This is Burns stuff.

2005-08-30T16:43:00.000-05:00

Thich Nhat Hanh

The morning after the MCAT, I woke up at about 6:30. I woke up early, partially because of my stress over my poor performance and partially out of habit from the preceding weeks. I immediately picked a book from my shelf that I've been trying to read for a while. It's called Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh. I just finished it and I couldn't be more pleased. It's great to be both put at ease and excited by the same book. The main purpose of the book is to point out the importance of having or "being" peace on a personal, everyday level as a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for making peace in a broader sense. However, he speaks simply and eloquently on a number of key Buddhist principles. The book (and Hanh's teaching in general) have a very optimistic and perhaps even idealist tone which is not common in western writing, but don't mistake optimism for naiveté. Some of his Dharma talks (sort of like sermons) are posted on his Sangha's website if you're interested in seeing some of his thoughts.

2005-08-30T16:28:00.000-05:00

Friends

Yes, I have returned to the blogosphere. I have to comment briefly on the MCAT. Unfortunately, my absence from cyberworld has not been due to rampant celebration of my stellar performance. I don't yet have my scores (it takes about six weeks), but I most certainly did NOT perform to the best of my abilities, particularly on the physical sciences portion of the test. I have been preparing myself for the possibility that I won't be attending medical school next year. However, a funny thing did happen during the test. I had always said that I wouldn't retake the MCAT, if it didn't go well that I would take the GRE and attend grad school for psychology. After I finished the physical sciences (or rather didn't finish) I knew at that moment that I WOULD retake the test if need be and that I WILL be a doctor. It was hard to explain, but it was a true moment of clarity. So, worst case scenario, I lost $200 taking the test and I delay my entry one year. I've definitely got to get my crap together though, I'm getting old! In any event, there is still a fair chance that I scored well enough to matriculate in 2006, so we'll just have to see. I'll keep you all posted and thanks for all the well wishes.

2005-08-12T14:01:00.000-05:00

A note to Troy Swanson (and other people that like me).

The Medical College Admissions Test is August 20th, 2005. I will be attending.
Coincidently, new Blog posts will begin August 21st, 2005.

Thank you.

P.S. Please send your thoughts, prayers, voodoo, and whatever else you can think of to boost my score beginning at 8AM on the 20th.

2005-05-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

Prepare Thy Sword!

There won't be too many posts this week, as I have finals. I have to relate a story from last week though. My roommates and I were flipping through the channels at lunch time on Friday and happen to see Jim Bakker wielding a sword on TV. It thought it was worth stopping for a look. Turns out you can get "The Revelation Sword," which Jim thought would be a great Father's Day gift, if you donate to his show. Interestingly, you have to call the donation line to find out how much of a donation you have to make to get the sword. Also, I found it quite funny that the used grainy footage of an Orc battle from Lord of the Rings and passed it off as a scene from the apocalypse. The picture link of the sword looks very close, but I could find the official replica. If someone finds it, please let me know. Maybe I'll forward this on to the Daily Show's "This Week in God." Oh, in case the suspense is killing you, I called and you have to give $200 to get The Revelation Sword.

2005-05-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

Freakin Sweet!
Oh yeah! Family Guy is back on the air. The show was actually the subject matter of the only letter I ever sent to a TV network. A couple of years ago I sent a letter to Comedy Central urging them to pick up Family Guy, assuming that Fox would never try it again after canceling the show. I was wrong. The loyal fan base was a big reason for the show's return.

I was presently surprised to hear an NPR report on the show's crazy on-the-air/off-the-air story.

Meg once again proved she is the best girlfriend in the world by taping the first new episode for me while I was at work on Sunday. Highlights: definitely the return of the greased-up deaf guy and the GI Joe spot.

... All Right!

2005-05-03T11:58:00.000-05:00

New Digs

Nope, didn't go shopping for clothes. After working two years in an ICFMR at Tanager Place, I worked my first weekend in one of the PMIC's (Psychiatric Treatment Center for Children). I had always intended to try working in another unit or units at Tanager so I could broaden my experience in terms of working with different populations.

I chose the particular unit I did for one reason: the challenge. I have long said that I want to have boys when I have kids. Not because, I'm some macho guy or I want to "carry on the family name," but because I didn't want to deal with teenage girls. So, to meet my apprehension head-on, I chose a unit that houses 15 girls with an average age of 13. The most common diagnosis in the unit is Borderline Personality Disorder. Those of you who know something about mental health probably just either laughed at or said a prayer for me. The link I posted is a pretty good synopsis of the disorder. It is an exceedingly difficult population to deal with, but I think taking on such challenges is important in developing personally and professionally. We'll see if I have the same mindset after a few months of 20 hours of immersion in the manipulation tank each week.

2005-05-03T11:20:00.000-05:00

Spanglish: A pretty good pelicula.

Meg and I had heard good things about Spanglish didn't get a chance to see it in the theatre, so we were looking forward to seeing it. We were not disappointed. The script was pretty good, but I thought it was the very natural feeling of the acting from Adam Sandler, Paz Vega and the kids Shelbie Bruce and Sarah Steele.

It's funny, I never would have thought if you would have told me in the 90's (when I was simultaneously eating up his goofy, childish humor and wonder why I was even laughing) that I would describe Adam Sandlers acting in a film as a nuanced portrayal of the post modern everyman, I would have said you were crazy. Yet, I think that's what he delivered Spanglish. I liked him better in this than Punch Drunk Love, which I also enjoyed him in.

As for Paz Vega, I thought she was phenomenal in this film. I was shocked to find that she is only 29. Based on the wisdom she brought to her character, I never would have guessed her being that young (not usually a complement, but in this case it is). However, I might be partial to a pretty, curvaceous, pretty spanish woman with the name "peace."

2005-04-25T12:59:00.000-05:00

Cave People

This weekend was quite nice. Meg and I took the opportunity to go with my roomate Chris and his girlfriend Mary for once last outdoor excursion before he leaves for his internship in Washington D.C. We went camping in Maquoketa, IA. We went to a double feature at the 61 Drive-in Theatre south of town and stayed at the Maquoketa Caves State Park. For me, this was a repeat visit to both. I recommend visiting. It was a little cold, but it had all the elements of a good outing: beer, fire, smores, and caves. F.Y.I. I learned that Meg is quite the pyromaniac this weekend. So, if you need help building a fire she's the one to call. However, you might want to keep the matches put when she visits your house.

2005-04-21T14:53:00.000-05:00

Speaking of Music...

