Well I have finally returned after having a stomach virus over the weekend. What a fun way to spend the day! I can tell that no one was eagerly awaiting my return. However one good thing did stem from my stomach virus: I did get to see Texas smash Kansas in Basketball 80-55 which is always nice. Since I have a girlfriend I have had to cut back my 40-60 hours of sports a week to about 2 hours of sports when Texas plays a big game. Anyway onto the not so good stuff.

I heard today that Bush said that Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic primary, but not the presidency. I think at this point it is a pretty much guarantee that she will win the democratic primary the only question is whether America is ready to vote for a woman. I think it would be awesome if Condoleezza Rice were to run. That choice would make everyone person's head in a red state explode. I think if that occurs we might actually have a third party swoop in (Jesse Ventura?) and steal the election. One thing that Bush did say that I agree with was that the Democratic Party was a party against "everything" which I would pretty much agree with.

If John Kerry would have just taken a stand on a couple of issues and acted like he had half a back bone he could have won in a walk. Instead he just griped about how bad Bush was. GREAT STRATEGY. You can not pander to the two coasts and the big city in the middle and hope to win a national election. Every republican knows that the election is won with Texas/Florida and all the red states in the middle. The sad thing is that Hillary Clinton is seen as a "New England Liberal" now and not as a fiscally conservative social democrat from the South. She had better find someone charismatic from the south to be her running mate, or maybe the Democrats would be better off with John Edwards. We have to have someone who can steal some of those red states especially Florida.

Three things the Democrats need to do have a chance at the presidency:

1. Acknowledge that you can be both religious and open-minded, and that secular does not necessarily mean better. America maybe a nation of phonies but we are phony to the core. We say we want religion when we don't, and we reward those who say they are religious. Conservative Christians feel alienated every time a democrat rants about the "religious right." There is no religious right in America. The religious right is America.

2. Abandon the peace at all cost mentality. America is built on Nationalism, and the MYTH of the American Dream. NO American wants America to be seen as a bunch of pussies like the French. People make the mistake of thinking that most Americans are anti-war, they are not, they are anti-limited warfare. They do not understand the Post World War II mentality of try to not hurt anyone during a battle. They believe in kicking the door in and turning the joint into the parking lot if you mess with us. That is why most people respect George Bush (note I am not saying like, or favor). We do not like war but we realize it is a necessary evil, and we respect him for trying to do the right thing. It is easy to quit and abandon your beliefs but it hard to do the right thing and stand up for what you believe in. You do not quit simply because the going gets hard.

3. Develop a system of beliefs or values and stand by them. John Kerry and Al Gore are fair weather politicians who flip/flop to whatever the political flavor of the month of is. The republicans maybe basic as a sledge hammer: tax cuts, big military presence, fight the war on terrorism, etc but people know where they stand. Americans are afraid of change and you can not go around acting like you are trying to change everything all at once (same sex marriage, abortion, racial equality, etc). Each of these terms I just listed frightens most Americans to death and when you say you want to change them they panic and vote Republican. You have to bring them along slowly. Do not try to jump to a constitutional Same Sex Marriage amendment without priming the pump first. You have to take baby steps. Make sure that that we reinstate same sex partner benefits from corporations and move from there. It has to be in baby steps so that they really do not see the change until it has already changed so much that they do not even notice it.

I think that pretty much sums up my thoughts on politics at the moment. I will revisit and revise this post as I think of more things the democrats can do to win in 2008. Peace.

You know what I hate? Crybabies. People who lose and then bitch. I can't stand it. I don't gloat when I win and I don't cry when I lose. I play poker alot, and I am a pretty good player not great but pretty good. My grandfather ran a poker game in Ft. Worth for 43 years. I grew up running errands for him and the other players, and began playing way before poker was fashionable. I play middle hands alot like K-8, K-7 especially if they are suited, depending on the position, stack etc. I feel you can not sit around and wait for AA or AK and then try to win. If people know you play tight they will fold so you have to pick your spots and play loose enough that people can't get a read on you. Anyway I am digressing here. I am not a poker guru or anything, but what I hate is when you play and people get beat and they try to lecture you about how they are such a great player and you are such a piece of crap.

Typical outburst: 'HOW COULD YOU CALL THAT RAISE WITH POCKET KINGS?!? I WENT ALL IN! YOU SHOULD HAVE FOLDED AND GIVEN ME YOUR MONEY! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO WIN!" Half of poker is gamble: that feeling you get in your stomach when you know you have the cards or not. You can have pocket rockets go all in and get your ass handed to you with 9 2 offsuit. Its poker. I cannot stand when people sit there and bitch about how terrible a beat it was. Sometimes it just ain't your fucking day. Say oh well shake everyone's hands, say good luck, walk away and get ready for tomorrow. NO body wins them all. I swear sportsmanship is fucking dead in this country and guys like Phil Helmuth and Josh Arieh have killed it. The crybaby douche bags. People need to have the class and self respect to not embarass themselves after a beat especially the bad ones.

