hmm

I've been experiencing something quite strange recently.
When I first got into a relationship with my current girlfriend, I felt like I was holding back. I didn't want to put myself out there emotionally. Well it feels like I've finally let that go and now I feel extremely vulnerable and it's going to take some getting used to.

Same-sex situation

I usually don't like to publicly get into the controversial issues, particularly when emotions get involved, i.e. same-sex marriage, but on the private plane, I can't get enough.
At work today I was discussing California's recently passed Prop 8, banning Same-Sex marriage. As surprised as I was that California, one of the most liberal states in the union, shot down a proposition like this, I was extremely pissed off that people were so uncomfortable with this.
I believe the primary reason why people are unable to step even a little bit outside their box is because of their religious beliefs. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being religious, I'm just saying it's stupid, that's all.
Anyways, as my friend and I got into this little debate, it became more and more clear that I was right, he was basing his entire argument on God's condemnation of homosexuality. I had him squirming a little when I pulled out the Separation of Church and State card but then he made some claim about how Churches would be forced to marry same-sex couples which is of course ridiculous...like...really??
I don't know why, but I get extremely worked up about this and it just really gets to me.
On a side note, it's definitely Fall, and the weather is awesome.
Obama is an official Peacekeeper even if slightly undeserving, which is fine by me.
Cheers.

What I'm not proud of.

Envy is one of seven deadly sins.
I usually enjoy partaking in one form or another of the seven cardinal sins but envy is one I don't particularly care but unfortunately I seem to be disposed to spending time with envy's cousin, jealousy.
Whenever it comes to my girlfriends, I can be really jealous if another guy is spending time with my girlfriend when I'm not around, even if it does seem perfectly innocent.
I have no idea why I have this trait but I most definitely dislike it. I can't seem to help but be possessive of my girlfriends. I wish I knew why I am.
I've thought of several reasons why I could be...
1. I like what I have and the idea of not having it brings me displeasure.
2. I don't want other people to enjoy what I enjoy in that context. (Selfish, I know.)
3. I'm just an inherently bad person.

Now the last one is probably not true because I really don't think anyone is inherently bad, but I need to through it in there because a list of two is hardly a list at all.

Either way, I hope this trait of mine tames itself and tones down in the future, because it's something I'm not proud of at all.

Making copies

Ok, every time I get some important piece of information for a class such as a syllabus or a class schedule, it always ends up in some dimension other than our own. I'm beginning to think of conspiracy theories relating to this but I'll save that for a separate blog.
The worst part about the situation is not that I lose important copies of stuff, it's that the same day (after looking all over the place for a week) I print off a new copy, I find my original copy lying around somewhere.
Who the hell needs to copies of a syllabus for Comm 101? No one. I wasted 5 minutes of my life downloading and printing off 10 pages.
I don't why it's so frustrating, but it is.
On a lighter note, my Comm 101 class has been assigned an Oral Reading and the mass amount of possible readings I could do makes my mouth water. I'm probably going to read some of Albert Camus' earlier work if I can find something with some decent amount of relevance to the majority of the class which shouldn't prove to be too difficult.

Pipe Smoking and Online Book Buying

So I recently went through the resource-consuming drudgery of purchasing my books for this semester and I decided to check several different places online to see what the difference in prices was like. On a lot of places akin to Amazon.com, with Amazon included, I found the prices for both new and used books to be generally reasonable for what I was buying. I then decided to check Barnes and Noble because I was also curious to see how much it would cost me to just drive over to my local B&N and purchase all my books there (which I wouldn't be able to do anyways, they would have to be ordered). It suffices to say I was shocked. The prices at Barnes and Noble were grossly inflated when placed next to the exact same book on Amazon.com.
I could not believe it. But anyways, I suppose that little story was just to tell you to never, ever shop on Barnes and Noble online, unless you wish to unnecessarily burn through all your money holus-bolus.
I've been ever-increasingly enjoying my pipe. I recently picked up several new tobaccos from a nearby shop and tried some new ones. I've learned that I'm going to have to shop online for tobaccos due to the pathetic selection and variety available to me where I live (the conservative arm pit of southern California). I've also made a couple pipe videos on youtube partially due to the gentle coercion from a fellow whom I talked to from that community. So far it's an enjoyable thing, but there's nothing like writing a blog. It feels more satisfying than making a video, not to mention the effort involved in making a video sometimes defeats the point I think. We shall see how that goes. Cheers.

Starbucks and RSXs

There is something to be said about removing oneself from one's usual environment, even for a short period of time. You never realize until youre out of it how much your environment holds sawy over your thoughts, emotions, and overall state of mind.
At the moment I am gladly outside the Antelope Valley where I've lived for over fiftenn years. Even though Northridge is only a canyon run and a freeway skip away, it nonetheless provides the breath of fresh air that comes with a period of fresh faces and places.
I suppose one of the interesting things about California, particularly Southern California is that youre never really outside your comfort zone, assuming youre comfortable with Southern California culture. Even though this town may be different and fresh compared to the last town, there is still a Starbucks around the corner and still a slammed RSX down the street (crazy asians). So you truly get the best of both worlds.
Ok, I think I'm done rambling now, it's easier to drink my Starbucks coffee if I'm not typing.

Fall 2009 First Impressions.

Statistics: My teacher is INSANE but the class seems easy enough.
Geology: Professor is out to change the world but there are worse things.
Sociology: I don't even know what to think.
Speech: I'm just happy I was able to crash this class, by the skin of my teeth that is.

This semester has a good feeling to it. It really feels like a fresh start.