confusing south african politics

'I did not have HIV,' Zuma tells rape trial

Zuma testimony sparks HIV fear

i'm confused at what the sense of outrage is directed at in this case. the only really objectionable aspect seems to the possibility that he raped the woman. but i get the sense that there is outrage because he had sex with an HIV+ woman. granted he had unprotected sex with her but that is thier personal choice to make. you can disagree with an action like that and even condemn him for it but it's not a legal matter because he knew her status, she wasn't hiding it from him so couldn't fun afoul of the 'deadly weapon' charge.

one other thing that is disconcerting is this quote from Zuma:
QUOTE
He told the court that her appearance also played a role.

"Normally she would be wearing pants. One the day in question, she was wearing a skirt and her legs were exposed," he said. "That gave me an indication that she was expecting me to be of some assistance to her."
/QUOTE

um....this just seems more than a little sexist and oddly also islamic, with that whole idea that women should be completely covered because the least sight of thier skin will drive a man mad with lust.

fresh human bladders

Organ grown from patients own cells

very very nice :)

holy wierdness, batman!

yesterday and this morning were so wierd.

i was so tired all day yesterday and foggy in the head that i just took the whole day off and didn't do any reading or anything. i just napped allllll day and ate food. during my naps i had crazy dreams. then last night i again had crazy dreams but at least these were more fun.

the last two were me as Data having to rescue some humans from an underground drilling operation that was some alien plot to destroy the planet or something. the humans didn't want to trust me and wanted to attack me so i used my android skillz to gently beat them down individually as they tried to challenge me. at various points in the dream i was using a bat to, as gently as possible, wack thier brains out so they'd fall in line. this was important because we had to get some things done to save not only thier lives (and i assume my own android life) but also the whole planet. so i got to wack them in the head and poke them in the gut with an aluminum bat for awhile.

always fun.

then in the 2nd dream i was some kind of superhero and i was one in a crowd of superheros who were getting some odd pep talk from a former superhero who had gone to seed about how we shouldn't beat down this one evil heroine but instead try to talk her down from her evil deeds. well, a friend of mine was this super heroine that looked like Debra Wilson but was the big amazon version of her, she wasn't too comfortable with being a counselor to the evil heroine, so i stepped over to her, put my hand on her phenomenal abdoman, and rubbed her stomach while i whispered to her as sexily as possible, 'you don't have to do that, all you have to do is kick the shit out of her.' to which she responded very nicely, being much more comfortable with laying out a beat down instead of talking. well, then we ended up in an embrace and i think she was 7ft tall because my head was barely between her breasts, which i was successfully sucking on because she leaned down a little. then she whispers, 'you know, we should give this a try sometime.' and i responded with 'why not now?!' so then we bounded off to go have a superpowered romp and we were both in seperate bathrooms preparing ourselves when the evil villain alert sounded in the complex. that is when i woke up and decided i should get up and fight the villainy of schoolwork.

these are only 2 of the gems that were parading around in my head last night. the others i've forgotten but i'm sure were just as wacky.


then on the drive to campus today i was feeling foggy in my head and confused and somehow started thinking about Mrs. Madrigal and then i started to feel better. then i thought about having a lover who would read entries from '120 days of Sodom' with me as a bedtime story to get our engines revving and then i felt even better. now i'm feeling like my normal self.

Off-day

Today has been an off day. I was @ murky @ 11am yesterday and sat in
the sun since it was beautiful and I was probably in the sun til 1pm
until the shade shifted over me. Well, that was long enough to give me
a sunburn, not a bad one, no blisters, but quite red and painful. I was
out reading yesterday til 630pm.

So today I managed to get out and to coffee around 11 again but I
couldn't really concentrate and didn't get much reading done. I'm also
sneezing and having to blow my nose periodically now. I'm not allergic
to anything so I don't understand why this happens now, it didn't happen
in michigan. I think its just the concentration of pollen in virginia,
the plants and trees all tend to revive around the same time and pump
out their sneeze-inducing plant jizz.

So my head is kind of off, the inside of my nose feels wierd, my right
ear always feels wierd, and my skin is burned. Any of these alone isn't
a problem but all together they nag at the edge of my awareness and
energy. I had gone home after lunch today because I was tired so I
thought I would nap, but when I reclined I wasn't tired. Then when I
got up 2hrs later ;) to go read more, wham, instant tiredness.

