NIN.

Nine Inch Nail Trent Reznor has unveiled the tracklist and revealed further details about his forthcoming Nails' Disc, Year Zero, out April 17th. Reznor recently discussed the details regarding Zero in an interview with UK mag Kerrang!.

"[The album is] not heavy in any kind of metal type sense, I'd say a big inspiration sonically would be early Public Enemy records, a collage of sound type of thing, not heavy in a metal guitar kind of way." "With this record I feel a lot less concerned about what people think about it — especially the dying record industry. I couldn't care less about that right now.
The frontman also confirmed that, as per usual, the record was mostly recorded by himself and that Zero is a concept album of sorts.

"It's all me, mostly recorded in hotel rooms around the world on laptops. There maybe some surprise vocalists that pop up here and there - although I don't want to say who since the final mix hasn't been determined yet, and Josh Freese is playing the drums on one song, but it's not like a big guest star-type record. It feels a bit more focused in a certain direction than 'With Teeth' did. I'm trying to avoid getting too detailed about this but I will tell you that this is a concept record, and it's part of a bigger picture of a number of things I'm working on. Essentially I wrote the soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist"

Ah, the ol' concept record. Isn't every other NIN release a concept record? My Guess on concept? It's likely political in nature with a title like Year Zero, and song titles like "The Good Soldier", "Another Version of the Truth" and "The Great Destroyer." -ED.Reznor & Co. filmed the video for the likely first single, "Survivalism", in Los Angeles last week and, as previously reported, Nine Inch Nails will release a live DVD, Beside You In Time, on February 27th.

---Has anyone followed this guy within the past 10 years or so? I pretty much gave up on him after The Downward Spiral.---

Joke time.

The Eternal Optimist


Three friends had a good friend named Joe and he was, naturally, an eternal optimist. At every bad situation he would always say ''It could have been worse.'' His friends hated that quality about him, so they came up with a story so horrible that not even Joe could come up with a bright side.
So the next day, only two of his friends showed up for a golf date.
Joe asked, ''Where's Gary?''
And one of his friends said, ''Didn't you hear? Yesterday, Gary found his wife in bed with another man, shot them both, and then turned the gun on himself.''
Joe says,''Well it could have been worse.''
Both his friends said, ''How in hell could it be worse? Your best friend just killed himself!''
Joe says, ''If it had happened two days ago, I'd be dead now!''

Movie buzz.

---I found an article on suicidegirls.com this morning about a possible sequel to The Lost Boys. This movie was an 80s cult classic and I hope youve all seen it at least once. I just think that some things should be left alone and this movie is a great case in point example. You know its gonna be bad if its slated to be a straight to DVD release. The Lost Boys should be left as is, a classic, untouched.

Have you guys seen it? Heres the article---


Joel Schumacher's 1987 vampire gang saga The Lost Boys is a classic — a rare jem of sleazy, fangtastic teen-horror that strikes the perfect balance between corny dialog and monsters-in-the-night madness. And let's not forget the killer soundtrack. It's also one of those movies that filmmakers should really just leave alone — meaning, don't attempt a sequel. Just don't. There have been rumors of several Lost Boys 2 scripts since the late '80s and Schumacher himself tried several times to get a Lost Girls follow-up made during the '90s. But now Schumacher's really got his panties in a twist because Warner Bros Pictures decided to vamp-out one last time and has acquired rights to a seemingly disastrous, straight-to-DVD sequel that begins production later this year in San Diego. Vampire surf team, anyone?

What am I???

What Am I?

The more you make of me the more you leave behind. What am I?

---So, do any of you guys have any special Valentine's Day plans? Ive always been on the fence when it comes to Valentine's Day. On one hand, its nice to take a special day and be with the one you love, but on the other hand, the day seems so forced. I know what they say, every day should be "special" with the one you love, but you know what I mean.

We have 5-7 inches of snow headed this way tonight, should be nice. All the snow that is on the ground right now looks disgusting. All dirty, walked on and so on...

I hope you guys are having decents Mondays so far. PJ, later this week, Ill post some ideas here on us getting together, Ill know more then...dont forget to check your calender.

Over n out---

All seems quiet here.

The greatest mistake you can make is to be continually fearing you will make one.

---Hey boys. Well, my daugter' s eye is brusied but besides that, is all fine and dandy. It looks a million times nastier than it is. We has a nice weekend. The ex and I are getting along great and life seems to be OK.

I hope you guys are having good weekends.

It is actually "warm" here today! It is supposed to get up to 35, but we have another snow storm forcasted for the area tomorrow night.

I like this quote I found. I am pretty happy to know that most of you probably agree. You have to live life knowing that you will make mistakes but you cant let them dictate what you do, well, in most cases. Im not talking about jumping out of a plane knowing its a mistake not to equip yourself with a parachute. I just think most of us arent really afraid to make mistakes. Well, I know Im not. Im human, Im gonna fall short all the time, I just know I cant let them decide who I am....

I see Obama officially put his name in the hat for a Presidential run. Interesting, interesting indeed.

Thats all boys, enjoy your Sunday. Hope to hear from you all soon.---

Saturday Morning news...

---Goodmorning brothers. Well, I am just back home after running over to my daugter's place. She got scratched by one of the cats and almost had to go to the ER. It was way to close to her eye for comfort. Its all purple and red.....Its no gross or anything, but it defintely scared me and mom.

It is a nice, warmer morning here this morning. Its still cold but it isnt bitter. Im starting to get pretty psyched up about my visit to the Chicago area next week. For those you getting together with me, I will post more details very very soon.....

Alright, I gotta get cleaned up and head back over to the kid. Over and out.---

odd meeting

---I wanted to share the fact that I met someone today that was allergic to, of all things, alcohol! She told me she cant drink it at all and when she does she turns all red, sees stars and passes out after throwing up all over.

Now I know some of you guys like to knock em back. What the hell would you do if you woke up tomorrow allergic to booze?

It really took me aback to find someone who was allergic to such a thing. I can understand nuts or certain fruits, but booze?---

Chocolate slaves....huh?

From CNN.com

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) -- A Dutch journalist asked an Amsterdam court on Friday to convict him for eating chocolate, saying by doing so he was benefiting from child slavery on cocoa farms in Ivory Coast.
Teun van de Keuken, 35, is seeking a jail sentence to raise consumer awareness and force the cocoa and chocolate industry to take tougher measures to stamp out child labor.
"If I am found guilty of this crime, any chocolate consumer can be prosecuted after that. I hope that people would stop buying chocolate and thus hurt the sales of big corporations and make them do something about the problem," van de Keuken said.
Ivory Coast, the world's No. 1 cocoa producer, has been racked by instability since a brief 2002 civil war. International rights groups contend that children are working as slaves on its cocoa plantations.
Van de Keuken launched his attempt to be charged for eating chocolate two years ago when the Dutch public prosecutor ruled that it was not a case for the courts and that the journalist was not directly involved with the cocoa business.
On Friday, he appealed against the prosecutor's decision before a court which is expected to rule in April.

---My question to you is, would you or could you give up something you truly love if you knew it was harming someone?---

Whats wrong with these people?

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. Feb 9, 2007 (AP)— Sheboygan police arrested a woman after she allegedly left her two children in a freezing car for 20 minutes while she went tanning.
The 27-year-old woman was arrested after two people spotted the children, ages 23 months and 10 years, in the car, the police department said in a news release. The vehicle was locked but not running.
Officers responding to the scene Wednesday evening were approached by the children's parents. The father met the mother at the tanning salon and was arguing with her about why the children were in the car, police said.

---Seriously, what the hell is a matter with these people? I dont let Ava out of my sight for 2 seconds let alone leave her in a car while I go do something. I couldnt imagine leaving Ava in my car w hile going in to pay for gas, let alone leaving her be so I could go do something as vain as tanning. This shit pisses me off to no end.

OK, Im done.....next---

Friday Morning...

Scotch tape was named after the inventors preferred beverage.


---Well, a week from now I will be packing up for my trip to the Chicagoland area and Im pretty excited. I will be posting furthur details soon.

