Musings from an average student...

Cola wars + good news on the music front!

2005-08-15T15:23:00.000-05:00

I know that most (lucky) people are not sweating it out in Gainesville right now, so they have been missing the cola wars on campus during the past week or so. Pepsi is moving in and Coke is moving out, hey-o! And it's all happening lightening fast because of the way the contracts worked out. Apparently Pepsi has truck drivers and workers coming in from all over the country due to the deadline constraints to convert all of UF and every satellite of UF in the entire state. All of the sudden, there are Pepsi and Coke trucks everywhere. Ripping stuff out and putting new stuff in. Crazy. I even saw Coke people honking at Pepsi people, and I would guess it was not in a nice manner. Wonder how many Coke people from this area had to relocate or find new jobs? I would honk too, I guess. And give them the finger. Not that they had anything to do with it, but eh small details.

In other local news (ok it's probably not news to most, but I'm happy... for the next two days), Wind FM, the classic rock station, aired a commercial this morning that truly lifted my spirits. The premise was that they made a mistake in putting John Boy and Billy's morning show on the air and they are going back to playing music in the morning. Thank you! I freaking HATE talk shows in the morning, and I used to love listening to Wind FM because they always played tons of music, and then those stupid ass hillbillies got put on the air and all they did was talk and be annoying. And I was forced to listen to 106.9, which kinda sucked when all they played was cheesy 80's music (ok I did like some of it, but a lot of it was crap). Of course now their format is to have no format, they play whatever they want (I guess they want to play lite rock from the 70's to the present), and so there was some good stuff on there, but now look at this Gainesville! You get two choices of stations that will actually play music instead of inane chatter for your commuting to work pleasure! Also, as a tip, 105.3 also plays a good deal of music in the mornings as well.

Two and a half more days...

2005-08-15T13:31:00.000-05:00

I'm getting near the end of my Gainesville days here... Three farewell dinners and two and a half days from now I'm getting picked up by my parents and driven to D.C... yeah that makes me feel pretty young. But it's time to start a new life, sad as it may be at first. I'll never forget Gainesville and all of the amazing memories I've made and promptly forgotten here. I love you Gville!

Things I REALLY won't miss about Gainesville

2005-08-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to Gator City, underage drinking mecca apparently (although I here the police are cracking down there so there's a little warning!) I have to say, I spent most of the night laughing at other people. Yes, this makes me a huge judgemental asshole, but whatever. I'm old and cranky and kinda pissed off from drunk girls spilling their drinks all over me and drunk guys dancing poorly and so erratically that they almost took me out and laid me flat. I think this post will anger some people who believe themselves to be fairly stylish and/or cool, and they will read it and think, wow this person is just completely not cool and has no idea what's in fashion now. But what do I care. I think these are the same people who will look back in a few years and go "ewww what was I thinking when I put that outfit on??" So here is my list of funny and awful things I saw last night, love it or leave it:

1. Lots of gold lamé. On shoes, on huge, horribly oversized and tacky purses, on shirts... I'm hoping that this was because it was 80's night at XS and not because people actually think this tacky staple of a couple decades ago actually looks good. Because what it really does is remind me of one of my high school friend's mothers, who had tons of the stuff, only I think she actually did buy hers 20 years ago. And yeah, they say some styles come back... but there are some that need to stay dead.

2. Huge purses. For one thing, there is no reason to have a purse that big when you are out at a bar. Are you carrying a bottle of vodka in with you? And not only were some of them just so freaking ugly, but they are also really annoying when you are trying to dance next to or behind someone who owns one, and they have no idea that they are just whacking everyone around them with it repeatedly. Please ladies, keep track of your belongings. It's not fun to be attacked by the Giant Purses from Hell.

3. Really awful dancing from the guys. Including one who, I'm not making this up or exaggerating, was literally just swinging his hips back and forth very quickly, left to right to left as he was dancing with a girl (who was being so unconcious of her drink that she poured half of it down my leg and the other half on my friend's ass), and his tempo did not vary despite song changes or beat changes. Just back and forth, back and forth, like a pendulum on speed. I saw a lot of guys dancing like this. It was really funny. Boys, you have to change speed when the song does. And just moving the lower part of your body back and forth does not constitute dancing. But it DOES give me a laugh, so at least you accomplished that!

