Someday I shall develop a nation, and it shall be run thusly:

It shall mimic the socialistic structure of Canada, Sweden, et al. while still maintaining the encouragement of capitalism that prevents degradation into communism. Namely, levying higher taxes to provide social services such as universal health care, early retirement, free education, maternity AND paternity leave, subsidies on staple items, and so on. To prevent outcry over tax gouging, the national minimum wage shall be $10/hour or above, with mandatory increases in salary for degrees or certifications obtained.

To encourage "big business", corporations will receive minor reductions in tax liability, as well as tax credits available for things such as efficient use of power, favorable health inspections, donations to non-profit organizations, and so on. Small business owners can apply for one-time government loans, at low interest rates, in the interest of growing commerce.

Each residence (as determined by census results) will be outfitted with a tamper-proof network device, the sole purpose of which will be to display questions and receive answers through an analog-input method that leaves little room for error. These will be used to conduct elections, polls, and so on. A reasonable time frame will be designated that strikes a balance between quick poll results and high voting rates. A minor fine might be enacted upon those who abstain from voting without placing their boxes in an abstention state, the enabling of which might also carry some kind of penalty.

Government will be handled by a seven-person Council, similar in some ways to the US Supreme Court. Each Council member's term shall last five years, with the possibility of re-election. Each candidate's biography and stance will be available on the voting box, and after polls are closed the members with the five highest votes will begin their terms. Anyone may run, and any existing Council member may be recalled.

During each tax season, residents will have the choice of selecting which funds their tax dollars go towards; security-minded individuals might place their taxes in the defense fund, while teachers might have more interest in funding free education, or dividing their earnings between multiple funds. Moneys cannot be transferred between funds without a 2/3rds majority consensus from the aforementioned voting boxes. In this way, inhabitants might be assured that their hard-earned tax dollars will not be misappropriated.

Anyone may propose changes to existing laws, or even the constitution, through their voting boxes. Proposed changes will be displayed in a centralized repository, with popular ones going before the Council for consideration, and overwhelmingly popular changes becoming effective immediately, requiring a unanimous Council vote for a veto. This will allow Wikipedia-like creation of government without the perceived faults of an open system.

This is my nation, and it will be good.

Last update was awhile ago, so I'll try and catch up.

The cats are getting HUGE. Yes, cats - they're not quite fully-grown, but it's hardly fair to call them kittens anymore. Ender is on the fast-track to becoming Garfield, but Valentine is staying petite. After their spaying/neutering, some minor personality alterations occurred - Ender went from moderately antisocial to extreme cuddlewhore, and Valentine has been really aloof lately (though I suppose that is a cat's default state).

Oh, and I don't work for GeekSquad anymore. (Like George Carlin, I don't do transitional material.) Without going into too much detail, I was unable to work for them at my fullest capacity for about a week in the beginning of July, and the nature of my inability to work at that capacity led Corporate (gotta love faceless abstract entities) to sign into effect my termination. The managers were pissed, as they'd petitioned for my continuing employment, but "rules is rules".

After that followed a period of frantic job hunting. It's an amusing observation that quite often in our searches for answers to our desires we fail to examine our immediate surroundings for possibilities, so it wasn't much of a surprise that only after sending our several resumes and visiting many shops did I wind up at MJP Computers, which is literally only half a block from my apartment. The owner, Indy, is a really great guy and pretty much offered me the chance to work the next business day. After way too many "we'll get back to you... eventually"-type responses, it was a breath of fresh air.

It's been a few days so far, and I absolutely love it. The atmosphere is laid-back, the coworkers are awesome, there's absolutely NO sales pressure and plenty of opportunities to learn. The only downer right now is the requisite three-week waiting period when starting a new job before the arrival of steady money. I'm interested to find out how our landladies will respond when we offer them the choice between a 50-50 now/later rent deal or a postdated check. Hopefully they won't choose option C, eviction.

