Trick or Treat, Give Me Cash.

My son was just asking me to go to wwwdotunicefusadotcom, or something close to that. You might be wondering why a four year old would want to go to Unicef's website. That is because the commercial on Cartoon Network told him to. He was thinking there would be fun games. He also thought that Unicef was associated with trick-or-treating, something he's already looking forward to. Must have been a pretty cool commercial.

I did not see the commercial myself. What I can tell you is that it was promoting Unicef's new gimmick to turn Halloween into a charity drive. Instead of letting your kids enjoy Halloween, they want you to turn your kids into panhandlers asking for money for other little kids. There's nothing lower than parents dragging their kids into their own political causes which the kids couldn't possibly understand. It's also pretty low to turn around and ask someone who's doing something nice for you to give you even more. Your effectively asking for something else which they weren't offering, and then making them feel bad if they don't want to give it up. That's what the crackheads do if you hear out their sob-lie and give them a dollar. Couldn't you just give me five? NO! Now I wish I hadn't given you one.

Halloween is for kids to enjoy themselves. Not to give out healthy foods because you don't believe in candy. Not to distribute religious pamphlets. Not even for grown people to dress wildly and get drunk. It is for the enjoyment of kids. Probably, because it is simply for the enjoyment of kids, is why it is a dying holiday; it doesn't involve shoving a religious message down anyone's throat or honoring some political cause. But my how quickly I would shut my lights off and blow out my jack-o-lantern if people started hitting up my house for cash after I already spent my hard-earned money to buy candy so I could give it away. That WAS my contribution.

I'm not denying that Unicef is a solid, reputable, organization which really does help children world wide. I'm not saying that people shouldn't give them money. What I am saying is that stealing kids holidays for any reason is wrong, that's what this is, and it's not something to be supported.

The Japanese Are Just Wrong Sometimes

In this video unsuspecting japanese school girls stop to pet a cute dog. Little do they know there is a hidden camera filming right up their skirts. Lesson of the day, think first before petting a dog while wearing a skirt.

10 Good/Bad Things About Living In Bloomington

At the end of August I moved to Bloomington, Indiana from Germantown, Maryland. This helped me realize that people are people wherever you go. Some are good, some are bad. This doesn't mean there aren't still some major changes to get used to. Some good, some bad. First the bad, because I prefer to focus on the negative.

5 Bad Things about Living In Bloomington

1. There is nowhere good to eat. Every restaurant that I have tried has either had bad food, bad service, or both. Apparently, in Bloomington the simple fact that someone is making your food for you is enough. Expecting it to be of high quality, served quickly, or for you to be showed any type of attentiveness as a customer is expecting too much.
2. There is absolutely no shopping. The big draw in our mall is Target. If you want anything, especially clothes, to shop anywhere nicer you will need to get used to traveling or become a savy online shopper.
   
3. Addresses make no sense. All they are is a mere suggestion of where you might find something. The location you are looking for may or may not be on the same street as the physical address is. Forget the rules you learned about the order of numbers and letters. CJ might follow J, and 8 might be after 11. Street names change for no rhyme or reason. The street you follow may have 4 or 5 names. If you forget all rules of logic and reason, then maybe you can have success finding your way around.
   
4. No daylight savings time. What kind of anti-social state decides that it is not going to participate in daylight savings time with the rest of the country?
   
5. Bloomington is lily white. The really weird thing about having white people is you see white people doing jobs you would never see white people doing back home. The landscaping crew at my apartment complex is all white. The only other group represented here is Asians but they do such a good job of sticking together you barely notice them.

5 Good Things About Living In Bloomington

1. Bloomington is lily white. While not a good thing in itself, the lack of illegals and people who can't even speak the language is refreshing. Remember what I said about white people work jobs where you normally don't expect them? Now imagine being able to order fast food and the person taking your order understanding English.
   
2. Great scenery. Bloomington is mostly a college town. In case you don't know, it is the home of Indiana University. With a college town comes college girls. Lots of them. More eye candy than you probably need in a day. For the females, I would imagine lots of young men in their physical primes would be appealing to you too.
3. Cheap cost of living. I'm paying half as much for my 2 bedroom apartment with rent which covers all utilities, including cable, internet, and phone, as I paid for rent alone in Montgomery County for a similar apartment.
4. Don't have to worry about terrorists attacks. Living near D.C., I always realized I lived in the target zone for terrorist attacks. Terrorists don't care about B.F.E. Indiana. That's one less thing to worry about.
5. People are more pleasant. Not necasserily more friendly, but they at least don't have a unwarranted sense of self-importance that people in Montgomery County are plagued by.
   

Starbucks Without the Starbucks

What is your favorite part about Starbucks? For some, I hear, they feel every time they go to Starbucks they feel part of the Starbucks community. That is exactly the part I hate about Starbucks. I can't stand the pretentious customers. I can't stand their pompous staff. I can't stand the irritating music they play because they want to create an "artsy" environment. I can't stand their exclusive language for a simple cup of coffee. What I do like is their coffee.

