It's been a while (Dec 2, 2002)
I don't get onto H2G2 much anymore, and I see it's been well over a year since my last journal entry. A brief recap:

On October 9th at 2am in the morning of 2001 I started dating my then debate partner, Anika. She and I won the first tournament we went to that same weekend (it was novice division, but hey, it was our first tournament). We also kicked much rear at NPDA, the national tournament, that spring. We were one of only 3 first year teams to break to out rounds (elemination rounds).

On April 27th of 2002, at 10:30pm Anika broke up with me. The clock struck midnight and I turned 21.

Since then I have had an on and off again relationship with Anika, who I am still madly in love with. We remain good friends at all times, but not debate partners.

Over the summer I worked to build the environmental movement in Arizona with the Arizona League of Conservation Voters, arranging the first ever summit of the Arizona Conservation Alliance (originally named "Conservation Roundtable"), a coallition of various conservation groups from around the state. I also attended a Sierra Club training academy at Tanque Verde ranch in Tucson, so if you need someone to help start up a grassroots movement of some sort for you, I have the basic training if not the experience.

My current debate partner is Ryan, and we are progressing very well concidering his ability level at the start of this year.

On September 13th (I think that was a Friday) I began dating Martha, who I had to break up with on November 19th. She's still upset with me, but I hope she and I can hang out as friends like we once did (I know, that sounds lame, but Anika and I are still best friends, so you never know).

That brings us up to now, more or less. I am no longer the tee-totaler that I once was, but I do not drink nearly as heavily as most of my friends, I don't drink to help me have a good time, I don't smoke, and I don't do any illicit substances.

I will be announcing my candidacy for President of the United States of America about as soon as I am old enough. I will run on the Democratic ticket and seek my party's nomination by running on a platform of honestly telling the public what I believe in, what my past has been like, and what I would like to see happen in America. I think I will loose in a landslide, but I may force other Democrats to actually take a stand on an issue once in a while and differentiate themselves from Republicans. Which can only be a good thing, right?
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Real Life (Oct 10, 2001)
Real Life, often refered to as RL, is a phenomenon that occurs when one is not sitting in front of his, her, or its computer and reading or creating backlog on H2G2. Who'd a thunk I'd eventually get involoved in something so frivoulous?

Truth to tell, this week has not only been heavy homeoworkwise, but I go to a debat tournament this weekend, and I'm trying to prepare. So I will be more or less incommunicado until (I'll say) monday (but I'm not making any promises to be back right then).

A quick note to soeasilyamused: I was the jungle cat. It was a good thing. I'll try to keep you posted about this weekend, but it sounds like the schedual is pretty uptight Not sure where or when would be an appropriate time to meet...
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People (Sep 4, 2001)
Something I've never quite got the knack of is how to make friends IRL. IVR it seems fairly easy, because people judge you on what you type alone. Conversations are easy to get into because you can /always/ get a word in, even if you aren't the assertive type. You just post what you want to post. You don't have to interupt, interject, ect. And no one interupts you.

People tell me to go out and make friends. However, in my experience making friends always happens by either a) an act of God, b) a consequence of fate, or c) a complete, random, happy accident. I'd be willing to accept any of those explainations for why I've made the few RL friends I have. What I won't accept is that it's been a process I brought about myself. The reason I won't accept this is I've thought about how I made the friends I have made, and I've tried doing the same things I did with them, and no friendships result. If an experiment has an irreproduceable result, then it doesn't work. Therefore I point to God, fate, and chaos.

If anyone can tell me otherwise please do. As always my journal is open for comment.
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(33 replies, Latest reply: Sep 27, 2001)

Cliff Dwellers (Aug 16, 2001)
Scattered through the American Southwest there are ruins of ancient cities built in natural caves, high up on the sides of cliffs. Most were built by the Anasazi, some by the Mogollon, and probably more by other tribes, whom I believe are collectively called Pueblo, but I'm not sure on that.

These tribes left behind more than just monuments of architecture (over fourty rooms at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument are very well preserved, concidering they are 700 years old), they left behind a mystery: All the tribes who built these cliff dwellings eventually, and apparently spontaneously, vanished, probably being absorbed into other cultures but not giving any clues to why they disappeared, why they left these amazing homes.

Whenever one visits such a national monument (two more well known ones are Montezuma's Castle, which has nothing to do with Montezuma and isn't a Castle, and Mesa Verde) the tour guide/ tour book/ what-have-you gives various possible reasons for the flight of these architecturaly gifted tribes. The usual list includes famine, drought, disease, and war. The other night, after visiting the Gila Cliff Dwellings and taking a warm shower I came up with a reason that I've never heard on any list, one that would explain why they moved, AND explain why the Mogollons at the Gila site only occupied their dwellings for 20 years: Population Growth.

