a depression which is an economic situation characterized by rising unemployment, an excess of supply over demand, deflation, reduced purchasing power, contraction of general business activity and public fear.
And this is why a depression doesn't occur under the guidance of people like Howard and the other RED people, with his new workplace laws-- that spur on business activity, and keep unemployment low--for the fact that businesses aren't afraid of union action if employess are being unproductive- businesses will feel much more inclined to hire new employees, and the employees will have to be productive or lose their job. (people will say but there will be unnesessary sackings- if the business can't be productive than yes. And i would say to those sacked, get your resume together, and get another job because there will be more opportunity)

-anyway with the personal accounts/super, you take the burden of pensions away from the next gen of wage earners, and allow the citizens of your country to build wealth. So the pension becomes redundant.

-that is a brief overview of my thinking, it has been about four years since i did economics at university, and many of you will no doubt take issue with it. But a lot of people seem nonplussed over my political beliefs, so i thought i'd try to clarify, why i think the way i do. The whole free market place then extends into, free trade agreements and the like, bla bla bla.

Free T's

The weather here has been beautiful. Sunny and temperate, it only really got cold for a couple of days about two weeks ago. I'm told that this is unusual and that normally, it's about 40 degrees in november, so in fareinheit i guess that is cold. Wow, how boring is this blog, talking about the weather and stuff.

-One of my suite mates got a subwoofer and speakers for his laptop, so i feel like i live in the ghetto now, with all the ganster music constantly pumping through the walls.
-And some dude is going to live on our couch soon, he is half arab half somali, i think, he is friends with one of my other suite mates and has dropped out this semester or something and needs a place to crash. This guy is nice and all, but completely in love with himself. and women. He always wants to use my latptop to check his email, anyway, he showed me some photos of some model who is 40 and only looks 20, and i was like yeah thats pretty good, but he was freaking out, he was intimately describing every curve and what not. I said a couple of time, it is what is on inside; looks are important and all, but i think having crazy notions of a perfect woman (body wise)is a bit absurd. Like Hal in Shallow Hal, and it reminded me of 'scent of a woman' and you know al pacino character loves women, not for who they are, but their body; and at least pacino's character didn't think he was gods gift to women. So anyway i had invited a girl to come watch a movie, and she arrived while he was in my room. She is blonde and wearing short hot pants, and i couldn't believe it, he just sleazed onto her, saying how he loves her legs and her hair and bla bla bla, then later on in the night he came back in asking her to give him a neck message, and she flatly refused. But im sure that incident couldn't hurt and ego this big.






I did an all-american thing! i signed a pledge, it was stating that this saturday i wouldn't get too wasted after the last home football game, so i could get this free t-shirt. They are always giving out free t-shirts, for this and that cause on campus, i have no idea who funds it. I have about 5 now, the last one i got was the 'perfect illusions... Break the illusions' campaign, about anorexia. I'm still wearing th band around my wrist with the slogan, i had to promise them i would wear it for a week, to get the T-shirt. Anyway, i just hope that this saturday i can stay away from that Damn 'Zone of Regret.'








This is the ever metamorphisizing view from the railing, outside.










I'm going to get gangster, and chill with this du rag.













Quotes: American Dad

Stanley Smith: Son, if you ever get captured by any terrorists in the neighborhood and end up on al-Jazeera, just blink you location in Morse code. I'll have a bomb dropped on your location immediately.
Steve Smith: But, Dad, then I'd get killed too.
Stanley Smith: Ah, come on son, there are plenty of kids to play with in heaven. Your cousin Billy. That little girl from Poltergeist. She must be about 16 by now, you could totally tap that.
***
Roger the alien: God, who do you have to probe around here to get a chardonnay?
***
Klaus the fish:Klaus "That's the worst thing to happen to wine since Sideways. That's right America. Come get me."

Visiting Charlottesville

Kimbo and Bromley Visited On the weekend, these are the posts they put on their blog, describing such a memorable experience.

http://bromleykimbousa.blogspot.com/2006/11/charlottesville-virginia-yaaaaallllll.html

http://bromleykimbousa.blogspot.com/2006/11/legend-of-week-award.html

Things hurt sometimes.

