Yep, losing my job again. No money where I work so they are cutting employees.
Anyone know any programmers or people that would know of jobs for programmers?
Anyone have Tim Ferkel’s email address?
Author Archive for james wright
Vifl is going to have 2 events a year folks. One in the summer (float trip, dudes only) and one in the winter (cabin in the woods? ladies allowed too)
Let’s start planning this thing now.
Daniel would like us to plan it for sometime between December 13th to the New Year. I was thinking we spend at least 2 nights in a cabin (Friday evening to Sunday evening).
I think we should keep the first attempt at it to something close to us just to make sure we enjoy it before we go spending $1,000 on a weekend in Colorado or something. Unless that’s what you guys would prefer to do.
I found a cabin in Missouri on the Black River (2 hours from STL) that is only $150 a night but it only has room for 8 people to sleep there so that’s not big enough.
Opinions? Thoughts? Rants?
Inspired by a comment Daniel made I felt the need to tell you folks some things.
The reason our gas has been so expensive the past few months has literally nothing to do with any war or supply and demand. It has everything to do with Futures traders that are unregulated in their trading. These are people who are basically purchasing oil at higher and higher prices simply because they feel they can still make a profit off of it at those high prices. These people/companies kept upping the price of oil by bidding against each other knowing that the American people would pay. Once gas started hitting the $4/gallon mark American citizens took notice and discovered the main issue. A bill was placed before our government that would put regulation on these folks (also the reason gas has dropped in price lately). I, for one, am not the type of person that believes our government should regulate our entire lives…I do, however, believe it needs to look to the overall wellbeing of our citizenry and this is a case where the government should step in.
Sadly, this bill did not pass and you can fully expect gas to start going back up in price in a few months time.
As for the access we have to “our own oil”. The truth of the matter is that this is only a half truth.
First off, the “oil” that we have on our land is actually something called Shale Oil. It is a rock, not a liquid. This rock can be processed to create fossil fuels like oil, however the process is expensive and time consuming.
As for the other oil that is being talked about. This is actually oil found off the coasts of the U.S. Mostly in the gulf of Mexico (though some is off of California). This oil is to be found in international waters and anyone who wants it can claim it. So far, no one has because it is closest to us and we have put sanctions in place against ourselves in order to “preserve the environment”. These sanctions keep other countries (like Cuba) from going after the oil because they don’t want to piss off the U.S.
The truth about this oil is that it is not easily accessible. We would need to build oil platforms (these platforms half-exist off of California already). We would also need to pass laws to take the sanctions we put in place away (which would be very hard because of environmentalists). The best cast scenario for having access to this oil is 5-7 years with the more likely case going over 10 years if we start the process right now.
Neither of these solutions will fix the longterm problem. The oil in this world is going to run out. We need to figure out other means of energy. Hybrid cars are only a stopgap…they are not a solution either. Sadly, this won’t happen in our lifetimes unless our government changes the way it works. The truth is that we run a corporate government. Meaning businesses decide what truly happens in our government. Ever heard of “lobbyists”? These are people paid by corporations (though sometimes they work for non-profit organizations too) to influence government officials into passing laws and policies to improve the profits of their respective organization. The oil industry has TONS of lobbyists in Washington.
For reference sake:
Current government officials that worked in the oil industry: George W. Bush, Dick Cheeney, Condoleeza Rice, Joseph Lieberman and others.
The U.S. imports 65% of its oil. A large portion of this does not come from the Middle East as most people believe. It actually comes these countries: Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Nigeria. One of those 5 is in the Middle East (and it’s not Iraq)
The United States actually has a lower consumption rate per person than the European Union. (5% of the worlds population accounts for 25% of the worlds oil usage)
The U.S. actually only uses oil for about 40% of its energy consumption.
Ok…I’ll stop now. Obviously I’m opinionated and fully am open to saying I could be wrong…after all, this is a very “opinion based” subject.