Shannon and I started on a diet. "What kind of diet?", you might ask. "South Beach, The Zone, Atkins, Scientology?" "Merely the laws of physics, my dear," I would reply. "If input energy equals less than output energy, fat burning occurs." Hence, calorie counting. We're trying to stay under 1200, 1000 if possible. It sounds harsh, but it's amazing how filling you can make things without loading them up if you try. It's also kinda disgusting when you realize that one of the former staples of our diet, Mac & Cheese, was 1200 calories all by itself. We also joined a gym, the local Bally's, but haven't yet had the chance to go. We'd better soon. I'm not into wasting memberships, even if they're only month-to-month. We also desperately need to work off the ravaging effects the Ventura County Fair had on our meticulous eating plan. More specifically, funnel cake and chili-cheese dogs.

School starts in just a couple days. Yuck/Woot?. Thanks to work (10-6 M-F) I'm only available for night classes, so I'll be taking Astronomy 101 and Behavioral Statistics at OC, 7-10, M-T. Only a few more classes left to go before I'm OUTTA HERE (and into another school).

Sleepy.

.. . . . . and I am uber cool!

There are very few things as on top of their game as Later. Somehow Later manages to be everywhere at once, and just one step ahead of you. Don't want to do the dishes? Unpack some boxes? Update your LiveJournal or MySpace? That's fine, Later's conveniently located right after Now and just before Sometime, en route to Eventually. Oh, is it Later yet? Hey, no, Later's still Later! Awesome!

Oddly, though, there are times - very small windows, actually, we're talking minutes within days - when those dreadful chores suddenly increase in appeal for no apparent reason. Hey, you know what would be cool? If I RANDOMLY CLEANED MY ENTIRE KITCHEN.

I think you get the picture.

I just checked, and I haven't really updated (LJ or MySpace) in over six months. I suppose that's one way to prune your friends list; wait until the only people who haven't dropped you are the ones who really like you and want to know what you're up to. Them, and the people who are just as lazy about trimming their friends list as you are about updating. My kind of people.

When we last spoke, I had just been promoted within my company to Double Agent (the GeekSquad guys you see on TV). I was pretty nervous, having been warned about a massive increase in responsibility, even to the point of doubting my own competence.

Hah.

I can say now that I love my job more than ever, and my "new" position's given me a chance to push aside the blue curtain of Best Buy and join the amazing culture that grew from a single guy biking from office to office fixing computers more than 10 years ago in Minnesota. No longer confined to standing at a counter while an endless line of unwilling participants in the Information Revolution dropped their crippled, rabid steeds for us to nurse and shoe, my day now consists of driving around in an attention-getting car, being alternately gawked at by random people and cheered at by kids, teenagers and soccer moms, going into the homes of both the rich and struggling and taming their technology with a personal touch.

It's an awesome feeling, with the added bonus of meeting some great people, hearing some great stories, improving my skills, and visiting some crazy houses (and mansions). No, it's not a career, but having teenagers practically leap at me for pictures is probably the closest I'll ever get to being a rock star, and it makes for a fun way to put myself through school.

Speaking of which, school hasn't been going so well, but I can't really go into it without backing up a bit. Shannon and I have been together for quite awhile now officially about 8 months, unofficially (including that gray period where you really really like each other) a bit longer. Things have been great, to put it lightly, especially since we moved in together about 3 months ago. Those of you who know me know that's not something I take lightly, and those of you who really know me know that the idea used to scare the hell out of me.

My reasons were three-fold: First, I really needed to get out on my own. My family has had a delicate living situation for over a year, and I was tired of having no room, privacy or quiet. Second, we had already been doing the I-sleep-over-at-your-house-every-night-oh-wait-I'm-living-here-now thing, and it was working out well, except that her parents wanted her out too. Third, housing here is damn expensive, and given the option between getting a roommate who would probably never bathe and would constantly be having noisy sex in the other room, and actually being the one having the noisy sex, I felt the choice was obvious.

I had heard so many horror stories about relationships being ruined by cohabitation that I was prepared for the worst, but so far it's been amazing. Waking up next to someone you love and enjoy, sharing a space and putting the best of both people into it, relaxing at the end of the day together; I'm as lucky as I am satisfied. It's also made for a stronger us, even as the stress of paying massive bills (which forced this semester to the back burner) has tried and tested our bonds.

Finding an apartment was an ordeal, covering several weeks (most of which were spent practically living out of Shannon's car until it got totaled in a major wreck, injuring us both and hurrying our search) and many, many apartments. Amusingly (or not) we wound up with the very first one we ever viewed, and got a great deal in a great location (Casa Real / The Timbers on Vineyard in Oxnard, close to the freeway, shopping, and pretty much everything).

Sadly, some of the sanctity has already been compromised, as part of my family's aforementioned living situation necessitated my two oldest sisters (and by extension, the oldest sister's boyfriend) taking up living quarters in the spare room/office while the rest of my family found temporary arrangements elsewhere. It's been incredibly rough, mentoring and supporting the people who used to be my foundation, and finding that thin, jagged line between assisting my family any way I can and protecting the interests and security of my significant other who patiently puts up with intrusion by a family who isn't hers. My sister's already found some gray hairs.

On the subject of both gray hairs and things Adam never thought he'd do, the general pandemonium has been magnified by our recent adoption of two adorable kittens, a curiously friendly gray tabby (Ender) and a sweet calico (Valentine). Points if you get the name references. My thoughts on cats are fairly well known (and range from venomous to vitriolic), but my icy heart was melted by a new litter padding around the house of a client I was setting up a wireless network for. Then I found out they were free. I mean, jeez, free stuff. And they only live to be 18 or 20 or so! Low commitment! Not only that, but I could lose Internet AND cable and still be endlessly entertained by two kittens fighting. If all goes well, they'll be raised into cats that even an Adam could enjoy.

So far, I've covered the three biggies that any update should include: Work, school, and love life. I could throw in random tidbits: I took the plunge and am now running Linux as my main OS (and loving it), I've become strangely entertained by American Idol (Chris for teh win), I find House to be the best show on TV, I'm currently wearing a feline like Blackbeard wore a parrot, turning 21 isn't all it's cracked up to be, Frosty, Heidi and Frank rock your socks, Chuck Norris finished the Never-Ending Story, and working all the time has made me miss my friends more than ever. (I haven't forgotten, I promise. I will find time.)

Wow, I feel lighter. Or heavier. Or are those just my eyelids? If I left anything out (and you're still awake), comment away. I'll try to keep from another six month hiatus.

Take care, and remember, kids: You can never, ever eat too much tofu.

x Horns or Halo x is my good friend Gia, who's also on MySpace.

xHorns or Halox: If you were a doctor... and your patient, who is dying painfully, asked you to end it.. would you be able to do it?
PowerRad64: Are they completely terminal, or is there the tiniest bit of chance of recovery?
xHorns or Halox: No chance. All you're doing for them at this point is providing comfort and possibly, if it helps, medicine for the pain.
PowerRad64: Do the laws in my state prohibit doctor-aided death or permit it (ie. Oregon)?
xHorns or Halox: No.
PowerRad64: No to...
xHorns or Halox: No, they do not prohibit.
PowerRad64: If they didn't have any family members who wanted them alive, then I would.
xHorns or Halox: Hm.'
PowerRad64: If I could arrested for it, then no; on the grounds that if I'm rotting in jail, I can't provide legitimate care to other patients.
xHorns or Halox: So, even though the patient's request is a painless death to end the suffering, you would not do so if a relative of the patient disagreed? And note, the patient retains their mental capacity.
xHorns or Halox: So legally, a spouse, parent, or sibling cannot decide for them.
PowerRad64: Essentially, I would behave in whatever way would be most likely to keep me out of prison or malpractice court (sued by a family member) while at the same time giving the best possible care to my individual patient.
PowerRad64: My first responsibility is to my patients as a whole, past and future, my second responsibility is to my patient of the moment.
xHorns or Halox: Hm.
xHorns or Halox: Okay.
PowerRad64: Is this what you're currently pondering?
xHorns or Halox: It's been the on-and-off question of the last few classes.
xHorns or Halox: So it's been stuck in my head. Me putting myself in a doctor's position.
PowerRad64: Aiding a patient's death is an act of mercy (even though I'm pretty sure it technically violates the Hippocratic oath) that I could see feasible if there were no repercussions.  However, if there was even the smallest chance that by doing so I would be decreasing my ability to practice legitimate medicine in the future, then the obligation to my unhelped patients outweighs the need for the current existing patient to die without pain.
PowerRad64: I would try and flood him with morphine instead.
PowerRad64: So if and only if the state permits it AND there are no individuals who had the power, through litigation, to potentially reduce my ability to practice medicine, AND the patient was mentally coherent, AND there was a 0-1% chance of recovery, I would allow him to die in peace.
PowerRad64: That is the only situation.
PowerRad64: I usually attempt a "greatest good to greatest number of people" approach, which I'm sure some can criticize by pointing out the suffering of a real, live individual weighed against the potential suffering of fictional as-yet-nonexistant people.
xHorns or Halox: So you take the Utilitarian approach.
PowerRad64: Pretty much.
xHorns or Halox: I don't know if my morals would allow me to do something like that to a patient, even if they were mentally coherent and asking for it. I'd have to refer them to someone else.
PowerRad64: I'll assume your morals would be screaming to give the greatest possible care to a patient at any given time; I'd then ask your morals to consider that medicine is a fight to choose one outcome (pain and death) over another (ease of pain and life); if one outcome is predetermined and cannot be changed, then your next fight is for certain death > no pain over certain death > pain.
xHorns or Halox: And I understand that completely. And in a hypothetical situation, I agree wholeheartedly. However, were it a real like situation, I don't think I'd be able to perform something like that.
PowerRad64: Then that would only make you human.
PowerRad64: And the Hippocratic oath would be on your side.
xHorns or Halox: But then, it's down to the idea of denying a patient release.
xHorns or Halox: So. Either way, I'd end up being the devil's advocate to myself.
PowerRad64: Then I suggest you answer in whatever way makes the most hypothetic sense and save the real-life situation for when/if it happens.
xHorns or Halox: Never going to happen, thank god.
PowerRad64: Some things we have no capability of estimating our reaction to until they actually happen.
PowerRad64: You just told me that you would be incapable of killing.
xHorns or Halox: I'm going to be an English teacher.
PowerRad64: However, if doing so was the only way to save your sister or your mother, you would kill without thought.
PowerRad64: So you ARE capable of it.
xHorns or Halox: We technically don't know.
xHorns or Halox: As I've never been put in that situation.
PowerRad64: But you feel more sure you would be able to than you do with the patient situation.
PowerRad64: So if that's any indication of anything, then yeah.
xHorns or Halox: I don't know. I didn't bring in any other form of killing into my thought proccess. It's focused only on the situation of a doctor and a patient, and euthanasia
PowerRad64: Then you need to fully reconceptualize your idea of what a doctor is and what a doctor does.
PowerRad64: Figure it out for good, before you figure out if you could be able to stand by it.
PowerRad64: Because I argue that any human is capable of killing.
PowerRad64: The only difference is the cause you're doing it for.
xHorns or Halox: That's true.

Thoughts?

School

This is shaping up to be the best semester at OC thus far - I'm along enough in my schooling to find all my classes easy as hell, I have friendships with practically all my professors, I know lots of people in almost every class (including two classes with my best friend), I see old friends wherever I go, and I'm not stressing out about ASG.  I'm still gonna get re-involved, 'cause they need all the help they can get, but it'll be more in a student advisory capacity.

There's lots of drama surrounding the new student trustee elections, which I can't say I find appealing, but one thing I most definitely learned is that people have to do things their own way first before they're receptive to any other feedback.

