Mac's Random Rants and Commentaries on Life

Bush Gets the Boot

2008-12-14T22:32:00.002-05:00

That Dubya is a wiley one, ain't he? Check out http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=11100047&ch=4226714&src=news.

Amazing...it's like watching The Matrix.

What's Your Favorite Planet? Mine's the Sun!

2007-05-29T21:31:00.000-04:00

Cuz Pluto's been disqualified.

The History Channel had an interesting show about the sun tonight. The Sun-quake looked particularly nasty: two mile high waves traveling at 250,000 miles an hour! Cool stuff...I bet there's people out there who would try to surf it.

There was also a show about the mythology of Star Wars that was quite interesting. Check 'em out if you get a chance!

Tacos Rule!

2007-05-28T00:24:00.000-04:00

Dubya is right...tacos do rule.

I actually bought some new clothes today. You have to understand, this is quite an accomplishment for me-I never buy new clothes. But, I'm going on vacation so I thought I'd splurge. Also, I aquired a new Jim Harrison print yesterday, so...also cool.

inFamous

2007-05-24T20:58:00.000-04:00

Dictionary.com defines "famous" as "having a widespread reputation, usually of a favorable nature; renowned; celebrated."

KFC, however, seems to have a slightly different definition: they proudly proclaim the merit of their "famous" bowls. I have not tried one of these, but it basically consists of mashed potatoes, corn, chicken, cheese, and gravy (or as my brother Josh says, everything that they were able to salvage from the trash). My problem with this whole thing is that they have the nerve to call them their "famous" bowls. Is KFC famous for their bowls? How often have you heard anyone say that they're going to KFC to pick up a bowl? When you thing of Kentucky Fried Chicken, what comes to mind? Call me crazy, but I think of...fried chicken.

You cannot arbitrarily decide that something is famous. Something is famous when it is well known. KFC is NOT known for their bowls! Hence, they do not have famous bowls! Oh, well...thanks for tuning in once again to the most famous (or is it infamous?) blog on the internets.

What's a Robit?

2007-05-09T17:02:00.000-04:00

Nothing like starting off with a shameless plug. Hans and I were talking about blogging and he mentioned that he posted not too terribly long ago. So go check out "What's a Robit?"

Anyway, it's been several months/years/eons since I've put anything on here and even longer since I put anything worth reading. So, since I don't write anything worth reading, I thought that I'd recommend something of value:
www.ken-jennings.com
Wow, this guy's an even bigger geek than I am. That's quite an accomplishment! Be sure to check out his book, Brainiac, while you're at it. Good reading!

Birthday Cake

2007-02-06T23:45:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know my birthday was like five months ago, but I wanted to show off the awesome cake Jessie made. Cool, huh?

Christmas List!

2006-11-22T20:16:00.000-05:00

For anybody who actually cares...here's my Christmas list (in no particular order)!

1. Solar Filter #07710
2. Final Fantasy 9
3. Cars
4. Projector
5. Cash
6. 27"x40" Poster Frames
7. Star Wars Cases
8. Superman Returns
9. King Kong
10. Wireless Router
More to come

The Power to Tax is the Power to Destroy

2006-09-27T00:56:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I don't update like I should. Get over it!

I was paying the yearly taxes on the Frontier the other day (you have to pay property tax on vehicles in SC, don't ask me why...), and got to thinking-I shouldn't have to pay some of those taxes. Don't get me wrong-I think we should pay taxes on some things. I like having roads to drive on. I like having police and fireman to protect me. What bugs me is the fact that a large percentage of my tax dollars go to the public schools. I do not attend public school. I have no kids in public school. I will never have any kids in public school. Public schools are, in my humble but accurate opinion, completely worthless. I should not have to spend a dime on them.

Pretty descent rant...not bad.

Home Again

2006-07-21T23:42:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

It's been a good while since the last post, so sorry about that. I tried to put a couple pictures up from Alaska...but you know me and computers. Sorry again. Anyway, I just got back home again after the Easter Conference. Loads of fun...but next year it'll be in Charleston, so that's cool.

I'm starting to sell quite a few things online, so be sure to check out all my high quality merchandice at bargin prices!
Mac's Ebay Junk
Mac's Amazon Junk

That's all the news that's fit to print for now. Later!

2006-07-03T23:58:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska

Cruisin'

2006-06-21T15:53:00.000-04:00

Hey again to the people that still bother to read this thing!

Jessie and I will be leaving in the morning for the great state of Washington. After a brief layover in Chicago, we will be arriving in Seattle right around lunchtime. From Seattle we will be cruising up to Alaska! I think it's gonna be great! I'll be sure to post some pictures when we return!

Stay cool everybody!

3 Fast 3 Furious

2006-06-16T00:28:00.000-04:00

Hello again to everyone out there who still bothers to read blogs and not myspace. =)

Perhaps you're wondering about the title of the current post. It comes from the new Fast and the Furious movie, although I can't remember the actual title. It just kinda steams me up that they continue to make sequels to stupid movies, while genuinely good movies fade into obscurity. Stop making idiotic sequels please! We do not want to see Final Destination XXXII! The first one was already scrapping the bottom of the barrel, and we are now miles below the barrel.

Just a humble request...stay cool everybody!

