Saturday, May 29, 2010

Lists and Free Previews

Hey folks, I got tagged on my other blog, and just put together a list of my 10 favorite things. It may be a little sappy, but I had a good time writing it. It's refreshing to sit and take stock of where you are in life.

You can read it here.

Also, I'm not yet done, but if you want to take a peek at the new look of "The Urban Koda", check it out here. There is still much to do, and recommendations about colors, layout and features will be very much appreciated.

For those of you in the midst of a long weekend... Have great one!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Questions

First of all... Did I cross a line with my post yesterday?

There we were, Mrs Koda and I, both hammering away on laptops, and I turned to her and showed her the post, just prior to publishing. It's something we were joking about for most of yesterday. We tend to do that a lot... Anyway, she read it, gave me the look and kind of snickered. I said something like, "Dare me to publish it?" To which she gave me a slightly different look, with which I clicked the mouse!

So anyway, I could fill a rather large book about with interesting observations about sexuality and the Mormon culture... And actually some friends of mine put together a really interesting podcast on the subject a couple of weeks ago.

Speaking of podcasts... I listened to another one of theirs yesterday, the topic of which was a national media celebrity, who happens to be Mormon and things surrounding those two aspects of his life. I thought about posting more about it, since they did ask some very interesting things, like wondering if the leaders of the LDS Church might be placed in an precarious position if this person continues with the stuff he's been saying about receiving messages from God and what not.

If you don't know who I mean, then it's probably safe to say that you likely don't care. And if you do know who it is, I suspect you really don't care either.

I'm starting not to care as well, although I did find the interview did validate a lot of my thoughts and suspicions about the man. I've seen his effect on people around me, but I'm not sure the effect is entirely his fault, it seems more that some of his outrageous ideas have simply found fertile ground on which to sprout, and if it wasn't his garbage, they'd probably latch onto something else... Kind of sad really.

Question number 2 was whether anyone actually cared or wanted to hear about it, but the more I think about it, I'm not sure I even want to waste my time with him anyway.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Awkward Topics

One of the coolest things about having a blog is being able to make new online friends, second to that is the ability to share your innermost feelings and emotions, and not facing the anxiety you might if you did it in person, or to people you know.

The problem comes when you mix those two things, and you end up with good friends who read your blog...

For those who know me personally, my apologies...

It would appear that my MoJo has gone. Mrs Koda blames the anti-biotics, whereas I'm holding to the theory that it's simply lack of use, and not as a result of lack of trying on my part... I guess we'll know for sure in the next week or two.

I've been had by Eminem

Folks, if you follow my other blog, you'll know that this weekend was all about a mega tooth-ache. I got some Lortab and anti-biotics on Saturday, and when they still weren't helping on Sunday, I doubled them up, and then added 800mg of Ibuprofen for good measure. Which eventually did the trick.

Monday I saw the dentist, and yesterday I went to the Endodontist for a root canal. It was tooth #3, which means it was the 2nd one from the back on the top right hand side. Apparently my wisdom tooth, had it been present would have taken the #1 slot.

Anyway, I'll share my experiences with Lidocaine another time, but basically, despite a second very thorough numbing session by the endodontist, it came un-numb shortly before he finished up. I could have asked him to numb it again, but I'm not a fan of the un-numbing process, so I dealt with a little pain.

He got done - and if I may add... Ladies, if you're looking for an Endodontist in Utah, this guy is young, good looking and kind of a stud - plus he treats his staff really well, which always scores point in my book.

Anyway, he gets done, and it was feeling uncomfortable. He asked if I needed drugs, and when I said yes, he asked about my reactions to Lortab and that kind of thing. I told him that generally Lortab doesn't affect me much and that I usually have to take 2 before it kicks in. He then offered to write me a prescription for Vicodin.

Vicodin... Eminem sings about Vicodin a lot. I hear it's pretty good.

I'll share my experience getting it filled later - since it's a very long and painful tale about Walmart - but a little over an hour later, I arrived home, took the prescribed 800mg of Ibuprofen (It cuts down swelling) and then lay around for a couple of hours in agony. It had finally eased up by 8pm, and so I headed off to the gym and had a very nice weight session, which has been about 6 months in coming.

This morning I awoke and while feeling a little stiff from the weights, the rest of me felt fine. I went downstairs, and decided I probably wouldn't need the Vicodin, so I put it up, away from kiddy's. It was then that I noticed the writing on the bottle.

I didn't actually use Lortab over the weekend, it was actually the generic equivalent... Hydrocodone with Acetaminophen. And there were some 5's and a 500 too I think.

I looked at the Vicodin bottle. It was a generic substitution... And it turns out that it's the same stuff as Lortab...

