Radical Conformity

Dear Valve,

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Portal is one of the greatest most fun games I’ve ever played. Also thanks to the OMM guys for making it so damn funny. I can’t wait until there is a sequel to this game. Aside from being a bit on the short side (3-4 more hours would have been fantastic) it’s perfect.

SPOILER ALERT!!

Here’s the lyrics to one of the funniest parts (and a bit disturbing as well) in the game: The end credits.

This was a triumph
I’m making a note here
HUGE SUCCESS
It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction
Aperture Science

we do what we must because we can
for the good of all of us except for the ones who are dead
but there’s no sense crying over every mistake
you just keep on trying until you run out of cake
and the science gets done and you make a neat gun
for the people who are still alive

I’m not even angry
I’m being so sincere right now
even though you broke my heart and killed me
and torn into pieces
and threw every piece into a fire
as they burned it hurt because I was so happy for you!
Now these points of data make a wonderful line
and we’re out of beta, we’re releasing on time
so I’m glad I got burned
Think of all the things we learned for the people that are still alive

go ahead and leave me
I think I prefer to stay inside
maybe you’ll find someone else to help you
maybe black mesa
that was a joke, haha, fat chance
anyway this cake is great, it’s so delicious and moist
look at me still talking, when there’s science to do
when I look out there it makes me glad I’m not you
I’ve experiments to run, there is research to be done
on the people who are still alive

and believe me I am still alive
I’m doing science and I’m still alive
I feel FANTASTIC and I’m still alive
While you are dying I’ll be still alive
and when you’re dead I’ll be still alive
STILL ALIVE, still alive.

Hilarity. If you search the internets you can find an mp3 of the file. I’ve set the last verse as a ringtone on my iPhone already since the song is always in my head.

Now I suppose I should get back to work now since it is my last day and all, plus I need to go find some cake.

I’ve added a new RSS feed that shows the 10 most recent soldiers we’ve lost.

Im not going to politicize this at all other than to say, like the war or not, the troops are doing their best and they’ve all got family and friends worried about them. If you know a friend that has family or friends over there give them some support and love.

Even if you don’t have anyone you personally know out on the front lines, get in touch with the USO, Red Cross or any other aid organization and send a care package and help them keep the faith so to speak over there.

Peace

It’s been awhile since I have had time to post anything and I was hoping to have time in the near future to post something, tragically I get to post about someone I know dying yet again.

Our good friend Mike Baloga (also the godfather of our son) was killed while serving in Iraq. This is totally shitastic. One of the nicest all around people I’ve ever known and he joined the military to make sure his daughter Isis would be able to have a college education.

I remember hitting it off with Mike right away when Zoe first introduced us. From that moment on I felt like he was my brother. Hanging out with Mike at parties or just kicking back at his house or mine playing video games, watching tv or just being silly in general was one of the best things about living in Seattle. It was just a couple of months ago that he emailed to make sure we got a hold of him when he was back visiting again so he could meet his godson. I’m going to close out this post with a quick letter to Mike himself.

Dear Mike,

Dude you were always my favorite internet boyfriend (inside joke) and you’ll always be in my thoughts and heart. We miss you buddy and promise to be there for Isis anytime she needs us. Wish you’d had time to meet your godson but I’m sure you’re looking down on him from somewhere in that rave in the sky (say hey to Jimi, Janice and Jim for us will ya).

Peace and Love to ya,

Chris, Zoe and Alexandr.

Moving on down the road to start a glorious new job in suny Klamath Falls, Oregon. I’m now working as the IT manager for the Herald & News Newspaper. Very exciting opportunity. I’ll be spending the next 5 weeks working in the old offices of the paper before taking up my regular residence in the gorgeous new building under construction now.

This is a pretty major relocation that I have to say I’m very excited about. Not only will I be working in a Mac dominated office (90% of the machines are Macs) but I’ll also be living just down the road from two of my best friends in all the world: Jason and Angela. I went to school with Jason and Angela (his wife) is also a drum corps fan.

I’m looking forward to having more time with the family, friends and also living in a place where time is valued as opposed to thrown towards “exciting distractions du jour”. I look forward to a little camping, some hiking and just generally living life with those I love.

This is likely my last blog post (yeah it’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted here but hey, babies are REALLY into attention) until we get a bit more settled in. So far this hasn’t been the easiest move but once it’s finished I’m sure it’ll be one of the better moves overall.