Like downloading free music off the internet, but hate those pesky law suits? One of my TA's told me about this site called etree. The site contains tons of artist-approved free music. It not a person to person file sharing format, so you are actually downloading the files from a central database: pretty slick. I plan to put it to use over the next few days, so I'll post an update with my favorite finds. Thanks to Brian Gehl for the info.

2005-04-21T11:36:00.000-05:00

Currently Listening to ...

Jack Johnson's new album In Between Dreams ... gotta love "banana pancakes"

Beck's new album Guero ... que bueno

Dennis Brown (mix) ... tasty old-school reggae

Phish's Farmhouse ... I'm no Phish Head, but it's a great album

Foo Fighters' (mix) ... if you can calmly listen to "all my life," check your pulse

Nas's Stillmatic ... Nas is to "gansta rap" what Scorsese is to gangster films

Gavin Degraw's Chariot ... la little "poppy" but, what I would give to write one song like "Belief"

2005-04-18T12:37:00.000-05:00

UberCardinal

The question on the minds of many is "who will become the next pope?" the next ... ubercardinal, if you will. The Daily Iowan (our student newspaper) has dared to take on this question. Here's a list of qualifications taken from a weekly top-ten-style humor column called "The Ledge."

Qualities for the new pope
by Nick Narigon

• Big enough head to wear that hat.
• Preferably Catholic.
• Must be drug free. There will be a test.
• Must have at least three references. One should be God.
• Required readings: The Bible and The Da Vinci Code.
• Must be able to smite heathens in case of emergency.
• Should have never had his own talk show.
• Be able to pass a physical.
• Be able to stand on balcony and wave.
• No vampires.
• Someone who loves children, but not that much.

Good job, Nick. I especially liked the last one. "The Ledge" is often pretty funny. They ran a blank column the day after the general election titled "Top Ten Good Things About Bush Winning."

2005-04-15T14:36:00.000-05:00

Friday Laugh (Courtesy of Devin Johnson)

This is an actual photo that was put in the classified ads for someone
selling a dining room set.
There's a pretty strong clue in here suggesting that the photo was taken
by a man.

2005-04-13T15:12:00.000-05:00

Bad Pun of the Moment

My room, Chris Wille (who in an unrelated story evidently wants to pee on everything. don't ask) attempted to dial The Washington Center in D.C. regarding his internship this summer. However, what he got was a women speaking Russian. Eventually she said "You've reached the Russian Embassy." He stammered "uh.. sorry... wrong number." I told him what he should have said was ...

"Sorry I dialed the wrong number. I tried to dial SLOW, but I guess I was RUSHIN'."

(I don't know how to insert a rim-shot sound, so you'll have to make the sound to yourself)

2005-04-13T14:58:00.000-05:00

I Don't Love Meg ... ON OPPOSITE DAY!

In case anyone has wondered why I'm so enamered with Meg, other than her beauty and charm. Here's a good example of why she's is perfect for me and my goofy sense of humor. This is a copy of and email I received entitled "It's opposite day ... "

Goodbye,

I am not missing you today and I haven't thought about you and I do not want to see you tonight! I was happy to leave this morning and couldn't wait to go to work. At school today the kids are being terrible and not at all funny. [student] did not bring a canvas sack of pennies in which makes her look like she robbed a bank. [student] did not think that the Cherokee tribe was actually pronounced 'karaoke." I do not want you to email me and I will not call you later when I'm on my home. I hope you're having a bad day.

Meg

I'm glad I read the title before the body.

2005-04-13T14:35:00.000-05:00

"A Fresh Start"

I flashed back to my days training debt collectors last weekend when Meg and I had an intersting conversation about bankruptcy which broadened into a discussion about consumer credit in the U.S. I was pleasantly suprised to hear a report on NPR's All Things Considered which was a more concise and interesting version of my best attempts to explain the whole mess to Meg who was patient and suprisingly interested. There was an opinion piece that followed which I thought was inspired and hit the nail right on the head.

Inevitably when I trained people I'd hired who not had previous experience in the credit/financial industry (and often with those who had) the question would come up "why are there so many more bankrupcies and why isn't the government doing something to change it." I always took time to explain that bankruptcy reform has been on the legislative agenda since the early nineties, but the logistics have been tied up in negotiations between Republicans, who typically support tougher bankruptcy standards which would help alieviate some of the write-off losses business (sometimes unduely) suffer, and Democrats, who have typically held up bankruptcy reform until they could be sure that additonal legislation protecting consumers from predatory lending and astronomical medical expenses could be instated simultaniously. I always told my new hires that it was only a matter of time until a compromise could be reached that protected both consumers and business, and I believed it. Unfortunately, now that there is a Republican majority, they don't need the Democrats as much, and it seems the Bankruptcy reform is going to happen without any protection for the consumer. I hope that something changes between now and when the bill is ratified.

2005-04-13T11:06:00.000-05:00

2005 Pulitzer Prize Winners

I heard a radio interview with Deanne Fitzmaurice, this year's Pulitzer Prize winner in Journalism: Feature Photography. I felt compelled to look at the pictures when I heard the story the story behind them. The photos follow an Iraqi boy named Saleh (and his family) after he was maimed in a bomb explosion that killed his older brother; they are moving beyond words.

On a lighter note, this years winner for Letters and Drama: Fiction was Marilynne Robinson for her book Gilead. Why would I post about a book I haven't read? Givin' props. Ms. Robinson is a professor here at Iowa. She is one of many Pulitzer Prize-winning teachers/students of Iowa's Writers Workshop.

2005-04-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

A Papal Boxing Match: "Give him the ropa-pope"

Well, Troy fired back. My response: I'm not taking the position of Pope-defender. My point is that the overriding theme of his papacy was peace, a topic (in my view THE topic) disturbingly absent in the rhetoric of secular leaders. I think everyone is best served by focusing as much positive attention as possible on John Paul's message of peace, rather “a healthy dialogue” that inevitably devolves into a critique of the matrix of complicity that is the Catholic bureaucracy. The Catholic church is worthy of much criticism and as its leader for the past 27 years John Paul II deserves his share of it, but let’s take what we can get out of his life and death and use it as a catalyst to talk as much as we can about the importance of peace in a truly civilized society.

2005-04-13T08:28:00.000-05:00

What the fuck is wrong with people?

