illegal immigration

The education of illegal immigrants is a touchy topic around the US, and I can see why people living on the border wouldn't be too happy about education children who live in Mexico but cross the border every morning to attend school. CNN

camping

camping
Originally uploaded by dwain.

Had a great time camping and hiking at the Gorge this weekend. More picture to follow (because I imagine you won't look at the Flickr page).

VT "massacre" and "grief"

Slate.com has an editorial piece about how America has seemed to go loco over the regrettable deaths that happened in VA. It's an interesting take on a phenomenon that Jim wrote about a few months ago: the tendency of people to ingratiate themselves and seek any sort of connection to the dead in order to improve their chances of being pitied for being compassionate.

Best words quote from the Slate piece (the whole thing is well-written and rather gutsy, really):

One should express a decent sympathy for the families and friends of the murdered, a decent sympathy that ought to be accompanied by a decent reticence. Because Virginia Tech—alas for poor humanity—was a calamity with no implications beyond itself.

I also really like the phrase "vicarious identification," a phrase applicable to what Jim observed.

MSLF set our mop on fire.

gorge

79 steps.

end of the week

I'm going car-camping in the Red River Gorge this weekend. I'm not happy about the "car" part of it, but our weekends are so packed that any getaway is nice. We're also going next weekend with what will probably be a larger group, and that's also car-camping. I'm a little disappointed that we're not hiking in to some of the more beautiful spots, but c'est la vie. To make myself feel better, I'm posting some pictures from my favorite camping spot in Kentucky.

ouch

Mister, how many Mexicans were killed? -- A student asking about the VA Tech shootings today.

It reminded me of the news stories you see on the evening news: "Hundreds of [pick a nationality] burned to death in fire which kills 2 Americans."

new element

Just wanted to point out the new page element on the right side, "of some interest..." Just a list of things that have caught my attention recently and might be... of some interest...

Anybody else think Arcade Fire is one of the ugliest bands ever?

old times

One of the houses we lived in while in La Paz. The window on the far left is the kitchen, and the window immediately to its left was the nook where I ate breakfast every morning. The hill on the left was one of my constant haunts, and my friends and I would scramble up and down it with our GI Joes setting up elaborate invasions and stings, avoiding the excrement of diverse origin that littered the small coves (that we called caves). We also played "German POW" on the hill at night with flashlights. If the escaping POW got to the top of the hill before the Germans spotted him with a flashlight, he won.

The picture is cockeyed because I was holding the camera over the wall. I was probably about 12-14 when we lived here.

2 years!

I just realized that I missed my blog's 2 year anniversary! Congratulations to me.

More importantly, yesterday was MSLF's and my 10 year "dating anniversary." Great times! We celebrated by having our financial advisor come in for a meeting. Then sushi. Lexington's newest sushi place, Sakura Garden, is 2 minutes from our house and death on our wallets. It's cheap, but it's so good and they're so friendly that we keep going back for more! They give us free stuff!

We carry chopsticks in our glove box...

late night exam writing

The Office tonight was awesome. So was 30 Rock. Scrubs continues its plummet.

I won't mention Shortbus anymore except for the music. If you can find it anywhere, take a listen to Scott Matthew's song "Surgery" or "In the End." Do not confuse him with Scott Matthews. The absence of the 's' is the difference between good and crap. Absence=good. "Surgery" is just a fun beat to bounce to.

Enough time wasted; back to writing my Julius Caesar exam.

battle of the uglies

You don't get much uglier specimens of men than this.

old school

Today, a student describing what a bridge's pillars were made of said, "It's what humans are made of inside."

"Bones?"

"No."

"Uh, tissue?"

"It's what... When humans were made, they were made of this. God made humans of this."

That's right, boys and girls: clay. Of course, when the student turned to her translator, she came up with the word "slime."

So, to clear things up, there is a bridge in Isfahan with pylons made of clay, not bones or flesh or slime.

Jesus saves...

...and you can too if you buy the new Vespa Fly50! 100 miles on 1 gallon of gas!


the devil made me do it... No, I'll actually pull the Gibson: the alcohol made me do it! Even though I'm dead sober...

i. want. this.

I want a scooter. Seriously. Not kidding. I want a scooter.

1. Yamaha Zuma: A classic look with a rowdy, untameable 49 cc engine just waiting to blast you along at speeds of up to 40 mph. The only downside I see to this roaring machine is the slightly odd headlights that look a bit like... Um. Femmy. Other than that, this baby is chockablock full of chicness.
   
2. Vespa Fly50: Similar in appearance to the Zuma, this is a ride for the slightly less chic crowd. the curvy front feels a bit like a Roomba to me, but I'm sure this bike doesn't suck at all! (rimshot)
   
3. Aprilia SR 50 R: I think the pictures of beautiful people sell this rocket better than I ever could.
   
4. Piaggio MP3: And here it is, the zenith of motorcycles, the Cadillac of scooters, the Adonis of motorized transportation. The unquestionable ingenuity of putting not one but two tires in the front is testament to the intellect that shaped this scooter into a vehicle on which we will speed into the future of humanity. As we ride down that road of hope and dreams, we needn't fear losing control of the bike and getting whacked in the face by the antennae-like mirrors, because we have two wheels on the front! So ride with me, friends, ride into the future!

Actually, if you look at the picture of the full-frontal, the MP3 looks a little like a goat...

Which one do you, my wise friends, suggest I choose? Is there some wonderful option that I have overlooked?

Edit:

WATCH THIS!

rundown

• Fly fished on 2 beautiful days
• Visited grandfather's grave and watched a beautiful, orange moon rise over the hill
• Watched all of our tomato plants, flowers, and trees die during this blast of winter hell
• Watched Band of Brothers, the best war series I've ever seen or can imagine being made
  
• Watched Shortbus and... Well, just read about it and gauge my reaction. Great OST
  
• Watched The Groomsmen (you need to watch it, Final Jump)
• Hiked in the Red River Gorge while it flurried. 5 miles at 32 F or lower...
  
• Did little work. Strike that: did no work

Seperately: Still haven't returned to this post and comment, but hope to soon. Thought I'd share the love. Not in the Shortbus kind of way.