smoothie revolution

2012-02-15T16:29:00.000-06:00

Today, I saw woman eating something (probably a muffin) while she was driving. Just as we drove past her in the oncoming lane, I looked up to see her take a bite, and she had her grrr face (eyebrows & everything), as if she was about to rip some meat off the bone. The expression was amusing. :)

I also saw a woman eating chips and dip while driving. She held the dip and the bottom of the steering wheel awkwardly in one hand and dipped her chips with the other hand. This juggling act was also amusing.

Annnd

2012-02-12T15:49:00.000-06:00

Long winded posts like the one before this aren't as much fun to read, I know. Sorry, but I think that one post does a pretty good job of summing up a whole year and letting you in on my future plans.

Here's a couple things I didn't mention though: 1. I plan on training for and riding in RAGBRAI. 2. I have a gym membership, but I haven't used it much. 3. Hopefully when I get transferred to the night shift I'll be able to make more time for the gym, golfing, and biking. Otherwise, I'll be at my second job (*hopes*) during the mornings.

2011: A general Summary, and 2012: Outlook

2012-02-11T16:52:00.017-06:00

I hate when people write whole posts about not having blogged enough lately and how sorry they are for not having updated in a while, so I won't say much about it, except I've been in a slump lately and haven't had enough motivation to even clean my room, let alone write on my blog.

My room looks like an episode of hoarders, and that's not me being modest or exaggerating for effect. There is garbage scattered around such as napkins, food wrappers, receipts, and old mail. I have piles of stuff that should be put away, but I have no storage room for. There's laundry clean and dirty scattered everywhere. And, I have loads of stuff I may never use or projects I may never get to, realistically. All signs of a hoarder. However, I do clean the living room, dining room, and kitchen of my apartment, with which I share among two room mates. In that respect, I can be practically obsessive compulsive. Anyway, I feel different today, I should have the room cleaned up by tonight. and maybe I'll start on some projects, if there's time.

To start the summary, I'll go back to January: For all of January, I worked at Subway part time whilst still living in my college town. I was looking for a full time job, so I could support myself and start paying down my school loans, but having little success. Meanwhile, I had accumulated a credit card debt that I couldn't keep up with. That whole mess was the result of my poor work ethic in school. I basically failed out in the Fall '10 semester. For the record, my overall GPA is a 2.00 (or a C), which isn't the worst, but not good enough for my university. Then, my parents suggested that I come back to live with them, where they could support me for one more year, if I promised to pay plenty on my school loans.

In February, I moved home, and started two jobs, alternating roofing (on Tue & Thur) and furniture delivery (on Mon, Wed & Fri). Some time during the spring months I began a third job on the weekends working at my old Subway, but the manager didn't have the patients for me, so unfortunately, that didn't last for long. By now, I have payed off my credit card debt and had started accumulating a bit of savings. And when the weather got nice, I switched to roofing, full-time.

In July, I bought a Specialized Crux Elite (check out the bike here and video of it below).

I finally started to pay on my school loans. And, I began to think about what I was going to do at the end of the year. One plan consisted of finding another, more stable (less weather dependent) job in the my hometown. Then, moving to an apartment or rental house while still paying down my school loans until I was ready to go back to school. Another idea was to do the same but to do it back in my college town. The benefit here being one less move, which would allow for ample time to prepare for school way before it began (mentally & physically). I decided on the second, but made a compromise which I will explain in a minute.

I was telling my plans to my friends (one in particular) as one does when chatting to friends, when he suggested that I join him and his girlfriend in a new lease in Oct. in West Des Moines, not too far from my college town (compromise = about 40 minutes away from college town). This would allow me to live in a nice, yet affordable place and for the two of them to spread out into more square footage for approximately the same price they had been paying. Win, Win!

I began to save up what I called an income buffer. There might be a better technical term, but it was just money on which I could support myself after moving, until I found a job in West Des Moines. I managed to save up $1500 dollars though I was shooting for $2000. I ended up only using $1100 of it before I found a job delivering appliances. As a bonus, I ended up with about $1 per hr increase from my summer roofing job.

Now I've had a couple months to get on my feet and I've started planning on my future again. My new plan is to get a second job, and save up enough money by this next Jan. to buy a 'modest dream' car. I'm looking to buy a Ford Fusion, hopefully an '09 or a '10 model. According to my calculations, I should be able to afford approximately 7-9 thousand out of pocket if I can stick to my budget and aggressive savings plan. I'm super excited about it! As a side thought, I've been thinking, if I can save almost 10k a year on this budget, I'd could have 50k in 5 yrs, which would be a killer down payment on a house... Nah, I'm going back to school though. The main dilemma I haven't figured out is whether I can afford to keep a car, even after it's bought and paid for. The problem being, I'll need to pay for insurance, gas (40 min. commute), and I'll need (ideally) some savings set aside for maintenance and repairs to the car. Meanwhile, I'll lose about $500 per month income when I drop my new second job to make time to go back to school.

And here we are, I worked 5 jobs throughout the year 2011. I moved twice. I bought a bike, which I use as transportation to my new job in West Des Moines. In the future, I will get a second job, and start saving for a car. For fun this summer, I plan to get a golf membership with my room mate. Also, I'm currently building bedroom furniture such as a desk and a queen bed frame, which can be combined into a bunk bed or left separate. I'm building dressers, and planning custom shelving in the closets for extra storage. That should help with the hoarder situation in my room, haha :)

Oh, I almost forgot, this last summer, I acquired a free xbox on account of it having the RROD or Red Ring of Death. I fixed it for approximately $45 dollars, updated the white case to a black one for $40, had my friend change the LED's to blue in exchange for another free xbox my co-worker gave to me (which was later restored to working order as well) & spent $120 on two new black wireless controllers. Then, I bought a few games and had just gotten Skyrim (Game Informer's Game of the Year), when the xbox failed again. Fortunately, I still have one more fix kit, a supposedly better one than the first one I bought, so there is hope that it will work again.

P.S. I apologize for poor grammar and misspellings, there's a lot of text to proofread. If I messed anything up or it doesn't sound right, feel free to let me know with a comment.

Have Topics Will Post

2011-10-05T16:22:00.000-05:00

In a few weeks I will have a full time internet connection once again, in which time, I shall make time to post topics once again. I'm quite excited! Expect a summary of my summer among other things :)

A fold out shelf

2011-03-12T10:24:00.000-06:00

I've been designing a bed loft with quite a few unique features. First I want to show you the fold out shelf. There are three stages, each is shown from the front with a back view below it. Stage one (left) is folded flat against the wall. It comes out 4 inches from the wall, and is 31 inches tall by 36 inches long. Stage two (middle) is a low incline surface like a drafting table which would allow a person to eat from, write/draw or set a laptop on. The table surface is 19 inches by 24 inches wide. In stage two and three it comes out 36 inches from the wall. The third stage (left) is a steeper incline like an easel and could be used as an easel or simply to hold a book while you read. The shelf is mounted at the left of my bed so that when it is folded out I can sit with it over my lap. Hopefully this isn't too complicated to understand, but I'll take some pictures of it when it's finished too just in case.

S.A.D.

2010-12-13T03:00:00.001-06:00

I've been pretty lonely lately, in two ways. One: When I'm at home at night by myself. Of course then, I'm literally alone, but it makes me feel alone in life. It's then that I feel like I don't really mean anything to the people in my life. I'm talking about school and work relationships. I know there are people in my life whom I can rely on and whom I can expect to care about me such as my family and close friends. But I hardly get to talk to them because they are geographically distant to me, and that makes me feel emotionally distant as well.

Two: The fact that I don't have a girlfriend is really bugging me. I always choke (metaphorically speaking) when the time comes for me to ask a girl on a date or make a move to let her know that I'm interested in her. The other problem is that I'm a bit picky. Since my last girlfriend several years ago, there's only been three girls that I've been interested in enough to want to ask them on a date. I feel like a girlfriend could be great for me, I need someone that I can be a man for, and I don't mean that in a sexist way, I mean to be a mature adult who happens to be male. I also want someone who will be there to push me when I'm feeling stubborn, or can't find any motivation. But there in lies the problem. I want someone who will help me be a better person, but what I need is to work on myself so I can be that better person for her, before I even ask her out. right?

S.A.D. is seasonal affective disorder. I sorta feel like I might have that, because winter is always the worst for me, but I think it is just an obscure excuse for me because school happens to be during the winter which always brings me down, and I don't see as much sun which has affect on my mood as well. Also, I'm going through some pretty rough times with school, not just the usual, homework and studying stuff, and that is what is bringing all of these personal problems to the surface right now.

Round 1, Fight!

2010-12-04T10:13:00.000-06:00

Okay so this is going to be a weird one. After watching some informative video clips about gangs. I got to thinking about fights and assaults, etc. Me being the non-violent type, I was thinking about what I, specifically, would do in a fight, or rather if someone attacked me.

First, assume I am able to get close to them in the fight, I would likely have a greater advantage in this situation than other because of my fighting style, which consists of wrestling techniques I learned in high school wrestling.

Second, also assume I am able to gain control of my opponent and the situation through some type of restraining hold, because that is what I would do in this situation. I would not be throwing punches or kicks. For me punches and kicks would be weak of character, unsuccessful and look ridiculous.

Now assuming these things, because otherwise I will have already lost the fight (and be broken and bruised and possibly on the way to the hospital), the next thing I would do is make them squirm a bit, nothing too harmful just something like grinding my knuckles, elbow or knee into their flesh so that it makes them uncomfortable. And I would give command, telling them to stop their attempts and leave me alone. When they finally agree, they would be released back into the wild.

This has happened to me before and I've been in situations where it escalated to this but only once or twice in all my life. So far, that is all that is happened though, because this method usually works very well in resolving conflict, and with minimal harm to either side. And by the way, this tactic came naturally to me when I was in these situations, I didn't have to rehearse them in my mind or think about what I would do ahead of time. But I was thinking about what I might do if the person lied about quitting their attempts to fight, and came back at me once I released them.

Well I can tell you, I would repeat step one if possible, but instead of a command, they would now receive threat of the consequences if they continued to attack me. The consequences being that I WILL try to seriously injure them, if they try again. Again, this would be accompanied by a similar form of mild, child aged torture (knee, knuckle elbow, etc.).

And for the grand finally, on a third attack, I would again use my wrestling techniques to gain control of my opponent. I would then use something like an arm bar to seriously injure their shoulder and/or dislocate it. I assume that would render them useless against me, they would finally get the "hint," and would now be seeking medical attention.

As you can see you get a couple of chances with me and I'm not a violent person to begin with, but if provoked enough, I do get serious. And again, this is all assuming that I can overpower my opponent. God help me if my opponent is stronger than me or more skilled in wrestling technique than I. Also keep in mind how I am not a violent person, I can't stress that enough. If you know me irl, you would probably pick that up really fast.

Okay, the end, the weird one is over. Back to your regular programming, perhaps another post soon. It depends on whether or not I've got anything cooking, and whether or not I'm cooking ideas or food :)

Red, Yellow, Green Sandwich

2010-12-02T23:19:00.002-06:00

Cook two small sausage patties and one over easy egg. Apply cheese to sausage while it is in the pan so it begins to melt. Meanwhile, toast the bread. I used Colby jack cheese and sour bread, not to be confused with sourdough bread. I wanted sourdough, but I bought the wrong kind, anyway... When these are done put the sausage patties on one side of the toasted bread and put in an oven or toaster oven to broil, just until the cheese starts to bubble and turn brown, then remove. While that is broiling add sliced banana peppers (Yellow), slice Roma tomato (red), and sliced avocado to the other side of the sandwich. When the sausage side comes out of the oven, add the egg and put the sandwich together. Wa la: red, yellow, green sandwich!

*Notes

1. I have never tried this sandwich with hamburger but if I did I'm sure it would be delicious without the egg.

2. Left over tomato and avocado can be made into a salsa or guacamole dip to be used with corn chips as a side dish for this sandwich.

I'm thinking about having another Stir Fryday tomorrow, if anyone will come... but it has to be before 7pm when I work.

Ollie!

2010-12-01T14:46:00.004-06:00

There has been a skate board in the back of my Subway for a while now. I'm assuming that a customer left it behind or something. My co-worker and I finished all the nightly chores and a few of the weekly and monthly chores, so we decided the only thing left to do was learn to do an Ollie. Sorry co-worker; we suck, but I feel like, if we continue to practice, we might be able to learn it after a while... a long while.

This video is not of me.

Quiche or Egg Bake

2010-12-01T13:35:00.001-06:00

In my family and all my life I don't think I've ever come across a quiche or egg bake that had a crust, but when I looked up how to make one online, crust was a common feature. Weird. Also spinach was a common ingredient, but that's not so weird to me, I'v had that before.

After I looked up online how to make quiche (here) I decided only to take from the recipe that I needed 4 eggs and 2 cups of half and half, the rest I made up by myself. Here goes;

Stir 4 eggs, 2 cups of half and half and various seasonings into a homogenized mixture, in a bowl. I think I used some dried herbs like oregano, parsley, and a dash of rosemary. I also used a bit of celery seed and a tiny bit of cayenne. But it could be whatever you like. Then mince or finely chop a quarter cup of precooked ham, a half cup of broccoli, a quarter cup table carrots, and about a tablespoon of shallots. Mix these ingredients into a homogenized mixture and spread evenly in a 9x13 casserole dish. (Measurements are guesses, since when I'm making up recipes I just go with what feels right.) Next spread a quarter cup mixture of pepper jack and colby jack cheese. Then, break up a few dollops of mashed potatoes (I'm gonna say three fourths cup) into the dish. It's hard to explain how I spread the potatoes out; they were pretty evenly spread but not in a solid or flat layer. Next pour the egg mixture over the dish and make sure everything is submerged in the liquid. Spread another quarter cup mixture of pepper jack and colby jack cheese.

Cooking instructions are the same as in the link. Bake in a preheated oven @ 425 for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350 and continue baking for 25 minutes. *Note if the top layer of cheese becomes submerged while cooking, you can add a bit more at the end of cooking, turn the oven to broil and wait for the cheese to melt before removing the dish. But be sure not to burn the dish or leave it in too long on broil.

I discovered that this dish is more like a casserole or cheesy potatoes, but still tastes good, especially with a side of assiago toast.

Potatoes!

2010-11-16T15:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I made a whole bunch of home made mashed potatoes. And I'm pretty proud of myself since they taste great even though it was my first batch ever. I used no recipe except I didn't know the proper procedure for boiling potatoes. Well, I looked up how to do that...