Soda Machine
'I want to know what he said.' He affirmed.
'It's not important.' Her answer was short, and her eyes cold.
'Have you been here for long?'
'I was here before you.'
'I can't imagine next year, what will we do on august the seventh?'
She wiped his face with a dirty napkin. 'Just be strong for Meghan, she is coming soon. The damn school didn't want to let her out early. I had to get Allan to go get her, can you believe that?'
He was searching the near empty white hallway, the sound of mechanical beeps and hisses; a cocophony of medicine. He looked for the answer in the face of an old man sitting beside a vending machine--soft drinks. 'I don't think i can.' He said. The old man with a face of leather and thin grey hair, glanced at him momentarily. No answers crossed the gaze. 'What the fuck am i supposed to do, just smile at her?'
She lost her temper. 'It's your turn to have her tonight...'
'Are you fucking going to stand there, and pull that crap over me?' He lost hope in the old man. 'For once can't you act like a family? I mean, christ just try to be a mother.'
The show had an audience. A young boy in the arms of his mother, was watching with curious intent. He was waiting for an arm to be fixed. The mother furious at the triage, demanding immediate action.
'I want you to forget about yourself, for just one moment, and try to think of meghan.' She threw the napkin away in disgust. It missed the trash can, and lay on the floor. The young boy in his mother's arms found it amusing.
'How did it happen?' He asked.
She was lost in an angry thought. 'How did what happen?'
'I hate you.'
'Sorry.' She realized her mistake. 'It was quick,' her hands were shaking, 'and painless.' She added, like at least some agony had been escaped.
'Why would someone take him away?' The emotion was obvious in his voice, it trembeled. 'Why would someone take him away?' He walked to the vending machine, and pressed the button for a soda. The machine rejected his bill. He hit his head against the glass display, and started weeping. 'Fuck!' He kicked the machine. 'Fuck!' The walls moved and the floor gave way, the building collapsed on his sorrow. He shook it, he shook the machine. It grated against the floor. And he shook it. His forhead trickled with blood, and his glazed eyes blurred the soda. 'FUCK!'
He didn't realize the dollar bill being inserted into the machine. The can dropped, and a hand retrieved it.
'My friend.' The old man looked into his eyes and handed him the soda. 'Sometimes they take things away from you. They have taken everything from me.'
Together they embraced, next to the vending machine they embraced.

Wine

wine is my muse, i think when you drink you can forget how you are supposed to act, you're allowed to express who you really are without fear of offending anyone. Tonight i have only had half a bottle and im stopping (hopefully) with some self control, yet i feel the inspiration so i'll write a story

L.A. Death
The light was dim, but the smoke could still be seen. New leather lounges and a lava lamp. A bookshelf lined with books for show, the classics un dog-eared and the pulp well read. Seats that were too low for function. The vast windows showing a cosmos of stars, human stars, as the night time suburban sprawl edged its way to infinity. A metropolis of lost innocence, and hedonic ways. The party was over, and the guests had left. The pool outside was lined with empty chapagne and beer bottles. Her body lie bent and at an awkward angle. Silent in the center of the living room, next to an empty bottle of 1998 Dom Perignon. The crimson blood was thick. It was becoming dry, but newer and brighter blood seeped on top, from the whole in her stomach and from a heart that still beat, it beat fast, and it beat now, in its last moment. Her cigarette burning into the filter, soon the fire would start and the evidence would be lost. A guest, with a black suit and black thick framed glasses, strode off into the early morning cold, his breath visible, and his mind unclean.

some dude's house on the nickel.

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house. ok i was going to do a brief intro on jeffo, but im kinda tired so i am just cutting and pasting from the monticello website:

Thomas Jefferson -- author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia -- voiced the aspirations of a new America as no other individual of his era. As public official, historian, philosopher, and plantation owner, he served his country for over five decades.

-Jefferson inherited slaves from both his father and father-in-law. In a typical year, he owned about 200, almost half of them under the age of sixteen. About eighty of these lived at Monticello; the others lived on adjacent Albemarle County plantations, and on his Poplar Forest estate in Bedford County, Virginia. Jefferson freed two slaves in his lifetime and five in his will and chose not to pursue two others who ran away. All were members of the Hemings family; the seven he eventually freed were skilled tradesmen.-
-
-- ok me again, it is said religous ideals haven't really progressed since old J.C, and that democratic political thought hasn't moved much since old Jeffo, he was the one who wrote about all men being created equal in the declaration of independance. Does anyone else find it funny that he then had 200 freaking slaves?

-I think making a visit to the home of one of the founding fathers of this glorious nation, fitted in perfectly to the mid term elections going on, for the senate and house of representatives. The whole political process over here is quite funny. Because voting isn't compulsory, like it is down under, they spend vast, vast sums of money just trying to 'get the vote out.' -it seems a bit of a waste. And the TV ads are hilarious, much crazier than Australian political ads. One of the virginian candidates Jim Webb, wrote some vietnam war novels a while back, and the attack ads completely take it out of context. They say stuff like, 'you thought jim webb was too good to be true, well you're right. He wrote novels, and in these novels women had sex, and were objectified and so forth...' I'm sure in the context of the history and the character's point of view it was justified. It was probably from a soldiers perspective in saigon, just did a tour of duty and was walking through the streets lined with hookers.


