Best. Post. Ever.

Poker with Dick Cheney.

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Now Playing: Oasis - Morning Glory

Gross domestic wha?

Lately I've noticed that nothing seems to annoy me more than people who have little to no understanding of economics and at the same time think they know everything and can outdo Greenspan. "Tax and spend Democrats are evil", or "Republicans hate the poor and only cut taxes for the rich". STOP. Now.

Seriously, shut up. Go back to listening to Limbaugh, watching O'Reilly, or reading Ann Coulter, and for the 'liberals', whatever it is you like to watch, listen and read. I personally can't think of anyone as pervasive as Limbaugh or O'Reilly - and by the way there's your proof that the 'liberal media' is a myth - but whatever.

Morons.


One of these days, I'll make a coherent political post. Pace, you ready to play guinea pig again? ;)

Edit: Looks like I've found my fodder. Yay. More tomorrow or in a couple of days maybe.

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Now Playing: Goo Goo Dolls - Up, Up, Up

Greetings from sandtown

I am so jetlagged that I landed on the 23rd night and the next thing I know it's Christmas day. Paris CDG has to be one of the crappiest airports ever. I think I even like IAH Houston better.

So Dubai is hot. Too hot. What's up with ~28C during the day this time of the year? I know it was a LOT colder this time around last year. Since I haven't really done anything since I got here and I have nothing more to write, I'll leave with this 'meme of four' thing I've been seeing on a lot of other blogs....


Four jobs you've had in your lifetime: Part time tech consultant, summer intern who did reports and other odd jobs, video game promotion, and with any luck I'll be grading math classes next semester

Four movies you could watch over and over: Not a big movie person but Thirteen Days, Minority Report, Memento and The Shawshank Redemption come to mind

Four places you've lived: Bombay (India), Sharjah (UAE), Dubai (UAE), Austin (and I guess you could put Houston down there too) in that order

Four TV shows you love to watch: The West Wing, The Daily Show, 24, Seinfeld

Four places you've been on vacation: Where to begin.... Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, Bahrain - not an exhaustive list by any means

Four websites you visit daily: NYTimes, Daily Kos, Penny Arcade, Altercation (on msnbc.com)

Four of your favourite foods: Barbecued anything, some very specific types of Penne, cake/cheesecake (this is food as far as I'm concerned), steak

Four places you'd rather be: Dubai fits the bill nicely for now, but if I really had to choose... Seattle, Queenstown (NZ), a U2 concert just about anywhere (what, you didn't think I'd finish this without mentioning them at least once did you?), the south pole (because that's the only continent I haven't been to yet)

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Now Playing: Coldplay - Amsterdam

Semester Closing

I should be packing, or otherwise preparing for my flight back home tomorrow but I just can't be bothered to right now. I just spent the past couple of hours deciding what I want to take thanks to the new restrictions on travel allowance on international flights to and from the US. Oh, and Emily and Puneet got progressively more, um, comfortable on the love seat while I was busy with my laundry and what not. And on top of that, they decided to watch Friends DVDs - one show I really don't care much for - a sure fire way to get rid of me. Almost makes you wonder what's going on. If I weren't busy with this whole packing thing the whole time, I'd probably feel left out.

Left out? A year ago I'd just spend some time with myself and that would be that (and no, that's not what I'm talking about you dirty perverts). There was no 'left out' because there was no 'left in' in the first place. Now, more often than not I'm finding myself around people. It's... disconcerting. (Hey Melissa!)

Nah, I kid. It's been a good semester on the whole. I know I enjoyed it. Between all the studying, the all nighters, the times when everyone but I got drunk, the games of Smash Bros, getting to know all the people I did this semester (and that doesn't only go for the people here at UT), the apartment life where you actually have responsibilities, it was fun.

I'm looking forward to going back. I land in Dubai at about 10.30 pm local time, December 23. Expect to be called. I'm STILL not sure whether or not I'm going to Bombay at all, though I'll be posting for once I know for sure. Screw the jetlag, we should definitely do something on the 24th. Clear your schedules. I mean it.

So the semester is done. Fourth 4.0 in a row - it was looking pretty close there for a little bit, what with MIS and Accounting. But now that pretty much everything's done with, this semester's special mentions go out to...

Nikhil for being a good sport and doing the dishes every damn time.

Sanju for coming over and pretty much living here the entire semester, giving us very bored people some company.

Aeris for keeping me company on MSN all those late nights. We're still on for May I hope.

Pace for getting online less times than half the number of fingers on my hand this whole semester. You'll be the first to hear from me when I get back! (And no, just because you got a mention doesn't mean it's a good thing.)

(Edit: How could I forget, Puns the cooking beast for all the chicken. Now go learn some 30 minute meals.)

And last, but definitely not the least:

Dan, Melissa and Emily for chauffering me around. I really, really appreciate it.

That'll be all for now. I'll see you on the other side.

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Now Playing: Green Day - Jesus of Suburbia

The Freeman excels in all things

So I've come to the conclusion that Melissa and I are the same person. Seriously. Well, except she likes Nip-tuck and the OC and I like U2 (how can you not?!). But yeah, we just had a conversation about religion in general and christianity in particular - some of which was pretty enlightening. I'm a nerd when it comes to this stuff, I'll admit it, even though I might not know anywhere near as much about religion as I do about politics.