*no mom, I didn't use grandma's recipe box, I used a little thing called the internets*

turns out it's just like it sounds, potatoes in water that's boiling, but there are a few tricks to make sure everything goes smoothie. First, make sure all the potatoes are the same size whether you are boiling them whole or you cut them up. Put the potatoes in the pan and run cold water up to an inch over the potatoes. Begin to boil, and wait for potatoes to go soft. You can use salt to change the temperature and add flavor while you boil them. To speed up the process put the lid on while the pan heats up. But you should remove the lid when the water begins to boil. I didn't remove the lid but it turned out fine.

Then I added my own blend of butter, garlic, and herbs. Meanwhile, I used the left over potato skins and deep fried them to make a cross between potato chips and homemade fries... sort of.

Today I used the potato skins in some scrambled eggs and sausage for a delicious breakfast, which I ate for a late lunch.

I also, almost had a mental break down from the stress of school, but my mom gave me a pep talk and some advice. Thanks mom.

And I watched Inception... Ahh real life is a dream! AHhh!

Plugs

2010-10-29T12:46:00.007-05:00

Share Buttons: So, blogger has come a long way since I joined. The new template and design features make it so you don't really have to know any html, yet you can make your blog highly customized. I love the new features that can be placed @ the bottom of each post: share to popular social websites, reactions (like, dislike), and I've started using labels lately too. Sarah, if you're reading this anymore, I stole one of your labels, because it is soo awesome. "Is this real life?"

other plugs:
Rockstar: No, this will not help you stay up late to finish your school work or TPS reports. I like this product, but it could do with some sort of amplifier, because multiple inserts split the signal, and in turn split the volume.

Dual USB Car Charger: This product is incredibly handy since all phones and mp3 players of every brand come with a usb cord, you can plug ANY of them into this device and plug this device into the cigarette lighter outlet to charge a your gadget in a pinch. Usb wall chargers are more common and actually come with a lot of devices now of days.

Thermostat: This particular model has 4 modes during the day so you can have it be warm only when your getting up in the morning and while you're home during the evening. It also has different settings for the weekend as appose to the week days. So if you're home during most of the day on weekends, you can have it set to be a little warmer than you would usually have on week days. My mother says it saves you more money if you set the heat @ 60 and leave it there all the time. But that's just down right cold, and I'd have to get bundled up to go to the bathroom (5 ft from my room). lol, no I guess it's not that bad, I lived with it all the way up until I moved out for college.

I wish I was getting paid for this, but I only posted these because I really enjoy them.

Gasping for Air

2010-10-28T11:34:00.003-05:00

It's happened to me twice in the past couple of days. I've had it before but not so frequently.

"paralysis sufferers tend to fixate on reestablishing operation of the body" and then I come out of it kicking and punching and gasping for air. It really sucks when it happens and I'm sleeping on my stomach because sometimes a blanket or pillow gets in the way of my breathing and feel like i'm going suffocate if I can't regain control of my body soon enough. Who knows, maybe I would have if I hadn't pulled out of it. My most recent experiences, this morning and two mornings ago, were not so bad since I was sleeping on my side and back respectively.

On a side note, I've also had dreams where I'm drowning, but usually what happens there is that my body will naturally gasp for air. And even though it would probably cause me to drown in a real situation, I'm saved in the dream. Suddenly the dream adapts so that I have the magic ability to breathe under water.

wiki article

subway rap back

2010-10-27T01:17:00.009-05:00

I was thinking about the subway rap i wrote a couple of posts ago. here are some more lyrics:

Whoa. Stop! All I heard was "mumble"

I stood here and watched you stumble

over ur words. The gloves are off, figuratively.

I can't take these off (*holds up hands*). Now, stick with me.

You got ur bread ur meat, then cheese.

N you can get it toasted, just say please

After that, pick your vegetables.

You'll prolly get the works if you're reputable.

Any sauce or seasoning?

Add a meal, 'cording to reasoning.

Now you're done, get gone.

You can go cry home to ur Mom.

Ways to say: "No, thank you"

2010-10-19T14:22:00.001-05:00

Just a cooky thought I was having as I walked back from class yesterday. There are three ways to say it in my opinion.

1. I respectfully decline your offer/request, but appreciate it none the less.

2. On the contrary, it is I who am grateful to you.

3. Please, your gratitude is not required. (this could be wrong, and is probably the least used version)

Also, I note that the phrase seems to be used/pronounced as if it were one compound word such as notepad, or rattrap. Or at least, that is how I think about the phrase.

Ad reviews

2010-10-19T14:10:00.001-05:00

Does anybody know any good online community type websites where a person could review and comment on advertisements? I don't want to comment on products, just the ad itself. Eh, probably doesn't exist. And if it does, there would be too many people worried about the product itself or just trying to make fun of companies, brand loyalty and all that considered. I doubt the internet community could handle seriously and objectively critiquing an advertisement. Besides, what am I thinking, why would we want to tell the advertisers the best way to manipulate and convince ourselves. That's like telling them our weakness and saying, "okay, give it a shot. Now see if I can't resist." But maybe we, as consumers, would be alright with a system like that, as long as we're smart enough to also check out customer reviews of the actual products and services, to see whether their products are worth what the ads say they are. I guess what I'm getting at is, it is quite unpleasant to be forced to view ads all over the place when so many ads are poorly constructed or conveyed. It's kind of like that "watching a train wreck" feeling. It's soo horrible, but you're watching it anyway. I was just kind of pondering ways to change that.

Confessions of a Subway Artist

2010-03-26T15:33:00.010-05:00

so i didn't make a post during spring break even though i said i would. There's really nothing interesting going on in my life right now, but i did want to share a couple of Subway stories.

I don't remember if I already mentioned this but I got rapped on. You know how people post videos of themselves rapping their orders to the drive through clerk at Burger King and McDonald's. Well, it happened to me which takes guts because we don't have a drive through and they had to actually do it to my face. Lucky for them I was cool with it and there weren't any other customers trying to get a sandwich. The thing is, rap is pretty fast and it's kind of like a mumbling sound when you don't know the lyrics and they start going too fast. So I didn't get his order. Plus as far as I could tell, he didn't really order correctly. I think it was prolly just because he was trying to rhyme, but that's no excuse, he had plenty of time to think of a rhyme. And he should know the proper procedure, if a sandwich he wished to procure. Meanwhile, I wasn't witty enough to come up with this on the spot but I thought about it after they left and the following is what I came up with. This will be my new come back rhyme in the unlikely event it ever happens again:
Whoa. Stop! All I heard was "mumble",
I stood here and watched you stumble
over your words. let me take off my gloves it's time to rumble.
Now, can I get your order
or do you want your MOM to do it for ya?
There's more but the rest is kinda boring, and this will suffice if I can't remember the rest when the time comes, know what I mean? Also, I've been searching YouTube for the video they made, but without success.

One Saturday a few weekends ago I was scheduled to have the night off, but in that week three different people asked me if I could cover for them. I told the first two no, but the third one made me a proposition which involved me having both Friday and Saturday of the next weekend off. This I took, but she and I forgot to tell the manager, which became a problem later. Come Saturday night and I'm getting ready to go to work and I get a call from the manager who wants me to fill in for the other girl that night. Usually, if the manager called in a situation like this and he sounded so desperate, I'd have said yes, but since I was already covering for the first girl, I said no. He sounded pretty disappointed until I told him why, and then he really got disappointed, wishing we had told him before. I later find out that he had already been covering for the third person that had asked me to cover for him earlier that week. So it seemed as though I was destined to work, since all three people who were scheduled to work were the ones who didn't work that night. So my manager is doing a double shift at this pt. but that's not all, he booked 2 DJing gigs before he knew he'd be working at Subway. Yea that's his other job and he's kind of the manager of his own business there. He also was looking into becoming the manager at a bar he DJ's at. He's a pretty sweet boss, and I think he's only 24. So I have to hold down the fort and fend off the drunks while he's down the block getting those same drunks all worked up. Luckily it wasn't that bad.

Anyway I haven't gotten to the good part yet, the first interesting thing that happened, happened only 15 minutes after I got there. A guy and his friend come in. The first one is preoccupied (P.O.) and the other one is cool calm & collect (CC&C). P.O. has never been to subway so CC&C has to help him order and basically makes most of the descisions. P.O. keeps running over to the other side of the room to answer calls and he even runs out the door at one point to talk to a friend while his sandwich is being made. Its just a little frustrating because I can make a sandwich in 2 minutes or less even if you get it toasted and with all the veggies, unless the customer takes their sweet time ordering that is. Anyway, CC&C ends up paying for P.O.'s sandwich, but as he hands me his card he tells me "I need to sit down." Keep in mind that CC&C doesn't appear to have been drinking, but suddenly he doesn't look so good. I think to myself as I take his card 'yea man, you can sit down in a minute' but about 2 seconds after I take his card he just collapses, gracefully I might add, but he is on the floor none the less. As he was going down he grabbed the chip rack display for stability, but that just ripped off the wall with his full weight coming down behind it. I have never been in this situation or any similar. I froze while I considered for a second that he may have passed out from alcohol until he started to seize up a little bit. That was a kind of scary. I was still frozen in my place. Finally, a man talking to my manager barked out for someone to call 911. I proceeded to make my first 911 call. It was pretty simple. I just told them that I was at the subway on Welch, gave the specific number address, told them that someone passed out who didn't appear to have been drinking and that he had seized up. I should mention that he came to consciousness while I was still on the phone with the 911 operator, which I also told her about. She sent firemen from the firehouse halfway up the block, until the paramedics could get there. We later found out that he had a panic attack and that he had experience one earlier that week but without seizing up.

A couple of hours later my manager returns from his DJing gigs a little tipsy and begins to DJ for "club subway" lol. Then the second interesting thing happens, a fight had broken out at the bar across the street and the fighters ran down the alley next to our Subway when the cops came to break it up. In order to catch up to him, the cop runs through our subway and out the back door. It was like a scene from the TV show COPS. My manager, in a tip toeing manner, creeps out the back door after the cop to go scope it. He returns and reports that the cops were coming from all directions and describes what sounds like some sort of sting operation or the scene from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation when they come to rescue Mr. Frank Shirley.

Also, this is probably because I haven't worked the drunk night shift in a while but no girls have hit on me or at least complimented my hair for a few weeks now, haha. We'll see what happens tonight.

I'm a fight!

2010-02-27T05:08:00.002-06:00

The combination of not having been able to add the classes I need, having to deal with all the red tape BS at the college of business undergraduate office, the horrible snow removal services in my apt. parking lot, and having to pay $90 for a lock change when the locks involved are being recycled (meaning it doesn't cost them anything but a half hour of wages) got me really worked up today. I was mad, I was excited, and I was motivated to do some type of damage (not physically, but metaphorically). I feel like I'm being kept down, held back and pushed in the wrong direction by "the system," and I'm glad for it because I haven't felt this motivated since my first year of college. I'm gonna fight with all I got, and I won't let up, until there's nothing left, so get ready "system," get ready to be rocked!

I have a lot of work to do.

Apartment hunting

2010-02-04T12:26:00.001-06:00

I finally got to bed last night around 6:00 and when I say 'last night' I mean this morning at 6:00. But my potential room mates, for next fall, scheduled a meeting to look at an duplex for rent @ 10 am this morning, so I dragged myself out of bed by 9:45. It's lucky I even woke up by then because I had my alarm set for 9:15 and somehow managed to sleep through it, I think less than four hours of sleep might have had something to do with it. Anyway, I showed up about 10 minutes late, and got a tour of the place, and talked it over with Jake and Melissa a bit (these are the potential room mates). It seemed kind of like a crappy place, but most of it was just because the current residents are kind of slobs, and the landlord said he was going to have the carpets shampooed before the next set of residents move in, So it should actually be a pretty good place, especially considering it has a fridge, stove, and washer/dryer. And the price is pretty good too. But I haven't worked out how it will be split between us three, I think I'm cool with it being split 50/50 since the two of them would only be taking up one bedroom, but if utilities are separate I might want that to be split three ways, and to whichever one of us is using the garage, I think they should maybe pay $10 of the rent as well if they are getting that privilege. But I digress, these are all things that can be worked out later, and I don't think this is the only place we'll be looking at, so maybe we won't have a garage.

From Wednesday

2010-02-04T04:21:00.004-06:00

Oh man, it's four o'clock, was I supposed to work today. Wait, yea I was, but what time? Hope it wasn't at four... Calls work. "Yea, when do I work? Oh, good, it's 5."

Quick now, get in the shower.
gotta be to work in less than an hour.
get to work, there's money and power.

While I'm at work I'm having fun,
be a long time before I'm done.

friends? Yes. family? No
now my shift's up and I've got to go

get home; homework?
that'd be a first since the first semester.
better catch up or you'll get left here.
gettin' late, time for bed, check the dresser

I guess the laundry, I forgot
clothes to wear, I have not.

I'm going to do some laundry tomorrow
meanwhile, see if my roomates have some socks to borrow.... haha

That was pretty much my day since I woke up at noon and didn't do much before work, except I won't be borrowing anyone's socks. Nice night all.

Stupid Html

2010-01-22T15:39:00.003-06:00

I changed my blog to a new template so that my Blog archive would appear differently, but I can't get the color and themes that I had in the other one back I can't get the LJdionasddf oasdnlk aoljdsf.... Ugh I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING.

lol

-----------Edit-----------

Everything seems to be in order except one thing: I'd like for the header "smoothie revolution" to always be red whether I'm hovering over it as a link, or it is a visited link.

2 posts in 1 day?

2010-01-20T16:30:00.010-06:00

Seems like every time I step foot in the College Of Businesses Undergraduate Office I come back with a ridiculous story:

So I go to the College of Business to attend a class which I thought was from 3:10 to 4:00. I managed to miss all the classes last week because on Monday I had another class at the same time, Wednesday I don't remember why, but I missed class, and Friday I was helping Kelvin move into his new apt. and I let time get away from me before I knew it it was half way through the class. Since I have another class conflicting with the Monday time slot for this class, I need to get switched to a new section, but I was going to attend this class anyway to try and catch up from the first week. I got there around 3:05 and there were less than 10 people in a giant lecture hall which is supposed to be full to the brim for this section of the class. I think, 'maybe everyone in this class likes showing up at the last minute', but when 3:20 rolled around and the population of the room had changed by one, I decided to double check my schedule. I walked over to the computer lab in which there was basically a mess of people in and decided not to wait around for that. I still haven't checked to see what time the class was supposed to be. I decided instead to stroll over to the Undergraduate Office to get some things cleared up, like for instance possibly getting switched to another section of the course and getting them to stop sending me emails telling me I can't take more than three 300 level courses in the College of Business if I'm not a Business major. I already went through this last semester, and got the permission slip filled out and submitted. After I told them about this I was referred to a more experienced staff member who knew what I was talking about, although she still ended up having to confer with an advisor in the back about my situation.

