The Most Finalest Final Goodbye…Of Doom!

Roughly two years ago—armed with nothing but a second-rate lap top, a hyperactive imagination and an unfulfilled sex-drive, I began this blog. Originally, it was supposed to chronicle my many (mis)adventures as a Nubian nerd living in Kilt-country. But it has turned out to be so much less more. Granted, my lap top remains second-rate and I’m more shag-deprived than ever. But I have been able to e-meet some really cool people (L>T and Warya come to mind), compose a number of morally uplifting posts, and significantly contribute to the overall wellbeing to the human species.

But now I’m finally saying goodbye to Scotland! There is much I am going to miss about Great Britian’s very own third-world country; the short dark days, the long cold nights, the endless rain, the taste-less food. It pains me deeply to leave. On the upside, I will now be living on the same continent as Mist1. (And who knows, perhaps I will one day meet the body that houses the mind that so often made me wet with desire. Mist1, if you’re reading this, you can expect my formal marriage proposal shortly.) But lingering internet crushes aside; I’m going to sorely miss Scotland. So I bid a sorrowful farewell to the land of a myriad sheep, a loch dwelling monster, and the mournful melody of bagpipes; where wild Haggis roam free and Mel Gibson is worshipped as a god. O’ what fleeting dream, what idle fantasy! Alas, my mescaline visions are at an end.

Little Brother's Advice (A Wedding Toast)

On July 6th, 2007, my big brother Andre tied the knot. What follows is a copy of the toast I delivered at the wedding reception:

Statistics show that up to half of the marriages today end in divorce. And I know that sounds bad; but what they don't tell you is that the other half end in death. Kind of a no-win situation. And yet we find ourselves running headlong into the marital union like lemmings off a precipice. My elementary school English teacher taught me that marriage is a word. But now that I’m older, I’ve come to believe that it’s more like a sentence; life without parole! The worse part is that it is completely self-imposed. But some how, some way, some why, we find ourselves seeking, craving, longing for this imprisonment! Driven by some deep rooted masochistic desire for life-long suffering; we vow to never love another again. They say if life gives you lemons make lemonade, but isn’t getting married a bit like growing your own orchard? If you ask me, it all seems a wee bit presumptuous. Like jumping naked into a barrel full of porcupines and expecting not to get pricked.

Nonetheless we pursue this most coveted union, fuelled by a desire to connect with another human being in the most deep and meaningful way possible. Statistics be damned. We will not be dissuaded. We cling to hope like toilet paper to the bottom of a shoe. But one can’t help but ask, is the union of two human beings nothing but a chimera, and idle dream, a quixotic fantasy, an endeavor as futile as trying to take a close-up of the horizon?

Some people fall in love very easily. I heard of one young woman who was quick to declare her devotion to her beloved: “I love you,” she said, “I want to marry you, have your children and spend the rest of my life with you.” To which the man replied, “Mame, can you just pay for the pizza… so that I can go.” I, however, have never been one to fall in love easily, though I have managed to step in it a few times. Naturally, as the least experienced member of the Archer household, I think I'm in best position to give advice on matters of this nature. After all, when it comes to love, there are no real experts. There are only those who have made a few mistakes and those who have made a few less. Since I’ve been on earth for shortest time I have had the least opportunity to make mistakes. (But don't worry, I'm working hard to catch up.) This fact allows me to give advice with the least hypocrisy.

So here is little brother’s advice. My own limited experience has taught me two things. First, that there is a very fine line between true love and a restraining order. Long story. Second, loving is an art, and like any art, loving must be learned. Now this may seem rather counterintuitive. After all, loving seems about as natural as going to the loo. However, even infants need to be potty trained. And so, I charge you with the responsibility of undertaking romantic potty training. (Don’t you just love that metaphor.) I think it is to our culture's great shame that there is no formal education or training in interpersonal relationships. We devote so much time to teaching the young to be good workers; acquiring the skills necessary to be productive little robots on the capitalist assembly line. And this, undeniably, is a good thing since being a fecund worker is important. However, what can be more important than the making of a marriage, more vital than the honing of a home, more fundamental than the founding of a family?

And yet, this remains an area of insufficient instruction; where awareness is absent and guess-work guides. In matters of the heart, like so many others areas, ignorance continues to be our culture’s most cherished vice. Regrettably, the information available often exceeds our curiosity. Some have even suggested that such education may even be harmful. This notion is but the second cousin of the old myth that sex education leads to promiscuity. I did lots of arithmetic in high school, but you don’t see me sneaking around in dark places doing long division. It is never a bad thing to be informed. It all depends on what we do with the information. But what I can guarantee is this: if you want to make a poor decision, then being uninformed is the best way to go about it.

