In Depth

The Human Planet

2011-03-08T00:47:00.002-06:00

The Human Planet

Planet Earth was unexpectedly one of the Discovery Channels most entertaining and thrilling shows to watch on television and no, it wasn’t just because Oprah Winfrey was the narrator. Planet Earth gave us a new in-depth look at everything that we believe to be not as important or not as advance as we humans. People sat down for hours and gazed into to the unknown world of any animal that you could imagine. People quickly learned that animals too have traits that can blow our extremely capable but slightly governed minds. People for a long time believe that we, humans, are the perfect beings. Forgetting that we are animals, and for some people still denying the fact that we ever came from animals. With this insanely beautiful and well-put together trailer from the BBC, I think those thoughts can be thrown out of the conversation. The trailer gives us a scary glance of how animalistic we actually are. We see bird’s eye views of our tallest most prestigious buildings and if juxtaposed next to an ant colony would bare strikingly similar attributes. When we start seeing ourselves and everything we do as mundane is when we need something like this to reiterate the fact that we are still the most interesting and capable species that walk to this earth, but also not to forget that we are too species and are very capable of disappearing one day if we are not careful…

A Slight Monetary Reward

2011-03-03T02:37:00.000-06:00

Since blogging, or attempting to blog, I have received some decent feedback on a majority of my posts. But now the greatest reward ever has been brought to my attention, $2.25 from the monolith that we call Google. I became aware of my riches after checking my adSense account after messing around on here again after many months. This was extremely exciting seeing that something actually may come out of this little experiment that was brought about by a high school teacher. However, I was told that I am not able to collect “my money” until my balance is 10 dollars or more… let it be true there is always a catch. So maybe with some monetary incentives I can get back to writing on here a little more than I have been.
Sleep Well.

Long time, NO see.

2011-02-23T23:18:00.003-06:00

Back again, from another extended break… Lots to talk about, but we roll into it slow…

I will leave you with this...

Even Better...

Sleep Late, and Bathe Long

2010-04-07T03:19:00.004-05:00

On a Serious Note;

As I woke up today around 10:55, I felt a little bit guilty for wasting what precious time we have here in bed. But as I thought a little deeper into this I realized that I am going to lay in this bed reflecting for as long as I need. I have reasons for this. If I were to jump out of bed like usual and start my long, tedious day I would of ran to the shower and washed quickly. Today I changed. Today I lay in that bed and really started to think. Thinking about everything, what I was rushing to go accomplish, or pretend to accomplish. Today I woke slow, strolled to the shower with no sense of urgency. In the shower is a different story. Usually there is no time to mess around in and out and on your way. Today is different. Today I soaked with no rush let the hot water bring out the thoughts, and o’ they came. Thinking about still how I am rushing through these days with an apparent urgency. To do what you ask? I am unsure. Today I catch myself making these grand plans for the future, when I don’t know how long the future is. Life happens when we get caught up in these “grand plans,” I caught myself today. I need to catch myself everyday. I was lucky today. I did not let this day slip pass my conscience self unnoticed. NO DAY SHOULD GO UNNOTICED. This I feel is the greatest tragedy, days unnoticed.

So I ask this of you…. Sleep late, and bathe long, and let nothing go unnoticed.

Healthcare?

2010-03-23T23:59:00.004-05:00

Well Obama is stopping by the city on Thursday I plan to attend, I am extremely excited. Its not everyday the President of the United States is in the backyard. But with him coming to town there are plenty of people not too happy about him being here. One of my friends brought up a great point; he’s making a stop in perhaps one of the most, if not the most, part of the state. There is no doubt that we will receive a standing O.
Half of the friends that I am around constantly completely disagree with the new health care bill. Whenever it is brought up at lunch or dinner I get bombarded with “There are going to be no more doctors” or “Well now I don’t want to be a doctor.” I have gotten to the point where I just don’t even try to defend it anymore. I have found the more conservative you are the more stubborn you are ☺.
So I did a little looking into the Pros and Cons of this Bill.
1.) 95% of all Americans will have health coverage… compared to the 83% now.
2.) When you lose your job, or you are sick Insurers cannot drop you…Never understood how that could happen anyway.
3.) People with pre-existing conditions will no longer be denied insurance… which insane that it has happened for so long.
4.) Children will be able to stay under parents insurance until the age of 26.

Now of course a very brief 5 points but I looked at the most influential.
There of course are bad things to come with this as well… such as the first 10 years with require 94 billion dollars on average. And there will be a tax increase on high-income people ($200,000 singly or $250,00 for a family.)
But again I don’t see how you can ever state that doctors will no longer be in demand.
Have a good night.

O Vriginia

2010-02-23T20:53:00.004-06:00

One of the new uprising face in the republican party is Bob McDonnell. After you hear of his recent doings you will be as surprised as i am to hear that the conservatives are actually looking to him as a future leader. Scary to say the least.

First he is siding with his partner in crime in Virginia Bob Marshall in trying to cut complete funding to business such as Planned Parent Hood, which provide contraceptives and many other functions to teens.Bob Marshall also stated in a interview that babies with disabilities are God's punishment for abortion, his only logical evidence of this comes from the bible. But that's not the scary thing.

This so called leader of one of the states in the United States of America just made it legal for anyone who works for the state of Virginia to be fired solely based on their sexual orientation. This is completely sick. It is crazy to me that this party continues to deny the rights of people that are different from themselves. Maybe what makes me more sick is the fact that we can let someone like this stroll into office and change laws like that, without any challenge what so ever. Is it bad that i am losing interest in politics, i see no hope for this country. I soon hope that we will be able to look to the least likely of leaders, maybe taxi cab drivers and students should be able to have a say in things...

Ugh....

2010-02-10T01:29:00.002-06:00

I need to start carrying my laptop everywhere i go... i had briallant topic to blog about but it seems to have slipped..... must not have been every important....

It came about while watching THE BOOK OF ELI/// if you havent seen it yet YOU MUST>

I guess it is...

