"what is the point of life? what do i want to do before i die? how do i want to live my life? it's horrifying to realise, but i run the daily grind - the hamster wheel - because it provides a definable framework for motivation." (sarah)

Sarah, David Brooks (of NYT) just write a timely op-ed which I think fit your post nicely, "Life Lessons from the Watergate"

I was supposed to run the Lake Shore Marathon on May 31 last Monday; that didn't happen because to a slight training injury to my left leg. I found out the next day that the event was poorly run and get this, they misjudged the length of the path so the runners were completing 27.2 miles instead of the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles.

Today was mainly spent on playing 4 hours of volleyballs on the beach  and going to the faboulous loft (no deal though; what a dissappointment). The beach girls today shouted in envy when I told them I will only get sunburned after 5 hours of continuous exposure to the sun. Well, that's the genetic advantage for being born in a tropical island.

The Summer is starting without the usual bagage of Spring Drama. Life can treat you fairly, sometime.

Mike left the building last week and right now is probably located somewhere in Arizona. I cannot help but admire people that return to school after their professional careers. I for one cannot stand the idea of sitting down a paper test one more time. And I think my grey cells cannot withstand the pressure of full time studying anymore as I will be easily distracted and eternally bored with whatever subjects being taught. You smart people get all the good stuff.

I love books and learning but I am not good enough for academic training. There is no MBAs, MAs, PhDs or whatever in my future (well, maybe if they give it to me Honoris Causa)

Another friend is also leaving Chicago next week for Galdstone (?), Texas, a supposed tiny strip of land in near the Atlantic. His girlfriend is studying medicine there and they are buying a 100 year old house. The date for the wedding is April 2006. Speaking of wedding, Mouna is getting hitched soon. Digs is moving to Shanghai. Mike's taking MBA. Jim's going to Law School.

Damn, everybody is having big, bold and life changing  plans.  I have none that I can pull out of my drawer and say,"here it is; I got one too". All I got is a picture in my head that might be just a plain mirage.

nice place, but no deal. The search for a new place continues.

If everything works out tomorrow, I'll be living in a 3200 SqFt loft

Living large baby.

I know I'm late to the party but I'm estatic in discovering System of  a Down through their latest "Mezmerize" album.

"And, of course, that’s what we know as of now. In some cases, it appears that investigations have gotten...uh...bogged down. But, in any event, as far as we can tell, out of 108 prisoner death in US Military custody, at least 27 of them, or 25% appear to be murders committed mainly by US Military personnel, although in one case, the Justice Department is investigating since the suspects are CIA employees. Compare that, to say, 2001, when, in the US corrections system—both state and federal—homicides accounted for 57 of the 3,311 deaths that year, or 1.7%. And that, by the way, includes homicides of inmates by other inmates. The number killed by prison guards, while not broken out, is no doubt substantially smaller still.

25% v.1.7%"

"Murdering prisoners is wrong. Period. Torturing prisoners is wrong. Period. Those are, in fact, supposed to be the types of principles that separate us from the terrorists. But as far as I can tell, there seems to be some problem getting this message down through the whole chain of command. It doesn’t matter whether that’s by negligence, or by design, it has to stop. Even if you don’t care about the prisoners themselves, you have to at least acknowledge that torturing and killing prisoners creates a propaganda and moral defeat for our side. It’s unwise on purely utilitarian grounds, let alone moral ones. Finally, it’s too bad if it offends you to read criticism of our soldiers here. But, after putting in 10 years on active duty as a trigger-puller myself, I’ve pretty much earned the right to make any criticisms I think are appropriate." (Qando)

"A Republican, who is a friend of a friend of a friend of mine, sent me, and several people on my mailing list, a video today.  

It had the subject line of: RE: Dang
The body of the message said (and this is a copy-paste job with the quote):
Video of a democrat on November 3 2005.... More democrats should follow his lead.
The video, which you would expect to be funny, given the subject line, was - to say the least - sick.
The video showed a black couple (It might just be me, but isn't assuming that all blacks are Democrats just a bit racist?) kissing outside of an elevator, with video coming from a security cam.  In retrospect, they were probably breaking up.  It's a very touching moment, then she turns away and gets slowly into the elevator.  The doors close, and he reaches into his pocket; I was thinking, "Maybe a hanky?"
He then kills himself with the gun he has just pulled out.

Diaries :: ResistanceIsFutile's diary :: :: Trackback ::

The contact info was taken off because the issue is resolved. This post will be deleted tomorrow." (A blogger on Daily Kos)

Apparently the Republican referred to this post is Nuckin' Futz, a regular on Redneck Texan

"But when I visited Larry's lame ass blog a few days later, I saw that he had, based on information found in Nuckin's e-mail footer published Nuckin's real name, where he worked, and all the phone numbers to Nuckin's bosses, and was suggesting to all his readers that they call Nuckin's boss and complain that Nuckin was using company computers to e-mail what Larry considered offensive e-mails. There are not very many like minded idiots that frequent Larry's lame ass blog, but it turns out ol Big Larry has a diary at the world's most trafficked collection of victimized liberals, Daily Kos." (RT)

and apparently due to the harrasment from the blog visitors to NF's company, NF lost his job (I still need to have this confirmed).

Now I don't think  NF's and I ever agreed on anything on Redneck Texan blog and I don't even know his identity  but this DailyKos blogger is fucking out of line in publishing NF's personal information on his blog and asking DailyKos readers to harras him and the company he works for. That's malice.

Political discussion in blogosphere are poisonous and nasty but it's still just words in the never ending spouts. You cross the line when you start bringing your online spats to the reality and try to bring the other person (which is a private citizen) down, which is the case here.

We have freedom of speech here in America and you don't replace the absence  of physical oppression by government with  the threat to private livelihood by other citizens. Shame on you.