Here is another little tidbit I came across this morning---

Morrissey is making big plans for the future. No, he's not revamping his signature pomp or reuniting the Smiths. Instead, the aging crooner is finalizing burial plans for when he finally kicks the bucket. After taking a stroll through Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, Morrissey settled on a burial plot adjacent to the final resting place of punk-pioneer Johnny Ramone.
He says, "I like that cemetery. I stumbled across Johnny Ramone's stone and thought it was very nicely placed. "I sat there for a long time and I felt quite good about it. It was nice his bones were under the soil that I was sitting on. So yeah, that's my spot."
As for the inscription on his headstone, Morrissey says,
"I want nothing other than name, birth date, death date. I did think of having the words 'Home At Last' but BELLA LUGOSI has already used that."

---Its good to see Morrissey is setting up his burial plans. I think more people need to do that. You know, get the nitty gritty out of the way so your loved ones dont have to sweat it. Anyways, thats just me.

Its STILL freezin ass cold here and it looks like there is no relief in sight. We are supposed to get more snow tomorrow afternoon.

Well, I hope this finds all the boys doing well. Ill be back later....---

---I dunno, I thought it was funny. Sorry.---

Even Edwards gets in trouble.

Originally posted: February 8, 2007Edwards keeps controversial bloggers

Posted by Frank James at 12:14 pm CST

John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator and Democratic presidential candidate, is keeping his hired bloggers who, after what must’ve been a very sober talk with him, have promised they’ll be more temperate in their language than they were before they joined his campaign.
Here’s the statement issued by Edwards' campaign:
The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me. It's not how I talk to people, and it's not how I expect the people who work for me to talk to people. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor, or anything else. But I also believe in giving everyone a fair shake. I've talked to Amanda and Melissa; they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith, and I take them at their word. We're beginning a great debate about the future of our country, and we can't let it be hijacked. It will take discipline, focus, and courage to build the America we believe in.

For anyone who hasn’t been following this story, the Edwards campaign has caught flack from conservatives after past anti-pope and anti-conservative personal blog postings by Marcotte and McEwan gained wide circulation through outraged right-of-center bloggers and talk radio.
Marcotte once wrote:
“The Pope's gotta tell women who give birth to stillborns that their babies are cast into Satan's maw. . . . The Catholic Church is not about to let something like compassion for girls get in the way of using the state as an instrument to force women to bear more tithing Catholics."
McEwan called social conservatives “wingnut Christofascist base.”

---I like being referred to as a wingnut, keeps me on my toes. Even though its way to early to really draw any concrete conclusions about any of the cantidates, Im not too fond of Edwards anymore, he just seems so damn fluffy. I dont like fluff, especially in my political contidates.---

Official Offmen Photo Archive

I see no point in keeping these images hidden in an old shoe box, or as just another file in the bowels of my computer. I am hoping all of you will feel free to add to the pile and share the wealth. So check out our Official Offmen Photo Archive

Thursday morning DUI

A drunk is driving through the city and his car is weaving violently all over the road. A cop pulls him over and asks, “Where have you been?”
“I've been to the pub,” slurs the drunk.
“Well,” says the cop, “it looks like you've had quite a few.”
“I did alright,” the drunk says with a smile.
“Did you know,” says the cop, standing straight and folding his arms, “that a few intersections back, your wife fell out of your car?”
“Oh, thank heavens,” sighs the drunk. “For a minute there, I thought I'd gone deaf.”

---Hey boys, hows things? Hey PJ, I have a question, do you know what your work schedule looks like yet for the week of the 17th-24thish? I will be in town that week and I will wanna get together. I know Martin has said he has Thu and Fri off, so is there someway in hell you could work your way into getting one of those nights free? Lemme know. We will plan for something.

The weather here isnt too bad. Its cold but not bitter freezin ass cold like it has been as of late and the sun is out which is nice...I havent seen the sun in several days.

If you have a joke, its time to pass it on. I found this one at jokeoftheday.com. That it from me for now, there were no real good news stories to pass on, except I read something about N. Korea dismantling their nukies. Thats kinda interesting I guess, maybe Ill post something about that.---

Question of the night; what would you do?

NYC Cabbie, Tipped 30 Cents, Returns Bag With 31 Diamond Rings Found in His Cab

By VERENA DOBNIK
NEW YORK Feb 7, 2007 (AP)— Never mind diamonds- a New York cabbie was a Texas girl's best friend. The driver returned 31 diamond rings he found in his cab after dropping off the passenger, who had left him with a 30-cent tip on a $10.70 fare.
"All my life, I tried to be honest," said Osman Chowdhury, a native of Bangladesh. "Today is no different."
But the 41-year-old cabbie from Queens did have a message: "I'm proud of what I did so that people know New York taxi drivers are honest."

---Now my obvious question to you is, would you have done what this taxi driver did and return the lost diamonds? Or for that matter, if you were walking down the street and found a wallet with a hundred bucks in it with ID, would you call the person to return it? This is when you have to questions ones morals I guess. Whats more important, the principle or the green? I honestly would think long and hard about it, Im not gonna lie.

My next question is to hopefully make things more fun. Lets say you decided to keep the diamonds, how would you go about getting rid of them to make money? Be as creative but as realistic as you can with this part, its more a challenge than anything.---

This may take a while!

As late I have been a bit frustrated with some of the more technical aspects of this blog (IE the side bar of comments not doing what I want it to!). So I have taken up a more simple but mind numbing task of organizing some of our info. Take a look at the Label “Offmen Archive” found on the bottom of this post.

Random Photo 02/07

I am beginning to suspect that Frank and I where actually color blind when we went out and bought those things we furnished our apartment with… They sure seemed cool at the time. I wonder how those speakers are doing these days, they where so dreamy? The other day I was getting ready to put my old speakers into storage and I noticed that the foam surrounding the woofer looked cracked and dry, so I immediately touched it to investigate, and to my alarm a simple touch was enough to put a hole in my good speaker! WTF it just disintegrated dam it, and I was kind of hoping to have those speakers around for a long time. But the more I thought about the sorry state I now found my once prized possessions I remembered that they were indeed more than 14 years old. Still it is a bummer.

New York plans to ban IPODS while crossing the street!

From ABCnews.com

New York may ban iPods while crossing street
ReutersWednesday, February 7, 2007; 11:53 AM
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers who blithely cross the street listening to an iPod or talking on a cell phone could soon face a $100 fine.
New York State Sen. Carl Kruger says three pedestrians in his Brooklyn district have been killed since September upon stepping into traffic while distracted by an electronic device. In one case bystanders screamed "watch out" to no avail.
Kruger says he will introduce legislation on Wednesday to ban the use of gadgets such as Blackberry devices and video games while crossing the street.

---My big question is this: do you think the Govt. has the right to step into our personal lives like this and constitute what is or is not safe while walking across the street?---

S.E.T.I.

The real-life quest to find E.T.

From Interesting thing of the day.com

As a card-carrying, Star Trek-watching computer geek, I have naturally known about a project called SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, for as long as I can remember. I’ve run the SETI@home screen saver on all my computers. I bought the video of the 1997 Jodie Foster film Contact, based on the novel of the same name by Carl Sagan, which was, in turn, loosely based on SETI. I’ve noticed countless SETI references in TV shows, books, newspapers, and magazines. It’s old news, one of those things everyone has at least a basic understanding of, however little knowledge they may have of the specifics, right? Well, as my wife pointed out to me today, SETI is the type of thing that simply wouldn’t impinge on the awareness of a great many intelligent, educated people, having been automatically and unconsciously filtered out by the same sort of mechanism that keeps us all from being overwhelmed by the tragedies of the daily news. And yet, whatever opinions you may have (or come to have) about this rather controversial project, I think it’s something fascinating enough—for so many reasons—that it should be part of everyone’s cultural lexicon.

---Have any of you guys ever downloaded their screensaver? Its pretty neat. You should check it out at http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ Its a cool program that allows the home user to take part in SETI's search for life out there in the vast universe.---

One liners

Long Time Drinker

A skeleton walks into a bar. The bartender says, "What'll you have?" The skeleton says, "A beer and a mop."


---OK guys, its time for you to pass on a one liner that you know. It doesnt have to be hilarious or anything, but it has to be a quick one liner. Try and find a good one online if you can.---

Wednesday morning...all is well.