Alright guys, we need to start talking about supplies. Without Drew/Peter to supply us with alot of things we need to look for them on our own.
First (and most important) thing:
Tents. There are at least 9 of us going (Ryan, Leo, Daniel, Jacob, Drew S., Ben, Me, Lewis, Brandon Hammotronic)
- Ryan can provide one for 2 people
- I think I can get a tent, but I have no idea how many people it’s for. Let’s be safe and say 2-3.
- We still need tent space for 4-5 people.
Lighters and Flashlights. Chime in if you can provide.
Hatchet and knives. I have 2 pocket knives, 1 hunting knife and my machete (which can be a hatchet in a pinch). Ben has a hatchet he said he can bring if he can find it.
First Aid kit. We absolutely need one of these. We’ve used one most of the years we’ve gone. Needs at minimum bandages, disinfectant wipes, aspirin, etc.
Skillet. Leo usually provides this correct?
Cooking rack? I know that we usually figure something out, but it would be really nice if we could just bring a cooking rack to put the skillet/food on.
Trash bags. We go through tons of these every year. Let’s have good ones that won’t split this time around.
Then there are all the personal items everyone needs. Blankets, clothes, pillows, food, drinks, etc.
We should probably talk about whether we are going to split food and drinks and if we are what everyone thinks we should get. I’m going to be honest and say the last few years I have thrown in on food pretty good because I always felt like God blessed me with a good job. Last time around I spent nearly $300 on this trip…I definitely can’t do that this time around…so let’s get cheap food. 
Anyone got anything else they think we need to bring or figure out?
Extra points for anyone who can figure out the semi-racist title to this post!
Leo posted a message on Facebook but I can’t get to Facebook from work (easily) so I’m posting my reply here.
If we can’t float the Buffalo in Ar Kansas I definitely think we should go to the Current. It has never failed us yet. I’m sure there will be parts of it that will be extra low but honestly the only person that really affects is me because I’m too heavy to float through those low areas. I can deal with it and I love the Current.
Leo are you going to be able to make it if we do the Current?
I have a friend. His name is Joe.
I used to play Magic (a card game) with him. He was a “problem child” type of guy. Always got in fights, always got bad grades and treated teachers horribly. Was loud and outspoken about his opinions and a lot of times just a mean person to people he didn’t like. I met him when he was 15. He already did drugs and drank all the time and had lost his virginity when he was 13. Grew up in an abusive home in a poor part of Pacific. He had a lot of problems but I always thought he had a good heart underneath and was just acting in the way he was raised to act.
I used to take him to Magic tournaments because I wanted him to have a good influence in his life. He even stayed overnight at my mom’s house a couple times in the guest bedroom because we had to leave for a tournament at 4am or something. I once took him to Chicago to go see a professional soccer match. We drove up that morning, watched the game and drove back that night. We spent over 8 hours in the car together just talking. The kid has tons of problems in his life. He isn’t the kind of person who can be open about his feelings though but he told me during that car ride that he really liked me and respected me as a person. Said that I was different than other people he hung out with.
I eventually “gave up” on him though because he just got worse in attitude and action. He got meaner and more angry. He was sent to Boys Town to try to “fix his attitude problems”.
He just called me crying. He was a little hard to understand and seemed hysterical. He told me that he just told his mom he needs to go to rehab. He just got back from the hospital because his heart rate was through the roof. He was basically having a heart attack. They told him to watch his anger tonight or it could kill him. He told me that he was going to try to go to an AA meeting tonight and head to rehab tomorrow. He just wanted to talk to a “positive person” before he headed there. He wanted me to come over and hang out. Eventually he got off the phone saying “I can’t do this talking stuff”. He was crying the whole time.
The kid just turned 17 last week.
Pray for him please.
I need to not do that. It is probably the worst thing I do in life. I give up whenever any resistance is thrown at me.
