The In-crowd

The past few years, I've been noticing an increase in the profusion of hipsters and scenesters infesting Provo and Utah County at large. This I find quite amusing, since Provo really has no 'scene' to speak of, and is definitely not hip. Three small bars, a few coffee shops and a pool-hall make up the 'night-life' of our town, and the newly opened club, which I will not even bother naming to give them the free advertising, admits teenagers, immediately rendering it un-hip. And if you're over 20 and hanging out at a club that is filled with teenagers you are either a) a pedophile, b) a loser with nothing better to do or c) a loser pedophile that can't get a ride to a better club in Salt Lake.
The hipsters invariably end up at Denny's or the Rice King for their evening fare, the latter is kept alive by this annoying and useless segment of our populace through some cruel hoax perpetrated by a crueler god. Oh great and terrible Cthulhu, how have be angered thee?!? The only classy joint downtown, Spark, I have heard called 'too hip for Provo.' Most scenesters seem to avoid it anyway, preferring to haunt the few small music venues downtown, crowding around outside, the interior buzzing with teenage chatter and shittily amplified music from the mostly uninspired and uninteresting local bands. They occasionally manage to pull in a decent act, who can't be heard over the mmsing kids and 'cool' college students talking about how this place or that place is soo much better, we should go hang out there instead.
They usually spend their nights wandering downtown like so many tight-jeaned, hair-dyed, ironically-bespectacled zombies, alternately standing in front of the various venues, trying to look cool without looking too cool or comfortable, like, 'Meh, I could go in, but its just not indie/hip/scene enough for me, besides, I spent all my money on this new fedora that doesn't fit properly, We should go get huge plates of fried rice at the King and complain about how all the bands we liked last year all sold out and these new ones we found out about on facebook are so awesome, indie, raw and unique, just like everything else we listen to.'
It hurts my head to keep thinking like a scene kid, so I have to stop before I start combing my hair to the side and growing ironic facial hair. Seriously, are their lives this boring that they have to pretend to have some scrap of anti-culture to cling to just to get through the day? I guess I don't really need to ask that kind of rhetorical question.

Daily Douchebaggery

Today's candidate is a local one, from our own great, sober, inclusive and white Brigham Young University. During a post-game interview, BYU quarterback Max Hall began a rant about the opposing team, proving that sports builds character, just not the right kind, apparently. During the course of his rant he said,
"I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, their fans. I hate everything. It felt really good to send those guys home."
Later, he mentions he doesn't respect them and they deserved to lose, calling the school and its fans classless, showing just how much class and sportsmanship he has. The following day he apologized, sounding far too scripted, and was then reprimanded by the MWC, despite his coach sticking up for him and subtly supporting his hate-filled comments.
Normally, I could care less about sports, particularly football, which seems to earn me male-pariah status in some circles, where sports and football are life. Provo has always had a holier-than-thou attitude about BYU and sports programs, and Ute fans are almost as annoying. The insults and child-like behavior run from both sides, and this 'great rivalry' has been deemed a 'holy war' by some douchebag who doesn't fully understand the connotations and history surrounding that phrase. 'Holy war' killed untold numbers of gentiles, pagans, Muslims and many others over the centuries, and brought terrorism and death to our own soil. Football is just a game, you people need to cool your shit, and take a step back from what you're investing so much into, and realize this. Effigies are soon to come if this continues, and real death soon after. Oh, and Max, you're kind of a douchebag; and dude, you look like an alien.

Don't censor us, censor that!

The GOP keeps creating proof that they will oppose anything the Democrats believe in or support, including Freedom of Speech, particularly via the Internets. Obama has shown support for net neutrality and recently spoke to the Chinese leader about limiting their notorious Internet censorship, nicknamed the Great Firewall. From the very beginning of his presidency, even before he was sworn in, groups like the MPAA have tried to pressure Obama and the FCC to censor the Internet and the RIAA would love to turn it into a virtual police state where nothing is free or easily accessible.
Showing their love and consideration for big business ahead of the actual citizens of this country, Republicans in congress introduced legislation months ago to appease the big ISP's to stymie efforts by the FCC to enforce neutrality and ban restricting or slowing certain types of information sent over the Internet. More recently, AT&T got its shorts in a wad over comments the Obama admin has made concerning any regulations on Internet access. Basically, Republicans are taking sides with companies and media groups over the rights of its own constituents, since they must not pad their pockets as well as the corporations do.
Censoring or filtering the Internet in any way is another step toward limiting our right to freedom of speech and the press, as is done in countries like China, Iran and North Korea, you know, Communist and dictatorship countries. The ones we get along with so well. I guess it really doesn't surprise me much, since conservatives are more likely to ask books to be banned or burned since they don't agree with their set of values, the only ones that matter.