Back up a minute. You need three 300 level courses to complete a minor but 6 of the credits (2 of the classes) need to be a C or higher. I have taken three of the courses. I mistakenly thought that I had one class at C or higher and that I only needed this one last course at a C to achieve the minor, but it turns out I actually need two more because I got C-'s all the way across. And to make things more complicated they are only going to allow me to retake classes I've already taken, so they're still asking me to drop my MGMT 370 course. They want me to come in tomorrow when there are more advisors available for me to see if I can't get added to any of the already full, non-accepting sections of the classes I've already taken. Sounds hopeful, not. The lady told me that they were taking walk-ins from 10-12 and 2-3, but I know this to be a lie from my experience last year. When they say they're taking walk-ins until 12 it means that they'll be gone for lunch and unavailable by at least 11:30 if not by 11:15. And the cherry on top of the day was this: While leaving I asked the lady at the front desk for an add/drop slip, mind you I already had one (from there earlier), but I figured by the time this was all said and done I'd need two maybe three to get things straightened out. I had the add/drop slip in my hand when the lady I talked to from the back of the office calls out that I can't have one since I'm not from the College of Business, so I had to give that one back.

Unbelievable. Not one thing can move in that system of broken cogs and gears, it is all entirely broken in my opinion. But fear not, because I will succeed, and I will do what it takes to make this broken machine they call a "College of Business" work for me. One idea I had was to add a Double Major in Business, which would allow me to take the classes I need, and then I could just drop the Double Major when I've made my minor requirements. Or if I go to the actual class room while class is being attended I may be able to get the teachers to sign off on my add slip therefore bypassing the broken system but still achieving the requirements. I will try the latter first, but if that doesn't work, I'm going to have to get drastic.

There is still that other class from the College of Design that I'm going to go to and try and add tomorrow, and I bet you anything that I'll be able to get the add slip signed and submitted by the end of the day even though I don't have the prerequisite for the course.

And I just have to say: Hagen Das has the awesomest pineapple coconut ice cream.

Lots to do today

2010-01-20T13:15:00.002-06:00

I'm heading out the door as soon as I get done with this post. I'm going to go and reserve a digital camera for the weekend so I can make the first episode of Cooking With Skittles then I'm making a trip to the key maker, subway, the bank. Then I'm going to try and squeeze in a hair cut, then I have class from 3-4. After that, Kelvin and I are going to the gym, then were coming back to my apt. to hang out and then I will finish the night by cleaning my room... and maybe I will grocery shopping with my room mate later tonight since that is the only time he is free today.

---------Edit---------

The key maker didn't order the right blank, that is to say he got the right kind but the wrong size, so it will be yet another week before I can get a key made for myself.

Spring '10 Schedule

2010-01-13T12:30:00.005-06:00

The spring Schedule isn't quite worked out yet, but I'll try and come back and edit this when I get it all straightened out.

Monday

3:10-4 pm: MGMT 370 (for now)

3:30-6 pm: AFAM 350

6:10-9 pm: MGMT 370 (trying to switch to this time slot from the earlier one)

Tuesday

2:10-3:30 pm: MGMT 370 (another possible time slot for this class)

3:40-5 pm: Arch 334

Wednesday

3:10-4 pm: MGMT 370 (for now)

Thursday

2:10-3:30 pm: MGMT 370 (another possible time slot for this class)

3:40-5 pm: Arch 334
6:30-9 pm: Fin 301?

Friday

3:10-4 pm: MGMT 370 (for now)

I sometimes work 1 or 2 nights during the week, but because of my schedule it'll probably just be Wednesday and Friday. I also usually work on pretty much all nights of the weekend unless I ask to have it off.

Forgotten Singles

2010-01-13T00:56:00.006-06:00

So what have I been up to lately? This is what:

-Had a few good Christmases (the immediate family one, mom's side & dad's side)

-one more to go though (extended family; mom's side but w/ second cousins, great aunts, etc.)

-Got Crunked for New Years with Greg and couldn't stand alcohol the next day because of it

-Started working out over the break, not because of a New Year's (or a Smoothie) Resolution but just because I could and my mom paid for the membership for Dec. and Jan. For me. But now, I think I will actually try to keep up a work out routine. yay me

-Plotting on how to cheat the system (taking classes I'm not supposed to be eligible for)

-Dropping the ball with my schedules (between work and school)

-Feeling very mellow for the past two days

-catching up on the youtube subscriptions that I missed while not having the internet over the break

-Plotting about videos I might put on my vlog if I ever started one, one idea is like "literal video version" only mine (for this one song) is literal lyrics version. Another is to copy the viral videos made about superman or spiderman secretly attending class in a large lecture at my school and then having to run 0ff to save somebody quite interuptingly during the class. And then of course the most of my videos would be about cooking because I think I would be the best at making those, and there are almost endless possibilities for new videos in that category... that I could also achieve. I would probably start up another blog here with this account and embed the youtube videos there.

-Wondering if I'll be able to find No Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Wizard of Oz at my local video store, because I am convinced that my room mate should see them

-and watching youtube music videos of singles or one hit wonders like priscilla renea had "Dollhouse" but then she disappeared, and although new radicals had a number of pretty popular songs I like to think that their "You get what you Give" was kind of their one hit wonder. Also, where's that one kid named Asher Roth? He had "I love college" but I haven't heard anything from him since. And what about that girl named Adele, the only thing anybody seems to give her credit for is "Chasing Pavement." And thus the title for this blog post. I mean, I feel like I have to write down a list of all the short lived and Forgotten Singles and put them on a playlist so I can pay my respects to those artists, who we the public, used, abused and then did away with so quickly. I MUST REMEMBER THE SINGLES.

A dream

2009-12-06T14:44:00.004-06:00

I had a dream that my family and I were given the ability to go back in time, knowing what we know now, which made my family and I appreciate more in life (you know, the simple things), and gave us an economic advantage of being able to prepare for the harder economic times of the present.

Then I realized how foolish and wishful that was, and that I can go ahead and do that now while I'm preparing for a future time and a destination, unknown.

music

2009-12-03T13:49:00.003-06:00

Though I hear you call my name

and knock, knock on the ol' front door,

I made sure the door was locked,

so I can hear ya shout,

'Hey let the hostage out.'

Boy, you sure seem so upset, talkin' through the megaphone,

While I'm creepin' by the curtain,

and pretending I'm just crawling to the kitchen

and pretending I'm just crouching in the cupboard

and pretending I'm not home.

-Heywood Banks

I am feeling this song. I've not made an attempt to really get away for my apt. for a while and I've been feeling pretty content, or too lazy to do anything about it. Also I've been stressing about term papers and semester tests coming up soon, Ahhh! I usually don't stress this much, I mean I do stress, but not this much, and yet I have a calm, cool (pretty much lazy) exterior.

I should maybe change the title of my blog to "I need to get myself into gear." But, in my defense, it helps to write about it and get it out of my head rather than hole up and 'pretend that I'm not home.'

Also another musically related topic. Ever notice how often the songs you hear on the radio that are "top hits" are either track 3 or more often, track 4 on the album they were released with? Strange isn't it? It's like they're putting their home run hitter fourth to bat: They load the bases with their single hitters and then send em' home with a grand slam. I'm not sayin it's always track 4 but it does happen often. So often in fact, that their might be a a conspiracy about it and how record companies are always promoting the 4 song in an album for some insane reason. lol

Eurotrip

2009-12-02T01:33:00.005-06:00

This was a Art History class project that I was working on in which we needed to try and plan a trip to Europe so we could visit a bunch of "objects" from Art History.... for lest than $1000 dollars. So here are some websites that might help in trying to plan your trip, I mean hey, $1000 dollars is really good, but there was no way it could be done and still afford the overseas plane ticket, So the trip my group planned started in Rome, Italy and included travel admission prices, some tours (with guides) and hotel, not food though.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

A subway pun.

2009-11-19T13:50:00.002-06:00

I have a graphic t-shirt that advertises Pepsi Fuze Green Tea which happens to be green. Today I realized that It's a green T that advertises Green Tea, haha.

In other news, I'm going to see if I can't get my car taken in to replace the tailpipe for once.

Also, I've been trying to cheer up my blog by posting things other than about my faults, failures, and sorrowful feelings. Hopefully the tailpipe story was a fun laughable story, and didn't make me sound like a complainer pants.

Tail pipe dilema

2009-11-16T21:12:00.011-06:00

So the tailpipe on my car had rusted through back by the muffler but I had decided to let it go for a while because I wasn't in the mood or financial standings to have it replaced. It was a little bit loud because the air was escaping the exhaust system in the wrong place, but not unbearable.

Well, last weekend, I went for about a hundred mile road trip. And while I was driving on the Inter State the problem got worse, because the rusted hole in the pipe turned into a complete detachment from the muffler and the pipe started to drag on the ground. Yea, cool, I know. You might say I was lookin' pretty awesome. But the fun doesn't stop there. I stopped on an exit ramp to try and tie it back up to the car with a key chain lanyard because... that was all I had. FAIL. Apparently my tie job was severely insufficient, because I could soon, again, hear the jingle of dragging metal back on ground. Luckily though, I managed to reach my destination without further complications.

Then, as my friends and I were leaving to go tailgating, we decided to take my poor car because his car had the same problem as mine did and was louder (at the time) and her car had little to no gas. Her family would be taking their suv but needed to follow me to get to the stadium parking lot. So we doubled back around the block to get into the alley where they were parked so we could have them follow us. And as I turned into the ally there was an explosion of sound and all of the sudden, under the new extremely loud sound of my exhaust-less engine we could hear my entire tailpipe dragging along the roughly paved ally. NOW, I swear that the car can be heard from two blocks away just while idling, and five blocks when I give it gas to accelerate. It seems to sound like an old tractor which makes sense because they sort of have a lack of exhaust systems. oh, and the funny thing is that the muffler is still attached to the car and can be seen from the rear as if there were a working exhaust system.

I pledge

2009-11-10T15:31:00.002-06:00

i pledge to spend more time in the kitchen, and more time at the gym, thus having a healthier life style. i also promise to spend more time doing homework than watching youtube and cartoon network. okay, I'm off to work. maybe I'll have a story from it when i get home, seems like there's always a good story from subway.

Stilll chasing those dreams.

2009-11-04T22:33:00.004-06:00

Tonight I had a presentation with some "higher ups." I'm not sure what all their titles are, but I believe some of them were architects. I was really just excited to have some real world experience in presenting a design project that I helped work on. What we did, was to try and solve some of the spacial and programmatic issues that the Terrace Hill Carriage House has with some of their everyday use, based on some information that the staff gave us and our own observations by redesigning the space inside the building proposing a new addition to the south (less prominent) facade in order to preserve the historical character of the north and east facades. I know that's a run on sentence but it seemed to flow as I wrote it and I'm not going to break it up and reword it. It was a really fun project and I would be even more excited if they decided to implement any of the ideas that were specific to my group's project.

In other news, I've decided to continue to pursue my passion for architecture by taking a class on how to use the program called Revit (sp?) which is a three dimensional design program. I've been kind of self learning and trying to design what I'm calling a "kitchen house" in Google sketchhup, but I haven't gotten very far with it since it's not "due." Ha ha, even if there was a due date, I'm not sure I would have worked on it this much.

Thought for the day

2009-10-23T16:27:00.003-05:00

(actually this was yesterday)

I realized that I am lonely for architecture the same way I'm lonely for a girlfriend. How I want, but do not have.

(and probably will not have for a long time)

Field Trip

2009-09-28T12:03:00.002-05:00

Much embarrassingly I missed a field trip for one of my classes last Thursday, so I'm going to try and take a self field trip to make up for it by the time I have the class again tomorrow.

Over the weekend I watched the proposal. I thought it was a good movie, but it made me sad that I don't have someone to love like that.

Now, I've got to take a shower and head out to try and make up for my field trip. Maybe later I'll get some laudary done today, it's been piling up for too long.

Test today.

2009-09-16T12:58:00.003-05:00

Today I had a test in Management Information Systems. I hope to get a D and a C if I'm lucky. I'll start studing sooner this time.

I have an appointment with an ent specialist today because I damaged my eardrum a while ago and I keep re-damaging it by accident because I have a habit of using Q-tips to clean my ears.

I have another test in Art History tomorrow, a lot of reading and one assignment to do for my other class tomorrow morning, and 3 assignments to do for friday. Looks like I'll be pretty busy.

Smoothie Resolution Renewal

2009-09-11T10:37:00.004-05:00

I tried to become a better person once but haven't made much progress. These 7 things still apply, so I'm re-posting them in an effort to try and straighten myself out again.

1. Become closer to HIM. Always seek HIM. 'nuff said.

2. Don’t make things more complicated than they really are. Make things simple. Do what is necessary first and enjoy it, so that if the “fun” doesn’t come, it won’t be missed.

3. Do not depend on friends and/or family to help you work out your own problems. Do not hope that someone depends on you to get something done as a means of motivation. Rely on your OWN well being as a motivation to succeed at what you do. (This has been a major problem for you, fix it!)

4. Do homework, do it well, and do it on time. Master your time management skills. (This is also a major problem.)

5. Stay fit. Run, lift weights in a balanced work out (all muscles equally, not just the major ones), do Yoga/Pilates. Bike and swim often and for long periods of time. Enjoy the outdoors this summer and every summer as much as possible. Train for RAGBRAI one day… or the ride that crosses Minnesota.

6. Eat healthy. Have at least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable at every meal. Have a smoothie! Have three reasonable sized meals a day. Avoid eating out, especially fast food, and especially fast food when you’re by yourself.

7. Make money. Save a lot of that money. Think of ways to save money (Eat your parents food, when you visit for home.) Make more money. Save more money. Become an entrepreneur and find a way to make money on the side!

Twitter

2009-05-03T20:58:00.001-05:00

Sounds like it could be fun having a twitter.

It's a Facebook Status, or Myspace Status but as it's own entity.

ezde711

Still Dreaming

2009-05-02T20:27:00.006-05:00

CLICK ME for a cool song on youtube Hope the title link continues to work.

I got a whole bunch of new songs yesterday, so exciting! I love music. I also love food.... and architecture.

I should have a photo ablum of all my favorite things called "More Pictures of Food, architecture and Album Art.

Anyway, I have one week until summer break and I can't wait to find a good summer job, get a membership at a golf course, and go swimming a lot.