4. This may make me some Greek enemies, but those Panhellenic Recruitment buttons are hilarious. My friend in a sorority told me about them and about how they are supposed to wear them. For one thing, only some of the girls did, because I saw some girls I knew out last night, and they didn't have them on. Maybe I just don't understand the rules. But it did contribute to the clone look that some of the girls were working: same hair style, same shirt, same blue jean skirt, same heels... and same blue button! Unless they were a Pi Chi, then it was same orange button! Being non-Greek makes this a little more amusing to be sure, although I did hear some frat boys talking about how silly it looked. Wouldn't it be bad if a girl who was going to rush saw a girl in one of those buttons puking in the sink in the bathroom, and then noticed her later during rush?

5. SEQUINS. Huge ones. Another trend that needs to stay dead. I saw this one girl in a little shirt jacket thing with green iridescent sequins all over it and my jaw dropped. Do people really think that looks good?? I saw some purses covered in huge ones as well. Now, little sequins have their place. But these were BIG.

6. Culottes. (long flowy shorts that kind of look like skirts). Now when they are made to look almost indistinguishable from a skirt, maybe. But some are very obviously look like long loose shorts, and too be honest they look like sweat pants. Which if you want to go out in sweat pants, whatever. But that's kind of weird. I admit, I have worn culottes. But it was when my mom dressed me and I was only a little kid.

Ah man, this list could go on and on. But I have better things to do now. And I think I'll have enough people at this point telling me how untrendy I am. But, I didn't say I hate all trends, just these really ugly ones. And to the sorority girls, I understand that you have to (I guess...?) wear the buttons. But admit it... admit it... they seem silly sometimes. Thanks for all of the laughs last night, Gainesville!!

Oh wait one more thing-- screaming everytime a song comes on that you like is not cool. Especially when it's EVERY DAMN SONG. Express your pleasure, fine. But not at the expense of my eardrums, thank you very much.

More money for Blue Key! I mean, Growl...

2005-08-09T13:17:00.000-05:00

Florida Blue Key is getting another $10,611 and change for Gator Growl '05 in the next couple of days... make it count ladies and gents! I wonder what this chunk of change is for... maybe a congratulatory banquet for being in Florida Blue Key and in charge of Growl? (JK, JK)

2005-08-09T09:11:00.000-05:00

Hmm, it's been awhile since I posted. Everything is slowing down now that it's the break between Summer B and Fall. And even though I'm still doing the same ol', same ol', so nothing is truly different except that I finally get to drive to campus again instead of taking the downtown bus (some scaaary people on that bus), I haven't posted much either. I think I just get so downhearted reading other UF blogs and seeing that nothing has changed. Anyway...

Even though those blogs aren't changing much, I do have a new blogging obsession, Pink is the New Blog. This is the place to go if you want to see really funny pictures of Britney Spears and the always drunk, ever boob-exposing Tara Reid. Plus other celebrity pictures and gossip. The only bad part about looking at this site is that I feel like I'm supporting the paparrazzi (or however you spell that), which is something I really don't want to do because I think it would be annoying as SHIT to have people following you around taking pictures of you doing everything little thing just because you are famous. But... guily pleasure. Once I move and have a more interesting life, hopefully I will stop looking at this site.

Another thing I'm going to miss about Gainesville: Being able to drive wherever I go. Although not necessarily park, but still. I am not even taking my car up to D.C. *sniff*. Also, I will miss Moe's. I hear they don't have one up in D.C. Boooo. And even if they do, they probably don't give you the cookie and the drink with the kid's meal. Did I already say I'm going to miss my awesome friends? Moving sucks.

At least there was no anal leakage.

2005-08-04T15:40:00.000-05:00

So I just tried some of Edy's Light, Slow Churned ice cream. It's new, and it's supposed to make you not feel so guilty about eating ice cream. Unless you are like me, because I generally wouldn't buy ice cream in the first place except that it says it's low fat, so then I do eat it, meaning consuming way more calories than I would have normally. Well, whatever. So my boss brings some of this tempting dessert into the office and lets us all know that we can have at it. Dammit, my lack of willpower rears it's ugly head again, but hey, it's low fat. I grab me some Caramel Delight or whatever the name of it was, it was really caramelly, and man is this crap good! And I only feel 1/3 as guilty!! Sweet. Well, I didn't let myself have too much just in case Edy's uses that Olestra crap that causes anal leakage, so I settle back in to my day of staring at the computer, reading the news while pretending to work.

And then, it sets in. The horrible aftertaste of death. I seriously feel like I've been sucking on... what? Maybe sandpaper? I have no clue what this taste is in my mouth (btw, guys love that joke....) eww anyway. What is up with that?? My wonderful after-caramel buzz is ruined. Maybe it's just that flavor. But that is my consumer warning of the day.