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Yardsale

2006-06-02T22:43:00.000-04:00

Haldo to all my loyal readers out there!
*crickets chirp*

Today was rather interesting, as Jessie and I and her parents [and Sherri and her daughter{and Betty(and Peggy and her family)}] had a yard sale together. It is somewhat satisfying to sit back, relax, and have other people pay you to carry your old junk away. It's almost as good as Ebay! Speaking of which, both Ebay and Amazon have turned out to be quite nice ways to make money selling my old junk.

Keep on keeping on everybody!

Not New or Improved!

2006-05-09T21:56:00.000-04:00

Hello again everybody!

I wanted to mention a new (well, maybe not so new) trend that has really been getting on my nerves lately: the use of inappropriate adjectives in reference to consumer products. Case in point: "buy our new contact lens and see the world in HD!" Or maybe you would like some new turbo-charged coffee from a certain fast food chain?

See, the reason that this gets under my skin so much is because these adjectives only apply to the technologies that they were originally intended to modify! I most certainly hope that these new contacts let you see the world in HD...because it's real life!!! And for some reason, I think you may have trouble turbo-charging your coffee-the reason being that your cup of joe is not an internal combustion engine!

All I ask is: if your want something to sound new and cool, why not modify it with something that makes sense? These marketing geniuses, however, think that it's better to use any word or phrase that sounds "impressive." I therefore offer my own idiotic products:
New digital hamburgers, extra 1's and 0's!
Better gasoline, separates good carbs from bad, thanks to the science of the glycemic index!
Hardback books in 5.1 surround sound!

You see, it just doesn't work. It does not sound clever. It is just dumb. Hope that I've enlightened someone out there...

The True Story of a Real Fake

2006-05-03T23:26:00.000-04:00

Hey again everybody!

Got a book to recomend to any hapless wanderers who happen on to ye ole rants and commentaries. "Catch Me If You Can," by Frank Abagnale, is a really good read. This guy posed as a doctor, a pilot, a teacher, and forged $2.5 million in bad checks all before he was old enough to drink! Do yourself a favor and order one off of Amazon (you can get it used for a penny after all). Well, I'm gonna go ahead and finish it up...

Stay cool everybody!

I Am Not a MySpace Dork! I Am a Blogger Dork!

2006-04-30T17:03:00.000-04:00

Well hi there everyone!

After being on hiatus for a little over a year, I am back. I know everyone must have been lost without my rants and commentaries; but fear no longer! Well, anyway, I don't know if anyone even reads these things anymore; but if you do, post a comment and let me know what you think!

Stay cool, ya'll!

Transistorized Tormenter

2005-03-01T16:44:00.000-05:00

I hate computers.

There, I said it. Let the hate mail begin. You see, I was just trying to publish this whole post concerning the underabundance of blogging lately, but I couldn't get the thing to work. So now, I am writing an entirely new post. Somewhere out there in cyberspace there is a missing post floating around. Wasn't really anything special of course, but it still kinda ticked me off. Oh well, here's a new post anyway. Hope ya'll enjoyed it. If ya did, feel free to comment on it. Or if you didn't, that's cool too. But be cool and comment. Yeah...anyway. Later!

I'll Never Look at Star Wars the Same Way Again

2005-02-16T23:31:00.000-05:00

You know what I mean.

Well, I want to apologize to everyone for the whole no posting thing. It hasn't really been that long...just five...or six.............months. Yeah...well...I'm sorry, okay? I have been a bad blogger, I admit it. I suppose I am the subject of today's rant. Hey, but at least it's a rant, right? Well, hopefully I can get back into the habit.

Till next time, stay cool!

Election Day?

2005-01-27T15:55:00.000-05:00

No Wonder They Lost

Okay, I know that you're probably wondering what the deal is with the picture. Well, take a close look at the date. I took this picture straight from the Democratic National committee website and did not alter it in any way. In their defense, I found this picture very early in the morning, so it was probably due to a computer calendar automatically changing the date. I thought it was funny though.

Whaaaaat?!?! Yeaaaah!!!! Okaaay!!!

2004-08-29T22:13:00.000-04:00

Why don't they just call them the RVMAs?

I've been watching the VMAs on MTV, but I could finally take no more and had to turn it off. I just couldn't take anymore rap or hip-hop. Now, I can handle some...but this was just ridiculous. They started off with some pretty cool rock groups too: Hoobastank, Jet, and Yellowcard. The only problem was that they only gave them about 30 seconds total. Now, I understand there needs to be a time limit on these things...but they let Lil John whine to a beat for 10 minutes after that! Sheeeesh.

Bottom line...if equal air time applies in politics, it should for award shows too. Until tomorrow...stay cool, okaaaaayy!?!?!

Back, By Popular Demand

2004-08-19T00:05:00.000-04:00

Okay, Okay, sorry for the whole no posting thing. Since people have been bugging me too (and so I won't get added to any unupdated blog lists) I decided I better go ahead and post.

Things have been really busy lately-I'm now the "assistant" maintenance supervisor at SMC. I put the "quotation" symbols because I'm basically the supervisor but I have Mr. Smith over me as the supervisor. But that's cool, cuz he's pretty cool. He's been helping me out a lot with stuff, so it's all good. I've also had Mr. Felkel teaching me how to do various different tasks, so I'm getting better! I've learned much...but I am not a Jedi yet.