2010-01-27T01:44:00.004-06:00

While in one of our dorm rooms here at the University of Iowa, my friends and i got into quite a debate about our intentions here at the University. The question was "what do you want to accomplish by attending this university?" My answer is straight forward i feel as though i need a university degree to compete in the future job market and there fore make more money. Then one of my friends stated that he was here to learn as much as he possibly can. The conversation quickly turned to what is more important, Money or Happiness. And knowing my gut feeling I instantly thought to myself... have i become exactly what i have tried so hard not to become? The person who cares more about money than sheer happiness? Then the more i thought about it all, it all became more clear. The individual who said this is getting all of his college paid for and comes from a very wealthy family, which is completely fine not saying anything against that. of coarse happiness is more important to him that others because when you grow up without one isn't it natural to want the other? But my thinking on this subject is kind of the opposite. I am by no means saying i grew up in a poor household, far from it, but in my life all the unhappiness came from money, arguments were over money and that's all. So in my life money brought nothing but unhappiness. So isn't it natural for me to want the opposite? I feel as though i was brought up in a way where i could find happiness anywhere i look and if i were to make a lot of money happiness will always be there, and even without money happiness will always be there. Money the way i look at it makes everything just a little bit easier.

goodnight peace

I-I-O-O-W-W-A-A

2010-01-02T04:33:00.008-06:00

I had to do this, ran across this excellent youtube video and within a couple of days of the big orange bowl it is appropriate

HAHAHA...still shaking my head

So it Goes

2010-01-02T04:16:00.002-06:00

One of My Book reports that was due junior year of high school thought it was pretty good....

So it Goes

This project that is due for my 11th grade perspectives class, is supposed to be a book review about a certain “slaughter-house-five,” that was assigned to me by my teacher. This book I happened to choose was written by a certain Kurt Vonnegut. Along with the unit that we have been talking about in class, these two things, Kurt Vonnegut and postmodernism have opened my eyes in a very different way. This project I actually was looking forward to doing, I was ready it seemed, I was ready to write just another high school book report, this changed. With in the first 10 pages of this book I knew it changed. This book was more so a text book than a novel. I learned to pick apart this book from left to right. There are pointless examples of written material in this book that can be read into and associated with this “postmodern” term that we use. My first example that stuck out to me like sore thumb. It is quite early I the book and the talk of war comes about. Then the mention of babies. The men had been upfront which is unlikely telling the woman how they really didn’t act like men, more so babies. Then the women reply to the statement, don’t worry , there will be actors in the movie to make you look heroic and make war wonderful. Truth, no one knows what it is, unless of course it is experienced first hand, and still sometimes its blurred. This is one tiny freckle on the face of postmodernism. The scary part about a statement like that is that I, myself a student at Kennedy high school, makes me question truth from now on. I catch myself being more aware than ever, what if that story is false or somewhat “filled in” with the accounts of the “hero.” it’s a crazy thing to be aware of. Going along almost the same topic, clocks. One of the best lines in the whole book in my opinion is “As an earthling, I had to believe whatever the clocks said-and the calendars. This was a terrible line, this got me thinking so hard I couldn’t read the rest of class. This is the stuff that is so intensely deep that it blows my mind. Who questions the stuff that is “fact.” But then the question of “fact” comes into play. It is a never ending cycle of questioning authority no matter what “authority” might be. And again the part that makes me feel so uncomfortable is that I can relate this immensely deep subject into my somewhat simple high school life. Makes writing this paper hard, just getting into the mindset of it all. You can not forget about the infamous “tralfamadore” aliens that are quite possibly Vonnegut’s idea of the ideal human nature. This is quite possibly the simplest, best quote in the book. So it goes. Said more than 100 times in the time span of the novel. These aliens are supposed to see things in 4-D not the regular 3-D that we see in. These are so comfortable with the things they see, there remarks to deiced is “so it goes.” This is where my research of Vonnegut plays an extremely important part in understanding everything he is writing and why I enjoy reading him so much. Humanists, Vonnegut’s self acclaimed religion. By what I have read obliviously makes a lot of sense. The funny thing is I think me being in my postmodern state, I have put a lot of thought in this subject as well, which I think is why I took so much interests in this author. But now I think I have the answer I need to make my final decision about the stories that people take so seriously. But that’s for a different essay.

There is one more point in the book that I find completely brilliant the fact when “war in reverse is brought up by Billy. This got me thinking as well, what I sight that must be, as he talks about it in the book, the most beautiful, thing ever. I was just imagining bombs rising back into the sky from the ground, people coming back from where ever they were blown away too, by the terrible technological advances that us humans have dreamt up.
There is a passage from the book that is one more extremely important one. “If I hadn’t spent so much time studying Earthlings,” said the Tralfamadore, “I wouldn’t have any idea what was meant by ‘free will.’ I’ve visited thirty-one inhabited planets in the universe, and I have studied reports on one hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will.” This comes in chapter 4. This is kind of the upside I see in this book, about humans and the planet we live. This I think Kurt is trying to say that even as we have all this terrible stuff going on and we seem not as good as other places, that’s what makes earth beautiful and worth the fight to be on it, the fact that you never know if you will be here tomorrow. This quote reminded me of one of the best movie quotes ever, from the movie Troy…” I'll tell you a secret. Something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.” I like to think that is exactly what he is saying in the book.

This paper could seriously go on and on about my new favorite author. I think he is a timeless author that so much can be learned from. Some of these things I am reading about what this man has said is just brilliant. “A purpose of human life, no matter who controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”-Vonnegut “All persons, Living and dead, are purely coincidental.” -Vonnegut it’s a shame such a wise man goes. The reason I think this Slaughterhouse-five is so intensely littered with postmodern ideas is the fact that he witnessed a different point of view from the horrific bombing of Dresden. The weird part is that I wonder if that’s all some people lack, if all they need is a different look a something. I think that, that one moment in his life he things began to click in his head. Or more so question the click. "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." -Vonnegut.

As I am about to close up this paper my itunes play lists happens to land on the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. As I listen to this song I start to see many simulates in the song and many of the things I have recently read about Vonnegut. It is almost gut wrenching to think about some of this stuff that you are supposed to know, or is supposed to be true. The part that really kind of makes me uncomfortable is this the fact that my biggest postmodern question I don’t think will ever be answered. Kind of depressing thinking about leaving here with so many un answered questions.

