Autumn's Tag I don't feel like being creative, so instead I'll take a tag and you'll all get to know me a smidgeon better.

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. The Flat Iron Cafe (First job...lasted over 5 years)
2. CMSD (My first job out of college)
3. CWRU School Of Medicine (Weird having friends use a product I worked on)
4. 4TechWork (Technical contracting work - what I do now)

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Office Space
2. Rounders
3. Anchorman
4. Napoleon Dynamite

Four places you have lived:
1. Cleveland, Ohio
2. Princeton/South Brunswick/Middlesex, New Jersey (A co-op job during college)
3. Cleveland Suburbs, Ohio (Lakewood - until I was 1, North Olmsted - now)
4. Florida (we ALMOST moved there permanently when I was 5..but we moved back)

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Lost (I love this show!)
2. 24 (Edge of your seat for the entire time)
3. Prison Break (I'm only a few episodes into the season so far)
4. Family Guy
Oh, and I like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Chappelle Show, Simpsons, The Office, etc...

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
2. SoCal and Las Vegas
3. Various parts of Florida (about 15 times)
4. Niagra Falls (about 6-7 times)

Four websites I visit daily:
1. slashdot.org
2. Friends Blogs
3. digg.com
4. Torrent sites

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Chipotle Fajita Burrito (chicken, fajita peppers, black beans, hot AND mild salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce)
2. Southwestern Egg Rolls from Chili's (Aut, I was gonna put this, too!)
3. Baked Potato Soup
4. Pizza, tacos, and almost anything with Red Hot on it.

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Cruising in 80 degree weather with a bass-thumping system and the windows down.
2. Drinking a cocktail at dusk at a warm beachside lounge.
3. Snowboarding in Colorado.
4. Moshing at an insanely energetic concert.  ¶ 1:28 PM 16 Comments

  New House Update: January


  ¶ 7:23 AM 11 Comments

  My Personality, I Guess One of those tests. Yet, this one is fairly accurate.



Stability results were high which suggests you are very relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic..

Orderliness results were medium which suggests you are moderately organized, hard working, and reliable while still remaining flexible, efficient, and fun.

Extraversion results were very high which suggests you are overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense too often of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity.

Trait Snapshot:
social, outgoing, worry free, optimistic, upbeat, tough, likes large parties, makes friends easily, rarely irritated, open, enjoys leadership, trusting, dominant, thrill seeker, strong, does not like to be alone, assertive, mind over heart, confident, controlling, feels desirable, likes the spotlight, loves food, social chameleon, hard working, concerned about others


I think this test was mostly accurate, except I don't mind being alone at all. Besides that, everything looks about right.  ¶ 3:59 PM 11 Comments

  Eliminate Residency Requirements Lots of outdated laws are on the books for a couple of Ohio cities (Cleveland is a prime example) which dictate that once somebody gets a job that is paid for by the city, it is against the law for them to move out of that city. The freedom of those individuals is being oppressed. On Thursday a vote will be made that will help to further the overturning of those laws. They are counting every single phone call and email in support of this bill, so an email to each of these representatives makes a big difference. It only takes a couple of minutes, so why not help out my parents who are directly affected by this (they can't move into the new house they bought!) along with every other oppressed individual.

Short Sample Letter:

Dear Representative,

I am writing requesting your support of SB82. I am grateful for your part in bringing Justice to all the citizens in Ohio.

Respectfully,
[[Name]]
[[City]]

Mike Mitchell district26@ohr.state.oh.us
Peter S. Ujvagi district47@ohr.state.oh.us
Brian G. Williams district41@ohr.state.oh.us
Kenny Yuko district07@ohr.state.oh.us
Jeff Wagner district81@ohr.state.oh.us
Kathleen L. Walcher district58@ohr.state.oh.us
Kathleen Chandler district68@ohr.state.oh.us
John Domenick district95@ohr.state.oh.us
Lorraine M.Fende district62@ohr.state.oh.us
Thom Collier district90@ohr.state.oh.us
David T. Daniels district86@ohr.state.oh.us
Diana M. Fessler district79@ohr.state.oh.us
Jim McGregor district79@ohr.state.oh.us
Joseph W. Uecker district66@ohr.state.oh.us
Larry Wolpert district23@ohr.state.oh.us
Courtney Eric Combs district54@ohr.state.oh.us
Jim Aslanides district94@ohr.state.oh.us
Tom Brinkman, Jr district34@ohr.state.oh.us
Danny R. Bubp district88@ohr.state.oh.us

Better Sample Letter:

Dear Representative ,

My name is [[name]]. I am writing today to ask you to (thank you for your) support SB 82, which is up for a vote in Committee next Thursday. Ohio's outdated residency laws have impacted me and my family by (please give a short -- probably no more than 3 or 4 sentences, description).

