Honestly, I'm not really well versed on the economy (so correct me if I'm wrong), but I thought I'd say a little about what will / might (you choose) happen, since the "bail-out" of Wall Street was rejected by the U.S. Congress.

Banks stop making loans = Businesses who needs loans can't spend money to run their business = Businesses start laying off employees = People with no jobs can't spend money to keep businesses afloat = Businesses go out of business

That looks like a pretty bad scenario right? If that $700 billion bail out plan was suppose to prevent that from happening, by allowing those banks to start offering loans again and avoiding that cycle, well maybe it should have been passed. Why didn't it get passed? Well frankly speaking, us taxpayers didn't want to have to be the one to "save" the institution that was screwing with us in the first place. So what, we got to just bend over and take it willingly, because the problem is much bigger than the chance of just saying "you deserve it?" Heck, maybe we don't need those banks anyways, as there are still other banks out there that aren't in trouble. So forget about the bail out plan after all? It's just so confusing isn't it?

How did it even get to this point? Who is to blame? I've got a couple of fingers to point to. The stupid people who buy houses, even though they can't afford it. The banks who take advantage of those stupid people, by giving them loans that are designed to get much more money than is really affordable to them. The lack of regulation to stop banks from taking advantage of those stupid people.

The whole thing just sucks doesn't it? It's looking like us taxpayers are pretty much going to have to be forced to bail out those banks. However, when we need help, who bails us out? It this bail out goes through, I'd
really want to see some kind of compensation in the future.

BTW, I hear this quote some times, "When the stocks are down, it's the best time to buy." uuhhmm, make it so?

Random Battle

SNL - Couric interviewing Palin (video)

running in front of traffic (video)

I'm a PC spoof (video)

head of skate (video)

comedic chipmunk bites the dust (video)

Radio DJ Ignores Impending Fire (video)

elmo's world - behind the scenes (video)

Catholics vs Presbyterians (pix)

cat protects owner's boobies (video)

all about Google Android (video)

I recently went on my first trip to a K1 Speed indoor go kart racing as part of a day/night celebration of my friend's bachelor party. It was a pretty good course that we get to race on, the karts were better than what you find in other amusement park type kart racing, we had helmets and all that, plus we did a 14 laps qualifying race and a 16 lap championship race (with medals and all to the top three winners). Kart racing was pretty fun, but too bad I suck at it! I guess I couldn't help myself and was driving much safer than I should have, as if I was driving out on the streets in real life. In the qualifying round, I broke in turns more than I should have, and I actually let people pass me over to avoid collisions, which caused me to land in 8th out of 9 racers. While everybody was doing it, I didn't bump anybody or anything, and I did not spin out. Funny how that's something I shouldn't be proud of.

In the championship race, I decided to drive more in the spirit of the race, and be "a little more reckless." I was faster, broke less, had spin outs, and was open to bumping. In the first lap, I was actually hanging at 4th-5th place, until this one hair pin turn where the racers in front of me spun out, and there was a pile up I couldn't avoid. Racers behind me bumped me out of position, passed me over, and at that point there was no way for me to catch up to where I was. Sadly I ended in dead last place at the end of the race. It was really fun though, and if I'm willing to do it several more times, learn the course a little more in a non-competitive race, I'm sure I could be really good at it.

Afterward, we all went to Hooters, where I ended up drinking a little more than I should have, and got a little past just being buzzed if you know what I mean. Short of one point where I accidentally (yes it was) elbowed our Hooters girl's butt, tipped over a glass of water (party foul - had to chug), I did not really embarrass myself (no really I didn't). I had to call it a night and not attend the obvious next portion of the bachelor party though, so let me just end this blog post with that.

Good times Good times

So we almost got Verizon FiOS (High-Speed Fiber-Optic Broadband Internet). I say "almost" because at this time I'm typing up this blog, I should have already been on it. However, due to some idiotic moves by Verizon, we ended up cancelling our order for FiOS.

Here's how this went...

In the past couple of months, Verizon has been installing the FiOS infrastructure in neighborhoods of my city, including my street. Flash forward to a week and a half ago and I got Verizon representatives at my front door, asking me if they can install a FiOS line and box in my house's garage. I told them I wasn't interested in FiOS (satisfied with Verizon DSL at the moment), and they told me that they are just putting the line and the box in, just in case we want it in the future. They told me it was free, it comes with free long distance service to existing Verizon customers, and that I did not need to get FiOS, so I saw no harm in that and agreed with their offer.

