You are currently browsing the Down with Absolutes! weblog archives for September, 2004.
Let’s keep it simple:
Strength of Bush: His ability to use Kerry’s own record against him.
Strength of Kerry: His ability to articulate what he’s attempting to say.
Weakness of Bush: His inability to articulate everything he’s trying to say.
Weakness of Kerry: His inability to run from his own scattershot record.
Pretty bland right about now.
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 3:18 PM PDT
Four years ago I said blacks were disenfranchised from voting through various questionable methods.
Well, look no further than this article, posted on Yahoo! today.
People thought I was spewing conspiracy theories when I said there were roadblocks in Florida and plain-clothes police officers asking to see ID before blacks entered their polling places.
When will people finally agree that after 400 years, they’re still being treated as second class citizens?
This is exactly why democracy in this country needs a complete facelift. Bullshit like this must stop.
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 3:19 PM PDT
I had plans. Plans to go to a nice dinner with a friend. My friend Nicole, whom I’ve known for 10 years. Nicole is my dinner buddy. Because many of my other compadres are more the pizza and beer type, it’s always nice to go out with someone with discriminating taste buds who likes to try new things like I do.
In the past several years, Nicole and I have done Japanese, Indian, Thai, Korean, Moroccan, Greek, Mexican and the inevitable Italian and Chinese. We’re partial to Indian. The sweet lassi drinks and shrimp tikka masala are awesome. We’re currently looking for some nice eat-in Cuban and Jamaican dives. Have any suggestions?
Anyhow, our destination for last night was to be some restaurant in Hockessin she had recommended. She always has good ideas and I wasn’t about to question her choice, even though I didn’t know the name of the place.
The phone rings. It’s my friend Maggie, mother of Theo, an 18-month old terror. With Maggie was Eden, also mother of an 18-month old, Davin. I went to school with both of them. Eden had her baby just a few days after Maggie. She came home to Delaware after a couple years around the country. Needless to say, because the baby boys are so close in age, they get along really well.
So, Maggie and Eden want to go to dinner. Because Nicole and I haven’t seen Eden in so long, we cancel our plans and meet them at Maggie’s house to decide on a place to eat. And, wouldn’t you know? We decide to go, of all places, to Chuck E. Cheese’s. It wasn’t what childless Nicole and I had in mind, but I thought it would be interesting, seeing as how I hadn’t been there in over a decade.
We get there around 7:15 and the place is crazy. Nicole and I wait in line for about five minutes to place our order while Maggie and Eden scout out the place with their sons.
“One cheese pizza, one with pepperoni and sausage,” I say to the cashier. “One order of wings. Four soft drinks and two of those sippee cups for the boys. And, oh yeah…50 tokens please.”
“Will that be all?” the cashier responds.
“Yes, I think so.”
I sarcastically say to Nicole: “Coming to Chuck E. Cheese is the absolute BEST form of birth control. Watching these kids wreck havoc on the place almost makes me fearful of having any more sex.”
Well, Nicole couldn’t contain herself. She and the cashier got quite a laugh out of it. I guess I am a witty guy.
Before moving to our table, I give the cashier a sympathetic look that says “How can you work here and NOT go crazy.”
He seems to comprehend what I’m thinking and hands us our table label. We’re order number 71.
So Nicole and I sit down. We get drinks for everyone.
Apparantly, kids shouldn’t drink regular cola after a certain point. Nicole and I are advised to get the two boys Sprite because there is no caffeine. We oblige and learn something new. Lemonade for me. And Coke for Nicole, Maggie and Eden.
Kids are running around everywhere. Shoes are laying on the floor. Balls from the ball pit are strewn everywhere and parents are all sitting at their tables while their terrors release their rage on unsuspecting victims.
This must be a fire hazard. There’s no way this many kids should be so highly concentrated in such a small space. And these kids were bad. So bad that Maggie and Eden were scolding some for being rough with their own kids.
More to come…if you’re interested.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Personal at 3:20 PM PDT
I haven’t forgotten you all. I’m just in the midst of getting a new computer. I’m working with crappy 56K dial-up right now and it’s too damn slow.
Until the new computer comes (which should be any day now), head on over to delatacit.com (note: now defunct) for some crazy stuff on DE politics.
Peace!
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 8:20 PM PDT
So I’m back at school…praying for this last semester to end.
I needed to come to the library this morning to look up some stuff. On my way into the building, I notice the Army has set up camp at the Bell Tower (pretty much the heart of the campus). They’ve got a huge rock climbing tower and a trailer with what looks to be a smaller version of a tank. But I know what it really is.
It’s a virtual reality game that people get into to have a little arcade-like fun! That’s great. I guess our tax money is now going to fund violent video games with the hopes that a few good men (and women, of course) will get turned enough to sign on the dotted line.
Rock climbing and video games. Now there’s a way to entice hopeful recruits!
And they call Michael Moore’s movie propaganda!
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 8:20 PM PDT