Rebirth . . .

Ahhh . . . . like riding a bicycle for the first time after a long hiatus. I am returning to blogging again. Though not under the nom de blog of TBP. You can find me over at: The Common Offense. I hope you will join us.

The Time Has Come . . .

My dear readers:

The Bushwick Papers has made the jump over to TypePad. We're still working out the bugs and exploring all the bells and whistles but TBP is excited about the change. Please check it out at the New & Improved Bushwick Papers.

Adios Blog*Spot.

UPJ Protest March

Well yesterday, waking slowly in a Gin induced haze (my girlfriend & I went to our friend's wedding the evening before) we geared up to meet our fellow protest crew at the designated meeting spot at Columbus Circle. Our group about 16 strong then headed to the UPJ march entry point on 7th Ave. and 14th St. From there we rotted in the sun for about an hour and a half until the march actually commenced. [Note: As I'm stilling having technical difficulties, I cannot (yet) post pictures but check out callalillie for her great photos of the march.] The crowds were teeming with people of all sizes, ages, races, and dispositions. Many were in costume, some were socialists, some were radicals, but perhaps the fair majority were just regular folks, like me, who wanted to visibly express their indignation with the policies of the Bush Administration. It was a long day — though I confess we only marched from 14th Street to 34th Street. That portion of the march took just under 4 hours! Our small group (now only 7 strong) had the march truncated since (a) we were all tired, hungover, and sunburned; (b) the march was temporarily halted because someone set their Green Dragon float on fire; and (c) we were hungry and wanted a beer. We all escaped via subway to an Irish Pub to discuss politics and the march. We agreed that despite the few idiots in the crowd, it was very peaceful and a great event. Since this was my first large-scale rally/protest I was hoping for some meaningful insight into the event. Frankly, I came away with the notion that we live in a truly divided land. Sure, I live in the bastion of liberalism (that has become the unwitting host for the RNC), which was pretty much reflected in the varying agendas of the marchers. However, there are still millions (perhaps half the country) that are for Bush and the Neo-cons. The few counter-protesters that I saw were a rather timid bunch. But in the next few days as the convention gets into full swing, I look forward to the rhetoric, lies, and propaganda coming out of the convention and Fox News. I still think there must be some bridge of issues to reach out across the aisle and work with the Republicans. But for now, from what I witnessed yesterday, that bridge may be a bridge too far.

What's the Matter with the New York Times?

Listening to Air America Radio this morning discussing the interview of George W. Bush by the NY Times I listened in disbelief. Then I read the interview and saw that the opening line was that Bush

[D]id not believe Senator John Kerry lied about his war record, but he declined to condemn the television commercial paid for by a veterans group alleging that Mr. Kerry came by his war medals dishonestly.

As if we aren't already tired of this (discredited) story. But then, in the 5th paragraph of the article — for the first time ever

Mr. Bush also acknowledged for the first time that he made a "miscalculation of what the conditions would be'' in postwar Iraq. But he insisted that the 17-month-long insurgency that has upended the administration's plans for the country was the unintended by-product of a "swift victory'' against Saddam Hussein's military, which fled and then disappeared into the cities, enabling them to mount a rebellion against the American forces far faster than Mr. Bush and his aides had anticipated.

How come this revelation didn't make the headline?? Boy those NY Times editors sure got the heads up their asses. Don't want to piss the President (or Karl Rove) off otherwise they'll stop talking to us. Ummm. Hmmmm. Let's see how many interviews has the Times done with Bush. Zero?? Could the Times be anymore cut off? Nice job fellas.

Navy Records Support John Kerry's Story

I haven't weighed in on this debate at TBP, but this report by MSNBC Online indicates that U.S. Navy records appear to support Kerry's version of the circumstances in which he won his military awards. I find it hard to believe that any of the committed voters at this point will be swayed away from their already made up decision of who to cast a ballot for. The great "uncommitted middle" surely can't be that stupid either and believe the crap that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (sic) are dispelling. Can they??

R.N.C. Protest

With so much going on in the next few days in anticipation of the Republican National Convention in N.Y.C., it will be very interesting to see what transpires at these events. I really hope all the events will be peaceful, meaningful expressions. Sadly, I'm sure there will be the ignorant cells of "anarchists" who's acts of destruction will steal away the litany of legitimate messages that will be on display throughout the next week. My friends and I will be attending the United for Peace and Justice March on Sunday. I plan on taking many photos and describing what I see, here on The Bushwick Papers. If you are planning to protest sometime this week, a great legal resource for preparation is the National Lawyers Guild. There are links to all sorts of information including what your rights are and things to bring with you if you protest.

