thestodman

Book 1
The Myriad: The voyage of the Merrimack #1 by R. M. Meluch

This book was awesome. Well written mil sci/fi with honest characters. The marines are all gung-ho and the enemies are over the top. The science is great, causality is touched on. The patterner (I can't help but read Mentat) is honorable and a machine but with his own humanity. The captain is balls to the wall gung ho, a warrior you expect to be walking a deck battling pirates. The American LEN interaction mimics the current view many have of Americans and immediately brings to mind Team America. A great read with a kind of disappointing but wonderfully consistent ending that raises a few wonderful questions


book 2
The Secret Life of Numbers: Fifty Easy Pieces on How Mathematicians Work and Think by George G. Szpiro

Not such a great book. Definitely for the lay reader. It does come from an interesting point of view. A Swiss reporter from the Israeli desk of a Swiss newspaper, it puts a different bias on the work. I read more about swiss mathematicians than I had every really done before. But the math was simple and not well explained. For a more technical read with greater scope, i would highly recommend The Honors Class: Hilbert's Problems and Their Solvers by Ben Yandell. That was an awesome book with lots of history, some great applications and a richer feel for the mathematics

I saw Jumper last night.

( My opinion )

I think I'll start posting more, reviewing things and maybe ranting again.

So I tried to get a speaker part, a simple post at Radioshack, but they didn't have the part. The sales associate showed me something I could use "If i wanted to cut a big hole in my speaker." Who in there right mind would cut a 4" by 6" hole in a speaker to fix it when all they need is a tiny little piece of metal. I think Radioshack should have had the part, but their fix also should have been slightly practical and not out right stupid.

So my LaTex-Fu isn't really happening. I need something to type, some project to work on, and I don't have one. The logic notes were a good project, lots of opportunities to do things. My plan was one of the whitewolf RPG's, butt my friend who has a few of the books as pdf's hasn't emailed me one yet.

I've got a new career plan Radiation Tech. Need to write some essays and complete the application. I'm taking an A & P class this fall to get a class out of the way.

Otherwise things have been going pretty well. Kali and I are doing well. I got a new car, another Volvo sedan.

I went to Ozzfest. It was awesome. The Hatebreed Pit, Behemoth, a Canadian Metal band, the funniest shit you ever heard, the Canadian voice, just that passive and nice intonation followed by a metal voice. Wicked Bizarre. Static X on the MAIN STAGE. Section 2: right in front of the stage, Row U: Two rows back from where Ozzy's water hoses reach. Fuckin awesome. Plus lots of TITTY.

Today I was doing curls and shoulder lifts in the pool with small children, think Arnie in Kindergarten Cop. I'm trying to take advantage of the exercise opportunities at the Y, but stuff just keeps getting in the way.

Work and school, life continues, SSDD.

So i was in a borders in Nashua, NH looking for "The LaTex Companion" to increase the power of my LaTex-Fu and say this book: 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa. Not my kind of book exactly but I figured I'd see what it was about. I flipped it over and saw this Quote on the back cover.

“This is a formidable book of record . . . from the tiny virus, via 28 individual human stories, to an entire continent. The stories will tear you apart before putting you back together, fully-armed and ready to go to war with a virus more dangerous than any W.M.D.”
–Bono

So HIV/AIDS is not more powerful than any WMD. He's just using a buzz phrase to make huimself sound smart. Bono does put his money where his mouth is and is apparently well informed about the issues, but this statement is just ignorant. Weponized small-pox or Ebola would be much more dangerous than AIDS. An incredibly dirty bomb released on the west coast of America or in Western Europe would be far more dangerous. AIDS isn't the easiest disease to get. However an Airborne weaponized virus or radioactive dust released up the jet stream from lots of people would have a greater impact than AIDS.

Read this one and more at xkcd.com

So I have been incredibly lazy about posting.

My life in a nutshell. I am a Lifeguard, enjoy worki.

I have a girlfriend, things are excellent with her.

I am in general pretty happy. Wish I could move out of my house, but with rents what they are, I'd need two or three jobs to pull that one off.

Today I am 27. One year closer to becoming thirty. Thats the next milestone I have to look forward to. W00T.

Looking at my life, I can't help but notice that I am near infinitely better off today than I was a year ago. I have a girlfriend who remembers my birthday, friends in the area, a job I really like and hope to advance at.

All in all, 2007 has been a really good year so far.

Things with Kali keep getting better and better. It's awesome but it's happening a little fast. NNot that thats bad, but i think it scares both of us just a little.

Oh well, more diablo and bookworm adventures.

<td align="center">You date like you are 25 years old.