But as you see this was not your typical book review, and it is a little long, but it was one of those things that just seem to fall right into place. I actually feel as though I managed to “read” this book, not just reading every word as many students would consider reading. But actually apply what was trying to be taught in this book into my own life, and being able to understand exactly what is trying to be said. Its almost scary, I actually found a book that I enjoyed and learned a hell of a lot from. Its insane the amount of wisdom you can pick out from a book. And I think you got your lesson across Mr.Ayers, Not one of those lame book projects that teachers usually do. Was an extremely well put together idea that was taught and I think very well interpreted by most students. All you needed was to point me in the right direction… well done.

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." -Vonnegut.

Vonnegut (1922-2007)-so it goes

19,753

2009-12-22T16:21:00.003-06:00

Well, back again for awhile

Back in the Crapids (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)for the holidays, glad to be back but already bored out of my mind. Was also looking at stuff today and notice that after one semester of college at a public instate university, i am officially 19,753 dollars in the hole. This is weird to me, i have never ever been in debt. Before i went to college if i didnt have cash i didn't buy anything. Now, i have a debit card, possibly the root of all evil, so easy and you just say "What's one more pancheros burrito gonna do to my 19,000 bill" And with my quite unimpressive grades i am wondering if this college thing is really th best answer. Everyone will tell you constantly that it will pay off i the long run, but i always keep the idea of running out to las vegas or somewhere of that stature and try to work my way up from there, rely on people skills and not try to be something i am not, and do something that i am good at.

Of Benches

2009-10-19T21:50:00.006-05:00

Of Benches
Of Benches.
Moments after walking out of that building, that profoundly sterile brown building, you realize what you had just left. You stepped through the glass door littered with hundreds of different visible fingerprints, and don’t look back. You stepped out from the tedious, repetitive off-white walls that constantly engulf you. Stepped away from countless humans that wander thought-less through the monstrous hallways, and stepped from the depth less artwork hanging on those awful walls. The November breeze carried an extra sharpness today, sharp enough to wake the unconscious.
As your take your normal path down a very straight and well-paved sidewalk to your vehicle, you notice a bench sitting just to the right of your path. You double take, furrow your brows and squint your eyes because you have neglected to notice this bench for years. This bench seems to be dropped from a painting, perfectly placed between natural landmarks. The colors work astoundingly against the autumn hues. As you walk closer to this mysterious bench, you realize how long this bench has actually been here. No metal at all, completely made of knotty cedar wood. Upon even closer inspection the bench seems rather uncomfortable, and maybe even a little damp. Regardless you decided to indulge in your experience and bask in that unusually sharp November air. You sit. Instantly taking notice that this bench is in fact rather uncomfortable. Rubbing your hands across either side of where you sit, an engraving catches your fingers attention. There is a distinct heart with two sets of initials. You struggle to decipher these, maybe a C and J? They are worn from years and years of Mother Nature’s harsh but imperative elements. A couple of minutes pass and you glance back and rub your fingers over that heart once more. Instant memories. Memories of the first girl you loved, how it felt to be completely worry free. Feeling the anxiety of never telling the real one you loved how you felt, and regretting it everyday. Then feeling sadness for the woman you don’t really love but are with because you feared you would never find anyone else. Thoughts about the young couple that were giggling on this same bench you sit. Craving away with no worries or apprehension. Thinking about where they are today, still together? Apart? Alive? You take note of the blissful silence that surrounds you when sitting on this bench. One noise that catches you off-guard is the sound of your own beating heart, which is an awaking experience in its own. You start too wonder how such an incredible machine can feel such pain. You shake your head to regain self-control from the rather interesting experience that this bench just granted you.
You glance up. Breathe deep and again fall victim to this bench’s power. This time to the picturesque scene that goes unnoticed in the shadow of one of man’s monstrous buildings. Directly in front of you see the single most beautiful tree you have ever seen. Perfectly symmetrical, this tree stands out among its predecessors in the background. The entire scene seems to be drawn from scratch and painted in the most prestigious of art studious. Trees overflowing with the brightest yellows and the most extravagant autumn red you will ever see. Your mind refuses to believe that you have walked by this serene scene everyday for the past seven years. You start to doubt your beliefs that these trees grew here by chance, over time, because something as breath taking as this scene must have been put here. You close your eyes and shake your head once again, trying to escape this nostalgic state that this bench has once again put you in. Out of the corner of your eye you catch a glance of a couple walking slowly on the crooked sidewalk that lay about 20 feet from your bench. You rub your fingers over the heart once more. You think about this young couple holding hands smiling and looking right into each other’s eyes. You debate dispensing your wisdom to the young man, your wisdom that you have learned from experience, not too screw it up, and tell her how you feel; no wisdom was dispensed. You shake your head once more.
Standing up from this bench you decide to go out and see what else this realm of benches has to offer you. You set off to the West towards the bustling city, following the couple that you had just witnessed moments ago. While walking you soon realize the affect that the bench had on you. Your ability to notice your surroundings seem to slowly fade, they fade into your normal egoistic and unaware state of mind. As you arrive into the chaos of the downtown area you notice again a bench. This bench happens to be a little different. Made completely of concrete, the sides and backing look perfectly suited to seat a human. You sit. The bench more conformable than the last, yet not as inviting. This boring stone colored bench placed between a garbage can and a bus stop. Your wandering mind takes a second to become comfortable and then relapses into the same happenings that occurred on the other bench. You look off into the distance and take note of everything possible. This bench seems different, different in the fact that it lack elegance, order, everything that the previous bench thrived in. This bench had something the other lacked. This bench was placed in a particular area where hundreds of human beings could be inspected at once. You come to the conclusion that this area is much like your office that you had just left. Alike in the way that these humans scurry around as fast as they can completely unaware of anything or anyone they pass. Most have heads buried into their blackberry or some other electronic device and completely unaware that you are sitting a couple of feet watching them. You notice people’s faces, most stone cold. There are a few that you make powerful eye contact with, these people are walking with their heads held high and respond to you with a slight smile.
You start to realize the power of these benches. The power invested in these benches, the whole world to slow for occupant, its gives you the ability to sit and actually understand the beauty and grace of everything around you. You soon realize that these people you are watching was once you; this was you not only a couple of hours ago. This was you, nose deep in your phone running through your day scared to death that your deadline wont be reached, unaware of the absolute bliss all around you at all times. You start to again look at the people, you take many mental notes, as the whole world is slower. You conclude at the end of this sitting, that people gather in groups, groups seem to dress and act the same. These groups seem very exclusive, they are not very accepting to others different from them nor other groups. You take note of a few that seem to look all around, seem to be aware of everything. The longer you sit the more you understand that you need to change, you no longer want to be a mindless wander looking straight at the ground, but a fully aware human. There seems to be some irony occurring with this situation, the uncomfortable tight-knotted cedar bench gives you the warm and optimistic feeling. While the comfortable concreted bench makes you doubt human nature as a whole.
Walking away from that bench you have a very uneasy feeling, an uneasy feeling about everything. You can feel yourself slip into the non-thinking numb-minded person that you started with. Then that sharp November air takes on more strike at your face, you shake your head and realize you are right back to where you began your journey, right by that rusted, tight-knotted, old damp bench, looking into the forever garden of yellows, reds and oranges. Your circular journey as brought you back to where you started. You sit. You take one last look at this picturesque scene, and then you close your eyes and sit back for a second. You reflect on the fact that you took a ten-minute journey that seemed to take a lifetime. You realize what it really means to sit down and take a closer look into everything happening around you. It is amazing the life lessons learned from bench, the most unlikely of teachers. You stand up to leave this new teacher of yours, walking away you glance behind you to see one more of the frazzled human beings sitting down into that ugly, damp cedar bench hoping for a break. You respond with a slight smile, realizing that the bench will keep on giving. Realizing that you are one of few to receive this lesson. You turn your head and continue on your unplanned journey with your eyes up and taking notes on everything you have missed before.

