It's time to break the bluetooth nerd addiction

Okay, nerds of the world listen up. What I'm about to tell you will more than likely help you out immensly in your quest to get girls to talk to you. LAY OFF THE GADGETS!!!

I have this guy that I work with that walks into our regular morning meeting every day with a blue tooth headset attached to his head, then proceeds to sit thru the entire 1 hour meeting with this thing in his ear. Who does this? Seriously, are you so god damned important that you expect to get that urgent call from Geek headquarters that is going to beckon you to upload a virus from your mac laptop into an alien spaceship to save the world, that you can't go 60 minutes with that piece of technological nerddom in your ear?

To top it off, this guy walks around with a utility belt full of techno gadgets like he's some sort of egghead version of Batman. He had his cell phone, pda, pager (you have an effin' cell phone, why do you need a pager!!), and Ipod all strapped to his belt. COME ON YOU FREAKIN' GOOBER! Why don't you just wear a shirt that say's in great big bold letters, "I'm a 40 year old virgin and proud of it!!"

Do your really think that people will see all of this and think that you are so important that you must be connected at all times thru out your day, lest the world might fall apart? Do you think women will see your shiny techno trophies on your waist and think that you must be a man of power?

NO! They won't you freaking dillhole! It's time to climb outside of technology and try actually connecting with real people. Get off the internet long enough to go find yourself a girlfriend whose name doesn't in .jpg and have a life. Once you do this, maybe, just maybe, you will get past this idea that a bluetooth headset in your ear makes you look important. Look, I understand the safety issue. You wanna wear the thing in the car so you don't have to hold a phone to your ear and can concentrate on driving? More power to you! Just take the damn thing off when you start walking around in public. Take the call normally and tell the person you will call them back with you get to your car. Noone wants to hear your conversation anyway.

I swear, it's things like this just make my inner Ogre want to come out. Unfortunately for me, I work in Nerd Central. UGH!

-Rednex

Kentucky judge overturns ruling on funeral protests

If you have ever wondered why I believe that the American Legal system is a joke, then here is a good example. Today, Kentucky judge Karen Caldwell has suspended a state law banning funeral protests within 300 feet of proceedings as being to restrictive on free speech.

The ruling came about due to challenge presented by the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas who have been protesting military funerals as "God's punishment for America supporting gay rights." The members of the Westboro church believe that god is allowing the killing of our soldiers due to the fact that America has supported gay rights in this country. These so called christians have been seen sporting signs at military funerals with slogans such as "Thank god for IEDs" (improvised explosive devices such as those used by terrorists) and "They turned America over to fags, so you're coming home in body bags".

Now I don't give a rat's ass what side of the Gay rights debate you are on, why can you not allow people to bury their dead in peace? These are men that died for your right to be a complete jackass and you have the gall to disrespect their burial by blaming their sacrafice on the fact that gay rights are supported?

Judge Caldwell, you are the embodiment of what is wrong with our legal system today. I don't disagree with a person's right to protest, even if I disagree with the message they are delivering, but give that message precedent over a families right to bury their loved ones with respect and rememberance is an outrage. As stated, 300 feet is the same buffer zone that is granted to voting precints during elections, but yet this is deemed too far for a solemn funeral event. Loved ones and mourning be damned! Those fuckers in Kentucky have the right to hold their pickets signs and protest as the funeral caravan drives thru.

So Mrs. Caldwell, should someone close and loved by you pass away, I hope you don't mind that I show up at their funeral with pickets signs protesting the idiotic, moronic, and just plain assinine legal "professionals" that our colleges turn out today. My chant of "Lawyers are a joke, so your loved one had to croak" isn't disrepectful, it's just me using my First amendment right. Now thanks to you, I will be able to stand right beside you as I chant it. ;)

-Rednex

Love: An introspective look

So I had an ex-girl friend contact me today on myspace and I found out she's getting married. Am I upset by this? Of course not! I'm very happy for her, but it got me thinking about dating, love, and all the mess that goes along with it. This girl, she was a good girl. Probably one of the best that I've dated in a long time and probably one of the closest who has come to being "right" for me. So the question popped into my head, probably the same question you are thinking now, of "If she was so close to being the right one for you, why aren't you still with her?"