For the record, I am not protesting the act of the Republican Convention in it self. My beef is many faceted. Primarily, I am appalled that the Republican leaders have chosen N.Y.C. as the site for this year's Convention in order to shroud themselves in the afterglow of 9-11. While they have scaled back all the original proposed events (including Bush visiting Ground Zero before he accepts the nomination), the fact that they are still holding it here is too close for my taste. Moreover, I am protesting the hypocrisy ("the economy is strong") of the Administration (e.g., Bush claiming that he's a "uniter, not a divider") and degradation of our civil rights and the deplorable state of American foreign policy. 4 more years would be intolerable. Anyway, that's my abridged reason for protesting. I close with a quote that will be bandied about frequently in the following days:

Bill of Rights

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Iraq Bound

My brother is shipping out tomorrow morning for Iraq. As I have noted in other posts, he is a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Marine Corps based with the 1st Marine Division out of Camp Pendleton, San Diego, California. We spoke last night, just for a little bit since he still had a lot of loose ends to tie up. He's a man of few words, but he did acknowledge that he's both excited and scared about what he'll experience over there. My understanding is that he'll only be there for 7 to 8 months — which is fine by my family. He'll be attached to an HQ company as the logistics officer for his battalion. I hope that means he'll not be exposed to too much enemy contact. My brother is rather apolitical and joined up for mostly for the adventure, camaraderie, and to be part of something bigger than himself. I hope he finds what he's looking for. May he (as well as the rest of our troops) get home safe and soon.

Blogger Hell

Ever since that damn new Blogger NavBar appeared, I have been having a horrendous time trying to repair the style problems it has caused with my template (see above). I have tried 1000 things using CSS and HTML all to no avail. The solution is likely something so simple and stupid. Grrrrrrrrr. Sadly my programming skills are pretty low.

Motor Vehicle Inspection — State Operated Scam

The great misfortune that was the beginning of my weekend, was that I decided to get my scrappy 'lil shitbox of a car inspected at the thieving gas station/repair shop near home. The problem was that I had let the old inspection expire, so I was a bit desperate. I figured I'd zip on over to the garage early Friday morning, drop off the car (why I need to drop the car off is beyond me when the process takes about 15 minutes) grab breakfast, rot for an hour, come back, pay the fee ($37 in New York), retrieve the car and be off to work in Connecticut. But that was not to be.

I (well, my car) failed the NY State inspection. It turns out the problem was with my front pipe: it was rusted out and leaking exhaust. But I passed every other part of the inspection. OK. So, I'll just get the front pipe replaced? Right? Wrong. You see because I just had to buy a Daewoo, the front pipe is part of an entire one piece exhaust/anti-pollution system that has to be replaced together. I had my Dad do a little research for me — to get a new unit it could cost upwards of $750! But, my Daewoo is only worth about $1000. Oh well, F*ck you, pay me! The oh so kind garage man (Gunay), smiling at the news of my failure (I guess his kids are going to college after all!) called around to find out which parts dealer has the obscure Daewoo part. Turns out that Gunay was useless. He never got back to me with an estimate of repairs (I had since gone home to figure out what to do and call in "sick" to work). Moreover, he couldn't do the job nor could he fix it so that I could pass the inspection (75% of the time the car sits in a garage; it's my station vehicle). So after having a nice sandwich of ham cappy and provelone, I called the local Meineke Car Care Centers. What a shady outfit. I told the mechanic (Alex) my problem and what I wanted to do. "Sure, sure we can help, bring her down," said Alex. In Brooklyn along 4th Avenue every other shop is an auto repair or auto related store (or chop shop). Alex puts my Daewoo on the lift, and I can see the damage. So miniscule it was. Alex explains that the exhaust system is "a very expensive one" because of the "flex pipes" (Damn Daewoo engineers!), perhaps around $500/$600. "Look, I just want this to pass the inspection, I'm gonna blow the car up in a year." Alex replied "Well, we can take out the front flex pipe and weld in a new one for $190." "$190?" "Yeah, $190." Hmm, I thought, doing the quick cost/benefit analysis one usually does in these on-the-spot moments. "Do it," I said. And that was it. For about $10 a minute, Alex fixed the problem, and the car passed its inspection when I went back to Gunay (though he charged me an additional $20 to do the re-inspection. Gunay explained, to my outrage, that he "made no money on the deal since he didn't do the repairs." Whatever, state-licensed scam man. Net net, I got off cheap. For about $260 (and only 1 missed day of work) I got my car inspected, fixed (it runs quieter now), and have learned a few lessons:

