Thoughts from Kirk and co.

Yesterday my friend Bihong and I were at the Starbucks in Barnes and Noble getting hopped up on caffeine and remembering “the good old days” even though we are 20 and 21 respectively. Yeah. We’re codergy. Anyway, the topic went from the now-infamous Balloon Boy to the lagging quality of modern video games. (Thought process: Balloon Boy -> Falcon Heene -> Falcon -> Falcon Punch -> F-Zero X soundtrack playing to video of the balloon flying across Colorado -> F-Zero being an awesome video game -> Nintendo -> Nintendo sucking now).

As the conversation went on, Pokemon came up. Yes. All of us currently in the 16-to-24 demographic remember Pokemon well, especially those of us who are male. Ladies, if your 16-to-24-year-old boyfriend says he doesn’t remember Pokemon, with all due respect, he’s full of shit, and probably has three binders full of trading cards lying around his parent’s house like the rest of us. Ask him what the GameShark code is to get Mew or how you catch a MISSINGNO, and then watch his fingers. He can deny knowing anything about it to the world, but I guarantee you, the muscle memory never dies.



In fact, just start singing the theme song. He’ll know the words.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usTrPZoAW3Y&feature=player_embedded

(In Arabic)



Sa ajmoha alaaaaan! Pokemon!

Anyways, Bihong and I got talking, and apparently he had seen some sort of comic book where people actually fight wars with Pokemon and Team Rocket can actually kill people. Naturally, this conversation led to such conjectures as “what would the Isareli-Palestinian conflict look like if the streets of Gaza were overrun with Squirtles?” Finally, a lightbulb went off. B and I decided to assign political and world leaders one Pokemon each. Who would they choose? Why would they chose it?



We decided to limit ourselves to the original 150 Pokemon, since our knowledge of Pokemon from the Gold and Silver games was limited, and anything after that, well – we felt lost. And old. Here are our decisions. Feel free to add to this list.

Barack Obama
Pikachu

Originally B and I had both agreed on Blastoise for some random reason, but we decided Pikachu would be more appropriate. Both Obama and Pikachu are incredibly popular, marketable, and charged with saving the universe. Some might also argue that both are too weak to take on their enemies, both need to evolve a little more before they can become true (Pokemon) masters, both are a little overrated, and both can get kind of annoying (“Hope!” vs. “Pika pika!”). In spite of this, the people have spoken. Obama/Pikachu, I choose you! (Also, as an aside, the latest version of Microsoft Word recognizes Pikachu as a real word, but not “Barack Obama.” Bias much?)

Chances at becoming a Pokemon master: Pretty good, I guess.



Hillary Clinton
Gyrados

Isn’t it obvious?

Chances at becoming a Pokemon master: You know…I wouldn’t piss her off.



Bill Clinton
Jynx

Again, kind of obvious. Jynx is the only Pokemon with breasts. It’s blonde, kind of frumpy, and is the one thing in the Pokemon universe that looks kind of like Monica Lewinsky. Totally Bill’s type. And you know what? Even with his token Jynx in tow, he would still be a kick-ass president. I could totally see them animating him into one of the cartoons.

Chances at becoming a Pokemon master: Ohhhh, yeeeeeah….*lights candles*



John McCain
Slowpoke

No disrespect to Sen. McCain. He really is an American hero worthy of praise. But when you are someone who claims the economy is doing great on the day it crashes or can’t figure out all kinds of newfangled things like this “Internet” stuff, well….

Chances at becoming a Pokemon master: Uh…no. Just no.



Sarah Palin
Magikarp

Because when we’re backed against the wall in a battle and we have no other viable options, we throw out whatever we’ve got. In the Poke-verse, sometimes that’s a Magikarp. In the Republican Party, well, that’s Sarah Palin. Now there are legitimate reasons to play a Magikarp. For instance, you might play it in hopes that the stress and the experience points will lead it to evolve into something awesome (see “Gyrados/Hillary Clinton”). But usually, it just flops around. Its only defense is the pity it elicits from its enemy. Beware.

Chances at becoming a Pokemon master: Finish him off with a Splash attack, Sarah!



Arnold Schwarzenegger
Machamp

Good luck trying to get either one of these muscleheads to speak English. GAH GAGAGA GAAAAH, the great state of CA-LI-FOOOOOR-NYA…

Chances at becoming a Pokemon master: Eeeet’s uh TUUUUUMOR! Get in ze chopper! And come with me if you want to LEEEEEEEEVE…



George W. Bush
Mankey

Dubya was kind of hard. There were so many options available. But ultimately, we settled on Mankey. Citing Wikipedia, both Mankey and Bush have a “round, pig-like snout.” Both are “usually calm and somewhat mischevious, but if it gets angry it can be very dangerous." Mankeys also "enjoy various fruit, such as honeydew melons." Don't know what that has to do with anything, just thought I'd add that. Plus, in the cartoon, "a Mankey stole Ash Ketchum's trademark red cap." We could see Bush doing that.

Chances of becoming a Pokemon master: Only history will tell



Joe Biden
Psyduck

Both tend to quack a lot, but both can be smarter than they look. Also, physical resemblance is uncanny.

Chances of becoming a Pokemon master: Well, he’s vice president. That’s pretty good. And Psyducks are good at foreign policy I hear…



Dick Cheney
Drowzee

Again, physical resemblance is uncanny. Plus both are alleged to have unholy mind control powers.

Chances of becoming a Pokemon master: Cheney wrote the book on it. So…sleepy….



