I've always liked cats

A couple of pics featured recently on The Chive:

Sunday's Quote: Individualism

c/o Virginia Commonwealth University

Just as I noted last week the difference between the liberalism of yesteryear and the version it has become today, there is also a considerable dissimilarity between anarchists of the current "Occupy" movement and the forebears who favored peculiarity over the means of aggression that is more common now.

Whatever your opinion about the Left's version of the Tea Party, a 19th century anarchist (of a certain sort) who typified the very spirit of dissent offered something that resonates with everyone:

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"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
– Henry David Thoreau, author, poet, essayist, philosopher, naturalist, tax resister and development critic. His book Walden, a reflection upon living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for resistance to unjust government, possibly set the modern standard that now inspires the uprising we are seeing all over the world.

Keep battling y'all

Self-esteem Saturday

Feeling down?  Struggling to get motivated?  Well, here's a Beavis & Butt-head classic from Phys Ed coach and Marine Corps veteran Bradley Buzzcut to help get you out of that rut:

Just Thinking Out Loud: Fear the burn

c/o New Jersey Guido

My fellow Caucasians are the only ethnic group on the planet that will knowingly bake themselves in a melanoma-causing apparatus for the conceited purpose of maintaining that look of "sun splash" we love to get after spending a few relaxing days at the beach.  Indeed our vainglorious pursuit of retaining a year-round glow is barely hindered at all by the innumerable warnings from the medical community regarding the long-term consequences imparted by such a hollow endeavor.

In an ironic twist, it seems that holding fast to the narcissistic conceptions about modern beauty and its implied benefits is the most surefire way to end up irreversibly burned.  So do yourself a favor and embrace your fair skinned European qualities.  After all, White people, there are far worse things than a complexion that's more pallid than you would prefer. 

I now understand women

I can appreciate the way women think, even when the process doesn't make a great deal of sense (insert joke here).  Indeed few things fascinate more than the female psyche, and Esquire's recent list covering 1,000 thoughts from women of every region, ethnicity and age group has provided an endless source of humor and fascination.  These, along with a bit of commentary from yours truly, are the ones that stuck out most:

"When we are truly angry, we go silent.  That is your opportunity to apologize, or run.  Neither will save you."

"Loading the dishes without being asked — it means more than you know."

"We dig on your hot friends.  They make you look hotter.  We want to flirt with them.  We want them to want us.  We won't actually do anything with them.  But they are an unquestionable asset of yours."
{Adam: Ditto.}

"You have the power to make us feel like the only girl in the room.  Use it wisely (and often)."

"It's not that girls don't like nice guys, it's that we can distinguish between genuinely nice and desperate."
{Adam: Perfectly said.}

"We know our orgasms can be difficult.  Just keep at it."

"Sometimes we think we're in love, and then we see your Facebook profile."  

"Buying us a candy bar is a surprising — and effective — gesture.  Who doesn't like a candy bar?"
{Adam: Women who are crazy.}

"A woman has certain spots that are for touching, squeezing, and pushing.  These do not include her buttons."

"Girls like to whine.  It's a fact."
{Adam: Thanks for the confirmation.  Because, really, I had absolutely no idea.}

"When we say we want to share a dessert, we really mean we want you to have just one bite and offer the rest to us.  We were planning on eating the entire lava cake ourselves anyway, but this way we don't feel guilty."
{Adam: The calculation blows my mind.}

"There are two acceptable forms of hair product for you: undetectable and nonexistent."

"We as women want to be independent, but it would be awesome if you could save us some money by paying for everything."

"Things we feel guilty about loving: breakfast at fast food restaurants, songs by Fergie, sparkly shoes."
{Adam: It's hard to believe that "Fergie" is the same girl that used to be my crush on Kids, Inc. back in fourth grade.}  

"We can tell when the gift was purchased at the last minute.  But we still like it."  

"Some of us may feel the need to make up a reason to walk out on you at a crucial moment, just so you can show us you'll come chasing.  Sorry."
{Adam: So if I get yelled at for running after you, I will assume that's a good thing.}  

"A single rose means more on a random Wednesday than two-dozen mean on Valentine's Day."
 

"Phone calls are hard to come by these days.  Surprise us with a call sometime, instead of a text.  We love hearing your voice."
{Adam: I feel a sudden urge to call a girl named Sarah, just to apologize.}  

"Playing with your neighbor/sister/friend's kids in the park is sexy; asking if we want kids on the first date is not."

"Dirty text messages are encouraged.  But two caveats: Don't make them NC-17 if we're at work — we could get caught, and that would be awkward — and don't send them at 9:05 A.M. when we've just walked through the door.  A day full of sexual anticipation is way harder to bear than a few hours."
{Adam: But you appreciate it more.}

"Women love to take pictures.  Sometimes at annoying moments.  That's a fact you just need to accept."
 

"We suck in our stomach every time you see us naked."
{Adam: Thanks for ruining the fantasy.}
 

"Having some female singers on your iPod counts for more than you can imagine."
{Adam: Good.  I have about 15-20 female artists on my iPod.}
 

"We think of code names for men so we can talk about them in public."
{Adam: That explains a lot.}
 

"We want to break the glass ceiling, but we have no problem continuing to break your bank account.  It's kind of funny, isn't it?"
{Adam: Oh yeah, hilarious.}
 

"Please don’t name the following things: your car, your cell phone, and the other thing."
 

"We’ve given up on expecting you to understand the difference between a beach towel, a guest towel, a rag, and a dishtowel."
{Adam: Good.}
 

"Real men unapologetically like classic rock."

{Adam: Amen, sister.}
 

"ZZ Top was right: Knowing how to rock a suit or dress uniform will noticeably increase your sexiness.  We don't know why, but it works.  Ditto with guitars.  Unless, ironically, you look like ZZ Top."
 

"A little thing about sex: It’s better when you don't ask for it."
 
"You find a girl who truly loves watching or playing every sport as much as you do, there's a chance she also loves girls as much as you do.  Just so you know."
 

"If you're in Vegas and you call us to say you aren't at a strip club, we'll believe you.  If we call you ten minutes later to really make sure you aren't at a strip club and you aren't, we'll love you forever.  And we're sorry for being crazy, but not really."
{Adam: It's okay.  I've yet to receive a genuine, heartfelt apology from a woman in my life.}
 

"Just man up and ask us out.  If we bite your head off, we weren’t worth it.  We’d probably at least grab a coffee with you."
{Adam: So Jamie was right after all.}
 

"Be sure to give us regular updates on the progress of your fantasy football team.  Kidding!"
{Adam: Don't hate the player.  Hate the game.}
 

"We pretty much hate you when you order a salad.  That's what we have girlfriends for.  If you diet, we need to diet.  So, when you order a salad, you're essentially calling us fat."
{Adam: That blows my mind.}
 

"We will love you more if you deny the fact that we are crazy."
{Adam: I'll do my best.}
 

"The girl who had a crush on you in the third grade probably still thinks about you once a week.  Okay, twice."
 

"If you try to use any tips you learned on The Pick-Up Artist, you will be called out for it."
{Adam: That's actually refreshing to know.}
 

"When we see you, we immediately think about what you'll look like with your shirt off.  We’re just too timid to say it."
{Adam: Same here, except for the "timid" part.}
 

"When we tell you you look cute, it also means sexy and hot.  Cute is just the go-to word for that.  Take it seriously."
 

"It's fine if you don't like our friends.  What's really important to us is that they like you."
 

"Warm your hands before touching the goods."
{Adam: And how do you propose I do that without looking like a creep?}
 

"You should be able to read our minds at all times."
 

"When you play with my hair, you're actually making love to me.  Did you know that?"
{Adam: So when someone asks about my sexual history, I can now say that I've been with about 35 women and that I lost my virginity in 10th grade.}
 

"Tears?  They're weapons.  We really don't care half the time."
{Adam: And I'm not at all shocked.}
 

"If she tells you to never call her again and hangs up on the phone with you, there is a fifty percent chance your girlfriend will be waiting near her phone for you to call her."
 

"We might like sex even more than you do."
{Adam: Let me guess, it depends on whether or not you have a headache.}
 

"When we tell you that we want to be friends after you break up with us, it's because we think that at some point we will get naked in front of you and reel you back in."
 

"We love it when you put the seat down."
{Adam: I was trained well.}
 

"You might be embarrassed by the sappy comments we leave on your Facebook page, but that's how we mark our territory."
 

"Jewelry?  I'd prefer a vibrator as a gift, thank you very much."
{Adam: You're more than welcome.}
 

"We are manipulative beasts.  Call us on it from time to time, just not all the time."
{Adam: The first sentence is a given, but the second one is complete crap.}
 

"When we're awake, we're always thinking.  Feel free to ask 'What are you thinking?'  We'll always have an answer."
 

