Update: I'm still here

So, I keep forgetting the password for my blog, maybe because I have so many accounts and other things that I have to remember that I have to change my password to the blog everytime I say to myself "Hey, you know what I should do? Write something on the blog!" Maybe that makes my accounts less likely to be hacked, somehow I doubt that. But, I can assuage myself with the thought of my forgetfulness is somehow helpful in the inter-world. So, for about the fourth or fifth time, I have changed the password, and this time I have stored it. Expect more frequent and hopefully more exciting updates!

My social life isn't that exciting, I usually just hang out around my town and see a couple of friends that I have known since before high school, but I make some trips to Virginia (exotic, I know!) to see the former college roommate or a friend of my time in Egypt. I have picked up a really expensive addiction to Carmen's Italian Ice. I am a particular fan of their Black Raspberry, Mango and Melonball, their Cherry is also very good. Other than that, I am still trying to make life plans! It feels like everyone else has their shit together except me, at least now I am working, which makes my parents a little less angry with our family situation.

I am making plans for some of the spoils from this job, like an international getaway of some sort. My friend Jenny is in Ireland and she is totally cool with people coming to visit her, I know that when I was living overseas, I would have loved for some of my friends from back home to come and visit. It was a lot different for me because my friends were in college and Egypt, in the minds of some is just a giant Muslim terrorist training camp. But, it'll be interesting to be on the other side of that experience. Plus, a lot of people have been telling me about how awesome Ireland is, and I think my parents will be happy that I have chosen to travel to a place that is not extremely dangerous or is very close to a war zone.

I do have a question for the internets: Can you smuggle cookies onto the airplane? Or, more appropriately, am I allowed to bring cookies onto an airplane? There is a reason that I am asking, I plan on taking a trip (the first one in quite some time) to Ireland after Christmas and would like to talk the haul of cookies that I make every year. I don't think that baked goods would be a national security matter, but people have gotten a little crazy about brown people on planes with bags.... so I am not planning an interrogation while traveling overseas.

Well, I have nothing else really... sorry for the lameness of this post! I promise for more awesome in the future when my life gets more exciting or more things happen.

Cheers!

Oil Spills, Immigration, and other stuff

So, within the last three weeks, there has been possibly the worst environmental disaster the US has ever seen, and a new draconian law has been signed by Arizona's governor to try to stem the tide of illegal immigrants coming across their border with Mexico. That's why the Chinese think that the phrase "May you live in interesting times" is a curse.

I find it odd that not even a month after President Obama lifted the ban of off-shore drilling, a rig exploded. I don't think that he was in any way responsible, but after touting their advanced technology and safety, eleven people die and a ton of oil leaks out into the Gulf of Mexico. It sucks, but it goes without saying that getting non-renewable sources of energy has risks. BP, the company that was leasing the rig said that they would pay for the cleanup, but they haven't even contained the oil. People's lives are being put in jeopardy because of the inaction and inability of BP, let's just hope they don't try to spin the American people.

As for the immigration bill, I find it funny that lawmakers that are elected to the House and the Senate are quick to blame the federal government, which they are a part of of neglecting the responsibility that Federal officials have of securing the borders. That must mean that they are dropping the ball, and that political expediency would make you consider some reform. So, the bill basically says that a police officer is obliged to pull over anyone if the officer suspects them to be an illegal immigrant. Also, if a legal immigrant or a citizen is pulled over and not able to prove their status, they face six months in prison and a $1000 fine. I have read the bill, and it specifically says:

B. FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY
OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS
21STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS
22 UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE,
23 WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON. THE
24 PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
25 PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c).
26 C. IF AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES IS
27 CONVICTED OF A VIOLATION OF STATE OR LOCAL LAW, ON DISCHARGE FROM
28 IMPRISONMENT OR ASSESSMENT OF ANY FINE THAT IS IMPOSED, THE ALIEN SHALL BE
29 TRANSFERRED IMMEDIATELY TO THE CUSTODY OF THE UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION AND
30 CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT OR THE UNITED STATES CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION.

Apparently, facing the problems that border states are facing and offering greater federal assistance makes too much sense, and they're going to bitch about how this is a bad time because of one reason or another. Next time I go to Yuma, I will make sure to bring all of my pieces of identification because there is a chance that some police officer may pull me over because I look like an illegal immigrant.

Weird Happenings

I bet that the Icelandic volcano eruption is one of the signs of the end of days. I mean, a volcano that is stopping air traffic over most of Europe, and causing other major delays is a sign that sit is going down. Nobody can pronounce the name of the volcano, except if you're from Iceland and the last time it erupted, it lasted for a year.

No good can come of this. Signals have been sent by the eruption that the Earth has had enough, and will try to rid people off its surface.