I Have Pocky!

I was walking past the secretary's desk and I noticed she had a box of
pocky. One of our sales people gave it to her. She had never heard of
it, so she gave it to me. Awesome!

Until I went to mega con I hadn't heard of it either. It's a Japanese
snack food. Little cookie sticks with chocolate.

First Snow

Today we had the first snow of the season. I love the snow! I wish it
would snow a little every day in the winter. Nothing gives me more
energy and makes me feel alive more than a good snowfall.

Let's hope the rest of the winter continues in this fashion.

What Happened to Civil Rights?

America is filled with bigots.

Yesterday California passed proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage. I feel sick to my stomach. What country do we live in? What year is it? Throughout the entire election we've heard a million times how America is the greatest country on earth. Really? Because not so much if you happen to be gay.

When I was in high school I was fascinated by the civil rights movement of the 60s. I watched so much news footage of college sit-ins and the march on Washington and Martin Luthor King Jr's speech, and I was simultaneously invigorated and disgusted. I was so happy that people were able to bring about change and give people what they deserved, but at the same time I was angry that they ever had to fight for those rights in the first place. I wanted so much to go back in time and join the march and the protests.

In this country's declaration of independence are the following words:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"

What part of ALL and EQUAL is so hard to understand? How is it even possible that after all this country has fought for, that we are still denying basic rights to our citizens? Is it religious beliefs? I thought we were supposed to have a separation of church and state? I thought Jesus tought tolerance, respect, and love for all people? It doesn't seem, to me, to be very Christian to cast people aside and deny them equality.

My youngest brother has Down Syndrome. Nary a day goes by that he doesn't experience some kind of discrimination. Whether it's an unsavory glance at the mall, or a snide comment from an ignorant teen, he's the victim of bigotry. For 22 years my family has been dealing with this and hoping for a better America, one that doesn't mistreat its citizens. Yet some of the same people that would find it so dispicable to make fun of a retarded person, are the people that find it so easy to crack a joke about a gay person or are the people that are quick to cast a vote of inequality.

Today I should be elated by the election of a man the country sorely needs, but instead I am sick to my stomach. I cannot believe that in this day and age, in the United States of America, we are so unaccepting of our fellow Americans. I hope, with all my heart, that one day soon we can put this all behind us and start accepting everyone for who they are.

Barack the Vote!

I hit the polls first thing this morning. I got there right at 7:00 am
and there was already quite a line. I was number 81.

I've never been quite so excited to vote before. The US is at a very
important place. The future can continue to look bleak, or we can
stride confidently into the next decade with a sense of hope. This
country can ill afford another four years of terrible leadership.

Maybe I can be proud to be an American for once in my life.

My Night in the ER

So I awoke last night at about 2:00am with the incredible urge to
pee(nothing new for me), however when I was trying to do my business
nothing was happening.

This went on for 45 minutes, and I knew what that meant: kidney stone!

Sure enough, at about 3:00am the pain hit. I jumped out of bed,
hastily got dressed and race to the ER before the pain was too intense
to see straight. Normally I would have had someone drive me, but Tasha
was in Pittsburgh and my parents were camping.

After I got to the hospital I was quickly attended to and the pain
medication was administered. The pain in waves over the next 10 hours
until finally I passed the stone.

It was 3mm, which doesn't sound big, but it was the largest of the now
4 stones I have passed.

Let's hope it's another 8 years before I have to deal with another one
of these things.

Sent from my iPhone

Fall Has Arrived

Of seems to have taken forever this year, but autumn is finally upon
us. I wait all year for this season. I absolutely hate summer. Heat is
my mortal enemy. I spend all summer cooped up inside.

Now with the chill on the air I can finally return to the outdoors.
Our yard, so rife with neglect, will finally receive some much-needed
attention now that the threat of sweat is gone.

My drive home from work, usually so dreadful and monotonous, has been
made a beautiful thing thanks to the colorful leaves.

So perhaps I will see you outside. Look for the guy with his jacket,
hat and scarf, and the big smile on his face.

Awesome Game Store

So a friend of mine clued me in on an amazing game store in New
Holland, PA, Six Feet Under Games.

First of all, the place is huge. Enormous. They have so many games I
have never seen.

What's really awesome about this place though is their game library.
They have a room in the back with a couple hundred games that you can
just grab off the shelf, take to a table and play. For free. So you
can sample games before you buy.

I went last night with some friends for open gaming night. We played
Railroad Tycoon. It was a gray game and it's now on my to-buy list.