"When we're out together, and we see a tall, leggy model, remember: tall, leggy models are not your type."
{Adam: Yes, actually they are.  And don't disturb me while I'm temporarily fixated.}
 

"We've really got our fingers crossed that beer commercials don't represent real men."
{Adam: It depends upon how much we've had to drink.}
 

"If you seek out our eye contact in a crowded place and we smile back at you, take that as a sign to come talk to us.  Sometimes eye contact can be sexier than anything else."
 

"We're sorry that we sometimes forget to label e-mails NSFW.  But honestly, every now and then we do it on purpose."
{Adam: (female dog)}
 

"There is nothing sexier than following through.  If you say you're going to do something, please do it."
{Adam: Again, my apologies to Sarah, wherever she is.}
 

"Don't try to figure out what will make us happy.  We have been trying to get to the bottom of that mystery since the beginning of time and we have no clue either."
{Adam: Good.  I'll stop asking.}

Just Thinking Out Loud: A different path

With all four branches of the military represented in my immediate family, the affinity I have felt since childhood for the Navy exceeds all others.  Following in the footsteps of my grandfather (a Captain) and my mother (a Lieutenant Commander) almost certainly would have been a good move.  At the very least, a tour or two would have kept me from ending up at The Place Where Hope Goes to Die.

(F-bomb.)

What isn't "eccentric"?

Sebastian Horsley (left), the eldest son of the late British food magnate Nicholas Horsley, died on June 17 from a heroin overdose.  He was 47-years-old.

Known for an upbringing filled with "atheism, alcoholism and insanity," Horsley was an artist, a self-described "Dandy" fashioned in the mold of Lord Byron and Oscar Wilde who is probably best known for his failed, and nearly fatal, crucifixion attempt in the Philippines 10 years ago to prepare, as he put it, for a series of paintings on the subject.

Fame, in an odd twist, did not bring a great deal of wealth.  He often complained of being broke, with most of his money being spent on drugs and prostitutes while squandering the rest.

"Eccentric," from what I found, is the term used most often to describe this destitute character.  While one could argue that it describes him perfectly, I find little eccentricity in such a tragic figure whose odd fixation with human skulls, prostitutes, and especially alcohol and narcotics ultimately led to his demise.

There is nothing eccentric about self-destruction.  Horsley was a lost soul and social iconoclast who never found what he was looking for.  Yet wherever his spirit may roam, we can only hope that Sebastian Horsley is now at peace.

The root of Southern hospitality

I've heard it questioned many times: What's the big deal about the South? Why is it Southern hospitality? Aren't people from other regions nice, too?

The short answer only adds to the fuel of this rather patronizing debate, especially in regard to those who view the South as a mere breeding ground for the most undesirable members of our ever changing society.

But then a more comprehensive rebuttal evokes accusations of abiding by a "neo-Confederate fantasy" rife with Lost Cause folklore that's ordinarily commingled with charges of endorsing every imaginable position of hate.

So what's a Southern boy to do?

Yours truly all but looks for a fight when it comes to defending my defenders -- warts and all -- especially in this age of political correctness and social hypersensitivity. And why? Because it's necessary. Further, I do not concern myself with falsified labels from those who are filled with more animus than I could ever be. Call me a bigot, or anything of the sort, and I'll laugh in your face.

Although I've deviated from what was originally intended to be written, I must confess that going on a tangent about the War Between the States is always tempting because the fact that such an event actually occurred lies at the very heart of my treatise.

To the point, there is something about this thing called "Southern hospitality." Cynics can say what they want, but there is a shared predilection among the descendants of the former Confederate nation that appears to be lacking among the other regions of our blessed Republic.

Take, for instance, a recent piece from LiveScience.com managing editor Jeanna Bryner. Entitled "Happiest U.S. States Pinned Down," Bryner referenced a study that listed the 50 States (and the District of Columbia) in order of their well-being.

And coming in at #1 is, surprisingly enough, Louisiana. In fact there were six Southern States -- Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina and Alabama included -- in the top 10, and no portion of the Southern Commonwealth finished lower than 28th.

Imagine that -- the most backwards and financially deficient States with the highest cholesterol levels and the lowest SAT scores are generally happier, and thus, more hospitable than their affluent rivals. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.