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A_L_E_X_D
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Name: Alex
Birthday: 5/26/1985
Gender: Male
Interests: Christian mysticism, Boy Scouts, biking, college, engineering, music, singing, service, weightlifting, writing
Expertise: overanalysis, poetry
Occupation: Student, telemarketer (Hey, it
Message: message meEmail: email me
AIM:  Eagle02a1
Yahoo:  a1camper
MSN: ajd003@gmail.com
Member Since:
5/24/2004
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| Yeah, I'm still here.
I'm driving my 4th car in less than a year. This time I bought a 1992 Mercury Topaz with 88k miles (as of last Thanksgiving) on it and a 90-day warranty. It's hard to start in cold weather and has the engine performance of a lawnmower, but it hasn't needed any major repairs so far, so it's an improvement.
I'm also living in a dungeon basement. Sure I have a puddle on the floor whenever there's freezing rain, and the bathroom had enough mold in it to give me a 2-month sinus infection, but the landlord actually promised to fix the leak when the weather gets better, and I'm reveling in my newfound freedom. As for the bathroom mold, you'd be surprised how effective vinegar is at fighting back.
Ahh... the joys of living on a typical college student budget.
Hey at least my mom's cancer-free. Taking enough pills to kill some small animals and tethered to an oxygen machine, true, but cancer-free. She made it home the weekend before Christmas, and we all spent it together.
And I have a social life that involves more than just two people who only talk to me because they feel bad for me.
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| Yes, I'm still here. And I found something worth writing.
So, why is it that both Democrats and Republicans alike have modeled their pet projects after systems that have failed? I'm not just talking about rewording a few things. I mean they're building towers using the design specs of the leaning tower of Pisa.
In the blue corner, weighing in at clueless, we have socialized medicine. The exact same socialized medicine that is in place in Canada and Europe. Why don't you ask some people from those countries about how well that's working for them? Sure, drugs are cheap, but so is the health care. If you think waiting room time goes slowly now, you'll die waiting for that emergency CT scan under the new system. Even more senseless is the funding proposal -- hiking the cigar tax so people stop smoking and fully funding the program with those taxes.
Quick, name 5 inherent flaws in the funding source.
And over in the red corner, weighing in at nonsensical, we have privatized social security. Again, nearly the exact same system is in place in the UK, and it sucks so horribly that they're trying to return to their old government pension system. In fact, they're modeling that return after our very own "failing" system! It's not the program; it's the management.
Senior citizens, I hope you have some metabolism left and a Wal-mart nearby. The government doesn't seem to like helping you.
Oh, how I love this country.
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| With apartments, you get what you pay for -- if it's below-market rent, you're getting below-market quality. But I'm really not that picky. If the utilities work and the roof doesn't leak, I don't care if the place looks like a complete hellhole.
Unfortunately, my landlord couldn't even do that much. Following a potentially life-threatening gas leak (that fortunately occurred while I was out at work), a roof leak, a collapsing ceiling, the nightly march of the roaches, spreading mold, and the discovery of marijuana belonging to the previous tenant stuffed in the wall, I decided enough was enough and moved out after just two weeks. I'll be back with my parents until the spring, when I'll try to find a real landlord instead of a slumlord.
The good news, however, is that after my drastic action to become independent, my dad got the message and learned to leave me alone...well, maybe I just got better at ignoring him. Having a close brush with death can alter your perspective quite a bit. Arguments don't mean as much, as long as there's a good roof over my head. I can relax and enjoy life, resting easier and not as worried about being perfect. At least I'm still here, and that's more important.
Ironically, this debacle is just what I needed to break out of depression. And it came just in time for school next week. Here we go again, another round on the whiplash-inducing roller coaster that experts in the field have labeled "life."
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| The eyeball is fine. The person who pointed the laser at me is still on the loose, however. I hope he's the one who got fired today.
Interesting, when I was prompted for a new password for this site, I encountered something worth a chuckle. My old password, which followed their new guidelines, was unacceptable, but the expletive I entered in its place out of frustration was considered acceptable. I chickened out and entered something else for the actual password, though. I didn't want to get stuck with entering "fuckyou!" every time I logged in for life.
Continuing with the theme of frustration with society, I bought an entire car for the same price as an iPhone. Beat that price for buying a vehicle in reasonable running shape from a non-relative, and you're my hero. And you need to come used-car shopping with me next time. (Or you can figure out how to make an iPhone transport me to work. That would be much cooler.)
Good news today: I'm moving into my new apartment in about 8 hours from now. I'll be back online as soon as I get my new computer hooked up. Until then, savor my latest sarcastic t-shirt purchase:
 Side note: parental figures aren't amused by a receipt with the heading "Here's your fucking receipt!" in giant, bold, capital letters. Don't have this shipped to their house or open it in front of them. I found out the hard way so you don't have to.
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| Folks, please refrain from using laser pointers in the workplace, especially around co-workers' eyeballs. Yes, it might look funny on the list of Workers' Comp. cases, but it's not so funny to be the guy with a sore left eye. So again, please turn off your laser pointers before coming to work. I'd really appreciate the favor.
Thank you.
Now, with that concern out of the way, can we istop this iphone nonsense? It's idriving me icrazy! I'm so far behind, that I'm just catching up with music that came out in the past 7 years, then I'm buying an MP3 player that looks like an ipod but costs less to go with my stone-age digital camera and my cell phone that's only good for making phone calls. Then there's my laptop that only fits in your lap if you're as big as Shrek, a printer that can only print on regular paper, and the stereo that came from my grandma. God knows when I'll be able to afford what they're coming up with now. Again, the favor would be much appreciated. (But don't forget you're always welcome to buy me an iphone instead.)
iThank you.
Since it's kind of stupid for me to be staring at the computer with an injured eye, I'm going to save the rest for later.
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