Admittedly, there is a lot of conventional wisdom on matters of this kind; like, “marriage is a fifty-fifty arrangement.” Well, if you believe that you either have a very poor understanding of women or percentages. But when I talk about romantic potty-training I’m not referring to the type of pop-advice you find in tabloid magazines, daytime soaps or on Fox news. Rather, I’m referring to the wealth of information you can find at your local library, Barnes and Noble, church, family planning centre etc. So I encourage you to set aside some time, even if it’s a couple hours a month, to read up on and discuss with each other, issues related to your relationship. Make it a habit, your own personal tradition. And don’t make the mistake of waiting until something goes wrong to begin educating yourself. Here, as elsewhere, prevention is better than cure.

But even a nerd like myself must admit that books can only teach you so much. In theory, theory and practice are always the same, but in practice they often are not. When it comes down to it, the way we learn about life is by simply living. And so, expect to make lots of mistakes. But endeavor to learn from them. Also, take time to observe other couples. Find out what the successful ones are doing right, and what the unsuccessful ones did wrong. Learning from other people’s screw-ups saves you lots of time to make your own fresh new screw-ups.

Love may be blind, but that does not mean that YOU have to be. By reading together and educating yourselves, seeking out advice, and learning from your own mistakes, you will be taking steps to ensuring that your love remains healthy and vibrant. Let your marriage be a union of heart and head, romance and reason, emotion and experience. The statistics may be grim; and yes, probability may be working against you. But I believe the love you share means there is much more working for you! And so don’t be afraid to cling to hope, to seek after the deepest most intimate connection possible, to devote yourself to each other and vow to establish something enduring. With singleness of mind, earnestness of spirit, determination of heart, and an intensity that cannot be placated, let the steps you take today be your public declaration: we will take a close-up of the horizon!

The Easter Bill

Remember that without capital punishment there would be no Easter. So this Easter, go to the ballet box and show your support for the new binding referendum for the reinstatement of crucifixion. Let's face it, lethal injections and the electric chair are for pussies. What we need is capital punishment with testicles!

Peter was crucified upside down for his lord and when the martyrs were burned at the stake, legend has it that they sang until their voices were no more. Sure, their songs were somewhat high pitched and along the lines of “oh Gawd, oh gawd make it stop!” But at least they sang, dammit!

But take a look at the sorry state of capital punishment today. “Will you like to have a pedicure with that lethal injection?” Give me a break! Back in the day, criminals would often die just from the scourging that served as the warm-up for the main event. And once the nailing began all you had to look forward to was hours, sometimes days, of insane amounts of pain, asphyxiation, dehydration, pulmonary embolism, and if you were really lucky, an ischemic stroke. Now that's the way a REAL MAN dies!

Let your nation's leaders know that you're tired of the girlie booster shot that people today call capital punishment. Vote yes on Referendum ER 33: Crucify Them!

I Was Just Rushing Out...

I've been growing more agitated than a dog at a flea convention. A friend gave me a self-help book: "How to Become a Patient Person". I read the first three lines and then skipped to the last chapter. No time for inessentials. I have things to go, places to see, people to do...or something like that.

Anyway, I would love to chit-chat, but like I said, I have sh*t to do...

Mike and Jamie: A Valentine's Day Lament

This post is about two people that I find so annoying that the very thought of them makes me want to pay someone a large sum of money to beat my head in with the nearest blunt object. Mike and Jamie (who happen to share the study cubicle right next to mine) are best friends, just short of having matching tattoos and BFF bracelets. But what makes me feel compelled to perform bodily harm on myself each time I hear their names is the fact that Jamie is positively in love with Mike. I realise I'm not making any sense so let me put things into perspective. Here is the crucial tid-bit you need to know about Jamie: She's HOT!! And I don't mean, oops, I burnt my finger on the toaster, hot. I mean janitor in chemistry lab mistakes bucket of nitroglycerine for industrial cleaner and then, once he's finished mopping the floor, proceeds to light his cigarette, hot!

Anyway, like I said, Jamie is totally head over heals in love with Mike. In fact, she is regularly dropping hints that she would like to take things to the next level. For example, last week I was sitting in my cubicle minding my own business when I accidentally pressed my ears against the wall and overhead the following conversation in the adjacent cubicle:

JAMIE: Hey Mike. {giggles} You wouldn’t believe the silly prediction my horoscope made this morning. {more giggles} It said that I shouldn’t be afraid to cast aside my sexual inhibitions because the friend that currently fulfils my mental needs may be the ultimate fulfilment of my bodily needs as well! Can you believe that?

