It seems we haven't been able to pull stuff together in time for tomorrow's trip; it's late and I still can't instantaneously contact everyone (i.e. call them) to help sort out the rest of the details. Also, it seems that everyone would much prefer that we delay this trip. I'll call everyone who I can and let them know via phone, since most of you'll probably get that before reading this. I don't think I can go with the rest of you any other time, but keep me in the loop just in case I manage to get everything sorted before I have to leave.

Anyone still want to hang out tomorrow as a group..? We could go to Goldbar or someplace. I'd buy everyone a drink.

Okay guys, we need to get stuff hammered out for this trip. It is a public entry so that myrrhianna, who has kindly offered to acquire a car for us, can read this too. Please respond to each point so we can get all this figured out.

1. WHO'S GOING. Currently myself, the__seeker, leap_at_sun, and seraphicideals, and I think myrrhianna are going.

2. GAS MONEY. How are we paying for gas? I think it would be good if we split the price. I think it'll cost a tank or two for gas, so somewhere between $50 and $110 total? Currently we have 4 or 5 people. If myrrhiana rents a car for us, she's excluded from paying for gas. So, averaging prices out, that's probably somewhere between $12 and $30 per person for gas.

3. HOW WE'RE GETTING THERE This is probably the most important one. Choose which option you want, share concerns/ideas, etc.
a. We take my car, which fits 4 people comfortable and 5 if we make the 3 in the back just a little bit uncomfortable. If we do this, we leave early Tuesday morning (I could pick you all up _by_ 6am) so we can get to the canyon near 11am before it's too hot out. We can then hike a bit, and look at the touristy spots up top, and I'd like to leave by 4pm so we can get through the mountains before it's dark.
b.i. We take myrrhianna up on her offer to rent a car for us. I think we should still leave as close to 6am as possible so we can get to the canyon before it gets hot, hot being a relative term. We stay the night there somewhere; there are hotels, I haven't looked at any specifically yet, but it's a Tuesday night and school has started most places so we'll be able to get a room or two at one. Here are three hotels:
http://www.hotels.com/property.do?searchMtmPropertySupplierId=&propertyIdsToCompareString=&COMonth=8&PSRC=G21&TSRC=1&numrooms=1&searchType=&maxPrice=125&usertypedcity=Grand+Canyon%2C+Arizona%2C+US&alternateSell=&acDestinationId=A1148333-3652-7F9E-CFC2-DC9313907FFE&guestRatingMax=5.0&allPropertyTypesSelected=true&COYear=2008&CODay=13&paging=1&guestRatingMin=2.0&acDestinationType=1&searchID=AC102642-3BCF-5911-BB12-2C128C902770&CIYear=2008&mtnHotelID=264437&destination=A1148333-3652-7F9E-CFC2-DC9313907FFE&roomOccupancyString=1%7C%7C2%7C0%7C0&CIDay=12&sortBy=HCOMPICK&s=1&selected=rev&position=0&CIMonth=8
http://www.hotels.com/property.do?searchMtmPropertySupplierId=&propertyIdsToCompareString=&COMonth=8&PSRC=G21&TSRC=1&numrooms=1&maxPrice=125&searchType=&selected=rev&usertypedcity=Grand+Canyon%2C+Arizona%2C+US&acDestinationId=A1148333-3652-7F9E-CFC2-DC9313907FFE&vd=&queryId=&allPropertyTypesSelected=true&paging=1&CODay=13&COYear=2008&searchID=AC102642-3BCF-5911-BB12-2C128C902770&acDestinationType=1&CIYear=2008&mtnHotelID=412111&destination=A1148333-3652-7F9E-CFC2-DC9313907FFE&roomOccupancyString=1%7C%7C2%7C0%7C0&CIDay=12&s=1&sortBy=HCOMPICK&CIMonth=8
The first is about $80 for a room with 2 double beds, the second is about $90 for the same. Neither sound like great hotels, but they're a place to sleep. Everything else is over $100/night, but if you want we can look into those as well. There's a bunch of hotels near the GC, but until October they're expensive.
b.ii. Same as above, except we camp somewhere. There seems to be two campsites around the south rim, which is where we're going. http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/camping.htm scroll down a bit. These are clearly cheaper than the hotels, but do we have the equipment necessary to camp? I have a few sleeping bags and a tarp or two, but nothing with which to cook. There's a grocery store near at least one of them; I guess we could buy ready-made food from there.

