Origins (Reprise)

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day commenced with a slammin' soirée at 5am courtesy the Indian guy. He's been keeping strange hours ever since he acquired his BMW® Z4. Well, that's the disadvantage of living in squalid circumstances at a dump like Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Aside from that, nothing out of the ordinary transpired throughout the day.

Another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening was disturbed by yet another slammin' soirée courtesy the Indian guy. In addition, he took a second extremely noisy shower, banging his shit against the wall over and over again just like he did at 5am this morning. The filthy bathroom is between our rooms on the second floor. And, I am not sure why he must go in and out of his room up to ten times or more in succession, each time slamming the door. Of course, I have witnessed him pacing around like a trapped wild animal in the second floor common area for no apparent reason.

At the library, I completed reading the book, "Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls," by Norman Golb. The second to last chapter was the most interesting. I have also mummified the reading of Lawrence Schiffman's book. In addition, I have located two books by John Allegro. So, I will probably wrap up my research about the Dead Sea Scrolls after perusing them.

I have continued to ruminate about the origin of life, specifically that of humanity, without reliance on the account in the Good Book. I cannot even begin to ascertain where human life originated. Evolutionists believe that humans appeared first in Africa, no doubt because of the large number of monkeys, apes, baboons, and gorillas that reside in the region. From human migration patterns, however, the Mesopotamian area appears to be a logical choice. I have previously discussed that, given the fragile nature of humans, the Creator would have had to protect and nurture the first humans in order to assure that the species would survive.

Given the amazing faculties possessed by humans, I tend to believe that less than a thousand years would have been necessary for the latter to develop a written language. I can assume that several generations could have survived with an oral tradition alone. Subsequently, a written language had to be imperative. Thus, I do not believe that humans were around longer than 6,000 years ago, or 7,000 years maximum. Whatever connection that we had with the Creator was lost with the original oral tradition. The latter thesis makes sense given human social progression. As human clans eventually metamorphosed into kingdoms, the kings and emperors began to envision themselves as gods or of possessing superhuman powers. Self-appointed priests and prophets also conjured up fictitious gods and deities. Since the Creator left us to our own devices, the oral tradition was soon replaced by what we can generally describe as myths and legends.

Incidentally, I have wondering about the allegedly high savings rate being quoted by various "talking heads." The idea that "Americans" are now saving 6.9 percent of income did not make sense to me given the high unemployment rate and the ensuing real estate fiasco. I had assumed that the affluent class was doing all of the saving using their ill-gotten gains. Michael Hudson has cleared up the perception problem:

Happy-face media reporting of economic news is providing the usual upbeat spin on Friday's debt-deflation statistics. The Commerce Department's National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) for May show that U.S. "savings" are now absorbing 6.9 percent of income.

I put the word "savings" in quotation marks because this 6.9 per cent is not what most people think of as savings. It is not money in the bank to draw out in rainy-day emergencies like losing one's job, as thousands are every day. The statistic means that 6.9 per cent of national income is being earmarked to pay down debt – the highest savings rate in 15 years, up from actually negative rates (living on borrowed credit) just a few years ago. The only way in which these savings are "money in the bank" is that they are being paid by consumers to their banks and credit card companies.

Very interesting. The article is titled, "Debt Deflation Arrives," and it appeared on the Counterpunch site.

Culture of Empire

"The ability of the corporate state to pacify the country by extending credit and providing cheap manufactured goods to the masses is gone. The pernicious idea that democracy lies in the choice between competing brands and the freedom to accumulate vast sums of personal wealth at the expense of others has collapsed. The conflation of freedom with the free market has been exposed as a sham. The travails of the poor are rapidly becoming the travails of the middle class, especially as unemployment insurance runs out and people get a taste of Bill Clinton’s draconian welfare reform. And class warfare, once buried under the happy illusion that we were all going to enter an age of prosperity with unfettered capitalism, is returning with a vengeance." -- Chris Hedges (Truthdig site)

Once again, my Nissan® Frontier truck and I spent the day in Hawai'i Kai. The itinerary was the same, with the exception that moms and I ate lunch at Zippy's. When all was said and done, I found myself back in my squalid room at Slob Manor (read: rental housing).

I spent most of my day in pain. For some reason, I woke up this morning with a stiff neck. Later, I realized that my neck was both stiff and hurting. I had trouble moving my right arm through a full range of motion, thanks to the pain. I am surprised that I endured my entire workout at the gym, although any weight regimen is optional on Monday. The "condotel" unit was $430 short of breaking even last month. As I predicted, the losses will increase until I am essentially absorbing the full cost of the unit without even living there. Surprisingly, the unit had 100 percent occupancy last month. Aqua Resorts, the hotel management, has opted to lower room rates way below optimal (i.e., "break even") in order to fill rooms. Other Waikiki hotels are at 60 percent or less occupancy. The truth, if I may be so bold, is that the management would be far more wise to keep the room rates closer to optimal and accept the lower occupancy. I can say that because my unit is one of the two floor of units that always fills regardless. Obviously, the owners of units on those two floors are subsidizing the rest of the hotel.

Aqua management has also been quite liberal at charging the owners for "repairs" in the units. I had previously thought that the dubious "upgrade fee" (deducted monthly) would cover such costs. I later discovered that the owners are directly charged at exorbitant "retail" prices. In fact, I must now revise three months of financial data in the "blog" as a result. Alas, that's the beauty of the "ownership" society ... just one rip-off after another.

If anyone is wondering whether Foodland is my preferred grocery store, the answer is a resounding "no." I only shop there because of the convenience (since the gym is in Koko Marina). Foodland is a more local-style operation. However, do not be fooled. With the exception of about three employees, I find that customer relations is really lacking in courtesy and professionalism. The majority of the employees are extremely unfriendly. Attempting to get assistance is often met with an implicit hostility. Employees also seem to lack knowledge of current promotions and policies. The prices are extremely high, too. To add insult to injury, I have been overcharged on top that because of erroneous scan tags. By the way, Safeway® is not much better. Don't look for the "Aloha Spirit" at either establishments.

Whatever happened to the Aloha Spirit? Or, better yet, what happened to humanity? Well, I believe that Chris Hedges (from the same article as the quote above) generically described the phenomenon best:

American culture — or cultures, for we once had distinct regional cultures — was systematically destroyed in the 20th century by corporations. These corporations used mass communication, as well as an understanding of the human subconscious, to turn consumption into an inner compulsion. Old values of thrift, regional identity that had its own iconography, aesthetic expression and history, diverse immigrant traditions, self-sufficiency, a press that was decentralized to provide citizens with a voice in their communities were all destroyed to create mass, corporate culture. New desires and habits were implanted by corporate advertisers to replace the old. Individual frustrations and discontents could be solved, corporate culture assured us, through the wonders of consumerism and cultural homogenization. American culture, or cultures, was replaced with junk culture and junk politics. And now, standing on the ash heap, we survey the ruins. The very slogans of advertising and mass culture have become the idiom of common expression, robbing us of the language to make sense of the destruction. We confuse the manufactured commodity culture with American culture.

I'll go one step further by stating that regional cultures were replaced by the evil and dubious singular culture of empire.

Morsels & Tidbits

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday ... yes, exactly the same as last Sunday and the Sunday before that. Can you even believe it? Lately, I have been riding the Route 56 bus to Ala Moana Center after my Sunday workout at the gym. Once there, I have about 15 minutes to shop at Foodland before boarding the Route 24 bus to Aina Haina. From there, I transfer to the Route 1 bus. The bus ride sounds laborious, but it is actually relaxing. None of the buses are crowded. The Route 24 bus cruises through Waikiki, but it seldom fills up since none of the tourists recognize the "Upper Aina Haina" destination.

While I was at Ala Moana Center, I can testify that I did not witness anything that resembled a recession. The whole place was jam-packed with satanic gargoyles, all of whom were spending money like there's no tomorrow. When the bus passed by Kahala Mall, I observed that the entire parking lot was completely full. People apparently have a lot more money than I thought. Where are they getting all that money?

Incidentally, I chatted with the Indian guy this morning before I left for town. I complimented him on his new car. He disclosed that it is actually five years old. The BMW® Z4 must have had personalized license plates before, which would explain why the plate number sequence is relatively new. So, he apparently got a good deal on the price. In addition, he said that his insurance is only $40 more per year.

