- I'm tired of talking about Iraq. Everything has been argued to death by now and whether or not you agree with the war, can we at least pull together and make our troops feel supported and appreciated?
- Illini win and my bracket is still alive... too bad I took SIU going to the Elite Eight, otherwise I would be in good position in the pool. My Final Four: Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan State, Louisville. With Illini over Louisville in the final.
- A big day is coming soon... March 24th. If anyone is wondering what gift to get me for when I turn 23 and 1/6th years old, something I've been eyeing is the Toshiba e750 Pocket PC. I have been meaning to get into the world of PDAs for a while now, but haven't been able to pull the trigger as of yet. At Christmas, I almost bought myself the e740, but then there were rumors of the 750 coming out in 1st Quarter 2003 with a bigger, better screen and more memory, so I held out. And now this bad boy is finally released:
Call me a nerd if you will, but I don't care cause that's what I am, and chicks dig it. In junior high, my calculator watch was my best friend. In high school, it was the TI-85 (remember ZShell?). Then I had to go through college without a true nerdy gadget, I got by with an MP3 player and lots 'o' Starcraft. Now, it's finally time for me to return to nerd-dom.
- I didn't get to wash my car last weekend when it was nice out, but I will not be foiled again this weekend. Maybe I will even wash my old baby, the Maxima, cause my sis is gonna be back for Spring Break.
- It feels really weird not having a Spring Break for once. Not that it was ever a big thing for me, the only place I remember going on break was Vegas a couple years back. But I get kind of bitter because it reminds me that only one year ago at this time, I was playing euchre and video games all the time, going to Lake Clinton, playing softball, having barbeques, chilling on the Quad, shooting pool, lifting and playing scrub tennis at IMPE in the mornings, taking 6 hour naps at noon, tossing garbage bags off my balcony (3-TWELVE!!), playing quarters and taps, with some occasional studying thrown in. I almost even miss the times spent in ECE Senior Design Lab.... well not really. But even though there's no Spring Break for me anymore, my job is still cool in that we get 2 weeks off for Christmas/New Years. So I'm not gonna complain too much.
- So far I have 5 vacation days. I'm thinking about whether to save them up more, or just go ahead and take a week off one of these days. Or I guess I could maybe use only a couple days and go somewhere on an extended weekend. Like 4 days in Florida sounds pretty good right about now.
- I just realized that I'm writing a lot about stuff that would cost me some mad cash. I should really be saving my checks for a down payment on a house.
Well actually, right now property value is way too high for me... and certain experts warn of a real estate bubble that is ready to burst any time. Not that I necessarily trust the so-called "experts", but it really could be that housing prices are lagging the economy and stock market because of the low interest rates. Everyone says a house is the best investment, which is not untrue, but I think I'm gonna hold off on looking for my own place for at least a year or so. A lot of people think property value never falls, but that's not a fact. Not to mention the costs of owning a home, such as taxes and utilities.
Anyways, I'm not really ready to be taking care of a house, buying furniture, etc. But back to what I was saying - I should probably be saving my money as much as possible. Easier said than done, but we'll see.
- Yet another example of why most celebrities need to shut the flux up: Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks lead singer) tells a foreign crowd last week that she is "ashamed" that President Bush is from Texas. She comes home to America, and people are pissed, ready to boycott her album, so she immediately apologizes and retracts what she said.
Here's the thing - I'm not against free speech, and while she could have been more respectful about it, it's certainly her right to criticize our President. But if you're gonna say something you believe, have the guts to stand by it. Don't try to please the anti-war crowd one minute and then pander to the pro-Bush side the next.
Moral of the story: Celebrities, even more so than politicians, love to be popular and need to feel important, so they act accordingly. Like I've said before, they're much better off just singing and acting. Our President and his advisors, meanwhile, have been doing their job, acting in what they believe is the best interest of this country and its people. Despite resistance from the shortsighted public, who opposes war against Iraq at all costs, Bush has risked his popularity and stuck his neck out, standing by his beliefs all along. And for that, I must say we all need to give him props.
