nowalmart ([personal profile] nowalmart) wrote2007-02-03 06:16 pm
Entry tags:

On this and that...

Really, I kept meaning to write up an end-of-2006 wrap-up, and I just never got around to it.

So much changed during this past December-January, and so much of it stayed the same.

I am still alive and well in the Virgin Islands. I still work the same job I had in November.

A few things to remind people what I am normally like in this journal:

* First, and most importantly, Barack Obama. I say "most importantly" in regards to this person in a very dissimilar way to most people who are throwing his name around. I have major issues with Sen. Obama. The word "issues" is probably the most important word in that last sentence. For the life of me, I cannot find out where the Senator stands on almost any issue! Alright, so I know he is against the war in Iraq, and that is all nice and good. And he has always been opposed to the war in Iraq. That is very commendable of him. Where is he on almost any other issue?

Check out The Democratic Party's webpage, for example. There is a nice "Agenda" link with major issues, and their stances on them. Now go to Sen. Clinton's Senate webpage. Again, an "On the Issues" link that takes you to a page listing the Senator's views on a wide variety of issues.

Try the same on Sen. Obama's Presidential Exploratory Committee webpage. Or on his Senate webpage.

I find it extremely scary that this many people are willing to get behind a politician who seems to be going out of his way to hide his stance on a great number of topics. Suppose you learned that he voted against increasing funding for Amtrak, despite talking about how we need to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. Or that he voted in favor of continuing the USA PATRIOT Act? I mean, you all are the same people that were up in arms after watching "Fahrenheit 9/11", correct?

I am fine with people voting their beliefs, I just want people to do some research and make sure that Sen. Obama's stances, whatever they might be, match those of the people in his grassroots campaign.

* Next, we come to my future. I had set a "end of January" deadline for figuring out what I was going to be doing post-VI. Due to some things that were in the process of changing at the end of January, I was unable to meet that deadline, and therefore gave myself a two week extension to figure it all out. I am very close to a final decision, and I will let everyone know what it is when everything gets finalized. To give you a sneak-peek, it looks like I will be returning stateside, probably on 1 May 2007.

On a related note, my roommate might be staying on island after I leave. If you are interested in spending a few months in an apartment on St. Thomas, definitely get in touch with me.

* It looks at least probable that I will return to working at a Fruit Stand sometime this year. Location is definitely not set (see above), but we will see.

* Other things are going on in my life, and I might write a more private entry on those events. Things have been a bit rocky recently, but they seem to be working out well for now.

* I was pleased to see that Adium v1.0 was released yesterday. I installed it a few minutes ago, and while some of the new user interface is taking some getting used to, I am pleased with some of the advances. Being able to sort chat logs based on aliases is worth the upgrade alone. Yet another example of an outstanding GPL program.

* In other tech news, my eyeTV 200 recently blew itself up. I am in the process of mailing it off to el gato, and it looks like I will be getting an eyeTV 250 in exchange. I am really looking forward to getting a working one, since I recently found some software to help with the eyeTV software that looks really exciting. I anticipate playing around and hacking with that software. The software looks a little old, but I am really hoping I can get it working with the newer versions of eyeTV.

* It looks like I will be in the Atlanta area for my spring break (the first week of March) and would like to see people. Details forthcoming (as in "after I buy the plane ticket").

Hopefully I will get a couple more updates posted in the next couple of days, but I did want to get everyone caught up with what is going on.

[identity profile] digopheliadug.livejournal.com 2007-02-03 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I find the new adium totally shiny! Of course, that's mostly 'cause of the redesigned ducky icon. ^_^

Don't scream quite yet.

[identity profile] brian christiansen (from livejournal.com) 2007-02-04 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I cannot find out where the Senator stands on almost any issue!

It's a little early to bug out on this. I mean he hasn't officially announced, right? He's formed an exploratory committee. So thus far, you can only look at his voting record as a state senator in Illinois and as a Senator in the US Senate, although he hasn't been there for long. Also, one thing he's really noted for is his opposition to the Iraq war, and there is archival video of him speaking at pre-war protests in Chicago.

I think it's a little early to condemn him. I think he has a lot of potential. But even if it doesn't feel like it, it's still a long way from election day. And even if he becomes a perfect candidate, there's nothing a little media-invented-hubbub can't crush at the last minute. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dean#Iowa_results_and_the_.22Dean_Scream.22)

Re: Don't scream quite yet.

[identity profile] nowalmart.livejournal.com 2007-02-04 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
I mean he hasn't officially announced, right?

True, but he is asking for money (https://secure.barackobama.com/).

I suppose the problem I have with all of it is the blind devotion to him. I am fine with people supporting candidates I do not agree with, but I have a major issue with ignorance in American politics.

[identity profile] bigpeteb.livejournal.com 2007-02-05 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
Wait, you're coming to Atlanta for spring break? That's an amusing reversal. (And I still intend to visit you in the VI, probably in April. Now that I'm not so busy I can start looking at tickets for that myself.)