Eh-heh.

So it's been interesting all around. Interesting in the sense of "I should be going to bed right now"

Got commentary back on my thesis - my reader (who hasn't seen the project before) recommended High Honors for me, holding back highest honors because of some problems that I was aware of with the thesis - they had been raised before, but I guess I didn't tie them in well enough or figure out how to tie them in well enough. Either way, I got praise (and high marks for the course - we'll see what sort of honors I garner for graduation day. Either way, I can stick on the honor cords - my GPA's good enough for it anyway. So if departmental honors gives me some other accoutrement to wear, then yay! More feathers for the peacock!

For my next trick - getting chimps to stop smoking? Nah, leave that one to the experts. Instead, enjoy the scents of R'yleh.

I've got a lot of thinking things - the revolutionary socialist, myself, and another all sat about discussing the merits of science and religion in pre- and post-revolution worlds. The hang-up seemed to be in trying to explain God as a non-scientific hypothesis, which God (or at least the Christian estimation thereof) is by definition. At the same time, I'm not willing to say that they'll die out entirely in such a world - possibly severely reduced in numbers, but not dead. I just wonder what seems to frightening about a world ruled entirely by good science... maybe the possibilities it produces for being really inhumane, even in a socialist world? I don't know. Maybe it's debris from my vagrant Catholicism.

Gliding along religious lines, we knew this was true, but someone finally proved it - There are Baptists with brains. (Sorry for anyone who might be offended, but alliterative jokes are often too good to pass up.) Read and see whether or not this minister might just have the right idea. (The post is in satyrblade's journal, the speech is from Rev. Dr. Robert Dale Shrum)

Turning politically, we note with dismay and a little twitchiness that perhaps the prosecution alters the evidence to earn their conviction, rather than letting the innocent away. This seems to be a worldwide thing - the Space Hijackers site often has the Police around, even when they aren't doing anything that affects anyone but the spectators. So what to do about it? Well, I do believe a very long time ago I wrote about a gentleman from Canada who has cameras in his eyeglasses, takes video cameras into stores, and generally tries to make people aware of the surveillance going on in stores. Or I at least watched a program about someone of this nature. It might not be the same guy who's in this article about keeping surveillance on the people keeping surveillance (although I think it is the same person), but the idea is stellar. If everybody's filming everybody else, then there's good reason for everybody to either behave perfectly or to want to escape from the cameras - I suspect the latter more than the former, and thus it could provide some impetus to stop mistrusting everybody else so much. Who knows?

Next-to-last, I'll probably be in the mass of people trying to get Piro to sign for them tomorrow, so if you're headed that way, let me know - maybe we can all meet somewhere and then go plunge into the crowd.

Lastly, a new set of answers to the interview meme - my answers by rimspace's questions:

1) Probably Japan, if moving there also counts that I'll be able to learn the language. I've heard it's a beautiful place, and there's a lot there that I'm interested in seeing.
2) Yep. Although I think I might have a system fairly well worked out, it continues to be tweaked.
3) Of course.
4) Go for it! IF there are other intelligent races out there, it would be better to know about them before they come knocking on our door. There's a risk involved of inviting the Borg back to the home planet, sure, but it should be one we're willing to take.
5) Not unimaginative, but somehow, coming up with five good questions is a strain.

The questions:

1) If you could move anywhere, where would it be?
2) Do you believe in magic?
3) Intentionally left blank?
4) Space exploration: your opinion.
5) does everyone have so much trouble thinking up five questions, despite having so many ideas of what to ask before being asked for the questions, or am I just unimaginative?

A generally non-productive day...

...just the way one should spend a weekend Saturday when there aren't any exams to be had. The studying and the paper-writing and that will start in earnest next week. Since my last paper and that exam are both due next Monday - I'll muster one last panic before the end. Although it won't be much of a panic. I'm already going to be well-decorated for graduation, and I'm not really afraid that I'm going to fail any classes. I'm saving my anxiety for the job search and graduate schooling.

So what did I actually do today? Well, I had a Megatokyo Book One (Dark Horse Version) drawn in by Piro, since he visited the local animation shop today. This is probably my one Piro-graph for the year, since I'm not usually willing to brave his convention lines (I have panels to go to, you know) and he doesn't usually make more than one trip. Anyway, I get Ping sketched in, since I already have a Miho in the earlier Book One and a Kimiko on an index card (my plot to have him draw the character he needed the most practice on was foiled - he said it was Kimiko). So in about two years or so, I'll have sketched-in all the books I own now. There will probably be at least one more book arriving by then, so I'll still be behind, but them's the breaks. Of course, maybe by then 9th Elsewhere will be published, too, and I'll have to track down that author to sketch in a book or something. Anyway, mind not my pointless ramble about Piro's fanbase. He puts out a good enough product to deserve it (I feel more sorry for his poor servers.)

That was the accomplishments for today - the rest was spent chatting away the time, reloading my MP3 player with a new rotation (limited space prevents truly effective listening, but I sub stuff in and out here and there) and continuing to contemplate whether or not to beg for tickets to the Final Fantasy music concert in Detroit (and then seeing if it'll fit into my work schedule) for my birthday, amongst other begging and cajoling. Depends on whether or not the parents are tossing a graduation party and how generous anyone might be feeling after that. Since I'm heading back into the trenches for a couple more years, a lot of these "graduating senior" ceremonies don't quite hold as much appeal for me, or rather, I don't feel entirely comfortable with them happening, since I'm going back to school. An irrational (if logical) conclusion, and one that I'm just content with having and trying hard to ignore.

Of course, one can never expect the world to behave with the same lazy pace that I am - it would be nice if everyone took a siesta from their killing, politicking, and otherwise world-destroying devices and had a nice lazy lunch with each other. Instead, they seem to be more intent on suspending students for wearing makeup (more detailed, non-pictured article here). In both articles, though, be careful of the minefield of words strewn about. They're stereotype bait, I think, and quite a few people will be drawn to them to make a decision, rather than the actual details of the incident. I'm inclined to side with the kid that the face-painting really isn't a major enough disruption to the classroom to invoke the rules.

vwalbrid suggests that "we have a pass-the-hat and get this Berndt kid a medal: 'For services to a dying Democracy above and beyond the call of duty'." What's he done to deserve our applause? He asked Scalia whether or not he sodomized his wife. A letter of commendation for having the balls to speak your mind and make a point at the same time should be given. Instead, I wonder whether he'll be suspended for some conveniently-invoked reason. I don't know whether or not someone would get the Evil Eye from our administration for a comment like that, but it's probable, just to save face.

Useless fact of the night - I speak standard American most of the time.

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English
10% Dixie
10% Upper Midwestern
10% Yankee
5% Midwestern
What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Yay? Yeah. I guess. Random fact - I made it to Juggernaut Status today on the Keenspot Boards... in a little less than five years, from 1 to 3141.59. At this rate, I'll be an old man when I make it to the Deity spot - this assumes that maritzac will be drawing CRFH for another ten or so years, something that is possible, but having a Mini-Goddess to take care of could preclude that.

I may also be adding more people to watch and/or be friends with, by utilizing the fact that I was marked as someone interesting to read (greyweirdo, I want whatever it was you were smoking when you made that decision) to look at all the other journals referenced in the nexus point. Not that anyone uses my friends list to read anything by anybody else - when you can friend them yourself, why bother?

[commentary about lack of drawing talent and apparent fruitlessness in quest for enlightenment redacted - it's the kind of stuff you'd see at a whine-tasting party]

Since I seem to be devolving into melodrama (and bad melodrama at that), I think I'll just pack up and go to bed. There's more goofing off to be done tomorrow.