Well, hopefully it won't be another month before I post...but this life thing that I have keeps interfering with ye olde blog. Oh well, till next time, stay cool...and I can't think of a clever ending.

Hey, the Cheat!

2004-07-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

I have no idea what this sign means...but it's still cool.

Where the Cheat is at?

2004-07-22T22:35:00.000-04:00

2004-07-19T23:13:00.000-04:00

2004-07-18T22:55:00.000-04:00

2004-07-17T22:17:00.000-04:00

Run DMV

2004-07-16T00:40:00.000-04:00

Where do I begin?

I've been trying to get a title transferred on the truck I bought from Stephen Mac, and the DMV is starting to really tick me off. They keep coming up with more stuff that I have to do. Now they want a copy of Stephen's license. They say it's to prove that I didn't steal the car and drive it to LA. Well, if I stole it I probably wouldn't have a notarized bill of sale with his signature, now would I? And if I did have the license, how do they know that I didn't kill him and take it?

I swear...if it weren't for government positions, there would be a whole lot of idiots without jobs. That probably wouldn't be such a bad thing either. Till later, stay cool...and out of the DMV

730 Miles and 12 Hours Later

2004-07-13T16:15:00.000-04:00

In My Khaki Pants

2004-07-12T00:03:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to post a picture from Thursday night for ya'll. We played a few songs for the kids and camp and had a great time doing it!

This is one kick'n band!

Is It Still Friday?

2004-07-09T23:35:00.000-04:00

Well, it is for the next 20 minutes anyway.

This has been one of the longest days in history. I mean this ranks right up there with the sun standing still in the sky so that the Israelites would win the battle.

I swam for three hours this morning. I helped to clean up the camp and to see that all the campers got sent home. I searched in vain for my lost shorts. I helped Nate bring his drums back to Jamison. I saw King Authur. I saw The Butterfly Effect. I found out from Chris that he had my lost shorts. I went to Stephen Mac's for a while and Chris grilled some burgers. I went to Wal-Mart...twice. I went to Blockbuster...twice. I went to Bi-Lo and got some groceries.

I don't usually do the "list my whole schedule" thing, but today has just been crazy. It feels like it's lasted two weeks. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings....Until then, stay cool...and stay awake.

ZZZZZZZZZ...

2004-06-25T23:58:00.000-04:00

Nothing much going on lately. I probably shouldn't be posting, cuz I'm really tired...but oh, well. That'll just add to the fun!

I'm too tired to really rant or rave, so I'll make it simple: anyone who disagrees with me is wrong. Plain and simpld. Even if you think that I just made a typo on "simpld." You're just wrong.

Till later, stay cool...just remember I'm right!

Test, One Two...Is This Thing On?

2004-06-24T22:09:00.000-04:00

The President Has Left the Building.

2004-06-23T23:49:00.000-04:00

Well, I just heard the news...the new president of the college is not the new president of the college after all. I'm so confused.

So we had this new president, right...his name was Smith, Richard Smith. Seemed like a nice guy, even if he did have a really generic name. Now, I hear that he's not gonna be president...don't know why or anything, but that's all the news that's fit too print. If anyone knows anything, feel free to fill me in.

Now how does this relate to me, you may ask? Two reasons:
1. There goes all my overtime fixing up the college house for the guy.
2. There goes my Matrix theory...which is that agents were taking over the college. President Smith...Business Manager Smith...they were all set to take over. So much for that theory.
3. Well, there's not really a third reason...that's why I said there were TWO reasons. Pay attention!

I don't go to the college one day, and the whole place starts to fall apart...geez. Well, till later, stay cool...unless you want to resign or something, that's cool too.

Rise of the Machines

2004-06-21T20:46:00.000-04:00

Well, hi again ya'll!

Not too much going on today, so I thought I'd put up another picture from my very long road trip. I thought it looked kinda like the terminator had grabbed onto it.

Till tomorrow, stay cool...and watch out for cybernetic killing machines from the future!

Looks like the T-1000 got a hold of this truck!

Back to Civilization

2004-06-20T22:19:00.000-04:00

Well, hi again everyone! If anyone's been wondering where I've been for the past couple weeks, I was in Mississippi for Pastor School and then Louisiana for camp. It's nice to be back though. Here's a little picture me and Tim took along the way. Enjoy!

I guess Blockhead Road was already taken.

Did He Post? Did He Post?

2004-06-02T23:48:00.000-04:00

Why, yes I did.

Man, I read on the internet yesterday some horrendous casting rumors for a new Superman movie. Some genius wants Johnny Depp to play Lex Luthor! Now don't get me wrong, Johnny's a pretty cool actor; but he is NOT Lex. Let's just leave him playing an effeminate pirate or a stealer of stories.

Yeah, I know that's kind of a lame rant...but it's all I can think of. Oh, well. Until tomorrow, stay cool...cuz you stole my story!

Burning Bush

2004-05-26T19:26:00.000-04:00

Hello again, ya'll!

Since this is an election year, I thought that I might as well have a short political column. Yeah, I know...scary.

Well, anyway...I'm sure that there's lots of folks out there who are simply fed up with the way that Bush is running things. So, for all of you seeking to bring Kerry to the White House...simply click on this link to find out how everyone can join together to accomplish this goal.

Well, until election day...stay cool, and remember to vote!