Well have a seat cause this is probably going to be a long one! :)

The answer to that question starts about 10 years ago. See, I think I've only been in love once. No, it wasn't with my ex-wife, but the girl I dated right after her. My wife I married cause we were great friends and I thought it was the thing to do, but I didn't love her. This girl tho, head over heels doesn't describe the way I was with her. Well, this love ended very badly and those of you who know me best, probably know parts of the story. Anyways, this one experience I had with love taught me a very valuable life lesson: Love isn't trustworthy!!

The way I see it, love is like a really good used car salesman. It looks nice, it says the right things, and makes all kinds of promises, but in the end, you will end up paying for something that wasn't worth the price and will see most to all of those promises made go unfulfilled. This is the way it was with my one love. When it was good, it was great, but in the end, it brought a pain that I have yet to experience the likes of since. A pain so bad that I've made many choices both subconsciously and consciously to ensure that I will never go thru that kind of hurt again.

After this relationship ended, I did everything I could to try to speed the healing. I turned to a bottle and spent almost two years trying to drown this hurt I was feeling, but that just didn't work. In fact, that action is one that I will now have to live and try to control for the rest of my life. I tried sucking happiness up my nose, but again, this was only a short term solution. I learned, the only thing that can heal a pain like this is time. That time was almost 5 years in the making and even to this day, I'm not real sure I'm over it. The recovery time was far longer than the time spent with her. There are people who say, "It's better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all." To those people I say, Horse Shit! If you can say that, then I doubt you have ever been hurt by love.

So how does a person prevent this kind of pain? Well in my case, I chose to try the path of hardening my heart, building walls against any sort of closeness, and burning bridges with everyone that has ever tried. While some people may disagree with my choices, they work for me. I refuse to let anyone get close enough to me to hurt me. I choose women to date whom I know there is no future, that way it's very easy to walk away. I will find a woman who makes me happy, but who I know I can walk away from. I will date her until she starts getting close to me, then pack my emotional baggage and move on. I've dated a total of 4 women since my heart was broken and each of those relationships has ended the same way. They would start talking future or getting too close and I would push away and run. There is a song, and anyone who knows me knows I live my life thru song lyrics, by Garth Brooks called "Burning Bridges" which I thinks sums me up perfectly. It tells of how I live my life and my one greatest fear.

Funny thing is, I don't just do this with girls, I do it with my closest of friends as well. If anyone starts getting too close to me, I tend to withdrawal into myself for a while until that closeness starts to wane and then restart the friendship. I come to pride myself in the regard that there is nothing that I'm emotionally tied to with the exception of my dog, but then again, she doesn't ask much from me! :) These walls I've built surround all aspects of my life and in some ways, are responsible for the successes that I've had. The side effect of not allowing people in is that you are always on your own. I seethis with my work. Better to do something productive than to sit on your ass all day. This is what I attribute my business success to. I'm always willing to put in the extra hours and extra effort cause I've got nothing to go home to. True, a part of that is just who I am, but a part of it is due to what I describe above. So you can't say my choices are all that bad.

Again, it's not a fear of commitment that keeps me from loving. Those who know me would tell you that I'm a very caring and loyal guy. I take good care of those people around me and even better care of those that I consider friends. Like I've said, I've only really dated 4 girls in 10 years, so that couldn't be it. It just that I don't feel that love is worth the price you might have to pay. I told myself that I would never give anyone the power to hurt me like that again, and in my eyes, that is what love is all about. It's trusting another person with your happiness. Why would any sane person be willing to grant anyone that kind of power?? I know there are good sides to it and I know that some people find it forever, but I think that those people are the exception, not the rule. So why place such a risk upon yourself? Are those fleeting moments of happiness worth all the pain that this person could inflict? In my mind, the answer is a resounding no. So much, that it has shaped who I am and the choices that I've made in my life. It's this fear that drove me to have my vasectomy. I neutered myself not because I dislike kids, but because I saw that as the only way I could be hurt again. I love kids, but if I were to have one, I wouldn't have the choice in being able to walk away from that kind of love. So rather than have to face it, I prevented it. It's the cause of my self imposed shyness around women now. I wasn't shy when I was younger, in fact I was the anti-shy. I'm not shy with strangers, I can make friends with anyone. You show me an attractive female tho, and I will make up every excuse possible not to talk to her. Is it that I fear rejection? Hell no, I could care less about that. I fear that she would take me up on my come on and I will be faced with yet another bridge I will have to burn at some point in my future.

