Whenever one of these high profile immigration-naturalization cases come up in the media, I love to see people with no idea having their blood boil. Quite often it's about athletes having to choose which nation to represent, and that's a fun scenario because most athletes are just regular people who say stupid things sometimes. Even though they will get crucified for what they say, it's much more interesting to hear what people have to say about them. And by people, I, of course, mean people who have no idea. Case in point, the Zidane case. "He should represent Algeria, that's where his roots are!" Well gee, you didn't grow up in France to Algerian parents so much, did you? I'm not saying you have to be an immigrant to get it, but at least use your imagination a little. Talk to some immigrants, understand where they're coming from. Of course, every case is different, but for someone who has spent his entire life in the country his parents immigrated to, it is completely natural to feel "at home" in this adopted country. Why would he want to represent some strange country he has no idea about, just because his parents are from there? Parents and children are separate entities, just because his parents experienced something doesn't mean the child has. And vice versa, mind you, there are a lot of immigrant parents who would like nothing else than to go back, meanwhile the child has a perfectly good life right here.

This comes to me at a time when there is no big story in the press, but I'm sure that before long there will be one, so just you wait.

What is the deal with female perfume anyway? It has a range of about 5 meters, when you pass a girl on the street you can count your steps until you don't smell it anymore. Let's have a look at the odor dynamics here, it's like have you ever seen a big ship making waves on a quiet body on water? Notice how the waves propagate, at the center there is the ship, then on the sides the waves follow slightly behind it, marked by skew lines to the ship's perpendicular. So if you're on a boat that passes the ship close by, you'll get caught in the waves. And the further out you are, the lesser the waves. The further behind the ship, the lesser the waves also. The question is though, why is there so much of it? Do you bathe in it before leaving the house?

Of course, I do prefer the female perfume to the male perfume. This one doesn't appear often, but when it does you wish you weren't quite so close to the point of emission. I recall a week ago I was on the way home from the supermarket and I see these two truck drivers talking on the corner. I took about four meters of space passing them but I still feel a rather unforgiving scent I could do without. Also called B.O.

I'm positively astounded by my own stupidity sometimes. Today I needed a couple of certified copies, so I head up to the book store where they do this. On the way, I make my way through five hundred thousand people. College just started this week, the place is literally packed, there's enough people to body surf. And I head to the book store at lunch, *the* most busy time of the day. Why I couldn't have gone right after they open or right before they close eludes me. Instead, I'm standing in line behind 12 people at the checkout counter to pay my 20 bucks for some copies. Surprisingly, the line was moving quickly (there was also a cute girl in the second line to stare at, in the Eva Mendez mould). To top it off, I almost lost my key card. When I took out my wallet, my key card got caught in the mix and fell on the floor. That is after I expressely reminded myself to make sure it doesn't fall out when I take out my wallet some 2 minutes earlier.

out of shape, overweight, but of sound mind. with an ever increasing confidence to become all I can be, in fact all I should be. it's a beautiful life.

and I love this country.

I'm on my way home, walking up a long, steep hill. When you're walking up a hill, there's nothing to look at apart from the ground in front of you. I spot a guy walking in the opposite direction. He's carrying a bottle of ice tea. I'm looking at the ice tea because I haven't had any for like a month and I love ice tea. As I pass him, he says "hi". So I say "hi". But who the hell was that???? :wth: Do I know him from somewhere or did he somehow feel obligated to greet me because I gazed at his ice tea?? :confused: