Sunday, September 02, 2007
don't panic
-douglas addams
people are stupid.
you say, "now, greg, not all people are stupid." i agree, individuals are smart, people, by and large, are cattle. this thought comes to me while reflecting a recent tragedy, the virginia tech massacre.
at this point i would like to make a disclaimer: these observations are meant in no way to disrespect the dead or make light of the grief of the living. that being said, here are my thoughts: panic is an extremely powerful and useful phenomenon.
a man walks into a building housing 895 people with two handguns, an 8 round walther and a 15 round glock. he fires 174 rounds killing over thirty people. while heroic attempts were made to protect students by keeping the shooter out of classrooms, no one tried to stop him. what troubles me is the numbers, with those guns he would have to STOP AND RELOAD at least seven times. an act requiring both hands, so if one gun was empty he would have to put down the other to reload it.
he wasn't a train shooter, this resulted in the high shot to kill ratio, so i wouldn't assume he was extremely proficient at speed reloading. so how did he do it? panic...
in this situation, a situation no one was mentally prepared for except the shooter, he was in charge. what's the old parable about "if you can keep your head about you while those around you are losing theirs"? the same with the airplanes on 9/11, how do you blow up a building with boxcutters? panic
if our shooter walked into a room with thirty people and five of them were willing to rush him, he would go down. now the margie oden adage of "i may not get all of you, but i'll get one of you" applies, but there is no way he'd have a chance.
i'm not saying everyone should carry a gun, i know several people who shouldn't, but people should be mentally prepare to deal with any situation. would i be willing to rush a man with a gun? i don't know, but i know if i don't panic he has less of an advantage...and if the room turned on him, he could panic. they have the guns but we have the numbers.
so, be ready, willing, and able to do whatever you have to.
i dare do all that i may become a man, he who dares more is none.
-macbeth
have a nice day.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
not brilliant
Saturday, August 18, 2007
come to the dark side...
-darth vader
i think i'm a pretty balanced guy, i don't do any thing most other people wouldn't, but i feel like there's a darker person underneath who is not above doing something else...
i was talking to a pretty girl and said, "is it wierd to think..." and i stopped myself because i knew she would think it was creepy. then jake said, "were you going to tell her about the time you threatened to cut a guys face off just to see if his family would still love him?"
that was actually much stranger and i didn't come out looking any better.
where my mind goes actually disturbs me. i didn't remember saying that, and it's probably one of the darker things i've said, and it kind of creeps me out.
i'm not hanibal ector and i'm not charles whitley, but i'm the product of action movies and i long to be a super hero...that's not healthy.
maybe i'm sick, but maybe i just have a great imagination.
have a nice day...
come to the dark side...
-darth vader
i think i'm a pretty balanced guy, i don't do any thing most other people wouldn't, but i feel like there's a darker person underneath who is not above doing something else...
i was talking to a pretty girl and said, "is it wierd to think..." and i stopped myself because i knew she would think it was creepy. then jake said, "were you going to tell her about the time you threatened to cut a guys face off just to see if his family would still love him?"
that was actually much stranger and i didn't come out looking any better.
where my mind goes actually disturbs me. i didn't remember saying that, and it's probably one of the darker things i've said, and it kind of creeps me out.
i'm not hanibal ector and i'm not charles whitley, but i'm the product of action movies and i long to be a super hero...that's not healthy.
maybe i'm sick, but maybe i just have a great imagination.
have a nice day...
fourth and goal.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.
- Wernher von Braun
goals...goals are an invaluable list that no one wants to make. i've spent my life making as few goals as possible and realizing as many of those goals as i can. i have scars, scrapes, scratches, and debt to prove most of them and i'm a richer person for all of them.
these goals are such as the following:
A) own optimus prime- this is a throw back to when i was a child and is one i've yet to realize.
B) be a rock star- this was my first choice of occupation, again, i was six when i decided it. probably something i'll never do, i have no illusions, but i'm pretty close.
