List:

1. Build a dynasty
2. Burn it to the ground
3. Rebuild it better

My friends. You bow to no one.

http://www.stansborough.co.nz/store/new-edition-lotr-cloak/product.aspx

1100 NZD = 778.80 USD

And what good would that be without one of these:

http://www.replicadungeon.com/lotr-elven-brooch.html

I would crush this if it weren't $600. Well, maybe...

I cannot understand people who are my age or are of my generation that support Glenn Beck. I think my expectations of older generations are more lenient in terms of open-mindedness given that they did grow up in a different time and different world.

I was reading through the Wikipedia page on Glenn Beck after seeing a slightly disturbing article addressed to him, and found it to be quite a lengthy page. Instead of trying to get into any analysis of his history or views, I'll provide a few quotes which I found interesting.

"Glenn Lee Beck was born in Everett, Washington, on February 10, 1964, to William and Mary Beck."

"In 1977, William Beck filed for divorce against Mary due to her increasing alcoholism."

"Beck has described his mother's death as a suicide in interviews during television and radio broadcasts."

"In 1999, Beck married his second wife, Tania. They joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 1999, partly at the urging of his daughter Mary."

"Radio historian Marc Fisher has posited that Beck is "first and foremost an entertainer, who happens to have stumbled into a position of political prominence.""

"Beck, then 23, was partnered with a 26-year-old Arizona native Tim Hattrick to co-host a local "morning zoo" program. During his time at Y-95, Beck cultivated a rivalry with local pop radio station KZZP and that station's morning host Bruce Kelly. Through practical jokes and publicity stunts, Beck drew criticism from the staff at Y-95 when the rivalry culminated in Beck telephoning Kelly's wife on-the-air, mocking her recent miscarriage"

"After leaving Houston, Beck moved on to Baltimore, Maryland and the city's leading Top-40 station, WBSB, known as B104. There, he partnered with Pat Gray, a 27-year-old morning DJ. During his tenure at B104, Beck was arrested for speeding in his DeLorean with one of the car's gull-wing doors wide open. According to a former colleague, Beck was "completely out of it" when a B104 manager went down to the station to bail him out."

"At WKCI, Beck and Gray co-hosted the local four-hour morning show, billed as the Glenn and Pat Show. On a 1995 broadcast of the show, Alf Papineau pretended to speak Chinese during a taped comedy skit. When an Asian-American listener called to complain, Gray and Beck made fun of the caller and played gongs in the background while Papineau spoke in a mock-Chinese accent."

"Chris Balfe, president of Beck's company, Mercury Radio Arts, said that the reason Beck came to Fox was because of president Roger Ailes, remarking that they "have a fantastic relationship"."

"As of September 2009 Beck's program drew more viewers than all three of the competing time-slot shows on CNN, MSNBC and HLN combined."

"In late August 2009, the mayor of Mount Vernon, Washington, Beck's hometown, announced that he would award Beck the Key to the City, designating September 26, 2009 as "Glenn Beck Day". Due to some local opposition, the city council voted unanimously to disassociate itself from the award. The key presentation ceremony sold-out the 850-seat McIntyre Hall and an estimated 800 people, both supporting and opposing the event, demonstrated outside the building."

"In 2006, Beck remarked to Muslim congressman-elect Keith Ellison, a guest on his show, "I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.' And I know you're not. I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel." Ellison replied that his constituents, "know that I have a deep love and affection for my country. There's no one who's more patriotic than I am, and so you know, I don't need to — need to prove my patriotic stripes." Beck's question, which he himself suggested was "quite possibly the poorest-worded question of all time," resulted in protests from several Arab-American organizations."

Huh?

I'm not particularly informed of the details regarding the new health care bill.

On the internets, I saw many Republicans title their reaction articles with the quote "So this is how liberty dies... to thunderous applause," and I thought to myself- "I know this quote, but it can't be."

Yes indeed, the quote originates from the classic Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith; spoke by none other than Natalie Portman in her riveting performance as Senator Amadala of Naboo. Not Braveheart, but SW Ep3. People must have Barack confused with Pope Benedict XVI?

And if you're going to quote Star Wars, at least use the originals. It's a trap!

It looks as if I'll be missing the delivery today. Just will have to pick it up from the distribution center.

Bright:

Pros:
-Hot
-Australian
-Olympic Gold Medalist

Cons:
-Mormon
-Engaged (minor)
-Horse-gummed (minor)

1260 double mctwist

Over the past few years, I've developed an aversion to people who I would describe as abrasive. Perhaps that is just another way of saying the ambiguous term "people who rub me the wrong way," so I will try to add some definition to the concept:

- Intolerants. There are many different masks worn to create layers over intolerance- overcompensation, humor, self-victimization, etc. It always comes out eventually, though, if it is there.

- Self deceptionists. Being self aware does not exclude being self deceived. I can observe that I continue to make poor decisions and at the same time believe I am always right.

- Bossy people. I don't think there is anything wrong about putting yourself first or getting what you want. I think it becomes problematic when such things come at the expense of others.

- Rude gusses. Those who skipped kindergarten or first grade rules. Don't interrupt people, use "please" and "thank you", take your turn in line, don't be a criminal.

I like most people who are not abrasive.

On that note:

http://autocompleteme.com/

Google:

Really, really bored at work.

Queenan:

We deal in deception here. What we don't deal with is self-deception. In five years, you might be anything else in the world, but you won't be a Massachusetts State trooper.

j:

I had a series of interesting/weird dreams last night.

In one of them, someone was telling me about how their grandfather just inexplicably dropped dead. Suddenly I was reliving that scene with them. It was their grandfather's birthday and the whole family was gathered to surprise him. The party was for ninja themed... I don't know. The grandfather was surprised when he walked out and saw ninjas spinning bows and a bonfire with ninja ceremonies going on around it. After that the party went inside to cut the cake and he was giving joyous hugs to all of his family when, suddenly, he froze up stiff and literally fell like a tree. End of dream.

Then I was in this post-apocalyptic city, wandering through buildings and basements. I recall lots of stairwells and climbing through broken windows, with no particular destination in mind. Eventually I ended up on this parking lot property underneath a highway and heard someone coming. For some reason I knew that I was on their property, so I tried to hide behind some hanging ropes? But from a distance he spotted me and has his dog attack. I stood my ground as the dog charged, and when it leapt at me I used its momentum to swing it around right back at its owner. End of dream.

i:

Here goes round 2.

h:

For every action there is a consequence. For each consequence there is a choice in responsibility.

g:

These days when I see open spaces, I just want to go. Same phenomenon of seeing the mileage signs for Denver on I-70 and wanting to just keep on driving. Part of it is a desire to escape. Part of it is a desire to be irrational. Part of it is because running through an open field is cool.

F:

"The rest of your life" is a difficult thing to face. I think back to when I broke my thumb, and when the cast came off the doctor told me I would never have my full range of motion or full strength in it again. I gave up learning guitar at that point because I couldn't bar anymore, which is not a sacrifice of monumental proportions, but just one of the realities of that "the rest of your life" example.

And then there are the things that don't really last forever, but certainly feel like they will. Probably the most common example is heartbreak.

I don't know when I'll be able to move on. It feels like never, but I should know better. What a mind trip.

.....

It's like rebreaking a bone. For a while something hasn't been growing right or healing normally. The only solution is to break the bone and reset the healing process. It hurts like all hell for some undetermined amount of time - days, months, maybe years- but there is the hope that eventually it'll be healthy. And then there is the very common aftermath of permanent damage. Loss in range of motion, stress pains, etc. that persist. I don't know how to cope with the pain. Part of me wants to just get away. For some reason, Argentina and Switzerland don't sound too far fetched to be in by the end of the week.

Bottom:

Some days you gotta take steps of faith. Some days you gotta take leaps.