"Lisa, if the Bible has taught us nothing else - and it hasn't - it's that girls should stick to girls' sports, such as hot oil wrestling and foxy boxing and such and such."
---Homer Simpson


---Goodmorning boys. All is well here. Im feeling pretty good. I have to take my car in for an inspection this morning, in aniticpation of my road trip to Chicago. Im hoping all will go well and they wont find anything wrong.

I need to buy a new keyboard. I spilled soda on it not too long ago and it hasnt been the same since, go figure.

Well, thats it from here, I hope to hear from you guys today.---

good for a laugh.

"I've been accused of vulgarity. I say that's bullshit."


Mel Brooks

---Mel Brooksm makes me laugh...him and George Carlin, espeically Carlin, he kills me. Im a big fan of Robin Willaims too. I think laughter is such an important part of life. Even if it has be be on your own account. You know what they say, if you cant laugh at yourself.....

How important is humor to you guys?---

Giuliani is in, I guess.

By Craig GordonNewsday

WASHINGTON - Rudolph Giuliani all but announced he is running for president last night, saying "I'm in this to win" and suggesting the only thing left to make it official is a formal declaration.
"We still have to formally announce it and do a few more things, but this is about as close as you're going to get," Giuliani said on Fox News Channel.
Giuliani's appearance was part of a carefully choreographed effort by his campaign to put to rest questions among Republicans about whether he is serious about running.
Newsday articles last week also raised questions, saying that Giuliani had failed to file a formal statement of candidacy that nearly every other presidential hopeful has submitted. He also omitted his party registration on another form.
Giuliani yesterday filed the statement of candidacy listing himself as a Republican candidate for president and amended a second form, dropping the words "testing the waters."
"Today, we just took another step toward running for president," Giuliani told reporters in Floral Park while campaigning with State Senate candidate Maureen O'Connell. "This is a pretty strong step."


---Well, it sounds like he is about to be in for a Presidential run. I would think that Rudy would be the front runner for the GOP, wouldnt you? I definitley think he has the leadership qualities to make a serious run for the White House. Its too early to really see who is for and against what, but this battle for the Office will definitley be pretty intense. Im excited about that.---

Oral Sex.

---Goomorning guys. I found that picture last night and I thought youd all get a kick out of the oral sex action. Things here are good. We got another inch of snow last night making everything look all white and fresh again this morning. My sore throat is gone and I think I am finally getting over my cold. TIme to look for some good news stories to post, be back soon.....---

Museums and life

"Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can't take it in all at once. "

A. Hepburn


---Speaking of museums, when was the last time you were at one? I was at the Shedd Aquarium the last time I was in town, I guess that kinda counts as a museum type place, except that most of the stuff there is alive and well. You get my drift.

I finally broke the chains of cabin fever this AM! I went out and got my daughter some stuff for Valentines Day. Damn cold out. Damn cold. We are gonna get another 2-3 inches of snow tomorrow, woohoo, yippy and all that winter joy stuff. Im not looking forward to 100 degree days in July and Aug., but I am starting to get burnt out on winter. The snow here is all dirty and icky looking now, its not even pretty anymore. Who knows, maybe some fresh snow tomorrow will change my attitude again.

Ive been chatting with Jen B. a lot on Yahoo lately. Next to my ex, she is defintley the best female friend I have ever had. Shes good people, I highly recommend her to everyone for friendly reasons. Never, EVER buy cheap batteries. I found some batteries at Menards for something like a dollar and some odd change a pack. Once I started using them they lasted a couple days before dying. Never, EVER buy cheap batteries.

Time for a Ricola and a smoke. Not at the same time, would be too much like smoking a Newport then and that is friggin nasty. I still have not gotten my buttload of free nicotine gum in the mail yet (they said wait 8-12 weeks) so Im not ready to quit smoking as of now. Im too much of a wuss boy to do it cold turkey.

Over-n-out boyos.---

look who's Back

Well boys, it's been a couple weeks since I've actually posted anything. Just a sporatic comment every now and then.
I'm home.
a trip to Texas, and then to Ohio. It is sooo good to be home, even under the best of circumstances the return home is nice. Sleeping in your own bed, using your own bathroom, not living out of suitcases. sitting in front of your own PC. it's the little things you miss.....
Thank you all for your well wishes, this has been a very trying period in my life. and the love of my family and friends has been a rock that I have been able to rely on.
I am looking forward to spending time catching up on the goings on here.

Mon.morning b.s.

---Hey boys, how are things? Yes, its still cold here and yes I still feel a little craptastic. My mood is pretty bad this morning. This post will be short...I couldnt yet find any good stories to post and the news was boring too.

I hope to see some of you posting more often around here. This is gettin old fast but I wanna say thanks to the guys that do. I also hope the PJB is doing well, we havent heard from him in quite a while.

OK wait, I did just come across one article I found interesting enough to comment on.

Read this...From CNN.com---

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- An ethnic Chinese Malaysian mistakenly given by doctors to a Malay Muslim couple at birth nearly three decades ago is bracing for a possible legal battle so he can renounce Islam, an action that can be considered a crime in parts of Malaysia.
Zulhaidi Omar, 29, who now goes by the name Eddie to his family and friends, said he discovered his true identity by chance and met his biological parents in 1998 after years of being teased about his Chinese features.
"I want to get my life back in order now," Zulhaidi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his southern home state of Johor.
Zulhaidi, a sales executive raised in an ethnic Malay Muslim family, said he was revealing his story only now because he wants to take a Chinese name and change his religion to Buddhism. About 20 percent of the Malaysian population is Buddhist.
He declined to comment further, citing sensitivities concerning religion in this predominantly Muslim nation. The constitution does not allow Muslims to renounce their religion, and doing so is considered apostasy and punishable by jail in several states, though not in Johor.
Michael Tay, a politician with the Malaysian Chinese Association who is helping Zulhaidi, said he was negotiating with Johor state authorities to grant Zulhaidi's request.


---Could you imagine living in a country where it is a crime to denounce your religion? Thats why I get all fired up when people like illegals take advantage of this country. Im just using that as an example. There are plenty of other things that get me fired up about this great nation too. I feel pretty darn bad for this guy, all he wants to do is get in touch with his heritage and he is being prevented from doing so...a damn shame.---

weird groups and the moon.

The Moonflower Society, an international group pushing for building a moon colony, has started lobbing the International Olympic Committee to begin plans for the "Moon Olympics."

---How many odd groups like this are there out there? Do you honestly ever think we will colonize the moon? It is amazing to think how far space exploration has come though. Arent they going to take the Space Shuttle out of commision soon or something like that? It personally makes me wonder where techonology will be when our kids are say, in their 50s. Its kinda scary too. I wonder what the home computer will be like at that time. What about something like an MP3 player? By then, who knows, maybe some surgical implant will be possible.

It all freaks me out.---

Sleepy time rules!

The average American uses his snooze alarm 1.3 times per day.


---I LOVE to sleep, dont you? That beautiful feeling of being wrapped up in bed...nice warm comforter, your pillow all nice and soft. What a great experience sleep can be. Im sure most of you Offmen dont get enough sleep (Im looking in your direction Martin) and at the same time, this is probably something youve adjusted to. Ill admit, if I dont get at least 7 hours a night, Im pretty useless the next day, especially with the medications Im on.

Sleeping and eating are probably 2 of my most favorite things in life. Both can be really enjoyable, you know? Whats most important to you?---

dream a little dream....

Feb. 3, 2007 — For many of us, dreams are a strange other world — puzzling, terrifying and beyond our control. But some psychologists now say, under the right conditions, we can control our dreams to have fun or to learn from them.
One way to do that is through lucid dreaming, in which you choose what happens in your dream. You can fly through the air, swim with dolphins, tame the monster in your nightmares, speak to a dead relative — anything you want to do, all the while aware that it's a dream.
"Lucid dreaming is simply a dream in which you know you're dreaming while it's happening," said Dr. Stephen Laberge, founder of the Lucidity Institute at Stanford University. "So you know, 'This is a dream I'm having,' and therefore, you can control, you can decide. You know it's all in your mind, so nothing can hurt you. You're free and you can experiment."
Recently, people come to the big island of Hawaii for a two-week session with Laberge, who is widely considered to be the country's pre-eminent authority on lucid dreaming.
Stephanie Smedes, an animal eye doctor, is here to learn how to have lucid dreams. One of her goals is to control her nightmares of being chased by an unknown figure, running from room to room.
Smedes hopes that lucid dreaming will "help me to be part of them and then switch them around so I'm not so frightened of them."
At its most basic level, lucid dreaming involves recognizing that you're dreaming while you're dreaming.
"The key to lucid dreaming is [to] remember to do something in your dreams, to notice that it's a dream," Laberge said. "So before bed, you set your mind. Say, 'Tonight, I'm going to be dreaming — and when I do, I want to remember to notice that I'm dreaming.'"