The Mac Attack is Back, Jack

2004-05-21T23:22:00.000-04:00

Yo yo yo! Sorry about the lack of posting recently...I was finishing up school, writing long term papers, stuff like that...In other words, I haven't felt like writing! But I'm back now, partially due to the encouragement of some loyal readers (thanks, Ashleigh)!

There hasn't been too much to rant about recently, although the fiasco at 1058 Grill on Tuesday is noteworthy. It took us more than an hour to get our food! I don't know why it took so long...maybe they had to stick my french fries in the cooler for a little while. Oh well, the owner was nice about it though...free meals, any one? So, I guess it's still okay to go there.

Well, until some undisclosed time in the future, stay cool...and I hope you like cold fries.

Chapel Can't Be Used for Educational Purposes

2004-05-06T11:31:00.001-04:00

Now, everyone, today's chapel is going to be about Sex Ed!

Don't cha just love hypocrites?

They managed to reach a new low in chapel today, we were shown slides of what sexually transmitted diseases look like. Needless to say, I didn't stick around. And I thought it was bad having to find out who did and didn't have sex. Now we get to see the results! Don't miss chapel next week, when each student will personally get to handle the HIV virus! I know I can't wait.

It's a good thing the board decided that chapel could not be used for educational purposes. But then again, we all know the real reason was that they didn't want to let a woman preach in chapel. So I guess lying is okay now too.

This is one of the biggest travesties I have ever witnessed. We go to chapel supposedly to have a time of worshiping God; and instead we are continually beat over the head about something we should already have the morals, self-control, and common sense to know about.

I wrote this post to vent some anger and now I am feeling a little better, but I'm gonna go pray now. You know, have time with God-since we can't in chapel. Until tomorrow, stay cool...and remember, there's gonna be pictures!

The Roses Have Wilted-Guess I Should Have Given Them Away

2004-05-05T19:19:00.000-04:00

We had another True Love Waits chapel today...yay.

It was testimony day today. I know that these people have good intentions at heart, but I really do not want to know nor do I care whether or not they've had sex before. It's not something I want to know. But I had to hear about it anyway for 50 minutes today. Someone even made the comment that when you make a mistake and have sex before marriage, everyone suffers as a result. Well that is certainly the truth-after all, I had to suffer through that chapel today.

Until tomorrow, stay cool...and please, please, PLEASE; don't have sex-I don't want to have to sit through any more lectures.

Sears Is Giving Stuff Away Again!

2004-05-04T20:56:00.000-04:00

Man, I love Sears...their loss is my gain!

I got a really, really, outrageously cheap lawn mower courtesy of Sears (thanks, Steven!). I think Steven Reynolds and Stephen Mac made off better than anybody else though. It's the greatest place on earth!

Till tomorrow, stay cool...and shop Sears!

Ranch! I Want Ranch!

2004-05-01T19:52:00.000-04:00

Well, hello again everybody! I have decided that Jedi Outcast has got to be one of the coolest games ever made. Just thought I'd let ya'll know that...=)

On a more serious note, I've been working on my sermon for tomorrow. It comes from Romans 4. In it we see that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. The Greek word for "credited" here is a commercial term used for credits and debits. So, when we believe God and have faith in Christ, we are credited righteousness in our heavenly account! How cool is that? It's something we could never earn, but God gives it freely. We simply have to believe on His son, Jesus Christ.

Until later, stay cool...and have faith!

Email is Like a Prison

2004-04-27T22:42:00.000-04:00

A prison with no walls, as Strong Bad would say.

I have come to the conclusion that some people (most people) should not be allowed to use email. I have reached this conclusion because of the inordinate number of *stupid* emails I receive all the time. I saw one today that claimed to show "satellite images of the Space Shuttle Columbia exploding!" Okay, first of all there are no satellites taking pictures of the Space Shuttle. Second, the Columbia did not explode, it disintegrated in the atmosphere. Third, the pictures are from the movie Armageddon, you morons!!!

In short, I just want to say: there is no litter of puppies about to be put to sleep, no one is going to do anything based on an online petition, Mel Gibson was not disfigured at an early age, there are no hypodermic needles in gas pumps, and you will not have bad luck for seven years if you do not forward this email to at least ten people.

Until tomorrow, stay cool...and for all our sakes, give the "forward" button a rest.

Where the Milk Flows Like Water and All the Mice Are Slow

2004-04-26T10:47:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here in Mr. TBTV's class. Fun stuff, let me tell you. For some unknown reason, we are discussing whether or not animal will go to heaven. I feel like I'm back in Sunday School...and that I'm five years old. Sigh...

Everyone in the class seems to love the idea that Fluffy will be going to heaven, except me. I made the comment that having animals in heaven would be more like hell, and everyone gave me dirty looks. I simply meant that for me (and other rational-minded people) animals are annoying and that we don't want them around. Now don't get me wrong, I don't *hate* animals or anything; I mean, they're delicious. Chicken, cow, pig: I'm all for 'em. But the only time I want them in my house is when they're dead and deep fried.

Everyone also conveniently ignores the fact that animal, unlike humans, DON'T HAVE A SOUL; but I won't get into that. Oh well, until tomorrow, stay cool...cuz Gigi's not really gone, she's in kitty heaven!

Crackin' Crackheads

2004-04-06T23:21:00.000-04:00

The resident crackhead in Smoaks decided to drop by the Altman house tonight. Fun fun fun.