This is the view from the back of Monticello, it is about a ten minute drive from C-ville, so i imagine it would be an hour or something by horse and cart. He spent the last years of his life, in this beautiful three storey abode.









Monticello is of course on the five cent piece/nickel.












The man had his priororities right!!! he has these tunnels, full of cellars. Wine and beer- you can click on the image to enlarge.














He brewed his own beer!!!!
















more from monticello.org
Jefferson was succeeded as president in 1809 by his friend James Madison, and during the last seventeen years of his life, he remained at Monticello. During this period, he sold his collection of books to the government to form the nucleus of the Library of Congress. Jefferson embarked on his last great public service at the age of seventy-six, with the founding of the University of Virginia. He spearheaded the legislative campaign for its charter, secured its location, designed its buildings, planned its curriculum, and served as the first rector.

Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, just hours before his close friend John Adams,(the second president) on the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.(spooky) He was eighty-three years old, the holder of large debts, but according to all evidence a very optimistic man.

Shin Dig

for the first proper shing dig i have planned, ever. this was pretty good. Ok step back, my room mates did much of th eplanning and i did much of the drinking, but hey i endorsed it!!! and it was with my emotional support that it went a head. And they did much of the cooking, while still i did much of the dirnking,

The night was a good time, all my american pals got to meet my aussie mates kimbo and bromley and a kiwi friend who stopped by. And everyone got to experience vegemite, I have to say vegemite seems to be a love hate thing, about four people loved it, and about eight hated it, and the rest were too scared to try it. But tim tams went down a treat, i had no idea they were purely australian, but apparently they are, and if the reaction tonight was any indication; the people at arnotts should seriously look at investing in the american market, and the vegemite people... hmmm.. stay in australia.





Itook four photos to create a panarama, this is only the first one, i think there would have been about forty people at one stage maybe more, but i had been drinking heavily, so im not sure








My dorm room, clockwise from left; ivy, kimbo, jrock, toby (kiwi) bromley, neysan













This is our living room














Morris, this is a vision of your future. To run a backwater tire repair shop. You will sleep in the office at night, with the rats that infest the place. And you'll call the big one 'bitey.'








Quotes:

"In Kazhakstan we have many hobbies: disco dancing, archery, rape and table tennis..." - Borat

"If you come back with me to my country,(....) I will give you television and remote control..." -Borat

'In America, women can vote but horse cannot! It is the other way around in my country." - Borat

The boondocks

My hang over just lifted, nice.
This are some pics i just took in the afternoon sun around my building.
this is from the same view, as one of the previous images, you will be able to see how colours have changed. The leaves change constantly.

































and then end up like this. The woods just near my place is going to be scary when it all looks like this.



















i will end with Brian's conclusion in the family book:

'Frank Sinatra once said, 'you gotta love livin', baby, 'cause dyin' is a pain in the ass.' And he was right. You can follow every bit of advice in this book, but if you don't have a certain zest for life, a joire de vivre, a little snap in your tongue when you lick your nads, then what's it all worth? Nothing. So, get out there and pee on a fire hydrant , get tossed out of a bar, sing a swingin tune, give a chorus girl your room number, read a book with no pictures, catch a frisbee in your mouth, buy a round of beers for a crowded pub, wake up on a tramp steamer headed to Portugal, live life to the fullest, drink like Gleason, dress like Boagart, fight like Hemingway, and love like Jack Kennedy.'

the malachi crunch

how much do we value the truth? are we just the front's that we make ourselves appear? Am i my actions or am i my true feelings? How do i know my true feelings? Are my true feelings just based on how i have been raised? Who the fuck am i? and who are you to judge me?
they are the questions i would like to ask before i raise the following issues. How do you identify yourself? Do you see yourself as the colour of your skin? Do you see yourself as a product of your nation? Do you see yourself as part of humanity? Do you see yourself as an insignificant organism, with an evolutionary advantage being the brain and intellect; and that intellect allows you to feel superior to those creatures who don't have said intellect?