Thrown Like Stones

2009-09-23T15:11:00.004-05:00

First College Rhetoric Paper...

Thrown Like Stones

I want you to look at the picture that I am about to show first, refrain from reading the quote until you see the entire picture.
“Mankind flung its advance agents over outward. Eventually it flung them out into space, into the colorless, tasteless, weightless sea of outwardness without end. It flung them like stones. These unhappy agents found what had already been found in abundance on earth- a nightmare of meaningless without end. The boundaries of space, of infinite outwardness, were three; empty heroics, low comedy, and pointless death.”
When reading this quote many people start to question what is being said and that still remains a challenge for most. To try and better understand this quote you need to know who wrote it. The author of this quote is a great American thinker named Kurt Vonnegut, who happens to be my favorite author of all time. In his writing he invokes many postmodern ideas, some irony and even comedy. In my opinion it would be a tragedy to even consider questioning the creditability of such a prestigious author.
This picture that was taken by an unknown author is quite an amazing image prior to the flawless Vonnegut quote found and placed on the top. Apart these are just two ordinary texts, but together they seem to compliment each other in a very interesting way. These together have a very powerful message attached to it. The picture itself seems to be showing, how extraordinary the event was, not only to the people witnessing it, but to all of mankind. Then as you finally have come to the conclusion that this was an extremely good thing that happened to us, your eyes gravitate to the quote. Then you ideas about this event come crashing down with every line you read. This is what makes this so great.
What is so great about this combination of quote and picture is that there are very clear arguments being brought about in both of them. As you look into the picture, again, you seem to get the idea that this is the best thing that has ever happened to us as humans, then you read the quote and it completely contradicts the picture and gives almost a sense of loneliness, or solitude. It’s quite amazing to me that if you were to remove the quote your feelings at the end of analyzing it would be completely different.
The trait that both of these of these pieces have in common is tone. As you read the text you start to feel almost sad, or lonely, a kind of a feeling that you cant quite change anything that is happening. Its seems to be a very emotionally charged quote. Then again looking at this picture of this magnificent site seems to be as well to have an inferior tone. Don’t get me wrong this is an amazing work of photography, but makes you start to really think. Starts to make you really feel smaller than you could ever imagine.
The style of Kurt’s quotes seems to be very similar to all his writing. He seems to have kind of a somber tone, and uses very unique but educated diction. He is one of the authors where you can tell you are reading him simply by his writing voice.
The viewers of this combination of quote and picture will have quite a good time thinking about this one. There will be two different audiences for this piece. The audience for the quote will be far less abundant, would be an audience full of Kurt Vonnegut readers and maybe some others. The picture on the other case would have a much wider fan base. This could attract people interested in space, or just great works of photography. With the combination of these two pieces it touches on all of Kurt Vonnegut writing styles. I feel like this was intentional and the point of the combination. Only a Vonnegut fan could be capable of that.
This combination was found a slide show full of Kurt Vonnegut’s artwork, and fans making tributes to all of his work. This is definite clue to how the creator of the piece was thinking. He obliviously was aware of Kurt’s writing styles and put them to great use.
After running a through analyst of these two pieces, we can safely conclude that the combination of the two makes this picture what it is. With only one or the other it would simply be not as good of a picture. There is two distinct different tones and combined they work for each other. The unknown creator of this combination knew exactly what they were doing when they took Kurt’s postmodern view and coupled it with an extraordinary picture.
One last time take one more look at this picture and then read the quote. Think about all that was talked about. Think about everything, think about how this makes you feel, think what a perfect combination these two pieces makes.
On a final note think about all that this has taught you, and it has made you feel. Remember that there are always two sides of the story, and even if the first one makes sense look closer at the other one. Don’t take things too lightly, but don’t forget how small you really are. Oh, and go read some more Kurt Vonnegut. :)

The New Chapter

2009-08-16T02:23:00.004-05:00

I am back trying to keep up a little better on this now... I think so much about stuff all the time i think it is time for me to let some of it go and spill out some of my guts on this... hope you are still reading :)