The Conservative Bowel Movement

In the republican movement, the infighting is starting to get serious, and that's the way I like it. The more they bicker and set up failures like Palin, they better off the rest of us will be when their party hopefully collapses. Even Glenn Beck can't help but take shots at Palin, in his own special douchebag, sexist way. And women still listen to him, go figure.
The problem is, the Democrats are doing it as well. They can't pull their collective heads out of whatever ass they have it in, and actually get something done. They let the Repubs stonewall the health-care issue since June, which still hasn't seen a resolution, and conceded many important points just to get something passed.
Meanwhile, the Republican party is increasingly being pushed around by the extreme right, which is disillusioning moderate Conservatives; and their New Republican Contract isn't helping either, which even discredits their Zeus in the pantheon of Conservatives, Ronald Reagan. The Republican party seems bound for a split, in which the far right will break away from the party simply because they aren't being conservative enough.
I hope they do split off, and their ignorant, bible-thumping mouthpieces as candidates, to lure away their equally-minded constituents from the de facto Republican party, ensuring no possibility of a Republican win in 2012. Go ahead, run Palin against Obama and watch what happens. It will only take one debate for those wavering to see how completely inadequate she is to run anything besides a small Alaskan town.

Turkey Hangover 2009

It's been a year since I began this blog, during a long Thanksgiving weekend stuck at home with nothing to do but surf the web and get pissed about the actions and words of various groups of people. It's been a lot of fun, and a lot of work, when I keep it up.
I know my posting can be sporadic at times, and I'm trying to amend that, but don't expect too much. Between work, school (not an excuse this semester) the gym and the girlfriend, I don't have a lot of time to work on this blog. And since I avoid television as much as possible (except for the gym), it's hard to find a lot to write about without a lot of reading.
However, I want to give thanks to the few of you who read this blog at all, and have supported me in keeping it up for the past year. I'm planning another blog I may link here, and finally getting a laptop, which should help e keep up my blogs better. Thank you all for having some vague interest in my opinions.

Things I am also thankful for as recorded elsewhere:

1. Having a job: I know it's been a rough year for a lot of people, including some of my family members, who don't read this blog.
2. Lists: Where would I be without wasting hours reading lists? Six Creepiest Insects? Top Ten lists? Sites like Failblog and People of Walmart? A place a lot less awesome, that's where.
3. The girlfriend: Although she hates me spending a lot of time away from her (i.e. blogging), she supports my writing and other hobbies and has joined my effort to eat healthier.

Daily Douchebaggery

Today, I have two douchebaggery candidates who managed to drive into water in some fashion, one above road level and one below.
Our first soaked motorist is an idiotic gentleman from Texas who managed to veer his million dollar Bugatti into a salt marsh, whilst reaching for a dropped cell phone. Mr. Important couldn't be bothered with stopping to look for the device, but rather let his vehicle drift off the road and into the salty water, which will probably render the car useless. Unless he needs a 1,000 hp paperweight. Good job, douchebag.
Our next inattentive driver is a Floridian woman who lost control of a vehicle at a Tampa airport and crashed into a $200 k aquarium, killing most of the fish. The kicker? She had her six-year-old unbelted, on her lap. Classy move, mom. Next time, stick his ass in the back seat where he belongs and pay attention to the road. Isn't the speed limit in front of airports like 10 mph anyway?
Thank you AP and My Way.

With Love, From Alaska

Palin supporters are out in force this week due her book tour, which had inexplicably made its way to No.1 bestseller on Amazon--before it came out in print. This butterfly effect of blind allegiance and patriotism is being seen everywhere, most specifically in any city the Holy Palin touched down in to do a book signing. Although not sure why they support her, you betcha, they do. In droves.



My favorite line is from the guy in the beanie at about 1:48 who says, "I don't know what she knows or doesn't know." Can ignorant Republicans always be so predictable? It would seem so. But what would happen if she really ran for the presidency and won? SNL gives us a possible look into the future. Thanks HuffPost.

