WOW!!!

GO DAWGS!!!!!

Vindication at last!

For many years now I have had memories of a 1970's anime cartoon that I used to watch as a child. It had to do with what many of those shows had to do with, namely a giant robot controlled by a human being that was charged with saving the world ala Voltron. One of the key differences with this show was that the robot resided under the protagonists swimming pool or fountain when not in use, and would rise up out of it when needed. The protagonist would then hop into a flying saucer like machine and fly up to the robots head where he would dock and then take the controls. However when ever I asked anyone if they knew what the name of this show I was looked at like I had two heads or something. My wonderful brother even went so far once as to call me crazy when I asked him about it and said that there was no such show.

Well today I am vindicated as my new best friend from my training class has informed me that I am in fact not crazy when it comes to my recollections of this cartoon. He was a huge fan of it when he was a kid and its name is Mazinger Z or Tranzor Z for us Americans.

So to all of you who said that I was a looney freak for remembering a show that did not exist, I only have one thing to say to you... KISS MY PALE HAIRY WHITE ASS!!!

Til we meet again

Paul

The Unifacation of two worthy adversaries of Geekdom.

The Lost Generation.

For those of us born in the wonderful years between 1975 and 1985, there seems to be something missing. I am speaking of course of our wonderful generational name. What is a generational name you might ask? Well a generational name is the moniker given to a generation of people as a whole that identifies them with a specific time. Our grandparents belong to the Greatest Generation. Our parents are Baby Boomers. Their younger siblings and cousins belong to Generation X. I have heard the current generation of kids and teens referred to as the IPOD generation. But we have no cool moniker to identify us to the generations to come. Why is this? Oh I know that most of us are lumped into the very generic sounding Generation Y, but doesn't that sound a little lazy to you. I want a cool generational name.


So what can be done to rectify this serious breach of decency and all that is right and good in this world. We must stand up and say to the world at large "Hey what about us?" Next we should find a generational name by which to go. It must be something that truly defines that ten year stretch of time. For me there can be only one choice but I am open to suggestions. I say we start calling our selves the "Star Wars" generation or some such derivation. In my mind (biased as it is) there is nothing that had a greater impact on the world in that 10 years than Star Wars. Not only that but nobody born between 1975 and 1985 can really remember the world with out it. It has always been a constant in our lives and it also gave a whole generation of people a new mythology in which to dream and a whole new universe in which to live.


As I said this is only my suggestion because I am severely biased (anyone who knows me well enough can attest to this fact). So I am not opposed to entertaining alternate suggestions. Tell me what you think and maybe we can agree on a generational name and finally have a place in the world.





Just some food for thought.





Til we meet again,





Paul

I had forgotten just how good this movie is.

Great story, excellent theme song, great villians, kick ass sidekick and the wonder that only a cheesy 1980's Sci-Fi movie can offer all combine to make The Last Starfighter a must have for any self proclaimed movie geek's collection.

If you have never seen this movie rent it or buy it as soon as possible because it will not let you down. Some interesting facts about this movie are that it is the first movie to use CGI exclusively for all of its effects shots. It is also the final movie of the late great Robert Preston as the unforgettable Centauri.

Anyway as you can tell I love this movie. I have ever since I was a little kid and even today it is still one that I can watch and enjoy without any guilty pleasure feeling like some of my other beloved childhood cinematic adventures.

So check it out if you want a excellent adventure.

Til we meet again,

Paul

A tale of two houses.

I got this email a little while ago and it really struck a chord with me in regards to how some of our leaders are perceived. I don't expect to change any minds about the two people listed here but I do ask that you read this and take it for what it is.

House #1A 20 room mansion ( not including 8 bathrooms ) heated by
natural gas. Add on a pool ( and a pool house) and a separate guest
house, all heated by gas. In one month this residence consumes more
energy than the average American household does in a year. The
average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2400. In
natural gas alone, this property consumes more than 20 times the
national average for an American home. This house is not situated
in a Northern or Midwestern "snow belt" area. It's in the South.



House #2 Designed by an architecture professor at a
leading national university. This house incorporates every
"green" feature current home construction can provide. The house is
4,000 square feet ( 4 bedrooms ) and is nestled on a high prairie in the
American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal
heat-pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the
ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F. ) heats the house in the winter
and cools it in the summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or
natural gas and it consumes one-quarter electricity required for a
conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected
and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from
showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then
into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land
surrounding the house. Surrounding flowers and shrubs native to the area
enable the property to blend into the surrounding rural landscape.


HOUSE #1 is outside of Nashville , Tennessee; it is the abode of
the "environmentalist" Al Gore.

HOUSE #2 is on a ranch near Crawford,
Texas ; it is the residence the of the President of the United States ,
George W. Bush.

An "inconvenient truth".

A feeling of Independence.

Well I had a fantastic week.

First the parents were gone for 10 days on a well earned vacation. So I got back a little bit of the independent feeling that I had when I lived on my own. It made me realize a few things about being independent that I had not really thought of before.

The first is cooking. I had forgotten how much of a pain in the butt it is to have to make my own meals for days at a time. It was both a very liberating and irritating experience.

The next was cleaning up after myself. Most of the time when my parents go away for a few days I typically let the house go. But this time I truly put forth a concerted effort to make sure the house did not get out of control as it would have 10 days do become a true disaster area. I am pleased to say that I was able to really keep the house in a good state and that only about an hour or two was required for the final clean up on Thursday before the parents came home. I am understandably proud at this accomplishment.

Finally it was nice to have the parents gone for this amount of time. They put a great deal of trust in me to make sure that the animals were taken care of, the house stayed in one piece and most important of all that I did not spend all my money while they were gone. It was needless to say a wonderful feeling to be able to do all this and keep myself honest.

Anyway I know that this may not be my most exciting or thought provoking post but I truly felt the need to express what this week meant to me.

Til we meet again,

Paul

P.S. For those of you who have been following my job hunt I am very pleased to announce that I got the Customer Service position at United Health Care and will be starting on Monday at 8:00 a.m.