Oh and we watched Syriana earlier. I personally liked it, even if the plot lines were a bit loose - and I was a bit loud. Which is weird because usually I never talk in movies. But anyhow, I could totally see everything being played out the way it did. And if you look at US-Middle Eastern history, a lot of it's incredibly familiar. I might not be as cynical as some people in that I believe that there is such a thing as a 'good politician', and yes I can in fact think of a few off of the top of my head, but incrementalism and the status quo basically kill any chance of reform the Middle East has as a region. And the views held about the region in general by the US as a country, and Americans as a people (I'm generalizing, I know), are - I don't want to say misinformed - but rather not in perspective. And how.

I can say this as a person who has lived in a Middle Eastern country, and been to a lot of others. It is NOT one region. Iran is just about as similar to Saudi Arabia as Russia is to the US. Yes, there are major religious and social issues to be resolved in the region especially with regard to Islam in government. I'll be the first to say it. Yes, there are any number of political and economic issues to be resolved. But what people, and so called 'experts' will never understand is that it is NOT going to happen overnight.

And you know what? Killing them is not going to make them love you. I don't care what you think about Saddam. Who do you think put him there? What about Mr. Bin Laden? Oh wait, it was "in our interest" at the time. Just like it is now with Iraq, except things aren't as rosy as Cheney, Rumsfeld and the boys at PNAC would have you believe.

That's what irks me.

So now I just realized this post was supposed to be a sort of 'end of semester' closing post, but I'll do that one tomorrow or the day after. Kind of got sidetracked there.

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Now Playing: Radiohead - Lucky

Meh

Is is biologically possible for anyone to even remotely be such a dumbass? Seriously.

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Now Playing: Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees

A is for Accounting!

I'm happy now.

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Now Playing: Paul van Dyk - Words

2

Wednesday night was... interesting, to say the least. I posted pictures on facebook and I'm too lazy to post them on here too. (Though if you can't get on facebook and really want, I could post a couple)

Only two finals to go, MIS - which happens to be tomorrow and I really need to get started already - and stupid physics.

So I think I'll get started on MIS. More later maybe.

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Now Playing: U2 - An Cat Dubh, Into The Heart (Live)

Almost two years of procrastination....

But Sam finally has a driver's license.

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Now Playing: U2 - Crumbs From Your Table

H-town

I'll say this right off the bat: American sucks. Do not fly them. I wouldn't if I didn't have to. (And right now I'm considering forgetting about all those miles and just switching to Southwest for good)

So let's see... got to Houston yesterday on a delayed AA flight on which the service sucks (even by American standards, and when I say American I'm not just referring to the airline). Went to the mall - I now have a new coat, shirt, jeans, and some other stuff from GAP, Banana Republic, and Express - and I'm short $250. and it looks like I might actually get this whole driving thing done Tuesday. But seeing as how I've been procrastinating for a whole year now as far as that's concerned, I'm not guaranteeing anything.

That's about it for now. I think I'll watch my U2 dvd on the (huge ass 60 something inch) TV they have here.

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Now Playing: -

How do you want to freeze today?

Just got back from Kerby Lane. Austin is uncharacteristically cold. Flying to Houston tomorrow (fuck the bus, for good). Apparently Melissa enjoys baking cake (but not eating it) and driving people around. That works for me.

More when I get there. I'm about to pass out. And damn this song is a lot better than I thought it was when I first heard it a year ago....

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Now Playing: U2 - An Cat Dubh, Into The Heart

Can they not do ANYTHING right?

Big news yesterday, shots fired by a federal air marshall on the walkway to an AA aircraft. It all seemed fine until I wake up this morning and read this....

Witnesses aboard an American Airlines jetliner say that Rigoberto Alpizar's wife pursued him, saying he was mentally ill, just before federal marshals shot and killed him. "She was chasing after him," said fellow passenger Alan Tirpak. "She was just saying her husband was sick, her husband was sick." Air marshals said Alpizar had announced he was carrying a bomb. No explosives were found.

Discretion anyone? I'm really trying to decide whether the paranoia in this country is funny or just plain scary....

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Now Playing: U2 - Even Better Than The Real Thing

Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, The Edge, Bono

You are my Gods. I worship you.

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Now Playing: U2 - 40 (Live in Chicago 2005)

My life is complete

I NEVER thought U2 would play this song live....

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Now Playing: U2 - The Electric Co. (Live in Chicago 2005)

Wanker of the day: Bill O'Reilly

I really, really hate to go around quoting Fox, but this couldn't have been said any better.

We're at war, there's Darfur, there's an AIDS crisis and you're worried about whether people should say Merry Christmas? What world do you live in? - Neal Gabler, Fox News Watch

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Now Playing: Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

Indecent exposure?

Played squash and ate at Chili's last night. Steak is always good, especially when you haven't had any for a couple of months. It wasn't Texas Roadhouse, but it was still good.

And by the way, have any of you seen this man lately?



He goes by the moniker 'Dudemandan', and was spotted last night doing some very strange things. I present to you....

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Now Playing: Foo Fighters - Times Like These

Someone shoot me

My head is so full of macroeconomics it could explode any moment.

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Now Playing: Paul van Dyk - Autumn