Oh yeah, and that some potato chips DO contain Olestra, which does cause anal leakage. It even used to say so somewhere on certain bags. And no I didn't just get that from The Sweetest Thing, I am pretty sure I saw it once. BTW, girls if you havent' seen The Sweetest Thing, you really should. Looks dumb, but is accurate and hilarious.

Screw you, asshole.

2005-08-04T10:41:00.000-05:00

I would just like to say a big FUCK YOU to the asshole who lived in the house that I just moved into before me. Not only did he not clean a damned thing before moving out, which he decided to wait on doing until the day I moved in, but he also apparently lived in filth like no other. So screw you for leaving dirt, grime, and insects on every possible surface, both horizantal and vertical and everything in between. I'm only living in this house temporarily before I move for good, and now I get to spend all of my 18 days there with my temporary roommates cleaning up your repugnant, disgusting mess. I already spent 2 hours cleaning your shower before I felt it was clean enough to use it, and I haven't even tackled the vomit-worthy fridge yet. So screw you, asshole man. You need to come back and clean up your miserable mess.

Grrr.

Maybe goodbye soon...?

2005-08-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

As this blogger nears the inevitable journey to DC to start law school, I realize that I may not have the time to post as much anymore in two weeks. So I'm thinking of giving up my independent status and trying to piggy back onto another blog, writing less but more insightfully and hopefully wittily, probably about law school and DC life, and random crap that entertains me. I'm sure this will upset my four or so faithful readers, but I hope you can get over it. So now I'm looking for that blog to jump on... I'm *eh hem* young, female, and pretty damn liberal *eh hem* so maybe I will fit in somewhere...

Moving sucks

2005-08-01T11:46:00.000-05:00

Moving is really the suck. You never really realize how much useless crap you have until you are faced with the reality of packing it all into boxes. And then when you are done sweating and heaving (wow sounds like a porno) and moving all of the damn boxes from one place to another, not to mention your furniture, you have to CLEAN the place you just left. This is after you just cleaned off all of your own belongings, because for the past year or two you have "forgotten" to dust. On top of this, it's Gainesville and everyone is moving out or in at the same time. Fun times for all involved, and a whole lot of completely full dumpsters! For all of you who didn't move this weekend (the 5 of you) but are facing it, here are some thoughts:

-You can get good boxes from ABC, just call and let them know you want some. Other places for good free boxes are fast food places and, the mecca, Wal-Mart at night. When they stock products at night, they have tons of empty boxes in all different sizes for free! It's amazing! I went last night at around 10:15pm and there were just stacks and stacks. But don't expect to be able to buy many cleaning supplies, because those have been cleaned out.

-Free newspaper for packing can be obtained by raiding Alligator stands throughout campus and at bus stops.

-Don't put all your books in one box. It's real heavy and your dad will yell at you when you make him carry it.

-Don't leave it all to the last minute. It's amazing how much little crap is left over when you think you are almost done. I thought my last load was going to be four boxes. It was about 6, plus four or five plastic bags.

-Check all of the closets and storage places where you lived for things you might have forgotten. And don't forget the fridge!

-Make sure you forward your mail.

-Put furniture you don't want out by the street. It will be picked up within a few minutes if you are on a busy street. The locals know that we students will throw away plenty of perfectly good stuff because we don't feel like moving it.

shit just got caught goofing off at work. more later.

Goodbye to a great friend.

2005-07-28T17:50:00.000-05:00

Today I said goodbye to Tessy, the best dog ever. We've had her since she was a very young puppy and known her since she was born. That was 16 years ago.

In her old age, Tess wasn't doing so well. She had arthritis, she had a couple of tumors that we had removed. Two days ago she had a seizure. We were told she probably had a year left. She had three more seizures in a day and a half, which was not expected. My family made the incredibly tough decision to euthanize her. After the fourth seizure, she never completely recovered. We were told that it was probably something in the brain, incurable. Our beautiful. wonderful dog seemed confused. The few times she got the energy to walk, she would go only a few steps before stopping and looking around, as though confused as to what she was doing. She couldn't stand for long. She didn't seem to be able to hear or see well.

The whole family went to the vet's office. Me, my parents, my brother, and my grandmother. I had gone home from Gainesville to say goodbye. The vet had an outside area; grassy, covered, with a little fountain. We all gathered around her in the wet grass as she breathed her last, and we all cried as though we were losing a member of our family. Because we were.