So if it's the same stuff as Lortab, and Lortab doesn't affect me much, I'm thinking either Eminem is just a big pussy, or perhaps I'm just not doing it right.

Not that I condone the usage of narcotics for recreational purposes, or the mixing of narcotics to get a better buzz.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Libertarian Test

It seems to me that being a Libertarian is fast becoming the new fad...

Here are a couple of things to know if you truly want to be a Libertarian.

1. War is bad! The only time it is justifiable, is when your country is being actively attacked. And in that case, the war should be purely defensive. Preemptive strikes, even if you can conjure up phony evidence is not a reason to wage war.

The war in Iraq is one of those wars, and to be fair... so is the war in Afghanistan. Sure, you can argue that the Afghan war is retaliation for 9/11, but 9/11 would likely not have happened, had the US not been sticking it's nose into politics in the Middle East.

True Libertarians would be against funding Israel, messing with other countries governments and waging wars on foreign soil. End of story.

2. Human rights. I am an immigrant to this country, and as such I speak funny. If I were to go down to Arizona, technically I could be asked to provide law enforcement with my papers. But that won't happen to me, and do you know why? Because I'm white and I look just like every other US citizen out there.

I have a friend who is part Mexican and who was born here in the US. She speaks like an American, works her ass off, pays taxes and all of that. And yet, if she goes down to Arizona, she might be asked to provide her papers. That is a violation of her rights as a US citizen.

The new Arizona law is distinctly anti-Libertarian.

So, if you want to call yourself a Libertarian, and jump on the hot new trend that is, being a Libertarian, please think long and hard about whether you actually are a Libertarian, or simply just a racist with a bad attitude, and a predisposition to being an asshole.

Monday, May 24, 2010

What's in a name?

I used to go to school with a girl whose last name was Hussein - hey, that rhymes!

Anyway, she was a real sweet girl, who I believed had family ties back to Pakistan, or a similar middle eastern country.

When I first met her, I'll admit that I felt the urge to crack a couple of Saddam type jokes, but as I got to know her, those just didn't seem appropriate.

Anyway, so this morning one of my conservative facebook friends posts a question. Apparently a group of Democrats are trying to lobby to keep President Obama's middle name from appearing in text books, while a group of Republican's are trying to keep it in.

My response - and I don't usually comment on the status updates of friends with whom I disagree, what that it should be left in.

The other comments were all from the right wing folks, and ranged from "Keep the name, remove the man" to "Why worry, unless you aren't living up to your heritage?"

There also seemed to be a few folks asking... It's just a name?!? Why not keep it in.

Like I said, my thoughts are... Keep it in.

The problem is see though, is that the president's middle name has been abused by right wing nuts, who have been using it to insinuate that by having a name which is shared by a brutal dictator, somehow the president is guilty by association. Kind of like after the brutal murder of a kid in Utah last week by a guy with the last name of Sloop, we were now to round up anyone with that last name as child killers - It's just ridiculous.

Ultimately I think both sides need a swift kick to the head. Trying to link the President to a dictator, purely because they share a name is childish and petty, but unfortunately that seems to be the right wing response to losing an election. Childish and petty.

Trying to remove the name from textbooks, is an overreaction on the part of the Dems too. It's his name, I'm sure it has significance to him... Hiding history is never a good thing. Yes the opposition are being a bunch of whiny 2 year olds about it, but that's their problem, not yours!

Can't we all just grow up, and start treating each other like adults?

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The Authority

If you've read His Dark Material trilogy, the title may mean something more to you.

And along with that, here's a great quote by G. Massey - an Egyptologist...

They must find it difficult,
those who have taken authority as truth,
rather than truth as authority.

It's Magic!!!!

Sometimes I just feel like "The Bad Guy" with stuff I post online...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Patriotism

I read an excellent posting on the Tea Party movement by another blogger last week, and I can definitely respect the motives behind the movement. The thing is, I don't think most of the tea-baggers actually get those motives. I think they're motivated by something else...

I see all the signs saying... Dissent is the ultimate form of Patriotism!

Which I happen to agree with, but these were the same people who were calling people who protested the Iraq war traitors...

Anyway, in that light, and in light of other events in my life, a quote by a Founding Father...



Thanks to TJ for cluing me into the remainder of the quote, which makes it even better...

"...because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear."

Monday, May 17, 2010

Blood of Jesus Oil

I'm about to start a serious week of posts about religion on another blog, and the short version there is that it's time for the gloves to come off.

However to keep me grounded, I'd like to start a week of fun and amusement on this blog. In fact I think I'm going to try and seek out the most disturbing and unusual humor I can - because... Well, that's just the kind of thing I like.