I received a strange piece of mail from Capital Pacific Group, alleged "Asset Recovery Specialists." There is some amount of money being held by the State of California Unclaimed Property Division having to do with common stock held in Heritage Oaks Bank. My long ago ex-babe, Susan, and I purchased common stock in the bank when it was first opening. When we parted ways, I gave her possession of the stock certificate and signed over my rights. I am not at all certain why there is unclaimed property since the stock is obviously still valid. The bank has actually done quite well. My only guess is that dividends were paid out, but the distribution checks were returned to sender.

I have attempted a minor Web search for Susan. From what I gather, she and Dick, her husband, live in either Vallejo or Camino (both in Northern Cali). They apparently raise dogs as a hobby. They used to live in LA, or that's the last place that I have known them to reside. I suspect that anyone searching for her has not been able to find much. By the way, I had included more about her in the old journal.

In the last few days, I have continued to ruminate about why I continue to live as an outcast of society. Why am I not out there like the rest of the satanic gargoyles? Why didn't I find a good career and work my ass of to become affluent and successful? Why am I not seeking out babes? Why didn't I get married and have kids? I attempted, albeit in half-ass fashion, to follow the "traditional" route, but I just couldn't "make the grade." I am not even sure why I enjoy living in poverty and looking as pathetic as possible. Certainly, there is almost no valid reason to live modestly as recommended by the Good Book since the authenticity of the latter is highly questionable.

Plastic Bags

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening. What happened in between? Can you say, "Same ol' shit"? Yes, over two years have elapsed since my emancipation from wage slavery, yet there is absolutely nothing worthy of mention. Thus, I have resorted to reporting about "tidbits" (i.e., essentially useless information).

Divestiture of my useless possession is slowly gaining speed, with an emphasis on the adverb "slowly." I have also steadfastly maintained the moratorium on any new purchases of crap. Being poor and on the verge of homelessness has been the best impetus so far. Consumables are also being drawn down in order to convert to JIT (read: "just-in-time") inventorying.

The nine (or more) plastic shopping bags full of crap which are lying around my squalid room is what really drives me insane. I must wrap everything in plastic bags, much the same way that the homeless put everything into plastic bags and hang them along the perimeter of their shopping carts (i.e., mobile homes). Of course, I find the latter insanity to be prevalent in Hawai'i. In the gym, I've seen guys unpack their gym bags full of stuff wrapped in plastic bags. Naturally, I do the same thing.

Squalid Tidbits

I was on my way to Hawai'i Kai in my Nissan® Frontier truck at 8:40am this morning. Moms was home when I arrived. Moms and I only visited Foodland in Koko Marina. For lunch, moms served lamp-baked chicken, grilled salmon fillet, tofu, kim chee, fresh vegetables, and rice. For dessert, moms served Foremost® coffee ice cream.

I kept moms company until 1:30pm. Then, I was off to fulfill the urban nomad routine. I drove back to Koko Marina, found shaded parking, walked to the gym, performed my usual workout at a leisurely pace, took a long shower, shopped at Foodland, and finally returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). The evening? An urban nomad kind-of-an-evening? Sheesh!

There isn't much to comment about. Petrol prices are rising, with the lowest octane now at $3.08 per gallon. I have also observed that the quality of clothing has gone downhill. I have had to use my small sewing kit to repair most of my urban nomad clothing. The seams are sewn together so poorly that the stitches come apart within two weeks. Well, that's life in the empire, eh?

Questions

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day brought nothing new to reveal. Yesterday, I neglected to mention that I am accepting Norman Golb's thesis (from Golb's book titled, "Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?") that the Dead Sea Scrolls were probably brought out of Jerusalem and hidden in various caves along the Dead Sea in an attempt to protect them prior to the Roman siege. I am also beginning to suspect that there was no Dead Sea Scrolls sect (for lack of a better term) per se.

I am also beginning to understand that there has never really been a true "fear of God" in all of human history. For example, the myriad scribes and priest-prophets took great liberty at adding, editing, and redacting Scriptures. In addition, there are countless document forgeries and Scripture-like embellishments. Obviously, no one involved expected to be struck down by the Almighty for such debauchery. That should tell us something.

Although I will be continuing my religious research, possibly even beyond the Dead Sea Scrolls, I have also been ruminating about the revised framework of the human condition. Given the increasing probability that the God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam may not be the Creator, I can safely say that I am completely lost. Frankly, I don't know where to begin. There is no paradigm. There are apparently no answers. Perhaps that is at the root of the despair of Second Temple Judaism. The Israelites had followed the Law of Moses, even improved on it, but they were not to experience the "End of Days," when God's justice would be delivered. Can we even begin to imagine the disillusionment?

I am in the same state of disillusionment, and I cannot articulate my thoughts. Everything is a confused mess. I thought that I would approach the problem systematically and record my thoughts in the "blog." What exactly is there to say, though? All recorded history of humans is a just a potpourri of myths and legends? Any initial contact with the Creator is now oral tradition long lost? Where does that leave us?

Variable Constants

"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." -- Big Brother Empire

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... same ol' shit. My religious research continued at the library. I am still reading various books about the Dead Sea Scrolls. However, I am already inclined to agree with the renegade viewpoint that Christianity has its roots in the radical Judaism of the Intertestamental Period. I am further inclined to believe that the earliest form of Christianity (aka "The Way") was indeed one of the radical sects of Second Temple Judaism.

Christianity, however, assumed a new form with the Apostle Paul. Essentially, modern Christianity is "Pauline" Christianity. There were no canonized books at the time except for the Hebrew Scriptures (so-called "Old Testament"). In fact, Paul's letters were the earliest Christian writings, even preceding the so-called "Gospels." Pretty much the entire Christian doctrine revolves around the Pauline philosophy. Yet, Paul had never been a disciple under Jesus. Neither had he been one of the original apostles. His words, though, account for most of the Christian Greek Scriptures (so-called "New Testament").

The Dead Sea Scrolls are an anathema for both Christianity and Judaism. I've concentrated on Christianity so far, but the credibility of Judaism also comes into question. The Intertestimental Period gave birth to some radical forms of Judaism which included the broadening of the role of Satan, demons, angels, and Messianic expectations. Apocalyptic literature, expanding upon the strange visions of Daniel, began to proliferate. There is almost no question that the Christian book of Revelation was inspired by Judaic apocalyticism. Obviously, the volatile times, with the impending siege by the Roman Empire, provided the impetus for radical Judaic thought. Of course, what it all boils down to is that the Almighty allegedly abandoned His people (as per the various covenant relationships). Or, there really were no covenants in effect. The thesis that the prophetic portion of the Hebrew Scriptures was a fabrication of the priest-prophets during the Babylonian exile and "Diaspora" seems to be gaining credence.

Obviously, had all of the preceding information been taken seriously, there would have been a collapse of the three main world religions (i.e., Judaism, Christianity, Islam), We would have to rethink the concepts of "free will," "good," and "evil." Our role and purpose as human beings would become undefined. And, there would be no answer to the question, "Why are we here?" What we are looking at is a major existential and metaphysical crisis, to say the least. Where we go from here, I do not know.

Well, according to the Feedjit® Live Feed, the majority of visitors to the "blog" are in search of babe images, particularly that of Lindsay Meadows. Good news! Baby is planning to come out of retirement soon!

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Again)

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... nothing new to report. The only deviation from my boring itinerary was the restoration of my monk haircut at the Institute of Hair Design. by the way, I have definitely kept up the cardio portion of my workout at the gym. So far, I have only experienced a handful of heart palpitations since the start of the increased cardio regimen.

I am beginning to understand why I have been more adamant about the divestiture of my useless possessions. Aside from the possibility of the empire's economic collapse and my subsequent foray into homelessness, I am more or less motivated through "shock therapy" by the rampant materialism of my bro and his family. Even moms comments about the amount of crap that is tucked into every nook and cranny in the house. I've seen it for myself, and that's probably what gave me the "willies." Of course, moms gave my sister-in-law $5,000 in cash recently. Now, moms wonders if the money was spent unwisely. Is the sky blue? Is the hottie gym trainer a hottie?

Note: The clowns at Yahoo! have decided to close down Geocities sometime this year. So, one of the LoserNet mirror sites will be going down. There will be no warning. The site will simply disappear one day. As far as I know, the Tripod site will still be functioning. Appropriate "blog" link revisions will be made in a timely fashion. If and when the Tripod site goes down, there will be no attempt to salvage old journal archives. However, I may decide to transfer the entire journal to Blogger®.