I'm finally going to submit a portfolio and apply for the program of Architecture at my college @ the end of this semester. WHoo HOoo. Here I come dreams.

The scale of dreams

2008-08-07T23:12:00.003-05:00

Scott is dreaming smaller dreams for now...

These are a few of the things.

2008-04-02T10:07:00.002-05:00

My main problem is that I fail to do things that I should. I haven't made time for anything important lately. I don't read material for classes, I don't make time for the help sessions provided for classes that I need it. I've been behind in one class and so I avoided it out of shame for the last couple of weeks (that's about the stupidest thing I could have done). I haven't made time to read the bible, go to church or some kind of bible study/church group like CRU in several weeks. I haven't been paying attention to or contacting friends as much as I should, in some cases not at all, for example I haven't read Sarah's blog in a really long time.

I recognize and understand all of these problems, but these things have made me feel less than excited about achieving any of my goals. I see consequenses for doing something wrong or inadequate but somehow the rewards are not getting through to me. If I know about them they somehow aren't enough to motivate me to avoid the consequenses. I'm running from my problems, but I can't make my legs stop moving, I can't even make my head turn back to look at them. Deep down inside do I want myself to fail? If that is the case, what is wrong with me? What is the reason for all of this? I'm failing at life right now. Rest assured I'll NEVER "quit" but if I can't somehow get my act together, it's just the same. Making your list of smoothie resolutions is easy enough, but to follow them can go quite a bit less than smooth.

This was on the radio and I just realized how much it fits my current status.

2008-04-01T21:53:00.003-05:00

Linkin Park- Given Up

Wake in a sweat again
Another day's been laid to waste
In my disgrace
Stuck in my head again
Feels like i'll never leave this place
There's no escape
I'm my own worst enemy
I've given up
I'm sick of living
Is there nothing you can say
Take this all away
I'm suffocating
Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me
I don't know what to take
Thougt i was focused but i'm scared
I'm not prepared
I hyperventilate
Looking for help somehow somewhere
And no one cares
I'm my own worst enemy
I've given up
I'm sick of living
Is there nothing you can say
Take this all away
I'm suffocating
Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me
Put me out of my misery
Put me out of my misery
Put me out of my, put me out of my fucking misery
I've given up
I'm sick of living
Is there nothing you can say
Take this all away
I'm suffocating
Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me

** I hate homework.

Let the Smoothie Resolutions Begin!

2008-03-24T17:15:00.000-05:00

I know it’s late for New Year’s Resolutions, but some major changes are in order, so I’m making my Smoothie Resolutions instead.

1. Become closer to HIM. Always seek HIM. 'nuff said.

2. Don’t make things more complicated than they really are. Make things simple. Do what is necessary first and enjoy it, so that if the “fun” doesn’t come, it won’t be missed.

3. Do not depend on friends and/or family to help you work out your own problems. Do not hope that someone depends on you to get something done as a means of motivation. Rely on your OWN well being as a motivation to succeed at what you do. (This has been a major problem for you, fix it!)

4. Do homework, do it well, and do it on time. Master your time management skills. (This is also a major problem.)

5. Stay fit. Run, lift weights in a balanced work out (all muscles equally, not just the major ones), do Yoga/Pilates. Bike and swim often and for long periods of time. Enjoy the outdoors this summer and every summer as much as possible. Train for RAGBRAI one day… or the ride that crosses Minnesota.

6. Eat healthy. Have at least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable at every meal. Have a smoothie! Have three reasonable sized meals a day. Avoid eating out, especially fast food, and especially fast food when you’re by yourself.

7. Find a job. Make money. Save a lot of that money. (Eat parents food, when you’re home.) Line up another job for the coming winter while I’m away at college again. Make more money. Save more money.

That’s the perfect number of resolutions for now.

Test 2: Arch 222

2008-03-07T10:13:00.004-06:00

I actually studied, before the night before the test. I'm so happy for how well I think I might have done, that I promise right now (as long as I don't forget) that next Friday, when we get our tests back, I will stand up in class and Yell "Whooo hooo!" if I get a B or better, because that would be the best I have ever done on a test in that class. Arch 222 is exactly the same as Arch 221 (which I took last semester), just the continuation of it. So yes, on all the tests we had last semester and the one we had so far this semester I have yet to get better than a C. They are really hard for me and I have a hard time even finishing them. Even this time, when I was confident for a good majority of the material on the test, I still had trouble getting it all down on paper by the time the class was over. :P You'd think that the professor would get the hint from the low averages of the class, and make the tests a little easier, but the few who do well and excel at his game, have apparently convinced him to continue to do it the way I'm sure he has done for so long.
*Excitement*
I've seen this: "XD" recently and I'm not sure what to make of it but I'm going to assume that it's a big happy, squinting, animae face because that's what I think it looks like, in which case...
XD, because I'm very happy right now.

Awesome Song On Itunes Radio!

2008-03-05T21:52:00.000-06:00

Mark Brown f/Sarah Cracknell- The Journey Continues (Vocal Radio Edit)

Two friends, one scott.

2008-03-05T10:27:00.002-06:00

Two of my room mates are relatively new friends of mine. They are so simular and yet so different. Both are quiet, caring and giving friends but, one of them likes things to be out in the open and on the table and is a very strongly opinionated person, while the other holds true in all aspects of being a quiet person, sometimes slipping things under the table, and avoids conflict. It's kind of hard to be both of their friends when they both dislike each other so much, but I like them both, they are both good people...

**shakes head** what to do, what to do?

Back on my feet today.

2008-02-29T11:07:00.004-06:00

That was a figure of speech, I am in full health again, at least I feel that way. I also am feeling exceptional about the fact that I didn't have to take my usual quiz for Agron today, because it's not due until Wednesday and I actually got done with the my Arch assignment this time, which I hadn't done for the past two weeks. I'm so excited I'll probably spend my Friday night doing homework, rather than wasting it on mindless entertainment like TV and video games. Later tonight I might also go over to my old dorm to check on some old friends that are still over there, so there may be some time wasted, but it will be time well wasted, with friends.

In other news I found out that I got a C on a test that I expected to get a D on and a D on a test I expected to fail. I did myself one better than I thought I could. I know I can do better (much better) on the next tests, I just have to spend time on the material, and get as much help from the professors, TA's and well, if I have to the text books.

On that same note, even though I'm feeling really joyous and positive right now, I have one negative thing to add to the post: me complaining about the way I learn compared to others.
A letter to the self learners:

Dear self learners,
Please stop setting the standards. Stop making teachers think that we should be able to do that. If you want to learn so much, drop out of school, pack up your books, and go learn them, become the next William or Michael, go on make millions and billions, your losing money as we speak spending your time here in school. As for me I will stay here in school and continue to try and pay teachers for what I came here for, teaching. I need to be taught in order to learn. I need to be spoon fed information. I have a lot of trouble taking anything from a book's text and being able to apply it, unless that very text is read to me or rephrased by someone who does understand the material. So again I say to you, stop making it hard for me... unless you want to stick around and help me?

There, the end, I'm done complaining about my shortcomings.
This Extra February Post was brought to you by the leap year. WHOO HOO!

Oh I almost forgot, I may change the layout of my blog soon, with the new upgraded features. I'll miss this old color scheme. I know for some of you this page may be messed up due to my lack of html writing knowledge. It's supposed to have orange text posts in a wide left sided column and the left side there is a skinny column of links and side info of a light and dark blue color with yellow Titles dotting the entire layout, but for some browsers, like FireFox, it sometimes centralizes all the text into the center of the page, makes it the light blue color of the side bar and places the left side bar under everything (I think on the right side of the page instead of the left like it's supposed to be). It looks fine in IE7, I don't know what firefox's problem is. I hate that browser, when I had it on my computer it always had to jiggle the page every time it loaded a new one, I got headache and feared I was going to have a seizure after navigating like 5 pages. I'm glad Microsoft copied firefox's designs, they did it better.

So hot, and so cold.

2008-02-23T14:44:00.003-06:00

I'm pretty sure I have a fever, and I hope it doesn't turn out to be the flu. Word is that it's going around my campus and it lasts around five days or so.

:-P I have a test to study for on Monday and a lot of homework to do, and I certainly don't feel like studying. I'm going to try doing a Yoga workout and fixing myself a fruit smoothie, perhaps that will help my immune system fight harder. Then hopefully I will feel better to study.

I was inspired to write this.

2008-02-17T00:47:00.003-06:00

I sit alone in my room, staring at the empty wall with the door in it, not wanting to leave, and not having to do so either. I know literally what is behind the door, yet, I still wonder what is on the other side. It seems like something else is there, something that I wouldn't be able to see, something that I wouldn't necessarily know if I found it. Sometimes I feel claustrophobic and I have to open the door, open the shade and sometimes even the window. I feel I have to talk to a room mate, sign into aol, or leave a message on some one's facebook wall before I feel okay again, but tonight, I feel safe enclosed in my little room. Sometimes it's more extreme than this, sometimes I want nothing more than to crawl within a small dark space and remain there for a good amount of time doing and thinking of nothing. When I'm there, I'm not sad, or happy, or mad, or lonely, although sometimes I go there because I feel alone. The thing is, that only when I'm in the nothing, am I aware of the something. I may never know what that something is, but I know it is only there when there is nothing.

I lost, but don't despair

2008-02-11T10:47:00.000-06:00

I lost the first two matches of my intramural wrestling bracket, which means I'm out of the competition. I forgot how much conditioning it took to be in shape for wrestling season in high school. That and I didn't realize how much my coach helped us out in that area without me knowing it. I made it through the first period no problem, but started to feel a little exhausted during the second period. In the first match I got pinned, so it ended there, but in the second match I only lost by a couple points, which means I had to wrestle the third period and I was definitely "gassed" as we used to say. I don't feel too bad about losing though, I'm glad to have wrestled, both matches were good work outs.

I had a history test on Friday, which is why I haven't blogged in the last week, too busy preparing for that and a quiz I had in another class, not that it did any good for the history test. Blah, I really need to start studying for his tests sooner, he makes it really hard. Sadly I finished the test. I know what your thinking, "Isn't that a good thing?" Well no, it's not because I didn't know a lot the answers so I guessed and filled in some bogus answers for the ones I didn't know which made those parts go by faster therefore allowing me to finish faster. I have been better prepared for his tests in the past, but in those cases, it has taken me too long to finish answering all the questions with the correct content. That's the sad part, the fact that I know I did bad on a test because I was able to finish it and knowing I would've done better had I not been able finish it. I can't help it if I'm a slow test taker, I always have been, whether I know the material or not. I don't know how I would be able to fix something like that.

Bible study tonight, and my room mate should be coming this time too. I'm excited again.

**Note to Sarah. Sorry about last post Sarah. I didn't mean to upset you, but I wish you would tell me how you feel about it, I fear you've boycotted talking to me, perhaps for more than just that reason. I hope you really just haven't been able to check back and/or reply because you were busy or gone or something. That would be a relief.

Wrestling, Bible Study, Rearragement of room, hw

2008-02-02T13:35:00.000-06:00

I signed up for Intramural Wrestling this year. My first match is on Tuesday @ 5:oo PM. It's going to be really fun, I haven't wrestled in three years, and I miss it. It was my favorite sport, the only sport that I could completely zone everything else out and concentrate on just that. And I like not having to depend on your teammates to do well in order for you to succeed. Don't get me wrong, when I was in high school, I loved it when my whole team won a dual, but was still glad that I could be the decider of my own record. The other thing is that I like is that you get direct feedback for every move you make, and you can put your whole self into it. To elaborate on that, let me compare for you my football experience. I was the wide receiver, and on our team, the only way you were going to that feeling was if you were the full back about every three out of four plays... while on offense. As the wide receivers, we took in plays and therefore you only got to play once every three or four plays... while on offense, on top of the fact that they rarely ever threw the ball. Not a lot of involvement in football compared to wrestling. Plus I like the satisfaction of knowing that you really worked your tail off, and you can feel the exhaustion in almost every single muscle in your body at the end of a good hard match. I'll definitely be back to tell you how the match was.

On the other end of the spectrum, We're starting up Bible Study again, and I'm totally super excited for that. I don't like going to church very much but I feel like I need to have God remind me that he's there through something like a bible study or... church (if I have to, I guess). I especially don't like Catholic services because they are too strict and traditional. My room mate has a good point in that those new churches seem like a sort of marketing type of scheme in which the church has changed it's look and feel but "same great product." And while I agree that that seems a little manipulative after considering it, it doesn't make much of a difference to me, I still like those new churches, because of a few other factors that seem to outweigh that point of view.

First: Catholic services are so boringly traditional that I find it hard to concentrate on the Word, let alone to pull anything useful from it. Second: All of the propperness, tradition and ritual that have been built up seem like a bunch of bologna, because I'm pretty sure God doesn't give a flying horse $#!+ (excuse my language) about how expensive your "Sunday Best" outfit was. I think he'd really be just as happy if not more happy if people stop trying to be so proper and respectful with traditions, rituals, nice clothing, and (extremely) appropriate small talk before and after service. Don't get caught up in all that bologna people. "Come as you are" and JUST praise him. Third: All of those carefully carried out traditions that take place during mass, only leave about 10 or 15 minutes of true learning and taking in the Word of God. Considering how many people only ever think about God, when they grudgingly go to church on Sunday morning, 10-15 minutes is a horrible and disgraceful amount of time to be taking in that goodness and knowledge.

I don't even usually go to church because of all these things. If I wanted to go more regularly I'd have to find one of those new churches with a more upbeat atmosphere that was a little more concentrated on learning the Word of God than trying to be respectful to him. You can be friendly to somebody and appear to respect them, but until you stop putting up that front, pull down that wall of (almost fake) kindess, and get to know that person you can't truly call them your friend and you can't truly respect them. I see it the same way with God. I know it seems contradictory of me not to go to Church when I'm complaining about barely getting any time to spend on getting to know God, well it is contradictory. But believe me, I think that the 10-15 minutes are worth the hour per week, but all those things I mentioned make me so mad that it becomes very un-enjoyable for me to go at all. And my one last thought on the subject is that the new Christian music is not a marketing ploy to get young adults to come to their new style of church. Think about it, if Christian musicians singing Christian songs were in music for gain they probably wouldn't be singing Christian music. It would seem more logical if those musicians were simply musicians who are really passionate about their beliefs and therefore they make music about it.