Please don't take for granted the people or animals that love you. I know that losing Tess is not comparable to the pain of losing a person whom you are very close to. But the pain is still there. Love the people and the pets in your life well, because even when you think you still have some time left you can never know for sure.

Feel free to leave any thoughts you want about your own awesome pet, but know that they will never compare.

MORE on the scandal of extra sex scenes in GTA!!

2005-07-27T16:03:00.000-05:00

I keep finding stuff to post today. I am extra bored at work.

An obviously extremely moral grandmother has decided to sue the makers of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for their false advertising and some other shit about how she was just so horrified and mentally perturbed by the extra sex scenes that can ONLY BE UNLOCKED WITTINGLY WITH DOWNLOADED CODES THAT YOU HAVE TO TRY TO USE. She was deceived into thinking that the rating was M, not AO as it has been re-rated since this sex scandal started. Wait, M is for 17+ and her grandson is only 14... hey Grandma who is morally unsound here??? And how come she has no problems exposing her poor, naive grandson to all the other horrendous crap in that game??? I mean, I don't personally care what's in the game. I know I could play it and not want to go murder hookers and steal their cars or whatever. But please. If you are going to pretend to care about one sex scene, don't you think people are going to wonder why you don't care about the strippers and killing and swearing, etc? But I guess Grandma doesn't care about all the happy crappy horseshit when pretending to care about the one thing means she can make some serious dough!! I don't think I can post much more about this stupid issue. It makes my blood boil.

ATTACK OF THE GIANT DUST CLOUD!!

2005-07-27T15:59:00.000-05:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8689030/
Africa is tired of sending us hurricanes, so now it is sending us sand. As if we didn't have enough of that already. The fine coating of red dust on my car will blend quite nicely with the yellow pollen that seasonally coats it... oh no wait... red and yellow... close to garnet and gold... I won't stand for this!

more crap about online voting- an update!

2005-07-27T13:44:00.000-05:00

So apparently my concern about greek houses making their members vote in front of them at the house is somewhat groundless, according to something one of the SG senators said at the meeting last night:

Wi-fi on campus will not be allowed for online voting so you must use a landline on campus. Because of IP limiting you couldn't line people up at one computer at a frat house or organizational meeting. http://reitzrambler.blogspot.com/, under Amendment 1.

Could they make their members vote in front of them on different computers? That would probably take too much effort. Another reason to allow "unsecured" (I'm going to start calling it "real") online voting.

As for all the problems with people knowing other people's Gatorlink passwords... maybe you should stop giving out your password?? Or maybe not give it to people who will then use it to steal your vote?? This is just a way of snagging votes from lazy friends, and you could probably manage that other ways anyways.

More Eminem news.

2005-07-26T15:55:00.000-05:00

Looks like the always politically incorrect (yet oh so witty!) Eminem is not actually retiring, despite earlier reports. He is, in fact, only taking a break. Whew! I know I am breathing easier now.

So much ONLINE VOTING INFO@!#$!#*@!!!

2005-07-26T14:09:00.000-05:00

Wowzers, every UF/SG blog is going CrAzY talking about the whole online voting thing. With fairly good reason. (see my links, they are more educated than me anyway.) Secured or unsecured?? That is, apparently, the question of the day. While overall I would say most average students support the unsecured voting (which I think is just as predjudiced a name as calling anti-abortionists "pro-lifers", therefore insinuating that pro-choice people are "pro-death") I do have some concerns about increased Greek coercion if students are allowed to vote online at home. The reason I feel this way relates back to my Keg Party days. One day a friend of mine from an unnamed sorority came up to me and said, "Hey, don't let anyone in my sorority know, but I voted for a Keg Party person today". She said this while nervously looking around and whispering. She said I couldn't even tell the person she had voted for because she was so worried about what might happen to her if someone from her house found out that she voted for the enemy party. She was seriously freaking out! And that is so fucked up!! Another time while people were announcing for Keg Party at a frat house, one of the brothers outside who was painting a banner for Ignite said something along the lines of, "I'm definitely going to vote for you guys. I just have to pretend to support Ignite."

At least the way the system works now, the Greek houses can't know for sure how their members vote, so every now and then the opposing party can eke out a few votes from their Greek friends. I have a feeling this could end in many houses if it's possible for the leaders of the fraternities/sororities to actually watch all of their members vote to make sure they vote "the right way". Of course, I have no idea how many would do this. But seeing as fear was definitely struck deep into my friends heart...