MIKE: {In a somewhat distracted tone} Actually, there has never been any conclusive scientific evidence in support of astrology.

This is where I pause to hand all my male readers a box of tissue. I swear, I could kill this guy repeatedly until he dies to death! The poor bloke doesn't seem to have a clue! After being forced to listen to the above conversational equivalent to a crime against humanity (I'm sure there must be a Geneva convention against this sort of thing), I have drawn the conclusion that Mike is either gay, mentally deficient, or Canadian.

Anyway, this got me thinking: why does love always seem to come to those who don't know what to do with it? Meanwhile, those actively searching for love, at best, only end up with a broken heart or an uncomfortable skin rash on some embarrassing part of their anatomy. The world just isn't fair! In the words of someone wiser than I: “It's worse than dog eats dog...it's dog doesn't return other dog's phone calls!”

Hey, I'm not unreasonable. All I want is a woman with the body of a supermodel, the mind of a Mensa member, and whose favourite hobbies include cooking, cleaning and coitus. Oh yeah, and who also happens to have an insane amount of money and would be happy to pay off all my student loans. Now is that really too much to ask? Despite such modest demands, I nevertheless find myself enduring yet another loveless Valentine’s day, while Canadians everywhere squander the love fate has so lavished upon them. (Sigh.) I so wish I was that guy from those Tag body spray commercials.

Happy Valentine's Day everybody (except if you’re Canadian, in which case: bite me!)

Why God Hates Me

My Reply to L>T's Tag

My Christian friends assure me that God loves me. I really want to believe them, but then I look in the mirror. Sigh. So here are the top five reasons I think God hates me.

Number 5: Because I'm black. So I've tried to put the whole “curse of Ham” thing behind me. But now, God has resorted to stealing my socks from the dryer. I didn't think anything of it, until I learned that my white flat-mate still has all of his. Now I'm furious!

Update: Since then God has assured me that He thinks “I’m articulate, bright and clean…heck, I'm like a walking storybook!” I feel much better now.

Number 4: Because my milkshake is better than His. So God and I were at this club and in walks this sonsie sista with the kind of hind quarters that rap videos are made of. (You know the big guy loves the ladies with a little junk in da trunk!) I'll spear you the details of what transpired next, but suffice it to say that at the end of the night I got the girl's phone number and God didn't. In your face Almighty!

Update: I later discovered that the phone number was a fake. But I'm assuming God had something to do with it, the all-powerful bastard!

Number 3: Because I don’t know when to keep my mouth shut. So a number of us were over at God's house watching the game. Jesus had been doing his whole water-to-wine thing all evening, so everyone was pretty liquored up. Inhibitions were low and we were all taking turns recounting some of our past “adventures”. Krishna had just finished talking about the time he hooked up with that sweet little number during a trip to South America, circa 1200 BC. It was God's turn, and the deity was attempting to hold out on us. “Come on Yahweh, give us the dirt!” Moses prodded. “Yeah Big Man, got any virgins pregnant lately?” I added, only then noticing that Mrs God had just walked into the room. She didn't say a word, but from the look on her face it was clear that later that night there would be hell to pay…literally! (She never did forgive him for the whole Mary affair.)

Number 2: Because I didn't let Him copy off my paper during our Freshman year Chemistry finals. Jehovah was like, “man, I totally didn't study for this exam, let me see your answers.” And I was all, “Dude, You're omniscient...and You created everything!” And He was like, “yeah, but last night my room-mate scored the best pot ever and...yo, can I have those chips?”

Update: Really great pot also explains the existence of the duck-billed platypus and the Aurora Borealis.

Number 1: Because of all those times I doubted Him. I believe it first began when we were still in high school. Back then God was still going through his Old Testament phase and was notoriously insecure. One morning He entered the cafeteria, walked over to my table and announced proudly, “Last night I made this new galaxy and it’s the best one I’ve made yet. Tell me honestly Nerd, if I keep getting better at creating planets and stuff, do you think I’ll eventually get my own talk show and become as famous as Oprah?” Always the sceptic, I responded: “well, maybe You shouldn’t get Your hopes up too high Lord.” At which point, God overturned His tray and shouted, “You never believe in me…I hate you!” He then ran out of the cafeteria in tears.

Update: Fifteen years later, and the Most High still hasn’t gotten his own talk show. No Wonder God hates me!

I Tag Mizfit, Lizza and Mist1. (Update: See Mist1's reply to this tag in the comments.)

I'm Afraid There's Someone Else

Okay, I have a confession to make. There is another blog! She's one of those New Blogger blogs. She's sleek, sexy, and she treats me well. That explains why I'm never around anymore. I'm sorry.