Also I rearranged my room yesterday. When the fall semester started I tried 4 or 5 different arrangements until I found one that was not only highly functional and compartmentalized, but also made for a small and cozy atmosphere. Over the semester though, that small and cozy feeling became small and crammed and I was just feeling a bit stuffy from it being the same ol' same ol' set up for so long. So now I rearranged it, and managed to make it even more functional than before (because I can reach almost everything from my bed), and it is still well organized/compartmentalized, just less aesthetically pleasing and less cozy. On the other hand, considering the incredibly small size of the room in the first place, it's hard for it not to have some amount of coziness. And it being less cozy is a good thing since I was feeling a bit stuffy about the old set up. And why did I just write a whole paragraph about rearranging my room? Well, spacial organization is something that I think highly of as a wanna be architect. Function, (versatility, efficiency, organization) aesthetics, structure= Architecture.

So I should probably do some homework now. I'll be back in couple days.

Spring '08 Schedule

2008-01-17T23:00:00.001-06:00

I totally forgot to post this, not that anyone really needs to know this.

Monday
-Arch 222 9:00-9:50
-Agron 156 4:10-5:00

Tuesday
-Econ 101 9:30-10:45
-Dsn s 183 11:00-12:30
-Acct 284 12:40-2:00

Wednesday
-Arch 222 9:00-9:50
-Agron 156 10:00-11:50

Thursday
-Econ 101 9:30-10:45
-Dsn s 183 11:00-12:30
-Acct 284 12:40-2:00

Friday
-Arch 222 10:00-10:50

Weight lifting everyday mon. through thur. somewhere between 4 and 6 PM and in the early morning on fri.

I was going to finally come back to write something for you to read...

2008-01-15T20:02:00.000-06:00

yesterday... about the final weeks of the semester and my Christmas break.

I didn't.

This is me. This is how I do.

I'm a pretty lazy person. I can't figure out why. I was thinking to myself this morning in the first of my Tuesday/Thursday classes, I could ace every one of the classes that I've ever taken and I could do the same for these ones too. But I haven't done that. I mean, I've gotten at least a couple of A's, but I'm definately no A student. I know an A student though, and I think she's pretty cool. I think she's more than cool, but that's not what I came here to say. So, as I thought this to myself this morning, I found a problem with this and I said in retaliation to myself, 'you idiot! If you're so smart then why the hell haven't you done anything to prove it, if not for anyone else than at least to yourself?'

And still here I sit, with a building anxiety towards my homework. It's only the second day of the semester and I already have an anxiety problem with my homework. Homework has never been my strong point, especially turning it in on time.

I'm just going to change the subject a little bit. My favorite job ever was working construction, it's practically mindless, and yet through hard work, many things can be accomplished. What I like most about it, is the hard work. Not to be confused with work like an office job, I'm talking physical work, the kind when it's at least 90 degrees outside and your muscles ache. Physical work is satisfying, healthy, not to mention it payed pretty well for how little you had to think.

Did you know that you can be a CPO? A certified public organizer. I could do that with my eyes closed, I can't help it, I won't settle for less when it comes to defining and organizing a space. I know a lot of people are like that, but it's one of the traits that I have that I kind of pride myself on. Or rather, it is one of the things that I use to define myself. The thing is though, is that this trait that I possess and hold dear, is also very useful in designing buildings, which I think is going to be way more fun, as long as I can squeeze just a little creativity out of myself.

In the back of my mind I sometimes think to myself that for all the thing that I stand for, I could make it in life with just a part time job. By part time job I mean working full time in a job that a high schooler could be working "part time" like at a grocery store or as a construction worker. A simple life. I know there a lot of people who do it. But there are at least three thing stopping me.
One is that I am super cheap and I couldn't stand to let all the money that was spent on my college education go to waste. It would hurt me to see all that money gone, not because I'm greedy or starving for money, but because it would mean in relavance to the amount of money these colleges are asking for, that this whole thing was a VERY bad desicion. I'm not willing to admit that because I think I can prove that it was in fact a good decision. And for the sake of sounding as positive as I really am, I'll say that I know I can prove it. I think that is what penny pinching is really all about, and it just adds insult to injury if you're poor, which I'm almost there, at least that's how I feel, but who doesn't feel poor, William Gates?
Two is that I am scared to death of some of the social lives and lifestyles that I have seen in working those very part time jobs as a high schooler. It doesn't look to promising.
Three is the collective knowledge that I have gained over the years with such an interest in Architecture. Why would I leave behind my passion and all of that knowledge just because there's an inkling of doubt in my mind that I won't succeed, or because I think I could do just as well or better doing something I'm may or may not enjoy for the rest of my life. No! You will have to tell me I've failed twice at my dreams before I surrender to the part time world.

Now all I have to do is work up enough anxiety right here and now to finally do my homework before it is late so that for once I can know what it feels like to be a successfull student.

I have no excuses and I stopped making them up a long time ago. When I do bad, I simply say that I am lazy and I should have done better. No excuses!

Yea, I feel better to have all of these contradicting and confusing thoughts out of my head. enjoy

Thanksgiving Break

2007-12-02T08:24:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving Break was nice, and it was good to see family. I was able to get some relaxation in and some reading for class although not enough. On the other hand, it was also quite nice to get back to school. I like my syblings and everything, but they make it hard to just lie down and relax, so when I got back to school i just laid down in my bed and enjoyed the relaxation without even falling of sleep.

Speaking of sleep, I was able to return from nocturnalism over the break too. The awesome thing about changing my sleep schedule so drastically on purpose was that I got to pick what time I wanted to change it to. I chose to go to bed early as if I were junior high again with a bed time of somewhere between 9 and 11 then i always get enough sleep that I'm up by around 6 or 7 without an alarm. I've been using the early morning to get in some Yoga/push up, sit up exercises and making sure I'm showered, had a good breakfast and get to class a little early. I like this "new leaf," but I've still got some kinks to work out with my shcool work now.

I went shopping on Black Friday before work, I'm thinking of getting a learning game for my younger brother for Christmas like a Leap Frog game. None of those were on sale though, and there wasn't much else I was looking for, so I didn't get anything. This next year, I'm going to make a Christmas Gift list early, and then watch the prices throughout the year, to see if you actually get a deal on stuff on Black Friday or if they jack the prices a month before Black Friday, and then drop them back down and pretend like your'e saving money, like I suspect. I know you really can get deals on some stuff, for example there is no other time of the year that I can remember that you can get new popular movies for under $5 dollars. But I don't think you actually get an extra good deal on stuff like kitchen appliances (blenders and toaster ovens), entertainment electronics (Tv's and DVD players) and childrens toys (like dolls and those robotic type toys).

Anyway, there are only two weeks of school left, and I can hardly believe it, but I'm super excited for it to be over and I'm looking forward to being able to see a bunch of friends over Christmas break, makin' a little money at my job, and going to see the Golden Compass sometime too. I'm hoping all my friends will want to go with me to the Golden Compass with me, otherwise it won't be as fun. So far I've had one confirmed guest who will go with me. Maybe I should make a facebook event, so people can invite other people and we can have a bunch of people go.

Until next time...

Late Nights, followed by long days and naps.

2007-11-12T02:22:00.000-06:00

Through a series of late night study sessions and working on projects into the early morning, and some long naps during the day have turned me practically nocturnal. I couldn't get to bed these last two nights until 5:00 AM, and since it was the weekend, I definately slept in until 4:00 PM on Saturday. Today I managed to get up by about 1:00 PM but I might as well have slept in because I'm staying up late tonight to finish a project that's due Tuesday. I wouldn't be surprised if I was up until my class "this" morning @ 9:00 AM. Maybe this could be a thing, I'll just move my sleep time to the day and stay up through the night until my morning class. It could work, but then I'd be NON-social, and I'm already shy enough. ehh. talk to ya later

EDIT:
Now: 6:12 AM
Location: Barracks

I'm going to bed, wake me up at 8:45 in time for class.

"A delicate arguement" by scott

2007-11-11T19:02:00.000-06:00

I believe that arguements are good, but it's more polite to think of them as debates. Most times, if the people involved can behave in an acceptable manner and if sides of the opinion aren't totally WRONG, then I think that in the end both sides come out on top. Both sides are now enlightened in a point of view they may not have previously understood, and they probably both have moved closer to each other's beliefs. I'm not saying we should all end up thinking the same thing, that would defeat the purpose, but if we better understand each other's beliefs then we are more likely to get along.

The best thing about having debates (arguements) is that they work like the system of checks and balances we are supposed to have in our government. Everyone has their own agenda beliefs and values, but if we share our beliefs and values with others, we may find out though conversation, debate, and arguementation that our agendas weren't as good intention based as we thought. So this I say to you, next time you're having an arguement about what's right and wrong, don't shut the other person's thoughts out, but take them in and you may want to take a second to reconsider your own thoughts.

This post was inspired by both my roomate/friend and the very reason he is my friend, which because we don't necessarily agree all the time.

Time for an entry.

2007-11-07T03:10:00.000-06:00

Lately, I've been feeling pretty compasionate about my career choice and I'm having a lot of postivie thoughts and experience with design along with a recently deeper interest in it too, and to top it off, today, my teacher told me that my ideas are very good and I do well in conveying them but, I don't do them on time. Alas, time has been my downfall since at least third grade. Late assignments, late assignments, late assignments! But I digress. The more I think about it the worse it becomes.

In other news, I have an assignment in marketing which requires me to compare two stores that have both online and brick and morter locations. I chose Best Buy and Barnes & Noble. And upon visiting the book store I had this fantasy of being the type of person who goes to the bookstore to pick up a book, buy it, read it and do it all over again every week or so. It doesn't sound quite as glorious in text but, the word enlightenment comes to mind. I don't know why it sounds like a cool thing, especially since I'm just not the type of person who would make time for that type of lifestyle.

Also I can't seem to get to bed tonight so I think I'm going to take a shower now and hope I can wake up for my class tomorrow morning.

Speaking of classes, I signed up for my new classes next semester, 5 classes. I should have every single one of my general electives done plus two history classes that I wasn't supposed to have taken until I got into the Arch. program. And, next semester I don't have a studio for once so it should be interesting to see how differently I can handle my time management skills. OH, and I applied for a job, I should be able to get it shortly with my method, and I'm hoping this will have a positive affect on my time management unlike video games do.

I think one of the reasons I am the way I am is because as a kid I changed schools 4 times before 5th Grade was over and I became a very adaptable type of person, easy and going with the flow so as not to create confrontation most of the time. But on the other hand, I can be very very stubborn about things and I'm not sure why or what has caused this trait in me. The stubbornness can often lead to "going nowhere" arguements. For example, I argued with my cousin once for quite sometime about how wierd it was that he wore gym shorts under his jeans and not just jogging pants. Strangely enough I do this a lot now myself, and my only arguement is that doing so creates versatile functioning.

Versatility is one of my favorite characteristics for a design to have. If you can design something to have multiple funtions (being versatile) but having a great aesthitic quality about it, then you've got something that can really be admired.

The end.

Self Awareness.

2007-11-01T00:47:00.000-05:00

Last year, was my first year out on my own with no parents to answer to. I was all about finding out new things about myself that I hadn't been aware of before, I was constantly coming up with new ways that I could descibe myself and what I was about.

Now, I know all these things and I wonder if I know too much or at least I think I do. Its not helping me. I know that I'm not doing well in school and that I've become very lazy that I seriously lack motivation but I can't do anything to stop myself from causing more problems for me. My hypothesis is that somewhere along the line in the past years I 've lost something, perhaps a point of view, a lifestyle, some friends I used to hang out with, some beliefs that held my life together, I don't know what but something, or maybe a collection of small things, changes that have changed me.

I apologize to who ever reads these because my life hasn't been so well lately and it's just kinda sad and depressing. I have fun during the day, but it's pretty shallow fun and that's just not what usually comes to my mind when I have strong enough feelings that I feel like I should sit down and write something. Heck, I think I may have figured out why the NEWS is practically always negative, it's the most prominent in their minds. Good things on the NEWS are often shallow, lame or pathetic and that's why they don't put it on TV.

Anyway, I don't know what I'm going to do about myself, but I have some ideas of what I might do. Going along with my hypothesis from earlier, I may have lost something, which may have left some sort of void or gap in my life, and so now I'm on a quest to fill that gap. I mean my life has become incredably minimal lately. All I do is go to school, and the grocery store. Sometimes I go to studio to work on a project or to the library to study, but as you might guess, that doesn't happen often, because I'm sucking at school right now. So maybe if I started going to some bible studies or organizations, or if I got a job I could begin to fill that gap. Maybe if I had just enough distraction it would allow me to concentrate every once in a while instead of being so absent minded all the time and not doing my homework. I dread doing my homework, more than YOU think is possible normal students of the world.

Don't be worried though folks, the gap hasn't got me thinking scuicidal thoughts or of taking up drugs and/or alchohol, I would never resort to any of those to try to fill gaps or solve my problems.

I just don't know what to do, its like when writers get writers block, only have [motivation to live for anything or do anything] block. I have developed some wierd ways of being lately too. I feel a bit claustrophobic, I leave the door of my bedroom open to the rest of the apartment at night when I sleep, I used to have a curtain and a shade, but the shade has been up for weeks and the curtain pulled to the side for the last week, and sometimes I open the window even if it's cold out. I feel depressed because I suck so bad at school and that I have nothing else to do except watch TV, play video games and surf the internet.

I'm losing my will to do anything at all, and I need help...

So many things to be aware of and yet I haven't been able to bring myself to change any of it for the better. It just gets worse.

dumb

2007-10-23T00:35:00.000-05:00

Why am I so lazy? I've managed to do just enough since last Thursday to survive, but other than that I've accomplished nothing. Everytime I get excited about turning my life around and coming out of the rut, I dig in deeper until I get sick of myself and try to get out of it again. Sometimes I make it back to "scraping by" status, but I never do much better than that. I need a personal trainer or a tutor or a baby sitter of somesort that can kick me in the butt. I'd probably hate whoever it was, but I'd ask them to keep it up if they didn't think I wanted them there because of it. Does that make sense? The truth is that I reject help from people who can really push me to my potential, because, on the surface, I don't want to reach my potential, but deep down inside I want them to push harder because I know I won't push myself. I'm lazy and unmotivated, and I can't concentrate on any goals I make for myself. I'm more likely to keep a promise to someone esle than I am to keep one for myself. If I told myself to go weigtlifting or studying at the library, it just wouldn't end up happening because I'm not that important to myself, but if I told someone else that I would meet them there, I would probably make it there. I'd probably be late, but I'd at least go. What is my problem? Why can't I be motivated? Why can't I see the bigger picture without being overwhelmed? Am I the only one that can't handle these things?

You know what relief is?

2007-10-10T12:57:00.000-05:00

Relief is knowing that you're done with classes for the day even though you know that you have a $#!t-ton of homework to do by tomorrow and the next day.

One point to ponder.