C) go to moab- check
D) go to europe- check, kind of, there's still plenty to see.
E) Pwood- working at prestonwood was a goal as many as six years ago and while i may not have loved every minute, i've loved most.
and most recent...
F)hop a train- aye, there's the rub...i've always wanted to hop a train and ride it as far as i can. lot's of people have, my dad has. we even tried in farmersville a couple of times, but sunday it happened. a slow freight train rolled past L.A.W., jake and i hopped the fence and rode the train about 150 ft. yeah it's not far, but it's as far as we could go. check, NEXT SONG!
anyway, goals. we've all got 'em, most of them suck, i mean, "own optimus prime"? i can do better than that. but you've got to set goals. if you've planned to go no where, that's where you'll end up.
have a nice day.
We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.
- Wernher von Braun
goals...goals are an invaluable list that no one wants to make. i've spent my life making as few goals as possible and realizing as many of those goals as i can. i have scars, scrapes, scratches, and debt to prove most of them and i'm a richer person for all of them.
these goals are such as the following:
A) own optimus prime- this is a throw back to when i was a child and is one i've yet to realize.
B) be a rock star- this was my first choice of occupation, again, i was six when i decided it. probably something i'll never do, i have no illusions, but i'm pretty close.
C) go to moab- check
D) go to europe- check, kind of, there's still plenty to see.
E) Pwood- working at prestonwood was a goal as many as six years ago and while i may not have loved every minute, i've loved most.
and most recent...
F)hop a train- aye, there's the rub...i've always wanted to hop a train and ride it as far as i can. lot's of people have, my dad has. we even tried in farmersville a couple of times, but sunday it happened. a slow freight train rolled past L.A.W., jake and i hopped the fence and rode the train about 150 ft. yeah it's not far, but it's as far as we could go. check, NEXT SONG!
anyway, goals. we've all got 'em, most of them suck, i mean, "own optimus prime"? i can do better than that. but you've got to set goals. if you've planned to go no where, that's where you'll end up.
have a nice day.
a blog not worth $20 million a year
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
ain't got no cash, ain't got no style, ain't got no girl to make me smile...
-bobby mcpheron
what's an opinion worth? nothing...they're like birthdays, every one has one, and yet we're get very emotional about them. especially if some one else's is different from yours.
let's ride mr. rogers trolley to the land of make believe and consider a hypothetical...
person A and person B are having a nice dinner. person A, by way of making idol conversation, expresses an opinion. of course, the very nature of mentioning your thoughts invites conversation, criticism...even confrontation, but this is a subject person B feels very strongly about, and for the next 90 minutes, person B tries to sway person A to his way of thinking. both are claiming opinion as immutable fact, and thus the battle ensues.
neither are the experts they claim to be, even though they both have a working understanding of the subject, and person A, sorry of the mess he unwittingly created, finally admits, "maybe i just don't understand," however the die is cast and now they're each quite entrenched in the argument, each calling the others points "short sited" and "not logical."
and so, if person A leaves chicago on a train bound for L.A. at 60 MPH, and person B leaves dallas on a train bound for Seattle at 89 MPH, would either of they're opinions change if they're trains collided in colorado? no, all that's happened is that nice dinner they were sharing is now too stressfull to digest and the waitress is angry for their loitering.
the moral of this story is to let some one's opinion be just that...so don't worry, be happy.
have a nice day.
ain't got no cash, ain't got no style, ain't got no girl to make me smile...
