...and so there is the story of Sisyphus, who it seems, will spend the rest of his time rolling a large boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down again. A great metaphor for the human race.



Have we really made progress?

The city of Detroit is full of idiots!! Say goodbye to the courtside seats!

The look on that dude's face who threw the bottle at Artest was classic. dude fucked up.

So, this morning I was getting ready for work when I had an asthma/allergic reaction that involved chest tightness, out of control coughing, excess phlegm, and some major wheezing. This kind of thing happens every year during the transition from fall to winter, but it usually happens when I'm in a room full of pet dander; to say the least I was surprised it occurred this morn. So, I took a Benadyrl and everything returned to normal, though it still hurt a bit to breath for awhile. This brings up a nagging question that has bugged me for many years. You see, I've lived with animals almost all my life, but the minute they were removed from my living area I developed a horrible allergy to pet dander. Its kinda like someone not becoming lactose intolerant until college. So, why this change? Had I built up a temporary tolerance?

I also learned today that I have what is known as Rhinitis (an inflammation of the nasal passages most often caused by allergies or respiratory infections). Here is the interesting part about Rhinitis......did you know that you aren't really "allergic"? Apparently, "allergic reactions" are simply an overreaction by your immune system. They percieve microorganisms like pet dander, pollen, and dust mites as invading and subsequently harmful substances. Therefore, your body releases extra antibodies to fight these harmless substances, causing inflammation, water eyes, sneezing, etc. Guess the body is not perfect.

So, this sunday I participated in my 7th day ritual of watching the Chiefs game at the Fox and the Hound. It just so happens that all the other games for that day are shown on TVs all around the room. So it is safe to say that I catch a fair amount of the games that go on every week in the nfl. Sadly, I've come to an unfortunate conclusion: I am very unenthusiastic about the state of football right now. To be honest, 50% of this feeling is simply due to the horrible play of the Chiefs.....such wasted high expectations. I have broken down the remaining 50% below:

• Inconsistency --- The main focus here is team play. This all started with the Tampa Bay/Oakland super bowl. I mean..where did these teams come from? The next season we found out...and now they still suck. Same goes for the Carolina Panthers. But, the real issue here is the lack of consistent play from week to week. "Any Given Sunday" has now become "Every Single Sunday". Frankly, this bores me.


• Penalties/Injuries --- These are getting out of control. Sure there are penalties and injuries that plague the game every year....but, haven't you noticed that there is no effect in their relationship? I mean, with every passing year penalties have become more strict with a means to protect the players....yet players left and right are going on IR. The only correlation there is increase the strictness in penalties and watch those bones break.


• Challenges --- I'm not going to argue instant replay...we all know that it really is a blessing. However, the coaches' challenges are bringing the game down. I have two reasons: 1) "oh look, he threw out the red flag. guess i'll flip through the channels for the next 20mins." Penalties and injuries already add to the length of the game, but the big propietor are those 3 coaches' challenges. There has to be a more effecient way to get the calls right. 2) If ever there is a crucial fumble, or game winning touchdown catch, you can no longer cheer immediately. You must wait...and if there is a red flag thrown out, you must wait longer with the possiblity of retracting any cheering that might have been.
  

Or maybe it all has to do with how good baseball was this year.

...being swept away by bigger and bigger waves of corruption, apathy, and red tape.

I was going to write this huge entry on the fearful globalization of the religious right....then I got depressed. I'm getting to the point where no news is good news.

On a more positive note, I have a connection into the Baylor Research Center. I am not getting my hopes high just yet, but things are looking brighter.

I've spent the last 7 months practically alone, and I've come to realize a rather sad truth: without a purpose, I am in shambles. You think mankind is autonomous......try subconsciously dependent.

Well, I woke up this morning...it was raining and cold...my breakfast was stale...and all the TV could tell me was to expect another four years of right wing domination. And we keep flying in circles? Sad.....sad indeed.

There are just a few things I want to comment on:

1. Despite the overwhelming increas in voters this year, a war, terrorist attacks, moral idiocy, and a regress in government standards, it appears the country has not changed. Almost all the states that went for Bush in 2000, went for Bush in 2004. We have not evolved....and you know what happens to species that don't evolve.

2. Last election the number of voters between the ages of 18-24 was just under 10%....this year....just under 10%.

3. The balance of power is all but gone....it now resides in the hands of the GOP. They won the presidency, secured majority in the senate and house, and landed most of the governors. Bush's strategy to transform this country from a democracy into an "authoritative populism" has succeeded ten fold.


Fuck Ohio.