Imagine a world where you could enjoy Starbucks coffee without all of the Starbucks experience. Now that world is a reality. Starbucks now offers you the option of buying all of their products from the comfort of your own home. No pretentious customers. No annoying staff. Just great coffee. Click on the banner to learn more.

NBA Cutting Corners

With the basketball season approaching quickly, you will start seeing me blogging about the NBA. Basketball is by far my favorite sport. No other sport has the same drama, passion, and athleticism. Man, I love this game.

That is why it saddens me to see them cheapening this game. No, not the influx of players who cant shoot, or don't understand how to play defense. They are replacing the game ball with an indoor/outdoor type ball. Basically the kind of ball I would give to my 4 year old. With all the billions the NBA makes, why is it that they can't afford to use a real leather basketball? Shaq Daddy is outraged, and so am I.

Read the full story here

My Blog Gets Personal

A reader told me that my blog should be more personal. That is why I am posting one of those personal surveys you find everywhere. Maybe this will give you as the reader a better understanding of me as a person. For the most part I think sharing my views gives a strong understanding of who I am. My views are the result of my lifetime of experiences. In the future I won't be doing any more of these. If you like them enjoy, If not, don't worry, it is the last one.

Here goes. Enjoy it for what it is.

Ultimate 'About Me'

001. What is Your Name? LennyP
002. How old are you? 29
003. What is the link to your website, blog, or myspace? LennyPwhatever.blogspot.com

General
004. What is your height? 5'11
005. Do you have any siblings? 2 brothers, Bob and Chuck, and 1 sister, Stephanie
006. What is your eye colour? blue/green
007. What is your hair colour? dark
008. Do you wear glasses or contacts? contacts, vanities a bitch
009. Are you right handed or left handed? left handed in a right handed world
010. Do you have any piercings? I used to have my ear pierced but it has since healed
011. Do you smoke? proudly so
012. Do you swear? huge potty mouth
013. Do you get along with your parents? dont't not get along
014. Your heritage sicilian/irish/german
015. Your fears fear of being a coward
016. Goal you would like to achieve this year make my blog succesful
017. Most overused phrase on an instant messenger lol
018. Best Physical Feature too many to pick just one
019. Your bedtime whenever I cant stay awake any longer, ussually when most people are waking up
020. What time do you arise in the morning? morning?
021. First thoughts waking up? damn it's late
022. Do you shower daily? If I need to be presentable

This Or That?
023. Bright or dark room? darkness reigns supreme
024. Chocolate or vanilla? chocaholic
025. Dogs of cats? thought of myself as a dog person until my girlfriend got a cat
026. Pepsi or Coke? Coke, Pepsi is nasty
027. McDonalds or Burger King? it's a mood thing but I'm in the mood for McDonalds more often
028. Ant or Dec? ???
029. Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea? Cool Nestea Baby
030. Cappuccino or Coffee? Coffee, cappucino is pretentious

In the last month have you...
031. Drank alcohol? yep
032. Gone to a mall? unfortunately. College Mall in Bloomington is tres weak
033. Eaten a box of Oreos? Ussually they come in a bag. We buy a bag a week in my household
034. Eaten sushi? Yes. They don't have good sushi in Bloomington either
035. Been on stage? can't say that I have
036. Been dumped? happily involved for 8 years
037. Gone skinny dipping? nope
038. Stolen Anything? Thieves should be shot

Have you ever...
039. Laughed for no reason? lol
040. Been caught doing something you weren't supposed to do? who told you?
041. Been in love? with my biscuit
042. Fired a gun? in Boy Scouts
043. Been drunk? haven't we all
044. Been called a Tease? no I know what I want
045. Been beaten up? I've dished out more punishment then I've taken
046. Shoplifted? I stole some candy and magazines when I was little

What was the last....
047. Furry thing you touched? a fluffy bunny
048. Thing you've said? I think out loud so it was a fluffy bunny
049. Song you've listened to? a song on the depeche mode cd my girl was playing
050. (Who was the last) person you've spoken to on the phone? a customer
051. Movie you watched? Kamikaze Girls
052. Thing you were doing before this? shopping
053. Time you cried? I honestly can't remember
054. Song you've sang? probably something corny
055. Time you looked at the clock? before I started this
056. Food and drink you've had? White Castle's cheeseburgers and chocalate shake
057. Flavour of gum you've chewed? Icebreaker
058. Shoes you've worn? Nike's
059. Store you've been in? Kroeger's

Favourite...
060. Planet? Pluto, it will always be a planet in my eyes
061. Age you've been so far? 21, I've just been getting closer to death since then
062. Season? Christmas
063. Number? uno nuno
064. TV show? Flavor of Love
065. Flower? girls seem to like roses