She wanted money...I wonder what for. Well, boy did she come to the wrong place. She wanted money...from US? I live in a freakin' bus, for crying out loud. Gotta feed the addiction though I guess. Never a dull moment...

Until tomorrow, stay cool...and just say no!

I Can't Take Anymore-Tonight, I'll End It All

2004-04-05T22:23:00.000-04:00

Nah, nah, I'm just messing with ya. Got your attention, though; didn't I?

Today I found out that Mr. Teaches-by-Television can't understand common English colloquialisms! Lee Anne told him "see you on wednesday" at the end of the class, and he had no clue what she meant. I finally told him that she was indicating her departure and that she would not see him until wednesday (the next day the class meets). I think he finally got it. Maybe...or is it Mabie?

Until tomorrow...see ya next wednesday.

Two Lefts Don't Make a Right

2004-03-31T16:59:00.000-05:00

Air America, a new liberal radio station, went on the air yesterday. You can read about this on Yahoo! News.

This article states that liberals feel that right-wing activists have dominated the media for the past decade. This comes as a surprise to me, I find the media to be overwhelmingly liberal. Granted, there has been a shift toward conservatism recently; but the media has remained for the most part, liberal. Liberals claim that they growing conservative trend frightens them. Well, it's no surprise that more and more conservative shows are being made-after all, we do have the advantage of being correct. Thus, we can logically infer that the liberals are wrong.

Its been said that there are a lot of different opinions in the world. This may be true, but mine's the only one that's right. Until tomorrow, stay cool...in the right.

For a Limited Time Only!

2004-03-30T12:39:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I had Spring Break, ya know; and writting seemed a little too much like school work.

So anyway, I was passing by Hardee's and I saw a note on their sign announcing that they had a low-carb hamburger for a limited time only. Limited time? Now, if I'm correct, a low-carb burger is simply a burger with no bun. Does that mean that once this offer expires they will no longer leave OFF the bun at your request. Is it really such a marvel of engineering that it's only available for a limited time? Geez...

By the way, be sure to purchase the new book by Dr. Mac- The Low-Income Diet Revolution. Until tomorrow, stay cool...and cut out the carbs!

Three Readers Strong

2004-03-23T17:02:00.000-05:00

To all my loyal readers:

Sorry that the posts have been kinda weak lately. Just not that much going on...not really anything to rant about. Never thought I'd have that problem, oh well. Israel blew up some terrorist dude yesterday. It's America's fault of course. There's a surprise. Did these guys just pull America out of a hat sometime, and decide to blame everything that ever happens on us? I think they might have...it makes about as much sense as anything else.

Until tomorrow, stay cool...and if not, blame it on America!

In Cars...In Cars...In Cars...

2004-03-22T22:49:00.000-05:00

Man, that song is actually pretty annoying.

Okay, somebody decided to have this contest to see who could stay in a cable car for a week. You can read about here. What really surprised the people putting on this contest was that 19 couples stayed the whole week. Now, this doesn't really seem like that amazing of an accomplishment to me. I'm no fan of reality TV or anything, but at least on Survivor the people have to live on a desert island! What's so hard about staying in a cable car? Guess what, one time when I was sick I stayed in my house for a week! Amazing, isn't it? I think we should have the ultimate Survivor and drop people off on Mars. They would have to produce their own food, water, and air...it would be great! And it might get people interested in the space program again. You never know...

Man, sometimes I wish I had a cable car to live in for a few days. Oh well, until tomorrow, stay cool...here in my car.

Spring Has Sprung

2004-03-21T17:47:00.000-05:00

That means I'm on spring break!

This is kind of a cool thing...but kind of a double edged sword cuz everybody's gone off and left. Oh well. I'm just gonna be chillin around here for a few days. Maybe cause some destruction...I mean, uh...no. Anyway, I don't got much to talk about so...

until tomorrow, stay cool...especially if you're on spring break.

Cactus

2004-03-20T22:35:00.000-05:00

"To live the cactus is to live like no man." -Amigados-

Cacti are pretty cool plants, you know? They can store water and have thorns and stuff.

Until tomorrow, stay cool...cactus

Cash or Credit?

2004-03-19T13:32:00.000-05:00

Mr. Teaches-by-Television has done it again. Only now he's Teaches-by-CD.

We listened to Johnny Cash's song The Man Comes Around in Teachings of Christ today. Why, you ask? I have no idea...he just wanted us to hear the song. I'm still trying to figure out the connection...my only guess is that Jesus Christ and Johnny Cash have the same initials. Makes about as much sense as anything else. You can view the words to the song here.

The song seems to be based around the imagery found in the book of Revelation, with a few special touches from the man in black. My guess is that the teacher likes the song because of this line:

There's a man goin' 'round takin' names.
An' he decides who to free and who to blame.

That's funny...I thought Christ made a once-and-for-all sacrifice on the cross for ALL mankind, not just a select few. But then again, Teaches-by-television believes that it was only for the elect. Stupid me, I guess.

The other highlight of the class was when he informed us that the road to the crucifixion is known as the "Dia Valorosa." Man, and all this time I thought that it was the VIA DOLOROSA. Once again, stupid me. Apparently Christ carried His cross on account of valor, not along the way of suffering. I guess I need to brush up on my Latin.