Then again, the number of people who might vote if they could lazily do it online would most likely more than make up for the few votes received from absconding Greeks. And I'm sure most Greeks are as intimidated as my sorority friend (or at least, I hope not). But if those same non-caring people continue to not care, and the "unsecured" (jeez I hate that term. Propaganda!) votes are more coerced than they are even now, that would suck.

So much to think about. In the end though, I would say that for most average non-Greek students (not that Greeks can't be average, but let's stay on track), we want our damn online voting. Make it easy for us. We don't have as much incentive to vote, so remove our barriers to doing so. Well ok, I believe that I have incentive to vote because I care what happens to my money and I care what's going on at UF, but I mean we don't have organizational incentive to vote, i.e. getting punished if we don't. Let us vote at 4 am in our PJs if we so desire. Let us vote without making a trip to campus just for it, if we happen to be a business major. Let us vote without waiting in line and then trying to convince the nice old lady that yes, we know we are on the list and yes, we are definitely a senior, yes please check the list again I can see my name from here but I don't want to be rude and point it out!!! The students signed a petition asking for this, they don't know nor give a shit what the difference is between a referundum and an initiative.
P.S. My thoughts on this, and most, posts are quite scattered due to the fact that I'm typing it at work and I keep having to pretend that I'm not, which means closing the window and opening it back up, and writing in pieces, and [insert more excuses here].

What a stereotype.

2005-07-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

Check out this article. It's about toothlessness in states such as Kentucky and Tennessee. I have to say, I laughed a little reading it. I mean, come on!

Stuff I will and won't miss about Gainesville, part #3

2005-07-21T15:48:00.000-05:00

Thing I'll miss: Dance Marathon. I danced three years in a row (would have danced all four if I could have, but it didn't work out) and I worked as a captain one year. This is such a great event, the largest student-run philanthropy in the Southeast, and it raises a boatload of money for Children's Miracle Network at Shands Hospital. Plus the event itself is fun and inspiring. And a great psychological and physical experiment to perform on yourself. Even though it hurts and you get tired, just think about what the kids the money helps have to go through every day. This is such a good cause to donate money too, and the level of participation at UF is great too.

Although, there is one thing I won't miss about this event:

The people who are supposed to be dancing who sit down during the event. This annoys me like nothing else. Everytime you go in the bathroom, there are all sorts of whiny girls or guys sitting there and complaining about how much their feet hurt and how it sucks and blah blah blah. I know that a lot of the people who end up dancing in DM don't exactly choose to do it (I've heard this is something they make pledges do... hazing or asparagus? I'm not sure), but if you have to do something, do it right. And don't bitch to me that it's impossible. Because it's not. And I'm not exactly the skinniest of people, nor do I go the gym like it's my job. So I don't make it through without sitting down because I'm in better shape than them. I guess I just don't give up when something gets a little hard. I'm being mean but this is something that really bothers me. Not only does it get my morale down, but when there are people sitting down all over the actual floor of the O'Connell center, I know it gets the families down too. You know, the people we are there trying to help. And Morale team doesn't want to have to go into the bathrooms every five minutes to tell these people to get off their lazy asses. So grow up, deal with the pain, and actually give up 32 hours of your life to help someone else. Argh.

What do you think about this?

2005-07-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

Some interesting stuff in the news today... beyond the recent second attempt at bombing London, which if you haven't heard about it yet you should probably look into it. It's a pretty important part of what's going on in the world. You can get facts about this from any major news outlet. But here is some other stuff:

In an update from an earlier post, Rockstar has admitted to creating the "explicit" extra sex scenes and leaving them in the game on the PC and game console versions. Before this, they were attempting to say that it was a third party who had designed the scenes. However, they do still stand by the fact that the only way to access the extra material, which was left on the disks due to a "complicated editing process", was to download a third-party "mod". They have been forced to re-assign parental warnings to the game, raising it from the 17yrs+ M rating to the 18yrs+ AO rating. They plan on releasing a new M-rated version without the extra scenes.

Legislators are considering repealing a controversial provision of the Higher Education Act that bars student with drug convictions, past or present, from receiving federal aid for college. There seem to be two paths the repealing could take: the first would ammend the provision to apply only to students who had received a drug charge while receiving federal aid, instead of all students who had ever had a conviction. The second path would be repealing the provision all together. The interesting thing about this, as far as I can tell (and I'm no expert), is that apparently the punishments don't apply if you've been convicted of a drinking related offense or a battery offense. Yet, look at this quote from the article:

"The logic is quite simple," said Martin Green, a spokesman for Rep. Mark Souder, R-Indiana, who in 1998 introduced the bill that included the drug penalty. "Students who receive taxpayers' dollars to go to college have a responsibility to obey the law even if they don't agree with it."