High on LDL

I have a fast-food addiction. Since my teenager years, I have been enamored with the idea of a quick, tasty meal, made cheap by mass production and known by relentless advertising campaigns. McDonald's was one of my first loves, like many innocent, ignorant children fed by hasty working parents with no time to feed their noisy bunch of rugrats. As I grew older and got small jobs, providing me wit some minimal source of income, my fast-food tastes expanded. Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, Carl's Jr., various local chains and such. I loved to eat, willing to try almost anything and everything. Every time a new item menu was introduced, I was sure to be there, cash in hand for a taste at what was 'New' in the health vacuum of the fast-food industry.
Whatever came into popularity in the restaurants, I was sure to try it; ancho/poblano, chipotle, "fresh", spicy, whatever. It was cheap, tasted good, and great for socializing. We all went out, be it for Taco Bell, Wendy's, Del Taco, Carl's Jr., Taco Time, Pizza Hut, even McDonald's, the ultimate in fast-food.
But I eventually began to learn things. Like, fast-food wasn't good for you. We expanded to other, sit-down chain restaurants. Denny's, Outback, Village Inn, anything that said 'buffet'. It wasn't fast-food, so it must have been better. There were a few local favorite holes-in-the-wall we would frequent, but not many. The next six or seven years would remain pretty much the same. Eating out far too often, with very little quality food. It was cheap, and we were relatively poor. We experimented with better, foreign foods, Japanese, Thai, Indian, but the regulars were still staples. Burgers, fries and a Coke.
I also learned a great deal more about fast-food and the fast food industry. I own a copy of Fast Food Nation, I watched Super-Size Me, and have Morgan Spurlock's book, Don't Eat This Book. I contribute to a blog dedicated to finding drinks that are better for you. I know better, but I still have problems eating that which is not good for me. I have tried to stop, but it lasts about a week, and I relapse. I think to myself, 'It's only a burrito. It can't be as bad for me as a cheeseburger. Yes, I will have the sour cream and guacamole.' 'I'll just get a burger, no fries and a lemonade or some tea instead of a Coke.' I made a few baby steps. I don't order soda nearly as often as I used to at restaurants. I'll go for the chicken, pork or fish instead of the beef. I cook at home more often. I work out 2-3 times a week. But I still crave that cheap, easy food.
Me and my equally fast-food addicted girlfriend have begun to make a concerted effort to eat less fast-food, buying groceries and cooking at home instead of going out. It is often cheaper, more fun and interactive than sitting at a restaurant. We do go to restaurants though, but try to avoid fast-food. We often aim for foreign cuisine, since it is usually healthier. It was Japanese this weekend, along with two home-cooked dinners and some quick breakfasts in the kitchen instead of the drive-thru. We've been over a week without ingesting something from that came to us through a small window. We're just taking it day by day.
I am an addict, like many of you, whether or not you realize it. Fast food is not good for you, far from it. Watching Super-Size Me was a great eye opener, and helped to bring about the end of my McDonald's visits. Trying to eat a McGriddle sealed the deal. I never ate there again after ingesting that sin against food. But I found many other sources for my drug. Carl's Jr. and Del Taco remain some of my weak points. Although, after a recent attempt to eat breakfast from Burger King, I believe it will join my list of places I will never eat again. I"m a recovering fast-food junkie, and I know I will always be at risk of relapse. I have easy access to Subway food, though it isn't much better for than any other fast food. I make my own lunches whenever possible, and visit small, local joints when I need a lunch. As long as I have support and a strong will, I may become fast-food free some day. Here's hoping.

Whining and Dining

Here is an excerpt of a great conversation I had this morning with a friend of mine.

Xavier said (10:25 AM):
http://www.winechateau.com/
this is awesome
and shipping is often freeeee
danithius says:
oh ho? Online wine? Are they even allowed to ship to Utah?
Xavier says:
yeah
I can get a case of this really good Zinfandel I like for 65 bucks, free shipping
danithius says:
wow. How much in a case?
Xavier says:
12
danithius says:
holy wow
Xavier says:
about 5.39 a bottle
danithius says:
of that Gallo (sic?) stuff you were talking about?
Xavier says:
yeah
danithius says:
nice man
Xavier says:
oooh, spirits too
danithius says:
circumvent the Utah liquor conglomerate altogether, I dig
Xavier says:
yeah
wait
Domestic State Restrictions
Currently, we are NOT shipping to: Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah.
must be why the shipping was free
danithius says:
arrrg I knew it
hmm or those states are all the ones with puritan alcohol laws
Xavier says:
http://wi.shipcompliant.com/StateDetail.aspx?StateId=65
I got all excited for nothing
danithius says:
felony state?? geez
you can bring in up to a quart, "if all taxes and markups have been paid and clearance is received from the liquor control commission."
you've got to be kidding
Xavier says:
yeah, I learned that in my paper research
you have to file paperwork to bring a bottle of anything back with you, and pay taxes
danithius says:
I do remember... it's just so... what's the word
Machiavellian? no...
Xavier says:
ridiculous?
danithius says:
heh that works
just like they've gone to every possible extent to put a giant wet blanket upon its citizens...
Xavier says:
or perhaps, a dry blanket
danithius says:
heh touche
but seriously, I bet the people on the liquor commission point to that stipulation and go, "look, we're making every effort to accommodate our citizens"
"we're being reasonable" or something like that
Xavier says:
as long as they don't enjoy themselves
too much
danithius says:
oh of course, that goes without saying
of course you can bring in outside spirits! You simply have to visit your local liquor commission, pay the necessary markup and taxes, and fill out some paperwork to receive proper clearance
Xavier says:
and that's only because they hold a monopoly on liquor inside the state, they don't want anyone cutting in on their business
I mean their love and concern for Utah's citizens
danithius says:
uh huh
it's suffocation by bureaucracy
kind of like how the green card application process deters a lot of (legal) immigration
Xavier says:
not to mention citizenship
danithius says:
but honestly I don't think it decreases the number of immigrants much, just legal ones. You're basically forcing people to break the law
Xavier says:
anyone up for a run to Wyoming?
danithius says:
lol exactly

I may actually need to go up there this winter. Anyone need anything?