Collapse Statistics

The Indian guy was up at 6:30am this morning. He made the usual racket (read: slammin' soirée) that he always does. I thought that he had already left for work when I was up and around at 7:30am. However, I saw him sitting in his BMW® Z4 out in the driveway. When I was ready to depart for Hawai'i Kai at 8:50am, the Indian guy's new car was still in the driveway. However, he had moved it back about 15 feet. The Indian guy was nowhere in sight. I had a very difficult time maneuvering my Nissan® Frontier truck around his car. When I returned at 5pm, the BMW® Z4 was parked further in, but it was taking up part of the space where I park the truck. Mind you, my Nissan® Frontier truck is not small (even though it is tagged as "mid-size"). I had a very difficult time maneuvering around the shitty little car. My guess is that the Indian guy is sublimely attempting to force me to park back on the street. Sorry, Raj-buddy. Until I can find a spot that is assured of no vandalism, that's not going to happen.

Moms and I made the usual rounds in Hawai'i Kai ... you know the drill. We ate lunch at Panda Express® in the Hawai'i Kai Towne Center. We blessed with the presence of our two favorite ducks again. I did not attempt to feed the ducks any chili peppers. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee ice cream for dessert.

I kept moms company until 1:30pm. We discussed the now-defunct House of Lolo court case (i.e., Case of the Mangy Mutt). Moms had shown me the latest court documents about a week ago. There is only a form to request restitution. From what we could gather, moms will probably get back about $200 for "out of pocket" costs. Obviously the House of Lolo's mangy mutt will avoid the capital punishment that it deserves.

I drove directly to Koko Marina and was able to find shaded parking. I meandered across the street to the library for a few minutes. There really is nothing to do there because the Hawai'i Kai Branch is basically a joke. Later, I walked to the gym, performed my usual workout, shopped at Foodland, and returned to Slob Manor(read: rental housing) to encounter the parking ordeal and prepare for an urban nomad kind-of-an-evening.

Sadly, the urban nomad kind-of-an-evening is not the same without the Pure T 'n A site. The server upgrade is still in progress. That's three days now. In the meantime, the site has been reported as hosting malware. Now, my Web browser is inserting a warning page whenever I click anywhere on the site. Other members (using other operating systems) have reported that their anti-malware software goes crazy when the site is accessed. Since I am using Ubuntu Linux, I do not deploy any virus or malware detection software. Only the Web browser provides some indication of questionable activity.

[Collapse statistics deleted]

Collapse Dynamics

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday ... nothing special. Review the "blog" of last Sunday for an overview of the redundant itinerary. One wonders why the ol' lavahead must continue to report these morsels of nonsense in the daily "blog."

Back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing), the Indian guy pulled into the driveway at 4:30pm with a new-ish BMW® Z4 convertible. I was wondering why there was a bunch of crap lying around the second-floor common area when I returned to the dump this afternoon. Apparently, he had emptied out his old Toyota® RAV4 (which must have doubled as a storage unit). The BMW® already has license plates, so it is a used car. From what I can deduce, the car is about a year old. So, the Indian guy forked out about $40,000 (or more) for it. His motive? To "score chicks," I assume. Every time that I have chatted with him in the past, he has talked about chicks. Sad to say, I don't think that he knows what he's gotten himself into. His old Toyota® was pretty beat up, with most of the damage accumulating in the last year. Now, he has a $40,000 car which he needs to take care of. The guy cannot even clean the bathroom sink. He's got rotting food and crap lying around everywhere. Well, I suppose that he's got enough money to pay someone else to wash, wax, and clean his car. I am not even sure if he gave much thought concerning how he is going to transport all of his crap around. The lure of the babes is way too powerful for logical thinking.

Frankly, I think that most chicks would be more impressed if the Indian guy had purchased some real estate instead. Even a squalid little townhouse unit like Chez Loser II in Kane'ohe would be more impressive than a two-seater convertible. And, of course, one traffic accident will render the car useless. No more "babe magnet." As I said, the lure of the babes is way too powerful for logical thinking.

Well, here's something more interesting than the rampant materialism of a common fool - The Oil Drum Campfire discussion. The topic is: How Will Knowledge of Collapse Impact Collapse?

And, the latest Europe 2020 report is out. Here's an excerpt:

LEAP/E2020 believes that, instead of « green shoots » (those which international media, experts and the politicians who listen to them kept perceiving in every statistical chart in the past two months), what will appear on the horizon is a group of three destructive waves of the social and economic fabric expected to converge in the course of summer 2009, illustrating the aggravation of the crisis and entailing major changes by the end of summer 2009 ... more specifically, debt default events in the US and UK, both countries at the centre of the global system in crisis.

As you may recall, Europe 2020 has been fairly accurate in its predictions.

Exodus Eschatology

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... did the SunMark® antihistamine tablets do the trick? Not exactly, but I was able to sleep better last night. I followed the same mundane itinerary even though I was groggy. I continued my Dead Sea Scrolls research at the library, performed my usual workout at the gym, and returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening awaits.

I enjoyed the walk to the Aina Haina Shopping Center last night. I may do that more often. There's something quite relaxing about walking at night, even though the traffic along Kalani'ana'ole Highway is sickening. The Aina Haina Shopping Center is not a very exciting place. Foodland was the only store that was open, but it closes at 10pm.

Incidentally, I have discovered a workaround for the freezing problem that seems to affect all Linux movie players (or the ones on my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. I observed that the movie players attempt to open files as data streams. The streams are first cached. It is during the caching session that the movie players normally lock up with a blue screen and freezes the entire Gnome® desktop (except for the mouse cursor). Caching apparently screws up the X.org server, or that's what I suspect. The workaround requires a very small video file (about 1MB). Opening the small file in any of the movie players does not cause any problems. Once the selected movie player opens the file, it can then safely open a file of any size without experiencing the "blue screen" freeze.

On a side note, I am becoming increasingly concerned about moms' involvement with a cult church. The fact of the matter is that I was able to disprove most of the church's doctrines with one read through the Good Book. Yet, with all the studying, moms has not able to see through the canard. The history of the church is steeped in some eerie chicanery. For one thing, Jesus the Messiah had allegedly returned in 1919 to choose the church as the one true conduit of God. From that point on, the "anointed" leaders have come up with non-Biblical doctrines and beliefs. I could go on and on, but why bother? The ultimate irritant, of course, is the kind of guilt that is acquired by associating with such an organization. The church is gearing up for another Armageddon prediction, and the congregations are tasked with saving lives by ministering to non-believers. As far as I know, moms has not successfully converted anyone to the religion. Thus, given the church's doctrines, I know that moms fears that she will not be judged favorably at the end of Armageddon (refer to the "blog" of March 21st about Revelation).

Moms spends an incredible number of hours studying the church's literature. The members of the church call it "Bible Study," but they do not study the Good Book. Rather, they study the endless streams of literature and commentary provided by the church. The library in town has many shelves devoted to Bible commentary from a variety of sources. There are volumes of stuff devoted to each of the canonized books, but they are all worthless. Most of the authors are reading between the lines or offering conjecture as truth. So, too, with moms' church literature.

I am spending about as much time or more in my religious research. In fact, I am soon able to call myself a Bible pseudo-scholar. Seriously, though, I had to embark on the research. After I completed the reading of the New Living Translation (NLT), I was left with a lot of questions. Worst yet, I was not moved to the faith that underlies Christianity. Deep down inside, I knew something was wrong. So, here we are today. I have essentially opened the figurative Pandora's Box. And, the situation gets rockier with each step.

I have been prompted to expedite my preparation for the exodus, and not because of religious conviction. In fact, after my recent discoveries, I should have discarded the exodus ideas and gone "hog wild" to experience all the world has to offer. However, that is not real oversized cranium. I have nothing in common with the world because I do not share its values. I do not want to be enslaved to the "system." For all the time that I have left, I simply want freedom. Nothing more, nothing less.

Morsels of Nonsense

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai ... moms and I only visited Foodland in Koko Marina. For lunch, moms and I both ate hot meals (i.e., local-style bento) from Foodland. Moms augmented the meal with fresh ahi sashimi and fresh vegetables. My nephew returned from Summer school at about noon. He immediately fired up the video game console. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee ice cream for dessert.