The work "fuck" is an expletive and therefore should be used only in situations wherein its use communicates a feeling of great shock, disgust, or distress in the speaker. I wish to express all of these feelings in one of the worst companies fashioned for the internet. www.live-shot.com is a website where patrons can pay to shoot REAL animals with a REAL gun over the internet. The company is actually a game ranch in Texas that raises a few species of wild animals from Africa and Asia. They've developed a technology which allow users to aim the gun (which is attached to a robotic arm of sorts) in real- time via streaming technology. I'm generally unopposed to hunting, as it can promote greater ethological understanding in the hunter, an enhanced love for nature, and a greater appreciation for the complexities of survival in general. However, this is just ridiculous and does nothing (other than lining the pockets of the company) but further desensitize users to animal suffering and blur the line between real and simulated violence.

2005-04-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

Que dices, Beck?

I just got the new Beck record Guero. Track 2 "Que Onda Guero?" is a great song (like most of the album), but I can't figure out what it means. If anybody reading this is familiar with Mexican slang (or knows somebody that is) let me know your take on this. The literal , word for word, translation is Que=what, Onda=wave, Guero= blanched/bleached. I know that guero is a mexican slang term that means white or whiteboy, but I don't get the whole sentence means in context. Anyway, regardless of this little bit of Spanish trivia the album is great. As usual the cover art is wonderful too. Go buy it and make Beck richer. He's too thin, he needs the money for food.

2005-04-12T13:57:00.000-05:00

Jib Jab

I like to check out the Jib Jab clips every few months. The latest, "Second Term" is more visiually funny than it is lyrically funny, but it's worth a watch. If you hadn't seen "Good to be in DC" or "This Land," be sure to check them out.

2005-04-11T12:32:00.000-05:00

The Pope

In a recent post by my good friend Troy Swanson regarding the Pope, he brought up the point that press coverage of the Pope's passing has been more of a "love-fest" than an open discussion of John Paul II's pro's and con's. I appreciate the sentiment of this argument. I felt this way when Ronald Reagan died. However, I disagree in this instance for a very specific reason. In a world so engulfed in violence and within a US-culture so willing to use the military to solve its problems, I think we are all better served focusing positive attention on a man who was, above all else, such an advocate for peace. Let's just take this opportunity to reflect on how a man of such profound intelligence and power would spend so much time thinking about and working for peace.

2005-04-08T11:51:00.000-05:00

Critical Legislation

For whatever reason, two important congressional items are not getting much attention: The so-called "nuclear option" and the sunset clause on many of the worst parts of the Patriot Act.
If you missed either of these items, here are a couple of popular press articles on them

Unilateral Judicial Appointments

Patriot Act Sunset

Make sure you let your republican senators know that you know what's going on and that there is no need to essentially wipe out an important part of the checks and balances in judicial appointment. Also, let all the senate know that a country cannot hope to protect its freedom by taking away civil liberties and infringing on human rights; let the sun set on these intrusive, unecessary clauses of the Partiot Act.

2005-04-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

March 25th

Ms. Meghan McKevitt and I celebrated our one year anniversary on March 25th. We celebrated with a twenty-four-hour-date which included a fine meal, gift exchange, mini-golfing, window-shopping in Cedar Rapids, a movie and of course a drink at the world-renouned Joe's Place where we met over a year ago. This has been the best year. Thanks Meg. Thanks Joe's Place.

2005-04-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

Burns: "Yes, I'm alive."
It's hard to believe that I used to post to this blog fairly consistently considering my last post was in December. This post is just to let anyone who might check here periodically know that I am indeed alive. A combination of school, work, illness, and generally being out of the habit of posting are the primary culprates of my absence from the blogosphere. If you enjoyed reading my posts in the past, I'm sorry for the wait. If you found them mostly inane and uninteresting yet were somehow powerfully compelled by some unknown Burns-voodoo to read them anyway, your vacation is over.

2004-12-08T16:35:00.000-06:00

More Live Music

So, Troy Swanson is evidently the only person who actually reads this blog because he is the only one to email me a request for my performance at The Mill on Monday (12/06). He requested "Sylvia" and his will was done. It was a good time with LOTS of crowd response, always a plus.

The set list:

White Horse ... Burns
Freedom ... Burns
Downtown Train ... Tom Waits
Whipping Post ... The Allman Brothers
Sylvia ... Burns
Hero Breaths ... Burns
(imprompto) Folsom Prison Blues ... Johnny Cash

2004-12-08T16:30:00.000-06:00

The Lie Girls

This post comes compliments of Buffalo Bill Spurlock his sent me this link to The Lie Girls. This is seriously one of the funniest things I've seen all year. However, if you are at work, it might be wise to either open the link at home or at least by yourself. There is nothing that is actually sexually explicit, but it it is made to look like an adult site. Enjoy.

2004-12-03T13:42:00.000-06:00

Christmas List

If anybody out there thinks I have been extra nice, here's my christmas list. Make delivery to" 1104 Hotz Ave
Iowa City, IA 52245

(or I can arrange pick-up)

For My fingers

For my Ears

For my Eyes

For my Brain

For my Head

For Posterity

For my Whole Body

2004-12-03T13:20:00.000-06:00

Don't Campaign. Just Win.

No, this is not one of my criticisms of the grossly irrisponsible and terribly misleading platform of the Republican party. OK, I guess that sentence was. but this post is about an interesting election result in Orange County, California about which I heard a radio article on NPR. It seems a school board candidate who didn't campaign and virtually nobody knows, managed to win a post in a landslide victory against the well-liked president of the PTA. For those those of you readers, here is a newspaper article on the election. It could be an interesting night at the board meeting this Thursday.

2004-12-02T10:17:00.000-06:00

Live Music

The week before Thanksgiving I made a return to open mic night at The Mill. I was quite happy with the turnout. There were more than twenty people there for me and at least that many who stuck around from previous acts. For those of you have never gone to an open mic show, that's a good crowd. Here's the set list:

Fake Plastic Trees ... Radiohead
Sweet Friend ... Burns
Bright Light ... Burns
California Stars ... Wood Guthry/Wilco/Billy Brag
Love Spy ... Burns
Hip-Hop Rock Song ... Burns
Gunpowder ... Wyclef Jean

I'm playing there again this Monday (Dec 6th). I haven't made a set list yet. Please email me (jasonburns2010@yahoo.com) with suggestions.

2004-12-02T10:10:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving

OK. I admit it has been just plain pitiful how little I've been posting. Mostly I've been really busy with school, but I did get a break last week for Thanksgiving and it was excellent. Meg and I went to her family's Thanksgiving in Lake Villa, and then spent time in Carol Stream, Cambridge, and Davenport. All the families are well and it was a lot of fun. I was shocked to find that most of her family does not like green bean casserole. Who doesn't like green bean casserole? It's amazing. Cream of mushroom soup makes everything good. Anyway I still like them even though they have questionable taste in casseroles.