Work

The daily grind is, or was getting to me, but a few changes have helped a bit.  Foremost, a yearly raise (57 cents, but it's something) makes me feel like my time is a little bit more valuable.  Schedule-wise, I'm now predominantly working mornings (6am-12/2) instead of nights (2/3-11).  This gives me time to work on computers uninterrupted for four hours before the store opens, and enables me to leave after only a few hours with customers (AND freeing up the rest of my day). 

Two friends from school (one older, one new) just got hired, so there's even more familiar faces. Managers are giving me side-projects to accomplish (which is a sign that they trust me, amusingly).  Also, the third Double Agent spot has opened up, this one based entirely out of Santa Barbara - coincidentally, where I plan on eventually moving and going to school.  I made my superiors aware of this fact, which will help my chances, as will the two existing Double Agents bandying about my name as a good choice.  Still not looking forward to working fulltime, but I don't have much of a choice.  I hear Fry's is hiring BBY techs at $18.50/hr, but that's also fulltime - if they'd give me that kind of money part time, uhm.. bye bye Best Buy?

Love

Those who might have expected it can nod their heads knowingly, and those who didn't might as well find out sooner or later. I'm currently dating one of my best friends, Shannon; it was bound to happen, and situational drama aside, it's been going pretty well.  Having someone in town works wonders for stability: Even when things get crazy (which they have, a couple of times) you can actually sit down and talk it out right away. What a concept, eh?

And to the person who I know will read this, but still won't pick up the phone: While the outcome of our situation won't change, and I regret the way it came about, somehow I feel the way it's been "resolved" isn't exactly fitting.  There IS a way for us to coexist peacefully.  I'd like to find it.

 

 

So yes.  My life.  Maybe more to come later.

TUESDAY

09:30am-11:00am English 102
11:00am-12:30pm Cultural Anthropology
01:00pm-02:30pm American Sign Language


THURSDAY

09:30am-11:00am English 102
11:00am-12:30pm Cultural Anthropology
01:00pm-02:30pm American Sign Language
03:30pm-05:30pm Art Appreciation
07:00pm-10:00pm Biology Lab

Not only did I meet some very (very) hot girls who also happened to be big science fiction buffs (WHY DID I LET THEM GET AWAY) but I made off with some nifty books for a pittance:

Charles Darwin, Origin of Species [1872 / 1958]

An Introduction to Sociolinguistics [1992]

Donald Johanson, Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind [1981 - details the discovery of Australopithecus Afarensis, believed to be mankind's oldest ancestor, and her impact on the world of anthropology]

Anthropology, evolution, and the sociology of language.  *Shivers.*  I'm such a geek. 

I almost picked up a book on mental disorders from their massive psychology section, but it was copyrighted 1954 and I refuse to read anything from an era with a DSM that still classified homosexuality as a disease.

I just noticed that aside from April (and August now obviously) I was only managing one blog post a month. Compare this to people like Mia *glares* whose sole purpose in life is to write MySpace blogs.

- College kids can sit wherever they damn well please - yet still pick a seat within the first week of class and defend it ferociously for the duration of the semester?

- I feel more energetic having woken up at 7:30 than when I wake up at 10:30?

- I can care, heart and soul, about what I want to do with my life and I understand, completely and truly, that my education is the absolute foundation of getting that dream off the ground - yet I can still allow myself to fail almost every single one of my summer classes?

- I can help other people, change their lives even, but when it comes to my own I have all the finesse and skill of performing surgery with a blender?

- Diet drinks taste SO DAMN NASTY?

- The world has not yet recognized me as their eternal lord and master?

- I can make $4.50 an hour above minimum wage and still feel dirt poor?

- Sisqo is still alive?

- Once something becomes completely unfashionable you can now find it at Hot Topic?

- I have a habit of caring about things immensely, then when it comes time to lose them I can so convincingly convince myself that they really weren't that important in the first place?

- California is so damn awesome, with every climate and every possible interest no more than a 3-hour drive in any direction?

- I have so many interesting things in my head, but none that will come out whenever I attempt to start a regular blog?