Currently, I'm in the process of slowly transferring posts from this blog to the new one, so there isn't anything there yet that you haven't seen. The blog would have a slightly different tone to this one, particularly since it's linked to my academic blog network (yes, there is even a nerdier side to me than what you see here!) However, there are certain "special" needs that only my darling Mescaline could meet. (This is where I can truly be myself, in all of my curmudgeonly, sexually-preoccupied yet coitally-challenged glory!) Consequently, I plan to keep her running as well. However, things will continue to be slow-going here until I fully get the other blog off the ground.

In the mean time, I invite you to check out my Expat Interview, which Lizza so graciously invited me to take part in...I'm not sure she realised just what she was getting herself into, poor girl. Enjoy!

Let's Get Re-acquainted

I do tend to leave a distinct impression on people, mostly because I'm a bit weird. (Unfortunately, I don't belong to the right tax bracket to warrant the appellation 'eccentric'). But since I've been away for a while, I thought this was a good time for us to get re-acquainted. Actually, the truth is that a week ago a 'friend' sent me this bloody tag and kept hounding me to fill it in (its amazing just how annoying the persistence of a single person could be) and so here are my answers to her questions:

1. Your first name? Shut up (or at least that's what I thought the first ten years of my life)

2. Were you named after anyone? 'Avery'. Hmmm, let me think. A brand of stationary?

3. What is the weather like right now? I live in Scotland. Enough said.

4. What are your favourite colours? Purple and Indigo. But my arch nemesis is Orange. I hate Orange!

5. What is your favourite type of food? East Indian (those people taste great!)

6. What was your favourite toy as a child? The microwave and toaster my parents gave me as bath toys.

7. When you were a child, were you very curious? Definitely! I kept trying to figure out why those nice people at social services took my parents away.

8. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? According to my IQ test scores I could've been a nuclear physicist, but there were too many good shows on TV.

9. What is your shoe size? Getting cheeky aren't we?

10. What are you listening to right now? I swear, you ask me what I'm wearing and I'm done with this survey.

11. Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell? Nope. Not even when my old supervisor, Michael Harper (address: 112 JFK Drive, Riverdale, Bronx; social security number: 068-78-9806; wife's name: Colene Harper), told me that he contracted herpes from a prostitute. To this day, I still haven't told a single person about that! (Your secret's safe with me Mike. Prick!)

12. What class in high school do you think was totally useless? In my case, I would have to say sex-ed.

13. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with yourself? No, but I'd totally do me though.

14. What is your least favourite thing you like about yourself? I give too much. sigh

15. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Indigo. And my supreme goal would be to rid the world of all orange crayons. Did I mention I hate orange.

16. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Their personality and political views.

17. Do looks matter? Diane always said she loved me for my mind. Sniff sniff.

18. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Me? Sarcastic?

19. What are your (acceptable) nicknames? 'Oh Great One' and 'My Lord'

20. Does being up high make you anxious? I've never been afraid of heights, but weights totally freak me out!

21. When did you last cry? The day I learned that Pamela Anderson contracted Hepatitis.

22. Last person you talked to on the phone? My therapist. And if you don't know why, re-read this post.

23. Do you like the person who sent this to you? See answer to question 13. (Which, incidentally, is pretty much how I feel about most people I meet.)

Happy New Year! (2007)

Hi Y'all,
This is the Nerd coming to you from Britain's own third-world country, Scotland. (I’ve lived here long enough to get past the initial novelty inspired ‘ooh, ahhh’ phase, and I've finally settled into the calm cynicism that comes from being in any country for a lengthy period of time.) Anyway, as promised I am coming out of reitirement just in time to post my annual New Years greeting (can you believe this is my fourth year carrying out this great tradition?) For all of you first-timers, it goes something like this: the US president has the State of the Union, the Queen mum has her Christmas address, and I have my New Years message. It's that simple. And as always, I have a list of lessons I've learned from the year gone by, which I offer to you now free of charge (though generous donations are encouraged).

But first, I have to announce that Diane and I are over! It was more a difference of opinion really; I thought it was okay to sleep with her best friend, and she didn't agree. I kid, I kid. No one cheated on anyone. In fact, it was a completely mutual and amicable parting (and if you believe that that's even possible, then I have twelve magic stones I'll like to sell to you...only thirty pounds each!) Anyway, when added to Sophia and Bertha, that brings the total number of break-ups last year to three, which if you're keeping track, is a new record for me. But don't worry, I'm not resting on my laurels; this year I'm aiming for six! Which brings me to my first lesson learned:

I've learned that chances are she's just not that into you when you're talking to her on the phone and she says she has to go because there’s a telemarketer on the other line.