---'Morning fellers. Yep, still freezin ass cold here today and I now have a sore throat. I think controlling your dreams would be a pretty powerful chore and I imagine it takes a lot of time to be able to do it. Im pretty sure I dream every night, but a lot of days I awaken not being able to remember what I dreamt about. The article tells us to set our minds to control our dreams...yeah right, Im sure the last thing we are thinking about at the end of our days is dreaming.---

Looking for a Movie to Watch?

My wife and I watched a movie worth mentioning last night. It is not often that I see films these days that are so much more memorable than my own squirt of piss. How ever the film 11:14, if you have not already seen it might be worth your time. In my opinion almost any Offmen would find this film agreeable. It did make my Friday night.

Dear Old Dad's Wisdom

I remember my dad telling me when I was young that hot water would freeze faster than cold water. It was a concept that was contradictory to common perception, but I believed him any how, as I still agree with him that common perception is often flawed my mind was open. Today as Eric has already pointed out it is quite cold. So being that conditions were optimal, I took it upon my self to prove his concept.

Sorry guys he was wrong in this instance. The Hot water took 30 minutes longer to freeze than the cold water. I can only hope that my son will look to disprove my stubborn ideologies long before he is 35 years of age! I promise not to mind if I am wrong.

Mr. Bush visits Democratic retreat.

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia (AP) -- President Bush squarely addressed the issue most on the mind of House Democrats, saying Saturday that deep divisions over the Iraq war need not bring anyone's patriotism into question.
"You know, I welcome debate in a time of war and I hope you know that," Bush said in opening remarks as the guest speaker at a retreat that drew about 200 lawmakers to a Virginia resort.
He said disagreeing with him over the war -- as many in the room do -- does not mean "you don't share the same sense of patriotism I do."
"You can get that thought out of your mind, if that's what some believe," the president said. "These are tough times, but there's no doubt in my mind that you want to secure this homeland as much as I do."
Bush's conciliatory words were similar to some of his previous statements. But the applause that followed them offered some indication that this audience was happy to hear them so directly and in person.
Democrats, who in November wrestled control of the House from Republicans for the first time in a dozen years, have yet to settle on a legislative response to Bush's war plan. It involves adding 21,500 troops to the 132,000 already in Iraq.


---Im glad they all agreed on the patriotism thing, but my gosh, can you imagine how odd he must have felt getting up in front of all those Dems on their turf like that. After all, this was a Democratic retreat. I would have had that awkward feeling inside, kinda like the dreams you always hear about when you are standing in front of your class in your undies. That feeling.

Im getting ready to eat chicken and dumplings. Whats your favorite cold weather food?

Onto other things now---

In the two weeks following Mardi Gras, over 3.4 million tons of beads will be collected and recycled.

---Would you ever go to Mardi Gras if you had the chance? Setting aside the boobs and the booze, how much fun could it be? Would you ever visit New Orleans given the chance now that it has been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina? I dont think I would.---

Weekend Post.

---Goodmorning boys. Once again it is freezin ass cold here and it feels like this cold snap is never gonna end. I had a weird dream last night. I dreamt that I got pulled over and got a speedin ticket from a cop on a horse for 500 bucks. I was driving the first car I ever owned, a 1986 Chrysler Turismo. Scott had the same car as I back then, except his was a dodge I think. Remember that Scott?

So, whats the largest ticket youve ever gotten?---

Man Vs. Wild

---Has anyone ever seen the show Man Versus Wild? Its pretty damn cool. They take this survival expert, former British military comando and dump him off in various places on Earth where people like you and I would last a whole couple of hours. He does some pretty neat stuff...builds shelters, searches for and finds exotic foods to survive on and so on. Its on a 7 PM on the Discovery Channel on Friday nights. Im watching it right now. Right now this guy has been dumped off in the Sierra and has been building a raft out of drift wood.

The blog has been really quiet as of late. I know PJ is traveling due to his mom's passing. I hope he is doing well. I feel terrible again and Im starting to wonder if I am getting pneumonia. Not good. I am supposed to see my kid this weekend but Im not sure Im gonna make it, plus I dont wanna expose her.---

for those of us who drink...

Alcohol is a very necessary article...It makes life bearable to millions of people who could not endure their existance if they were quit sober. It enables Parliament to do things at eleven at night that no sane person would do at eleven in the morning


---Does alcohol really make things that bearable?---

Beginning the day with a joke.

One night, George W. Bush is tossing restlessly in his White House bed. He awakens to see George Washington standing by him Bush asks him, "George, what''s the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Washington advises, and then fades away...
The next night, Bush is astir again, and sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving through the darkened bedroom. Bush calls out, "Tom, please! What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Respect the Constitution, as I did," Jefferson advises, and dims from sight...
The third night sleep still does not come for Bush. He awakens to see the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush whispers, "Franklin, What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Help the less fortunate, just as I did," FDR replies and fades into the mist...
Bush isn''t sleeping well the fourth night when he sees another figure moving in the shadows. It is the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Bush pleads, "Abe, what is the best thing I can do right now to help the country?"
Lincoln replies, "Go see a play."

---Ha, good one huh? Well, it s 27 below zero here with the windchill which is just downright ridiculous. My cold has weakened which makes me very happy meaning I can breathe easily this morning. My thoughts are with PJ this morning as he prepares to lay his Mother to rest.

More later.---

emails and computers

The first email ever sent read, "this should be working."


---I was never intimidated by computers when they became common in homes. I was always excited about them and I couldnt wait to get one of my own. I cant say I remember what the first email I sent was, but I do remember being really psyched up about the whole new world that computers opened up. Now it seems as if we cant live without them.

Could you? Setting aside a computer in the workplace, could you live without yours for the enjoyment it can bring? I couldnt, I love my p.c.

for a laugh.

Men Strike Back !

How many men does it take to open a beer?
None. It should be opened when she brings it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Why do women have smaller feet than men?
It's one of those "evolutionary things" that allows
them to stand closer to the kitchen sink.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

How do you know when a woman
is about to say something smart?
When she starts a sentence with "A man once told me..."
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Why do men fart more than women?
Because women can't shut up long enough
to build up the required pressure.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

If your dog is barking at the back door
and your wife is yelling at the front door,
who do you let in first?
The dog, of course. He'll shut up once you let him in.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

I married a Miss Right.
I just didn't know her first name was Always.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Scientists have discovered a food
that diminishes
a woman's sex drive by 90%.
It's called a wedding cake.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Women will never be equal to men
until they can walk down the street
with a bald head and a beer gut,
and still think they are sexy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

In the beginning,
God created the earth and rested.
Then God created Man and rested.
Then God created Woman.
Since then, neither God nor Man has rested.


---I got a little chuckle out of this and since this is the boys club, I figured Id post it because there have been days when weve all felt this way. Take it for what it is.---

Favorite show

More people have seen a performance by Elvis Presley than any other artist.


---So, what was your favorite concert of all? I would have to say, by far, mine would be Social D. Ive seen them 9 times and every time they have gotten better and better.

The rabbit died...or did it?

Home pregnancy tests are eight times more likely to give a false negative than a false positive.

---Interesting statistic, no? So when you were ready for baby making time, did you guys use pregnancy tests to find out your much anitcipated results or did you go to the dr., old school style? It took us 3 tests to finally conclude that Angi was pregnant with Ava.

Its not as cold here this AM and my cold has moved into my chest making smoking impossible and breathing almost the same. I see that Mr. Al Gore has been nominated for a Nobel Prize and that some geeks from the cartoon network are in some deep shit for placing devices that were mistaken for IEDs' around the Boston area yesterday. I also just saw on Goodmorning America that the worlds most expensive house is being built for a whoppin' 155 MILLION DAMN DOLLARS!!! It has like 20 bathrooms in it, friggin' crazy!

Thats all from here, hope to see you guys postin today---

UK terror plot and extreme muslims.