I don't try to be this mean, it's just that I'm constantly surrounded by incompetence. Until tomorrow, stay cool...because it is predestined after all.

Let's Make It as Hard as Possible!

2004-03-18T22:05:00.000-05:00

Chris, Nathan, and I got to return all the school's sound equipment today! Yay!

Now, I didn't really mind doing it-after all, the school was nice enough to let us use it. I was kinda irritated though, when we had to go BACK to Jamison to get more mic stands. Now, we already had three set up at school...and only TWO people were going to be singing at a time. But, whatever, we just went and got them. When we got back, they had rigged up some cockamamie way of hooking the projector up to the sound system. Rube Goldberg would have been proud. I kindly offered my advise on a much easier way to set it up, which would also give better sound quality. They didn't want to do it though, too logical I guess. So I left and let them figure out the rest themselves.

Just once I wish people would listen to me. Oh well, until tomorrow, stay cool...yeah for real, stay cool, won't you listen to me just this one time?

Taken for Granted

2004-03-17T19:47:00.000-05:00

This one's not really a rant so much as it is an observation.

I was recently listening to the song More by Matthew West. The song speaks of the abundant love that God has for us. The chorus goes like this:

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are Mine, and you shine for Me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

Now, I thought it was a pretty cool song but my brother John (being the little philosopher that he is) made an interesting observation: that the things mentioned in the song (the sun, stars) are things that we too often take for granted. I mean, how many times do you really stop to appreciate the self-contained nuclear fusion reaction that is the source of life for almost the entire planet? I don't. But God established the sun in a perfect balance to ensure our survival. And as amazing as that part of His creation is, He loves us more. He came to die for us. Wow. We may take things for granted, but God never takes us for granted.

Until tomorrow, stay cool...and remember that God loves us more that we can imagine.

sToP dOiNg ThAt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2004-03-16T21:14:00.000-05:00

One thing that really gets on my nerves is peoples' little idiosyncrasies in their emails/IMs/blogs.

Is it really necessary to cApItAlIzE every other letter in a word? It's not cute, it's not unique; it is annoying. Also, multiple explanation points are okay sometimes, but use them sparingly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And FYI, we don't need to abbreviate every single word or phrase in the english language. And stop using @ in place of "at" in common sentences. It saves one whole letter!

Why do you lol? OIC, you find this funny. BTW, I don't want 2 know your ASL TBH. Newayz. I G2G but I'll TTYL. Until tomorrow, stay cool...eVeN if u r @ work.

It Was the One-Armed Man!

2004-03-15T23:26:00.000-05:00

Do you ever wonder why people feel the need to egg other people on?

I do all the time. A majority of the world's problems would be eliminated if it weren't for the egging on of others. Hitler probably would never had invaded Poland if it weren't for Chamberlain's neverending appeasement. Hamlet wouldn't have got into all that trouble if it weren't for that troublesome ghost. And we all know that Daffy Duck would never have told Elmer Fudd that it was DUCK season if it weren't for the incessant baggering of Bugs Bunny.

In short, I think we need to remember the importance of blaming others for the mistakes we make. It makes things in life so much easier. Until tomorrow, stay cool...and try to act a little more mature.

Anti-Semitism

2004-03-14T23:26:00.000-05:00

I just want to make a public service announcement about a movie that came out recently: Starsky & Hutch.

This has to be the most anti-Semitic film I have ever seen. The villain is a murdering drug-dealer...and he's Jewish. I think that about proves it. Horrible, just horrible. I think we should all ban this movie.

I know it was short, but it's a slow news day. So, until tomorrow, stay cool...and this was sarcasm, okay?

This Motion Picture Brought To You By:

2004-03-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

I went and saw the Starsky & Hutch movie today. It was no cinematic marvel, but it was a pretty funny movie. However, before the movie started, I noticed something that's been happening lately at the movies...commercials!

Now, I don't mean previews for upcoming movies or encouragement to visit the snack shack-I'm talking commercials like they have on T.V. What's the deal?!?! I watch television for free, so I understand that the networks have to make their money somewhere and that it usually comes in the form of commercials. BUT, a movie at the theater is different-I'm PAYING to see it. I think that if I just paid $6 to see the thing, I can be spared someone telling me to where Levi jeans.

Commercials on movies, what's next? Oh well, until tomorrow, stay cool...and stay tuned for a message from our sponsors.

Pick a Test, Any Test

2004-03-12T23:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, I don't usually complain about not having to take a test...but this is just ridiculous.

Mr. Teaches-by-Television man let us *decide* whether or not we would take our midterms. I'm sorry, but that class is nothing but a huge joke. Students do not decide this type of thing. They study and then take the test. That's it-that's how it works.

Urg...some people. Until tomorrow...stay cool, if you want to.

Un-Civil War

2004-03-11T23:34:00.000-05:00

These yankees just don't get it...

The discussion about the War of Southern Independence came up again at school today. Some people just can't understand that...well, let's see; how can I put this nicely...THE SOUTH WAS RIGHT! You see, the south was concerned about an increasingly powerful federal government; and what do we have today? A centralized all-powerful federal government that manages to ruin our lives.

States rights, not slavery, was the main issue of the war. The War of Southern Independence was, like most wars throughout history, fought for economic reasons. It's very similar to an incident that happened in the 1770s actually. Well, I could rant and rave about this one for hours...but I'm not gonna bother. After all, I do have the advantage of having historical facts, deductive reasoning, and plain old common sense on my side.