I've learned that after a breakup, most women expect from you at least two weeks of depression before you hook up with someone new, though they also consider going into counselling and lifelong celibacy nice gestures.

I've learned that when you’re in a foreign country it is always the little things that get you, like the missing ‘American Standard’ label on the tank of the toilet.

I've learned that when it comes to politics, the facts tends to exceed the American public's curiosity, and while everyone loves a good Armageddon every now and then, the rapture just isn't an exit strategy.

I've learned that Christmas just isn't as Christmasy when you're away from your family. (Though I suppose it couldn't be worse than opening presents on Christmas morning two thousand years ago at Jesus's house: “a pair of socks, thanks…you know I’m dying for your sins right?”)

Last, but not least, I've learned that it is always a good idea to keep your friends and loved ones close by, especially when you foresee needing to burrow money in the near future. It is for this reason that, this year, I aim to be the kind of friend that is always there when he needs you.

Happy New Year and all the best for 2007!!

P.S.: Checks should be made out to the “Give Nubian Nerd money just for the heck of it foundation”.

Going Out While You're On Top

So, I just learned that my blog was awarded the prestigious “Bestest Blog of the Day” award!! This is more awesome than if scientists discovered that chocolate was a vegetable! Well, almost.

Anyway, I'll just like to thank the Academy (a.k.a., Bobby) for this award. Naturally, this honour comes as a complete surprise (but luckily, I just happened to have this little speech prepared). First off, I would just like to thank my Lord and Eternal Homeslice, Jesus, for making this all possible...thanks dawg! Then special thanks goes out to Lizza, for her most excellent review on Bestest Blog! Of course I simply have to mention L>T, who has been the most rediculously awesome blog buddy a cerebrally inclined, mildly misanthropic, phallically gifted philosopher could ask for! (That's right Lizza, I do say so myself!) A special shout-out to mist1, a woman whose wit rivals that of the gods. Then there is the uncanny mizfit, the cynics (both cheery and cheerful), and a scientist that's funnier than you. I must also express the sincerest gratitude to my beloved, and recently retired, warya. As far as writers go, you're a goddess among men, and you'll be sorely missed. Let's see, have I forget anyone. Oh yes, there is also anonymous. I'm not sure who you are, but you've left several comments on my blog and I'm greatful for each one. Finally, to all my many regular visitors (real or imagined) who were too coy to leave a comment, I'll like to say: "Go screw yourselves!" I kid I kid. This would not have been possible if it wasn't for you. (Actually, it would have, so I guess your sorry arses never really made a difference at all, but I still love you nonetheless.)

And now that I've said my piece I'm ready to announce my retirement. But don't worry, it is only temporary... I'll be back at the dawn of the New Year (with my traditional New Years message of course). I just need some time to finish up the first draft of my dissertation and deal with the return of my recurring nightmares in which I'm attacked by a gang of rabid Canadian Koala bears (I knew they were Canadian because of the way the top of their heads flopped up and down when they talked). In the interim, I invite you to catch up on the archives. Lizza said that if you don't, she'll come over there and kick your arse! Okay, so maybe I just made that last bit up...but are you really willing to take that chance?

Finally, let me address the question on everyone's mind. What business does an atheist have giving thanks to Jesus? Well, to you I may be an atheist, but to God I'm just playing hard to get (and that really turns him on).

See you next year.

~N. Nerd

Silly Rabbit...

Okay, so its been a while. Missed me? Truth is, I've been busier than a pair of jumper cables at a used car dealership. Let's see, there have been trips to the Scottish highlands, a visit to the Netherlands, beginning chapter 3 of my dissertation. And let's not forget my discovery of the Higgs boson, successful formulation of a grand field theory and, most importantly, my proving conclusively that Trix really are for kids. And in case you're wondering, the formal proof looks like this:

1. ~(C) {premise (ex hypothesi)}

2. {(A) ^ (B)} > (C) {premise}

3. (Kids) > (B) {premise}

4. (Rabbits) > (A) {premise}

5. (Kids) {premise}

6. ~{(A) ^ (B)} {from (i) and (ii), by modus tollens}

7. {~(A) ∨ ~(B)} {from (vi), by De Morgan’s laws}

8. (B) {from (iii) and (v), by modus ponens}

9. ~(A){from (vii) and (viii), by disjunctive syllogism}}

   Therefore:

10. ~(Rabbits) {from (iv) and (ix), by modus tollens}

It's all quite complicated really, and I wouldn't want you troubling your pretty little head about the details. The conclusion of the formal proof is in line (x) which clearly states ~(Rabbits), which (in English) means “no-Rabbits”. (So you can go ahead and make out that Nobel Prize to Nubian, that's N-U-B-I-A-N, Nerd. Thank you very much.)