31/01/2007 - 4:59:27 PM

Nine held over UK terror kidnap plot :: latest Nine men were being held tonight in England over an alleged terrorist plot to carry out an Iraqi-style kidnapping of a British Muslim soldier.Eight were arrested this morning in a series of dawn raids in Birmingham, with the ninth arrested late this afternoon on a motorway in the city.Security sources said the alleged plot was to abduct a serving Muslim soldier, who would have been filmed, possibly tortured and ultimately executed.It could have mirrored the kidnappings of the British hostages Ken Bigley and Margaret Hassan by Iraqi insurgents.Sources said a target for the alleged plot had already been identified – a young Muslim soldier in the British army who had served in Afghanistan.The operation to thwart the alleged plot was led by the new Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, only set up a few months ago.Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw, from West Midlands Police, described it as a “very, very major investigation” which would take “days if not weeks”.“The threat from terrorism remains very real,” he said.

---It looks like yet another serious terror plot was overthrown today in the UK. First off, kudos to the Midlans Counter Terrorism Unit! OK, now it is apparent that some of these extreme muslims will kill their own to make a point. Hell, they have been doing it for ages now anyways. I really think there are 2 kinds of muslims in the world today; real muslims, traditional muslims and these EXTREME muslims. Extreme muslims who will stop at nothing at over throwing the world and I mean that in a literal sense. Thats what they wanna do, rule the world. They want AMerican and Isreal to crumble to ashes. Extreme, not traditional, Muslims scare me.

What I really think needs to happen is to have someone, friggin ANYONE from the "normal" Muslim community to step up and say this is wrong, this is not how we are. I think if this does not happen in the future, all Muslims are really gonna start to catch hell. Where are all the regular, law abiding Islam leaders out there? They need to stand up and start to speak on behalf of whats real to them as a religion and as a culture, very soon...or it may be too late. ---

Current popular buzz words floating around the internet.

2008 9/11 barack obama bill clinton campaign cash Congress Democrats Dennis Hastert election guide ethics Florida fund raising george allen George W. Bush Harry Reid Hillary Rodham Clinton House immigration intelligence iowa Iraq James Webb john edwards john kerry john mccain lobbying mark foley midterm elections mitt romney Nancy Pelosi Nevada new hampshire New Jersey Ohio page scandal political advertising polls primaries Republicans robert gates rudy giuliani Senate South Carolina Tennessee terrorism vilsack Virginia voting White house


---Can you add to this pleathora???---

Scary college time

On any given Friday night, there is a one in two chance that a randomly selected American college student is under the influence of at least one substance.


---That little note scares me when it comes to raising my own kid and sending her off to college. I hope I can rasie her right enough to not pull the shit I did when I was around that age. Do any of you lie awake at night yet thinking about that?

Its still freezin ass cold here today and we are expecting another inch of snow this afternoon. Im still flippin sick as can be too, so the cold doesnt help. How are things there guys?---

Again, I say what?

"They could still be hidden, like the 50 tons of mustard gas on a turkey farm."

George w. Bush. Washington, DC04/13/2004 on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction

---What the hell does he mean here?---

Found a blog.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

---I just found this blog and its pretty interesting. Check it out.

I recentley got some pretty nice and encouraging words from a fellow Offmen regarding my postings on the blog here. It is nothing but an adventure and total pleasure for me to share my daily life, my findings and my misfourtunes with all of you. I am definitley having a lot more fun now that I am personalizing my posts as much as I can. It adds to the experience and makes the overall experience at the blog a lot more fun. Im glad I have this blog and Im pretty happy to have you guys lurkin around this blog too.---

Happy Unicorns

I found this link through a friend who wants to paint these nice Unicorns on the side of her car.

Would you try this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2-od4n5Xl0

Tuesday morning.

---Hey guys. Im feeling a bit better but Im still pretty stuffed up. Its below zero here with the wind chill and my balcony door is frozen shut. Im thinking about buying a nice bottle of red wine to drink but I dont know where to start, can one of you guys give me some advice?

Im thinking about teh quitting smoking thing more and more now and I realized that the only reason I smoke is because Im an addict. I dont even really enoy it anymore. My quit date should be soon, hpoefully before I come there for my visit, but time will tell, it still makes me really nervous. I was going through some things here last night and I found an old copy of the only Offmen Informer ever created. I flipped through it and laughed a lot. I wonder why we never got a 2nd one off the ground?---

Hungry?

A small Indiana company has applied for a license to market small, legal tasting samples of human flesh, which is reputedly similar in flavor, color and texture to pork.

---OK, I have one big question....would you try it?---

Microsoft's Vista goes public

NEW YORK (AP) -- Acrobatics, blaring music and plenty of hype accompanied Microsoft Corp.'s long-delayed debut of its new Windows Vista operating system.
Hours before the software went on sale in New York, dancers clad in Microsoft colors dangled from ropes high above street level Monday and unfurled flags to form the red, green, blue and yellow Windows logo against a building wall.
Later, two explosively loud, percussion-heavy rock bands riled up Microsoft enthusiasts amid flashing lights at the Nokia Theatre -- temporarily renamed the Windows Vista Theatre -- in Times Square. As employees at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington, headquarters watched live video feeds, company-colored balloons dropped from the ceiling, a few wielding prizes.
Vista went on sale in 70 countries Tuesday, along with new versions of Microsoft Exchange e-mail software and the flagship Office business suite, which includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Several retailers even held midnight openings.
But unlike the recent launches of next-generation game machines like Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, customers haven't been camping out for days.
"When I look at Windows Vista, I see a technology that is interesting, that is relevant, but to some extent is evolutionary," said Al Gillen, an analyst at the technology research group IDC. "I do not believe it will create a lot of motivation for people to rush out and get a new operating system."

---Has anyone heard anything good or bad about it? Ive seen one online demo and Vista has a lot of bells and whistles. I have also heard its still full of planty of bugs. Does anyone know if this is true? If it is stable, I would consider upgrading sometime in the future.---

The dollar bill

From when it is printed to when it is taken out of circulation, a one dollar bill will be handled by an average of 14,000 people.


---I think we should write Offmen International on every bill we come into contact with just to see what happens. I thought the our dollar bills would have been handled a lot more than that, didnt you?---

fake ink.

The U.S. population spends more than $10 billion on temporary tattoos.


---Hell, Ive spent half that on real ink. I need to get an Offmen Tattoo, maybe this spring when Im scheduled to get more work done.---

Intexticated

From the website textually.org

«Intexicated»: Texting under the influence

According to this entertaining article in UK's Sunday Mail, the problem of texting under the influence is so common it has been given a name; ''intexicated''.
According to research by Virgin Mobile, out of the 60 million texts sent daily in December, 15 million of them are sent by people who have had one too many.
"Virgin said that two thirds of women who text while drunk send messages to former lovers and some text the wrong person.
A public relations officer in London sent a sexually explicit message to dad instead of boyfriend Dan after hitting the wrong button".
On a related note in the US, according to a previous entry, 39 percent of those questionned in a survey, admitted to having sent an SMS to the wrong name.

---Ill admit, Ive done this before while on painkillers. I sent a text to a friend that was meant for a former lover friend pally of mine.---

A riddle.

You will know that I am coming From the jingle of my bell, But exactly who I am is not an easy thing to tell. Children, they adore me for they find me jolly, but I do not see them when the halls are decked with holly. My job often leaves me frozen, I am a man that all should know, But I do not do business in times of sleet or ice or snow. I travel much on business, But no reindeer haul me around, I do all my traveling firmly on the ground. I love the time of Christmas, But that's not my vocational season, And I assure that is because of a sound economic reason.

What am I?

---This one had me guessing for a little bit but I figured it out after a while.---

Over half of the people in the U.S. are more frightened by the prospect of losing the data on their computer than they are of their home being burgled.

---I can personally say I am in agreement with this statement. I lost a hard drive once and it was earth shattering to me. All of my music and photos were gone in an instant. Have any of you ever had a hard drive crash on you?

Im feeling a bit better today. I am also very saddened by learning of Petes loss.

We are supposed to get another inch of snow this afternoon and it is supposed to dip down into the single digits again tomorrow. I enjoy winter and the snow, but the severe cold just tears right through me.