That being said, I met a girl recently that has turned my head. She was one of those girls that just captured my attention from the first minute I laid eyes on her. She has a smile that just invades your dreams at night and makes you want to do anything possible to see it again. Is she right for me? Would we make a good couple? Hell, I don't know, I don't even know the girl. I know it's not often that my head gets turned and there is something about her that catches my breath. Still, if a person were to look at this objectively, they would tell you that I'm back to my old tricks. First, she lives in Texas. What better way to sabotage a relationship than to try and have one with someone who lives so far away? In addition, I caught myself today already starting the push away. I'm already trying to drive her away because I have a fear that she would be able to atleast break thru one of those walls.

Well atleast you know you are doing it, you might say. Now you can stop it. Well funny thing is, I don't know that I can, and if I could, would I want to? Like I said, she really caught my attention and the times I've talked to her, I just get this sense that she would have that ability to get close to me. Am I willing to risk it, or did I just chose another dead end road?

I guess only time will tell.

-Rednex

Merely an excuse, but still the truth

It seems that everytime I say I'm back, something else finds me that keeps me from writing.

This time it's my new house. Yep, the the Redneck has found new dwellings in the lazy little town of Sultan, Washington. I thought when I bought this place that my work was done, but boy was I wrong.

Did you know that new construction homes don't include landscaping. Neither did I!? I don't mean that I expected lavish trees, a waterfall, and such, just some grass would have been nice. Sadly tho, all I got was a clay backyard and a small patch of grass for the front. Although, I doubt the grass in the front will last all that long due to the fact that the builders, in thier infinite wisdom, decided to lay the turf directly on the clay without even a hint of topsoil. You don't need to be a green thumb to know that that just doesn't work.

So I spend my days working on the project that is the next operating system of Microsoft called Vista, and my nights working to make my yard look like something other than the main street of a ghost town. Did I mention that the north side of my house has a slope big enough to host next years Olympic Downhill sking event? So yeah, I've spent alot of back breaking nights to level that out. 2 tons of sand, a ton and half of pea gravel, and 16000 lbs of landscape rock later, and I'm ready to have a level yard. Anyone know where I can get some free/cheap fill dirt?

That being said, I hope I'm back to blogging, however, we all know that I've said that before. Hopefully this time it's true. I have my office set up in the house so I should be able to find the time now. Topics are always welcome, but if you don't give me some, I will force my own apon you. :) Until the next post, have a good one.

-Rednex

So what does the Rednex think of Brokeback Mountain

Okay, I know you guys have been waiting for it. Everyone is giving me shit and asking what I think about that oscar winning movie Brokeback Mountain. The movie where two gay cowboys profess their love for each other in the most romantic of way.

I thought it about it and hard. I wrote my rant, then I rewrote it, then I rewrote it again. After I wasted that 5 minutes of my time (come on, it doesn't take that long to write FUCK BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN!!! 15 times when you have cut and paste), I decided that would sit down and be a bit more detailed about my opinions on this movie. So here we go:

I'll be honest, I haven't seen the movie and guess what, I will never see the movie. Personally, I have much better things to do, like stabbing myself in the eye with a pencil or exfoliating with a cheese grater. Yes I said exfoliating. Brokeback mountain, gay cowboys, exfoliating: Come on and catch up with the cynical symbolism here for craps sake.

The west and cowboys are one of the last manly things left in America. It's one of the only things that the metrosexual, hybrid driving, touchy touchy, feel good, self pretentious pricks in Hollywood haven't went and gayed up yet. Whoops, I spoke too soon, I am here to talk about just that thing aren't I?

Look, I have no problems with gay people. It's America, you have the right to be what you want, but why does hollywood have to try to tear down the things that make men feel like men. Most every little boy wanted to grow up to be a cowboy at some point with dreams of wearing the white hat, facing down the bad guys, and saving the girl. Now what's this movie gonna do to that? Now we are gonna have boys growing up with dreams of pink cowboy hats on, telling the manicurists on 5th and Vine that wild sage green is the color he wants his nails, and waiting for that perfect moment when he can look his buddy in eye and say "I can't quit you" before shoving his tongue down his throat.

Damn you oscar. Damn you to hell. I know your little gold ass practically spooged all over yourself the minute you heard of the "brave director" who dared tell the story of the unspoken homoeroticism in the west. It's not gay peoples fault. They are who they are. I blame you you little metallic bastard. You are the one responsible for this.