You are a dating pro. You've been around the block a few times and know exactly what you like and dislike in a partner. Usually you can tell after one date if you would date them again.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com</td>


which is good since I am 26.

On the dating scene, Kali and I have really clicked. Things are going awesomely. Her parents like me and mine like her. The only slight hitch is her work schedule which is pretty hectic. But so far we have it set up with a date night wed and hanging out on Sat and talking lots on the phone. I think we're really good together and good for each other. I even changed my myspace status.

I'm kinda pissed about 24. The Pats game, which was awesome, ran long so I missed the beginning. Sucktacular. So I'm taping it, It wouldn't be that bad but I have to get to work at 8 30 tommorrow and the weather is supposed to be shitty, so I have to leave extra early to drive safely. So I'll be watching 4 hours of 24 tomorrow.

It's wicked warm here so I was hanging out outside, reading and smoking. Then I went in to change over my laundry and got distracted. It fucking rained. My books wet, it's in the freezer for a while. I was just getting into it.

Plus I'm meeting Kali's parents tonight, probably, which is a little scary.

I kinda cleaned my room, or at least worked on it a bit.

Stupid Rain

Kali and I have really hit it off. Two dates in two days. We have this amazing connection which is just a little scary. We're both a little out of practice with the beginning phase of a date, but things are going so well that it doesn't matter. The only problem is that we both live with our parents, so there's no place to just go and hang out. We spend a lot of time sitting in cars and talking.

I'm psyched though with how well things are going.

The girl at work is still gonna be my flirt buddy which is cool.

I have to go to work at 9. I haven't been getting much sleep, too nervous/excited about whats going on.

My brother flew out this morning for Panama City, Panama. He's bringing a tug up from down there. He may get to go through the canal which would be AWESOME!! I hope he gets to.

I have discovered one of the drawbacks of LJ. The 20 year old girl at work has a journal and she kind of likes me but has exactly the same age hang up as me, more or less. So thats kind of weird.

My date with the CLG went awesome. There was amazing chemistry, we talked about everything. If we'd been in college together, it would have been one of those cliched talke until the sun came up moments. We're going out to dinner tonight, which is awesome.

The only downside is talking to the girl at work. I hope she takes it well. She's lots of fun and I'd like to keep her as a flirt buddy.

Christmas went well, it was a liitle depressing but such is life.

I got an antique humidor which is pretty cool, some books, some cigars, and some juggling stuff. All in all, not a bad haul.

I've been going to work, flirting with one of the college girls back for break, and livin' life.

I'm waiting to here from a Craig's list Girl from the past. She dissapeared and then came back, so I figure what can go wrong. She's pretty busy, but maybe one of these days we'll hang out and see if there's any chemistry. The college girl at work is only 20, which is a little young.

For New Years Eve, Jon and I watched The Descent and then the Metalocalypse Marathon. Awesome.

Lose Weight

Get In Shape

Get a Few Dates

Learn to Paint

Do the World Building For my Novel

Work on my Novel

Finish the Short Story from Class

SO fri night I went to a couple of Christmas parties. Had some booze, saw some people. The second one I ended up at, I ended up having to defend my political preference from retarded lunatics who suffer from extreme BDS. Why people can't just let you believe what you want. I don't carer what they believe, except the retard who wanted to be an anarchist. That's just stupid and impossible once you have more than a certain poppulation. Plkus it would have to be the whole world or someone would very easily conquer you. I say I'm a republican since I want to pay less taxes. They say Bush has grown the government mora than any other President. I say Kerry wouldn't have done any better. I am drunk so don't have the response of "Well, he createsd a whole new department to try and protect the country. Homeland Security. Not necesarilly a bad move." Then I say "I like libertarianism." They respond with some hard-core libertarian philosophy of no school loans, no NEA grants, no fixing roads.... No government doing anything." I reply "That may be the extremes, but thats not how it would be implemented in American society>" But this viewpoint is ignored. All of thier ideas involving sweeping changes of American society that somehow happen instantly. Yup, I will never again associate with these retards or atleast never talk politics with them.

But in any event it pissed me off so much I ended up walking home, kicking fences and throwing real estate signs. Then my dad picked me up, but he said something and I jumped out of his moving truck. Then I gave up and sat in the rain for a while. Then I went home and went to sleep. Looking back, everyone, evwen rwetards are entitled to their opinion, but it seems that unlike me, they really want to change everyone to their viewpoint. I don't try and change anybodies mind, why can't they just respect my opinion.