I have not studied Anthropology, but I have taken a few courses in Environmental Science, and I know that Pop Growth happens quickly and effects how a society exists. I had wondered how 40-60 people could co-exist in only 40 some odd rooms, when several of those rooms were used for storage and various ceremonial functions. Thinking about it further, I remembered that human history shows that when a culture stops being nomadic and begins agriculture in earnest (they usually go together) as the Mogollons had when they built their dwellings, death rates fall. Usually when death rates fall birth rates take a while to decline to the point where the population is once again stable, and you have a HUGE population growth.

So picture this: you and 39 of your closest friends and relatives arrive in a picturesque canyon with plenty of water and some good fields nearby for growing crops. You decide to settle down and, for protection, build your homes in the side of a cliff where your enemies cannot readily reach you. You have a limited number of caves that are lare enough and accesible enough to support the structures that you build. You stay there for a while, your parents are living longer, and you and your generation produce babies at the same rate as before. Suddenly your population jumps from 40 to 50 or 60 in just a few years. You can't simply build additions onto houses that are in caves halfway up the side of a canyon. You've run out of acceptable caves. What do you do? You move away.

I don't know enough about the lore on this to know whether pop growth is a common reason cited among archeologists when wondering why these tribes disappeared. I do know it's not a reason that is usually listed in tour information. I doubt I'm the first person to theorize this, but if anyone knows whether my theory is common, groundbreaking, or ridiculously wrong, please tell me so. I'd like to know more about this subject.
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The Weekend (Jul 2, 2001)
Spent this weekend being sent to other group homes that i don't usually work at to fill up staffing shortages. Spent a day with one young lady who likes to be cute and adorable so she can get up close to you and beat you up. Spent the other with a young man who wouldn't speak and another who wouldn't stop. If they keep this up weekends are going to be FUN
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Thursday (Jun 29, 2001)
Whew, yesterday evening I had to put oil in the mini-van while coming back from a function with two of my clients. It's difficult to explain to people with mental disabilaties that you need to be left alone for a while and not have them looking over your shoulder every two minutes. I'd never actually put oil in a vehicle before, but the dip-stick was completely dry, so I did the best I could. At least it got us safely home. I'm sure getting a lot of good experience on this job...
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Wednesday (Jun 28, 2001)
On wednesday I got paid, so I went to the office to pick up my check (they spelled my name right this time), then to the credit union to deposit it. From there I went to my favorite coffee house for lunch, and to do some writing. It was then I realized that my journal only had three blank pages left. So I went over to Borders books and music, where I looked for a journal. While I was there I decided that maybe I should get one with recycled paper in it, but they didn't have anything like that. So I went to some other gift shops and book stores and still couldn't find one. I located one store by phone which actually carries them, but they're way out in a suburb, far enough that I'm not sure that the gas I burned getting there and back wouldn't cancel out the trees I saved by buying recycled. I'm still looking.
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Tuesday (Jun 27, 2001)
I did nothing on tuesday.
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Monday (Jun 26, 2001)
Monday night I went to the open mic again. Did a couple of good sets. Unfortunately when I went into "You Can't Always Get What You Want" the room was filled with people my age (late teens, early twenties) and absolutely no Stones fans. Oh well. Also cleaned my car -- I think the smell may be gone, or perhaps only covered by the overwhelming odor of Woolite (TM) which now inhabits the vehicle. Hard to tell which.

On another note, G#.
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Sunday (Jun 25, 2001)
This is actually being written on Monday, but I think I'll write the entry for the day before from now on.

Yesterday the Van at the group home where I work got a flat on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Luckily another tire had had a leak earlier that week, and I had been able to see how the owner of the company put the spare on. My co-worker had no idea what to do, so I had to put the spare on myself (luckily we had already changed the tire that had been leaking earlier in the week). Whew. It's difficult to keep a group of clients calm and in line when they're standing on the side of a dirt road next to a van with a flat, parked on a bridge. Just glad there were two staff members there, not just one. One of our guys got a nose bleed from the stress.

