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After reading about certain celebrations held on April 20th of this year 2005, I thought I had to recount my experiences with the date.

A few years back, when I was in college, I had the great honor of learning what 420 meant in and of itself. It seems to me that the exact year may have been 2000, but I’m not sure. I had went over to the apartment of a few friends that I had gone to high school with and had not seen probably since then. Being typical college kids, they were into experiencing all the joys of partying and the like. I just remember a lot of munchies, incessant reruns of SouthPark , and funny shaped metal pipes.

All the guys said they were making a point to stay up to 4:20 am, but were lax on details as to why this was such a crucial time, although it seemed entirely feasible given the male collegiate lifestyle. So, being interested in being part of this endeavor, and having not seen the Southpark movie, I obliged their request to hang out til this time.

Little did I realize until the fateful time arrived that 420 itself was a reference marijuana and that was a universal holiday and reason to light one up. Also how odd that they used those oddly shaped metal pipes to partake in these festivities. Ah, you live, you learn.

This holiday also heightened my awareness of the ‘neat’ graffiti that miracously appeared on Hwy 111 north of Nicollet one year, say sometime in April and was subsiquently redone the next year.

I learned today that Ms. Heidi Klum is expecting baby number two sometime this year with her fiancee Seal (that one-hit wonder singer with that scar upon his face). Sad news indeed. Maybe it’s the whole fact that my favorite supermodel is starting a family. Maybe.

Oh and it seems in vogue now that Britney Spears is also with child via her hubbie as well. Hm… wonder if in 9 months everyone will be toting babies as the new chic accessory?

Seems like alot of persons my age are getting into this fad as well. I wonder what the fuss is all about. And then I get harassed about such things. Lucky for me, I say, I don’t have to worry about a baby or the type of person they generally come from. Lucky me!

Being branded as a Pepsi man since I worked for them a few summers back, I’ve taken a mild interest in the Cola wars and what’s up in that arena. One of the new commercials Coca-Cola is airing on TV grabbed my attention, but I think for the wrong reason. Or wait, is it a cleverly evil ploy to get me to remember it, either way, it worked.

They are advertising for the Coke with Lime, and they sing some stupid jingle, “Put the lime in the Coke, you nut”. While you know it’s stupid that they have to have the word’s displayed Disney-Karoake style, that’s not the worst of it. Their little jingle is even worse. It comes off sounding like you’re putting lime in “the coconut”, which has nothing to do with limes, Cokes, or anything remoting related to their product. If for some reason that had been part of a song of some sort consumers were aware of, it might make sense, but it isn’t a known ditty. It fails miserably.

And for inferring to potential new pop drinkers that they are “nuts”, seems very offputting as well. Maybe Coke ad execs are nuts, certifiably, for coming up with such squallor.

Oh and for the record, lime in cola sucks.

Seems that yet another kid in America has shot up his school and his fellow classmates. Indeed this is sad, but already everyone is looking for excuses for why this happened. Excuses are oh so convenient for the media and the worried mind of middle Americans, asking how such things could happen, with continued repetition throughout the nation, year after year.

It’s convenient that they can dig up underpinnings of racist propaganda,the deviant art or the wearing of a dark trenchcoat. It only seems possible that such people would be so inclined. It wouldn’t be suprising if they uncover that a deep bond with satanic rock music as well. It would work into the picture quite well. It belittles the reasoning behind the actions and desperation that no doubt invades the minds of such school shooters. While they are screaming out for help, those in charge look the other way and dismiss the taunting and other b.s. that no doubt seeded the mind into justifying such actions.

It would not be suprising to find out the same ones emblazoned across the news, that said he was a quiet boy in the corner that no one had any problems with, were the same ones that constantly taunted and picked on him. Little did they know the error of their ways until he decided to unleash all that pent up frustration on the ones that had hurt him for so long. Only they will know trually in their hearts what would cause someone to do such things, but they would dare not say they prevoked him for fear of the reprecussions.

So while eveyone will continue to search for the elusive smoking gun to the reasoning behind such actions, it will be right out there in front of them. But why waste the effort and resources on something that may/may not happen to them. They only live in a small community where this kind of intense hatred and castigation could never ever happen. I’d say it’s more due to short sightedness than the relavent fact that this kind of crap happens everyday in the nation’s schools and only seems to manifest itself in a school shooting or such from time to time.

After spying the Merch Alert! for a free “I love Bloglines” T-Shirt in the post script of Ask Jeeves post of it’s purchase of Bloglines, I emailed away for some free schwag. Little did I know that I would be lucky to recieve said merchanidise, but lo and behold I too got an email from Paul Loeffler at Ask Jeeves like many others on the web have.

But I can confirm that I have indeed recieved the t-shirt as well. Although, one wonders if only said 200 shirts were issued. If it turns out as such, it’s kinda of like being in a secret group where no one knows your name. 🙂

I was amused that Ask Jeeves and Bloglines itself have already been purchased in the amount of time this whole transaction took place. Quite amusing. And probably of little interest to anyone other than myself. But I am a happy user of Bloglines and hope to remain so into the foreseeable future. I guess that’s why this is all so engrossing.