My favorite part was when Patty, the jew said Israel was created by the UN and I said "No, you idiot, Israel was created by the British" Then she responded Who are you going to believe, the Jew or the person who hates Jews, (I think she was picking up on the fact that I hated her and may have been a touch Anti-Semetic to make her feel bad) But of course I was Right.

Last night I saw Apocalypto. It is an awesome movie. But it has no Underlieing message. The decadence and corruption of Aztec society is not why it fell. The Spanish had guns, smallpox, and training in large scale warfare. Plus thier army had armour and tactics. Fighting lines and Hosses, plus guns. Technology is a great leveler. If we'd fought Vietnam with the same brutal disreguard for enemy life the the Spanish felt for the indians, there wouldn't have been any sort of Viet Cong, cause everybody would have been dead. No society can stand up to a vastly superior force and not die. You can shoot all the arrows you want at a conquistador, you have to hit him in the face to kill him. He shoot you pretty much anywhere with his .50 cal musket, your dead. Plus you can try and hide in the forrest all you want, he'll just burn it the fuckl down. All they want is gold, silver, and preciouse stones. No food. So you die. A scortched Earth policy. None of the we want to settle this land that swayed the hands of the British fighting the colonials. They wanted simple things so burning everything wasn't a problem. Apocalypto was an awesome action/chase movie and thats all it was, it had no underlying message.

My only question is who is Abel. The movie was dedicated to him. Is this the Abel, The First Son, the farmer killed with the Jaw bone of an ASS, or someone else.

Yesterday, I went to the Newbury Comics in Salem, NH to buy some Viking Metal. Mission Accomplished. Guess who I ran into there. Bobby Falzano, a guy my brothers age who lives down the street from me. He recognized me, it took me a minute to figure out who he was cause he had short hair. It had been shoulder length for a long time. We chat a little and come to find out, he's a drummer for a METAL! band, Shatter Messiah. It's weird to think that I know famous people.

Let's see, since my last post I have taught my classes, worked, reconnected with a cool craigslist girl who I thought had dissapeared off the face of the earth, realised that the other CLG that I was talking to may be not so good since the day before we were supposed to go out she was posting another ad on CL.

Today I'm giving blood, making Jon give blood, buying some Viking metal (hopefully, fingers crossed) browsing Borders, going Xmas shopping with Jon, and then go to a buddies 60th birthday party. W00t.

Tomorrow is the neighborhood xmas party and the Pats game and doing lotsa of writing since I've been majorly procrastinating.

Oh and my RANT.

So the McDonalds commercial about missing snack time wherein one of the men who makes a bad decision decides to go to a bookgroup with his Girl. There's nothing wrong with bookgroups. All this does is serve to continue the stereotype. If Mike Richards gets in trouble for saying Nigger, Micky Dee's should get in trouble for this stereotype which is more hurtful. Since it immasculates the Intellectual. If I didn't already not eat at mcDonals I would consider boycotting over this issue. Fuck them in their stupid asses. They are fucking clownshoes.

I now have myspace. Go me, I'm on as thestodman look for me if you want.


Plus the short story I'm writing is about demonic posession and stuff. I just did a word count on one part and got 666 words, how awesome is that.

It's a satanic omen of DOOM!

So I got a wicked good work review. It was the end of year review. "I am quickly becoming a leader on the staff" and "Consistent with rule enforcement". My needs improvement was be more diplomatic in rule enforcement, which translates to "Don't let the bitchy members know,with your eyes full of burning hate, that you want to rip there heads off and shit down their necks"

Had some fun in class, saw my buds.

Have a date on friday with Christina, awesome. Talked with her on the phone for a while today. She's pretty cool. This whole dating thing is getting a little easier.

And I have discovered that there is a sub-genre of metal known as Viking Metal, I must buy some and rock out to it.

I just watched the Harry Potter teaser trailer and was struck by a question. Why doesn't anyone use magic bullets. Give Hagrid a huge fucking gatling gun like Jesse Ventura carried in Predator only bigger fill it with magic bullets, you know something unstoppable, un spellable and evil seeking and bust off a thousand rounds at Voldemort. Problem solved, nothing left but cleaning up the giant blood puddle he became. Why does magic alwasy seem to preclude technology. When I write stories involving werewolves and shit, they're sure as fuck gonna use guns. Heaven help the mage who gets in the way of the magicval equivalent of a deplketed uranium round. Something thats been magiced so much spells don't affect it anymore. That'll fuckin hurt.

Also, I've ripped most of my Motorhead to my Hard Drive and have over seven hours worth.

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

I get to be my favorite muppet, yeah personality test.

Your Penis Name Is...

Squirmin' Herman the One-Eyed German

This could perhaps be the funniest Penis Name I have ever seen generated.