I kept moms company until 2pm. Then, I spent about an hour at Koko Head Park, drove to Koko Marina, found shaded parking, walked to the gym, performed my usual workout, shopped at Foodland, and returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Once back in my squalid room, I began sneezing, and my nose was running continuously. I was not able to sleep at all last night because of chronic nasal blockage. I now suspect that the shitty little room is a big part of the problem.

For dinner, I ate another Oscar Meyer® Lunchables meal along with a banana, an orange, and salad mix sans dressing. I was busily engaged in another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening when the common cold symptoms began to grate on my nerves. At 9pm, I decided to walk to Foodland in the Aina Haina Shopping Center to see if I could find some kind of cheap miracle drug. I ended up with a $3 box of SunMark® antihistamine tablets. Foolishly, I didn't realize that it does not contain a decongestant. Well, at least it was cheap. Sheesh!

Moms attempted to initiate another religious discussion again based on the "last days" prophesy. Rather than keep quiet, I decided to gently offer some of my own findings, albeit the less radical ones. I probably know more about moms' church than either moms or her friends. However, I avoided the more controversial issues. I could discern from what moms told me that she is totally entrenched in the faulty doctrines of the church. Moms probably has no idea that the Christian Greek Scriptures (so-called "New Testament") was canonized by the predominant Christian power structure that eventually became the Roman Catholic Church (ironically hated with a passion by moms' church).

Uncle T and his grandson (who is visiting from the mainland) arrived for a short visit just before moms and I departed for Koko Marina in my Nissan® Frontier truck. I was surprised to see Uncle T driving as he is 84 years old according to moms.

I dropped off my plastic filing container at the Goodwill drop box this morning as well. Now, all of the crap is lying on the floor and taking up much more space than when everything was stored in the container. Oh well. The method to my madness is to force myself to divest the crap once and for all.

Answers

"Most of these manuscripts were created during a period from about 150 BC to perhaps AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in the First Jewish War. Thus they encompass the period of early Christianity upon which they shed a great deal of light. They show that the authors of the New Testament - of the four Gospels in particular - have borrowed heavily from the Qumran texts. Their borrowings include both the subject matter of the Gospels as well as their language, imagery and style. In fact, many features that we now regard as being unique to the Gospels - like the Davidic Messiah as the Son of God, and the persecution and killing of such a messianic teacher - are found in Qumran documents dating to at least a century before the birth of Christ. A close study of these texts raises basic questions about both the uniqueness and the originality of Christianity." -- Navarata Rajaram from "The Dead Sea Scolls and the Crisis of Christianity" (Burning Cross site)

I performed the dreaded laundry chores at 7:30am this morning. I did not want to wait until later in the afternoon when I might have been too fatigued to accomplish anything else. The urban nomad kind-of-a-day commenced on schedule and fulfilled its paltry itinerary effortlessly. Otherwise, there is nothing noteworthy to report.

My research about the Dead Sea Scrolls continued. I have added Lawrence Schiffman's book, "Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls," to the list. Schiffman was one of the principal members of the original International Team. What I came to discover is that the original International Team was comprised of Christian researchers. In other words, the team members held faith in Christianity. Thus, the Dead Sea Scrolls were, from the beginning, viewed from a Christian point-of-view. In the aftermath of the Seven-Day War, the nation of Israel had acquired the scrolls quite by chance. Soon afterward, a number of Hebrew researchers were added to the team. Nonetheless, the perspective was always limited to the religious faith held by a particular researcher. Only a couple of researchers were willing to cross the line. John Marco Allegro was one. I have located at least one of his books, and that will be added to my reading list. Allegro had allegedly been a Christian, but was deemed an agnostic by his peers.

Suffice to say, my main concern is the possible link between the Dead Sea Scrolls sect and Christianity. What little recorded history that is available to us seem to indicate that Judaism had decoupled into various sects during the volatile and violent Intertestamental Period, more than just the Pharisees, Sadduccees, Essenes, and Zealots. The Dead Sea Scrolls give us some insight on sectarian exegesis that may have been the forerunner to "The Way" (i.e., Christianity).

The ramifications are clear. There is a good probability that Christianity is fraudulent. I have already discussed the problems of the canonized Christian Greek Scriptures (so-called "New Testament"). I have also discussed the problem of failed prophesy. However, the root of problem goes much deeper. We have discussed the apparent problems (i.e., "document hypothesis," failed prophecies, etc.) of the Hebrew Scriptures (so-called "Old Testament"). Thus, Judaism itself may be fraudulent (and Islam as well by logical deduction). Yes, what we have are billions of humans with no religion per se, only faith in the mythological liturgies of fellow humans. Of course, there are still philosophical religions or religions based on fictitious deities. Yet, none have any basis in a Supreme Being or universal law.

Sad to say, things are not looking good for the Good Book. I may sound cavalier in my attitude but, truth be know, I am fearful. Knowing then that religion may have just been a human-devised institution to control the masses is scary enough. However, what is even more frightening is the knowledge that the Creator has left us to our devices. We humans are not as "special" as we thought we were. The Creator will not bail out humanity as it barrels to its own destruction. The Creator will not bring ultimate justice to humanity. There will be no resurrection. All we have is a short tenure on the planet, then it's over.

Of course, I should have known better all along. The issue of "free will" makes no sense in view of "good" versus "evil." Why have "evil" as an option to exercise "free will"? The fact that we can exercise "evil" means that it really is not evil. By the same token, we experience physical and emotional pain because both are part of the spectrum of human characteristics. If we were not supposed to experience any pain, then we would not be equipped with such faculties. Justice becomes simply a figment of the imagination. There can never be any justice because we are mortal. We cause grief or premature expiration upon other humans, but it does not matter. We will all expire sooner or later, mostly in pain and suffering. That's probably the only justice afforded to us.

Humans of several millennia ago, no doubt, had postulated the very same ideas, always trying to find an answer to the "human condition." Atheists and philosophers have long maintained that religion was simply a fabricated answer to questions about life. Whatever the Creator told the first humans has been lost forever. And, thus, we are forced to rely on our contrived institutions to provide the answers.

Sheer Madness Revisited

I was moving in slow motion for most of the day thanks to the latest bout with the common cold. Yet, I upheld my usual itinerary. Aside from an inordinate amount of rude people that I encountered all day long, there was nothing out of the ordinary worth noting. And, frankly, I was too fatigued to care.

At the library, I completed the reading of Neil Silberman's book, "The Secret Scrolls." All I can say is, "Wow!" I am fairly convinced that the Dead Sea Scrolls contain the missing link between Judaism and Christianity. I am also convinced that the scrolls were not the product of the small isolationist group known as the Essenes. I plan to continue the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls history before I tie up the "loose ends."

The Roman Empire was a key player in the tragic history of Judaism during the volatile Intertestamental Period. Most of us know next to nothing about the Roman Empire. Sadly, that's probably why we are in the kinds of predicaments that currently besiege us. The Roman Empire is the prototypical model for modern "Western" society. It is the model for the current empire that is totally out of control. Since the last World War, that empire has deployed over 800 military bases in various nations around the world. Why? And, to whom do we attribute such a design?

Thanks to the Emperor Constantine, the Roman Empire became the Holy Roman Empire, the flag bearer of the Christian faith. Were it not for Constantine, the Christian religion may never have survived. And, as we all know, modern "Western" empires are allegedly Christian flag bearers, too. My point, of course, is that the spread of Christianity did not come about by Divine Providence. Knowing what empires have done in the name of God and Jesus, I have to wonder why the Almighty has not exacted any retribution for defiling His name. I think that we already know the answer.

In my discussion yesterday about the the sheer madness of my "downsizing" activity, I neglected to mention that I have nine plastic shopping bags of various sizes filled with assorted crap. The shopping bags are lying around on the floor (and elsewhere) in my squalid room at Slob Manor (read: rental housing). There are also two small plastic shopping bags of crap sitting in my Nissan® Frontier truck. Incidentally, I have observed that many of the homeless have numerous plastic shopping bags filled with crap that are hanging along the sides of their shopping carts. There is apparently a connection here.

Sheer Madness

At 10pm last night, I felt a dull pain forming in my throat. Within an hour, my entire throat was inflamed. Yep, the common cold has hit me once again. My throat hurt so bad that I could barely sleep. Fortunately, I still had remnants of the bottle of Longs® Nite Time (i.e., fake NyQuil®) that I purchased about a year ago to combat the same problem. I downed a shot of the elixir. The relief was minor, but every little bit helps. To think, I almost threw out the elixir last week because it was taking up space in my squalid room.