Either way I write it the title sounds like a piano abusing a cat. I give up trying to make it work. Anyways here’s a cat sitting at a piano and playing music (or what passes for such to a very cute cat that reminds me of my dear Ryo-oki)

A new law being considered in Washington state are going to “save families” yet again by trying to pass a really dumb piece of law that would make being fertile a requirement of marriage. I think it’s brilliant.

From their site:

“The Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance seeks to defend equal marriage in this state by challenging the Washington Supreme Court’s ruling on Andersen v. King County. This decision, given in July 2006, declared that a “legitimate state interest” allows the Legislature to limit marriage to those couples able to have and raise children together. Because of this “legitimate state interest,” it is permissible to bar same-sex couples from legal marriage.

The way we are challenging Andersen is unusual: using the initiative, we are working to put the Court’s ruling into law. We will do this through three initiatives. The first would make procreation a requirement for legal marriage. The second would prohibit divorce or legal separation when there are children. The third would make the act of having a child together the legal equivalent of a marriage ceremony.

Absurd? Very. But there is a rational basis for this absurdity. By floating the initiatives, we hope to prompt discussion about the many misguided assumptions which make up the Andersen ruling. By getting the initiatives passed, we hope the Supreme Court will strike them down as unconstitutional and thus weaken Andersen itself. And at the very least, it should be good fun to see the social conservatives who have long screamed that marriage exists for the sole purpose of procreation be forced to choke on their own rhetoric.”

So if I have this correct this law will invalidate any marriage between a man and a woman who for whatever reasons are incapable of having children? Post menopause? Sterile? HIV positive and smart enough to not have children? No marriage for you.

I like the bit about “prohibiting divorce”. So sorry all of you domestic violence victims, because you had a child you’re stuck with the person who beats and tortures you. This group think it’s better for your kids that you have a black eye and bleed internally.

At first glance this seems like a standard rightwing inspired piece of idiocy. It even got me at first. But when you read this bit on the site:

“Each of the initiatives we get passed will, no doubt, be struck down as unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court. Good; that is our ultimate goal. Each ruling against these initiatives will also be a ruling against the basis for keeping the state’s Defense of Marriage Act. Eventually, Andersen will fall apart under the weight of judicial opinion, and equal marriage – the marriage which we seek to defend – shall become a reality in this state.

The first of our initiatives, which would make procreation a requirement for legal marriage in Washington, was submitted to Secretary of State Sam Reed on January 9, 2007. On January 22, the final draft was accepted and assigned the serial number 957. To make the November ballot, we need to collect 224,880 valid signatures. To cover the likelihood that not all of the signatures will be valid, we have set a goal of 280,000.

For many years, social conservatives have claimed that marriage exists solely for the purpose of procreation. The Washington Supreme Court echoed that claim in their lead ruling on Andersen v. King County. The time has come for these conservatives to be dosed with their own medicine. If same-sex couples should be barred from marriage because they can not have children together, it follows that all couples who can not or will not have children together should equally be barred from marriage. And this is what the Defense of Marriage Initiative will do.”

This is the type of fight I can really get behind. Good luck Gregory on getting enough signatures. Hilarity. (this is still tagged socio-idiotics not because of the idea being idiotic but because the people who think this is a valid idea to protect marriage are idiots. Love is what marriage is about not kids, or god)

So I didn’t really post anything about the Adult Swim “OMG BOMB THREAT!!!” insanity that’s been happening this week because it’s already been covered all over the ‘net.

I did however while trying to find a picture of the “omg bomb!!!” er Mooninite stumble across this hilarity:

I know that they were going for a”hah sarcasm!” feel with that but in light of the last two days it really underscores the groundless panic idiocy of most of the municipal folks in Boston.

So while out running some errands and picking up groceries for dinner (I made stew) I got t-boned by some kid pulling into the Albertson’s parking lot at 35-40mph. We exchanged info but he seems to think it’s my fault (it’s not).
I was sitting stopped waiting to turn right out of the driveway and he  was pulling into the driveway. Unless through some quirk of basic physics I materialized in his path from nothingness the fault lies with him.

Currently I can’t close/open the drivers side doors and the dome lights had to be unplugged to stay off. He managed to hit me perfectly square between the front and back doors. I’m hoping the damage is limited to the doors and won’t require structural replacement.

Luckily it was just me in the car, Xander was at home with his mom catching some Z’s.  I’d already let another car go past me in front and if the guy hadn’t going so fast he wouldn’t have hit me.

Here’s a quick graphic of the position of our cars when he hit me (the guy never even hit his brakes until after he hit me):

I have no doubt that the insurance adjuster will agree that the other guy was at fault and I can get my beloved turtle up and running well again soon. More on this later.

Another oldie but goodie video