So how come it seems that the law is picking and choosing which laws students have a responsibility to obey in order to keep or procure financial aid?

And in my last bit of news, Denver has had a ban on pit bulls reinstated. I'm not clear on whether there has been any research showing that pit bulls are more likely to attack than other dogs, but this is an interesting approach to the problem of animal control, and one that seems to be quite sad for current owners who have had to give up their dogs. Apparently there is also a ban of this nature in Miami. I wonder if this will decrease the amount of dog attacks the area has, or if it is just a response to widely publicized attacks by dogs of this breed.

Stuff I'll miss about Gainesville, Part #2

2005-07-20T23:53:00.000-05:00

GATOR FOOTBALL. I wasn't a huge football fan before coming to UF (although I did and still do really enjoy watching it on Thanksgiving and Christmas), and I admit that I still don't know all the rules or all of the players' names. But I freaking love going to football games in the Swamp. And, of course, the tailgating and shenannigans (can you say slip and slide??) that go on before the games. I have to say that I am super jealous of all the people that get to be around next year for Urban Meyer's first season. I hear that the first three home games are going to be at 6pm. Having so many noon games last year sucked, but I guess that's what happens when no one wants to watch your team. I think I'll have more than a few Gator fans to watch the games with up in D.C., but I know it will pale in comparison to chilling and drinking for five hours or more beforehand, and then going into the stadium with thousands of other fans and being surrounded by so much energy and excitement. It gives me chills just to think about it. I'm going to throw a nod in to Gator sports in general; I've definitely enjoyed going to basketball and gymnastics and some other sports (although I never made it to a baseball game, which is a shame), but in my mind nothing compares to football. And traveling to football games, too. That also rocks. Especially when you take an RV to Tennessee and we win.
While I still don't know everything about football, since coming to such a big football school I've gotten more into watching other football games on TV. Maybe one day I'll learn what all those crazy penalties are about.

Free music downloads in college!

2005-07-19T16:15:00.000-05:00

California is apparently close to achieving something that SG presidential candidates have been promising to attempt to maybe talk to someone about perhaps doing something about for a long time. Of course, none of the details have been worked out yet. But maybe when they are, some SGers around UF will be inspired? Not that I'll be here to enjoy the legal music and movie downloads, but I want to make the campus a better place for my left-behind friends, too... Not sure if they are going to attempt to charge the students for the service, but if it's just one more thing included in the A&S fees, who will notice anyway... besides the Alligator. Bright Futures, anyone?

W tries to pull a fast one

2005-07-19T15:47:00.000-05:00

Bushy has changed his mind again about how he will respond to the investigation into the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame, first saying that he would fire anyone involved in the leak (in 2004) and now saying that he will "fire anyone who committed a crime". This is a big difference, since as far as I know the leaking of Plame's name would not technically qualify as a criminal offense. The Bushman earlier didn't answer direct questions over whether or not he would fire Rove if it turns out he was the leak. This is not about whether or not Rove is the leak, as some interesting questions have been raised over the fact that maybe Rove was actually leaked to. It's just another look at what Bush will do to protect his cronies. (Or seems to be, at least). Some are decrying these back-outs as a slap in the face to Bush's assertation that he is "a man of his word". It almost makes me question how much confidence Bush does have in Rove if he is already backing so quickly out of having to fire him if the rumors are true.

Things I'll miss, and things I won't... a new semi-series

2005-07-18T12:37:00.000-05:00

Well, in one month from today I will be leaving Gainesville for good to move on to law school. The last four years here have rocked my socks, and it will be pretty damn sad leaving. So in honor of my imminent departure, I'm going to start posting the things I'll miss, and some things I won't, about living in this crazy/beautiful college town. When I can think of them, that is.

First, something I won't miss. Stupid drunk freshman going on and on about how cool it is to be drinking. I was unfortunate to be around a few of these types Saturday night. I almost smacked someone. Plus I felt really old. Double whammy: annoyed and sad that my undergrad youthfulness is gone.

Now, something that I will miss: being able to go out cheap. $5 covers and free-to-cheap beer is not going to be happening in D.C.

Make sure kids don't download this! They will be corrupted!