All Alone

As you may have already guessed, I got into philosophy primarily for the money and women. But why didn't someone warn me about just how solitary the life of a philosophy postgrad could be. I don't think I've felt this lonely since elementary school. Back then, my only companions were my two imaginary friends, Elma and Capt. Amazing. What's worse, they only played with each other.

But at least I still have my books. Ah, my books.

Making Baby Jesus Cry

So, I finally received my first Christian hate-mail (see second to last comment). Well, it's about bloody time! I mean, really. I've been working hard for over a year now to make this blog as religiously intolerant and offensive as I could, with descriptions of atheists eating the flesh of Christian babies to blasphemous references to Jesus's milkshake bringing all the boys to the yard. And yet, not a single outraged reader has commented on what a sick twisted f*ck I am...that is, of course, until now. Okay, so maybe I'm overstating things a wee bit. The person in question (though her identity shall remain anonymous) was very polite and respectful (like any true child of God should be), and simply wished to voice her reservations about my frequent references to sex on this blog. Naturally, I have no clue what she's talking about. Me, make reference to sex?

Okay, so maybe the words “penis” and “vagina” have appeared on my blog a couple times, but is that any reason to call me obsessed? Why that's like labelling someone a misanthrope because they generally hate people. I mean, come on! Now usually, such benign criticism wouldn’t warrant much by way of a response on my part. However, I thought I should use this as an excuse opportunity to vent share a few things that piss me off carefully selected thoughts. What concerns me about my "anonymous" Christian Reader (and others like her) is that she's apparently so locked into her own worldview, that she's unable to appreciate the fact that other people don't share the values she does. Now for those of you who have never been very religious, you may not get a great deal of what follows. But as a former church minister myself (yes it's sad, but true), let's just say I've been there. So please bear with me as I take a few moments to have a brief heart to heart with my sister in the Lord.

Dear Anonymous Christian Reader,
I hope you’re sitting down, because what I’m about to say may shock you: Everyone does not believe the same things you do! Yes, I know this may be difficult for you to understand at the moment. But I’m going to go through this slowly…try to keep up.

You see, the world is more varied, complex and nuanced than your own blinkered worldview may sometimes make it appear to be, and many members of this varied, complex, nuanced world have beliefs and values (that’s right, values too) quite different from your own. As such, criticising them based on your values (values they may not themselves share) is like trying to convince someone who doesn't believe in the Koran (for example, you) that the Koran is the divinely inspired word of Allah by quoting passages from the Koran. In short, it just doesn't work! If you're going to persuade someone to accept your position, you first have to meet them where they are; just as the apostle Paul did in Athens when he preached to the gentiles about the “unknown god” (Acts 17:23). So, if you're really trying to win me for Jesus, I suggest that you begin by first removing your top...and we'll see how things go from there.

Now we may have our differences of opinion: You see sex as sacred while I see sex as the filthiest, most degrading act that two people who genuinely love and care about each other can share. But why can't we put aside these petty differences and focus on what's really important: Cheesecake! Because at the end of the day, sitting down and enjoying its rich artery-clogging goodness is all we really have.

Marriage...In the Abstract

Now I have no problem with abstract entities such as numbers, goodness or God. In fact, as a professional philosopher I pretty much spend most of my time explaining to people why the first two exist and the last one doesn't. Moreover, some of my best friends are abstracts (like my psychic ex-girlfriend who broke up with me two months before we met). But when it comes to making practical life-changing decisions, mere abstracts have little place. For example, I've often heard single women talk about how much they want to get married. They don't have any specific candidate in mind, but they simply want to get married...in the abstract. There's just something about the concept of marriage, that makes them want to spend the rest of their lives trying to attain it (very much like the way I feel about vaginas). Of course, I should hasten to add, the desire to get married is certainly not limited to women. Why, King Solomon was a man and he pretty much holds the world record for number of marriages; I mean, the bloke had like seven hundred wives! (But can you imagine being the one girl he dated and didn't marry? Auch!)

But I digress. The point I'm making is that given the high incidence of divorce, and the equally high amount of unhappy marriages, the desire to just get married (in the abstract) seems, at best, ill-advised, and at worse, down right masochistic. A much more prudent approach, in my not so humble opinion, would be to focus on developing wholesome, fulfilling relationships. And if one of those relationships should lead to marriage, then so be it. But if not, then at least you won't be one of those sad blokes trapped in a union they wish they could get out of. But simply deciding that you want to get married (in the abstract), when you haven't even learned how to have a successful relationship is a bit like deciding to jump out of a plane and then worrying about whether your parachute works. In short, it's putting the cart before the horse, the target behind the gun, the regret-filled hangover before the night of tequila shots and the ill-advised phone call to your ex.