Well, Im gonna go look for some news to post here, youll probably hear more from me soon.---

Sad News

On the morning of Saturday, January 27, Peter Barson's mother, Janet Filidoro lost her 6 year battle with breast cancer. She was 59 years old

She practiced nursing for over 35 years and held positions in both nursing and hospitol administration where she retired as Director of Medical and Dental Services. Afterword, she was a pediatric nurse in both Clearwater, FL and Grapevine, TX.

Visitation will be held at Burr Funeral Home in Chardon, OH on Friday, February 2nd.

In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be made to Peter's Step sister as she walks for the the fight against breast cancer.
Susan G. Komen 3.Day

I'm sure I speak for all of us when I express my condolences to the family; in particular Peter, Tiffany, and her grandchildren Jake and Max.

Full obituary information should be updated soon at Burr Funeral Home

Great and humbling idea.

---The first thing new Iowa Governor Chet Culvur did was to pass a bill that asks for all state flags to fly at half staff if a soldier from Iowa is killed in the war in Iraq. I think this is a very humbling idea. I dont know this new Governor very well yet and I didnt vote for him but I really like this idea.---

Wow.

---Wow, thats all I can say......wow. I added nor took away nothing from this quote. ---



"I like my buddies from west Texas. I liked them when I was young, I liked them then I was middle-age, I liked them before I was president, and I like them during president, and I like them after president."

--George w. Bush Nashville, TN 02/01/2006

WTF Jack?

"According to its annual audit the U.S. Army employes 18 full-time "combat candlestick makers."

---What the hell does that mean, we have our boys making candlesticks during combat times? I wonder how you get that MOS when entering the Army. You would have to feel pretty bad about yourself if you landed that job, but odds are youd never see any combat time, unless of course candlesticks are needed on the front lines. Maybe this is why we are losing the war, we are 18 soldiers shy of making it happen because they are dedicated to making candlesticks.

Candlesticks....what?---

Sunday morning Blues....

---Goodmorning boys. Im in a foul mood because Im sick. I have a nasty cold and it has put me in a really bad mood. I thought Id run another quick update abotu yesterdays huge protest march in Washington. It seems quite a few people turned out.

Its really damn cold here right now...minus 22 with the wind chill. Too cold to go outside to smoke and Im too sick anyways, so this day has started out smoke free! I hope you guys are keeping warm. Lets see some postin on here today, cool?

Jane Fonda is a whore, but I think Bush may be the bigger whore of the two.---



Fonda leads anti-Iraq War rally

January 28, 2007 Tim Harper Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON–Jane Fonda stood and acknowledged the cheers on a sun-splashed stage, raising her arms in solidarity with the tens of thousands amassed on the National Mall.
"Silence is no longer an option," said the woman who has spent a large part of her adult life reviled by a segment of the American population.
But now the woman once known as "Hanoi Jane" was back, lashing out at the "mean-spirited and vengeful" Bush administration, her first appearance on an anti-war podium in 34 years.
Fonda's appearance was not the only echo of Vietnam as protestors packed the mall area in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol yesterday. Speakers told the crowd the United States has forgotten any lessons learned in Vietnam as U.S. President George W. Bush prepares to send another 21,500 young Americans to Iraq.
Fonda led a Hollywood contingent, which included Sean Penn, Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, joined by veterans of Vietnam and the current war, those with family members serving in Iraq, labour and civil rights leaders.

HIllary visits me. Well, not realy...

In her first campaign trip to Iowa, Clinton stresses gender
By Steven Thomma
McClatchy Newspapers

DES MOINES, Iowa - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton opened her quest for the White House Saturday stressing her potentially historic role as a woman - a tough woman at that, who will "deck" opponents, win the presidency and enact universal health care that eluded her as First Lady.

"When you're attacked, you have to deck your opponents," the New York Democrat said to applause from a group of about 50 Iowa Democrats Saturday.
"I want to run a positive, issue-oriented, visionary campaign. But you can count on me to stand my ground and fight back," she said.

Clinton received enthusiastic applause from Democratic audiences throughout the day Saturday in her first visit since declaring her candidacy. That's important as she sets out to overcome the early lead built up in the state by former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.
"I intend to do it the old-fashioned way," she told Democrats at a town hall meeting later Saturday.

While she hasn't been to the state since 2003 - Edwards has been there 17 times since the 2004 election - Clinton vowed to return to living rooms, church basements and union halls for intimate conversations. That kind of personal encounter is expected in a state whose caucuses likely will kick off the 2008 presidential contest next winter.

---The Iowa caucus is sucha huge deal here, its pretty amazing. Ive never activley taken part because Im not a Democrat, but even standing on the sidelines and watching the whole thing unfold is quite cool. When I worked at the airport as a screener, I can remember seeing John Kerry a million times. Too bad I would have gotten fired for flippin him the bird.---

booze

proving that not even a death in my family can curb my desire for websearching and booze I found this and emediatly thought that you boys would dig it....
pocketshots
neato..
oh and Scott, nice job with the blog

he's a whore, big black

A little joke.

---Im learning to try to add a little bit more humor here to the blog. I mean, it does get old having to reply to nothing but serious, well talked about topics. Here is a little political satire for you all.---


A cannibal entered the meat market to buy something nice for dinner. The owner greeted him and told him to look around. The cannibal began to inspect the meat case and noticed the market specialized in brain. Upon further inspection he noticed a marked disparity between the costs of brain meats. A carpenter's brain sells for $1.50 per pound. A plumber's brain sells for $2.25 per pound. He noticed with alarm that a politician's brain sells for $375.00 a pound. With not a little curiosity he asked the owner why the huge difference in price between the similar meats. The owner responded with a deadpan look on his face, "Do you realize how many politicians it takes to get a pound of brains?"

Gullible info.

America Online noticed that nearly 23 percent of males aged 13 to 18 use "sex", as all or part of their password. Only two percent of females in the same age group did the same.


---Lemme ask you as men...are y ou guys still obsessed with sex like we were in our teens? I can definitley say Im not, its just not th at important to me anymore. I know a lot of you are married and they say that married life changes your sex life quite a bit.---

Protesters gather in D.C.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Thousands of anti-war protesters, energized by fresh congressional skepticism about the war in Iraq, were demanding a withdrawal of U.S. troops in a demonstration Saturday featuring a handful of celebrities such as Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda.

"We see many things that we feel helpless about. But this is like a united force. This is something I can do," said 59-year-old Barbara Struna of Brewster, Massachusetts.
Struna, a mother of five who runs an art gallery, said she made a two-day bus trip with her 17-year-old daughter, Anna, to the nation's capital to represent what she said was middle America's opposition to President Bush's war policy.

"My generation is the one that is going to have to pay for this," added the high school senior who said she knows as many as 20 friends who have been to Iraq.
She held a sign that said, "Heck of a job, Bushie," mocking Bush's words of encouragement to his disaster relief chief, Michael Brown, amid criticism of the government's immediate response to Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005.

Other demonstrators on a clear, sunny day carried signs to the National Mall that said "Make hip-hop not War," "The surge is a lie," and "Clean water speaks louder than bombs."
United for Peace and Justice, a coalition group sponsoring the protest, said there has been intense interest in the rally since Bush announced he was sending 21,500 additional troops to Iraq. He termed the increase a "surge" in troops.

The group said its Internet site received more than 5 million hits this month, including 650,000 on Wednesday -- the day leaders held a media briefing about the protest.


---Im not a big fan of war protesters (even though that IS their right) because I feel they just make our boys who are over there dying look like shit. I think it shows too much division between the US public and our soldiers. I personally would never protest a war in public. They dont get anything done anyways...

I can remember the 1st Iraq war led by the 1st Bush back in the early 90s. At High School, a bunch of anti war hippy morons had planned a staged walkout of class at a certain time. I can remember I was skinhead at the time and I heard rumors of how these kids were gonna burn a flag in protest and I thought that proved nothing, so I followed the walkout just to make sure a flag burning would not take place. Call me a "patriot" or whatever you want, but I love this great nation and thats something I will never be ashamed of.

Its only fitting that Jane fucking Fonda is one of the heads spokeswomen for this protest.---

A crime seen for what it was.

---Goodmorning boys. Here yesterday, the high was 44 degrees, today as I awoke, it was 18, with a high of 20. I guess Mother Nature is having a hard time making up her mind. I think Im getting a cold which sucks and I think I got it from my daughter.