A few days after that visit, we started getting e-mail and phone messages about us "ordering FiOS." Waitaminute, we didn't order FiOS, and I repeatedly told that Verizon representative that we did not want it. We contact Verizon and sure enough, their computer says we ordered FiOS. Complaining to them about their mistake, they offered us a discounted price for the service that'll match what we are currently paying for DSL for the first six months. eeehhhh, okay, me and my wife agreed to that, plus it wouldn't hurt to have a faster internet experience.

Now comes the day (Thursday) before the day our appointment (Friday) for the FiOS installation, and all of a sudden there are Verizon people outside the house at 9AM. I work graveyard, I'm asleep at that time, it's not the day of the appointment, so I ignored them being there. Hours later, we get a call saying that the cable lines needs to be burried underneath our front yard, all the way to our garage, a day or two before our FiOS installation appointment. What?! Nobody told us that was going to happen. We called Verizon again to complain, and they said that they'll be able to do it the morning of the scheduled afternoon appointment instead.

Friday afternoon comes along, Verizon people have already installed those cable lines and I just had to wait for the actual FiOS installation that was scheduled for around 2PM-4PM. The guy didn't show up until a little before 4PM. He then tells me that he needs to put two boxes near the cable lines outside, which is what I was actually told was going to happen at the very beginning anyway, and it was what I originally actually agreed to happen ("free installation, no need to get FiOS at this time" - BS). Then he told me that he needed to see how he was going to install the cable lines into the house, to where we want the router to be at. What?! Nobody told us that they'll need to drill holes in the wall, install cable lines, etc... Honestly, I did not do the research on FiOS (except that it's faster than what we have), and I thought that it'll be an easy install by using the phone line just like with DSL (which I don't really know why I came to that obviously false assumption). I was not prepared to be moving furnitures and all my belongings that were in the way of the installation. I would have been prepared and ready to go (like I was when we were getting DirecTV installed), but I was not reminded that this was going to happen, and it was going to be some unwanted work moving stuff at short notice. Without any regrets, I simply told the guy to cancel the installation, and that I really did not need FiOS (or that long distance service) at this time anyway.

Verizon calls me up to confirm and ask why I was canceling. To my surprise, the customer service person on the other end starts off by saying that it's probably a mistake that they made on their part. What? They are actually taking responsibility for their lack of communication with me? So I told them that the primary reason why I gave up on getting FiOS was because of how horrible they communicated with us about what needed to be done to get the service. Honestly, if they gave me the opportunity to prepare myself for what needs to be expected from a FiOS installation, I would be using that internet service at this very moment. Heck, they should have been upfront in the beginning that I apparently agreed to get FiOS in the first place and not that "it's just putting some lines in for future use" crap.

It's too bad, because although I'm someone who would really take advantage of the faster internet speed, I think my wife was the one that was more excited for it. Oh well, maybe in a few years I'll get FiOS, once DSL finally becomes unbearably slow to me (like how dial up internet connections are now). Until that day comes, I at least have half of the FiOS installation process taken cared off already.

Random Realize

the Dark bailout (video)

grand theft auto IV intellivision (video)

Chris Rock Takes On Bill Clinton (video)

epic hotel dive (video)

the party (video)

base jump POV (video)

ball in pocket trick (video)

safe for work porn - NSFW? (video)

not father of the year (Video)

Slacker uprising (download)

Metallica recently released their newest studio album of new material; Death Magnetic. As is always the case with this band, and probably more so than other bands out there, the metal/rock community of fans has picked, poked, prodded the album as much as they can, so that they can judge it and proclaim how it compares to the first four albums. Much to the chagrin of the "Metalli-haters" out there, the general consensus is that it is a good-great album, that actually holds up well with the very very high pedestal that people have placed Metallica's first four albums in. Some people (like myself) have gone as far to say that "Death Magnetic" should have been the album that came out after "...And Justice For All."

All is not perfect though, as there is a very common complaint about their newest album, and that "the drums sound too loud," or that it "gets too distorted." Many are quick to blame Metallica for those problems, and I would say that those people are just a bunch of ass-hats for trying to put complete fault on them. The majority of people in the music industry knows what's at fault. A great minority of people who follow music knows what's at fault. It's "the Loudness War" folks, and it strikes again. In fact, the first time I listened through Death Magnetic, I noticed how it was affected by the Loudness War, but just quietly accepted my disappointment on the fact that I've heard this problem with so many other albums out there that it was almost not even worth noting. This problem has been prevalent in the music industry for quite some time now, and it figures that it'll take the scrutiny that Metallica usually gets to bring this out in the public again.