- I want to be clear; the issue might be raised that Maitland is too white. And i would like to take objection, a non racist objection. It is a touchy feely subject and we must look at the facts; and if you don't i'll be waiting for you in the carpark. My belief is that everyone is the same, no matter how much pigment they have in their skin, and that if everyone has equal rights and is of equal person, then there should be no distinction made. You might raise affirmative action? But i say if someone receives ninety five percentile on their HSC/SAT then they deserve to study medicine, no matter what colour their skin may be. If they have a darker colour skin, i don't see why they should be accepted into medicine after obtaining a lower percentile than someone with lighter pigment. Ok Then perhaps the brutal history may be taken into consideration; and yes it is a valid point, and we live in a society that is totally opposed to aboriginal traditions and the way they ran the land. But there is also the opportunity for a longer and 'easier' physical life, and debatable as it is, that comes at a cost; as much as the natural life may appeal to the modern agent. We would all dreamily like to kill kangaroos and live a natural life, perhaps, without thinking about any office, this is a tough and brutal life, with no time for extended reflection or any prolonged development of ideas, aside the cave paintings. And it doesn't leave room for the vegans who will wither and die.

This is in no way indicative to any negative attributes of the native people, it is saying that currently we find ourselves in todays culture, and no matter what you do or say we are never going back to foraging for grasses and hunting kangaroos. Just the same as the situation in Iraq, it fucken hurts to hear that 103 soldiers died last month (native iraq people aside) all death hurts,it seriously fucken hurts, and the figures associated with it hurt. But from an idealog point of view, there is no rasicsm in it; it is saying that;take some twins born in the middle east. One is raised in Iran and one is raised in the Cook Islands, will you tell me that the one raised in the cook islands has the same islamic beliefs as the one raised in the cook islands; under a traditional Cook Islander family? No, no fucken way if you have any sense. So there goes the objection that some people are just inlcined to believe in certain, (christian included) traditions such as islamic religion , no fucken way. Everyone says well they came to that belief, hmm why? why is it only a certain part of the world comes to that belief? Maybe becuase they were brainwashed from a child.
And now if you say i am coming from that brainwashed perspective, i say yes it is true in part; but objectively looking at the world (which i'm allowed to do in my 'free' society) i am allowed more facts then any non democratic point of view, plus i am allowed to practice any religion i want. So religion aside the idealog point of view, is that any person ; skin colour aside is able to grow up with freedom of information and allowed to choose what they believe to be right; not be forced into a religious dogma. So how can you say that all people are equal, yet certain people in the middle east are inclined to belive in islam? cause you're a fucken idiot.
Every human being, if you believe in human rights, is the same, and should reach their optimum when they are allowed to experience a freedom of information, free from religious or societal opions. Now this can never be praticed in the real world; only in the perfect world, because with human nature comes greed, and with greed comes theft and so on... But all you can do is allow someone to grow up in an environment that allows them to experience all they can in the academic world, and learn all possible theories.
To say that a certain group of people should only be subject to the views of a Despot, then that is to deny a human freedom. Now how many lives should be sacrificed to espouse that freedom? I am not sure, but looking at the finality of life, and the future of so many more that are allowed to be who they want to be. I say it needs to take time. It hurts, but you are only reading this because soemone before you was hurt. Like i said this is not about race, creed or religion. It is about a human being having the opportunity to grow up as who they want to be. And you must decide if that is worth one or ten million lives to finally achieve a harmony, a harmony than isn't ever lasting but can have permanence through many generations.

that's some wino philosophying; ive had nearly two bottles of wine. See i wasn't lying when i said i was a high functioning drunk, just like old Winston Churchill. i'm going to wing a story, here goes:

A spectacular failure.
The sign was rusted; he looked at it with a slight grimmace. The speed limit ensured that his dignity would not be lost for long, as he passed at a high pace. The past was in that sign, and his wife was part of that history. She had accepted at first, that he wanted to be grand with his life, that he wanted to see his name in neon lights. A faux representation of reality, it beguiled him in a world of the secular. A universe of unlimited possibilities that couldn't translate to the world he found himself in. If only thoughts were concrete. Yes if only. If that was true, he most definately wouldn't be alive now, a thousand killing thoughts of first graders would have him finished off. No time for his master work, no time to meet friends. No time to drive passed the lost hope of a parade, and a plan that didn't backfire; it exploded with the power of an atom bomb. He sucked back the whiskey and felt warmth in his throat, the burn and hope slunk down his throat.
'Put that away, it won't go with your pills,' she said in contempt.
At least i tried to do something, he thought, and took a last look at the sign in the mirror. The weather had faded it, and he quietley fell asleep, the bottle of whiskey shamefully hidden by his hip. Driven by his wife, the jeep rode across the bumpy gravel road. It took him back to his resting cocoon, giving him time to ponder lost memories, while sitting comfortably in his leather chair with a view of the bush.

Quote; 'i am the meek, why don't you leave me alone?'