Random...
066. How much cash do you have on you? $55
067. What's a word that rhymes with 'door'? whore
068. What T-Shirt are you wearing? plain white
069. What brand of shoes are you wearing? Nike
070. What did your last text message say? don't text
071. What were you doing at midnight last night? something at the computer
072. What's your current desktop picture? the one that comes with windows xp
073. What's a word that you say a lot? the f word
074. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Black
075. How is the weather right now? cold, but at least it's not raining which it seems to do every other day here
076. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? their face or butt depending on what way they are facing
077. Are you too shy to ask someone out? I don't need anyone but my biscuit
078. Can you do a headstand (not using a wall)? no
079. Who would you like to see right now? my family
080. How many pillows do you sleep with? one
081. Would you go on a date with someone on MySpace? nobody but my biscuit
082. How do you want to die? performing acts of carnal knowledge
083. What do you want to be when you grow up? have a definite direction
084. What country would you most like to visit? Japan
085. How many CDs do you own? 0. I had several hundred that were destroyed and have felt the need to buy more
086. How many things, in your past, do you regret? Nothing. Anything that doesn't kill you makes you stronger
087. Do you think you are attractive? I look good and I like me
088. Do you believe in yourself? I look good and I like me
089. Do you want to get married? I don't believe in the institutionaztion of something so personal

In a boy/girl...
090. Favourite eye colour? brown
091. Favourite hair colour? brown
092. Short or long hair? long, short hair is for boys
093. Height? 5'4ish
094. Weight? 120ish


Take This Survey | Create a Survey Tjshome.com

"100% of the Shot's You Don't Take Don't Go In"

Wayne Gretzky, the famous hockey player uttered these poignant words. Not only did Gretzky lead the NHL in goals, he led it in shots, and in missed shots. That is because in order to be great you have to try even when you might fail. He might be considered a jock, but his words show he definitely understood what it meant to be great.

Most of us will never be a great hockey player. Heck, I don't even like hockey. That shouldn't stop any of us from living like The Great One. We can use this philosophy in all aspects of life. The surest way to fail is not to try. Trying is what gives you the opportunity to succeed. Next time you have an idea, but think it will never work, try it anyway. Regrets for what you could have done are always the worst to have. Never let doubts hold you back. If you have an idea, go for it. If it doesn't work at least you can figure out why.

These words can even help you in your personal life. If you see a girl you want to talk to, talk to her. Maybe she won't be interested, but at least you will have more confidence for the next girl. Eventually one will at least be bored and give you a chance. The guys who meet the most girls aren't the richest, or most attractive, or the ones with the biggest penis. The guys who meet the most girls are the ones who have the confidence to talk to the most girls. Girls, the same applies to you. If nobody is asking you out, ask a guy out. So many guys are intimidated by girls they are interested in. Control your own destiny.

Life is all about taking chances. When you have experienced failure, then you can appreciate success. Enough with the cliches. The puck is in your hands. Do with it what you want.

Red light cameras

Red light cameras are a violation of our rights. You have the right to face your accuser. Good luck getting the camera to appear in court. All they can do is produce a photo of you entering the intersection after the light turned red. They don't have the intelligence to determine if you had a valid reason, such as moving for an emergency vehicle. They can't even determine if it was you who was driving the car. You can be punished for someone else's crime. How would you feel if your car was stolen and you received a ticket in the mail? Talk about adding insult to injury.
Red light cameras are not about public safety. Red light cameras are about revenue. City's even go as far as to shorten the time between when the signal turns yellow and when it turns red to trick motorists into tripping the cameras. The safety of motorists should never be risked like that for revenue. We all already pay taxes. Our city's should not be fining us to enable administrators fat cat lives.
These people, however, came up with something you can do about it. Avoid Costly Traffic Tickets. Make Your Car Invisible to Red Light and Speed Cameras. With this product you can protect yourself from overzealous government entrapment. It works by creating a glare on your car that makes your tag illegible in the pictures taken by red light cameras. We should all fight this violation of our rights through the legal system, but until government starts listening, protect yourself.

One month anniversary

On Spetmember 2, 2006, I began this blog. Now it is one month later. When I started I didn't even know if I would be doing it a month later. I think it is time to reflect on my progress. So far I am happy with the results. To my surprise people are actually reading what I have to say. It is good to know I can share my thoughts with people on the other side of the world.
Now I would like some feedback from the readers. What have you enjoyed the most about my blog? What have you liked the least about my blog? What would you like to see more of in the future? What would you like to see less of? I hope I can get some quality feedack so that in the future my blog can be the best it can be.

How to make money on forums

Over the past several years, I have spent way to much of my time lurking on forums. Rarely do I ever contribute. Digital Point Forum has changed that. Shawn, the owner, had the brilliant marketing idea of revenue sharing. Basically, when contributing to the forum you get rewarded with half of the adsense on any thread you start or post in. The key is not to clutter the board with junk. DP has very strict rules and useless posts will get you banned with the swiftness. Contribute with something worthwhile and you will be rewarded. You won't get rich from posting, but you will get paid infinitely more than the other forums I read. The knowledge gained there might make you rich though.
What knowledge can you gain? Digital Point is a webmaster forum that covers all aspects of web design, marketing, and monetization. Most beneficial to me is there is an entire section devoted to blogging. If the idea of making money from forums is interesting to you, you will also find countless threads of people paying you per post in their forums. They do this to build up content. I have not tried this yet, but if I find a forum that interests me I will definitely try it. Anytime you can share knowledge and gain financially sounds like a win-win to me.