But I know what you're thinking: Get off the bloody soapbox Nubian. You're just another guy who would prefer not to commit and you're trying to justify your own fear of commitment by spouting a whole lot of high sounding BS. Well hello, professional philosopher here; spouting high sounding BS is what I do. And as for the allegations that I have commitment issues, I would have you know that I have joined a fear of intimacy support group (though I'm seriously considering dropping out because the members are getting way too close). And yes I admit that I happen to be a big fan of casual sex, especially since you don't have to wear a suite. But that's really all besides the point. The truth is that I someday hope to meet someone I can spend the rest of my life with, and if I did, marriage would seem like a good idea. But “getting married” is definitely not on my list of things to do just for the sake of doing it. Now, urinating off the top of the Eiffel tower and watching the golden droplets soar through the Parisian air until they reach their designated targets, that's something I would definitely do just for the sake of doing it (which perhaps explains why I'm not married and won't be for some time to come.)

Hans Landsteiner (Part 2)

Stop: If you have not already read All About Edwin Longwickle's Friend, Hans Landsteiner (Part 1), you should do so before reading the present instalment. Failure to comply with these instructions may give rise to confusion, dizziness, vomiting and impotence.

However, tragedy struck when Hans’s biological father dropped by for a surprise visit and was promptly accosted, covered in cheese and eaten by Han’s roommate. The unfortunate eating deeply affected Hans, who vowed from that day forward to fight in defence of vegetable rights. Odd enough, it was also around this time that Hans developed an acute allergic reaction to cotton. His psychiatrist prescribed pills for his condition, but he could never seem to get them out of the bottle. This proved to be a great inconvenience, particularly since Hans's aunt Betty (on his father's side) was a cotton plant. Every time she came over for a visit, Hans would turn red and swell up like a turnip (and on more than one occasion witnesses say he actually became one).

Despite his difficult childhood and many handicaps, Hans was determined to succeed. In a memoir he wrote: “I’d literally kill for a Nobel Peace Prize!” When he later relocated to Britain, his life-long goal of becoming a Nobel Laureate seemed on the verge of being realised after he single-handedly arranged a peace accord between carrots and the Cheshire Vegetarian Society. However, things took a turn for the worse at the dinner celebrating the accord when all of the carrot delegates were rounded up, juiced and served as the evening beverage. This sparked the violent 1978 parsley protests that culminated in the gruesome Gourd Massacre of April 18^th; a day on which, according to noted historian Dame Veronica Wedgwood, “carrot and pumpkin juice flowed through the London streets like water!”

Because of the catastrophic failure of his human and vegetable reconciliation efforts, Hans was passed over for the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. Instead, the prize was ultimately awarded to an Albanian nun, who Hans described in his journal as “that pretentious little bitch, Teresa!” It wasn't until many years later, after inventing an animal-based vegetable alternative, that Hans came into his own. He was then promptly removed from his own and placed in someone else's.

All About Longwickle's Friend, Hans Landsteiner (Part 1)

No less fascinating than the life of Edwin Longwickle, was that of his best friend and colleague, Hans Landsteiner. Hans was born in the small town of Fucking in Upper Austria (I swear that’s the name of an actual town, I’m not making this up), and is generally believed to be the son of Hanna and Jonas Landsteiner. As a child, Hans was both a bed-wetter and sleep-walker; urinating in up to twelve different beds in a single night.

A local psychologist diagnosed his chronic bed-wetting as stemming from childhood trauma, no doubt suffered when he accidentally walked in on his mother having sex with a head of broccoli. Things only grew worse shortly thereafter when his mother announced at a family gathering that Jonas Landsteiner wasn’t Hans’s real father. Hans, who already faced the challenge of being half Jewish in an era plagued by anti-Semitism, was now forced to come to terms with being half vegetable as well.

The revelation shocked all in attendance, prompting Jonas's infirmed mother to faint and his senile father to ask for a second helping of cake. Furious, Jonas kicked Hans and his mother out of their Fucking residence and they were forced to move in with Hanna’s botanical lover. A year later, Hans was sent to a boarding school in Petting, Bavaria, where he majored in Herbology and International Vegetable Affairs; hoping to reconnect with his lost family heritage. Hans also demonstrated an aptitude for languages and by the age of sixteen he was already conversant in seven, including Latin, Esperanto and Jamaican Creole. He was also elected president of his school's French club, whose weekly meetings consisted of reading the works of Madame de Lafayette and surrendering to the German club.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Happy Birthday To Me

Birthdays are when we all celebrate the fact that we’ve made it another twelve months without dying. It should therefore come as no surprise that I consider the birthdays of blacks a much more impressive accomplishment than that of whites. Why, just this morning I was listening to the weather report and it predicted clear sunny skies; except if you were black, in which case you could expect thunderstorms, flooding and a freak tornado.