-bobby mcpheron
what's an opinion worth? nothing...they're like birthdays, every one has one, and yet we're get very emotional about them. especially if some one else's is different from yours.
let's ride mr. rogers trolley to the land of make believe and consider a hypothetical...
person A and person B are having a nice dinner. person A, by way of making idol conversation, expresses an opinion. of course, the very nature of mentioning your thoughts invites conversation, criticism...even confrontation, but this is a subject person B feels very strongly about, and for the next 90 minutes, person B tries to sway person A to his way of thinking. both are claiming opinion as immutable fact, and thus the battle ensues.
neither are the experts they claim to be, even though they both have a working understanding of the subject, and person A, sorry of the mess he unwittingly created, finally admits, "maybe i just don't understand," however the die is cast and now they're each quite entrenched in the argument, each calling the others points "short sited" and "not logical."
and so, if person A leaves chicago on a train bound for L.A. at 60 MPH, and person B leaves dallas on a train bound for Seattle at 89 MPH, would either of they're opinions change if they're trains collided in colorado? no, all that's happened is that nice dinner they were sharing is now too stressfull to digest and the waitress is angry for their loitering.
the moral of this story is to let some one's opinion be just that...so don't worry, be happy.
have a nice day.
shameless self promotion
Sunday, July 08, 2007
a day without greg is like a day without sunshine...
-linsey verver
there are a few things that will never happen. i will never be an astronaut, become president or be in a sex tape. i know you're all disappointed, but i'm not eligible to be president. think about what would happen if i was given executive power over the entire country. if i'm elected here's a list of policies and programs i pledge to spend our taxes on...
1) mandatory IQ tests will decided who has the right to live in the U.S., regardless of race, religion or sex. persons deemed mentally disabled will be granted asylum, given that they are ineligible to take public office. persons deemed mentally viable will be granted all rights, privileges, and responsibilities of the country, upon these people will the future of the country rest, to whom much is given much is required. persons deemed mentally undesirable will be deported to france, where they'll likely go unnoticed.
2) abolishion of the I.R.S. will be followed by a flat national sales tax. taking home 100% of your paycheck only costs eight additional percent of everything you buy. people with no money won't buy much and won't carry the country. the wealthy will get gouged when they buy another $3,000,000 yacht, life is good.
3)gun control will reach new heights when the "morello bill" goes into effect. following the wisdom of the sage, tom morello, the U.S. government will arm the homeless and let the chips fall where they may. the streets will be safer because no one will be one them and, once the homeless have killed each other off, the vagrant problem will be solved.
4)wal-mart, via-com and clear channel will be dismantled, as these monopolic empires provide the country no innovative resource and only suck the very soul from the land.
5) the countries nuclear arsenal will be deployed, will be disarmed and made into lamps to light and heat them homes of the poor. space travel will be made available to every one, for the cost of a kidney, thus fixing the organ donor problem.
such will be the state of the greg-sphere, what you mortals call earth, in twenty years after the oden doctrine goes into place the peace of our land will stretch to the ends of the earth and the music of Wyld Stallyns will drift across the earth. or i will have totally screwed things up and destroy all of man-kind in six months.
either way, it's worth a shot
have a nice day.
a day without greg is like a day without sunshine...
-linsey verver
there are a few things that will never happen. i will never be an astronaut, become president or be in a sex tape. i know you're all disappointed, but i'm not eligible to be president. think about what would happen if i was given executive power over the entire country. if i'm elected here's a list of policies and programs i pledge to spend our taxes on...
1) mandatory IQ tests will decided who has the right to live in the U.S., regardless of race, religion or sex. persons deemed mentally disabled will be granted asylum, given that they are ineligible to take public office. persons deemed mentally viable will be granted all rights, privileges, and responsibilities of the country, upon these people will the future of the country rest, to whom much is given much is required. persons deemed mentally undesirable will be deported to france, where they'll likely go unnoticed.
2) abolishion of the I.R.S. will be followed by a flat national sales tax. taking home 100% of your paycheck only costs eight additional percent of everything you buy. people with no money won't buy much and won't carry the country. the wealthy will get gouged when they buy another $3,000,000 yacht, life is good.
3)gun control will reach new heights when the "morello bill" goes into effect. following the wisdom of the sage, tom morello, the U.S. government will arm the homeless and let the chips fall where they may. the streets will be safer because no one will be one them and, once the homeless have killed each other off, the vagrant problem will be solved.