Anyway, it was otherwise an uneventful day. I'm picking up sign language a little better. Monday (my day off) I have to remember to try to get a smell out of my car (don't know where the smell is coming from, I fear it's actually soaked into the carpeting).
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Saturday (Jun 23, 2001)
I work from 10a to 10p, so I'll see you around.
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Friday (Jun 22, 2001)
Another weekend of work coming up. Not much else to speak of happening around my life or my Virtual life. I'm trying to decide whether I should purchase a)a scanner, b) a multi-track recorder, or c) a CD Burner. Maybe someone here can help me with the decision.
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Thrusday again (Jun 21, 2001)
I feel compelled to keep writting in this journal every day I actually spend online, but some days I have decidedly less to write about. Harlequin, Em, and I are not forming a rock band, which will be fun. Looks like my schedual will be even busier now that I won't be going to rehearsals, won't be attending gigs, and won't be practicing new songs.

Well, best be going, I have a lot of stuff not to do.
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Wednesday (Jun 20, 2001)
Wednesday is payday. I have nothing else to say.
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Tuesday, June 19, 2001 (Jun 19, 2001)
Had a good evening last night at an open mic downtown. Spent some time talking to a musician who's apparently traveling around the country, aimlessly, selling his CD. His stuff was amazing, sort of like transendental, Indian, folk guitar. Anyway, if you're ever hanging out at an open mic and someone named Brian Starr gets onstage, playing this mind blowing instrumental music, go talk to him, he's cool. Also, apparently he usually needs a place to stay the evening most of the time, as he can't really afford a hotel room.

No new news on those guys who asked me to play with them. Oh well, if they need me they know where to find me.

My own stuff should be ready decently soon, so I'll see what I can do about turning some stuff into MP3s for mass internet consumption. Got the cover put together yesterday.

As far as virtual life, I'm getting into some good conversations and starting to feel at home here. Looking for a good time to jump into a "role playing" type situation, but I'm not sure how useful I'd be to any of those threads.

Yours,
The Fool on the Hill
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Today is the first Day... (Jun 18, 2001)
...of the rest of this week.

It just so happens to be Monday, June 18, 2001.

I've got the whole day off of work, and there is an open mic tonight.

That is all.
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TGIF (Thank Goodness I'm Foolish) (Jun 15, 2001)
Hello out there.

Well, today is the end of the standard work week, but I'm just getting started. My job does not have access to the internet (or any computer for that matter. We aren't there to stare at a screen, but rather to care for our clients). Of course, now I have to worry about Father's Day, which I won't be home for.

ANOTHER BIG SIGH

More later, as time allows
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This must be thursday. I never could get the hang of thursdays. (Jun 14, 2001)
Well, I'll work today from 2pm-10pm, but I've got the morning off. Joined the Zaphodistas today, after taking my father out to breakfast for his birthday. In addition to being my father's birthday, today is Flag Day here in the US. Apparently my grandfather actually had my dad convinced, til he was about ten years old, that people put their American Flags out on June 14th because it was his birthday!

Oh well, These journal entries seem to get shorter all the time. Maybe something interesting will happen to me soon.
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June 13, 2000 (Jun 14, 2001)
Dear Journal,
My father's birthday is tomorrow, and I'm not sure what to get him. He has no leisure time, and therefore very few hobbies. The few hobbies he does have (hiking and diving) he's managed to buy up most the things he needs for. He loves CDs, but never actually listens to them. I don't know what kind of books he likes. You'd think that after two decades with a person you'd be able to pick a gift out for him, but in fact, when you know someone better, you begin to understand that he really didn't want the kinds of things you got him in the past, or that, since you already bought them for him, he already has them.

BIG SIGH

Anyway, he's been watching this cooking show lately, and in one episode the chef told us how to make Vanilla Sugar, which apparently can be used in a variety of recipies. It looks easy, and he said it looked good, and the chef on TV says it keeps pretty much forever, so I figgured I'd make him some of that, get him a card, and take him out to breakfast.

Anyone with better ideas can feel free to mention them here!
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(1 reply, Latest reply: Jun 14, 2001)

Dear Journal (Jun 13, 2001)
I logged onto H2G2 for the first time today, and was immediately greeted by so many people that I can't remember all of their names. This is probably one of the friendliest places I've visited online. In the Real World (Not the MTV reality show, but rather the world that exists outside of my computer) I had a rather uneventful day. I went to a class I'm taking for work (getting paid to learn is COOL), but it turned out it was canceled, which was a drag because the place is 12 miles from my abode. Also I watched reruns on Cable Television (Barney Miller, Get Smart, the A-Team). See? Uneventful.

Hanging out downtown was cool last night, I got asked to sit in with a band on their upcoming album! Think of it, the credits will read "Accompaniment by Arlecchino"! Or maybe my real name instead (Rumplestilskin, if you're interested).

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(3 replies, Latest reply: Jun 13, 2001)



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