I think this little news article from NPR I posted this AM is really interesting. You dont hear of many blacks getting convicted of hate crimes. Usually it is a white on black crime, but in this case it was the other way around. I think it is great that justice saw beyond stereotypes here to do what was right.

Im very happy to see the Mike M. and Mark M. updated to our new blog, I was worried that we wouldnt see them for a while. I wanna say thanks again to Scott for setting up the new recent replies tags on the side of our blog. I hope Scott can do new and really cool things for our blog in the near future.

Here is the NPR article....---


January 26, 2007, from NPR news.

· In Long Beach, Calif., a juvenile court judge has convicted eight black girls and one boy of beating three young white women last year. One girl was acquitted of all charges. The defendants range between 12 and 18 years old. The racially charged case included allegations of witness intimidation.

The attack happened last Halloween in an upscale mostly white neighborhood filled with trick-or-treaters. Prosecutors called it a hate crime because they said the attackers hurled racial slurs at their victims.

Nine girls and one boy were charged with the attack. But their families say that the first call for help identified the attackers as a group of black males.

What a way to travel.

FARGO, N.D. Jan 26, 2007 (AP)— A drunk man who tried to climb over a freight train stopped at a downtown crossing ended up going for a ride when the train took off. The 23-year-old man called 911 from his cell phone early Friday when the train reached the Casselton area west of Fargo because he was cold and wanted off, said Cass County Deputy Sheriff Shawn Getz.
Dispatchers called BNSF Railway, which alerted the train conductor.
"A few miles west of Casselton they were able to stop the train and (the man) got off," Getz said.
Authorities said the man did not require any medical treatment, and the railroad did not press charges. The man was taken to a detox center, Getz said.


---I always wondered what it would be like to hop a frieght to see where it would take you. This is something I could have seen Pete and I doing way back in the day. We once talked about joining a certain political group to follow them around the country. Just Pete, myself, a used truck and a huge surplus of various items. We talked about what it would be like to be free of work, everyday life and your usual tie downs. I think we were in our late teens when we talked about doing it.---

Words

Defining differences between left and right creates a chasm of contradiction.

Hey guys, I finally got that side bar of comments many of you requested rolling. I will still need to tweak it, but once complete I will then work on creating our new look!

Thanks for your patience.

The Ballad of Ira Hayes, Johnny Cash

Q & A time

---Well, I just took the first steps to really quit smoking. I filled out a 15 minute questionnaire at waytoquit.com and it was pretty cool. I also have free nicotine gum coming my way. Im pretty nervous about the whole process but I KNOW I have to do something about it soon.

Ive included a humorous little q&a attached to my little note here. I cant remember where I found it, but its been saved to my desktop for a few days now. I got a little laugh out of it and I hope you do too.---


Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a go od source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me
Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

The pumpkin.

More arrests for misdemeanors are made on Halloween than any other day.


---I can remember bits and pieces about the Offmen Halloween prank known as the piss pumpkin. I think it was Rick R. who initially stole the pumpkin off of someone's porch so we wouldnt have to waste valuable time and money finding a pumpkin. I think we went to Mike's house to carve out the guts of the pumpkin and then we laid out our final plans to put this whole ordeal into action.

I dont think we strayed too far from Mike's house to actually place the pumpkin in the road, we only went a few miles. Once we got to our desired location, we all took turns making a liquid deposit into the pumpkin. I can remember there were 5 or 6 of us in attendence that night too.

Once we had done that we placed the pumpkin in the road and then we hid behind a large dumpster if my memory serves me correct. Then we waited. And waited. Several cars simply went around the pumpkin and paid no attention to it which Im sure made us mad.

Finally someone actually stopped to move the pumpkin and I can remember our excitement. Even though our goal was to have someone hit the pumpkin, we were happy to have someone finally pay attention! I can remember the guy getting out of his car and looking around because it was pretty late at night. He picked up the pumpkin, which made us assume that he was just going to move it out of the way...little did he know he was in for a surprize.

As he lifted the pumpkin the lovely liquid contents poured out all over him and we all had to hold back from breaking into hysterics! I can vividly see this guy now, all embarrased and really mad over the fact that he just ended up soaked in our urine. He dropped the pumpkin and managed to angrily get into his car and speed away.

This was probably the most infamous prank we ever pulled as a collective group and it will always bring a childlike smile to my face.---

Road trip!

---I have good news. I will be coming to town the week of Feb. 17th thru the 24th. Ill have my own car with me so I obviously wanna get together with you guys! If it isnt too much to ask, maybe we could all get together at someones place for a night of chit chatting and beer consumption? I guess we can finalize something as time draws closer, but I just wanted to give you guys a heads up with plenty of notice so I can see you guys.

Sound good? Let me know.---

Morning zip taken to the next level...yet again.

---'Morning guys. There wasnt that many good news stories so far this morning, but I did find this and figured it was worth a line or two. Enough caffeine to equal 2 cups of coffee is quite a bit, but I would try one just to say I have. Can you think of a good name for these little treats?

I sure do hope that the boys like Mark M. and Mr. Martin update to our new blogger interface. They post here often and I would miss them if they dont make it to the new blogger. As far as the other boys, well, lets face it, we rarely see them here, so I dont know what to say about them. Maybe we should send out a mass email letting everyone know its time to update. Im peering in your direction Scott my man...do you have a lot of our boys emails? I only have yours, PJs and like 1 or 2 others. Maybe you can figure something out this weekend Scott. Let us know and THANKS!

Here is the article about these newly developed "buzz donuts".---


DURHAM. N.C. Jan 26, 2007 (AP)— That cup of coffee just not getting it done anymore? How about a Buzz Donut or a Buzzed Bagel? That's what Doctor Robert Bohannon, a Durham, North Carolina, molecular scientist, has come up with. Bohannon says he's developed a way to add caffeine to baked goods, without the bitter taste of caffeine. Each piece of pastry is the equivalent of about two cups of coffee.
While the product is not on the market yet, Bohannon has approached some heavyweight companies, including Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks about carrying it.

Missing Coments?????

Tonight while updating our bog on to the new format I found there were 18 missing comments. Sorry if yours was one of them.

Thats When I Reached for My Revolver, Mission of Burma

damn blooger.

OK boys, I was able to switch over to the "new" blogger but now I cant post replies to your comments, all I can do is post new threads. Have any of you tried to update to the new blooger? If so, lemme know how it worked for you, Im kinda stuck here! I dont know what to do!

Please lemme know if youve updated!

Thanks guys!

Have booze, no ride.

By Keith Oppenheim
CNN

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) -- It's always interesting to me, that in my own country, I often get assignments where I walk into a room, and everyone looks and sounds different from me. Different language. Different culture. And sometimes, different beliefs.

On this story, I crossed such a threshold.

I stepped into the taxi depot that serves the Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport, where drivers sit and wait for their next fare. In this crowded, noisy room, most of the cabbies are Muslims originally from Somalia.

"We're doing a story about the conflict between the cabbies and the airport. The Muslim drivers have been refusing to take passengers carrying alcohol, such as wine or liquor purchased at a duty free shop," I explained.

A group of men gathered around us.

"This is America, we have freedom of religion," says one cabbie. We could see their feelings are intense -- that the issue seems to cut to the core of their identity.

"The Metropolitan Airport Commission is discriminating against us Muslim drivers," says Abdulkaddir Adan, a Somalian-American who's been driving a cab in the Twin Cities for two years.

We asked Adan if he'd give us a ride, and let us interview him while he was driving. He agreed. CNN Photojournalist Derek Davis set up a "lipstick" cam, a small camera, positioned on the dashboard.

From the back seat, I asked why Adan would object if I were carrying alcohol.

"The one who drinks, the one who transports, and the one who makes a business of it, they have the same category," he said.

"So, by my transporting my alcohol in your cab, you are sinning?" I asked.

"Sinning to God, yes," he replied.

Adan is not alone. About three quarters of the 900 cabbies serving the airport are Muslim, and many have been regularly refusing passengers carrying beer, wine or liquor.

---I thought this was a very interesting and controversial story. im not even gonna start to give my opinion.---

And its RADIATION resistant!!!!