2007-09-20T02:18:00.001-05:00

Enlightened by my roommates point of view, I became aware of these lyrics from a song I have listened to many times before.

Beauty and the Mess
"Behind the Melody, the words don't mean a thing.
But every town I play would give whatever I've not said/set away"
-Nickel Creek

Think of all the lyrics of songs today that don't have any real value, but are just made so it's easy to sing along with. Are we brainwashing ourselves, or is there someone else behind it, or is that just paranoia?

strong feelings: the message

2007-09-16T01:32:00.000-05:00

I'm not against it really... I don't think I have any reasons to be anyway. I understand that it's important. I don't think that it's a bad thing. And really, people would probably think it ridiculous if you didn't have it. Try as hard as you can not to, but it is inevitable, it will ALWAYS happen. I might be out on a limb here but, I hypothesize that the harder you try to prevent it the more it happens. The most interesting thing about it is that when you are trying, other people don't always see it the way you intended.

I'm not afraid of being judged. I embrace criticism. Criticism makes you better if you handle it the right way. I'm not lazy either; I mean it's not that I don't want to have to think about doing it because it's too hard. Sometimes I think quite deep into it, probably more than is intended. I feel like a psychologist sometimes. "So, How does that make you feel?"

SO, why then must everything, that is artistically created, contain and convey a message to the viewer, listener or in some cases, the one interacting with the creation. In fact, I might as well not be talking about artistic "expression" exclusively, but life as you know it. All of your actions and words and all of the fruits of you labor convey your message. People are reading that message like it's coming out of a book, whether they are conscious of the act or not. Did you ever think about that?

I for one, just to defy this principle, would like to create something that doesn't have a message or meaning. But no matter what I do, it will always mean something to someone else and therefore they have received a message that I have unintentionally created. This would still happen even if I created nothing. Go figure.

This is the tricky thing though: When you decide to intentionally create a message, the one on the receiving end of the message isn't always going to receive what you gave them. It's not your fault, they have a different brain and that affects how they receive and react to your message. You have to learn to be okay with that if you’re not already. I mean, I edited this post a whole bunch of times just to be sure it says exactly what I mean, but you may still not see it the way intended.

This is my message to you: receive it however you like.

and on a final note, i sometimes intentionally do not capitalize letters in a title or sentence that should be, simply because i feel like that it brings the situation down to earth and into a humbled state of being. in a way it’s just a method of being informal so that things can seem more friendly. Only, I think what people take from that action, is probably that I’m just lazy and didn’t bother to reach my pinky finger over and hold it there for a second while my other finger Types a letter. Or they think it’s because I’m just too used to Microsoft Word doing It for me. But that is not the case unless I’m talking on AOL or MSN.

bad habits

2007-08-27T01:53:00.000-05:00

All the things I learned about myself when there was nothing to do and yet, everything on my to do list (somehow):

I find comfort in music, even when I'm in a bad mood, I feed off of it. Sometimes when I'm feeling down the music makes me feel worse but better at the same time, it's hard to explain, but I still listen to it. Ir helps me to fall asleep and get up in the morning, and sometimes it helps me get though the day.

I also found out that I kind of find comfort in food if I have it available. And I eat when I'm bored too. Lucky for me though, it doesn't show that much except a little in my stomach area. No abs of Steel here!

I have a really really bad habit of finding projects that I want to finish before I move on, but then I don't do them, which allows me to justify not getting done with other stuff like homework. "Oh, I'll just wait to do my homework until I get that shelf put up." But the truth is that the shelf won't get put up until next week and I'll find myself scrambling to finish up my homework the last minute before it's due if I attempt to do it at all.

I'm a pack rat. If it comes to saving stuff that I don't have room for, I can find a space for it somewhere. As it says in my profile, I like to be so organized that "My closet is organized my color." Which brings me to the next one...

I am also a bit of a clean freak, and I can sometimes go overboard with that aspect. For instance, this last summer I was trying to keep my parents entire house organized or at least get it that way before I left. For some reason I had the notion that their clutter was affecting my oranization, and I won't deny myself that notion yet. Anyway, I was so obsessed that when my mom tried to help, I got offensive and I wouldn't let her, I kept thinking if I left it up to them it would never get done and it would just be as messy or more messy the next time I got back. It got to the point one time where I actually got into a tug of war with her over some stuff that she claimed that she was going to take care of when I already had it in a place that seemed pretty suitable. It happened to be some camping gear, and she was taking it downstairs, when I already had a lot of, if not most of the camping stuff upstairs. I figured that stuff should stay there together, but whatever.

That's enough ranting for this morning, Hopefully I can get some homework done tomorrow, I gotta go, there's a good song on the radio...

Schedule Fall '07

2007-08-20T10:38:00.000-05:00

Monday:
9-9:50 Arch 221
4:10-5 Agron 156
Weightlifting

Tuesday:
9-11:50 Dsn 102 Studio
3-5 Mkt 340
Possible bible study time this night.

Wednesday:
9-9:50 Arch 221
10-10:50 Agron 156
Weightlifting

Thursday:
9-11:50 Dsn 102 Studio
3-5 Mkt 340

Friday:
9-9:50 Dsn 102 Lecture
10-10:50 Arch 221 Recitation
Weightlifting

Moving In

2007-08-15T10:56:00.000-05:00

Well I'm pretty much moved in to my apartment. Now I just have to get organized a little more and start doing homework for my summer class so I can finish before summer is over... not likely, but I should be able to finish pretty soon, I think.

Apearently, it's not a good idea to wake me from sleeping by touching me or shaking me. Jake, my roomate has tried this twice. The first time was last year, I stayed late in his room one weekend night and I forgot my shoes in his room. Then he thought he'd be nice and return them. So he comes down to my room, and he could of just dropped them off because for some reason I left the door unlocked that night, but he decided to wake me up to tell me he brought 'em back. And in a split second I was facing him, sitting half way up, with my hands curled and in a position like a panther or a cheetah or something. And then the next second I realized that I was being woken up.

This time, it was last night. Jake just moved in today, so he, Melissa his girlfriend, Kelvin and I were sitting in the living room of our apartment, and I kinda drifted off to sleep (probably because the TV wasn't on) and I don't know exactly why, but Jake decided to wake me up and didn't want me "crashing" on the couch. So, I don't know what he did, but I think he kind of shook me a little or put his hand on my shoulder a little rough to wake me up. Before I realize what's happening, my reflexes have the better of me and I have sprung from a slouched position in the corner of the couch to a crouching position on almost the other end of the couch were he was sitting and I've got my arm around the front of his neck like I've just locked up with someone in a wrestling match and I'm pressuring him into the back of the couch and I think it took a couple seconds this time to figure out what I was doing and for me to let go. That's just kind a scary. I'd hate to be a burglar or something like that who woke me up during the night by shaking me, because if he/she was even a little off gaurd, I'd have him/her in a position of disadvantage before I even realized what was happening, and then when I realized I'd probably be so freaked out that I would freak out on him/her, and it'd just be a big mess, and worse, for me, if he had a gun or a knife at the ready. Ouch!

You have to say him/her and he/she because you can't be sexist against criminals, they have feelings too!

Tree Climbin'

2007-08-10T14:34:00.000-05:00

Sarah and I went tree climbing yesterday, and I have wanted to do that since this spring when I was promised a tree climbing adventure by the guys in my dorm hall. We never went though, and that is why I have wanted to go all this time. It was really fun, and now I have to convince all my buddies at college to go with me sometime this fall. Oh and we took video of it on Sarah's camera and she is editing it... I can't wait until its done, it's gonna be cool.

So anyway, I'm packing up my stuff today and going out for a few last minute college items for the apartment. I hope to be moved in sometime between Saturday morning and Sunday night, but if all else fails, I at least want to move in on Monday morning.

The only other thing that I need to be doing is to finish an online class that I chose to take over the summer. It's really a test of my work ethic, because it's work at your own pace. Now I'm begining to worry I won't be able to finish before the due date, because I put off so much for so long. On the other hand, it is pretty easy. So wish me luck that I can finish I guess.

Peace!

Ooh that smell, can't you smell that smell?

2007-06-04T23:30:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I'd pay extra for it, but I sure do love the smell a brand new text books. Also, that new car smell is pretty good, and I like the smell of freshly sharpened pencils too.

Hello!

2007-04-23T18:34:00.000-05:00

I tried to do this regularly, but I failed, as usuall. But in my defense, I have a lot of undone homework and that I need to finish before the end of the semester and this is extra stuff that comes after I'm done worrying about that or when I feel like defying responsibility.

Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol

2007-04-10T01:07:00.000-05:00

I just figured out that I doo have that song. Yesssss! (good song)

I wasted too much time today. I could have gotten more done. I wish I was able to do more this weekend too, even though I did more than I usually do during the weekend.

WARNING: The following paragraph is not intended for those who are searching for meaning or closure!
I love you Jess.
Last night I had a dream that Kelvin, Jessica, Sarah, and I were all living in dorm like quarters. I think we each had singles but all right in a row... oh, and they had balconies, that was kind of exciting. Anyway we were all hanging out in Sarah's room, but Jessica went to go do something (it might have been something school related) so it then was just Kelvin, Sarah and I hanging out and talking on the balcony. But Sarah couldn't stay long either. I think she had to go work... at Perkin's of all places. The funny thing is that when she left, she left us on the balcony and I think we got locked out there. Also, I remember that she left the TV on for some reason even though that's not something you would normally do if you were the last one leaving the room. After that Sarah's room suddenly became a double as if it had been the entire time and her roomate was there, but that didn't matter, because we were too busy being locked out on the balcony trying to jump over to mine so that we could get back inside. THE END. that's all i remember

And I have Where'd You Go- Linkin Park and Fort Minor... Hooray!

Sigh

2007-04-06T01:23:00.000-05:00

I have so many models lying around my room. I've got like four paper models, that's an ice cream scoop, another slightly different, unfinished ice cream scoop, a space container made from the parts of the ice cream scoop, and a model just for fun made of the negative space created by the space container if that makes any sense at all. Then there are three human looking clay models on top of my wardrobe and another clay sculpture that may or may not look somewhat biomorphic, if you can imagine that concept (all of these clay models are around the same size as a slightly curled up hand). Also I have an aluminum sculpture modeled after the biomorphic thing but slightly different. With in this past week we added two miniature models of an interestingly designed doorway (which, starting on Monday, will start being transformed into a life size doorway), and a cardboard sculpture that is supposed to be a preliminary model for building an abstract 3-d stain glass model. Imagine all the tools that I had to buy to make these things cluttered in and around my window, and on my desk along with all the models. Where am I supposed to put it all? But I digress, it's fun to make models all the time. If only I could finish them faster.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm heading home for Easter and I'm getting a ride from Jess who is also taking Suzie and Karly too, hopefully it's not too packed. I should be getting a haircut this weekend, and I'm excited for that, because it's too the point where it annoys me from brushing my neck all the time.

I'm excited for all the new things coming out this year; Pirates otC III, HP book (7) and movie (5), Spidey 3... it's gonna be a good summer. And I am so going to enjoy being able to go back to my summer job too, except I'm going to miss Jess when she leaves us for so long.

A happy two years!

2007-04-05T01:10:00.000-05:00

I have been dating my girlfriend for two years this very day (4/5/05-07) and I am very happy to have loved her for so long, (turns to her) I hope to enjoy many more with you Jess. I love you (kiss and a long, thick hug).
I love you I love you I love Jessica.
Happy two years of dating!

No matter how much I sleep...

2007-04-04T01:04:00.000-05:00

I felt like I had a really decent amount of sleep last night and pretty decent the night before that. Today though, I almost fell asleep during two classes. One of which we had a test in. Bad deal, but I finished with time to spare. That was good.
Cinnamon gum!
Maybe I should exercise to keep me more alive and alert during the day. I think that would help.

Ready, steady, GO!

2007-04-03T01:12:00.000-05:00

I challenge anyone who reads this to rewrite this sentance in Microsoft Word so that it is not a fragment but keep the sentance as close as you can without completely rewording it.

"LOOK HER IN THE EYE WHEN YOU TALK TO HER."

If only I paid attention when we were learning grammer in middle school, then I might know what was wrong with it to begin with.

Go! Write! Now!

The History Channel

2007-04-02T01:06:00.000-05:00

The Bible: Historical account of events OR Military handbook for all the people of God?

Moses: Liberater of God's People OR King/Prince of the desert and military leader?

Israelites: People of God OR the evil people?

Israelites (again): Slaves of Egypt OR just workers who actually happen to have a military background.

Some of it is funny some of it is somewhat believable. (The stuff in italics is the stuff from The History Channel.)

2:30 AM

2007-04-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

Last night I watched the movie Phone Booth with my roommate before we went to bed. I used to think it would be fun to answer a random pay phone if it rang, but now I'm not so sure.

Anyway, that got done about 1:40 or so in the morning and at about 2:15 I was still trying to get to bed. All of the sudden we hear this tremendous shatter from somewhere down the hall. I was wondering if someone had dropped a dish or something or a glass glass, but it sounded too loud for something small like that. Then I remembered that we have a trophy case just down the hall and I started to wonder if that was it or not. My curiosity got the best of me and I had to get up and find out what happened.

It turns out that it was the trophy case. There had been a bunch of people whom I'm assuming had just got back from the bars and one of them decided to punch the trophy case. It wasn't the first time but the second time that he punched it did he completely shattered the piece of glass.

There must have been about 40 or so people in that hallway after that all gathering around to discuss what happened and make fun of the people who were drunk and wandering around saying random stuff. At least 10 people were immediately taking action to clean it up and all the evidence of it ever happening was gone within a couple of minutes.

Then, the guy who punched it, with a bloody hand, wandered off down the stairway and for some reason nobody followed him or made him stay. And then, the people on duty must have called the cops because they showed up not long after he left looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found and he wouldn't answer his phone. Plus no one knew for sure where he parked his car, and their was a good chance that he might drive home drunk with two deep gashes on his hand. That was it though. After that the excitement pretty much died and everyone went back to their rooms. That is my story for now.

oh these games we play

2007-03-31T19:49:00.000-05:00

I feel lazy and I don't want to post. Which explains why I haven't done so in a while. I should do this more often, but I feel kind of guilty if I'm doing this and not doing my homework. But I procrastinate and don't do either, so I might as well cross this one off the list since this is the easier and funner of the two things to do. I'm feeling really mellow and tired right now even though I slept until like 2:00 this afternoon.

I'm gonna see if I can't do some of my homework.

But really that's all I have to say to right now.

A real blog entry.