4)wal-mart, via-com and clear channel will be dismantled, as these monopolic empires provide the country no innovative resource and only suck the very soul from the land.
5) the countries nuclear arsenal will be deployed, will be disarmed and made into lamps to light and heat them homes of the poor. space travel will be made available to every one, for the cost of a kidney, thus fixing the organ donor problem.
such will be the state of the greg-sphere, what you mortals call earth, in twenty years after the oden doctrine goes into place the peace of our land will stretch to the ends of the earth and the music of Wyld Stallyns will drift across the earth. or i will have totally screwed things up and destroy all of man-kind in six months.
either way, it's worth a shot
have a nice day.
socialized medicine now.com
Sunday, July 01, 2007
TYLER-he fell down some stairs...
JACK- i fell down some stairs...
-fight club
one surgeons knot, six square knots, one figure eight knot and a local anesthetic. that's all it takes to fix when a sadistic sign slices your wrists and then asks you for your phone number.
3 a.m. and jake and i took over the emergency room. everyone from the woman in labor to the battered husband thought we were it, telling jokes, passing hats, playing charades (which that autistic kid with the peanut allergy was great at). after two hours of waiting i get admitted into "triage," in which they decide my wounds don't require "immediate attention." just to clarify, I SLICED MY WRISTS!!!, i could potentially have had major emotional problems! perhaps, rejection and abandonment issues that your "please, go over there" stance isn't helping! but i rose above it, making the E.R. my own personal showroom, until they finally placed me in an observation room with cable, right next to the janitors closet...i should have been alarmed.
america's health system rocks...
have a nice day.
TYLER-he fell down some stairs...
JACK- i fell down some stairs...
-fight club
one surgeons knot, six square knots, one figure eight knot and a local anesthetic. that's all it takes to fix when a sadistic sign slices your wrists and then asks you for your phone number.
3 a.m. and jake and i took over the emergency room. everyone from the woman in labor to the battered husband thought we were it, telling jokes, passing hats, playing charades (which that autistic kid with the peanut allergy was great at). after two hours of waiting i get admitted into "triage," in which they decide my wounds don't require "immediate attention." just to clarify, I SLICED MY WRISTS!!!, i could potentially have had major emotional problems! perhaps, rejection and abandonment issues that your "please, go over there" stance isn't helping! but i rose above it, making the E.R. my own personal showroom, until they finally placed me in an observation room with cable, right next to the janitors closet...i should have been alarmed.
america's health system rocks...
have a nice day.
an experiment
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.
- George Carlin
there's not much people won't do to each other, we're just mean. at least, that's been what i've been working toward lately.
it's not a new realization that chicks always go for jerks and losers, call it denial, but i've never considered myself either. since the only two ways to get chicks is to be charming, intelligent, funny, and interesting or be a jerk, i think i'll choose the path of least resistance.
this is a role i've been able to fall into pretty well...i can be mean to friends, co-workers and family members pretty easily, but i'm unable to change my natural suave and charisma to an abusive persona around an attractive female. i just can't help it, i'm a charming individual...then what's my freaking problem?
now, at the end of this experiment i'm no less attractive to the opposite sex and all my friends think i'm a jerk...the results are obvious...i need different friends...
present company excluded, of course.
have a nice day.
If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.
- George Carlin
there's not much people won't do to each other, we're just mean. at least, that's been what i've been working toward lately.
it's not a new realization that chicks always go for jerks and losers, call it denial, but i've never considered myself either. since the only two ways to get chicks is to be charming, intelligent, funny, and interesting or be a jerk, i think i'll choose the path of least resistance.
this is a role i've been able to fall into pretty well...i can be mean to friends, co-workers and family members pretty easily, but i'm unable to change my natural suave and charisma to an abusive persona around an attractive female. i just can't help it, i'm a charming individual...then what's my freaking problem?
now, at the end of this experiment i'm no less attractive to the opposite sex and all my friends think i'm a jerk...the results are obvious...i need different friends...
present company excluded, of course.
have a nice day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)