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day was marginally hampered by the common cold. Of course, the heatwave made the situation even more miserable. The post-nasal drip commenced as I was walking to the library this morning. I maintained my usual itinerary nonetheless, and that includes my workout regimen at the gym.

The symptoms of the common cold escalated once I was back in my squalid room at Slob Manor (read: rental housing). By 8pm, I was sneezing non-stop. By midnight, my nose should be completely plugged up. The details are quite similar to my last episode as detailed in the "blog" of July 15th of last year. So, here I am, illin' once again. Sheesh!

I am not certain about how I became the person that I am or why I do the quirky things that I do. I am not a part of the so-called "mainstream," if that's not already obvious. I tried to fit in before, but the fit was not right. Sometimes I regret that I did not opt for the "standard" life-style ... you know, the so-called "American Dream." Now, I am just an old single guy with no heirs. I have an obsession to reduce my possessions to the equivalent of the homeless. Never mind that I actually already have less immediate possessions than many of the homeless now. All of my useless possessions can fit in an average shopping cart, no less my Nissan® Frontier truck. Yet, I want even less.

I am going through my consumables without replenishing anything. I am switching to JIT (read: "just-in-time") inventorying for the latter. I am also slowly wearing out my small stash of clothes. I was fortunate to have bought a stock of my essential urban nomad clothes (i.e., board shorts, tank tops) and gym attire when I actually had money. However, I have no clothes for wage slavery. For me to return to wage slavery, I would have to make a significant outlay for new clothes and new shoes.

I wasted a lot of time and money in my pathetic "downsizing" attempts. I purchased a lot of different containers, luggage, duffel bags, and other crap in order to reduce my holdings efficiently (i.e., incremental "downsizing"). I should have learned something from the more astute homeless. They do not reduce their holdings efficiently. They pack only the necessities, and it all fits in one large backpack. All of the other crap goes in the trash can.

That brings me to the pitiful tale of my plastic filing container for my paperwork. Three days have elapsed, and I have essentially transferred a couple of the file folders into large envelopes (to be placed in an undisclosed location). The mortgage paperwork for the "condotel" unit is the bulk of my paperwork. Of course, that's all still sitting in the plastic container. What am I going to do with it? I can't throw it in the trash can. So, I will put it in a plastic shopping bag and leave it lying around on the floor. In the end, all I will have done is shuffled crap around rather than reduce the bulk. Kind of like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, eh? Sure, the plastic container will soon be gone. However, the bulky paperwork will still be lying around and taking up space. Sheer madness!

Benign But Real

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai found me, moms, and my Nissan® Frontier truck gallivanting around to the usual places ... Longs® in Kuapa Kai and Foodland in Koko Marina. Moms and I ate lunch at Zippy's. Only one of the ducks waddled over to our table. Moms and I took turn feeding the duck. The duck happily eat the beans and lettuce we offered. However, raw onions were out of the question. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee ice cream for dessert.

I kept moms company until 1:30pm. Then, I followed my usual benign itinerary ... sit around at Koko Head Park for an hour or so, workout at the gym, shop for toxic food at Foodland, and return to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Then, I perform my usual benign chores (i.e., wash my gym attire by hand, eat dinner, shave, thoroughly clean my teeth, clean my squalid room with my humble dustpan and brush, etc.) before engaging in another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening.

Earlier, I was surprised to discover that moms was sorting through her important paperwork. Obviously, I have been doing the same thing in a non-committal fashion over a period of time. However, this evening, I accelerated the project. And, in a reversal of a previous decision, I will be divesting the plastic storage container that safeguarded my paperwork.

Here's an interesting prediction by Chris Hedges:

The cost of daily living, from buying food to getting medical care, will become difficult for all but a few as the dollar plunges. States and cities will see their pension funds drained and finally shut down. The government will be forced to sell off infrastructure, including roads and transport, to private corporations. We will be increasingly charged by privatized utilities—think Enron—for what was once regulated and subsidized. Commercial and private real estate will be worth less than half its current value. The negative equity that already plagues 25 percent of American homes will expand to include nearly all property owners. It will be difficult to borrow and impossible to sell real estate unless we accept massive losses. There will be block after block of empty stores and boarded-up houses. Foreclosures will be epidemic. There will be long lines at soup kitchens and many, many homeless. Our corporate-controlled media, already banal and trivial, will work overtime to anesthetize us with useless gossip, spectacles, sex, gratuitous violence, fear and tawdry junk politics. America will be composed of a large dispossessed underclass and a tiny empowered oligarchy that will run a ruthless and brutal system of neo-feudalism from secure compounds. Those who resist will be silenced, many by force. We will pay a terrible price, and we will pay this price soon, for the gross malfeasance of our power elite.

The quote is from Hedges' article titled, "The American Empire Is Bankrupt," that appeared on the Truthdig site.

Fear

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday found the urban nomad following the same old Sunday routine. The only deviation was my side trip to Ala Moana Center to purchase a Yakitori Bento at Foodland. Thus, I rode three different buses to eventually return to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). I performed the dreaded laundry chores once I arrived back in my squalid room. I also commenced yet another purge of my useless paperwork. My goal was to clear out the plastic storage container that houses the paperwork and then divest it. During the course of the purge, I nixed the plan.

I was extremely fatigued for most of the day. I barely survived my gym workout. So far, no cardio event. I just hope that I am on the right track to recovery. I also observed that I am one of the few gym members who does a cardio workout longer than 30 minutes. Most people do not understand the gravity of the poor life-style and pathetic diet choices that we have in the empire. A lot of people seem satisfied with a future tethered to medication. I could not live that way.

While I was in the locker room, I could hear a number of gasbags babbling away on the tube that was in the corner. The big issue is the recent Iranian election. What gets to me is that there are actually outraged citizens of empire who believe that the election was rigged. Give me a break. Where were these clowns when the empire's elections were proven to be rigged? Frankly, I am satisfied that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won. His opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, is a puppet of the "West," just like the despicable Shah Pahlavi. The damned empire needs to get its nose out of other nations' business and tend to its own affairs. We've got big problems here beyond "fixing" the Wall Street banks. This is not "God's chosen nation," and the Almighty is not planning to intercede anytime soon.

On a side note, I have not decided about the disposition of my large NLT (New Living Translation) Study Bible. Should I just donate it to the library? Well, I don't want to make a hasty decision. However, the credibility of the Good Book does not look so good. I have covered many of the discrepancies. The main issue, though, is that the prophesies of the Israelite prophet-priests and of Jesus the Messiah have not come to fruition. Over 1,900 have passed and the Kingdom of God never materialized in Jerusalem (i.e., Zion). The second coming of Jesus did not happen. Armageddon has been an idle threat used by Christian dispensationalists for eons. The justice promised by the Good Book has faded away. In the meantime, the population of "sinners" is increasing exponentially. Billions of souls have come and gone. A resurrection seems almost ludicrous, especially in terms of theodicy.

An urban nomad kind-of-an-evening found me in a fragile mental state, no doubt one of the causes of my current health issues. Petrol prices have surged to $3 per gallon for the lowest grade. Of course, Honolulu is the 25th most expensive city in the world and 2nd in the empire. Regardless, I see Peak Oil as being the spoiler that may even circumvent the alchemy of the moneychangers and powers-that-be (i.e., ruling elite). The "system" is a juggernaut that is barreling to oblivion. The inertia is just too great to stop it in time. Even here in Hawai'i, there are extremely large amounts of vacant office and retail spaces (like the two former CompUSA stores). Yet, the new retail and office construction is mind-boggling. In Waikiki alone, the landscape is reminiscent of the big boom times. Yet, tourism is at a historic low. Everyone firmly believes with a kind of religious faith that the boom times are coming back with a vengeance. I thought that the moneychangers and powers-that-be could "pull a rabbit out of a hat" one more time, but now I have serious doubts.

The "system" is being fueled by the inertia of massive greed. Since the Almighty has never rained down fire and brimstone in the last 1,900 years, the ruling elite believe that they have God's blessing. With a combination of hubris and stupidity, the ruing elite are driving the empire to a bitter end. My greatest fear is the human secular Apocalypse as opposed to the Almighty's Armageddon.