Potatoes

-this is a job that i wish was available at newcastle, the university hires 120 students to drive buses around, the campus is really big and spread out in the town, so you need a bus to get from certain parts to other parts, the bus drivers get to play their own music so it each ride has a different vibe. I think it would be a great job.

i cant be bothered coming up with clever segways to lead into each point, so i'm just going to do it in bullet form.

-it will be weird being back home and not seeing black people anymore; the other day i found myself at a lunch with about fifteen friends, and i was the only white guy. It was cool to be the pastey, twitchy white guy who can't dance or jump, just sitting there i could tell i had no rythym. At first i have to admit, i did have the impression of black people as either decked out with guns and clothes that they look like they stole from a guy weighing 500pounds, or skinny people with bloated bellies. The culture shock was seeing affluent black people everywhere, and at university where it seems about 40 percent are black. Wow, Newcastle and Maitland are worlds away all them white people.

-and halloween is over, i didn't do any dressing up, i only have a couple of t-shirts, i was going to go as steve irwin, don't groan, i had planned this before he died, it would have been great. But it turns out a few people like bill mayher went as hiim anyway, shamefull, he even had a barb protuding from his chest.

-i'm immersed with americans, i haven't spoke to an aussie in real life for months, and occasionally i go to ninemsn to check what's happening and watch the little video's. all the same crap is still going on, some footy player is doing something sus, or some sheik is condoning rape, still the threat of terrorism and then getaway showing some fancy beach somewhere away form all that crap. When i first arrived it was the americans who sounded hilarious, especially through the south, and an american friend i knew from newy uni, she still sounded weird with her funnny accent at first. I spoke to her the other day and now she sounds normal! and watching the videos of aussies on ninemsn it's hilarious, even the phrase mobile phone sounds weird and 'heaps ' on msn they had an add that had the guy saying 'there's heaps of space in the back. '

-movie of the week- mission impossible three, i just watched this again on dvd, and scientology and couch jumping aside, the movie is awesome. Michelle Monaghan, one word - wow. --'i shit you not, i will bleed on the flag to make sure it stays red.' j.j abrams wrote and directed it, i think he was one of the main writers for lost.
-sub movie of the week- the devil and daniel johnston

-im reading a family guy book, it's written by Brian the dog and has a Foreword by Stewie. It's called 'Brian Griffin's guide to booze, broads, and the lost art of being a man.'
Brian is my new god; he always was, but now i have the bible!!

I love the part about metrosexuals, i mean the feminist movement although completely necessary has left males emotionally emasculated, and seeking to find an identity in the new domesticated world. And sadly that means metrosexuals, that doesn't mean you can't have style but anyway this is what Brian says, he has a whole chapter on style, he is obsessed with the ratpack:

'If Frank Sinatra were alive today, he'd flatten Ben Affleck, Ryan Seacrest, David Beckham, and Justin TImberlake with a right hook to their pretty chops. Seriously, when did male style consciousness become synonymous with narcissism and excessive vanity? It used to be that the stylish men would drink whiskey, wear dark suits, smoke cigars, swing hammers, drive Cadillacs, and occasionally kick the crap out of each other at neighborhood saloons. Now stylish men, or metrosexuals: drink saketinis, wear couture (not clothing), manscape, drive chili red Mini Coopers, get pedicures, smell like berries, and care very deeply about exfoliation. I swear, some of these guys are half a step away from ovulating. The guys like Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Dean Martin and yes Frank Sinatra. Those guys parted their hair meticulously and wore sharp suits, biut they weren't afraid to break a fingernail. And they'd drop dead before being caught with Ryan Seacrest's frosted tips, Ben Affleck's L'Oreal face cream, or Justin Timberlake's overblown sense of self accomplishment (not to mention his metallic blue toenail polish)
--i like it, it's not saying be a complete yobbo who swears with every third word, but don't be a girl either.

And there is a chapter devoted to drinking (reading this chapter actually inspired me to go all the way to the grocery store to buy some smirnoff, and have the rest of the day off.)
Stewie mentions Brian's love of alcohol in the foreword, when he says
'I can't believe you're actually thinking of taking lifestyle advice from the dog. First off, Fido's a ragin alcoholic... And he's not one of those functioning alcoholics who manages to keep his addiction a secret, fools his friends, and eventually ascends to our nation's highest political office. No, he's the creepy letch who's sitting at the end of the bar at four-thirty on a Monday afternoon, muttering to himself about scotch tape (Morris and your electrical tape?) while oggling the waitress and not-so-futively playing with his pud.



Some Cavalier Daily Cartoons. You can click on each pic to enlarge it.


















Quote:

'Let's go drink till we can't feel feelings anymore! Hehehehehehehe.' - Peter Griffin / Family Guy