2004-11-08T19:07:00.000-06:00

Long time, eh?

Well, I figured since it's been a long time since I've posted, I would post my first pictures ever to make up for it. If a picture's worth a thousand words. Here are 3,000 words.

Not only was this costume a lot of fun, but we made 8 whole dollars. Booya!

2004-11-08T19:06:00.000-06:00

The whole crew.

2004-11-08T19:05:00.000-06:00

Bill "Wild Thing" Spurlock and Amy "Oakley" Sacks with the mystical Meg and Jason.

2004-11-05T14:08:00.000-06:00

2004-10-20T11:46:00.000-05:00

Dieting 2

My good friend Troy Swanson posted a link to an interesting article on dieting. In addition to the biological factors they list there seems to be at least one important psychological factor as well.

Psychological research has found that restrictive eaters tend are more likely to overeat (given the opportunity) than non-restrictive eaters. It seems those who have restrictive eating habits (formal or informal diets) start to ignore the feelings associated with satiation of hunger. There seems to be a "what the hell" kind of attitude once a restrictive eater begins to eat restricted foods (ice cream, pizza, etc). Basically, once a dieter perceives his or her diet to be broken he or she will tend to eat much more than a non-dieter. This can be seen anecdotally in the "back to the diet Monday" argument we've all heard or used. But, probably more convincingly it can be seen in studies like this one geared toward overeating in children.

2004-10-08T14:13:00.000-05:00

Funny Politics

Thich Nhat Hanh said if you are confronted with a situation in which you must laugh or cry, always laugh. I think the American political situation qualifies as one of those situations. So here are some laughs:

Good to be in DC

Debate Notes

Practice Your Love

2004-09-29T16:29:00.000-05:00

The Yes Men

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I've had four tests and a paper due in past 5 school days and (of course) I had to work last weekend, so there was no studying. By the way, the .5 anniversary dinner went great.

Anyway, on to the actual post. Check out The Yes Men. These guys are smart and hilarious. Now, they don't offer a lot of solutions, but they do a great job of getting wolves in sheeps clothing to pull back the wool. I saw the rough cut of their film here at Iowa a year and a half ago (one of the directors or unit producers or something is a U of I film grad) . It was shocking, scary, and hilarious. Anyway, many of you live in more populated areas than I, so I encourage you to go out next week and see the movie since I won't be able to. If you're like me and don't have a theatre nearby hosting the film, check out the blog. I personally like the Smokey the log thing (around Sept 17th post).

2004-09-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

0.5

Most young couples are really cutesy annoying with their "it's our such and such week or month anniversary." I'm happy to report that Meghan and I, though young (she more than I) and in love, have not talked about our 1,2,3,4, or 5 "-month anniversaries." However, that is not to say we are not cutesy or annoying. We may be both, but we're nerdy too.

Anniversary comes from the medieval Latin words annus year + versus, past participle of vertere to turn. So to say that we are celebrating our 6-month anniversary on the 25th would be like saying its our "6 month year turning. " No, no, no. This Saturday, Meg and I will celebrate our 0.5 our 50% anniversary (just as we have celebrated our 0.083, 0.167, 0.250, 0.333, 0.417 anniversaries before).

Happy 0.5 Anniversary, Meg.

2004-09-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

Top 10

It was a funny piece of timing that yesterday, after studying chemistry all day and seeing no TV, that theTV just happened to be on Letterman last night when I came home from the library just as Kerry did the top ten list. I thought it was pretty funny. If you missed it, here it is:

Kerry's "Top 10 Bush Tax Proposals" are:
10. No estate tax for families with at least two U.S. presidents.
9. W-2 Form is now Dubya-2 Form.
8. Under the simplified tax code, your refund check goes directly to Halliburton.
7. The reduced earned income tax credit is so unfair, it just makes me want to tear out my lustrous, finely groomed hair.
6. Attorney General (John) Ashcroft gets to write off the entire U.S. Constitution.
5. Texas Rangers can take a business loss for trading Sammy Sosa.
4. Eliminate all income taxes; just ask Teresa (Heinz Kerry) to cover the whole damn thing.
3. Cheney can claim Bush as a dependent.
2. Hundred-dollar penalty if you pronounce it "nuclear" instead of "nucular."
1. George W. Bush gets a deduction for mortgaging our entire future.

2004-09-14T11:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Legal Assault Weapons Day!

So, let me get this straight. In the interest of SAFETY it was necessary to pass a law in which the government can access things like your library records without a warrant and without your knowledge, but it is imprudent for the same government to make the sale of homicide-specific guns illegal. I think it's safe to say that the NRA has moved beyond the political agenda of concerned hunters. Thanks guys, this was a real step in the right direction. Hey Ashcroft, better crank it up to "RED".

2004-09-14T11:47:00.000-05:00

A Touch of Gray

I just came from my Cognitive Psychology class where we reviewed perception. The way our brains work is so interesting. To explain why illusions might be useful tools to gain insight into the mechanics of perception, I'll steal this quote from Purkinje, a noted 19th-century Czech physiologist, "Deceptions of the senses are the truths of perception." I've linked a couple of sites that contain particularly striking illusions. The checker board illusions is unbelievable to me (smart MIT bastards), but there are some good ones on the exploratorium site also.

2004-09-13T13:55:00.000-05:00

WHY?

I'm not sure what the value of this is, but you can see the pentacrest here at the University of Iowa when ever you want online. Maybe you'll see me someday. Keep watching I guess. I'm the guy with the shaved head.

2004-09-13T13:31:00.000-05:00

Not so "swift"

O.K. I just had lunch with my roommate Chris and I was saying to him that I thought it was a shame that, more than being slanted to the right or left, that the real problem with the media is the fact that not enough time is allowed in mainstream programming for actual discourse. Case in point. The "swift boat veterans for truth" group has been hard at work slandering John Kerry the past few weeks. The only thing there seems to be time for in the news coverage is:

Bush: "I didn't pay for it."

Kerry: "Stop picking on me. Bush is the 'fortunate son.' "

Swift Boat Asswipes: "Watch our new commercial approved the Bush's campaigns attorney." (OK, OK they leave out the attorney part).

Here's the thing. If a real discussion were to take place and the TV spots analyzed using object standards for a logical argument, one can see plainly a serious conflict between the two main spots positions they asserted. The first position was one that John Kerry had exaggerated his injuries and lied about his conduct in order to earn medals. The current smear campaign says Kerry is not a patriot and cannot be trusted because he gave his medals up. Huh? If the medals were so important as to lie, then why give them up when you get them?