2005-07-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

As I sit here at work, I am once again bored out of my gourd. So naturally in a continued attempt to educate myself, I am perusing blogs, news sites, etc. Here is my first interesting find of the day. A woman is suing the makers of Grand Theft Auto because there is apparently some setting that takes the game from a M for "Mature" (17 yrs +) rating to an AO "Adults Only" (18 yrs +) rating with some added sexual explicitness. Oh what a difference a year makes!! But here is a great quote from the guy who posted this in the Overlawyered.com blog:

"Me, I'm just amused by the thought of class action attorneys trolling for a named plaintiff parent who will testify that, while she was okay for her little Johnny to buy a game involving drug dealing, gambling, carjacking, cop-shooting, prostitution, throat-slashing, baseball-bat beatings, drive-by shootings, street-racing, gang wars, profanity-laced rap music, homosexual lovers' quarrels, blood and gore, and "Strong Sexual Content," she is shocked, shocked to learn that the game also includes an animation at about the level of a Ken doll rubbing up against an unclothed Barbie doll with X-rated sound effects, and is thus a victim of both consumer fraud and intense emotional distress, entitled to actual and punitive damages totalling $74,999 per identically-situated class member in the state."

There are also some amusing comments here , including the observation that senators and such are ok with the ability in the game to stomp a prostitute to death and steal her money, but are not ok with the ability to see a little more of the sex with the prostitute before the stomping.

Someone else says that the sex scene is "the most boring 'sex scene' you've ever seen. The magic dry hump with the unzipped zipper was more humorous than anything."

Others go on to discuss the fact that the only way to access this new, explicit content is on the computer version of the game, by downloading something and running it. So it's not exactly something people will accidentaly be stumbling upon during play, to the horror of their concerned parents.

Towards the end, the comments devolve into some sort of argument over who will be president in 2008... just a warning.

Sigh of relief

2005-07-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

So for all of you who were really worried about the Constans Theater (or is it Theatre?) stage being ruined by fire sprinklers going off, do not despair. I've learned recently that the stage was spared the brunt of the damage, and that the props area got most of the water. Supposedly it is a bit mildewy now, but nothing serious. Whew!

wow-- ridiculous lawsuit

2005-07-15T12:03:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most ridiculous lawsuits I've ever heard of. A bus service is suing a group of cleaning ladies because they stopped using the buses and started using their cars, which is a quicker and cheaper alternative. The bus service claims "unfair competition" and wants the cars seized. I would say something about this happenining in Europe, but it could totally happen here too.

Licking the ice cream headache.. hardy har har

2005-07-15T09:45:00.000-05:00

All this information is directly stolen from this article.

So if you've ever been plagued by cold headaches, say when you are trying oh so hard to actually get drunk off of Fat Tuesday's delicious, yet frozen, drinks, this article might be somewhat helpful. Basically it says that like most things in science, lots of people have different ideas about what exactly causes cold headaches and how to prevent them. I guess the consensus is that when you have cold stuff on your palate and it covers a large area of it, it can trigger the headache, especially if you get migraines. Prevention: eat or drink slow, and have warm water handy to drink if you are stricken by the evil pain. None of these things are very practical in the above mentioned situation, so I guess you should deal with it. Once you are drunk enough you won't feel it anymore anyway.

Morning news perusings lead me to find...

2005-07-15T08:55:00.000-05:00

Here is why I hate parents' groups.
Oh no, they didn't censor every word of the Live 8 concert! Obviously this is much more important than, say, the message of the concert. Not that everyone that went even knew or cared why they were there. I know, because I was there. It was ridiculous. There was a girl complaining about Don Cheadle being on stage and talking about the situation in Africa instead of Destiny's Child. Why was there all this boring talking going on?? I want to see some ass shaking!

More money down the drain...

2005-07-14T15:55:00.000-05:00

So today lightning hit the Constans Theater, causing the sprinklers to go off and soak the newly re-done interior. Nice.

Also, FBK has been getting some hefty checks from UF for Gator Growl '05, thousands of dollars. Let's hope they can pull off something good, and I might even make a trip down to see it this year from law school! Then again, when it comes to Growl I'm easy to please. I even liked the one with Sugar Ray. Then again, I was wasted. Hopefully, despite all of the money ups and downs, Growl will continue to rock the inebriated masses (and alumni)'s worlds. Never been to Growl after drinking, you say? Well then you are missing out. Missing out on the actual funny parts of Growl. Alcohol makes even the awful skits seem somewhat amusing.

Interesting sighting of the day.

2005-07-14T13:01:00.000-05:00

Today I saw a guy wearing a Heinekin fanny pack. If you don't know what a fanny pack is, just look to your average tourist/preview mom. But this was weird because for one thing, what was a middle-aged guy doing wearing one, and for another, why did Heinekin make one in the first place?? Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this is weird.