Tonight was one of my friends last day in town and a couple of us went out for a bite to eat and remember some of the good times from o so long ago(like 2 years ago). Then i really started to think about things, about all sorts if things and it made me a little weary at first but then the good memories kicked in and i have never laughed harder at a dinner than i did tonight, which is a fabulous memory in itself. But one of the first subject that my mind made victim was the thought of how fast time goes, and how absolutely terrified i have become that i missing something so important. But i find comfort knowing that i am not the only struggling teenager dealing with this situation. Another thing that my mind started on was how it scary how close friends become, i have so much respect for 3 friends that can stay so close for 4 years and go through the torture that high school is. I envy that so much, sure there is tough times but "the sun always comes up tomorrow" or so they say. Now just entering college is a completely new experience that everyone i know is going through, and some are taking a tougher road then most by traveling half away across the country, and i also have the utmost respect for that as well... And with that i was driving away from one of my best friends from my high school days i cant help but to get a little worked up while remembering some of the greatest times that my life has brought to me thus far. It will never get easier to remember the past... And isn't weird that you look back now and remember how pissed you were that nothing was going on and ended up sitting in the parking lot listening to music and how that turned into some of the most defining most of your life...

Goodluck and never forget where you came from....

Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Long Time, No See

2009-06-25T14:57:00.002-05:00

True i have been away for awhile but now i am back and ready to start again... Nothing too cool right now... but in a couple of days i promise i will have a post catching up on everything.... But for now i leave you with this....

New Feature Discovered; Macbook

Again.. One more case of child abuse..

2009-05-20T14:20:00.002-05:00

Seriously what is going on when the government is trying to save a child from his mother? This is ridiculous, this mothers mind is so brainwashed into believing in her secondary world, that she is sacrificing her child's life. I just don't see how you can stare into the face of the proven scientific world, in this case 90%+, and then you just choose to ignore it.

Although I can see where she coming from. From her perspective this child will be punished in hell if he accepts this treatment, therefore this mother is not a bad person in the least bit. She was brought up and it makes sense to her that god knows all, and she chooses to think like this. I don't see that being the problem i see that there is a 13 year old boy, who is not being treated for a life threatening condition and isn't being helped. People just need to be think, just think.

Barack Obama

2009-05-19T23:05:00.008-05:00

This man impresses me more and more every single day. HE had a flaw less speech at Notre Dame where he was faced with the angriest Christians in the world, and handled it with the utmost class and delivered a chilling speech. Now we had recently passed a bill that will cut the carbon emissions down about 1/3. This is impressive he understands that this is the only place that we have to live and is not so caught up in what else is going on in the world. That is the problem its self don't forget about the things that you think will be here forever.

"Consumers pay less for fuel, which means less money going overseas and more money to save or spend here at home. The economy as a whole runs more efficiently by using less oil and producing less pollution," he said. "And companies like those here today have new incentives to create the technologies and the jobs that will provide smarter ways to power our vehicles"

Words of Wisdom... " I pray about teeth- doesn't everyone? I don't have time to floss. You know. Hang in there, I tell them; I'll get around to you before it's too late."- Dan Quinn Ishmeal We finally are flossing

Warning: Distrubing Video

2009-05-19T22:42:00.004-05:00

This is all the the "Swine" flu has brought about. This makes me sick, I cant even explain in words what is going on here. These people, not to mention in our own country, are terrified from the media making such monstrous claims about this FLU Of ALL FLUS... come on people, lets be thinkers here. To me this is just the right equation, the Swines which are all ready hated in the middle east because of what it says in the holy book are taking a even harder hit now with the fault for this Flu being put on them. I dont care how tough of a person you are if you have morals you should not be able to watch this video with out getting a little sick to your stomach... I hope the media finds some big new disease soon so we can kill of millions more harmless animals...

The Missing Link?

2009-05-19T22:16:00.006-05:00

Sorry I have not posted in awhile things are getting hectic.. :(

This is a Tragedy that this is not front page news every where on earth. I just ran across this video recently and i see that this could be the biggest discovery in a long time. This is absolutely outstanding, do you people realize that this is where we came from? It is no almost completely confirmed, i dont understand how you can go on in your life believing in something so made up, when something so real was just dug out of the ground...

A Touchy Subject...

2009-05-01T09:14:00.003-05:00

There is a very touchy subject that has been debated over for many years; it is the discussion over abortion. This has so many critics and supporters for each side. This seems to be one of the discussions that no good can come from, because you either feel real strongly against the idea, somewhat in the middle, or think it is a good idea. Everyone has their own opinion on the matter and really has no time for the other parties. I personally believe that if the mother cannot provide the baby a good life for the child it should be her decision if she wants to keep the child or not. But as you all know I am more than capable to see where the other side is coming from and how that would make some people every angry. I tend to look at things with the big picture in mind.

But the one thing that bothers me about the people you stand on the corners and demonstrate that abortion should be illegal, is that they have no idea what the punishment is for people who break this “would be” law. As we all know people don’t abide by the laws all the time, there are always people breaking laws. So what happens to all the moms who would “illegally” have abortions? Would they be put to death? Would they have to serve jail time? All these seem kind of harsh. I saw on a website that the punishment of an illegal abortion should be nothing, the lady said that the punishment will be handed to her when she meets god. This is makes me think that there is no point in making this illegal when we have no idea how to enforce it, how to stop people from doing it all together, or the punishment they shall receive if they did it illegally. Ask any who is Pro-Life and they will be shocked by your question “what should the punishment be for an illegal abortion” they will have no answer, a simple I haven’t really thought about it like that….

Think things all the way through people, you look stupid when you don’t…

Really?