Well, until tomorrow...stay cool, way down south in Dixie!

No Super-Size?!?! Well, I'll Just Take Two Number 2's.

2004-03-10T23:21:00.000-05:00

I heard recently that McDonalds is going to stop offering the super-size option on their menu's. Well, McDonalds is free to do whatever McDonalds wants...but this seems kinda stupid to me. The reason given is that supersizing contributes to obesity. The rest of their menu is just so healthy in comparison.

I would think that the real reason this is happening is because of the morons suing fast food joints for "making" them fat. I mean, heaven forbid that someone actually take personal responsibility for themselves and acknowledge the fact that they're overweight because they have no self-control and therefore eat too much and are too lazy to exercise. In fact, they're too lazy to even get a job, that's why they have to file outrageous lawsuits. But thank goodness, here in America we have judges stupid enough to actually hear these crazy suits.

Well anyway, I guess that from now on if you really want a 55 gallon drum of Dr. Pepper, you'll just have to order a "biggie" drink at Wendy's. Until tomorrow, stay cool...and did you want fries with that?

Smoke and Mirrors

2004-03-09T23:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I'm liable to rile people up with this one; but I'm gonna side with the tobacco people this time.

According to a source on Yahoo! News, certain people think that cigarette use in movies should merit a more negative rating. Now don't get me wrong, I hate tobacco. My grandmother has emphysema, and she never smoked a day in her life-she was simply around others who smoked. As much as I disapprove of tobacco, I refuse to limit the freedom of others to inhale poison into their lungs if they so desire.

Now, as for this movie business-this is utterly ridiculous. It almost ranks up there with those brilliant people who sued the tobacco companies for shoving cigarettes into their mouths and forcing them to smoke. After all, who would have thought that inhaling SMOKE could be bad for you? So now we have to give a film an "R" rating just because it has people smoking in it. With all the trash that is released today under the guise of a "PG" or "PG-13" rating, we're going to worry about someone taking a puff?!?! This is what it's come to now...it's okay to have characters cussing up a blue streak as they run around naked killing everything in sight-just as long as they don't have a burning roll of tobacco-filled paper in their mouth as they do it. I think we have a lot better things to worry about before we worry about this.

Now, on a totally unrelated subject (other than the fact that it too is completely stupid) I've been hearing all night on the news that Kerry has just swept four southern primaries. And this is supposed to be a SURPRISE?!?!?! HELLO!!!! He's the only canidate! Dean and Edwards have already dropped out! And what's most amazing of all is that people actually voted for Dean and Edwards after they had dropped out of the race!

Gosh...what is the world coming to? Until next time, stay cool...and if you're gonna vote for someone who's not even running, why not put in your vote for me? I'm just as good at making empty promises as anyone else!

Lord of the Dance

2004-03-08T16:55:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone...I'm posting from the library today. I got kicked out of the lab...got a little mad about the whole "rolling" thing and started stomping around in protest. I thought they would like my riverdance. Probably shouldn't have done it, but oh well.

By the way, we released our Passing Through demo on limewire today. Just search for Bryan Doesn't Like It. =) Till tomorrow, stay cool...and don't stomp in the lab.

Is LeAnn Busta's Cousin?

2004-03-07T23:34:00.000-05:00

Well, she could be...

Not too much going on today. Church service went well and we had a productive youth group meeting tonight. All in all, it was a fairly good day.

Which brings me to my main point...nobody's been bothering me lately! I mean, come on people-what am I supposed to write about?!?!?! You see the title up there? It's Mac's Random Rants and Commentaries on Life!!! I usually don't have this problem, but nobody's really done anything overtly stupid or annoying in the past few days. It's almost like as soon as everyone found out I had this blog, they intentionally stopped bothering me just so that I wouldn't have anything to write about...So you people need to get on the ball and as Weird Al said, "Dare to be Stupid." After all, we wouldn't want every day's post to be this short, now would we?

Of course...if I was really cleaver I'd just find a way to rant about not having anything to rant about. Oh well. =) Until tomorrow, stay cool...but not cool enough that I have nothing to complain about.

The Proof is in the Pudding, Guy

2004-03-06T23:06:00.000-05:00

Greetings once again, everyone! I thought I'd do something a little different tonight-I'm gonna do my first in a series of blogs about unique individuals who've done some pretty cool stuff. Tonight's is about David Phillips, a civil engineer who collected 1.2 million frequent flyer miles for buying $3000 worth of pudding...sounds like a pretty sweet deal! No wonder they call him the pudding guy.

You can read the whole story here

I would just like to salute Mr. Phillips for his fast, on the spot thinking that landed him a great deal on travel for him and his family. Well, until tomorrow...keep saving those pudding labels!

"Out, Damned Table! Out, I say!"

2004-03-05T23:35:00.000-05:00

Hi kids, do you know what time it is? It's time for another rant!!! YAY!!!!

Wonder of wonders, today's rant refers to the same individual as the "Chair is Rolled Up Yonder" rant. Nothing really major this time, but as usual it's the little things that really tick me off. You see, me and Hans got to school this morning for our Shakespearian Drama class (we were doing Macbeth by the way, which inspired the title of today's column)...and found that some of the tables and chairs had been moved out of the room. Now mind you, Mrs. Shuler gets very perturbed anytime anything is moved in her room. Believe me, she'd notice if air had been displaced from the room since the day before. So, me and Hans took it upon ourselves to move the chairs and tables back into the room. When we couldn't find out where one of the tables went, the very person responsible for this entire fiasco could only tell us, "well, you better find out where it goes." Hmmmm...see if I ever help her again.