I also bought sunblock while I was out. Neutrogena spf30 waterproof,
rubproof, and something else proof. I tried a little in the store to
check the scent since I'll be putting it on my face and its a very light
easy to ignore nonspecific scent. It also goes on really dry and
somehow puts a matte finish on the skin when it dries after being spread
on.

Would superman be de-powered if he wore sunblock?

I just remembered....

That a nice woman I know thru the program has cancer. She told me
suddenly one day and it really sucked because I like her and have
enjoyed talking with her about stuff, school, and subjects. She has
other women to talk to in a support group and that seems to have
bolstered her confidence the last time we spoke.
I hope she survives and does well.

hydrogels to the rescue?

Jell-O Fix for Spinal Cords

if the hydrogels work out well for spinal cord injury repair then i wonder if they may be applicable to growing replacement organs? what they are doing now is having them help in repairing a tissue. an organ is just a collection of tissues, the next step up. well, 'just', it'll be difficult but i think it's a step in the right direction.

USDA job interview

holy hell, could this have been a wierder interview????

i got lost on the drive up to beltsville, md because i was routed thru the city, and because i never go anywhere i don't know how to get anywhere, so i took a wrong turn and was dumped into anacostia. yikes!
so i called them and the dr. was able to get me back on the highway and i was actually almost on time. i got there at 10:10am.

then what followed was 5hrs of listening to 4 men describe what it is they think they do, what it is they think i'd be doing, and repeatedly pointing out the copious amounts of bull semen they have on site.

yup, that's right, 3 of the 4 men went on and on about all the cow jizz they have in thier freezer. they even offered to show it to me. i was....well, let's say...not flattered.

around 1230pm we went to lunch at a yummy indian buffet place. that was nice. the interview continued while we were there, that wasn't so nice.

we got back into the offices around 2pm and for the next hour i was thrilled to listen to yet more guessing about what my position may do, that i'd have to deal with different personalities, and that this 'wasn't just another government job!', meaning i shouldn't think i'm just going to loaf off. clearly these men have no idea who they are talking to. and on the 'dealing with people with different personalities' tip, wtf? do they think i'm not alive and talking to douchebags everyday?

then still in that session a very odd turn was taken when i was asked if i might want the man who would be my manager to leave the room so i could ask another guy some questions that maybe i wouldn't want the hiring manager to hear about. huh?! i declined of course.

and all throughout this day the men kept saying, 'well you're probably tired of hearing us talk.' but then they'd keep on talking! and yes, i was incredibly tired of having to seem interested in cow cum, the massively undefined job responsibilities, and the putrid smell of shit.

oh yeah, did i forget to mention that? yeah. this building is located in a place where there are actually pigs, cows, and fuck knows what other animals wallowing in thier own filth. disgusting. i wanted to puke when i got out of my car and knew at 10:12am that this was such a bad idea. wtf? cmon, really, who wants to work on a goddamn farm?

there were also some choice one liners throughout the day:

man using euphemisms about the exploding amount of data in the project: 'it's like sticking your finger in the dike constantly'
---why yes, it is, but are you using the shocker and did she ask for it?

man summarizing being a grad student: '..this could be a nice place, for someone like you.'
---this phrase was used more than 5 times and after awhile i 1. wanted to deck the fucker, and 2. thought i should be offended somehow.

3 men throughout the day: '...BULL SEMEN! BULL SEMEN! BULL SEMEN!...'
---they seriously love the stuff.

so, i hope they don't want me, cuz i'm pretty sure i don't want them.

i'm hoping saic wants me instead. the drive up to gaithersburg was easy and i liked the space of the office and the 2 guys i talked to. so, that means i liked everything about it.

re-evolution

can you evolve back into yourself?

that's what it feels like is happening lately. i keep thinking and feeling 'wow, i'm feeling more like myself'. i think i'm still recovering from having such a crappy semester in the fall'05 but i'm definitely starting to feel joyous again. i'm also starting to feel social again, i was thinking about a fun brunch list i'd like to get together and just watch how they all talk to eachother.

i'm not exactly sure how i stopped being myself. i think part of it happened when i started grad school 3yrs ago, i definitely vanilla'd myself down when i was in class. then with some classes being difficult and all the stress that happened last semester i think i was just submerged.

it's odd though because i'm in the middle of a semester right now yet i'm feeling more like myself. if it was school that i was repressing myself for, why not now? yet i felt more me after the semester break and definitely after spring break.

maybe part of it is having the job interviews over the last 2 weeks, i think i have alot of hope for those, not just for the salary but also for feeling useful at an important task (i.e. one which pays me money, muy importante!), heh, so maybe is all about the salary ;)
but also the structure that would come back to my life and the ease that comes with acclimating to a job and doing it well, it really feels like streaming conciousness when you are really good at your job. whereas you NEVER feel that great state when you're in school, there's just too much new, pedantic, boring information being tossed at you for you to develop skill.

so, i don't know why but i'm glad to be feeling like my normal fun, quirky, pervy, laughing self :) (throw in sexy, hot, and awesome and then i'll really be dangerous)

Very unfortunate band name

Seen @ starbucks. Figures they'd add to the pussification of coffee by
selling smallcocked music.

