I just got done watching the Black Hawk Down story on the history channel, and Karen got me the book last week but I haven't started reading it yet. Interesting story, very gory. A lot of bravery displayed on both sides, only if it's displayed by our side it's not bravery, it's fanaticism. Much like the misguided religious nuts who took out the Trade Center... I know, I get in trouble every time that I say this, but it takes brave people to lay down their lives for an idea. I am of the opinion that any idea which requires me to die is a bad, bad idea, but to each his own, I guess. It is very human to kill for ideas and religions, and a necessity therefore for humans to die for them. Either side, both sides... all sides. Stupid, stupid. Once I was ready to die for an idea, the idea that I could help America stay free. Luckily, I didn't get the opportunity to either kill or to die, but I was willing to do either. My ears burn when I think of how I was brainwashed by the army. Not ashamed of being in the army, but ashamed by being so fucking compliant. Of course, they were experts in taking young men and making killers out of them. And cannon fodder. My brainwashing didn't last too long, though... by the time I was out of AIT I was back to being a pacifist. I'm not really that much of a pacifist any more... I do believe that the Atlantic has its beauty, it's just different. I slept pretty poorly last night after going to bed early... the cats were fighting outside the bedroom door at midnight. I woke up at 07:00 and called the hospital to see if there were any exams to do and there weren't. I got called in a half-hour later, though, and I was there past noon. I came home and started de-fragging my C drive on my main machine, and that damned thing is still going, it was mostly in the red. It's about 90% done right now. So, everyone out there, de-frag your disks... it's probably been too long. Mom, don't worry about it, I do it every time I go down... I worked more on the other computers, still having no luck with the Compaq, and I think that the #2 IDE controller is gone on the one that I was going to give Tyler. I need to get my majik touch back, dammit, and I'm getting tired of waiting for it.... So far, no calls since noon. I hope that I can make it through the night. I don't mind going in in the morning, but I hate getting called after I get to sleep...