4. OTHER STUFF WHICH NEEDS TO BE BOUGHT/ACQUIRED. We need food, water, and backpacks. I don't think we need one backpack per person, but two or three total would be good. I have one; who else still has one? We can make our own trail mix (cheaper) or buy stuff, and we need food to eat besides trail mix too. Then we need water, or empty containers for water which we fill here, because there's no water available on the trails. Water's not that expensive; Trader Joe's has 1-gallon bottles for less than a dollar apiece, I think. Please buy/make your own food, because we don't have time to collectively pool together and decide who gets what and how the cost gets split. BRING SUNSCREEN. BRING A HAT. BRING SUNGLASSES. BRING SHOES TO WEAR IN THE CAR AND SHOES TO HIKE IN; they could even be the same pair of shoes. Bring a camera if you want. Bring your own water-bottle and make it a large-ish one, as in 16+ oz.

If I've forgotten something, please leave it in a comment below.


Holy cow, today is Monday, and tomorrow is the day we leave. Leave comments here, discuss among yourselves, call me: (edit: phone # removed for sake of security). I will be at work 12:30-9pm (dammit), but I have two 10-minute breaks and a 30-minute one. I will be calling all of you I can (except I think I only have leap_at_sun's and seraphicideals's number). Time is running out. quickly. But we can pull this together!

from wherethehellismatt.com.

This is mainly geared towards Grace, but applies to anyone who wants to write in Chinese (or Japanese, or Korean, or a bunch of other languages). Grace, maybe you've already found this, but there's a really awesome way to write in Chinese characters without having to lookup each character on the computer before you put it in! You can just write it with your mouse in a box, and the computer matches your writing to characters. http://www.declan-software.com/ This site explains how to do it. It is rad. And I can now write in Japanese without copying and pasting every single character from a wikipedia page. :)

Leaders in the U.S. House say we can't pass a
version of ENDA that includes all gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender people. They say they just don't have enough votes.

We have 10 days – or less – to prove them wrong.

But we have our work cut out for us. We still
need to change the hearts and minds of more than
a few Members of Congress. We succeeded in
getting the House to delay their vote for no
more than 10 days – so we have a very short window of opportunity.

Can you get 10 of your friends to make a call to Congress in the next 10 days?

<http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/enda10in10>I
pledge to join the "10 in 10" campaign and get 10 friends to call Congress!

The issue at hand is which version of ENDA will
pass the House. The inclusive version? Or the
new version that leaves part of the GLBT community behind?

Since last week, when House leaders decided to
move a version of ENDA that includes sexual
orientation only, we have been working around
the clock to make sure the original bill, HR
2015, which includes sexual orientation and
gender identity, is the version that Congress considers.

Supporters like you have generated 80,000
emails, calls, letters, and visits to members of
Congress to support the right version of ENDA –
the inclusive version – and we thank you! We
have 10 days or less to show Congress that our community will not be divided.

<http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/enda10in10>Take
the pledge and get 10 friends involved!

People like Susan Stanton understand why this is
so important. Susan had been the City Manager in
Largo, FL, for about 14 years, and had received
excellent job evaluations, when a news article
reported that she was transgender and planning
to transition from a man to a woman. City
commissioners fired her six days later.

Our HRC Board of Directors – joined by other HRC
citizen volunteers – went to Capitol Hill in
recent days to personally lobby members of
Congress to pass HR 2015. HRC has coordinated
more lobby visits on this issue than any other
GLBT or allied organization. But it won't be
enough unless the public support is overwhelming.

We need you and your friends to be part of these
efforts by pledging to contact 10 people today,
no matter your representative's position on the
bill. Even our allies need to know how strong
our support is for an ENDA that covers the full GLBT community.

<http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/enda10in10>Take the "10 in 10" pledge now!

I feel horrible. Disgusted. Horrified. Slightly unbelieving. Except it was all too real, which is what makes it so awful, why my stomach is clenching...

If you can find it in a library... I almost don't want to suggest it. The book is called "Unforgettable Fire", and it was edited by "Japan Broadcasting Corporation." It's a book full of pictures drawn by the survivors of the atomic bomb, and... god. They didn't tell us about any of this in school. "We bombed the Japanese with a-bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It killed a ton of people, and made many more really sick. The heat burned people's shadows into the ground. But it got the Japanese to surrender!" That about sums up what I knew before.. A lot of the pictures had writing on them, or what I assume were accompanying letters, and whoever published the English version had the Japanese translated.