THE STASH-SAFE KEY CHAIN
"Preferred by the underground and the choice of covert operatives from all sides, ContraTM Brand Stash-Safe is now available to you in this deluxe gift box. Holds one prophylactic, one 20-exp strip of microfilm, one tampon, one rolled up , several grams of your favorite dusting powder or about half a dozen pills. Airtight, waterproof, radiation resistant and able to withstand all manner of misadventure, ContraTM Brand Stash-Safe is machined from solid aluminium, polished and anodised, then clear coated for a lifetime of lustre. It's beautiful, it's unique and it's useful."

---This is something every offmen should have had back in the day, minus the room for stashing your favorite drugs and the tampon. Why would you need something to be radiation resistant? Does anyone have an answer for that? I think this thing looks pretty damn cool too. What would you hide in it???---

Mentos, the freshmaker.

Sales of Mentos candy have nearly tripled in the last year, after five years of steady decline. This surge is attributed to the popularity of the various soda / Mentos experiment videos on the Internet.

---Have you seen any of these experiements, they are pretty cool and something that I could see the Offmen having a blast with back in the day. I dont quite understand the reaction between the Mentos and the cola but man, you can get quite a jetstream out of putting the 2 together. It looks like it can be a real mess too, so it would be something youd wanna do in the back yard. The kids would love it, Im looking in your direction Pete.---

Webspeak.

---Goodmorning gents. Im just sitting here drinking down the cup of joe and reading upi on the news I may have missed overnight. I found an interesting article on this whole webspeak thing...it goes to s how you what an influence the internet has on kids and it kinda scares me a little. I mean, what will it be like by time our kids are grown up enough to understand it all? Have any input boys? Will you highly limit the amount of time that your children get to spend on the computer? My ex and I have already agreed that Ava will not have a computer in her room when she gets older for about a million reasons.

I am also thinking about Pete this morning and what he is feeling. Im with you in thought my dear friend.


Here is part of the article on "webspeak."


By ANN PLESHETTE MURPHY and JENNIFER ALLEN, from ABCnews.com

Jan. 25, 2007 — If, like most teens today, your child spends hours sending text messages from his phone and instant messages from his computer, you probably have overheard phrases like "LOL" or "BRB," without understanding what they meant.

Web lingo is a quick, fun way for kids to communicate using cell phones and computers, and, with 14 million teens texting regularly, it's the new social currency. For example, almost any teen or tween knows that "BRB" means "be right back" and that "TTYL" is "talk to you later."

But now, the use of slang and abbreviations is not limited just to e-mails, text messages or instant messages. It is showing up in kids' schoolwork, in their SAT essays and in college admission applications.

Sara Goodman, who teaches high school English and journalism at Clarksburg High in Clarksburg, Md., said she worries that this new language will compromise students' ability to write and to communicate.

"Most of these kids started using IM when they were between the ages of 8 and 10," Goodman said. "So they learned it when they were learning the other grammar rules."

Learning Webspeak at the same time, then, means kids focus on the grammatical form that they use more often, which is IM and text-message abbreviations, Goodman said.

"I have definitely seen an increase in this type of shorthand. They're using it pretty much everywhere. It's just seeped into their daily language."

Webspeak is so ingrained in most students' communication skills that they inadvertently use the language all the time, even where it might be inappropriate.

your thoughts

well boys.
I'm in texas, and right this minute my Mom is in a rented hospital style bed in the living room, on a respirator, in unbelievable amounts of pain. having occasional panic attacks/sezures. Essentially in the final days. So send her (and my family) a little positive energy (prayer if you beleive in that) cause right now, we need it.
We are just looking for her to be comfortable at this point, if there was ever a person deserving of this awful death it wouldn't be her (and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy). no drugs, rarely drinking, dedicated her life to helping others (nursing). raised 3 pretty good kids, ect.ect.
Cancer... what a bitch.
love,
pjb

USA! USA!

 Converse All-stars are the only major American shoe brand still made in the U.S.


---I try to keep as much money within the US as possible and I knew there was a reason I loved Chucks so much. I own 7 pairs, some are worn to hell, a couple barely touched. Do you guys ever try to think about where your money goes or does it not matter to you? I think its pretty important to keep our US based companies happy. I personally dont like giving my money to foreign companies or countries.---

A little known fact.

Prior to 1903, Social Security numbers were only six digits, instead of the current nine, due to the far smaller population and being assigned only to male land-owners.

---I had no idea that SS numbers were only once assigned to males and those being land owners. I couldnt imagine not having a SS number. Actually, I overheard someone at the dr. the other day say that they didnt have one and I thought to myself, thats nuts!---

The 01/24 Random Photo

Not much time to fuss over the Offmen archive this week so; I grabbed an already onboard image of little C. The photo was taken in early September, on the Fox River Bike path not far from our house.

Motherfucker=Redeemer (Part One), God Speed You Black Emperor

Bush adresses energy issues.

By DAVID ESPO AP Special Correspondent
© 2007 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Without signing on to his solutions, lawmakers on Wednesday welcomed President Bush's appeal to take up problems in energy, health insurance and immigration, seeing a prospect for common ground starkly missing when it comes to the Iraq war.

Bush tended his new domestic proposals in a trip to Delaware promoting research into ethanol production and put the government on a stricter energy diet by signing an executive order requiring federal vehicles and buildings to use more alternative fuels.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking to mayors, seemed intent on out-muscling Bush on that and other domestic fronts. Without giving details, the California Democrat pledged action to achieve energy independence in 10 years and welcomed the president's words on climate change with the qualification: "We cannot afford to wait."

---From what Ive read so far, it seems that last nights union adress had a lot of politicians in agreement towards almost everything except of course, the war in Iraq.---

Art school reject

---Goodmorning. Im sitting here drinking my morning coffee catching up on the news...its cloudy outside and we are expecting flurries today. Blah blah. I watched the President's State of the Union last night....with the sound off, so I didnt hear a word as to what he talked about. I guess I will have to find a news article on it to catch up.

Im starting the day off with a quote again and to think, Hitler was an art school reject. Some even say thats why he had such an animosity towards jews was because he was rejected from a jewish art school. Anyways, here is the odd quote.

"Anyone who sees and paints a sky green and fields blue ought to be sterilised."

Adolf Hitler

Whats she got in that box?

---I think this pretty much says it all about ole Hillary. Any one got a caption for this one?---

This made me giggle.

---Even though I am on the verge of trying to quit smoking, I still get pretty pissy when people try to take smokers rights away, but this little blurb made me laugh.

Dont forget, President W. has his State of the Onion speech tonight.---


Having smoking und non-smoking sections in the same room is like having urinating and non-urinating sections in a swimming pool.

This guy is in trouble, or is he?

---OK, when I first found this picture, I thought man, this guy is in serious trouble and has a few problems. Then after looking at it for a couple of seconds, I realized that it looked kinda staged. I mean, look at the angle of his body? What is he, floating there?

This photo was set up and arranged by phtographic artist Li Wei. It was done in the downtown area of Beijing and the reason he did it was to show "The reality in the unreal or fantastic." I think he means that he likes us to take a look at what is real, or seems real and then think again. Pretty neat shot. The picture was also staged using invisible wires, mirrors and a few other key props that were all digitally removed from the picture later.

Anyone think of some funny captions for this picture?---

Another lawful quote for today.

---Goodmorning fellas. I think we are supposed to get a little more snow this afternoon, nothing all too much though. Ive been drinking real half and half with my coffee as of late as opposed to just putting milk in it and the taste is oh so yummy! What do you guys put in your coffee? Anything?

So, what are you guys listening to nowadays? I just got my MP3 player set up in my car so Im pretty happy..been a random plethora of tunes for me as of late. OK, onto the quote from Mr Zappa. He was weird.---


"The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced."
- Frank Zappa

A quick little quote.

Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made.

- Otto von Bismarck


---dont ask me where I keep finding these because Im not quite sure. I just thought this little quote was apropriate because it can be taken politically and a few other ways. Its the little stupid laws that get ya. Here in town, there is a small village called Windsor Heights and the main street that runs through there is pretty big, a major avenue if you will. The speed limit is only 25 and it is STRICTLY enforced by the PD there. There is no sense as to why the limit is soo small, so it is one of those stupid little laws you hate to see in place and you hate to even wonder why it is so.---