When I was younger, I would always wish I could live to be the oldest person on earth. But that was before I learned that the title is actually cursed. Haven’t you noticed that every time someone is declared the oldest person on earth, they die like within a year!

Now that I’m only two years short of three decades old, I’m crossing that ephemeral line between young adult and adult adult. (That’s where you still want to eat fruit loops, but at the same time you're concerned about its fibre content.)

Shout-Out to My Homeslice, L-Nizzy*

So I’m finally back in kilt country. I know for a while it seemed like I wasn’t coming back, but I had some biz-nez to take care of. What kind of biz-nez you ask? Well, none of yours.

Unfortunately, I was so excited to be back that I forgot my luggage on the plane. I can’t begin to tell you how embarrassing it was walking through the airport with all my clothes and things in my hands. Then there is the utterly depressing ritual of changing my US currency to pounds. America may be the only remaining superpower on the planet, but the dollar is still the pound’s bitch.

Finally, as I exited the Edinburgh airport, I was greeted by the shrill cacophony of the McCloud Bagpipe Band; a clan of twelve skirt wearing men who derive sadistic delight from musically assaulting hapless passengers exiting the terminal. Naturally, this immediately took me back to my days as a wee lad growing up in the Caribbean islands (it is a little known fact, but bagpipes have long been a central part of Caribbean culture; along with ice-fishing and Bobsledding). But as you may have already guessed, I’ve never really fancied Scottish music; though I have to admit that it is much better than it sounds.

But I know what you’re thinking: "wow Nubian, you mean to tell me that you’re not only brilliant, funny and unforgivably sexy, but you’re West Indian too?" Yes, yes, it’s true…I’m just all kinds of awesome. (But I swear, if you ask me to say "feelin' eiree mon" just to satisfy your perverse desire to hear an exotic accent, I won't hesitate to slap you!)


*For some background on the L-Nizzy reference, see my Pulitzer prize winning post: Break out the Kilts

Pfizer's New Penis Advertising Campaign: Got Dick?

Ladies,
Are you anxious? Do you have problems sleeping? Are the many stresses of life getting you down? Then perhaps it’s time to try Penis.

Clinical studies have shown that women who regularly use Penis lead longer, less stressful and more emotionally fulfilling lives. Penis has been shown to trigger the release of oxytocin (also known as the ‘cuddle chemical’), which heightens feelings of affection and the production of mood enhancing endorphins. Other benefits of Penis include improved sense of smell, cardiovascular health, increased amounts of immunoglobulin antibodies that ward off disease and (if used strategically) lifelong financial security.

Penis now comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and flavours—including French vanilla, butter pecan, hazelnut and dark chocolate. All Penises are specially designed for easy insertion into the orifice of your choice.

Negative side effects of Penis may include guilt, regret, unwanted pregnancy, or the person the Penis is attached to. Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities.

Penis is not for everyone. If you are a lesbian, you may find Penis aesthetically unappealing and the very sight of Penis may give rise to uncontrollable laughter. Laboratory tests suggest that for most males, Penis can seriously impair judgement, be a constant source of embarrassment when in the company of women, and in certain extreme circumstances (such as prison) be a literal pain in the arse. Penis is not approved by the FDA for use by children. If you are over 60 the use of Penis is still warmly encouraged, especially since the unwanted side-effects of Penis tend to sharply decrease with the onset of menopause.

Please consult your doctor to determine if Penis is right for you.

Penis: is it in you?

Sorry Dude, but the Rapture is Not an Exit Strategy

It’s been five years since 9/11 and there still hasn’t been another major terrorist attack on US soil. What greater evidence do we need to show that Bush's strategy of sending our men and women to die 'over there' so they won't have a chance to die 'over here' is working? We would also do well to remember that there hasn't been another devastating hurricane in the United States since Katrina; no doubt further evidence of the success of Bush's war on terror!

So what if Bin Laden is still free? So what if Iraq is a complete disaster, with upward of a hundred civilians dying every day? Oh, and don’t you dare call it a civil war! Why, that would be like calling a woman a prostitute just because she slept with men for money! You can’t believe everything that guy Webster tells you, you know!