I want to throw up. I don't even want to fight, I just want to sit down and make it go away by willing it away.. This can't happen again. Ever. Why the hell do we still have these things? Why the *fuck* are we making more?? I fuckin' hope everyone who's work has anything to do with making nukes has read Black Rain* and seen the drawings in Unforgettable Fire, and then seen just a statistic or two so they can multiply the deaths and tragedies properly. It's disgusting.

*Black Rain is the book I'm reading for my Intro to Japanese Lit class; we're writing a report, and I'm doing research, which is how I found the drawings book. Black Rain is an amazing book, and I have no reservations about recommending it. I think once I get over my shock, I'd probably recommend looking through U.F. too..

http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/virtual/VirtualMuseum_e/visit_e/vist_fr_e.html
Look at the Main Building, then A-Bomb Drawings by Survivors.

This can not happen again. How do we stop it?

So I bought pair of jeans at Goodwill the other day.. I even tried them on. Either I wasn't paying attention, or they somehow grew in the wash... Anyway, despite not really knowing how to sew, I have managed to make them short enough so I don't trip when I walk anymore. My hands, eyes, scissors, and a single paper clip were all that were used to shorten my pants. I feel somewhat proud, except I really should figure out how to sew them, because they're going to unravel in the wash.. I have an "emergency sewing kit" thing with some thread and a few needles in it; anyone know how to sew so that the hem won't come undone?

Anyone happen to know whether or not it's possible to transfer the Bookmarks in Opera to the Favorites in IE? I have a lot of favorites in Opera, but it's on the fritz and has suddenly started slowing my computer down significantly whenever it's open.. I'm lazy and don't really want to take the time to transfer them all one-by-one.

*hums "The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah..."*

My Mommy sent me this e-mail:


Heads up everyone! Please keep this circulating...You walk across the
parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You start the engine and
shift into Reverse . When you look into the rearview mirror to back out
of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle
of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your doors and jump
out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is
obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when
the car jackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off.
They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car. And guess
what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car. So now the carjacker
has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home
and your whole i dentit y are now compromised! BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME
THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away,
remove the paper later and be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope
you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women. A
purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification
documents, and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong
hands.

Please keep this going. Thank you.

"indeed" and "however" and probably a bunch of other things like them are weird words... they mean more than just what they would mean separated. "In deed" can refer only to action; "indeed" just means "truthfully". "How ever" refers to the way in which something is done, while "however" means something like "on the other hand" and/or "despite that". Weirdness.

I may not have purple skin, like you. But I do have wings, at least sometimes.

If this post was written for you, you know who you are. I'm sorry I suck at saying things, but I'd still like to get to know you.. I wish I knew how. I wish you'd read this..

The world is exactly what we perceive it to be. No more, no less; it just depends on what perceptions are concious and which are not. If everyone believed the world were a good place, it would be, exactly because we believed it to be so.

Put it this way: if a person had never eaten enough to be truly full in his/her life, then s/he would never know that s/he was hungry, and may consider him/herself full anyway. Because s/he considered him/herself full, s/he would be full.

Dammit dammit dammit... I feel really weird. All of me is flittering around, and I can't really focus.. It's just all jumbled and confused. And very unsolid. I wish I were solid..

Just a little shameless advertising of my favorite tarot site, Aeclectic Tarot. I've been visiting it off and on for... 3 years? Maybe more, I'm not sure. I like the forum (click on the cup that says "talk" in the upper right corner), it has things besides tarot on it if you scroll down. (Crystals/Herbs, which is really cool, and Divination, and Astrolgy.)

Also on the site, they have this huge archive of different tarot decks. It's great for the art if nothing else. I have a link to a particularly pretty one down below.

Main page: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/
Really gorgeous deck: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/tarot-of-dreams/
       even more of the cards from that deck: http://www.aeclectic.net/cgi/buyframe.cgi?type=deck&id=3692

Note: Sorry to anyone who sees these links twice. You'll notice that the posts *are* different though, the one for the Army being more focused on the art aspect of the cards than anything else.

-------------------------
Do you buy books online, use Google, or download to an Ipod? These activities, plus MoveOn's online organizing ability, will be hurt if Congress passes a radical law that gives giant corporations more control over the Internet.

Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet's First Amendment. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. Amazon doesn't have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to work more properly on your computer.