Heck, if there were a 90 year old man named “Resistance” who was turned into a zombie, lost two arms and a leg and had his walker snap in half causing him to stumble into my path where he broke BOTH hips and coughed up a lung while pooping himself…I’d give up.
I know I don’t talk to you guys much these days, but I still love you all and respect you so I want you to pray for me.
Do we have official dates set for the float trip yet? I can pretty much do any date. Pick them, tell me when with enough notice and I’ll ask off work and be there.
Ben Taylor fully expects to be there with me (he’s my roommate now so I can communicate with him)
I recommend we start officially declaring our intentions to attend so we can plan accordingly.
*Edit*
So I just realized Leo has a post on this very topic not too far down this same page. Awkward.
Like, massive cheap.
http://stores.channeladvisor.com/LenovoOutlet/Notebook/New/
If you are in the market for a laptop, Lenovo seems to be trying to dump a huge collection of customized laptops (i.e. someone customized it, then sent it back or never actually purchased it) for incredible prices. These are all considered “new”. I saw one on there that was the equivelant of my Macbook Pro for only $800.
Just something else I feel the need to share.
Published by February 21st, 2008 in general. 3 CommentsSo I discovered a new thing that I enjoy. Singer named Josiah Leming. If you watch American Idol you might know who he is. He made it to the Hollywood week this year but was cut, but I found his voice interesting (as in, probably the only American Idol contestant I would ever see myself buying an album by) so I checked him out. Dude has got some talent.
If you like bands like Coldplay you’d probably really enjoy this kids music. Check out his myspace page. www.myspace.com/josiahleming
He’s got some other songs in poor quality up on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ohjaimes78
What really sold me on him was comparing his version of “Grace Kelly” that he did on American Idol to the original version. That made me realize he definitely has some musical talent.
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC9UzFhNlbA
Josiah’s version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4aILqjzKAU
We ate at Lamberts and came out of there stuffed to the bungholes in food. Was awkward. We then had a nice conversation that started on my lack of willingness to work and moved to whether we desired impregnating lots of women to whether or not man can be perfect in his heart. This is why friends and road trips exist.
So I’m really into spoken word. I find it to be an amazing art form, and like everything I enjoy…I feel the need to share it with you…so here goes. (if any of the language in these insults you….uumm…sorry.)
I may not agree completely with all the messages inside these poems, but I still think they’re all beautiful in their own way.
This is the one that introduced me to spoken word poetry. (though it’s not my favorite)
Saul Williams - Coded Language - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzY2-GRDiPM (this one skips on the audio for some reason)
Shihan is one of my favorites:
This type love - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5WgmbMW7Ek
In Response - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdaaO6lqBok
Sick & Tired - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFMF-963SvU
Alicia Keys - POW - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLk_Q3Cq2Ns
I realize I’m not black (I know, it surpised me too), but I still find this message beautiful:
Julian Curry - Niggers, Niggas and Niggaz - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD-UpHlB9no
Talib Kweli is a master lyricist…that’s all I’m saying:
Talib Kweli - give em hell - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD-UpHlB9no
This is probably my favorite spoken word poem I’ve ever heard:
Suheir Hammad - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fhWX2F6G7Y
One more for comedies sake:
Dave Chappelle - F*ck Ashton Kutcher - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fndMa0HHvVU
So I just randomly found this dude on the internet named Andy Mckee. He’s apparently got multiple albums out…his guitar playing is amazing (to me at least) and sounds beautiful…Jon and Randy you would probably like him alot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSnWhsmlGec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn1d5DmdMqY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaiM8Fh-8kc
I know some of you (Jon, Randy) like Sigur Ros.
Apparently they have a page on their website dedicated to helping you find their videos and concerts on Filesharing networks. None of the links have their albums on them, but I did find one FTP site that has every concert they’ve ever done since 1997 in mp3 format.
http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/media/dldshare.php
I own a house now.
I want desperately to live in Europe.
the end.
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