First, when you are poor (relatively speaking), you get screwed more often than the jet-set class. With the built-in obsolesence of most products, second-hand means second-rate; you might save in the initial purchase, but in the long run, you'll pay out your blow hole. Second, the NYS Inspection System has established a cottage industry of state sanctioned con-artistry. The inspection stations run your motor vehicle through this sophisticated, expensive system to insure a vehicle is deemed "safe" and compliance with federal pollution regulations. (Gee, I though all cars manufactured or imported already have to comply with safety standards?!) When you fail, which many older cars inevitably do, the repair shop/inspection station gets to run up a repair bill ($75/hour for labor alone) that could bankrupt a small nation. Moreover, every 12 months motor vehicles have to go through this procedure. What a crock-of-sh*t. Finally, I learned that in order to comply with the law, I had to break it. Sure, according the the rules I was supposed to get a new exhaust system — even though my car didn't truly need a new one. So in order to pass the inspection, while not having to forego rent, I was forced to pull a shim-sham. I can't wait until next year.

Al Qaeda & the Madrid Bombings

A few days ago I finally got around to reading a recent New Yorker article on the Madrid Commuter Train Bombings. I commend it to all; it's a facinating piece and it'll scare the crap out of you.

Professor Bush on Sovereign Tribes

Since my move I haven't had reliable or regular internet service (Damn Verizon!), thus explaining the lack of posts. Tonight I hope to be up and running.

In the meantime, the NY Times reports that George W. Bush is heading out west to campaign. However, they note that Bush Leaves Behind Giggling Democrats as He Hits Trail. In the article there is a link to an audio of W answering a journalist's question on what he thinks about Native American tribal sovereignty in the 21st century (clearly a big issue in many of the states he'll be visiting this week). The answer is priceless.

Great Collection of Iraq Maps

I stumbled upon a great collection of maps of all types for Iraq.

U-Brawl

Let the record reflect, my moving experience did not go well. At all. I'll be detailing this saga tomorrow.

ADDENDUM, Aug. 3, 2004.

Carting one's sh*t from one abode to another is never fun. This is especially so in New York City where parking in front of your building is always a nightmare and the expense of renting a moving truck is sky high. To top it off, this move (leaving Chelsea to go to Park Slope) makes my 11th move (not counting college). Not to mention the countless times I assisted others in their moving endeavors. I generally have not had problems with the truck rental companies. Although each time I did rent from them, there was always a livid customer in the store shouting with the manager over some mess up. This was now my time for pain. Recognizing that my move will coincide with the end of the month, I booked my 14' U-Haul truck about a month in advance. I confirmed the pick up and time (Sat., July 31st, 8 AM) a week in advance. I even called 24 hours before to re-confirm. I even got to the location early 7:25 AM. I did what I was supposed to do. What is inexplicable to me is how they still screw you anyway. The "they" being U-Haul. At the U-Haul Center of Chelsea I entered Dante's Inferno. Despite all my assurances that the truck would be available for me at my reservation time, U-Haul branch manager, Sandy Singh, informed me that my reservation was for 3:30 PM that afternoon "Because that's what the computer says!" Attempting to inform her that "no, I have an 8 AM reservation" I began to feel all eyes in the place on me (there were about 30 people on line waiting for their trucks). Sandy Singh then blasted me to go away and come back at 3:30 PM. We went back and forth but to no avail. I felt so powerless. She simply yelled "NEXT!" and I was history. There was another woman in the place who also had the same dilemma. According to my sister-in-law not only has this happened to her before, but it happens all the time with U-Haul. It must be a pattern and practice of over-booking reservations and then randomly bumping people. Jeez! What the hell was I going to do? I had my brother (coming in from Connecticut) and my roommate and girlfriend were all coming to help me that morning. They (as was I) were expecting to be done at 3:30 PM. I called the 1-800 number to find out what happened to my reservation. Apparently, I was told, someone at the 23rd Street Branch changed my reservation from 8 AM to 3:30 PM. The operator could tell me who. So I went back into see Sandy Singh and tell her this new revelation. We got into another screaming match with her denying that anyone changed the reservation. I felt like choking her, which is eventually why I left. It was 8:05 AM. Meanwhile, I had to sit and rot for 6 hours until, my unscheduled reservation time. The day was already getting long. It was also, to date, the hottest, most humid day of the Summer. Other fun: my car was towed by the NYC Traffic Violations Bureau. I had to pay $185 to retrieve it (and I got a $65 ticket). When I eventually moved, we didn't finish until almost 9 PM. It cost me $125 + $31 in gas. Miserable. I plan on writing to U-Haul to try and get some money back. In the meantime, take my advice, if you gotta move on your own, DON"T USE U-HAUL.

