Sunday, November 30, 2008

Just not a good night for me

I'm dealing with drunks, idiots and assholes tonight at the hotel.

Seems like more than usual.

And lazy, whiny, needy people.

I really don't like people right now.

Can I have a job where I impale people's heads on sticks? PLEASE!!!!!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Love color? Me too.

Look just because I'm one of those goth people doesn't mean I don't like a splash of color in my wardrobe.

I recently purchased a new purple corset. I wanted something new to wear to the upcoming Cruxshadows concert. I wanted to get a pair of matching purple fishnets to go with it. In my search I happened across an online retailer called WeLoveColors.com. I found exactly what I was looking for. Some other cool items too. They sell clothing for men, women and children in a very wide variety of colors. When I received my order, I had a big surprise. I was their 100,000th order. They sent me a bunch of stuff, including several ties. Ties are something I'm kinda known for in my professional career and I can never have too many. They were all very bright, fitting my style perfectly.

I'm not normally about endorsements, but if you like colorful clothing, check them out.

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Now playing: Apoptygma Berzerk - Kathy's Song (Come Lie Next To Me)
Imperative Reaction - Redemption
Placebo - Running Up That Hill
Ministry - The Land Of Rape And Honey
via FoxyTunes

Once again the public schools have failed.

Last year I worked at a local school on a long term substitute position teaching Algebra II and Geometry. This year I have been back to that school several times as a regular substitute. There is a math teacher that I have become pretty good friends with there. Last time I was there, she came to be with concerns about some students in her Trigonometry classes. There are several students in those classes that failed my Algebra II class.

This is a bit of an outrage for me. Back when I was in high school there were certain requirements for taking high level classes. Then to take Trig, you had to have a C or better in Alg II. And for a good reason, there's a lot of algebra in Trig. It doesn't make sense with out it. Sadly the school board has done away with such requirements. This doesn't work in the maths where each course builds off the previous. Students can now sign up and take any class they want. A high school senior that can't add fractions and cringes at the sight of a graph or a percent sign can sign up for AP Calculus if they so desired.

The students in question are doing the same thing in her class they were doing in mine - not showing up, not doing their work, failing tests. Personally, while I feel they just as deserving of an education as any other student, they are wasting the teacher's time in a higher level class and need to retake the courses they failed or go to something lower.

Even more sadly, such a system is only seting these students up for failure. They are going to be in for one serious rude awakening if they go on to college.

With the maths, the foundation starts in the elementary school. What I have learned is that at about 3rd grade is when they get introduced to the calculator. We were not allowed those when I was in 3rd grade! The teachers would take them away. That held true up until I was in high school. So many of my students last year were mindlessly dependent on the calculator. Math is not a course in how to mash buttons on a calculator. When a high school Junior cannot multipy 6 by 7 and come out with 42 on his own, somebody failed miserably in his education. Several somebodies. This is something that the public schools need to realize and do something about.

Blindly pushing them through the system and allowing them to take classes they can in no way handle will in the end produce failures.

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Now playing: Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
Rob Zombie - Never Gonna Stop (The Red,Red Kroovy)
Front Line Assembly - Bio-Mechanic
Velvet Acid Christ - Hypoxia
Neuroticfish - Waving Hands
Funker Vogt - Father
via FoxyTunes

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Last night was not the same drag

It was the drag I used to do. The kind I grew up with.

The roar of the engines. The smell of the gas, alcohol and burning rubber. The display of brute horsepower at it's finest.

I'm talking about drag racing.

My neighbors invited my to go with them along with another neighbor and her daughter. My neighbor runs his truck in the bracket races. For the uninitiated, bracket racing is about consistency, not speed. It is possible to have the slowest car on the track and win. Though I do have to say speed makes it more exciting.

I must say, I have the itch once again. When I was younger I raced my first car, a '69 Olds 442. I rebuilt a 455 for it and did some pretty serious modifications to it. My initial plans for my Beetle were to make a nice full custom show car. But it does have an 1835cc with dual Webers, ported heads and a 3/4 race cam. Harvie is a fast little one. The other thought is to race the next daily driver I purchase. My neighbor runs a Ford Explorer. It's not very fast, he still has a good time with it.

I'm not the only one that got the itch. My neighbor's daughter, she's 11, wants a Jr. dragster. Jr. dragsters are cool. Kid size rail dragster with a very modified lawn mower engine. They go almost as fast as the big boys. Or should I say girls? There were more little girls driving these little racers than boys, at least twice as many.

Was quite a few ladies racing last night too. I must say I was impressed. I'm wondering if the future of drag racing is going to turn to something female dominated. Horsepower is the ultimate accessory.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Speaking of violins...

All I want for my birthday is a Wood Violins 5 string fretless Viper. Preferably in purple.

Here's one in pink.



Everyone reading this should pool their money together and buy me one. You would do it if you loved me.

I'm going to actively work on setting aside time everyday

To practice on my violin. I haven't touched it in so long and I was never really that good on it to begin with.

I want to get better.

I want to play it in front of a crowd. Doesn't have to be a big one.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Going to see The Crüxshadows next month

In West Palm Beach. I haven't gone out and had a good time in too long so I'm going to use some of my vacation time and get a way for about a day, take a road trip and see my favorite band put on what I'm sure is going to be a great show. The best thing about this is that my girlfriend will be coming down from Virginia to join me. I don't think I could be happier at this moment until I see her.

Life is quite good.

Not only are The Crüxshadows my favorite band, but they did inspire me to take up the violin. Oh yeah, and the bad haircut I have is patterned after that of their frontman, Rogue.

Sophia, - The Cruxshadows


Birthday - Cruxshadows

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Post election

I'm not about to bitch about Obama winning. I'm not happy about it. I don't feel he was the best choice, which is why Bob Barr got my vote. I think the next 4 years are going to be interesting to watch. With a Democrat president and senate, I'm expecting liberalism to run wild.

One thing that irks me more about the election is that Amendment 2 passed. Amendment 2 was not just about gay marriage, it also nullifies all domestic partnerships and civil unions. In Florida there are a lot of unmarried couples living under a domestic partnership. Most of them are straight. If someone living under this arrangement winds up in the hospital, their partner may not know anything about it. They may no longer be able to put their partner on their insurance either.

Sad, we can vote a socialist into office that supports abortion but we can't allow 2 people that love each other to get married or even have a domestic partnership. And hurt other people in the process.