2009-04-30T09:30:00.005-05:00

My life as an 18 year old human being has many advantages and disadvantages. Being 18 we can be shipped off to a foreign land with a gun and protect our country from all the “bad guys.” We can drive as late as we want, we don’t have any restrictions on the movies I can see, and I can smoke cigarettes. Can’t have a beer yet, or go to the bathroom when I need too? This is my exact thought process that was growing inside my head after I had asked to use the bathroom in my high school science class. I got up, and while walking out of the door I looked back and said “I am going run to the bathroom real fast,” thinking that was the least I could do. If I had really wanted to I should have just got up and left with out saying anything. But I stopped on a dime when I heard the “NO!” come out of the teachers mouths. The thing that pisses me off is that I am a pretty respectable kid if I do say so myself, and I have never asked to go during an important discussion or anything of that nature. We were all quietly working on some pointless work sheet that he handed out for some busy work. I just replied to him with, what had to be the most dumbfounded look upon face, “Really?” This is one of those teachers who thinks he needs to be a hard ass and make kids learn, when in reality all that did is made me look at him with no more respect, then that of a freshmen in high school.

Man; Well Done

2009-04-26T22:50:00.001-05:00

Here is one more of my rants about this “Religion” topic and I would imagine that it would get quite tedious for you the reader. I cant help to pass this up with it drops right in front of me. This is some sort of press conference with some sort of Saudi leader, sorry for the lack of details, but he is speaking what seems to be in front of lots of people some kids, some adults. He is speaking to the crowd about a certain story, I emphasize the word story about the Jewish people of long ago and how they planned to kill the well know prophet Muhammad. He sets this story up as it was being told to a bunch of children there is a distinct storyline, not just a conversation that cuts to the point. Then at 2:51 second into the video it becomes clear he is preaching to children. He is actually sitting in front of people describing to them why they should hate Jewish people. These people that he is talking to are probably so un-educated that believe each and everything that is said to them. Its just painful for me to watch.

4:32
Man; Do you like the Jews?
Boy: NO!
Man: You Hate Them?
Why do you hate them?
What did the Jews Do?
Boy: They tried to Kill Muhammad
…
Man: When you curse them, What do you say “oh god..”
Boy: “oh god destroy the Jews.”
Man: Well done.

Torture>?

2009-04-23T23:12:00.006-05:00

There has been quite the buzz going around lately about Torture and all the “techniques” that the US used with many of its prisoners. This has me at a cross road, I can see the thought behind it. This makes perfect sense, if you need some one to tell you something make it so they have to tell you. But on the other hand think about it, who are we to say you are going to tell me this or I will hurt you in ways you never thought possible or ways that will bring you to the brink of death. That cant be right. One of the methods used a lot is called “Water boarding” check out this video of one of my favorite writers Christopher Hitchens experience this first hand … he makes very good points at the end… I found this disturbing… So simple yet so affective.

Here was a recent discussion about Torture on all of our favorite source for news. FOX. This features Shepard Smith a news anchor completely speaking his mind on live TV. This is one of the few times I feel like a agree with what is being said on the news network. There are some very good points being brought up here and this is worth watching. This is an extremely touchy subject and it is amazing to me that this stuff has not been brought up before…. This is insane how have we been letting people get away with this kind of stuff, especially in the United States of America.

At a loss for words...

2009-04-16T23:13:00.003-05:00

Please take the time to watch these two videos above… you will be amazed. If any of you’re are listening to these two men and are shaking your head at the sheer ignorance and closed mindedness of these puppets you are not alone. This quite possibly is one of the most disturbing meeting that I have ever listened too. This is absolutely asinine. The first man is an ELECTED official, this man is supposed to have the wisdom to lead states and people to be doing the right thing, and making the wisest decisions for the good of the state and the country. The thing that’s hard for me to believe is that these two men look right at years and years and years of scientific data and just say to hell with it. Its almost like these people feel like science is completely irrelevant to everything out there… stop and think for a moment where we would be with out peer revised scientific reports, science data, scientific observations, if you are struggling to come up with an answer it would be NO WHERE, we would still be sitting here wondering why thing fall when you throw them up. By the way some extra info I just read, is that there is more scientific data to support global warming than gravity. The thing that really frustrates me is that he does not keep this opinion to himself, he is a congressmen who job it is to change the thoughts of people around him, this is downright dangerous. These two men be the butt of every single futuristic joke, with there complete stupidity. This government needs a make over real soon. It is pretty pathetic when a congressmen for the United States of America is less educated than a bunch of seniors in high school. Our founding Fathers are turning in their grave as we speak….. Good Luck Future generations with leaders like this………..Have a good night

From a Friend

2009-04-13T23:52:00.005-05:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure

Nicely Done Mr. President

2009-04-13T23:18:00.004-05:00

If there is not already enough bad mouthing of Obama, He sure will be receiving a bit more after the yearly Easter egg roll on the white house lawn. This was like every other Easter egg roll but with the little more “change” incorporated. Most of the Attendees were Gay and Lesbian couples with kids. This such an awesome move to just shove one more thing in the face of old closed minded, rich, white, Catholic people of the world. Good Move. I like this guy more every day.

Wow....

2009-04-13T23:03:00.004-05:00

I just don’t what to say anymore… This is so ridiculous I am at a loss for words. I really cant believe people like this actually live in the Untied States. Now I am not referring to everyone in this video. There is one or tow that have a every valid points of view and go about expressing them in a orderly, and thought provoking manor, But the man that appears at about 2 min, and the woman Who scream “BURN THE BOOKs” are the ones that I am referring too. I am legitimately embarrassed for anyone who is at all related or have any contact with these humans. One of those comments made by the man that really got me laughing is how FOX NEWS, YES FOX NEWS is that only media channel with the right information. This is exactly why that face of the Conservative party has hit rock bottom, these are the main supporters. Come on seriously, Burn the books, and Pull your kids Out of college, this people should be thrown in jail for child abuse …… This is so scary
Word of Advice for you Conservatives grow up little, things change over time and now is your time change, expand your views, This is a new age and you better be able to EVOLVE to it, or your party will be dead in the water. (They have had some trouble with that word EVOLVE before so don’t get your hopes up)

Uneasy..?