Don't know what The Loudness War is? You can find out what it is at turnmeup.org which also has loads of articles linked in it that further talks about it. Afterward, you may just notice how much this problem has been a part of your music collection all these times.

I feel it's safe to say that most every teenage boy probably has a wish to be more independent from their parents. The idea to accomplishing that wish was simply to get older and "be an adult." As a young teenager, the idea of "being an adult" simply means having the right to drink alcohol, to drive a car, to have a job and buy anything you want and have your own place, etc... As someone who has been living their adult years for quite some time now, I have to say that my life for the most part has been what I wished it to be when I was in my teenage years. (Lawful) Freedom and independence is what I have right now, and teenagers don't have it wrong in wanting to be an adult.

One incentive for teens to strive for that freedom and independence is as it always is for guys, to get a girl. That's where I have to point out a caution sign here. Women are great and all, but if you want to keep your freedom and independence, it's important to realize that you then do not want to get somebody pregnant. Having a child is a tremendously huge responsibility, which means that you'll have to dedicate a large chunk of your time and money to raise that kid, which also means that you have to forget about that freedom and independence. It's great if you want to have a child, but don't you dare complain about losing your freedom and independence because of that. Having a child will give you totally different options to live life, but a lot of that isn't going to be the ones a teenager probably thinks much about in that wish to be an adult.

Honestly speaking here, I'm not mentally ready to have a child yet, so I do not want one. Being that I'm married and all, there's a chance that I might get one, and that fact can't be avoided. That teenage wish for all the perks of being an adult, will be all gone once a child is entered into my life. If it does happen, it will literally change my way of living, making me a different person, with so many different sets of priorities. Is that what I want to happen? That's a question everybody has to make before they take the plunge to have a child, and unfortunately there's a lot of people out there who has to learn that the hard way.

Random Midnight Bottle

2008 Emmy awards winners (link)

karma sucks (video)

Drunk, Sleeping Fan + Beer Cups (video)

crazy mattress salesman outakes - NSFW (video)

Megan Fox’s NC-17 Mother Teresa Movie Trailer (video)

Wall Street Prank (video)

Hurricane bear (video)

professor wikipedia (Video)

Making Fast Work of a Burrito (video)

star wars force unleashed cutscenes (video)

The 2008 Fall TV season is currently underway, and I'll have to be honest to say that I'm not prepared for it. I actually feel like I could wait until the beginning of next year, before I really want to continue some of the shows I regularly watch. Maybe it's because with the lack of original programming over the summer season, I've gotten used to having a little more free time in my life, without having to watch more TV. Sure I could just wait until a bunch of episodes have been released and watch them later online or on DVD, but all that's doing is procrastinating the time I would be spending watching them now. I may as well just get over it and watch my shows on a weekly basis as I've always done.

So what's out there.... There's the return of "90210," which I have seen out of curiosity sakes, but I have no plans to follow the series. There's also "Hole in the Wall," which is amusing, and I can probably watch that on occasion. That's as far as I went with any new shows, as I'm not really that interested in adding additional programming to my "must see list." I'm still watching "Mythbusters," "Lewis Black's Root of all Evil," "Attack of the show,""The Soup," and all the Mixed Martial Arts shows as it is, in addition to the prime time stuff.

Speaking of prime time programming, "Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles" is still a good show to follow, although it honestly could be a bit better. "House, M.D." is as good as always, and I like that they already shook things up in the season premiere. "Smallville" is only going to get better now that the Lex Luthor and Lana Lang plot lines have been pushed to the background, but it's still a show with so many plot holes it's ridiculous. "Supernatural" is proving to be a really great series, and it looks like they are upping the ante with what's going on this season. I was able to see the first hour of the "Heroes" season premiere at Comic-Con, and I'm afraid that it's starting to get really tempting for me to drop that show (it's relying too much on cheap fan-service for it's story at this point). "The Office" and the FOX Sunday night animation block are the only ones left to watch, before things go back to normal in TV land for me.

With all these shows I'm watching, I've got to say Thank Goodness for the DVR!