Let's move on and talk about some current issues!

2004-09-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

CHILD X

There are plenty of "kids say the darndest things" kind of moments at my job. You have to have a sort of sick sense of humor to laugh at some of them as they are sometimes a bit "aggressive," but there is one kid that I work with that gives me a laugh-out-loud quote to take home nearly every weekend I work with him.

- on his way to locate is lost wallet:
"I look in my room. If I find it, then I'll know where it is."

- mumbling as he walks away following my reminder my reminded to him that hurting me is not a positive choice:
"I WILL kick you someday."

- "I cannot drink water! Don't you know I am allergic!"

- "Suck my dicks"

- after putting on sunglasses and a baseball cap to go outside to play:
"Now I'll look shorty form my ladies."

- apologizing for inappropriate language
"Sorry I called you a "F'er."

- "Don't you know I'll kill you and then you'll be bloody."

- upon beign reminded of his scheduled toilet sittings ("potty attempts" at pre-set times each day)
"Actually I don't have to cause' I crapped my pants."
"I crapped my pants anyways"
"I do believe I've crapped my pants"
"I crapped my pants, therefore I don't have to."

2004-09-07T13:45:00.000-05:00

Sloppin' Good Time

Labor Day Weekend was a good one.

Friday, Meg and I got to hang out with our friends Josh and Beth and Troy and Kim in Davenport at the Josh and Beth's house. There was great conversation, but the highlight of the evening was the all out war of the sexes the erupted when someone threw one of Noelle's plastic balls from her inflatable plastic ball pit. My arm finally feels better today.

Saturday, it was on to Kewanee, IL where Meg and I were the official videographers for the Hog Days Parade. Dad and Shirley were happy when the Color Unlimited Float won First Place in the commercial division. Nice Job. I would like to announce also that I crushed Dad, Shirley and Meg in dominoes later that night.

Sunday, we had a nice lunch with Mom and some family and friends. Meg and I enjoyed our time shopping with Mom, but I think Meg's purchase of a cool new green purse was a close second. It was good time Sunday night when returned to a keg in the living room for my roommate Pat's birthday. Nobody injured or arrested. Nice job, Paddy.

Monday, was sleep in day, which was great. Besides the relax and chill time with Meg the highlight of Monday was Garden State. Great Flick. Zach Braff is really talented. I was already a big fan of his acting in Scrubs (with as little TV as I watch "big fan" means I seen about 20% of the episodes), but Braff did a great job with the script and direction in this one too.

2004-09-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

I need to say a few things ...

Here's my take take on the "Anybody but Bush" thing: pretty much. Not just anybody, but certainly Kerry. It's easy to understand why democrats and "liberals" would choose Kerry over Bush, but I don't see a good line of argument for anyone to vote for Bush. Here's why:

-Bush is not fiscally conservative or even responsible. He has squandered our surplus and created the worst deficit in history all the while cutting needed social programs.

-Bush is a DIVIDER NOT A UNITER. This country is more polarized than any time in recent history, perhaps since the Civil War.

-Our supposed increased security is a fallacy. We have turned Iraq (a secular country whose Muslim population never embraced martyrdom) into a terrorist breeding ground, while all but ignoring Iran and North Korea, fostering a deeply dangerous and inappropriate relationship with Saudi Royals and leaving Afghanistan in the cold. Oh yeah, where's Osama Bin Ladin?

-There were/are no WMD. Saddam Hussein (while a creep) was not an immediate threat to the U.S. and had not attacked anyone else for several years. By bucking international opinion and the UN on the basis of our "intelligence" Bush took a huge chance with our international reputation AND LOST. We are now virtually alone in our efforts to protect ourselves.

-Though I support a woman's right to choose, the only issue for which I can see a voter choosing Bush is the legality of abortion. However, I do not believe that George W. Bush values human as much as his position might imply. My basis? He executed more than 150 people in his tenure as governor. Let us remember that just because someone is pro-choice doesn't mean that he or she is pro-abortion. Let's work together at getting at the root causes of unplanned pregnancies rather than pass laws which do little to discourage abortions and much to make them more dangerous.

There are many more flaws which I could visit as I have those above, but mostly I just want to say to anyone who may be on the fence with regard to their vote this election: Please consider the motivations of a man so closely tied to the defense and energy industries and don't let this administration scare you into voting for a man who serves only the richest among us.

2004-08-31T12:11:00.000-05:00

Great Quote

Thanks to Miss Meghan McKevitt and her seventh grade Language Arts class for this gem ...

"Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets afterthem."

2004-08-31T08:35:00.000-05:00

Some of the Worst Song Lyrics Ever

Avril Lavigne inspired me to post this little list of some of the worst song lyrics I've heard.

"My Happy Ending"

by Avril Lavigne.

This one's pretty bad overall, but I think "Don't leave me hanging In a city so dead Held up so high On such a breakable thread" has got to be the worst part. She a notorious bad-lyric-writer, but this new song really takes it to a new level.

"Riders on the Storm"

by The Doors

This one is really more of a "shout out" to Mr. Mike McAvoy. Who, in response to my high school sophomore essay on how Jim Morrison was underrated as a poet, wrote in the margin of my paper "I don't know, Burns ' There's a killer on the road. His brain is squirming like a toad' ." I have to admit that's pretty bad.

"Ironic"

by Alanis Morissette

This one has been discussed before, but it certainly deserves note. Here are just a few of the bad yet not ironic things in her song "Ironic": "a black fly in your chardonnay," "good advice that you just didn'tt take," A traffic jam when youre already late." Maybe "ironic" is defined differently in Canadian English.

Blurry

by Puddle of Mud

The song opens "Everything's so blurry And everyone's so fake And everybody's empty And everything is so messed up." This is a popular rock group right now, but I just think if you're over 14 and you can't find a better way to describe a situation than "everything is so messed up," then you shouldn't write it down.

Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)

by Eamon

Seriously, that's the title. It's one thing for a writer to rekindle the feelings of what's it's like to be a jilted eighth-grader, it's another to write like an eighth-grader. It's hard to pick a quote because the whole song is so profoundly bad, but "Fuck all those kisses they didn't mean jack Fuck you, you ho, I don't want you back" might be as good as any. The crazy part is that they play this song on MTV, BET, and top 40 radio. There are more bleeps than lyrics.

Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue

by Toby Keith

There are probably a lot of country songs that could make the list, but this one is a doosey. I think Bush played this one as his "intro music" when he gave his speech to the UN. "You'll be sorry that you messed with the US of A 'Cuz we'll put a boot in your ass It's the American way." You're really doin' us proud, Toby.

If you liked my list, check out this one. It's much more comprehensive and controversial. I'm sure some of your favorite songs are on there. I know a couple of mine were. "Imagine", come on!

2004-08-24T15:38:00.000-05:00

Late Summer Shout Outs (Burns's Music Choices Lately):
Recently, I recieved a quite generous gift of an IROC MP3 player from Mrs. Carol McKevitt, so here are the artists in my MP3 player now:

Modest Mouse

Method Man

Pearl Jam

Kanye West

Wilco

Nick Drake

2004-08-23T13:08:00.000-05:00

Ahring on his finger ...

Ben Ahring is a married man. I'm pretty sure he and Michelle are happy about that, judging by the big smiles on their faces, but I know I had a great time. I got to see "the group" and they all got to meet Meghan. I was accused a few times of "dating up," a charge I can hardly defend. I certainly took my share of ribbing, but all in all they took it pretty easy on me, and I was really glad to see everyone. I felt at home having so much BS floating around. "Who was there" you may ask? Chad Erickson made the long trip from the city of angels in California. It was a good thing that he hasn't gained any weight, otherwise it may have been more difficult for me to carry him to the house Friday night. It came as no suprise that Dean Caras won our little poker tourney. It also came as no suprise that, even though he brought the cards and chips, Josh got pissed and refused to play and eventually came around. It was suprising the Nathan Brewer kept most of his clothes on. Lance Edmund was cool, calm, and collected at all times as was Troy Swanson who quite predictably cheated at the game and equally predictably delivered a polished comic gem of a Best Man speech at the reception. This cast of characters and many more friendly faces made the weekend great. Lots of drinks, lots of stories, lots of laughs, my best friends, and my favorite girl, it sounds cheesy, but it doesn't get much better than that.

2004-08-23T12:44:00.000-05:00

Napoleon Dynamite

A new novel exploring what the world might be like if a certain little Frenchmen would've had access to Nobel's 1863 invention? No. Napoleon Dynamite is a new film written and directed by Jared Hess and starring John Heder. If you are looking for a one liners to pass around the keg at your next house party or on the golf course, this is not the comedy you're looking for. But, if you appreciate really random "just funny cause' it is" kind of humor, this is a must see. I laughed my ass off and many times I wasn't even sure why. For example, even for a vegetarian, it's really funny to see a guy (riding a bike with his friend on the pegs no less) get drilled in the face with a steak from 10 yards. I personally enjoyed Pedro , too. Pedro (Effren Ramirez) was the FFA student astute enough to recognize that the cow he was judging shouldn't have 5 teats on its utter but rather "like four." The costuming and design in this one were excellent too. Thanks to Katie McKevitt for going with me to see it. We had a blast.

2004-08-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

Welcome Back

It was not my initial intention to have my blog be a school-year thing, but, as it turns out, it is. Just as I am welcomed back by the University of Iowa, I welcome back the Burns-Blog-Readers. Today I renew my attempts to keep you all informed as to the goings-on in my day-to-day life and also to offer brief glimpses into the chaotic alter universe which is my mind.

2004-05-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

Quotes

Here are some quotes I believe are especially pertinent right now:

The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war. -Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us. - Thich Nhat Hanh

Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush; anxious for greater developments and greater wishes and so on; so that children have very little time for their parents; Parents have very little time for each other; and the home begins the disruption of the peace of the world. -Mother Teresa

Either war is obsolete or men are. -R. Buckminster Fuller

Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence.
-Mahatma Gandhi

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. - Buddha

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. - Thich Nat Hahn

2004-05-04T08:12:00.000-05:00

Stolen Statues

To all my friends in Chicago, I have to apologize. We here in Iowa City have blatantly stolen the Cow Statue idea that is now over five years old. We know have Herky on Parade. Evidently we are more concerned with saturating our environment. According to the 2000 census (via Chicago Public Library )The Chicago metro area population is 8,000,000. Chicago place 300 hundred statues around town. According to the same census (via the City of Iowa City) the Iowa City "metro area" population is 80,000. We have 75 Herkies. Seems a little disproportionate. Anyway, I'm not negative. There are a couple of cool statues. I personally like the Harry Carey Herky and the Samurai Herky.

2004-04-22T17:47:00.000-05:00

Oh My God.

Ok, I can excuse this totally immature yet unbelievably hilarious post because I just posted an NPR link. Go to the Chapelles Show site via the following link to watch "Celebrity Trial Jury Selection." I thought it was kind of funny until the very end of the clip when Dave goes of. Gold. I nearly "digitally pissed" myself. If you like that clip check out My Baby's Momma and Wu Tang Financial

2004-04-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

This American Life

I am an addict. I listen to the RealPlayer streams before I go to bed. So, I have heard at least the first half hour of virtually every show. The shows are always thoughtful and often provocative and funny. Here are some of my favorites. GO to www.thislife.org and enter one of the episode numbers or titles below in the search window. All the episodes since the show's creation are available for free on the site.

Allure of the Mean Friend --- Episode 245

The Fix Is In --- Episode 168

Hoaxing Yourself --- Episode 155

Babysitting --- Episode 175

Like it or Not --- Episode 248

2004-04-21T17:20:00.000-05:00

All in 24 hours. Seriously, 24 hours.

Basra

Riyadh

Gaza

We, the average citizens of the world, are a candle. We are being burned at both ends. At one end by religious extremists that will attack anyone who even remotely resembles "the enemy" and at the other by governments who serve only the richest among us. I'm not sure what exactly needs to be done on a macro level, as there are no clean, easy answers to these quagmires we've created. But, I do know what I plan to do on a micro level and what I suggest anyone reading this to do. I'm going to Pray, meditate, reflect and talk to anyone I can. I'm going to focus on our similarities and what's right with us. I know one thing: Extremism, whether its religious (of any religion), Nationalistic, or any other type of extremism will not help. Extremism with its hyperpolarity, easy short-term answers, and fiery rhetoric is the ROOT CAUSE of the terrible situations we face on the international scene; it is most certainly not the solution. I won't let people tell me that terrorists hate freedom, I don't accept the idea that because these conflicts have been going on for a long time there is no hope. There is always hope. Even in my grief there is hope.