Well I have finally returned to this cornucopia of crapulence known as my blog. I tinkered with this think off and on all summer trying to figure out what to do with it, and I still have no idea what the purpose of a blog is but I think I am just going to try to log in daily with random thoughts, opinions, and goings from my life. We will see how this goes. I am not sure anyone cares about my life least of all me but I will try to post everyday with the hope hope that some interesting tidbits fly out of this diarrhea of the hand. So onto the good stuff.

In one of my English 102 class today we had a discussion about policy proposals but one of the examples from the book we are using, John Trimbur's Call to Write, (If you would like an honest opinion of this book I would be happy to provide one in a much less public forum such as email. Got to watch the office politics you know...) had a proposal about boxing. It was actually a research proposal and not a policy proposal but whatever, anyway, she sought to prove that many men found or constructed their identities through boxing. Sounded good because, many people not just men, construct their identities through sport. As a former boxer I found it interesting. My class however was less than enthusiastic. Many people thought it was kind of antiquated that people still defined themselves through the expression of violence. One of the students went so far as to call it "pathetic" and she made a good point that adults should solve their problems by talking, that promoting boxing to children could cause them to resort violence as a solution to their problems, and that only people insecure in their manhood would resort to boxing to find their identity or solve their problems. I did not have much of a response to all this so I punched her. Just kidding, I would never hit a student.

However I asked the class if they agreed and I was shocked that almost everyone agreed. I then asked if their was ever a situation that you felt it was ok to resort to fighting or violence. The typical response was "Only if someone hit you first." My question is this: When did it become so wrong to get in a dust up? I mean what is the harm in throwing some fists with a dude over a dispute. If you wait until they hit you first then it is way too late to be trying to defend yourself at that point. I am not advocating beating the crap out of everyone that annoys you but why is it so wrong to stand up for yourself. If somebody gets a little to mouthy and insults you and you get the sense you may need to set them straight what is the problem?

People are always so shocked that when someone tries to intimidate me that I typically have a VERY strong response. They cannot believe that I would A: be willing to knock this person out B: that I have found several occasions in the past to do exactly that or C: Be willing to take a few shots to the face and/or head to stand up for myself. I have noticed a progressively passive society of Americans developing in the last few years. It began with the no fighting rules, and has progressed to the point that people do not even want to speak up against bullies anymore. There is a feeling of ignore the problem and it will go away. I don't see why it is such a terrible thing to defend your honor every now and then. I think the problem might simply be that the continued pussification of America has led to a society that has no honor left to defend. Who respects a person that lets some one walk all over them?

INTRODUCTIONS I titled this blog Lost in Space because that is how I feel most of the time. I also like the quote by Anatole France because I also feel that way most of the time. I long for immortality because I simply do not know what to do with my life. I spend most of my time kicking around on a piece of ground in my hometown waiting for someone or something to show me the way (recognize that line?). When asked what I want to do with my life, I think of Peter in Office Space, when he was asked what he would do if he had a million dollars: Nothing. I have often been told that you should try to do what you love and not choose a career for the money, but unfortunately drinking beer does not pay very well. Although I am seeking a career in Academia I am not sure that it is the perfect choice for my career.

Coming from a southern working class background I stick out like a sore thumb amongst these hippies and liberals. I often joke that I have no business teaching English because I barely speak it. The truth of the matter is I like to read and I thought hey it would be cool to be paid to sit around and talk about books. Sounded good in theory, but like all theories the application is much more difficult. Most of the time I feel like I am just floating along with no direction or purpose in life. I have begun to wonder if 26 is too early to suffer a mid life crisis? I think I like to teach until I face the fact that I will be doing this for the next 30 years, and then I am like "MAN FUCK THIS! FUCK THIS! NO WAY DUDE. NO DEAL." The truth is, though, I could be doing anything and I would be like "no fucking way dude." I guess I am just lazy but I really don't want to do shit but play poker, drink beer, and post up. I don't really think I want any job, and I would not work if I did not have to pay any bills. I think work is an unnatural state for humans, and that the uneasiness and hollowness stems from our unnatural state of civilization. I think I would be better off Thoreau-ing it and living in shack hunting for my food. Then I again I hate to be hot and I really like AC so I guess that is out. Maybe it is just that lack of purpose in my life that makes it so hard to deal with, but then I think maybe if I had some answers to life it would help me find the meaning and purpose that would ease the suffering that comes with existence. Ah if only God would throw us a bone, eh? Then again that would be too easy.