Run for Cover

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... what more can be said? I am really enjoying the various readings about the Dead Sea Scrolls, by the way. In fact, let me "go out on a limb" by stating that every disciple of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam should follow the path that I have taken. The research is very interesting, but the end result may be vast disillusionment. The truth has its price.

I am still soldiering on at the gym, trying my hardest to avoid a premature visit to the mortuary. Maybe I should move back into the "condotel" unit. The dump was a mausoleum anyway. All kidding aside, I plan to maintain my gym regimen and revise my diet yet again. I have absolutely no desire to be put on any kind of medication. Once that happens, I can expect to be tethered to medication for life. The real problem is the food that we eat. I have stated numerous times that most of the available food is toxic and saturated with lard, high fructose corn syrup (made from genetically modified corn, no less), sodium, growth hormones, and various carcinogenic preservatives.

Yesterday, I mentioned that I have been experiencing mild, sporadic chest pains. However, I cannot be entirely certain about the nature of the pains. To be honest, I am living in pain most of the time, primarily due to my weight training regimen. I have been considering a modification that would decrease the maximum weight and increase the sets and repetitions. I am way too old to try to keep up with the young studs. I have observed many of the senior citizens in the gym, though. They do only one set of about ten pounds maximum on each of the machines. I'm not exactly ready to regress to that level.

Another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening finds me sitting in front of my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer as I listen to the latest Deep House Cat mix on my Palm® TX. All the while, my squalid empire is coming apart at the seams. I have possible health issues with no health insurance. I am in violation of idiotic statutes that require supplemental insurance on the "condotel" unit. I am watching my life savings dwindle because my investment accounts are earning nothing (i.e., zero percent interest). I am part of the masses of rank-and-file peons who are awaiting the secular Apocalypse. Yes, I know that I stated that the secular Apocalypse is not coming. What I meant is that the moneychangers, the powers-that-be, and the typical rich asswipe will not be experiencing the secular Apocalypse. They are immune. The secular Apocalypse is coming, but it will only selectively sweep away the poor, the destitute, and the rank-and-file peons.

Soft Reset (Reprise)

The itinerary of the day was very similar to what transpired on Monday, so I will spare the redundant details. Why, even lunch was the same. Moms mentioned that there will be no court trial in the case of the House of Lolo's mangy mutt. I am not sure how the House of Lolo pulled it off. Apparently, the mangy mutt must attend obedience school. That's it. Case closed. What a crock of shit! I told moms that the mangy mutt is too old to be trained. The damned mutt needs to be put to sleep, just like its mangy owners.

I really did not do much thinking about anything. I simply went through the motions of my usual routine like an android. I have been feeling some pain in my chest, coincidentally where my heart is located. The pain itself is very minor and occurs sporadically. However, I am sure that there is a problem with my "ticker." I have not desisted from my more intense cardio workout at the gym. I have been using the Precor® EFX 546i elliptical machine exclusively. I can monitor my heart rate on the machine. So far, I have not gone above 135 bpm. Mind you, I have the resistance level set at "10" and I maintain about 122 strides per minute on average for the duration. I do not use the handrails for support either.

Heck, I remember in the old days on the mainland that I used to take two or three aerobic (i.e., regular, step, slide, funk) classes a day. Of course, the classes were full of young hotties. All of that and about 1.5 hours of hardcore weight training. Well, that's "water under the bridge" now ... fodder for the old journal.

Back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing), the staging area for the exodus, there's not much going on. I engaged in another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening, much to my chagrin. With a potentially bad "ticker," I should be putting the divestiture of my useless possessions into high gear, so to speak. So much to do, so little time.

King Kamehameha Day 2009

Thanks to the holiday (not to be confused with the drunkard "Burger King® Kamehameha" featured in the "blog" of November 24, 2006), the urban nomad kind-of-a-day was deferred. I was off to Kahala Mall on the bus at 8:15am this morning. I spent time at Barnes & Noble® as usual. I returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) at noon. I washed my Nissan® Frontier truck and performed the dreaded laundry chores. At 2pm, I rode the bus to Koko Marina. I walked to the gym and performed my usual workout. Then, I purchased a hot meal (read: local-style bento) at Foodland for dinner. Nothing exciting. Totally uneventful.

Here's what has really torqued my jaw today. According to the Advertiser, "Honolulu residents will see higher property taxes, vehicle registration fees, bus fares and Waikiki parking rates under the budget package passed by the City Council yesterday." I am affected by three of the four proposed increases. The cost to the ol' lavahead will be several hundred dollars annually. Mind you, the idiotic light rail rail plan is still high on the agenda. These clowns are madly shuffling around the deck chairs on the proverbial Titanic.

In the meantime, petrol and food prices have been shooting upward. Yet, all I hear about is the fear of deflation. As I have already predicted, the Fed will not raise interest rates. Let me clarify by saying that the Fed will not raise short-term interest rates for at least ten to twenty years. Even then, the rate will not exceed one percent. I really don't know if anyone aside from the ol' lavahead is suffering. I am seeing people sportin' all kinds of new and expensive "shiny objects." There are a lot of new and expensive cars on the road. From what I can tell, I see no difference from the "boom times" of four years ago.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... no heart palpitations! I celebrated by doing absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.At the library, I have also commenced reading the book, "The Hidden Scrolls," by Neil Silberman (one of the authors of, "The Bible Unearthed"). And, of course, the cardio portion of my workout is the top priority for me at the gym.

My religious research has obviously taken me to the topic of the Dead Sea Scrolls. And, believe me, it is proving to be quite interesting. The scrolls have previously been attributed to a small monastic sect of Judaism known as the Essenes. However, there is convincing evidence to the contrary. One tidbit that I have gleened so far is that the act of baptism by water immersion was a formal procedure of the Dead Sea Scrolls sect (for lack of a better name). Was John the Baptist a member of the sect?

There seems to be a lot of evidence that the Intertestamental Period was a time of radical changes for Judaism. Of course, that was also the period of severe civil unrest because of the tyranny of the Roman Empire. It is becoming quite apparent to me that the apocalyptic themes, the character development of Satan, performance of baptism by water immersion, messianic anticipation, and various gnostic or dualistic ideas had roots in Judaism during this period and directly fed into what eventually became Christianity. I will be perusing the translated Dead Sea Scrolls very soon. Then, there will be more commentary, I am sure.

I sat in the shade by the Chinatown Gateway Plaza this afternoon while I waited for the bus. I decided to not walk all the way into Chinatown because I had a run-in with a cigarette smoker yesterday at the hot and stuffy bus stop. When the bus arrived, the driver said, "I was looking for you at the other stop." I told him that I had to sit in the shade. The heatwave has been non-stop now for over a week. As for the evening? Same ol' shit.

Power Source

We're back to the urban nomad routine. Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day was parsed from the mundane. At the library, I completed reading the book, "The Origin of Satan," by Elaine Pagels. I am currently reading the book by Norman Golb titled, "Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?" I logged only 63 minutes of cardio time at the gym. I plan to remain vigilant about my cardio workout. In fact, the latter might be paying off already. Believe or not, I did not experience any heart palpitations at all today. Were my prayers to the Creator answered?

I neglected to mention that moms made an attempt to proselytize to me yesterday. Moms brought up the allegation that Satan is the "ruler of the world." I avoided the discussion. What would moms say if I had mentioned that Satan was simply "hassatan" (Hebrew for accuser or adversary) prior to his meteoric rise as the cosmic villain in the Christian Greek Scriptures (so-called "New Testament")? Of course, much of the character development of Satan occurred during the Intertestimental Period when Judaism became entrenched in apocalyptic traditions. Even Molech was considered an incarnation of Satan. Had I engaged in a such a discussion, moms would have concluded that I was "demon possessed."

That, of course, brings me hastily to a topic that I have been pondering ... the existence of spirit creatures (i.e., angels, archangels, seraphim, cherubim). In the Good Book, spirit beings were created by the Almighty and exist in the spirit realm (i.e., "Heaven"). The spirit realm supposedly transcends the physical realm. In other words, the spirit realm is not limited by space-time (where "space" is defined as "displacement") constraints. In my previous discussion in the "blog" of May 26th about outer space (or deep space), I made the assertion that the latter is such a realm. If we remove the stars, planets, space debris, cosmic gasses, and all physical matter, then we will be left with nothing ... an infinite, dimensionless, timeless, and dark void. Is the physical universe sitting inside the spirit realm? I believe so.