Moving Day! T-minus 1 day . . .

Tomorrow I'm moving (back) to Brooklyn. So the posts will be sparse for a few days. I really can't wait to move in the humidity. It'll be so much fun.

The Best I've Ever Seen (or Heard)

Last night at the Democratic National Convention, Illinois State Senator Barack Obama addressed the crowd of delegates and the nation in support of John Kerry & John Edwards. It was amazing; truly one of the finest political orations I have ever seen or heard. Read the speech and see for yourself — this is a man who will be going places.

Text of Barack Obama's Remarks to the Democratic National Convention, courtesy of the NY Times.

New Ideas, Fresh Blood and the Democratic Party

This article in the Washington Post, SEIU Chief Says the Democrats Lack Fresh Ideas, I believe cuts straight to the core of, unfortunately, one of the many problems with my political party today (e.g., DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe needs to go). I commend this article to you. The party structure is, in many respects, antiquated and sclerotic — a throwback to the 19th Century. Many of the planks in the party's 2004 platform are gussied-up versions of old favorites. Not that many of them are not worthwhile; they are. But I echo the sentiments of Andrew Stern, President of the SEIU:

[T]he party and its longtime ally, the labor movement, are "in deep crisis," devoid of new ideas and working with archaic structures. . . . Stern argued that Kerry's election might stifle needed reform within the party and the labor movement. He said he still believes that Kerry overall would make a better president than President Bush, and his union has poured huge resources into that effort. But he contends that Kerry's election would have the effect of slowing the "evolution" of the dialogue within the party.

I disagree with what must be the logical follow on to Stern's argument: that the Republicans could furnish needed reform in the economy and within big labor (and perhaps in a mini-revolution within the Democratic party should they lose this November). Stern does acknowledge that Kerry is the better candidate, however you can tell that his heart is not into him (after all the SEIU did endorse Howard Dean before his implosion earlier this year).

Stern is essentially advocating that the Democrats as an organization and institution are incapable of true robust and imaginative change. This, I reluctantly embrace. Many in the party are supporting Kerry since he represents the best chance of beating Bush. And this is the nexus of the problem. Democrats are not so much as voting for John Kerry as they are voting against George W. Bush. We as Democrats need to ask ourselves if we will be committed to growth and change once we recapture the White House. Or will we just go about our business of repairing the damage that W and the neocon's have wrought over the last 4 years? We really need to do both.

DNC Convention 2004

The 2004 Democratic National Convention begins today in Boston (Damn Red Sox!). By all accounts John Kerry's acceptance speech on the last day will be very important as he sets out why American's should vote for him and not merely against George W. Bush. It's should be a very interesting week with all the analysis, speeches, commentary, and politics. In particular, I am very excited about tomorrow night's keynote address by Barack Obama. He's a bright star candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois. He's running for retiring Sen. Peter Fitzgerald's (R) seat — so a victory by Obama will give the Democrats a gain in the Senate. I heard Obama yesterday on Meet the Press and was thoroughly impressed (I was introduced to Barack Obama in a great story in The New Yorker awhile back). Candidates like Obama give me hope that the future of this nation's political life isn't so bleak.

Isn't this rich!