Marsupial Madness

2005-07-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

So I decided that since I'm going to law school in only a month and a half (ack!!) maybe I should stop watching VH1 and try to watch educational TV. So I was watching Animal Planet, and I am now much more educated about... marsupials. This is what I learned today:

1. Koalas smell like cough drops. They think it has something to do with the eucalyptus leaves.

2. Kangaroos can't move backwards. They can't really move well at a slow speeds either.

3. If there aren't enough resources to support an embryonic kangaroo, the embryo will stop growing until conditions were right. If only this worked for all species.

4. Koalas have two opposable thumbs on each hand. And we thought we were so special with our one thumb.

5. They said the word wombat. Ok that's not at all educational, but I just really enjoy the word wombat.

Btw, the new educational me didn't last too long. I switched over the Real World Austin. That Melinda will make out with anyone!

At least they have the right audience.

2005-07-11T21:17:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else think it's kind of bogus that Gator Nights spent over $3,000 for a guy to come and tell people what "every freshman should know"?? I could teach that class. And I would only charge $2,999.

Watch out, stoner boys

2005-07-08T23:10:00.000-05:00

So my friend, who is in nursing school, told me the other day that according to her nursing book, smoking marijuana has been linked to the growth of man boobs. In men that is, ladies don't think of this as a safer alternative to surgery. Anyway, apparently it is the only non-internal cause of it. Bad news for some boys I know. Be careful men!
Here's another theory. Smokers get the munchies. People who smoke a lot get the munchies a lot. Which leads to weight gain, in all areas, including the male pectorals. I'm sure they thought of that though.

Proof that DARE sucks.

2005-07-08T18:50:00.000-05:00

Many of us out there had DARE in school, which means Drug Abuse Resistance Education but would probably stand for Has Absolutely No Effect On Kid's Drinking Habits, except that the letters are not HANEOKDH. Of course, we who took DARE already know it did nothing. But here is proof from my Alcohol Use and Abuse class:"DARE, typically taught to 10- and 11-year-old students by police officers, aims to inform about alcohol and other drugs and to teach social and decision making skills to help students resist their use. Studies have found that DARE essentially has no impact on alcohol use. " Ah the wasteful inefficiences of public schools.

Goodbye to the Red States... sure to make conservatives mad. But I didn't make it up, I just thought it was funny.

2005-07-07T16:46:00.000-05:00

I stole this from http://jmastro.blogspot.com/. Very amusing.
Dear Red States...
We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us.
In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon,Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.
To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.
Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.
With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Tennessee.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
By the way, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.
Sincerely,
Author Unknown in New California.

Oh yeah.

2005-07-06T23:37:00.000-05:00

Some other things I forgot to mention: I actually have already graduated from UF, but I'm hanging around for the summer before heading off to law school in DC. And I also have some insight into the Reitz, but more from floors beside the third.

Hello, howdy and hi

2005-07-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Here I am, the elusive average student. I'm not Greek, but I don't have anything against them. I'm not SG, unless you count my involvement with the Keg Party (but, come on). I have an on campus job. I'm involved in some student organizations, but not a huge crazy amount. I have a lot of friends, some of whom are involved in the things I'm not. Oh well I guess there are some unusual things about me. I actually keep up with SG elections as much as I can, and I vote in them. So I guess that I'm not that average. But I am interested.

Florida is the craziest damn state. Ever. (I stole this from my other blog, that's why the date is weird)

2005-06-09T20:52:00.000-05:00

Due to the fact that my job can, at times, be so boring that poking myself in the eye starts to seem like a viable way to entertain myself, I have a lot of time to read the news online. Does this make me more knowledgeable about current world and local events, therefore giving me lots of idle party chat potential? No not really, because my memory sucks and I stopped reading the depressing stuff. Anyway, so as I sit and read CNN.com, and sometimes for diversity MSN's Slate magazine (ok ok, and MSN's celebrity gossip... I already said mind-numbing, right??) And what do I find while reading the national news? Florida is in it. A lot. For some really stupid crap. What is going on with this state??

We have drunk airline pilots

As always, a lot of This is just sad. I mean, it really is, so beware:

Terrorists in our midst:

Please no!! Tell me he won't be president!!!

Even the little bastard who tried to avoid police capture by refusing to come down from a crane... what??

Two words: Terry Shaivo. Plus a lot of missing kids, sex offenders, Elian Gonzalez... must be something about living in the wang of the nation that messes with you.