TTK Ciar's Journal: Minor Jibber-Jabber

These Are Minor Journal Entries so don't expect too much from them, 'k?

2006-11-11: Yet Another Critter (Sorta)

My wife really loves me! I know this because she caught a big, nasty spider and gave it to me, even though she fears big, nasty spiders. (I mean, really and truly fears -- she isn't your stereotypical girlie female most ways, but when a spider emerges from the dark corners of her critter-room she screams and has me come in to dispose of it!)

I've named her Sil, and we set her up in a spare critter-keeper with some moss and a twig. She's happily hanging out in one corner of it in her web, occasionally feasting on the crickets and flies we put in there with her. I got into the practice of catching flies in the early morning stumbling-around still-waking-up hours when I had my first spider, and it's coming back pretty easily now. I'm using the Too Much Coffee Man method of waiting for a fly to land on a flat surface, then putting my hand edge-down over that surface, and sweeping it quickly through the air just an inch above the fly in a grasping motion. The first thing flies do when they sense danger is leap straight up and then get their wings going, so they fall into my hand quite nicely.

-- TTK

2006-11-05: Stray Political Thoughts

It seems to me that the basis of "progressive" ideology is the idea that human beings have not yet lived the best life they possibly can, and that we can progress into a better life, one that has never been lived before. Liberalism is a type of progressivism, but with a (IMO) fucked-up idea of what "better" means, and of what constitutes "progress".

Along these lines, the basis of "conservative" ideology is that the best life humanity can hope for is either already here, or was lived at some time in the past (or at least, that the life humans once lived was better than what we have today). It can express itself in the form of wanting to preserve what is good about the status quo, which is (IMO) understandable and laudable. Unfortunately there are also some really messed-up, evil elements in modern conservatism which I cannot overlook.

I think the essence of "neo-conservatism" is that the "past" which is held up as the ideal towards which humanity should strive is actually fictional, and never actually existed. So in a twisted way, neo-conservatives are actually progressives, but they appeal to conservative sensibilities to dishonestly further their agendas.

As a libertarian anarchist, I consider myself a progressive. I have some ideas of how mankind might live in a better world than any we have yet seen. Unfortunately in this hyper-polarized modern America, idealism is often overlooked. People are preoccupied instead with the struggle between liberals and conservatives to control the resources and people of the world. Both sides have taken a position of "you're either with us, or against us", and see me as just another wasted vote, helping the other side by not pitching in with their side.

That doesn't bother me, though. What bothers me is that so few people are keeping their eye on the prize. What good is it if "your guy" wins the election, if the ideals your guy upholds are antithetical to justice? I believe I have my priorities straight, by putting my ideals first.

-- TTK

2006-11-01: The Joys of Semi-Rural Living

I live in a semi-rural area, where neighbors are far away, the streets are unlit, and the wildlife runs pretty wild. This combination provides ample opportunity for hillarity.

One neighbor has a halogen light in their front yard, which is so bright it hurts my eyes from our own yard, a couple hundred meters away. Fortunately there are some trees and bushes between us, so the light only shines through in patches. I have never liked this light, cursed it constantly, and have considered asking them to change it somehow, or "change" it myself with a rifle. But all that changed last Monday.

I was taking out the trash Monday night, in a bit of a mood, when I saw a dark shape slinking across the unlit street. It was about the right shape and mass for Sam, our big doofus "gorilla-cat", and I thought maybe I'd get behind him and shout "boo!" or something, and watch him levitate up a tree for my amusement.

So I crept up on the shape, and had raised my arms and filled my lungs with air just as it was passing through one of those patches of light from the neighbor's halogen to reveal not Sam's grey hair, but black hair. Black hair marked by two white stripes. Stripes pointing directly at me. It looked something like this.

I froze in my tracks as surely as the breath froze in my lungs. I backed away sloooooowly, not daring to make a sound. Making good my escape, I reflected that should I ever meet the neighbor who installed that halogen, I just might kiss them.

-- TTK

2006-10-31: Never, Ever Do This

I like my soda cold and flat, so I opened a diet 7up and put it in the freezer. I forgot about it, and it froze solid. So I put it on the stove to thaw it back out. Soda was forgotten, and I heard it start to boil. Soda was pulled off the stove, and when it had cooled slightly I put it back in the freezer. When it was cold again, I chugged it.

I think the boiling did something to it.

Something horrible.

It tasted normal enough, a little stronger than usual, but soon afterwards I grew nauseous.

The nausea grew. Oh dear gr0d, it grew.

I'll spare you what came afterwards. Anyway, take it from me, don't ever, ever do that.

-- TTK