The NY Times has reported that the GOP is now spinning the 9-11 Commision's soon-to-be-released report on pre-attack intelligence. The essence is that the report covers 8 years of the Clinton Administration and 8 months of the Bush Administration. Therefore since A=B and B=C, it must be that A=C. By gum! How do they do it!? They take credit for the robust actions and successes by the Clinton-built military but they deflect and punt criticism of the intelligence community back to the endemic problems that have long been a part of that agency since Allen Dulles sparred with J. Edgar Hoover. Moore to the point, those jackasses at 1600 Pennsylvania and the O.E.O.B. are the ones that practically ordered that the Bush intelligence community find justifications for their ill-advised and unpopular war in Iraq and for not heeding Richard Clark's (and others) warnings that bin Laden was planning an attack on U.S. soil. Gimme a break! November 9th can't come soon enough.

The Fourth Estate

My feelings for the press have always been a mixed bag.  A free and independent press is vital in the service of democracy.  However, in our contemporary Western society, global corporate media giants have a definite agenda, which they exercise with ever more subtlety (and in some cases overtly).  This is why I shudder at the suggestion that the U.S. press is beginning to slowly push stories of violence in Iraq into the background.  Josh Marshall in his blog Talking Points Memo links to a Washington Post story by Jim Hoagland, which also mentions the beginning of the boredom of the American Press with Iraq.  The kicker is that this boredom is related to the upcoming Presidential elections:  the Bush administration's tarnished image; 9-11 Commission and Senate Intelligence Committee Reports decrying connections of Iraq to al Qaeda; No WMDs found, lost American (and Iraqi civilian) lives; Osama bin Laden (and Co.) still at-large &#8212 the list could go on.  The "free and independent press," for the most part, has been reluctant to criticize this Administration for fear (rightly so) of being frozen out of White House access, thus affecting the media-giants' bottom line (a no-no in any corporate enterprise).    I read a half-dozen or so new papers on-line just to get a basic, non-biased idea of the "facts."  I turn to many non-traditional sources (blogs) for news and analysis as well.  I have friends that are going to be journalists and I also know a few practicing journalists.  I have a lot of respect for the profession in general.  But my esteem has long been eroding. 
 
I really wish some journalists (clearly not the Fox News/NY Post  hacks), who believe they have a public duty (and maintain professional integrity), would show some frickin' stones.  Make sure the public doesn't loose sight of what is going on in the Middle East and in Washington, DC and resist the corporate editorializing and influence by the White House Press Shop.  Keep this news on the front pages.  Challenge us.  That's what I want as a citizen and consumer of mass media. 

Out of Touch

Give me a break. W and his campaign cohorts are "blasting" John Kerry for comments made by Hollywood Actors during a fund-raiser last week. Essentially, Bush is stating at his rallies that Kerry is not in touch with the people of America. Now, if I recall correctly, until John Kerry started breaking records in terms of raising cash for the Democrats, Bush was raking in the dough while courting his industrial billionaires and corporate elites. Recently I saw the Michael Moore film Fahrenheit 9/11 with my Dad, while visiting him in Arizona. In it Moore shows a scene where W addressing the audience of wealthy men and women, all dressed in black tie and evening gowns, states (paraphrase): "Some people call you the elite, I call you my base." Ok, so tell me, how does the son of a very wealthy former President, who was born with a silver spoon up his ass, relate to the regular guy? He really doesn't. But the rhetoric of the GOP and their well-financed spin (propaganda) machines are able to convince Joe Six-pack that Bush is looking out for them. Sadly, a lot of these deluded men and women are going to wake up one day and realize they've been bamboozled ( Hey where's my tax break? Whoops, sorry you only get one if you're a millionaire. But thanks for your vote, here's a lolly.) The Democrats need to get off their duffs and start CAMPAIGNING on real issues — foreign policy, health care, and economic justice. You gotta love Bush's hypocrisy.

Height of shamelessness.

An innocent story from today's Wash. Post described one of the most alarming political contemplations I have ever heard of: Lawmaker Doubts U.S. Warnings of Possible Attack to Stop Elections. I cannot believe the audacity of this Administration. The mere fact they are contemplating an election postponement in the event of a terrorist attack "on or near" election day has me wondering how nervous they are about the Democratic ticket. True, if an attack occurred on election day, my guess is that many folks would simply stay home. In other words voter turn out would be even lower than it normally is. On the other hand, people in a fit of patriotism might fly in the face of a terrorist, threatening their civic right as a citizen in a free society to cast a ballot, and vote in large numbers. In fact a pre-election attack could actually assist Bush and Co. In any case, I don't like any talk of moving or postponing the election. We've never in American history had to do this before and I do not believe that any circumstances that exist today warrant such discussion, save an alien invasion.