Small dicks-------------

would you let a drug addict watch your children?

probably not. but you elected him to be president twice??

New Attack Meme: It's Not Just Incompetence, It's a Disease

Woof^2

A woofy piece'a construction dude hotness at starbucks.

HUGE ant with wings

It was on my front steps this morning as I was leaving to print resumes
and directions to my interview on monday.
It is an inch long red colored ant with wings, moving very slowly in the
chill, 43F.

Bisexual con men from the 53rd century, what could be better?

here here, russell, i couldn't agree more.

Torchwood Ignites In May

for you dimbulbs, 'torchwood' is an anagram of 'doctor who'.

Friends don't let friends do salvia

http://tinyurl.com/h8fk8

http://tinyurl.com/pzm4r

Doh! Spore news, but not good news.

New Wired Article

*sigh* i feel the pain of the gaming kiddies, 'next year' is SO far away! but the plant editor is nice :) i hope we'll be able to make carnivorous plants :) just for fun.

i'd almost be slipping into fear that this was vaporware if not for the big name behind it and magazine coverage. not that magazine coverage means much, other video games get pre-reviews on television shows and then never come out.

but here's hoping!

believe in the Who!

a little background for those of you not blessed in childhood to have seen Dr. Who.

Doctor Who Guide

Outpost Gallifrey

the Doctors i'm familiar with are Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, and David Tennant. i suppose i could have just said from the third Doctor onward, oh well.

it was definitely Tom Baker who i fell in love with as a child though. He and other sci-fi 'heroes' were who inspired me to be curious about possibilities and to ask questions and be interested in science.

i also read the Doctor Who books as a kid and other fantasy and sci-fi novels. this is why i yearn for a man who is well written in real life, engaging and interesting and able to slip out of the grip of doom at the last minute. :)
i, of course, would be equally well written in a perfect world.

for the 10 millionth time: religious people are crazy

let's see, a catholic hospital where they don't want doctors to provide the best care to thier patients. which would mean they aren't behaving as doctors and by extension they aren't a hospital, in my view.

Abortion row at Catholic hospital

and some wacky islamists want to kill someone who converted to another religion. greeeeaaat.
they think the guy may not be mentally competent, but really, are any fundamental religious zealots mentally competent? right, i didn't think so.

Afghan Christian convert could be executed

these are just 2 more examples where people are letting religion unduly fuck up thier lives, professions, and governments. why can't people learn that religion, the bulwark of the weak-willed, must always come last and least in any consideration?

Alexis Arquette, i SO less than three you!

fuck. me.

i just saw from tivocommunity that the surreal life was starting a new season so i set a season pass for it. then i saw that alexis arquette is in this season. OH DAMN! he is SO fine!

i think he's either going to be a big stabilizing force in the house or else he's going to be a complete neurotic psycho bitch. either way, i'm gonna love it :)

This man knows how to handle his cock

I had brunch today and went down the stripmall to starbucks and was
reading an intro to java swing when I saw a man with a chicken arrive.
He got coffee and sat down outside, water for the chicken. I asked if I
could take his picture and he said yes.

The mans name is daniel and his male chicken is Dizzy. It is of the
Silky variety and he got him as a hatchling from his mother. I asked if
daniel took dizzy to competitions and he said no, but several
chicken-people have said he could, Dizzy is that nice looking. I asked
if Dizzy goes to the vet and daniel said he's never taken him. Because
of all the industrialization around chickens daniel can buy feed for
Dizzy that has vitamins and vaccinations builtin. Daniel was very cool
and I watched him let several kids pet Dizzy, who is very well behaved
and calm. Odd fact, Dizzy has 5 toes, which is apparently unusual for
chickens but a trait of Silkies. Odd fact 2, Silkies don't taste good
so wouldn't make good eating.

Daniel and Dizzy+++ good karma to you.

Sk2 sighting!

On madtv during the 'astroman vs. Killbrain the fury' skit.