Let us begin this week with a video of a prank phone call to the prophet Woody Martin who promotes his own brand of Blood of Jesus Oil. And if you're anything like me, you're probably already giggling about his first name... Tee hee hee!!!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Karma?

"It's like [Republicans] treat the country like a sleazy used car salesman: 'Hey, I gotta tell you, this is a beautiful country. Runs like a dream. We have kept it totally tuned for eight years. It's cherry. You're not gonna have a problem with it at all. Oh, you'll take it? It's YOUR piece of sh*t now!'" - Jon Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
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As an outsider to the Republican Party, it's interesting to see what's going on. I think a lot of the membership to that party are upset, and I think their leadership (if one can call them that) are trying to capitalize on that discontent, for their own little agendas, but I think it's going to come back to bite them in the butt, and in fact it might be coming back already.

A prominent Utah Republican got nailed earlier this week, and while I know nothing of who did this, and don't condone the behavior, I have a strong suspicion that it will turn out to be some pissed off conservative, Glenn Beck fan and Tea Party demonstrator. You can read the story here.

The way I see it, people are justifiably upset with how the country is being run, but the problems aren't Republican or Democrat problems, they're politician problems. What I find amusing is that some politicians are trying to make out that the problem lies with the other parties politicians, but as they point those problems out, there is a good chance that people will start looking at them and see the same things. It's kind of like the anti-gay, homophobic preacher man who gets caught with his gay lover... Tragic in a way, but ironically hilarious for those of us with disturbed minds.

Of course it might work though too... The reason we have a politician problem is that people don't care and don't take the time to inform themselves, and so the ignorant masses rally around the scoundrels with the shiny badges, or who their puppet masters tell them to rally around, and the cycle continues.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Society

There are a couple of blogs I frequent, where the authors use song lyrics to help convey their feelings. I've done this in the past, specifically back in my teenage years, where music was a huge part of my life. I've been listening to this song for a month or so now, courtesy of another blogging buddy who posted the link to it.

It's from the soundtrack to a movie - Into the Wild, which I haven't seen yet, but I think I need to.

It was written by Jerry Hannan, and performed by Eddie Vedder.


SOCIETY

Oh, it's a mystery to me
We have a greed with which we have agreed
And you think you have to want more than you need
Until you have it all you won't be free

Society, you're a crazy breed
Hope you're not lonely without me...

When you want more than you have
You think you need...
And when you think more than you want
Your thoughts begin to bleed
I think I need to find a bigger place
Because when you have more than you think
You need more space

Society, you're a crazy breed
Hope you're not lonely without me...
Society, crazy indeed
Hope you're not lonely without me...

There's those thinking, more-or-less, less is more
But if less is more, how you keeping score?
Means for every point you make, your level drops
Kinda like you're starting from the top
You can't do that...

Society, you're a crazy breed
Hope you're not lonely without me...
Society, crazy indeed
Hope you're not lonely without me...

Society, have mercy on me
Hope you're not angry if I disagree...
Society, crazy indeed
Hope you're not lonely without me...


Don't worry, I'm going to be skulking off into the woods to pursue a life as a hermit anytime soon, but I do feel the need to simplify and try and escape the consumer based furor that is the US economy.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Driving at Night and Reflections

I love being out at night, but I'm not sure exactly why... Everything just seems so peaceful and tranquil, and during the summer, it's the time of the day when it's nice and cool too.

I was listening to a song on YouTube this morning, and it took me back to a time almost 2 decades ago, when I would drive home from work late at night. It didn't happen often, since usually I worked the morning shift, and I would bike into work, but occasionally I worked late and I would take my dads care.

I had the Pearl Jam, Vitology tape, and as I left work, I'd put it in. Before I even drove, I'd queue it up to play nothing man, and then I'd turn it off. Leaving work, there were two traffic circles, and then the road dropped down to follow a winding river. The speed limit was probably a little high for a narrow winding road like that, but all that meant was that I could enjoy the drive without breaking the law.

As I would start down the road, I'd open the windows, turn on the stereo and crank it up. It's an interesting feeling, merging speed with the solitude of night, and then haunting sound of Eddie's voice.

Thursday, May 06, 2010

The Book of Beck

Folks, I'm not above admitting when there is someone out there with superior intellect and/or comedic abilities, and this past week, one of those amazing souls left a priceless comment on another post of mine. I hope she doesn't mind my reposting it here for all to see.

1 And it came to pass, that Glen Beck did admonish the nation for their evil desires for healthcare.
2 And some hearkened unto his words and they did follow him. And they were called Republicans. Now behold, their skin was white and fair.
3 But the Democrats being a loathsome people followed a man with darkened skin.
4 And it came to pass that Glen Beck did say that: Inasmuch as you have followed me, ye shall be blessed with contention and war.