If Congress abandons Network Neutrality, who will be affected?
•Advocacy groups like MoveOn--Political organizing could be slowed by a handful of dominant Internet providers who ask advocacy groups to pay "protection money" for their websites and online features to work correctly.
•Nonprofits--A charity's website could open at snail-speed, and online contributions could grind to a halt, if nonprofits can't pay dominant Internet providers for access to "the fast lane" of Internet service.
•Google users--Another search engine could pay dominant Internet providers like AT&T to guarantee the competing search engine opens faster than Google on your computer.
•Innovators with the "next big idea"--Startups and entrepreneurs will be muscled out of the marketplace by big corporations that pay Internet providers for dominant placing on the Web. The little guy will be left in the "slow lane" with inferior Internet service, unable to compete.
•Ipod listeners--A company like Comcast could slow access to iTunes, steering you to a higher-priced music service that it owned.
•Online purchasers--Companies could pay Internet providers to guarantee their online sales process faster than competitors with lower prices--distorting your choice as a consumer.
•Small businesses and tele-commuters--When Internet companies like AT&T favor their own services, you won't be able to choose more affordable providers for online video, teleconferencing, Internet phone calls, and software that connects your home computer to your office.
•Parents and retirees--Your choices as a consumer could be controlled by your Internet provider, steering you to their preferred services for online banking, health care information, sending photos, planning vacations, etc.
•Bloggers--Costs will skyrocket to post and share video and audio clips--silencing citizen journalists and putting more power in the hands of a few corporate-owned media outlets.
-------------------------
more of the article

Make of that what you will, folks. Frankly, I don't see where the government gets off even *considering* passing a bill like this. More importantly, this bill could easily infringe on [American] first amendment rights, freedom of speech. If people are not allowed to view certain websites, that means that some people's voices are not being heard, because some people's voices *can* only be heard on the internet. Passing this bill is passing a form of censorship, and censoring things entirely unconcerned with the government/national security.

Now my question is, what else can we do about it? Online petitions rarely have a large affect on things like this. Any suggestions?


(See also this and this for others' comments on the subject.)

"Pyrrho used to say that there is no difference between dying and living; and a man said to hum, Why then do you not die? Pyrrho replied, Because there is no difference." (Epictetus.FragmentXCII)

To anyone who has read all/part of Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics:

Did Aristotle say *anything* about reason and morality (in relation to eachother) other than that correct reasoning leads to morality? Because I honestly don't remember reading anything else about the two together. At all. And I've been looking since a bit before 4, and can't find anything in the book either. Maybe I'm blind... I dunno, I'll look through it again. But even a "yes" or "no" to my question would really really help...

There was a dog laying by the side of the road, not moving much. For two hours, no one stopped to help it. Finally, someone stopped to see whether the dog was alright. It wasn't. It had been hit by a car, and then had lain with internal injuries until one man finally bothered to care. Perhaps people just figured that nothing was wrong, since no one else was helping. Perhaps they couldn't be bothered because they had somewhere to be.

To that, some people would say "Oh well, it's just an animal. I'm glad it didn't die, but it's not that big of a deal." But what if it had been a person?

You see people laying on the streets often enough for it to not be a big deal. Most people assume that they're just bums who fell asleep. But what if they're not? What if they've been injured and have passed out, despite not bleeding? I'm sure that somewhere, at some time, it's happened, where someone was hurt and dying on a street or sidewalk but no one could be bothered to help. In general, the probability of this happening is pretty low. But if you think of how many people are in the world (6.3 billion?), then the chances of it happening at least once become very high.

This type of thing doesn't have to be as drastic as someone dying. It could be any wrong, any where, at any time, when no one can be bothered to help or they figure they should just stay out of it. So I call you all to action, to reject inaction. When you see something that looks off, go and find out what's going on. Don't assume that just because no one else is doing anything, nothing is wrong. Don't assume that someone else will take care of it, because they might not, or it could be too late by the time someone does.
______________________________

[part of the current Twelve Monkeys re-information campaign]

Anyone (besides you, Seeker) ever heard of Reiki? Reiki is healing energy/the ability to manipulate it. It heals mind *and* body, and it honestly works. Most places make you pay at least $100 just for the first session, but this guy is awesome.. He doesn't. He requests donations - who wouldn't? but he does *not* require them - and he asks that you advertise his site when possible to get more people into it. (One of the points of Reiki is getting everyone into it/attuned, because [at least theoretically] once enough people are attuned there will be world peace.)

So, here's his website:
http://www.xehupatl.com/

I feel productive. :) I got off my lazy butt, stopped reading fanfiction, and went and finally worked on my art thing. It's going to be really awesome once I figure out how exactly I'm going to do it.. And I'm getting a few neat abstract things in the process while experimenting with color. ^_^