Nothing in Man's world has ever been truly invented. Every thing that we have physically created is comprised of matter that existed long before that "thing" was grouped and labeled by us. Every piece of "intellectual property" man has pontificated is some realization of the universe as it is and was long before he conceptualized it (our some misinterpretation thereof). All things and all ideas must be constructed within the universe and its laws. Two hundred years ago, one could have argued "we have been fighting infections for thousands of years now. There's no point in attempting to beat bacteria." Enter penicillin. Both the penicillin-sensitive bacteria and the mold from which penicillin is derived existed for thousands, if not millions of years. However, penicillin was not seen as a solution to a problem until a unique set of circumstances combined with thoughtful human endeavor created a prospective in which the reality of the situation could be seen. If this is possible with biological pathogens, it is possible with social ones. If we are mindful, compassionate, aware and resolute we can free ourselves from the problems we've created. It will not be done with bombs, or guns, or flags. It will be done with conversation and increased understanding.

2004-04-20T13:03:00.000-05:00

Inherently Funny

As a scientist, I can tell you that there are some things that, by the natural laws of the universe, are just plain funny: like farts. But these inherently funny things are not limited to the auditory or olfactory realms of the human experience. There are visual images that are just plain funny too. Here are a few:

My friend Bill's Physics professor

Every time I see him

Viking Kittens

Maybe modern missions have softened their approach to evangelism a little

Don't dress them up. Don't make them say cute things. They're funny on their own.

Remembering Happier Times

2004-04-20T12:58:00.000-05:00

A post for people who don't read blogs

Josh Carlson doesn't read blogs because they are "stupid." So he won't mind that I omitted the fact that he and his wife Beth and his baby Noelle came to Troy and Kim's and hung out with us before dinner. He also wont mind that I said he is way too out of shape to do any adventure races this season. Like I said, he won't know because he wont read this.

2004-04-20T12:29:00.000-05:00

The Weekend

It's been nearly a week since my last post. Where have I been? Well, firstly in class. But over the weekend I went to Chicago with Meg ... sort of. Really she dropped me off at Troy and Kim's in the city on Friday and she eventually (after taking a test in the burbs) met up with us for a lovely Saturday evening. While Troy and Kim biked and Meg tested her knowledge during the day, I visited the Uptown branch of the Chicago Public Library where I studied Organic Chemistry. Yes, I'm that dorky (really I'm just behind). Saturday night the four of us went to dinner at a great little Italian restaurant and then to Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind. What a great show. Oh yeah, Kim and Meg knew each other from a swimming program in Hanover park that they both belonged to for years, small world.

On Sunday I got to meet the McKevitt's. They are really nice people and we had a good lunch. Thanks to her dad for not like sharpening knives or cleaning guns or anything. Thanks to Dinky the dog for liking/licking me (as I'm told this is the key element to Mom's approval). Thanks to little sister Katie for the ice cream cone guitar pick. My apologies to the entire family for teaching little brother/aspiring guitarist Pat to play dueling banjos.

All in all it was a lot of fun, good people, good food, good entertainment.

2004-04-14T18:49:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Burns Political Playhouse

OK, the press conference today. First off, can someone say "sham." I was going to do an intelligent post with links to issues which the Bush administration has either flip-flopped on its own position and/or a reversed long standing precedent (like who testifies how and when, why the hell we went to war, the extent of executive privilege, the legal rights of US citizens labeled enemy combatants, "nation-building," the list goes on). However, I thought it would be more fun to publish a transcript of the conversation Ariel Sharon and Bush had before their press conference today. Bush's parts are to be read with my mediocre Bush impression voice and sharing are to be read in my really bad generic Israeli accent.

Bush: Artimus, man, you aint doing so good in the polls. Hell, neitherm' I. Got any ideas?

Sharon: Actually, yeah. I've this idea for peace where the Palestinians stop doing bad stuff and we probably would too and we would keep a wall up and we would keep settlements in the West Bank refuse re-entry of Palestinian refugees.

Bush: Have ya talked to the 'stinians?

Sharon: Not yet. I've been meaning to, but their phone is always busy, something about the phone line are down you know. And then my kid was in jail. And then we sort killed the spiritual leader of Hamas and things were a little awkward. But, its been a couple of weeks so, I'm sure they're cool with it.

Enter well-intended moderate conservative cabinet member (I'm convinced there's at least one but (s)he just gets ignored all the time): Mr President, that would be a direct reversal of the United States consistent position to support only middle-east peace plans that eventually remove Jewish settlements from Palestine.

Bush: Have you been out sick the past four years? My admineristrerashun has never been concerned with precedent, legal our otherwise. We have to fight Tara. I've spent close to a bagillion dollars plus all the silver from my personal Texas Ranger's piggy bank to fight this war on Tara and we still don't even know her last name!

Exit well-intended moderate conservative cabinet member (and reason).

Azrael, you think this plan's really going to work?

Sharon: I don't know. I mean you unveiled a unilateral plan to deal with a difficult situation without considering the people it most directly affected or consulting the international community and the whole Iraq thing seems to be going pretty well for you. I mean you haven't even had to use conscripts yet.

Bush: Heh, heh. I don't mean to brag, but things are pretty good. You check out that Saddam lice-check video? Pretty frickin' hilarious man. Ya know, I think you're right. People want leadership. They want you to show em yer not afraid afraid of Tara, or any other woman. Hey, Areola, you got any real big missiles. Them things sure do the trick if you wanna give people some freedom.

Sharon: That's a good idea, but we're running a little low. Could you send me some more?

Bush: Sure thing, Artichoke. Call my buddy Tom at Lockheed Martin and tell em' I told you to mention the Spring heavy payload liquidation sale. You can use my saver card. Anyhoo, let's set up a joint press conference so we can pitch this thing. I can pretend that I have no interest in offering you my support for your political gain cause' you don't need any help. You can pretend like my administration has been doing um ... stuff ? since that press conference we had at the real cool sand-golf outfit in Egyptstine last summer. Hey, maybe one of them press fellas knows how to get a hold of Tara! Come on, let's go shopping for blue neck ties.