Kim Jong-Il
Jigglypuff

Sure, we like to give Kim Jong-Il crap for wearing grandma sunglasses, and from what we understand, during the Dear Leader’s weekly karaoke meeting with his advisors, he also has the power to make people fall asleep. But the thing about both Kim and Jigglypuff is – you have no damn idea what the hell either one is going to do next. And that makes both these little pink fluffballs extremely dangerous. Just imagine a Jigglypuff with nuclear weapons. Then tell me that doesn’t terrify you.

Chances of becoming a Pokemon master: JIIII-GA-LEE-PUFFFF, JIGA-LEEEE-EEE-EEE….*BOOOOOOOOM* Demilitarized zone between North and South Korea evaporates, Grandma Kim smiles sinisterly.

Anyone we left out?

--Kirk Cooper and Bihong Chang

El Scorcho

I'm waiting in our hotel in Austin for my mom to return with my cousins, and valiantly fighting a (losing) battle to sleep.  I hsoulda had more caffeine before I came back to the room. @.@  Four hours of sleep just doesn't cut it.  Ugh.  But, I haveta wait for mom to get back ause Janice and April with inevitably come up to the room with her, and I need to take a midterm exam, but I can't do that if I have to get up and greet my cousins...ugh.

But that really has nothing to do with anything.

I'm going to do better to write down my superawesome ideas.  Or at least remember to blog on a more regular basis.  I never think about it when I'm in front of a computer!  I always think about it in the car, or in the shower, or someplace where I definitely cannot write.  Fail.

Visiting Austin is fun.  I had bubble tea for the first time today!  I like squishing the pearls in my mouth :)  I have consumed so many calories today it's redilculous!  At least I did a bit of walking...?  ^^;  Meh.  I'd rather be fat and happy :)

I have dozed off several times and slipped down in the computer chair in a noodle-like fashion.  I think I'd best give this exam up as a bad job and do it in the morning.  I have until tomorrow night to complete it, and I don't reckon that half-asleep would yield the best result.

These Golden Rays

It's going to be a long walk

And you know what you could lose
Oh, when you've got mountains to move -- "Mountains to Move", Gavin DeGraw

I'm sitting in Books-A-Million.  I totally should be being studious and working on classwork, but I finished what was pressing, so I feel I'm entitled to a few minutes of blogging. :)

I am terribly, freaking CRAZY excited for Elizabeth's 21st birthday party NEXT WEEKEND!!!!  ::laugh::  I'm afraid I just CANNOT shut up about it! :)  I'm making a black magic cake with creamcheese icing cause it's her favourite.  I personally have never had creamcheese icing on chocolate cake, but...it sounds interesting, therefore I must try it!

I love the changing of the seasons, with the possible exception of spring to summer...and that's mostly because I really don't like summertime very much.  I need a summer home in a place where it doesn't get so blasted HOT!  Or maybe the Southern Hemisphere...where it would be WINTER, and just avoid summertime entirely.  But then I wonder if I would appreciate fall and winter so much if I got to have them twice a year? 

Something is wrong with my GI tract to where I can only consume a few bites of food every few hours without throwing it all back up.  I reckon it's pyloric sphincter fail again.  (I am fairly certain that's the one that controls the passage of food from the esophagus into the stomach, but I might be wrong and I'm too lazy to google it).  Normally, it just spazzes for a bit, causing an intense pain for about 20 seconds, but then relaxes and I'm good.  Lately the pain has been worse, and longer, and I feel like the food just fills up my esophagus instead of my stomach.  Poor tummy :(

I feel very calm and chill right now. 

I had another run in with Tre.  It amuses me that every girl I have told about the incident has been aghast/pissed off on my behalf, while the guys really didn't see what was so offensive.  I'll break it down for ya.  I get mad when guys offer to pay my bills, or buy me expensive gifts, or give me money expecting me to consent to date them.  This goes double when they're not my boyfriend, and about quadruple when they are barely an acquaintance.  I am very pick about whom I let pay for things for me, especially men.  I'm really really easy to guilt trip, and half the time I guilt trip MYSELF without any outside prompting, PLUS I am too proud to accept monetary assistance from random people.  In short, I must trust you before I will consent to you paying for things for me, and even then I'll object. ;)

I have a gajillion things I have been meaning to record from the past few months.  Here is one of them:

At Taylor Bishop's wedding, where I was a groomswoman, after the service.  I am chillin on a pew, waiting for my turn to go stand in the photos with the rest of the groom's party.  Chris, one of the best men, is sitting next to me, while Anthony, the other best man is on the pew behind us.  Taylor's grandpa (who is a lot like David's grandfather, IMO) came up to Chris and was nagging him about his haircut and joining the Navy and whatever, I wasn't really listening at that point.  Chris mentioned to Mr. Bishop that he was jealous of Taylor, to be married to a great woman, and that he wanted to be married someday.  I was surprised by this, and turned to say so when Taylor's grandpa interrupted me and said, "Well!  Keep talkin like that and it won't be too long before you will be!" while looking VERY pointedly at me.  Chris and I = ^^;;;;  Anthony = ROFLMAO  For the rest of the day Mr. Bishop continued to make comments and try to pay matchmaker between Chris and I, and it was hilarious as well as very awkward.

However, I felt extremely vindicated that day.  I had an EPIC crush on Chris in the seventh grade, but he didn't like me.  His eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw me in my dress for the wedding! Haha, take THAT! ;)

And I wanna be free

Wind in my hair
Salt on my skin
Sun in the air
I have to feel love
Holding on me

I'll give you everything
that you would ever need -- "FREE", Gavin DeGraw