2007-02-25T23:34:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday my ice cream scoop was due. We had to make 3-d replicas of some normal household objects/tools. They assigned us either a vice grip, sewing shears, or ice cream scoop. For some reason, the class refers to them all as tools even though an ice cream scoop is technically a kitchen utensil. Anyway I got there late, only by a couple of minutes though. I had just finished the project right before class, and it wasn't thee greatest of 3-d paper sculptures, but I was proud to have finished it, and I thought it was okay considering the rules were no glue or tape, and I opted not to go with sewing, because I think it's like cheating, considering the other materials you can't use. I was watching all the other kids in my class get criticized for their work, and it seemed unfair, because they had some really good work. I hope that the teachers were just being so critical in order to broaden our minds and our choices for more creative work, and not just telling us what to do to make it "better." If they're just being mean... STOP STEPPING ON MY CREATIVITY, it's hard enough trying to be original and creative without you badgering me.

So anyway, we weren't just graded on our 3-d paper objects, but also the template pieces that we used in making them and what creative composition we could come up with to put them on paper. I hadn't put a lot of extra thought into my composition, because I had only left time to concentrate on the object. None the less, I had one and I waited until they almost got done critiquing all the projects to put mine up. As I was about to hang my own up, I realized how straight and perpendicular everyonelse's compositions were. It just so happened that most of my composition was along two sides of the paper and I thought that it would be interesting to hang it diagonally with those two sides at the bottom so that the bottom of the paper had a lot of visual weight (quite the dramatic effect). But that's not why I really did it, I just didn't want to normal for some reason, I kind of wanted to reject the system. The primary reason I hung it up diagonally was simply because I knew that they would ask why I did it, and I wanted them to ask, I wanted to be thought provoking (you know, raise some questions, mix it up a little). When they did ask, and I told them that, they did NOT like it, they told me that doing something just so that people will ask is not a reason for doing something, and not an answer to their question. They were so worried about it, they didn't even talk about my composition. In short, they ripped me apart... big time. After they got done ripping on me, they just moved right on to my ice cream scoop with out mentioning anything about my composition. I felt victimized. I felt like I might almost be ready to cry. But not nearly as much as I did when we saw Seventh Day Slumber at Wartburg. That time, I did.

This week though, I get to redo the project to my teacher's liking for a better grade. I don't know why she's being so generous, but I thank her greatly. We also have to do another project where we use pieces from our template (at least 30) to make an new 3-d object, an abstract container of space. For those of you thinking tupperware when I say container of space... no! It just means that it takes up space and contains it. In fact, the idea is that it not look recognizable, so it would be bad if it looked anything like tupperware.

This weekend, Jessica called me, but I wasn't there to recieve the call, and that makes me really sad. You can't even imagine how much I miss her right now.... and all the time.

Today I went to Target with Jake and Sam, my future roommates. I got a new pair of jeans, and that is so exciting. Other than that, we walked around looking for snacks and oogling at electronics, while I held Sam back from buying anything ridiculous or unnecessary as that is what he had instructed me to do before hand. We also found a crazy awesome smelling green apple candle which was addicting and I wanted to eat it... that's how good it smelled. I wanted to buy it just so I could hold it up to my nose and smell it every once in a while. It was soooo good.

Going shopping reminds me though... of how broke I am. I need to get a job or something. Maybe I can try to give plasma like my roommate. Maybe I can withstand it and not nearly die again like the last time I gave blood (warning: this is a dramatization, not to be taken seriously and I did not really nearly die). Maybe I won't just about pass out right after they start to take my blood. It's not something I do consciously, I am perfectly fine with needles being in me and with seeing blood or even losing it, just for some reason my body rejects the idea of losing so much blood in a controlled environment and makes me feel sick therefore not allowing me to continue. The lady at the blood center, where I live, told me that I should not even try giving blood for at least three years, it's been at least two (I think).

Lately, I have been having all these self actualizing thoughts, like I'm trying to figure out why I am the way I am and why I do the things I do, and where I fit into the big picture. I wish I could remember some of them to put down right now, I have so many of them that I don't take the time to write them down. There would be a lot, and if I was able to let you know some of them, you would see how frustrating it is since most of them contradict each other. I can't figure myself out. I'll work on trying to write some of them down.

One thing interesting about this post is the time at which it was posted, you see, my weekends get mighty screwed up, I stay up really late and sleep in through a bunch of the day. Tonight I ended up being tired from last night and I fell asleep at about 7:00 PM, but I apparently didn't need that much sleep because I couldn't help but waking up again at Midnight, and couldn't get back to bed so I decided to post an entry.

The good stuff, stuff to live by.

2007-02-19T23:34:00.000-06:00

This is a bunch of stuff that I spotted on the internet. Some of it is from people I know and some from people I don't. None of it is mine, but I like it so much that its me.

********

I watch stuff that contradicts my beliefs either to A) laugh at it (when I'm feeling closed-minded) or B) challenge my view to see if I've actually got a proper logical defense for it.

"I can't sing or dance, but I'm the star of the show!"

But I must go to bed before I fall asleep standing up or something
I must fall asleep before I go to bed standing up!
I am standing as if laying.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

[** scott here, THIS PART IS JUST ABOUT HOW I LIKED HOW A BUNCH PEOPLE HAD FUN/INTERESTING/AMUSING LISTS OF THINGS HAPPENING IN THEIR LIVES ON THEIR BLOGS... you may return **]

Send away for a priceless gift
One not subtle, one not on the list
Send away for a perfect world
One not simply, so absurd

http://home.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=37967315&Mytoken=F5AD9960-5342-47EA-96A9625CF29F7DC5693447812

The quote that suits you: I ran up the door, closed the stairs, said my pajamas, put on my prayers, turned off the bed and jumped in the light all because you kissed me goodnight. You are in love with love.

You want a Beautiful love, soft but passionate. You are probably very old fashioned and polite. You can't stand rude people, wolf whistles are to you only dis-respective and immature. You love nature and everything beautiful in life. You will fall for a guy that makes you forget about the rest of the world.

Everything inspires you. The flowers in the ground. The leaves on the trees. The mud on the road. Its all...beautiful to you. Although this obsession with love might get you hurt a lot in your lifetime, its good that you don't shy away from such a strong emotion. Please rate! It would really mean a lot!

i can write five hundred words about nothing.
Its actually much easier than one might think. I mean, its much tougher to actually write about something. Like tennis. I dont know shit about tennis; I wouldnt even know where to start. A ball, a net. But nothing? I could go on for days about nothing, I could say cloud pajama frog pants pickup truck birthday tree. Dont mean shit but that dont matter. Thats nothing. I suppose I could talk about antimatter. But if I talk about anti-matter then I have to talk about matter, and thats something. Oh! I could talk about Paris Hilton. Have you noticed my hatred for that demon-whore? Comparing yourself to Marilyn Monroe? Princess Diana I could give three shits about but Marilyn Monroe? Get the fuck out of here with your lazy eye. Shit, now were talking abut something. Its not hard, just distracting to write about nothing. Part of me just wants to say flipper cornfield space cadavers versus the sunshine glutton melon jockeys for battle royal in Christmas taco and perpetual jugglers. But that might seem weird. Maybe. Instead, Ill just go on and on about how this blog serves no purpose whatsoever. You wont gain any new information from it and it will barely summon a smile let alone a laugh. You will leave unfulfilled and with a bad taste in your mouth. And I wont even have to sleep with you. Ill just keep typing, so that in the end, I can put the last period on the last word and call it a blog. I figure Im about halfway there by now. I wrote a lot of papers in college, I remember what 500oopsI mean five hundredwords looks like. Its about twice as much as this. If I just copied and pasted right now, Im sure Id be up around five hundred words. Would you notice? Are you still reading this? Maybe just a test. Its about twice as much as this. If I just copied and pasted right now, Im sure Id be up around five hundred words. Would you notice? Are you still reading this? Good. Youre with me. So. Whats up? How are things? Im good. But lets not talk about that. Instead, let us focus on nothing at all. Lets take this opportunity to fully and completely comprehend the very stupidity, utter pointlessness and total waste of valuable personal, as well as professional time. Its staggering really. Maybe if I had some votes to tally and members to sort, I wouldnt have to resort to beer-side blogs about nothing. See if you can vote on these beauties and tell your friends to do the same. It would make me very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very happy.

Thanks.

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..
FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility or all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

It's 4 am and I'm not asleep...I think I just like the intangible battle between wakefulness and sleep. The body lulling and jerking being played by the sugary sweet narcoleptic tune of the lulling mind, pulled back to the surface only by an act of willed conciousness or a startled reflex to the imbalance of sleep,...playing on that edge of whom controls whom. Yet we know who will win, or do we?...perhaps i cho0se to fall asleep...
-“Tamber”

Linda was quite lonely
On the day of love.
No one cared how well she fared
Or which way she might move.
No one thought her lovely
Or dreamed of her caress,
Or so she thought until she bought
A sexy dark red dress.
That dress had seemed a failure,
Though she had lost some weight.
Some men stared, but no one cared
Enough to make a date.
Her calendar was empty,
As empty as her heart,
When in this hell she heard the bell
And jumped up with a start.
Could it be? Oh, could it?
Here was her salvation!
To her joy a delivery boy
Was holding a carnation.
"Carnation-Gram," the boy said,
And handed her the box.
Who was it from? Perhaps someone
Who thought she was a fox.
All Linda's sadness vanished
As if it never were.
That little flower had the power
To set her heart astir!
And so when Johnny called her
In a little while,
She was primed in heart and mind
To greet him with a smile.
So please remember Linda
When starting a relation:
Her mood reversed when she got first
A single, cheap carnation!
By Turlough O'Carolan

Jonathan D. Eckert (Northern Indiana, IN) wrote
at 10:55pm
Christian girls are way more beautiful because they love God with all there heart and have an awesome relationship with there Heavenly Father, to me that’s more beautiful than outward appearance.

The more you know Jesus, the more you love Jesus.
The more you love Jesus, the more you want to follow Jesus.
The more you want to follow Jesus, the more you become like Jesus.
The more you become like Jesus, the more you become yourself.

She's got eyes comparable to sunrise
And it doesn't stop there
Man i swear
She's got porcelain skin of course she's a ten . . .
. . . She's got the cutest laugh i ever heard
And we can be on the phone for three hours
Not sayin' one word
And i would still cherish every moment
And when i start to build my future she's the main component
Call it dumb call it luck call it love or whatever you call it

Somehow, I have to fall in love with people again.

*************
that is it. Oh I'm going to tell you that I had a really really good weekend. Only becuase I'm lazy, this is how I'm going to tell you what happened.

Click Me

Gosh I'm the laziest.

but this is what happened after Jess and I left: we ended up going home and spending the night there and then going back to college Sunday night. And
Meanwhile on Sunday afternoon I got to go snowmobileing for the first time since about five years ago.

Odd.

2007-02-12T17:02:00.000-06:00

I have 107 GB's of music files on my computer, and I choose to listen to Yahoo Music.

Hurray, I finished my project.

2007-02-06T04:51:00.000-06:00

It's snowing. Just enough to make it fun when you drive.

I'm going to bed.

Happy Ground Hog Day!

2007-02-02T16:58:00.000-06:00

Is it really Ground Hog Day? If so, I wish all of you happy Ground Hog Day, and I also wish that I could watch the movie in celebration. Pretty good movie.

A Shining Thread Of Hope

2007-01-30T17:45:00.000-06:00

Mostly, I just hate internet responsibilities, and that is why I don't post much, I wish I did, because it'd be cool for me to be able to look back on stuff that I am writing now and see what I was thinking. But really, I don't check facebook, emails, or blogs as much as I would like to, just because it takes me so much time. It seems like a large accomplishment if I read a couple of blogs and check my three email accounts, let alone check facebook annnd possibly write a blog entry of my own. It's just to much, and I'm just a lazy bum.

I have a lot of reading to do for my classes and a pretty big project (the due date of which is getting very close) for my Design Studio. Let's see...
There's 5 chapters for Design 183, around 5 chapters for Astronomy 150 and 5 post card ideas (miniature finals) all due by **Feb. 8th. And I have to read 9 chapters and outline 3 of them by next Monday in African American Women Studies 350 in a book called A Shining Thread Of Hope, of which there is none for me. Not one shining thread!

**When I say I have to read for Dsn 183 and Astro 150, I mean there is a test on those chapters by that day, so not just glance through it, but hardcore studying. Which is funny, because I don't usually even bother with studying, but I think I'm starting to come around.

Last weekend Jessica took me for a visit home and I haven't had a lot of time to do that homework that's been piling up, but it's all good, because I'm going to get on it now, and I'm pretty sure I'll get to have most of the next weekend to myself, except when Kelvin might come to visit me. Oh and I forgot to mention that I went to Vegas again this year. I worked out so that I could miss just a couple of classes and still be alright. It was pretty awesome. I didn't get to do a lot of touristy things, but I got to do a couple things. I got to walk around in the Downtown area and in we got to see a little of the strip. I got to see La Reve and that is one of the most awesome performances I've ever been to. The next day we went to Disney on Ice, which was not fun to have to sit through, but it was for the sake of my siblings. Plus, we went to the Valley of Fire which is right near Lake Mead and we visited Mouse's Tank (a quarter mile hike) and then we ate lunch and left. Last year we went to Red Rock Canyon which was on the other side of Las Vegas. Sadly we did not see the Hoover Dam or get to go on the Dam/n Tour either year.

In other news, I have very short interesting story. When I got back from a weekend at home (thanks to Jessica:-), I had to go to the bathroom so when I went to open the stall door, to my surprise, there was a giant white mass sitting on the toilet. At first glance, not expecting anything like this, I was wondering how someone had conjured up this many soap bubbles. But when I realized what it was it appeared as though Frosty the Snowman had used our bathroom and just left behind his bottom ball. It was immensely funny and I don't know what happened to it or how it got taken care of or if it melted, but it was gone the next day. That is all.

The Red Dot!

2007-01-12T18:43:00.000-06:00

Do Not Click this

Sheshual

2007-01-12T13:20:00.000-06:00

Monday:
3:30-6:20 AF AM 350 (African American Women)

Tuesday:
9:00-11:20 (Gets out at 11:00) Arch 335 (Three Dimensional Studio)
11:00-12:30 Dsn S 183 (Design Culture) [Pending...]
1:10-2:00 Astro 150 (Stars, Galaxies & Cosmology) [Lecture]
3:10-6:00 Dsn 102 (Design Studio I)

Wednesday:
9:00-9:50 Astro 150 (Stars, Galaxies & Cosmology) [Recitation]
11:00-11:50 Lib 160 (Library Instruction) [Start Date: 3/5/07]

Thursday:
9:00-11:20 (Gets out at 11:00) Arch 335 (Three Dimensional Studio)
11:00-12:30 Dsn S 183 (Design Culture) [Pending...]
1:10-2:00 Astro 150 (Stars, Galaxies & Cosmology) [Lecture]
3:10-6:00 Dsn 102 (Design Studio I)

Friday:
12:10-1:00 Dsn 102 (Design Studio I) [Lecture]

Total Credits=12.5
Hours Spent in Class= Exactly 20 hr. 20 min.

