Oh it's almost over!

The holidays are nearly at their end. Thanksgiving, Christmas and now the New Year.

This was a terrible year. Just terrible. And I'm glad to see it off with a flurry of alcohol consumption. The new year shall be wonderful, as I say each year. I don't have any resolutions to speak of. I don't believe in them anymore. In fact, I really don't believe in this "New Year's" crap, either. It's just another day in a long line of days that go on indefinitely.

But, I shall have to post the Top 10 resolutions I feel are just over the top, too hard not to laugh at. For now, though, I shall enjoy the next 5 days away from work.

Oh, there is one thing I shall do come Jan 1st. I'm going to give up meat again. It has led me astray and that's unacceptable. And, since it is a starting point per se, I do have big plans this coming year, since I botched them all up this past year.

So my bitches.. be safe and don't die.

Laguna Beach: Bah haha!

Oh the irony - Laguna Beach sued for its treatment of the homeless.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/23/national/main4685135.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4685135

Education: Is it really worth it?

Finally. This semester is over, though I think it went by rather quickly. I just finished (about 3 hours ago, that is) my Logic final. I think I'll get a decent grade in the class, though I am kind of disappointed I didn't do better. It's not like I couldn't do better. Again, I have a problem with applying myself to things I'm not emotionally attached to. School and emotion do not mix.

For me, logic wasn't that difficult (except for all of the truth tables and math-like symbolic equations) but I feel kind of disappointed in myself. I know I could have done better, especially in the debates we had. For what it's worth, I did do well considering the lack of preparation. I don't know if I should brag about that or not.

In my other class (Intro to Philosophy), I got an A. I'm one of 6 people in a class of 52 that got an A. Yet, I know I could have done better. When I saw the highest score, and it wasn't mine, I felt somewhat lacking. Yet, I didn't try there either.

Don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed philosophy. But I didn't really apply myself.

I know I should do better. I've a few more semesters before I transfer to Uni. I have to get the other, more shitty, classes out of the way.. like science and math. Ick. And to think, I actually liked math when I was a kid.

But, for now, I'm happy to be taking Ethics and (get this) Religions of the West. I'm seriously considering focusing my studies on religion.

I better get on the ball. I want to take this to Masters. How am I going to get into [muffled] if I have lousy grades?

Assisted Suicide: Is it right or wrong?

After reading the article, Why I want my husband's death in a suicide clinic shown on TV... he wanted to get people thinking and talking about it (that's one fucking long-ass title!), I got to thinking.. is it wrong to assist one in committing suicide? Is it, especially if they're going to die from a horrible disease eventually?

No, it isn't wrong. Nor is it wrong to take your own life. In any case.

There are those out there that think we have the right to life. Well, no duh. Everyone has a right to live (this is not a doorway into the anti-abortion argument. Do not go there). I think that right is a given. In fact, it shouldn't even be up for debate. It's a given, much like how the world is round, the sky is blue and water makes things wet. There is no room for debate. Since it's a given, a fundemental right, what about the right to die? Don't we have the right to die? We're all going to die anyway. Why can't we control it?

I've toyed with the idea of suicide many numerous amount of times. It's something I think about from time to time even now. If I want to jump off the Golden Gate, take a bunch of pills, put a gun to my head (messy, but effective) I should be able to without some religious zealot (because it usually is) or some moral majority nutjob telling me it's wrong.

Why is it wrong? If I don't believe in your god, your morals or your ideals, why must I take the stance that suicide is wrong? Are the Japanese wrong for thinking it's honorable for killing one's self? Are the the desperate and desolate wrong for having only one more choice in life? Are those who just don't have anything more to live for wrong, too? No.

Sure, some people have no business offing themselves; it can be premature and some people are just too into drama to realize that they have other avenues to persue. Don't get me wrong, I don't think one should just take the road to self-killing straight away. There should be some thought involved, some reflection on the situation. It shouldn't be the first option. It should, though, be a viable option.

As Phyllis Bowman, of Right to Life, said in the article: 'This is promoting assisted suicide. What kind of effect do they imagine it is going to have on a depressive. It undermines the vulnerable and it also undermines people's right to life.'

Does it really? Are the vulnerable undermined? More so, does it undermine our right to life? As if people, who are happy and content to be alive will now go and jump off a cliff because suicide, specifically assisted suicide, will undermind their right to live? Bollocks, as they say in Britain. Absolute bollocks.

Note to self..

Make sure, when going out, that you never go out on a school night.. or in this case, a work night.. Sunday is a work night, right?

A few friends and I donned our tuxedos (I had the cool, white dinner jacket) and went out on the town. First, the Cicada Club. The Cicada Club is this little gem in downtown LA, a period place that one who is into the 20's and 30's and all times in between would go to. A dinner joint mainly, the place is only open on Sunday nights. The music is Big Band and the booze is Bourbon.

From there, we went to the Bordello, also in LA. This place is really cool; it was the first actual bordello in Los Angeles. One can only guess what debauchery took place within these walls. Anyway.. Sunday nights feature the burlesque show, and a fancy one indeed. Again, the theme is 20's and 30's.

Let me tell you something. When one is wearing a tuxedo, people notice. In fact, when one wears a suit that stands out (for my friends and I, it's usually period), people notice. And they comment.. usually in the positive. Of course, you'll always have the pricks who have to make the smart comment, but they usually get a smart comment back.. or the finger. More so the finger, I think. But it's a respectful finger.

Did I forget to mention that there was a lot of drinking? I not as much as my two mates, but I did imbibe a few cocktails.

So, next, it was the Goth/Industrial club called Malediction. It's smack dab in the middle of Koreatown. I try to stay out of K Town; lots of bad memories.. or vague memories I should say (there's this one time where I went to a Korean bar with a buddy and his cousin.. apparently, I did some weird things. Yogurt-flavored Soju is not my friend).

When everyone is wearing black and mesh, a white dinner jacket stands out quite a bit. The irony here is that these people.. these goth and industrial kids.. get stared at all the time because of how they dress, getting smirks and comments here and there.. and they're staring at us? Smirking at us? Yeah...

The exciting, most interesting part of the evening was when I started dancing. Industrial music isn't like other music one dances to. It's more primal. One does not have to dance with others; it can be done totally alone. And there aren't any "moves". One just goes with however one wants to dance. The memories of Kontrol Factory (for those not in the know, an LA Indust club in the 90's I went to.. a lot) flooded my head. I think that was the last time I danced to to Industrial. Picture a guy in a tux (white jacket, mind you) flailing arms, kicking legs and on the verge of spirit fingers. Oh yeah.. spirit fingers.

So, after a brief nap at 3am, I leave my buddy's place at 4.30, get home at 5 to sleep, wake up at 7 and get to work at 8.30. Why I haven't gone to bed yet I don't know.. but I haven't done that since.. well, the mid 90's. I rock.

I need to do that more (but not on Sundays). But I'll don the black tux next time. And a necktie instead of a bow tie. A red necktie. Not that there's anything wrong with bow ties.

Bow ties rock.