False Starts

I have no time.  People don't understand this.  And perhaps, I don't understand this.  And perhaps, I just need to re-evaluate what time I do have and structure it accordingly.  I'm getting off track.

It would appear I have a little problem: I can't finish anything I start.  I have 3 unfinished books and I want to start about 3 more.  I have 4 unfinished video games, and I'm looking for another one to start.   What is my deal?  It worries me, how I can start so many things, but never finish?  I reflect on my whole life in this manner and wonder how long this has actually been going on?

When I was young, I skateboarded, as did almost everyone.  But, while m y friends became better, I leveled off.  I practiced just as much and just as long as the rest, but never kept up to their level.  Feeling the essence of failure, I faded out of it.

I attempted the bass guitar in my brother's band.  But, that failed because I didn't have "the ear" for music.  I couldn't wrap my head around it.  If I were shown exactly where to put my fingers and when, I did okay, but I lacked any finesse.  I didn't have the "soul" of music in me.

I'm not going to bore you with the details of my other failures but I think it's due to my Adult A.D.D.  It's not clinically diagnosed and I should probably go in for a check up, you know, to check my mental capacity.  That would be interesting.  I wonder if I am, "crazy" or if everyone just thinks I am.

A Quote On Nothing

"We start, then, with nothing, pure zero. But this is not the nothing of negation. For not means other than, and other is merely a synonym of the ordinal numeral second. As such it implies a first; while the present pure zero is prior to every first. The nothing of negation is the nothing of death, which comes second to, or after, everything. But this pure zero is the nothing of not having been born. There is no individual thing, no compulsion, outward nor inward, no law. It is the germinal nothing, in which the whole universe is involved or foreshadowed. As such, it is absolutely undefined and unlimited possibility -- boundless possibility. There is no compulsion and no law. It is boundless freedom."

Charles S. Peirce, "Logic of Events" (1898)

Mitt Romney is a Terrorist

Mitt Romney left the Presidential race. Why? "I'd forestall the launch of a national campaign," Romney said, "and frankly I'd be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win. I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."

"Aiding a surrender to terror"? Terror has already won because it's a concept. One can label anything as a terror. It's like trying to fight the Boogieman, he causes terror and not just to kids. Some adults are still afraid of him. I'm not embracing "terror" but I'm a realist. To support a "War on Terror" is giving our government the right to take away all our liberties, in the sake of "keeping the homeland secure."

Lets flip the coin, for just a moment. These Al-Queda/Iraqis/Iranians/North Koreans/Republicans, have a certain view point that most people do not agree with, obviously. But, looking through their eyes, we/freedom/democracy are threatening to take away everything they hold dear and have been happily living with for decades or centuries. It threatens their own freedoms to religion and their freedoms to defend, fight and die for what they feel is a just cause.

One cannot help those who do not want help. If their happy living their lives under a totalitarian or military government, then so be it. Just because we as Americans don't think it's right, doesn't mean we are.

It's no wonder they're fighting. They're fighting for their lives, their families their spirituality, just like we are fighting to "defend" our freedom. (Which is fucking stupid because we don't need to defend anything. Nothing is threatened. What happened on 9/11 was not an attack on "freedom", I don't even care who you are. We've got a brand new 200+ year old government that seems to be working just fine and the world knows it.)

So, why is Romney really dropping out? I suspect an excuse. He knows he's not going to win. It makes sense to give up, but not because it's "aiding a surrender", there's nothing to surrender. The pendulum has already swung too far to the right, and the natural flow of things is to start back the other way.

Romney Takes Utah

That sucks but, I should have expected it. Utah is a conservative/Republican state. Nevertheless, I voted Obama. I stated earlier that religion shouldn't matter in any political spectrum. I feel so strongly about it that I almost feel it should be banned all together. I still stand by that. I also feel Utah is polarized on the issue of Mitt's campaign because of his ties to the church.

Utah itself is such a polarized state. It's so polarized that, you're either Mormon, or non-Mormon. There are no other religious views that are taken into account, it's Us vs. Them. As a result, any candidate who ties themselves to the church will immediately cause a backdraft about their stands on any issue. It doesn't matter if you agree with the candidates politics or not, if he's tied to the church any stand he takes on every issue is the wrong one.

Here's my hypocritical statement, I don't want Mitt as a president, or even running as a presidential candidate because he's a Mormon. Had I not known he was LDS I might have different views, but because it was put out there, it affects me. I'm athiest and I'll vote for ANY candidate that shares my religous views. I don't feel comfortable where the leader of the Free World has to kneel, look up (or down) with his hands clasped and ask the cosmos to alter their projected paths so he can sleep better at night.

But I digress. Now that I wrote it, I realize the supporters of the other candidates have won. Their mind machine worked on me and I'm now a cog in their wheel. Yet, now that I realize what happened, I can now look at it objectivly. Or simply redirect my attention. Mitt Romney is pro-life, I'm pro-choice. I believe the Persuit of Happiness is everyone's "God given right" and homosexual marriages should be allowed, Romney feels gay marriages would damage our children. Romney has his views, but I'm still not voting for him. I'm a Democrat. I believe a good government is founded on it's people, not it's corporations or churches, and that our government is here because I allow it to stay.

During the pregame Super Bowl XLII on Fox, they closed with a reading of the Declaration of Independence and a certain paragraph nearly brought me to tears.

" ...Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, ..."
~Declaration of Independence
- John Hancock

Mardi Gras

Did you know Mardi Gras is a religious holiday? One wouldn't think it was the case. The Mardi Gras I know if is filled with stories of enormous costumed parties, liquor induced debauchery and the ever fascinating women who are so enveloped by Carnival, they become more than willing to expose there naked breasts for a mere trinket of a string of colored beads. Ahhh, Carnival. This sells nothing short of a Girls Gone Wild filmography, minus the triple "x" rating, and I'm not at all opposed to this practice, in fact, being a man of sound sexuality, I endorse it fully.

Where did this wonderful tradition come from? Wikipedia.com, the collection of all human knowledge, says Mardi Gras is french for "Fat Tuesday."

It gives metion that it marks the end of Carnival and the beginning of Lent, a 40 day fasting period where eating meat and other foods is forbidden. But, what the hell does that have to do with boobies?! I looked it up through Google and clicked the Wikipedia link about Mardi Gras in New Orleans, because this is the only big Mardi Gras celebration that I know of. Nothing useful. But it does give reference to it being around since 1889. No answers to where it originated, but I'm content with that.

During Carnival, the celebrations last weeks, but really picks up during the last 5 days, where there's a major parade every day. Krewes (yeah, it's spelled right), the parade people, throw beads, coins and whatever they like form the floats at the revelers to promote their krewe. And dressing up in masquerade has been going on since the middle ages, but they seem more Victorian era to me, which suits me fine.

Mardi Gras comes in all differnt countries, I think it started in Italy, then grew to the rest of Europe and beyond. Each country seems to have it's own unique style of costume for the festival. France appears to be more like an elaborate Victorian mime. Silent and they come in groups, like a troupe of Victorian mime actors.







Italians seem more joker-esque and mischievious.










In Rio de Janeiro, the parades are huge choreographed productions. Nudity isn't much of a problem there and scantily clad women dance and parade around in celebration. Who knows how it started but, there it is. Brazil's Carnival advertises it's self as the Mother-of-all Carnival party town.

It would appear that Brazil takes this King Cake. I think that's where it all began. Cheers!