I do not know whether spirit creatures actually exist because I do not know whether the Creator is also the God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Oddly, we humans have a desire to develop "spirituality." We wish to commune with some higher power in the spirit realm. I am not even certain if that is at all possible. I had often thought that we have a life force, or soul, within us. My prior assumption, along with various religious fanatics, is that the soul has the potential to surpass the physical realm. However, unlike the dispensationalists, I do not assume the soul to be immortal. Frankly, what I am understanding is that the soul is intimately tied to our physical bodies, primarily the brain. Any damage to the brain (i.e., physical or psychological trauma) will severely alter the characteristics of our soul (e.g., memory, language, senses, thinking processes, etc.). Thus, the logic of the soul being kindred to the spirit is seemingly nonsensical.

Humans have attempted to become more "spiritual" through a variety of rituals. Mendicance, poverty, and punishment are the means which foolish humans have attempted to strip themselves of all aspects of the material and physical world in order to better commune with the spiritual world. We are subconsciously attempting to return to nothing, the same nothing that comprises deep space. Yet, that time certainly comes quick enough as we grow older and without much effort. We came from nothing, and we will return to nothing.

I am now wondering whether we are really capable of attaining the elusive spirituality that we seek. After all, we are physical beings who were placed in a physical world. The Creator insured that we were given everything to survive and thrive. Denying ourselves of our physical and material needs makes no sense. And, we were not given extraordinary powers to transcend human consciousness. Is the search for spirituality just a "wild goose chase"?

And, what of the soul itself? I am beginning to believe that our souls are unrecoverable once we pass on. Our awareness and consciousness appears to derive from a combination of our sensory experiences, our memory, our emotions, and our language ... all of which are intimately tied to the physical world and our physiology. That is the way the Creator made us.

Most likely, our spirituality must encompass our earthly existence. We have an internal moral code in the form of our conscience. Thus, spirituality deals with our deeds and actions during our short tenure. We can only answer to ourselves. Obviously, we would have our hands full just trying to make our paltry lives worthwhile and fruitful. Perhaps that is all the Creator intended for us.

Soft Reset

Another day in Hawai'i Kai ... moms and I made the usual rounds at Longs® in Kuapa Kai and Foodland in Koko Marina. For lunch, moms served lamp-baked chicken, ahi sashimi, fresh vegetables, and rice. For dessert, moms served Foremost® coffee ice cream. Needless to say, I was stuffed.

I kept moms company until 1:30pm. Then, I drove my Nissan® Frontier truck back to Koko Marina, but I could not find shaded parking. So, I was off to Koko Head Park. At 2:15pm, I returned to Koko Marina. I finally found shaded parking and walked to the gym. I logged 75 minutes of cardio time. Then, I shopped at Foodland. Since I was still full from lunch, my dinner consisted of lettuce salad mix (with no dressing, naturally), a banana, an orange, and a small package of Nabisco® Teddy Grahams®.

Moms had mentioned that my bro has been somewhat cranky lately. He's been giving everyone a hard time, especially his wife. I told moms that my bro is probably stressed out. When my bro and I used to talk with each more often (right after pops passed on), he often told me that he was suffering from stress. Well, he has hella more gray hair than I do, and he's ten years younger. Sheesh! "If he's cranky now, wait until he's my age," I said to moms. To his credit, my bro is not prone to explosive violence like the ol' lavahead. Neither is he suffering from heart palpitations.

Dung Heap

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday was relegated to the dung heap. The routine was the same. The highlight of the day occurred when I espied the hottie gym trainer. Baby has not been seen at the gym for many weeks. Was baby looking hot? Does the ol' lavahead have an oversized cranium? Once again, I increased my cardio workout to 70 minutes. However, I have not seen any decrease in heart palpitations.

My return to Slob Manor at 4:15pm was uneventful. My usual ordeal with riding mass transportation is not worthy of mention, at least for today. As soon as I set foot in my squalid room, I opted to perform the dreaded laundry chores with no interference from any kind of foolishness. I piddled around for the rest of the afternoon. I was looking for things that I could destroy and discard. Nada. However, I happened to find some low fat, low cholesterol dietary information given to me by my former doctor (under my defunct healthcare plan). Whoa! Almost everything that I eat for food is actually prohibited. And, I am not simply eating junk food. As you may recall, I have a high cholesterol problem. I am just wondering about how much damage I have done in the last few years. I may have made quite a mess (i.e., dung heap) of my health regardless of my gym tenure.

Rampage: Aftermath

Last night, my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer was giving me grief. Well, I should say that Ubuntu Linux was giving me grief. I came very close to thrashing the computer as I did my Rubbermaid® cooler. I am quite sick and tired of my useless possessions. For example, I have a whole plastic bag full of battery chargers, adapters, and connecting cables for my crappy Nokia® cell phone and my Palm® TX. Sometimes I just want to dump it all in the trash can.

My latent hostility to materialism stems from my own foolish foray into the realm of the "ownership" society. I had a very good opportunity to get out cleanly after I sold the townhouse (i.e., Chez Loser) in Kane'ohe. Instead, I made the dumbest move in my lifetime. Yes, I invested in the "condotel" unit, although I was fully aware that I was moving into uncharted territory (i.e., pending economic collapse). I was not ignorant, mind you. I had a decent plan, but that plan fell apart.

Of course, what can I say? A mendicant life is simply futile in a God-less world. If the Almighty does not exist, then there is no purpose in pursuing any "virtues." This is a material, physical world. Without the existence of Divine Will, we are free to pursue our material desires to any extent. There's no need to "store treasures in Heaven" if the place does not exist. I am sure that the actual Creator (not the Almighty) realized all of that. Why else would humans have been created in a material world?

For some reason, I am an enigma of the Creation. I do not want to indulge in materialism. I do not want to be dependent on crap that I do not need. I do not want to be buried in paperwork in order to maintain my "ownership" status. I also do not care to be socially engaged. I have no need for friends, a babe, or any other human relationships. I can deal with informal acquaintanceships. That's it. Thus, I will have no obligation to anyone, and vice versa. I do not have to deal with trust issues either.

Renunciation of both material and social contexts places me in the middle of an unnerving conundrum. Exactly why am I here? What kind of spirituality can I attain if the Almighty does not exist and the Creator refuses to communicate? Should I waste my time with useless human philosophy? What purpose would that serve, other than obfuscate that which I seek?

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day, another day of endless heart palpitations. The routine was the same nonetheless. At the gym, I opted to increase my cardio time from 45 minutes to a whopping 70 minutes. I am still not getting my heart rate above 130 bpm. However, that's probably fine. I don't really need to experience a cardiac event while I am at the gym. Sheesh! Because I spent more time at the gym, I arrived back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) about 30 minutes later than usual.

Another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening awaits me. I have been trying to relax by listening to my favorite Deep House Cat mixes on my Palm® TX. Just before I go to sleep in my pathetic sleeping bag on my squalid bed, I usually devote at least 30 minutes exclusively just to listen to music. That's about the only time in the whole day when I have some semblance of peace of mind. Sadly, though, the rubber hinge for the leather screen cover on my Palm® TX had deteriorated. Because I was still affected by the rampage of yesterday, I forcefully tore off the screen cover and threw it in the trash can. My Palm® TX, however, survived unscathed.

Rampage

I neglected to mention that I transferred $1,700 from my investment accounts to my local bank to cover last month's expenses. That pretty much ruined my urban nomad kind-of-an-evening. The stock market is soaring, but I refuse to invest any money in it. I am, however, planning to transfer some of my IRA money market fund balance to my IRA diversified bond account.

I was on my way to Hawai'i Kai at 9am this morning in my Nissan® Frontier truck. I brought my beloved Rubbermaid® cooler with me. Moms was home when I arrived. Moms and I only made the rounds in Koko Marina ... lunch at Yummy's and grocery shopping at Foodland. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee and vanilla ice cream for dessert. I kept moms company until 1:15pm.

I drove straight to Koko Marina, found shaded parking, walked to the gym, performed more than my usual workout (despite recurring heart palpitations), shopped at Foodland, and returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). When I opened the rear cab door of my truck, my $25 Rubbermaid® cooler fell onto the driveway. I perused the cooler to find that a small section of the cover was bruised by the concrete. However, I erupted in a fit of rage that bordered on insanity. I destroyed the cooler by repeatedly throwing it to the ground. Then, I tore apart the cracked cooler with my bare hands. I am surprised that I did not experience a cardiac event given the recurring heart palpitations during the state of rampage.