"It's called a new day"

2007-01-09T12:33:00.000-06:00

I'm back and I can finally post, although I don't have much time before my class. A lot's happened since the last time I blogged so I'll have to bring you up to speed on some things, and post my schedule for this semester. But not yet, since I have to eat and go to class. Good luck on the semester everyone, and Happy New Year.

Once upon a time...

2006-11-28T17:00:00.000-06:00

Once there was a man who wanted very much to be famous. He tried with all his might to make a difference in the World so that he could be remembered and go down in history. Sadly he did not succeed. So instead, he decided he would write an autobiography so that he could at least go down in his story. He called it My Me Story, but soon after he died, his existence became his mystery.

After a much anticipated break.

2006-11-27T21:25:00.000-06:00

I guess I was ready enough for that Friday but it turns out there was a lot more to be unprepared for, which was having to work the next day. I wasn't expecting to work the first day I got back. I didn't really consider working at all last week, but the money was nice, and I got a little bit of a work out, that which is lacking here at college.
Music cheers me up,
I also got to see a bunch of people from high school. Some one thought it would be a good idea to have a "1.5 year reunion" and that's the most pathetic thing I've ever heard of. I've heard of a 1 year reunion, but this was a half year, what's that about? Anyway, I still went because it was fun to, and I knew it would be before I went, so there. Oh, and I definitely made time to visit the girl of my dreams. You know the one...
especially if it's about the big guy.
I've got to get busy I've got some drawings to do for my design class and I probably have some homework waiting for me, posted on the Internet. There are a lot of drawings, I won't be here for a while.

I had to do a system restore on my compy so I lost aol, bummer. I'll get it back soom enough.

Thanksgiving Break

2006-11-17T15:06:00.000-06:00

I'm not ready for today.

Playing the System

2006-11-10T18:14:00.000-06:00

While signing up for classes, I noticed that I have 9.5 credits so far. I still need 2 or 3 at least to become a full time student. But the 9.5 credits add up to 17 hours of my week, so if I get a 3 credit class, chances are I will have 20 hours of school or more and I don't feel like taking much more than that. I'm thinking of taking some chemistry, physics, or biology as my free electives. As crazy as it may sound, I kind of miss science classes. Anyway, I may be getting gypped out of time and not being given credits for it, but I am getting them back in my own personal way. The reason why I haven't signed up for my last class, is that I'm looking not for a certain subject, but a certain time slot. If I get the one I want, I'll end up with no school on Monday, and only one hour of lecture on Friday from 12:10 to 1:00. That's right folks, you read it right, and you can go back if you need to and read it again, that's a three and a half day weekend! I kind of fell into that last semester, and now that I have tasted it, I want more. It's also way good for the way I operate, because I need large blocks of time in order to be efficient and/or even motivated to do homework. Three and a half days should be plenty of time to do that, among other things.

Beating the Odds

2006-11-10T16:22:00.000-06:00

Last night, things were not looking good. I didn't know if I was going to make it through. Last night, at 7:00, I started studying for a test that I had today at 10:00 in the morning, the funny thing is that's saying something, because I rarely even look over the material. Last night, I also had to some math homework that was due this morning, which I didn't start until somewhere around 1:00 in the morning. I also had a project to do that I should have dedicated a whole day to last weekend, that was due this morning. I decided not to do the project last night before I went to bed around 3:30. This project involved walking around campus to find at least twelve memorials and having to find at least two in each of four designated areas spread out across campus. And man, it was cold this morning, I just didn't feel like being that cold before I went to bed.
If you don't know if I got done with all these things...
Now that it's all over I can finally do an indepth check on my blogs, emails, and on facebook. I can also do my laundry, and while I do that, I plan on reading ahead in my text book/s so that I don't get in a predicament like that again. Hooray fot that!
and did good on the test, look at the title of the post!
We had the first real snow of the year today, in the region. I forgot how harsh the weather is. Despite that, and both of my pairs of tennis shoes being soaked due to the weather, this turned out to be one of the best days academically and in turn all together, that I've had here at college yet.

The Awakening.

2006-11-09T00:55:00.000-06:00

Realizing the importance of things is like being awake to me. Staying up 'til 2:00 in the morning two nights in a row working on a project is like having a good alarm clock. The problem is that it will only be a matter of time before I either drift back asleep to the drone of my alarm clock, or I get sick of it all and hit the snooze button and fall back asleep almost immediately. When will I be able to stay awake long enough to snap out of this vicious cycle.
Not in my house, not in your house, not in their house.
"Arr!" says the pirate. "I'm going to bed," he says.

All the World goes by when Time Stops.

2006-11-08T22:12:00.000-06:00

Okay, my speedometer is broken on my car. It happened on my second to last interstate trip. It just reads zero all the time, so I have no idea how fast I'm going. Anyway, if you think about it, it displays your velocity, right? Velocity = distance / time. And since I am going somewhere, there has to be a distance, but the speedometer says I'm not moving at all, so that must mean that time has stopped (the other reasoning behind this is that the clock in my car is way off and cannot be trusted until it has been reset, therefore I have no idea whether time is really moving or not). The point of this story is to tell you, that you cannot believe how weird it is to have experienced the speedometer at zero but still be going somewhere. It's almost as if time has stopped but, everyone is still going about their business (the world goes by). But the bad thing is that you cannot divide by zero time. It is mathematically impossible. So I may, inadvertently, be causing the space time continuum to collapse and ultimately destroy the Universe as we know it. Sorry everbody.

Or... Maybe it is more like, my car gives me the special ability to not exist (because you can't divide by zero) while I'm driving around. And I just come back into existence at the arrival of my destination. Sort of like when they appearate in Harry Potter, or like teleporting, or beaming, ha ha ha...

"Beam me up, Scottie"

Only it's not instantanious like in those situations (sigh). If only (trails off)...

Dream world.

2006-11-08T22:07:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm living in the dream world. Sometimes, I get the feeling that other people think I'm living in a dream world, but they don't bother to tell me when I don't realize it. Or least that they don't tell me directly.
Are you strange like me?
I know I'm strange sometimes, but I could stand to know some of those times.

Starting my day out right. Ha!

2006-11-03T09:36:00.000-06:00

(Math Test) = Kicked x butt - mercy!

The end of the Universe

2006-11-01T12:04:00.000-06:00

Okay, So I am here to answer the questions of the Universe. I know you have all been dieing to find out! And I have a quote from someone in my Bible Study.
Does the Universe end, or go on forever?
If it ends, where does it end?
Is there intelligent life in the Universe other than us, is other life at all?

I don't intend to tell you the answers because I don't know (only that one guy does and we put nails in him). But, I do have it narrowed down to two theories.

1) Does the Universe go on forever? If it does, where does it end?
Theory A) Yes it does. But, I am going to say that there is an end to the universe, and that it can only extend on forever because at the all the ends of the universe exist either identical universes or alternate universes (slightly different from the last). Similar to the movie Pleasant Ville when they are learning about geography while they are in the TV show. Perhaps if there are alternate universes, you can progress through them and find something different from one universe to the next until it has become completely unrecognizable to you. This theory is not as clean cut as the next though.
Theory B) No, the Unierse does not extend on forever, the universe has a definite boundary. Experts (I just made this up, there are no experts) say that our galaxy is approximately in the exact middle between the center of the universe and edge of the universe and that we are orbiting at a speed of seven hundred and thirteen thousand Earth years per revolution of the center of the Universe. Experts (again, there are no real, consulted experts) also say that the Universe resembles the shape of a Recess Peanut Butter Cup, but it's hard to tell for sure because we are unable to view it from the outside. Nor do we have a camera that big. This means that we are somewhere in the Peanut Butter Region of the Universe. Scientists in the field continue to argue whether or not God and Mother Nature had been walking along, one with the peanut butter and one with the chocolate, when they had bumped into each other and accidentally invented the Universe as we know it today. Still, all the scientists who believe this to be true argue who had the peanut butter and who had the chocolate.
The beauty of this theory is that anything outside of the Universe is non-existent. Therefore, the need to explain this theory and why there isn't anything outside the Universe doesn't exist because your thoughts about what's are outside of the Universe (thinking outside of the box, if you will. Or in some cases thinking outside of the bun) must be in the context of non-existence in which case you thoughts become non-existent along with everything, or shall I say nothing that is outside of the Universe.

2)Is there intelligent life in the Universe other than us, is other life at all?
We can break this up into my two other theories...
Theory A -intelligence) Okay, If the there are alternate or identical Universes outside of this one, then of course there is other intelligent life. It at least has to exist in this part of the Universe of other our neighboring Universes. But it it is Uncertain whether or not there is other intelligent life than here on Earth in this Universe.
Theory B -intelligence) Yes, there has to be. I cannot explain why or give you proof, but I find it unlikely that we are the only living organisms ever to exist in the Universe. Unless... you are going along with the Creation story of the Bible, then we must be the only ones, and when God said to multiply and inhabit the Earth, he was also referring to to the rest of the Universe. That (I guess) seems the like the more likely and valid answer to me. But, how do we know that the Egyptians, the Romans, the Greeks or the people of the Mid-Evil time period didn't secretly already send people off into the Universe and they have since then evolved differently into other more or less intelligent creatures like ourselves. How do you know?

The Quote: "I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous."

Things that amaze me.

2006-10-15T14:34:00.000-05:00

I'm enjoying the weekend with no obligations, nothing planned to do, 'cept homework. Takin' it easy feels good. I just have a drawing to do and a practice math test.

I've been saving this up for a while: A list of things that amaze me.
God and Jesus
Prayer
Jessica
Mathematics/Geometry
prime numbers especially #'s 3, 7, 11, 13
music
art
the free masons and the key stone
the size of the world and the crazy number of people in it
The solar system, galaxy and universe
the invisible cloak in Harry Potter
and the invisible hand that runs our economy.

That's all I have for now, but I may add more later...

Open doors and open windows.

2006-10-08T16:09:00.000-05:00

They say that if one door closes another one opens in it's place. Does that mean that if another one opens that the other door has already closed. Did I miss that? I don't know.
[EDIT] (Added)
I just realized we are going to have a friday the thirteenth. Hooray! This is awesome, I love that. The number thirteen fascinates me especially since there are some strong superstitions related to it. To me a number like that would be lucky, but only because everyone else thinks it's not lucky.

My quality bike.

2006-10-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

So, it all started when I started perfecting my biking skills, cause I know that girls only like guys with skills and I needed to work on mine (lol, jk). But I do like to have fun on my bike. I can ride no handed, no handed standing up, no handed and no footed sitting down, I can ride wheelies for a considerable distance, I can even ride down flights of stairs that are about five or ten different steps long. So, I knew it, I knew that going down steps would be hard on the bike. I didn't think the bike was too weak to take it though. On Friday I decided that I would ride down two in a row as I went to get my car so I could move to a new residence hall. It was pretty fun, and nothing happened to the bike, mind you. Later though, I was about a block away from my car, I popped the front wheel over the curb and let the back one come up on its own as I rode over the curb. In doing so I heard this loud cracking sound, as if something had dropped on the pavement or something. I looked back to the spot where I was to see what I had dropped, but there was nothing there. I was bewildered, what could it be, I started to search the body of my vehichle for damage. I looked between my legs at the chain sprocket on the back tire... nothing. Then I looked at the chain sprocket with the pedals on it... nothing. I was starting to have doubts. I checked to see if the cheap bottle holder was still attatched... still nothing. In doing all this I had become aware of a strange gravitational sort of feeling that seemed to be pulling me to the left. Then, there in the distance (okay, okay, I admitt it was only right in front of my eyes) I spotted the problem. All I could do is burst out laughing. The bottom part of the frame had snapped at the part where it meets above the wheels and by he handle bars. This is a bike frame we're talking about, these things don't just snap... I mean, come on, seriously. (Good ol' Huffinator bikes). The top part of the frame had been bent, which had allowed for the breaking point to have quite a gap in it. The bike had been designed to feed the break and gear cables throught the frame. It's pretty much a horrible diesign since it makes it harder to replace them and I later realized that they make fine weak spots in the frame and those two spots are where it broke and bent on the frame (where there were hole in it). Luckily I didn't have much more to go and more importantly I didn't get hurt. It was funny. Now I live closer to all my classes, but if want to get somewhere fast I've been reduced back to skates. Oh well they are fun.

I am not a cold

2006-09-26T06:01:00.000-05:00

I am not a cold.
I have a cold,
and I am cold,
but I am not a cold!

Considering the lack of sleep and food, I don't feel that tired or hungry. I've been up since yesterday morning except the part where I took a nap from 4-7 PM yesterday. And the last time I ate was lunch yesterday. You'd think that being up so long would require me to eat something in order to not feel so hungry. Then again, I have found lately, that I can't stand to eat as much as I usually do.

Anyway I was still up, and I wasn't very tired, so I thought I would post something.

One Fine Day (I'm gonna get it straightened out)

2006-09-21T14:57:00.000-05:00

The Udeck (dining hall nickname) is bad for me. I can eat once in the morning before 8:00, and that will last me until around 8:00 at night. I feel like a dog, you know?, the ones that you can't give them too much food, because if you do, they will eat it, and it will make them sick. I get too full, and too often. I am curious to know what I weigh right now. I sort of made a habit of weighing myself daily, after having been in wrestling. I just like to know.

My drawing is going well for my Design Representation class. It got a lot better really fast all of the sudden. But I still have some kinks to work out.

Things to finally do, no more messing around: Read HP, the Bible, start running, and lifting weights.

H Double U

2006-09-19T17:50:00.000-05:00

Can I get a Hoo Ha two times Tuesday?

Hoo Ha...

One test last Friday. One test yesterday. One test this Friday, which will have a part two to finish next Monday. And I have a test the Friday after the next Friday(third Friday from now. I better get studying.
Or play Mortal Kombat!
I also have a great deal of drawing to do for my design representation class.

I had more things to write about, but I forgot what they were. Maybe I will add to this later.

[EDIT]

I remembered, I was going to tell everyone that I am going to start working out this week. I figured if I told people, I would be more committed to actually doing it. That is all! Oh and I started watching animae (sp?)a lot more lately.