Quick lesson in Hollywood fast tracking: You want an Oscar? You want to go straight to the top of the A list, here's all you gotta do. Make a movie about one of the three following subjects: An "expose" about any republican in office, the triumphs of the mentally handicapped, or a tale of a brave gay person "coming out of the closet" against "adverse conditions". I'm just waiting for the next lame ass director so desperate to join the ass lick festival that is Hollywod that he makes a movie about the triumphs of a Downs Kid who suddenly realizes that he an overwhelming need for man butt and tater tots while leading a protest against the President Bush with Cindy Sheehan by his side. Come on! It will be a masterpiece reknowned by critics as the "Greatest story of overcoming" to exist since that gay cowboy movie.

You watch it will happen. Please just shoot me now!

-Rednex

Women gamers - Why are men so threatened?

So I was reading my good buddy Major Nelson's blog today and one article got me laughing and pissed off at the same time. So naturally, I decided to come to my own little blog spot and share my ideas on it with you.

The particular entry I was reading had to do with a Podcast that Nelson recently did with some members of the PMS clan. For those of you who don't know, the PMS Clan (Pandora's Mighty Soldiers) is the first and largest group of all-female gamers who concentrate on First Person Shooter (FPS) type games. As they say, "We can be found on any game or platform with a gun". This group was founded to increase the amount of girl gamers in a mostly male dominated community and just lend some support to the girls already out there.

Okay, with the pre-lims out of the way, I can now focus on the meat of this rant. After the podcast, there were tons comments from the community regarding the PMS girls as a whole. While some people were nice, a majority of the guys commenting has less than complimentary things to say about the girls and PMS in general. A specific guy I want to call out is someone who goes by the name Major Newbie on the site.

Now this guy was a piece of work. He was sayin things about these girls that a pimp wouldn't say about a $2 hooker. Then when Trixie, another Xbox Live Celebrity, took a stand for the girls, this guy and others started berating her. Now for those of you who know me, this is when my "big brother" gene kicked in and I responded back, but truth be known, I didn't say enough. So here we go:

Guys, you need grow some nuts, move out of your parents' houses, and learn what it is to be men. Do you think it makes you big to call these girls names and berate them simply because they are better than you at Halo 2? It makes you and all other men look like jackasses is what it does and frankly, I'm sick of being lumped in with you nitwits. It's easy to pretend you're tough and spout this kind of talk when you have anonymity of the internet backing you up, but lets face it, you are a pimply-faced little boy who gets pantsed daily in school and the only way you feel you can have any power is to take it out on the females who are better than you in what you consider to be your only real skill.

It's a video game. They kicked your ass. Nut up and be a freakin man and accept it for what it is; you got owned. Had it been a man that did this to you, you would have said good game, sent them a friend request, and moved on. Why is it so hard to do that with a girl? Does it matter that she's not packing the same equipment as you? I guess for those of you with problems in that area, it does.

I've played with the girls and even met a few of them and they are probably some of the coolest gamers I've ever met. I just can't for the life of me understand why guys have such a problem with this. They say things like, "They are only popular cause they are cute" and "The media only gives them attention cause they wear a skirt". Of course they are cute, they are females. For the majority of men out there, cute females are a GOOD thing. Does that make them play better? About as much as that new $70 dollar controller will make you a sniping prodigy. Does the media give them attention because they wear a skirt. Yeah they do, but it's not only cause they wear a skirt, they are exceptionally good gamers. They are females who excel in a male dominated activity. Of course that will get them coverage. The same way Anna Sorenstam got coverage when she played on the PGA tour or when blah blah qualified for Formula 1 racing.

There just aren't many girls in an area that is fast becoming one of the biggest past times there is and guess what, PMS wants more. So get used to it. Us men will be dying at the video gaming hands of girls from now on. It's just a fact.

It boils down to this: These girls put up with more shit just for the love of video games than anyone should have to. They work 40 hour jobs, take care of families, deal with the men in their lives, deal with countless assholes like Major Newbie online, and still have time to practice and become outstanding in their game of choice. I've heard the trash talk that these girls put up with online and I tell you, they have more grace than I ever would. If someone talked to me online the same way they talk to the PMS girls, I would be a real life scene from from Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, roaming the country with phone book in hand beating respect into people that did not have it. Not these girls tho, they smile, say nice game, and leave. Now if that doesn't earn respect right there, then I don't know what does.