As Senator Grendell, Representative Flowers, and the proponents of SB 82 have shown the committee, passing SB 82 is not only the right thing to do, it is fully within the constitutional authority of the Ohio General Assembly to abolish residency. Home rule is an important part of Ohio's legal heritage, but cities cannot rightly argue home rule powers to override the individual rights of Ohio Citizens. Moreover, Article 2, Section 34 of the Ohio Constitution explicitly provides the Legislature to address issues of the public workforce and declares that right superior to any other provision.

For these reasons and many others not listed here, I would respectfully request that you support SB 82 in House Committee and that you urge the Speaker and House Leadership to bring the bill before the entire House of Representatives.

Sincerely,
[[Your name]]
[[Your Contact Information]]  ¶ 5:26 PM 11 Comments

  Sex and Intimacy Are NOT Synonyms My favorite "arguing about stuff that we never agree on" buddy, Zeke, made a LiveJournal post that can be found here. I actually fully agree with his stream of consciousness that was keyed into the blogosphere.

His thoughts originated with the following quote taken from U2's Bono:

"I just think people loving each other is a kind of miracle. And I think it's against all odds and I think everything in the world conspires against that, from just the humdrum of paying the bills to desire ­ 'cuz sex has been elevated to the ultimate commodity, the one that you can't live without ­ and I'm just amazed when I meet people like that. And this doesn't come from any disappointment myself, I just think it's a remarkable thing to see, and I don't think we should accept it as normal. It's like when you see people getting married because it's that time and you just kind of think, 'Oh no!' Marriage is this grand madness, and I think if people knew that, they would perhaps take it more seriously. The reason why there's operas and novels and pop tunes written about love is because it's such an extraordinary thing, not because it's commonplace, and yet that's what you're told, you grow up with this idea that it's the norm."

So, my thoughts agree with Bono and with my buddy Zeke. If you are "intimate with" somebody, that DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN YOU HAVE SEX WITH THEM! The thing is, as far as present day society is concerned, that is exactly what it means. Any two people cannot express intimacy without it appearing to be sexual any longer. It used to be commonplace for two men to kiss each other, even on the lips. A great example of how we view the present world through artificially tinted glasses is Frodo and Sam from The Lord of the Rings. Most people thought their very close friendship and affection expressed a homosexual relationship. That's not at all what it was intended to be...or even how it was portrayed. I will even admit that I feel odd hugging any other guys, even family. Also, there is a definite line between males and females in which you are "too close". It is the commoditization of the temporary hedonistic elation caused by sex which as created such a line. I fully believe that two people can have extremely intimate moments with each other that are not rooted or even related to sex.

Now, you can't just start sticking your tongue in a buddy's mouth or crossing that proverbial line with girls, but that is more of a response to the status of the society of which we are part rather than the fact that humans are sexual beings. Sounds like a perversion of love to me. Love and intimacy don't have to mean that you get into somebody's pants. Just like chocolate...it'll make you happy for a few minutes, but then you'll want more.  ¶ 12:10 PM 8 Comments

  Dude, You Aren't Any Kind Of Funny

the Cutting Edge (61% dark, 61% spontaneous, 36% vulgar)

your humor style: CLEAN | SPONTANEOUS | DARK Your humor's mostly innocent and off-the-cuff, but somehow there's something slightly menacing about you. Part of your humor is making people a little uncomfortable, even if the things you say aren't themselves confrontational. You probably have a very dry delivery, or are seriously over-the-top. Your type is the most likely to appreciate a good insult and/or broken bone and/or very very fat person dancing. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: David Letterman - John Belushi The 3-Variable Funny Test! - it rules -

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 72% on darkness You scored higher than 87% on spontaneity You scored higher than 47% on vulgarity

  ¶ 3:43 PM 17 Comments