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Old Rantings

On this page I'll list previous Rants and Raves, in the order in which they appeared.

 
DECEMBER 20, 2002 --

Yeah, so I'm back yet again.  We're SLOW here at work, so I've decided to take this time to work of my God-forsaken website.  It's nearly Christmas time here, so I guess I'll have a dual rave for the month.  I love the season, I really do.  It's one of the few times of the year that people are generally nice to one another without thinking that something's up.  You know, you can walk up to someone and say hello, maybe wish a "Season's Greetings", and a funny thing happens.  People actually smile back, wave maybe, say "Happy Holidays".  It's just really nice.  A lot of people knock Christmas nowadays, saying that it's become over commercialized and the focus is no longer the birth of Jesus Christ, and instead, it's all about Santa Claus and gifts and eggnog and Macy's and X-mas trees and so on...  Well, yeah, Christmas IS about those things, but at the same time, I think that most religiously inclined people remember what the true meaning of the Holiday is.  People in general need to calm down and remember how to have a good time, for God's sake.  It's Christmas, after all.
 
The other rave for this month is my up-and-coming vacation.  What??  Did you hear that right?  Yep, I'm actually taking a week or so off for a little R&R.  So unlike me, but I think I deserve it.  It's been at least 6 years since I went anywhere.  So, where am I heading?  Glad you asked.  I will be leaving on December 27th for Nashville, Tennessee, Country Music Capital of the World.  Snicker all you like, I know.... country music and rednecks, right?  But I am told that there is a lot more to Nashville than double wide trailers, confederate flags, and trucks on cement blocks.  I'll be taking a few pics while I'm down there, with our Spidermonkey mascot, Buster, which I'm sure will make it on the page eventually.  Lots of stuff planned as far as revamps go, so be on the lookout...
 
The Rant for this month could be misconstrued, so allow me to pre-empt this with a disclaimer.  I am 100% American, born and bred.  I love my country, I love the flag and all it stands for, with all my heart.  I think that after the 9/11 tragedy, George W. did a FANTASTIC job bringing us all together as a nation, and as a family.  However, I do not believe that I can put my support behind his eventual plan to go to war with Iraq.  What's the point, really?  Let's examine the issues... ok, Saddam is pretty much the Anti-Christ, and yes, he probably does have at least one or two Nuclear Weapons, but you know what?  He would have to be out of his mind to launch one at the United States.  Firstly, NORAD would have blown it out of the sky before it even came close, and secondly, the barrage of missiles would no doubt be headed towards the middle east to decimate every living being in that desert a scant five minutes later.  I think that mobilizing our soldiers now is assinine, and I am also a little biased towards the situation, due to my brother being in the Navy.  Well, that's why I guess I'm not a career politician.
 
Leslie
 
SEPTEMBER 3, 2002 --

Ok, so I'm a little late with my rant and rave for this week. So sue me. I actually just got back today from spending a wonderful weekend with Kelly, and the Internet was really the furthest thing from my mind. Just to show you how much I really care about you people. Heh heh.

Anyhow, the rant for this week. I don't know how many times I have to say it, repeat it over and over again till I'm blue in the face, shouting it from the rooftops for all to hear: MY DAD IS AN ASSHOLE! Just a public service announcement, from me to you. Get this: My new roommate (yes, I did end up getting a roommate, her name is Sherry and she is very nice) is still in the process of moving in. I was very against living with someone again, especially concidering that I've been used to living on my own for a few years now. But Que Sera Sera, life goes on. Turns out, she's actually a very nice girl going to the local University up here, and everything seemed hunky-dory at face value. Well folks, this weekend past, I learned the startling secret of why my dad has been interviewing only Chinese Girls for the room. Get ready for this, because the answer will stretch the definitions of racial stereotyping and mind games as you know it currently.

Ok, I had assumed that perhaps my mom, the saint that she is, had just told my dad that it was easier for me to live with a woman than it was to live with a man. This is in fact true. I do find it easier to co-habitate with females, simply because that has always been the case in the past. There is NEVER any funny stuff in my mind, especially when I am with someone I care for at the time. Well, this weekend all of the pieces of this sordid little puzzle came together. My dad, reguardless of the fact that I am with Kelly, reguardless of the fact that I am truly, madly, deeply in love, has been interviewing these young women, in an effort, as he puts it, "to find me a mate". Yes, my friends, he is THAT stupid.

Ok, so he asks me the other day "How do you like Sherry?" To which I said, "She's fine." Then he said, "So you think you and her will get along together?" And I said, "Whatever." And then he says, and this is KEY, my friends, "Do you like her as a girlfriend?" I'm sorry, did I miss something? I honestly assumed that this girl was just coming to live with me, A) because she would be taking classes up here and needed a place to say and B) because he wanted the extra rent money. Fine and Dandy. I am not hooking up with this girl, folks. It is not my intent, it was NEVER my intent. I'm far too wholesome for those sorts of shenanigans. Well, I told him a thing or two about how I was with someone who is very special to me, and that he had no right to try and "hook me up" with someone without informing me of that intent. Words were said, feelings were hurt. Major Drama. I was kinda upset over what had happened, but I had a good long talk with Kelly about it, and everything is all good now. Just gotta be straight and honest about all this, and hope that he hasn't gotten this poor girl's hopes up too much.