2004-04-14T18:33:00.000-05:00

Shout Outs

Here are the artists I'm listening to lately. As they say chiggy check:

Talib Kweli

Ani DiFranco

Finley Quaye

Weezer

Jimmy Cliff

Los Lonely Boys

2004-04-14T16:01:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Last night was a good time. Richard D. Burns has now ripened for 60 earth years. Whoa, Dad. Myself, and many of his friends, colleagues and constituents were brought in at the tail end of the Tri-county Cruisers Car Club meeting for a surprise birthday party. Dad, was quite shocked and it was a lot of fun to make him blush. Kudos to Shirley for her clandestine planning. The evening was doubly good for me because Dad, Shirley, and Grandma got to meet Meg. For those of you who don't know Meg, I'm sure its just a matter of time, as I think she's going to be around for a long time. A fact, I might add, which is immensely pleasing to me. I think it was good for Meg because she not only got to see photographic evidence (provided by a nice photo collage) of my "Dick Burns Baseball Cap Angle Intoxication Monitor" hypothesis but she also got to eat at La Roma's Pizza. What a treat.

2004-04-12T13:18:00.000-05:00

Hey Fratie

Since I seem to have so many "Greek" friends. I have posted a hilarious homage to frat boys from the folks at homestarrunner.com. Go to the email title "theme party" (you'll have to scroll down). Thanks to Patty for showing me this site.

2004-04-12T12:49:00.000-05:00

Studying

Greetings, friends. Much time has passed since my last post. Sorry, Troy. I've had some tests recently. Most of my time has been spent on a Biology test. To let you all in on how I spend my time. I've taken a few of the questions for the test and posted them here.

Some topical HIV/Immune system questions from Dr Frankel:

4. In a nuclear-cloning experiment in mice, the nucleus of an unfertilized mouse egg is removed and replaced by a diploid nucleus from a donor mouse. Suppose that the diploid nucleus comes from a mature B lymphocyte. Imagine that the egg with this nuclear transplant develops into an adult mouse that can make B lymphocyes.

a. Would that mouse be able to mount a normal immune response to a variety of foreign antigens? no (1 point)

b. Explain your answer to part (a), including a brief description of the mechanism(s) involved. (4 points)

5. A provirus is a form of viral DNA that is “integrated into the cell’s genome” (Campbell & Reece, p. 335). HIV is a virus that can exist as a provirus. Yet the nucleic acid of an infective HIV virus particle is single-stranded RNA, not DNA.

Assume that an HIV virus has infected a cell and released its RNA into the cell cytoplasm. Outline the steps between the single-stranded HIV viral RNA and the double-stranded HIV-derived provirus. You may answer either with words alone or with the help of a diagram, but if you use a diagram you MUST label it properly. [Hint: The HIV virus particle includes an enzyme along with its RNA. This enzyme and its function should be a part of your answer, but it is not the whole answer] (6 points)

A topical (and much easier) global warming questions from Dr Klahn:

18. 'Greenhouse' pollutants causes warming primarily because these pollutants increase
a. in concentration in compartments because they cannot be used in biological reactions.
b. heat released as a byproduct of photosynthesis.
c. heat released as a byproduct of respiration.
d. the transparency of the earth's atmosphere to visible light.
e. the reflection of infrared light from the atmosphere to Earth's surface.

2004-04-07T12:37:00.000-05:00

Best The Economist cover ever! Check out the April 3rd cover of The Economist.

As long as I'm on the issue of Bush (the bad kind not the good kind) I'll recycle this link that Troy Swanson posted a few months ago. Its worth checking out for laughs but check out this site (which I found out about originally through the "too stupid" site) for something a little more meaningful, a cool organization called True Majority .

2004-04-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

Jason Burns Sings Today's Hits

I played at Iowa City's "The Mill" last night. It was a rare solo ELECTRIC performance. It was fun to get the old fender out, but I'll be back to the acoustic next time. For those of you who are far away and could not attend, I am posting my set list.

"Low" - Cracker

"Bright Light" - Burns

"Sweeter Everyday" - Finley Quaye

"Ride the Wave" - Burns

"Your Body is Wonderland" - John Mayer

"Shining Platter" - Burns

"Please Bleed" - Ben Harper

2004-04-02T10:56:00.000-06:00

Foolishness in April

This post is an homage to what is either a beautiful union or a beautiful lie, I appreciate both on occasion. So, I will now post the following "Vegas" Odds:

Poker - A royal flush (on the first deal) = 119,569 to 1

Black Jack - The dealer showing two cards whose sum is 21 = 12 to 1

Craps - Rolling "lucky" number 7 = 6 to 1

Slots - Winning on a 3-reel machine = 643 to 1

Weddings - Ratio of Marriages to divorces in 1995 = 2:1

2004-03-31T11:52:00.000-06:00

It's the credibility, Stupid.

Oh, Condie. Boy I'm sure glad this whole 9/11 investigation has lived up the Bush Administration's promise of an a-political investigation. Now, they're willing to talk after even the Republican's in congress won't play along with their hiding. Gee, guys thanks for being so forthcoming. Anyway, this reminds me of the Chapell's Show when they did the "Race Draft" sketch; when the White's attempted to draft Colin Powell the Black's conceded, but only if the White's agreed to take Condoleezza Rice also. Brilliant! Check out the link to Chapell's show so those of you who are sick of me saying "this one time on Chapell's Show" can see what I'm talking about.

2004-03-31T11:22:00.000-06:00

Wine in a Box

I was reminded recently when a friend who shall remain nameless (Ali ... oops) had an "interesting" experience with wine in a box that certain food and drink items that are not inherently disgusting on their own can suddenly become disgusting when packaged in the right, or I guess wrong way. Enjoy

A WHOLE Chicken in a can

Milk in a Bag

Box o' beef

2004-03-31T11:04:00.000-06:00

Chris Wille is Registered Democrat

This post is a pat on the back for myself and my roommate, Devin Johnson. Chris Wille self-described conservative, the man whose solution to every social issue is "they should just shoot the bastards," the guy who is disappointed that his SUV doesn't burn more fossil fuels, is ... a registered democrat. Well, Wille it's out there for the world to see. When I convince him to join the ACLU, I'll post a picture of his card.

2004-03-21T21:11:00.000-06:00

THANKS FRIENDS

It's been a while since my first post. Where is Mr. Burns you may have been wondering. I have just returned from a splendid spring break holiday. My friends proved to be gracious hosts. Troy Swanson and Kim Craig put me up the evening before I traveled to see Chad, Kate and Malone Erickson in Van Nuys, California. The Erickson's and I had a lot of fun scampering about the greater Los Angeles area. I returned to Chicago on St. Patricks day and had a great time with Troy and Kim there. All in all it was a great spring break, now I must return to my studies of Organic Chemistry.

2004-03-10T13:01:00.000-06:00

It's a Blog ... Cool

It seems that all the cool kids are doing the blog thing. Kurt Cobain said "I'd rather die than be cool." I really don't want to die. So, I try to be cool instead