Cannon's Pub

Yesterday, I read in the NY Times that one of my favorite haunts from grad school Cannon's Pub will be closing its doors this week, possibly for good. The demise of yet another old school neighborhood bar to make way for something modern breaks my heart. An old bar is like a time machine, where conceivably you could be sitting on the same barstool that your grandfather or great uncle sat long ago. The conversations over time are usually about the same things: sports, politics, the neighborhood, the economy, and women. The old places are great, especially where the old timers and the young hang out together, each adding their own unique view and class to the joint. When I lived at West End Avenue and 103rd Street, Cannon's was one of the favorite watering holes. I was bummed when I found out a few years back that they razed the old brick-front entrance and replaced it with a yuppie glass facade; the sunlight killing the hidden, smokey world of afternoon booze hounds. Since I returned to NYC I have only made it up there once or twice, and I'm not sure I'll be able to have one last drink before Thursday's closing. I think I prefer to remember the place the last time I was there with a few friends — liquor permeating the air, uproarious, and full of Columbia students and locals — and everyone having a good time.

New Home, New Roomate.

Well, it's official. This afternoon my significant other and I signed a lease for our first home together. Our abode will be located in South Park Slope, technically Windsor Terrace. It's a really nice 1 BR in an older building that looks out onto Prospect Park. The best part is my girlfriend's parents are a bit old fashioned and conservative and would flip out if they knew Ms. E and I were living together. So we'll be living a 'lil white lie for a while. Oh well, at least the search for a new home is over and the fun that is moving can commence.

Vegas!

This will be my final post for a few days as I'm going to be in the great state of Nevada. Specifically, I will be in Las Vegas attending my law school buddy's bachelor party. It should be a hoot. On the way back, I'll be visiting my lovely parents in Arizona. There will be lots of golf, food, poker, and booze. Have a great July 4th, and don't forget to reflect a little on what the holiday is supposed to represent: the independence of the United States from Great Britain via the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. Read it again (as I try to do every July 4th) and think about the ideas that were represented in the document. However imperfect the messengers might have been (white, slaveowners, merchants, lawyers and bankers), I believe that they knew that someday their successors would right the wrongs that they couldn't resolve in their day and move the course of the nation toward a more perfect union. Undoubtedly, we still have a long way to go, but do reflect on how far we have come already. Peace.


Virus Update: Well, thanks to one kind soul, I was given some advice on how to clean my damn computer. However, since I use McAfee Anti-Virus, the advice turned out to be not as useful. I was able to do some follow-on research and have begun to fight back. I spent about 2+ hours last night downloading and installing a Microsoft Security Patch which should eliminate some of my shit box PC's vulnerabilities. I have also been able to ID the virus — Exploit-MhtRedir.gen.

Virus

Ok. Fine. I'll admit that I happened to look upon a website that I shouldn't have. But talk about unintended consequences. My crappy Dell Inspiron 7000 laptop (circa 1998) is now infected with a virus of the "hijacker" variant. Each time I reboot and open up MS Internet Explorer my previous home page (BBC News) has been replaced by some awful smut page that is chock-filled with viruses, ready to self-execute their malignant code. No doubt about it: I fu*ked up. So, now is the hard part (and the real reason for my post, public atonement notwithstanding) — fixing the problem.

This particular bug is a real nasty one, much to my dismay. I have followed much of the advice of the online virus gurus: scanned with my MacAfee Anti Virus, downloaded and scanned Ad-aware and Spybot S&D, searched for files with the root .ja, .hta, and deleted all my .tmp files. I was then coaxed into looking at my PC's registry. But what the hell do I know about that? Still I can't get rid of that 'lil prick. I have already spent a week of countless hours trying to debug. One of the advice sites informs me that there could be upwards of 50 files with the evil code embedded in it! This is such a time suck that I am seriously considering throwing my lap top out off my 13-story balcony.

I feel like the guilty 15 year old that got caught with his pecker in his hand. They all tell you, don't look at porn online, you'll get infected. N'ah! What do they know, I thought. Well, it happened to me. With some lessons in life, you have to pay for them again and again. I will tell you though (since I'm the obsessive, persistent type) when I get the source code for this virus, I'm gonna figure out some way to seek revenge on the websites and the genius fu*k who wrote it, anyway I can.

Meanwhile, I have to go back to the salt mines and fix my damn PC. Next time I'm getting a Mac.