2009-03-31T23:34:00.003-05:00

Tonight I was sitting down relaxing on my bed and watching fox news like always shaking my head at Sean Hannity, and they brought up a story about Baitullah Mehsud, the Pakistan Taliban leader and he promises an attack on Washington D.C. and he claims it will “amaze” the world. This hit home with me for some reason… I usually brush these promises off right along with all the other jargon that Hannity speaks. But this one for some reason just scared me. And the more I am thinking about it the more its starting to make sense, For some reason I jumped ahead in my life to the time when I will have a family, and I thought in about 10 years will it be a responsible thing to have a kid, when attacks like this are all ready being promised? This is quite an uneasy feeling and has got me up late thinking about it. I don’t understand why killing people for small disagreements makes any sense at all. Well I guess that makes more sense killing people in your “creators” name. : (

Normal...

2009-03-31T23:30:00.002-05:00

This is getting more and more out of hand, when is something going to change, when are peoples eyes finally going to open and see what is and has been in front of them for hundreds of years.... this is sicking

The Pope Says...

2009-03-17T14:58:00.005-05:00

The leader of all Catholics recently visited Africa, to bring more religion to the struggling African nations. According to who knows what data he said there are 135 million Catholics and is still trying to bring in more. But what really caught me off guard was the fact that he said that "AIDS is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems". Translated..... That condoms are worsening the spread of AIDS. This is completely contradictory to everything i have learned in school... O'well its fine, someday the pope will de-credit scientific proof through out the Catholic community too.... o wait? :)

Go Ahead

2009-03-09T14:10:00.002-05:00

As a complete stranger and I came rolling to the stop sign simultaneously, I saw the old man gesture out the window. The gesture is the worldwide sign for “go ahead” and I didn’t think anything of it at first. But after thinking about it for one second… it really got me thinking for some strange reason. What I noticed about the man waved me on was that he was a pretty old man, most likely around 65, but still very lively. This was the first time that I had noticed that an older man waved me on and it was kind of startling to me, I have taken noticed before when for example women or, kids that look about 12 have waved me on but not an old man. The fact that this man waved me along and didn’t just take his normal stubborn old man “ I was first “ mentality was a good thing to see…. The point that I am trying to get at is that I stumbled upon the reason that teenagers (boys especially) love to finally get behind the steering wheel of a car, its because they are beginning to be looked at like everyone else and that is important. And now nearing the day of high school graduation I cant wait for the teachers that have looked at me like the 12 year old behind the steering wheel, might finally wave me on because they see me as an equal..

Have a good day

Too little too late..

2009-02-27T17:07:00.008-06:00

This is truly amazing how fast people in the blogosphere (new term) get information out to all their viewers. I wish i could put up a post as fast as many of the others bloggers that i follow... I was going to write a post about Sean Hannity's website which asks the poll question "Which Type of Rebellion Would you most like to see," but a certain someone... Andrew Sullivan of the Atlantic monthly beat me too it, I wouldnt normaly care about this, but since hes linked on the bottom of my blog i would feel like some what of a copy cat... o well lots more to write about.... thanks to Mr. Ayers for bringing my attention to the Christopher Hitchens Story

enjoy all the links of this post... They are all worth clicking on...
have a good one

Rated; R

2009-02-24T23:45:00.001-06:00

One of the funniest videos i have seen in a long time, gotta a love it.

Have a good laugh and a goodnight

About Time

2009-02-22T22:01:00.002-06:00

Fox news once again pushes the limits of everyone they talk too...

I wish he had some like this with a little more power... ugh

Siddhartha Gautama

2009-02-16T01:04:00.005-06:00

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

"You Are What You Read"

2009-02-12T23:02:00.010-06:00

To say the least this one is interesting. These pictures that you are looking at below is the “art” exhibit of Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, an artist from Central America. What this man did was take a stray dog off the streets of some Central American country and tied him up with two ropes in an “art” exhibit. Most sources say that the dog was starved to death right in front of the crowds for some odd amount of days. Now you see this is the accepted story but the Artist, Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, fails to accept or deny that this happened. His story was that the dog was only tied up for three hours at a time and was fed regularly, and escaped and was never saw again. Believe what you want. The words “you are what you read” was written on the wall behind this dog in Espanola. This caused an international uproar and had millions extremely upset.

Now we can look at little closer at this “art” we see. How are we, as humans, supposed to be able to determine what is to be considered “art” and what isn’t. This is the reason this man was not punished by law, the disputable definition of "art". “Art” can be explained by some is something that provokes emotion. And if I dying dog in the corner doesn’t effect emotionally I am not sure what will. “Art” can also be defined as something that stops you dead in your tracks and makes you look at something IN DEPTH. This achieves these convections of modern “art.” But then where do we draw the line of what we consider "art." What would be the difference of him putting starving homeless people in a room and watching them die?

Art(n)-the products of human creativity

As I look at this a little closer I start to see the problem. And this is not with the artist but with humans in general. I find the intriguing that this man took a STRAY dog from the street, stray dogs are almost considered pests in Central America, that no one cared about in the least bit and this made people stop and look. When people of the world finally just stop and look around, many problems will become solved. What the difference if this dog dies out on the streets, or on the tiled floor inside the “art” gallery. There is none. Maybe this man is wiser than we think.

Sometimes these artists with the extreme egos, make some rather interesting decisions but succeeded in getting their point across, this got his point out there, but for me without knowing the character of the man, I can not make a decision about whether it was for the good or not.

A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing.- William Dobell

I am still unsure about the meaning of "you are what you read" but think for yourself Goodnight
Iam In no way agreeing with this “art” I am a dog lover :))

weB LOG

2009-02-12T09:15:00.007-06:00

As time goes on we are constantly changing and everything around us is changing. Change sometimes can be frowned upon by many certain people for all kinds of different reasons, or can be embraced and accepted. Look at our president and his campaign slogan, Hope and Change. This new era that I am growing up in is changing faster than any other before. Just take a look around you and realize all that is constantly changing.

Change- undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature

One of the most significant change of this day and age from the past ones is the use of books. I hate to say it but they just aren’t as useful anymore. I wish it weren’t that way, but I have no control. All the books in the world have so much wisdom and creativity in them it’s a shame that the people of this generation don’t understand that. But you see, the replacement of these books is the computers and the internet. We can find all we ever wanted anytime of the day and with out the hassle of going to “check out” a book of reference.