Besides, you are missing a truely valuable point here. These are extremely hot women who have an extreme love of video games. For christ's sake, sign me up!!! I would love to date one of these girls, because personally, I don't think it gets any better than that. A couple that games together will stay together. Well, okay, I don't know that for a fact, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I find out real soon. ;)

So cut the girls some slack and shut your PMS hating holes. Be nice to them, they might be able to teach you how they whip your ass all the time! ;)
-Rednex

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack

Did you guys miss me??? Well have no fear, I'm BACK!!!

So after a short break, (if 6 months is considered a short break), I'm back and writing again.

I apologize for the hiatus, but a little thing called Xbox 360 Launch got in my way. After that was done, I decided to switch jobs and well you know what happens when you switch jobs, it takes some time to get used to the new surroundings. Well, I'm used to them now and I can't wait to start writing again. It's hard to believe that I missed it, but I did.

Ya know, I've got six months of rants built up in me, so I would probably prepare yourself for an outlashing of vulgarity and cycnicism that hasn't been seen. Now that's said, you should also know that this blog won't be strictly political anymore. I'm gonna talk about everything from Xbox to politics to those retards that are given drivers licenses to operate a car on the streets of Washington when they clearly aren't qualified to feed themselves. Basically, I'm gonna rant about everything. Awwww, it's good to be home!

-Rednex

Patriotism will soon be unconstitutional

Far fetched you say? I think not! In a ruling by San Francisco Judge Lawrence Karlton, it is now unconstitutional to say the Pledge of Allegiance in schools.

Leave it to a California judge to take a symbol of patriotism and state that it's not constitutional. He based his ruling on the fact that the words "one nation UNDER GOD" violates a school child's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God".

The lawsuit was first brought to the court by a Michael Newdow, an atheist, on behalf of his daughter but was later rejected on Procedural grounds from the Supreme Court due to the fact that Mr. Newdow did not have custody of his elementary school daughter whom he sued on behalf of.

It's this type of attitude that really gets my blood boiling. First of all, the pledge of allegiance is not an affirmation of god, but a patriotic pledge to your country. This country was founded on the premise of religious freedom, but was also founded on the ideals of Christianity. What this means is, we are a Christian nation whose starting laws and ideals are based on Christianity, however, if you choose to follow another religion, it will be allowed without fear of retribution or rebuke. However, in recent times, this idea of religious freedom has seemed to take on the theory that there must be a complete abolition of all religious thought.

The answer to this issue is very simple. Follow your ideals, but leave others alone. If you disagree with the words "Under God" simply do not state them. I have had it up to my eyeballs with every minority in the nation attempting to dissolve the very foundations that this country was built on. The concept of God was a corner stone of our founding father's belief system and you will find it in almost aspects of our nation. What is next? Will all things that contain the word God be declared unconstitutional?

Our money contains the words "In God we trust", surely that offends your delicate sensibilities. Therefore, I request Mr. Newdow, that you take every bit of this atheist offending currency and send it directly to me. I will make sure to dispose of it in a way that I see fit so that you shall never have to be so offended as to have anything with the word "God" disgrace your wallet.

Churches can be see on almost any road in America that you choose to drive down. Therefore, Judge Karlton, I request that you remain confined to your home so that you may never have to drive down the beautiful streets of America and be offended by having to look at foundations of American faith. Surely the fact that Christian churches even exist violates your right to be able operate a car without having religion "crammed" down your throat.

I understand the reasoning that our founding fathers had for the separation of Church and State, but it pains me to see every liberal quack in the world using that to tear down the moral foundation of America on an almost daily basis. Our founding fathers wanted to ensure that anyone would be able to practice the religion of their choosing without interference of the government, but the placing the words "God" in a majority of our official documents, etc does not infringe on that right. You have the ability to worship Allah, Buddha, or no one at all to your heart's content, but you must respect the right of the country to practice the belief system it was built on. If you don't want to say the pledge, then don't. You have that right, but to take that away from the children/people who do believe in god is unjust and cowardly.

Once, just once, I would like to see the left actually practice the theory of "tolerance" that they so often preach, but I'm sad to say, their idea of tolerance is "practice only what we want you to practice". ~Sigh~