Before I actually say much - here is the song for the post. You’re obligated to listen to it at least once.

First of all - I have more shout-outs. I got a random notification on my phone last night, and behold:

kate bought coffee

Honestly Kate - you really didn’t have to, but I’m so very thankful that you did. You’re the best. <3 I’m happy to have people like you in my life. Speaking of people like you in my life….Val! You read my blog yesterday as well. I know, because you mentioned my playlist had a buncha bangers. I’m happy that my friends are looking through some of the sdinky stuff I’m putting out here.

I really appreciate you all. Each of you have impacted and changed my life for the better. (Even you Byonk, although I know you’re not likely to read this.)

Here lately…

I’ve thought about my place in this cog of life, and what I’m supposed to do. I was asked one time:

If your plans on being a developer ever fell through, you would want a backup plan. You might want to start thinking about that.

The man was wise in his own right I suppose. He also had a dream at one point, a dream he was never able to achieve. So he fell back on something else.

For me - if I were to have a “fall back plan” it might be writing. But this is more of a pleasure of mine that it is something I would like to do as a career. I’ve written since I was very young, I remember writing my first short novel when I was 13. I constantly read various fiction books and just let my imagination run wild.

However having a fall back isn’t an option. Working in the computer tech field is one of the few things I’m sure of, at least in terms of me wanting to do it. I’ve had many aspirations prior to this of course, my journey to this point has been rather odd.

I remember being 16 and sitting in a Army recruiter’s office. At that time in my life, I’d admired the 101st Airborne battalion, the 75th Ranger regiment, and various other facets of the Army. I wanted to be a part of that culture, and that’s where I thought I would end up. However when I turned 18 I had somehow ended up in a private Christian University… my purpose there was pastoral studies. They were a bit of a weird school, even by Christian standards. The Chapel speakers fluctuated twice weekly, and the odd thing was that it seemed like they didn’t vet who spoke - on Monday one person may say something that the speaker on Wednesday may completely contradict; and when you finally show up for your religious studies class on Thursday - he contradicts both speakers! Alas, that is Christianity in a nutshell. (Also their football team was named the Crusaders… so they weren’t afraid of that ‘fun’ piece of history)

I left after my first year 1/2, having made few friends (and been used for my music technician skills by one of the music pastors. Another facet of Christianity!) I decided the best way to help people was to become an EMT/Paramedic; and so that’s exactly what I did. The following spring I passed my NREMT practical and “written”, and received my patches + state certifications, then went to work.

I’d mentioned the weird EMS situation and the eventual downfall in this post, so I won’t go back over that. After finding CompSci - and doing really well my first semester in C++, I stuck with programming and database as my degree.

In short - I’ve worked my ass off to get here, and this is where I want to be. This is the fallback plan of all fallback plans, yet it’s genuinely something I enjoy. (At least for now.) So I’ll be damned if someone tries to take that from me, or tell me that It won’t work out for me. I’m gonna get that job, and you can cry about it.

DeSantis. Dear God.

This man is MAGA 2.0 and quite honestly showing signs of fascist leadership.

This just simply a ridiculous concept. DeSantis is building a sparkling Conservative platform with his legislation that has done nasty things such as:

  • Banned the word gay (what if I’m just really happy?)
  • Banned the concept that slavery is bad from being taught in schools
  • Overturned the COVID Safety in Hospitals, because “…Never again will Florida families be denied the right to visit a loved one in the hospital” (Dumbass Gina Carano loves this shit)
  • Removed any right to privacy for students in schools regarding their mental or physical well being. (Sorry, if you’re 16-17 and questioning your sexuality but don’t wanna tell your homophobic dad? Too bad! Your teacher/Counselor has too!)

This guy is mini-trump, but the unfortunate thing is he actually has a brain and can’t quite be manipulated by foreign nations. (Not that Russia is in the position to do that anymore)

With all this said, lets take a look at the 14-Defining Characteristics of Fascism.

  • Powerful and Continuing Nationalism (Constant use of: Flags, Slogans, Symbols, Songs, etc.)
  • Disregard for Human Rights - These can be ignored because of the need for security against enemies. As a result, people tend to: - look the other way - approve of torture (Gitmo?) - approve of long incarcerations of prisoners - approve of executions & assassinations
  • I dentification of enemies as a unifying cause. People are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common enemy:
    • racial
    • ethnic or religious minorities
    • liberals
    • communists
    • socialists
    • terrorists
  • Supremacy of the Military. - the Military is given disproportionate amount of Gov’t funding - Soldiers and military service are glamorized
  • Widespread sexism - The Gov’t tends to be almost exclusively male-dominated - Traditional gender roles are made more rigid - Divorce, abortion, and homosexuality are suppressed
  • Controlled Mass Media
    • The media is directly or indirectly controlled by the government
    • Censorship is very common
  • Obsession with Nat. Security (Fear is used as a motivator by the Gov’t over the masses)
  • Religion and Government are Intertwined
    • Gov’t use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion
    • Religious messages and terminology are common from Gov’t leaders
  • Corporate Power is Protected (Mutually Beneficial business/gov’t relationship)
  • Labor Power is Suppressed
    • Labor unions are seen as a huge threat to a fascist Gov’t
    • Labor unions are either severely suppressed or eliminated entirely.
  • Disrespect for Intellectuals and the Arts
    • Open hostility to higher education
    • Professors and other academics are censored or even arrested
    • Free expression in the arts and writing is openly attacked
  • Obsession with Crime and Punishment
    • Local police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws
    • People are often willing to overlook police abuses in the name of patriotism
    • Often a national police force with virtually unlimited power
  • Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
    • Friends and Associates appoint each other to Gov’t positions
    • Officials use Governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability
  • Fraudulent Elections
    • Elections are often a complete sham
    • Elections may be manipulated by smear campaigns
    • Manipulation of the media to control elections
    • Occasional assassinations of opposition candidates

I’m not sure about you, but I’d say America as a whole fits the majority of this list.

On a lighter note, it’s 7/7/7

Which means it’s Bungie Day

mister chief

I have been playing Bungie’s games since 2006, having started with Halo 2. I didn’t have my own Xbox and didn’t have Halo 2 on Windows (Vista?) at the time; So I had to walk next door to my neighbors house and play Halo with her. Summer of ‘06, I was there every day playing Halo.

Eventually I got my Dad Halo: CE, but really I purchased it for myself. After beating the campaign, I played The Silent Cartographer over and over - the intro sequence was one of my favorites in the series; that is until I got Xbox 360 and Halo 3 for Christmas in 2007.

Bungie blew me away with the music, the campaign, the aesthetics. It was the best thing my young eyes had ever seen at that time. The Ark has quite possibly the best intro sequence in the entire game, and the score that accompanied… chef’s kiss

I of course played everything else Bungie put out. The remaining Halos, I cried at the ending screen of Halo: Reach, thinking this might be their last game - but then jumped in excitement at Destiny.

Destiny has given me a lot of precious memories. It has helped keep my relationship afloat, flower new ones, it’s helped me discover parts of myself that I tucked deep, and I’ve gotten to meet a substantial amount of precious people; some are lost to me now, and I miss them very much - but our memories are Not Forgotten.

Bungie has really done something special, and I’m happy to participate in something they’ve created.

Also, shout out to Jesus for surrendering. I promise you’ll have fun.

To everyone reading this - I love you, you’re awesome and special, never forget how much ass you can kick:

go kick 1000 asses

1,000 pounds is probably a lot. So:

  • Go kick your day with 1,000 lbs of force right in it’s ass
  • Kick 1,000 days with 1lbs of force right in it’s ass

Either way, have fun. :)

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