24

Why does 24 have to be so dang good?

I can't just watch one episode. Whenever I start a season, I feel the need to sit down and watch the entire season in one sitting.

I'm on episode 3. It's gonna be a long night. :-)

Death

I came in from work the other day, and I had left the TV on. I didn't bother to turn it off or change the channel. That was a mistake.

I was busy cleaning up my apt, but I could hear it in the background. This teenager type show was on. These kids kept talking to each other using "AIM lingo," such as LOL or BRB or TTYL. No seriously. They were doing this repeatedly. The really bad part was that you could tell this guy was thinking he was incredibly cool for using AIM abbreviations in real life conversation.

I wanted to jump from my balcony in a fit of helpless self-destruction, but I got my bearings, moved quickly towards the remote control, and turned it off. By doing this, I am quite sure that I avoided certain death.

My life is much more satisfying now that my television will no longer tune to that channel.

Kim Herndon

Boy, that Kim Herndon....


She just.....sucks. Real bad.

I'm a little nautious. I'd better stop typing.

So glad

I'm so happy with life.

It's ridiculous. I shouldn't be (for reasons that will remain unmentioned), but I am.

Things are going very well lately. Now, if so and so would go ahead and come back from such and such a place, that'd be greeeeat. k? thanks.

Scientists: Boy's odds of being gay traced to womb

The article identifies an interesting correlation -- the chances of any particular boy being gay increases with the number of male children his mother had before bearing him. Interesting indeed. This stands in constrast to the prior studies identifying the "gay gene."

True to form, the media is all over this, but I've grown to distrust the media when it comes to their reporting of scientific studies. Here's why.

They really don't have any idea about scientific research, how to analyze it, or how to critically analyze the methods. One small mistake (using the wrong method, taking an improper sample, etc.) can yield false results, and the media assumedly does not check for error, who funded the project, or methodological validity before they jump in front of the camera to be the first to drop a "new discovery."

This reminds me of Al Gore's "hundreds" of climate researchers who gave his new film, "An Inconvenient Truth" "five stars for accuracy." The AP reported this story but failed to name any more than five of the scientists that were referenced. Further, the specialization of the "majority" of scientists that validate his claims is not the cause of climate change, but the effects.

What's more is that the majority of the studies that he refers do not directly support his claims, and some of them actually deny them. The specific "scientific data" he cites (the one claiming a drastic reduction in the polar ice caps and a dramatic increase in temperature) wasn't built properly. First, the study measured one section of the polar ice cap in October during the 60's right in the middle of a cooling trend, and the second measured a different section, using different technology, during September (a warmer month) during the 90's. The second test just happened to be conducted right in the middle of a warming trend. When conducting research, it's always a good idea to compare apples with apples, rather than apples with steamboats.

The truth is this: Al Gore is a politician, not a researcher. He's struggling desperately to build himself a platform for the upcoming Presidential race that he's "not running" in. He has to attach his name to something, and globaly warming didn't have any other candidates attached to it, so he chose that.

Politics....

Osama Times

osama times, originally uploaded by prodigalbilly.

Haha.

I think this is funny.

Rarely

I wrote a letter to my dad - I wrote, "I really enjoy being here," but I accidentally wrote rarely instead of really. But I wanted to use it. I didn't wanna cross it out, so I wrote, "I rarely...drive steamboats, dad - there's a lot of sh*t you don't know about me. Quit trying to act like I'm a steamboat operator." This letter took a harsh turn right away...


R.I.P Mitch Hedberg

Starsky

Starsky
Originally uploaded by prodigalbilly.

Here's a recent picture of Starsky. I missed him so much while I was gone. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I was so happy to see him when I got him back today.

I missed my little buddy. :-)

paradise

paradise
Originally uploaded by prodigalbilly.

Photo #1 from my cruise taken at Half Moon Cay, a private island we visited. It was paradise.

Seriously

Today has been the best....

Today has been the best day ever (not really). It hasn't been bad though. Considering it was the first day back after a week long vacation in paradise, it was the best day of my life.

It seems to me that my life is taking a turn, hopefully for the best. Things are changing. I’m improving on some levels, and other things are just totally jacked up. I’ve been performing nightly as a male stripper at the Boom Boom Room, and my heroine habit is back.

Okay, that was a lie, but seriously, I keep telling myself, “I’m just figuring some things out right now.” But I’m not so sure. I think maybe I already have “figured some things out.” I have quite a bit to learn, but I think I know myself more now than I ever have before. It’s been quite the journey over the past year and a half. I’ve accomplished things I never thought I would, discovered things I never thought I’d find, and gone places I never thought I’d go.

I can’t help but think: Do I really want my old life back? The answer is “no.” NO, NO, NO. I’ve been debating my Spiritual position within myself lately. One part of me would say, “Wow Billy, you need to pray more, get more involved in church, and read through the Bible again.” (these are all good things, but keep listening). The other side, however, says, “This is freedom. This is love...love like I’ve never experienced before. Embrace this. Life is so abundant, so good, so different than it was before, that I can’t possibly conclude that my previous life was more Biblical than my present life.”

Why the hell would I want to go back to a miserable life of guilt, frustration, failure, and confusion? A few thoughts on this:

1.) God is clearly not the author/creator of those things,

2.) It isn’t even remotely logical to remove myself from freedom, only to go back to bondage, so that I can look and act how many people expect me to.

3.) Most importantly, I understand God’s love today more than ever before.


I love God more now than I ever have. Before, He was nothing more than a pattern, just something I did because I didn’t have anything else to do, but I didn’t love Him; I was afraid of Him. Now, He’s real. He’s here with me, and in view of His mercy, I am more in love with God than I ever dreamed I would be. I am by no means perfect, not by a long shot, and I think that’s what makes me love Him that much more. I stopped pretending to be perfect, and started being myself. Only then did God open Himself up to me. I find it very intriguing that my understanding of God’s love increased when the church’s perception of me decreased.

I can never see myself going back to that person I used to be. Life is grand. Freedom is addictive, and Christ’s love is everlasting.


Wow, that turned into a philosophical muse. Enough of that. I’m off to enjoy a tall, cool....soda. :-)

New Blog

Yes, that's right. It's my new blog. Bookmark it, RSS it, print it out and make a devotional booklet out of it. Whatever makes you happy. Why? Because this is all about you, my friends.

I like google so much, that I just can't stay with LiveJournal anymore. I enjoy myspace and all, but the blogging on it leaves a lot to be desired.

The cruise was phenomenal. Definitely one of the best, if not THE best, vacation ever. It was paradise for a week.

So sweet. Now I want to buy an island, and hire a reggae band to play there nonstop. I'll put pictures up before long. They will be beautiful, just like all of you.