Later, I wanted to break down and weep because I destroyed my beloved Rubbermaid® cooler. I took very good care of the cooler. I also stored a few dry food items in the cooler. Now, the food is lying on the floor in my squalid room. I won't be replacing the cooler. I cannot afford another one. Believe it or not, I had intrusive thoughts about destroying all of my other useless possessions. I wanted to break everything apart and throw all of the junk into the trash can. I even wanted to take a sledgehammer to my Nissan® Frontier truck. Frankly, I have a feeling that I will end up launching into an extremely destructive tirade within the coming months or weeks. I shudder to even think about it.

Stress & Palpitations

Oh man, can you believe that I endured another urban nomad kind-of-a-day? And, I did not "keel over" despite the continuing heart palpitation problem. I am beginning to suspect that stress is at the bottom of my recent cardiac issues. Diet is, of course, secondary. However, stress is what usually causes a person to assume unhealthy diets.

And, what is causing stress for most people (i.e., peons) today? Money. Dinero. Cabbage. Mullah. Need I say more? Thanks to that asswipe Bernanke at the Fed, dickhead Geitner at Treasury, and the rest of Obama's merry band of thieves, the rank-and-file peons are being robbed blind. Ever since my emancipation from wage slavery, I was supposed to be leading the life of the quintessential AARP® member. Instead, I am on the verge of becoming homeless and eating canned cat food to survive. I am about ready to go on a homicidal rampage, but I won't be targeting abortion clinic doctors or same-sex union advocates.

My religious research could also be the source of undue duress. In the course of four months, I have covered a lot of material, much of it being quite disillusioning. Imagine if I had been a religious fanatic and discovered all of the inconsistencies in the Good Book. In fact, I may have to take a brief hiatus from my research. Or, I will have to slow down the pace in order to remain sane.

Once again, at the gym, I maintained my usual workout. I have increased the intensity of my cardio workouts. Yet, I was still not able to get my heart rate above 130 bpm. After a quick mental calculation, I realized that 130 bpm is in the "safe" target heart rate range for my age. I'm not a Spring Chicken anymore. I cannot "push the envelope" to 180+ bpm as I did in the good ol' days.

Since there is nothing else to discuss, I will include a reprise of one of our all-time Persian favorites, Aylar Lie. I am too fatigued to search for new hottie image files, what with the heart palpitations and all. Sheesh!

Palpitations

"Kim Jong-il has picked his time well. Iraq is heating up again. At least fifty thousand US troops are slated to remain there at least until 2011. The war in Afghanistan and now Pakistan – or Afpak – is going very badly for the US, which is rushing more troops there. Washington has provoked a volcanic upheaval in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province. The US is bankrupt and living on borrowed money. What better time to show who is really boss on the Korean Peninsula." -- Eric Margolis (Information Clearinghouse site)

Yet another hot urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... same ol' shit. Nothing eventful occurred. I was able to restore my monk haircut at the Institute of Hair Design. That's about as good as it gets. So far, no cardiac event has besieged me, even though the heart palpitations continued almost non-stop all day. Even at the gym, I continue to perform my usual workouts with little regard for the possibility that I could "keel over" at any moment.

Hot & Blasé

Another hot and stuffy urban nomad kind-of-a-day has come to pass. Nothing unusual occurred. No deviation from the standard itinerary happened. No cardiac event transpired even amidst almost non-stop heart palpitations all day.

At the library, I completed reading the book, "The Birth of Satan," by Wray & Mobley. I have commenced reading, "The Origin of Satan," by Elaine Pagels. Let me just preface any future commentary by stating that, from the Scriptural evidence alone, the personification of Satan is most likely a big farce.

I had an interesting ride home (term used loosely) on the Route 1L bus. The afternoon bus has been packed with idiots ever since petrol prices skyrocketed to $2.79 per gallon (for lowest octane), now the highest price in the empire. Two scrubby characters sat next to me on the long bench seat at the rear of the bus. They were talking about the police and other such matters, which confirmed their scrubbiness. One of them alighted just past Kahala. The other guy then started chatting with me. He even offered me a swig of his bottle of vodka. I politely refused. After giving me a couple of "fist bumps¹," he said farewell as he staggered off the bus at the Aina Haina Shopping Center. Another passenger turned to me and said, "That guy is really hammered. You must have had a fun ride with them." I told him that his buddy had kept him company for most of the ride. He added, "They just got out of jail. Did you hear them?" Yeah, I said, it looks like they are dying to go back in. We both laughed. Blasé is as blasé does.

¹Fist bump, an alternative to a "high five" or handshake, according to the Urban Dictionary site.

Temerity

I was on my way to Hawai'i Kai in my Nissan® Frontier truck at 9am this morning. Moms was home when I arrived. The itinerary was the same as last Friday except that moms and I ate lunch at Zippy's. Since we all know the drill already, I won't repeat the mundane details.

Moms mentioned that Aunty Maria was stricken by a bad bout pneumonia recently. Aunty Maria had to call Uncle Take and Aunty Jane to assist her. Apparently, Uncle Take and Aunty Jane had to carry Aunty Maria downstairs from her townhouse and drive her to the hospital. Aunty Maria is 80 years old, according to moms.

Incidentally, I have been experiencing the same heart palpitations that last appeared over four years ago. The details are in the old journal. You may recall that I had to wear a Holter heart monitor and, after a screw-up of unusual proportions, I was never contacted or told about the test results. Since then, I have lost my mediocre healthcare benefits. Presently, the heart palpitations seem to occur only when my heartbeat is accelerated above the baseline. I have monitored my pulse at my wrist and noticed that, during the palpitations, there is no heartbeat. I have also observed that my blood circulation is worsening. I often experience either numbness or a tingling sensation in my arms and legs if I am sitting or lying down for a period of time. Of course, my diet has worsened over the last four years, too. My exercise regimen, particularly cardio, is not as strenuous as it used to be. I have been asking for trouble, and I may have gotten my wish.

I have neglected to mention my day-to-day run-ins with morons and fools and my invocation of Lou's School of Etiquette as a response. Believe me, I have had several such incidents daily. My view of general stupidity and troglodyte behavior is changing in almost direct proportion to the dwindling credibility of the Good Book. The issue, of course, is still theodicy. The main problem, after discounting "good" and "evil," is to identify what was the Creator's real purpose for humans. If Satan was merely the Israelite priest-prophet's way of assigning the causes of "evil" to another entity outside of God, then "evil" must be revisited for what it is ... one of the states of nature of the human mind. I am not really buying into the latter idea easily. After all, "evil" is both synergistic and mortally damaging. There is a lot of pain and suffering that results from "evil." Sometimes that pain and suffering cascades in an avalanche-like fashion, consuming everyone and everything in sight. To say that "evil" is merely one of the bipolar states of human nature is essentially morally repugnant.

I am enjoying the comments on the now-autonomous message boards. I am personally refraining from joining the discussions because that would ruin the "conversation." I did not foresee the return of the message boards, by the way. After several attempts to terminate the ForumCo account, I discovered that account termination is impossible.

I read with interest Urban Coyote's comments in the message boards about my emancipation from wage slavery. Sadly, almost daily, I am confronted with the pathetic realization that I will be forced to return to wage slavery ... minimum wage slavery at that ... in order to survive. The moneychangers and powers-that-be have accomplished their nefarous goal to enslave us all. My investment accounts are slowly yielding close to nothing each month (see Financial Report below). Before the year is over, I believe that money will be deducted from the principal balance as a result of negative interest rates. That's right, I will be paying my investment bank to hold my money and rob me at the same time. Will I end up like Lester Burnham¹?

What really gets to me, by the way, is how these typical "American" morons and fools get their ire up over an abortion clinic doctor. Then, the psychos actually devote the time and energy to assassinate the target of their hatred. Yet, the moneychangers are robbing us blind, the warmongers prosecute the same filthy wars abroad, the politicians tell the same insidious lies, but they are no one's target. All the anger of these patriotic "Americans" is focused on abortion and same-sex marriages. Typical "church" thinking is the problem. These are the same moronic Christians who tell me that I need to repent, accept Jesus as my Savior, and I will be "saved." The God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam should have intervened a long time ago to put an end to that farce. What does that tell you?

¹Lester Burnham, main character from the film, "American Beauty."