That's really all I have to rant about...it was a pretty good day other than that. We had a cool band practice tonight, it went quite well again. =) Allrightty then, till tomorrow, stay cool...and don't move any tables.

Now Available With Comments!

2004-03-05T14:37:00.000-05:00

Hey, just a quick note to let everyone know; I've added a feature that lets you comment on any of my rants. Just to let you, I reserve the right to edit or delete anything I deem offensive. Sorry if you don't like that, but its my blog and I can do what I want =).

Passing Through, Broken, and Irish Drinking Songs

2004-03-04T23:22:00.000-05:00

Well, believe it or not...I don't really have anything to rant about today. It's been a pretty good day, actually-with the highlight being band practice tonight.

The school was nice enough to let us *borrow* their sound system, so we had so cool audio going and even got to record a little bit. We managed to get a decent recording of Passing Through, and recorded about 8 minutes of us goofing around (that's where the Irish drinking song part comes in.) We also got a little time in practicing Broken. All in all, it was a pretty good practice session. Hopefully we'll be able to get a few demos posted up for ya'll soon.

That's about all I gots for tonight...slow news day, I know-but we'll see what tomorrow brings. So, until tomorrow, remember: Brian Doesn't Like It.

The Agony and the Ecstasy

2004-03-03T21:23:00.000-05:00

So much to rant about...so little time...

Well, I know I'm kind of late to jump on the bandwagon, but I thought I might as well put in my two cents worth about The Passion of the Christ. Why is this rant-worthy, you ask? Because, certain intellectually challenged individuals have condemned this movie as being anti-Semitic! Why? Because it gives [shudder] the view that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. And don't forget those that bash the movie for being too violent.

First of all, I have actually seen the movie-which is usually a good thing to do before you give your opinion on it. Second of all, since this is a movie about the death of Christ, I'll let everyone know that I am a Christian. Now, religious views aside, common sense should tell you that this movie is in no way anti-Semitic. As a student of the Bible, I found the film to be very accurate in its portrayal of the death of Christ. The teachings of Jesus Christ presented quite a problem to the corrupt Jewish hierarchy: they saw Jesus as a threat to them and their way of life. Notice, I said the Jewish hierarchy, not the entire Jewish community. In first century Judea, just as today, there were good people and bad people-and this included the Jews. In fact, if you had actually seen the movie, you would know that many of the Jews in the film are presented in a good way. By the way, just in case you didn't know Jesus and his disciples were all Jews! It is a simple historical fact the Jews were among those who called for the death of Jesus. However, it was Gentiles (Romans, in this case) who actually performed the execution. Furthermore, Christ's very purpose of coming to earth was to die as an atonment for the sins of mankind. This means that everyone of us is, through our sins, responsible for the death of Christ.

Whew...okay. Now, about the violence, I'll be short: as I said before, the movie is quite accurate to the Biblical view of the death of Christ. It is also quite historically accurate regarding crucifixion. Remember people, the Romans were not known for the mercy. Crucifixion was a method of execution, one that effectively tortured and humiliated the victim before finally killing them. Many complain that the scourging scene goes too far. Well, once again if we look at the historical FACTS, we see that this was a terrible ordeal. In fact, the scourgings could be so terrible that some prisoners were killed by this act alone.

Now, as for what I thought about this movie: I found it to be very powerful. I can't really say that I liked it per se, but it deeply touched me. It helped me to better realize the extent of the sacrifice that Christ made for me. I would advise against any younger people seeing it because it is very, very graphic. To everyone else, I highly recommend that you see this film.

So, until tomorrow-don't judge something until you've experienced it for yourself, I'll think much higher of you if you think for yourself.

When the Chair is Rolled Up Yonder

2004-03-02T16:57:00.000-05:00

Well, greetings all! This is my first post and thought I had better start off the right way-with a rant!

Our story begins yesterday afternoon...in the computer lab. You see, apparently someone in the office directly BELOW the computer lab became quite upset about the rolling going on in the lab. Now, by rolling, I mean people had been moving around in the little wheelie computer chairs (you know, the ones designed for the sole purpose of rolling around in.) Well anyway, this upset a certain someone tremendously. But, as we all know, there are some people who's sole purpose in life is to get upset.

To make a long story short, those accused of this alleged "rolling" were not happy; and the bitter feeling continued on into today. It was at this point that I realized the need to immortalize this historic incident in song. And what better way to do it than to the tune of a well known hymn? =) Here goes...

When you hear a thunderous sound above
much like a mighty roar,
And the noise seems to be coming from upstairs-
When you're trying to have a meeting
and your head is getting sore,
And the chair is rolled up yonder-
I'll be there!
When the chair is rolled up yonder,
When the chair is rolled up yonder,
When the chair is rolled up yonder...
When the chair is rolled up yonder,
I'll be there!

Yes, yes, thank you, hold the applause. Remember, I'm here to point out the little things in life...that really get on your nerves! So, until tomorrow, stay cool! (just don't roll any chairs)