The rave for this week is my best friend Janelle. Oh Janelle!! She is having a baby. Pretty damn soon in fact. I know that she is due on the 20th (approx.) of this month, but she is already dilated 2 and a half centimeters last I heard from her, meaning that baby is just not going to wait to come out. I personally can not wait to see this baby. I am so excited, I can hardly find the words to express how I feel. I mean, come on folks. My best friend is having an actual baby!! That's the closest thing to having an actual baby myself. So that's that big news. I made her a website to track her progress, which can be found at:

http://janellesmiles.iscool.net

Please visit her, and sign her guestbook for me. She is an awesome person, and a very big influence in my life right now. Love you Janelle!! We'll talk soon.

That's all from me. It' 3 AM here and I really need to "drop some kids off at the pool" if you know what I'm saying. Peace!!

Leslie


 
AUGUST 22, 2002 --

Ok, so here we go. The first of the new rants, and kids, it's a doozy. As some of you may know, I live in my own house. That is, I don't live with my parents, I don't rent an apartment... it's a real house. Granted, it's my grandmother's old house and I still pay rent, but that's besides the point. It's freedom, plain and simple. While this in itself is a great thing, it does not come without a price.



My father conciders himself quite the financial wizard by viewing this house as a potential money maker, rather than a place for yours truly to abide in. First it was the downstairs apartment, which was fine. I didn't really care about all that because, really, how often would I see those people? It's got a seperate entrance and is pretty much disconnected from my part of the house. So we rented that to a nice brother and sister going to the local University and whatever. My life went on as per usual.



Then things got slightly more complex. In my house, I have a spare bedroom. My dad's money making schemes quickly latched on to the BAD IDEA of trying to rent out the other room. Now, that means that I would have to live with a total stranger. I'm not in college anymore! That shit only works so far. I'm at a point in my life right now when I want to have at least a partial feeling of security, and forcing me to share my living space, my PERSONAL space with a complete and total stranger is so far from what I enjoy, I don't even have the words to express my feelings on the matter. Ready for this? Tonight he sent over a 32 year old woman, taking classes at University part time for an accounting degree. Listen folks, she was a really nice lady and all, but sometimes you just know when you can live with someone, and sometimes you know when you just couldn't. I can't. It would be like having another parent around. I was just not so into that whole thing. I moved out of my parents house all those years ago for a reason.



Here's a thought! If you, yes YOU, are looking for a place to live in the Long Island/New York area, and you think you and I would get along as roommies, send me a line. This is what it has come to, people. My dad is just not going to let up until the place is rented, and I truthfully am at the point where if I can't live with someone I get along with, I'm getting the hell out. So help me out! Pass the message along to anyone you know that is looking for a place and we'll give it a look-see.


The Rave for this week is totally about my new girlfriend. Her name is Kelly and she is awesome. She's a grad student up at the University, and we get along really well. We met on the Internet (HECKLE ALL YOU LIKE!! I don't care...) in late June, and things have never been better. Rather than bore you to tears about all of the details of how we got to going out, I'm gonna share with you a page or two from my personal journal, because you're my people. Early on in the relationship, I wrote this top five list about Kelly, and I think it'll explain why I am so in love with her:



Dated July 10th:



TOP FIVE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT KELLY:



5. She's really tall (she's like 5'11") which is undoubtedly cool, because I wouldn't have to bend down to kiss her, should the situation present itself. (I had not yet kissed her to this point. LONG ASS EMBARRASSING STORY)



4. She's religious. That's always a BIG plus in my book. I think that to an extent, it's important for people in a relationship, or beginning a relationship as the case may be, to be either one way or the other on the God question. Not to say that mixed relationships can't work out, but I think eventually it becomes a bit of a stumbling block. But we both share a love of the Lord, so it's all good.



3. As stupid as it may sound, she's local. We met over the internet, which is always kinda weird, but as it turned out, she only lives 10 minutes away, so it's not like one of those "fake" flirting things where she is safely away in Parsipani, NJ, never having to worry about actually going on a date with me. Human Contact is important to solidifying the reality of a relationship. Word is bond.



2. She's smart. Like really smart. Smarter than me, which is both a good and bad thing. I've always felt that I needed to be the smart one, the teacher in my previous relationships, and with her, anything I could possibly teach her, she learned long ago. It's good for me because all that pretentious bull-shit is no longer neccessary and I can just be me.



1. The number one thing? Her smile. She has this wonderful smile when she laughs at my jokes. It's the kind of smile that gets you deep down inside, and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. She really is a beautiful woman, very beautiful, and that makes me a little nervous. I'm no Johnnie Depp, you know? So what would a beautiful girl be doing with me? I mean, I'm funny, I can give myself that, but attractive, no. But for whatever reason, there she is, this beautiful woman who doesn't mind hanging out with Yours Truly. And that gives her grace.





So there you go folks. My Rant and Rave for the week. Got a comment or question? Just click on the Contact Tab, and holla back. Till next week, Peace Out!!



Leslie