Change-cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

Along with this change of how to use/find references, comes more change. “Blogging” or “Blogs” is another notable change. As the new age of writer emerges, they post many useful stories, ideals, philosophies, some under their real names and other under anonymous user names. These new writers are writing for millions of people, when before it was for only a few. Millions can disagree or agree, and that is what is so great, the vast varying ideas of the world, it is one of the most interesting things to see how much people disagree on. As we make things easier and easier we will get more and more input, and by some times more people talking and debating may improve many things… The Wisdom of Crowds- James Surowiecki

Change- variety: a difference that is usually pleasant

As I catch myself spending hours a day browsing the blogs of people all over the world and reading all their varying ideas and stories, I see that this is the change, the change from old to new, the change from a few to many. “Few to many.”

Fatal Flaws

2009-02-10T23:25:00.007-06:00

Days after the whole world is plastered with the news of our most noble baseball stars enhancing himself in illegal ways, and weeks after one of the best swimmers ever to swim the earth is caught smoking pot in a college dorm room I started to think. I think about the Greeks

I think the Greeks understood a lot more than we give them credit for. These people understood just because you are in the lime light doesn’t absolve you from being human at all. In fact this is the point in many of their stories. Think about it, most of these heroes have one fatal flaw that always seems to come back and is the one thing that ruins them. It is almost a wise lesson hidden within the clever stories. The lesson I think is that no matter how far we think we have become, as a person, we are always going to be human, we will always have human feelings and we will all act in ways that are human. Heroes are what we make them, no one chooses for heroes to be the accurate picture a flawless human being.

Who are you to blame? Do you understand these fatal flaws? Look at these stories a little closer please. Alex Rodriguez took a substance that was going to make him bigger, faster and stronger. You know why he took this? This was a man who had such high expectations to live up too and didn’t want to let anyone down. He is a man trying to make himself the best he can at his job, and he had to do what he had to do. I don’t see this a bad choice in his career, look how it worked out for him thus far. Now I am not at all saying that I believe that this illegal drugs should be legal, but I am asking the question how can you attack someone with such force when all he was trying to do is increase what he is worth, become better and maintain his job.

Michael Phelps caught smoking marijuana(Americas No. 1 Cash Crop) in a college dorm. He is 23 years old. This in itself is a fatal flaw. When I person is forced to grow up too fast you miss an extremely well defining period in your life which I believe is needed to remain sane for the rest of your life. He just came back from a different country with the most gold medals won EVER. This man is on top of the world. He didn’t think that anything could bring him down. It did. His fatal flaw.

By the Greek standards these men are still considered heroes, fatal flaws included, and I tend to agree….

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.-Gandhi
goodnight

Trust..?

2009-02-08T23:31:00.004-06:00

Again another Sunday night at 11:30 sitting here attempting to do some pointless book report, for a book that I didn’t even read, and I cant think about anything for more than 3 seconds straight. This post might be a ramble, but this is what I am thinking about right now.

First of all as I have been browsing over all of my peers blogs I am noticing a trend in them. I have came across about 3 or 4 that have been related to trust.( I will link them if I remember) But as I start to think about this topic no wonder this is such a big deal in peoples lives, especially teen-agers. I have seen many examples of things this last week that has kind of stopped me and made me think. People at heart I think believe that everyone is good, I really do, I will admit to you right now that I give everyone the benefit of the doubt when it comes to trust. And that has bit me in the ass many of times… but that’s a different post for a different day. But when you tell someone something that you don’t want anyone else to hear, is just not a good idea. Secrets weigh so much on somebody its insane. You cant explain it, the fact that you know something some one else doesn’t is too much power for some people. These I think are the very weak minded. No offense to any bloggers out there that make there posts over the newest celeb. gossip but come on now, you are the very person that we all hated in high school.

I feel like that if what you need to get out is so important you better have made the a very concise evaluation of the person that you are telling this too. And I feel like if you really really don’t want anyone to know something you just wont tell anyone. But that’s just a thought…

Trust-the trait of believing in the honesty and reliability of others; "the experience destroyed his trust and personal dignity" (Irony that the example of trust refers to it being broken?)
Good night

Sheer Egoism

2009-02-05T09:20:00.010-06:00

As I sit here in my langue arts class again today, staring at my computer pondering what to write about, I think about what exactly makes me so into this blogging thing. There are so many other things that I could be doing as a senior in high school. There seems to be something appealing about writing for others to read. I can’t really explain it, or so I thought.

I thought about this topic for a while and didn’t have very much luck, until I read and essay by George Orwell entitled “Why I Write,” interesting huh..? After reading this I came to a little section in the essay that felt like after I read it, it explained exactly what I was thinking, but was unable to describe. He mentions four great motives for writers to write. (And yes I would consider blogging writing)

1.) Sheer Egoism- (The desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get back on grown-ups that snubbed you in childhood.) As I read that first reason for why some write I was hooked, to me in my eyes is exactly what I wish to get back from writing. The ones that stands out the most is the mention of getting your vengeance on the adults that wrote you off because you were young. This is one of the most frustrating things that I have ever experienced, the fact that someone, adults usually, dis credit everything you say because you are young. Also what he goes on to talk about is how we intend to humble our selves and pretend that this motive is not the strongest in the arsenal. But I do think that most people trying to write for an audience intends to accomplish as many of these ideas as possible.

The second one that he seems to talk about that I also can relate to greatly is Aesthetic Enthusiasm. This seems to also trip something in my head that I would wish to accomplish; he explains it as Perception of beauty in the natural world. Of the desire to share and experience that has happened and wish to teach some sort of lesson. I love teaching lessons, whether intentionally or not. When someone can learn from you is one of the greatest things that we have to offer, and to be able to write about something like that I have a positive feedback from someone is awesome…..
Have a good day……

Anonymous

2009-02-01T23:53:00.004-06:00

Dear Anonymous

I am very happy that i have at least some readers that frequently visit the page and leave what they think behind, so i know what to improve on and things of that sort. But this one is killing me, on the last 3 or so post you have been the only commentator, and leaving what seems to be almost words of wisdom behind. Now i think i have a very good idea about who you are, but there are some things that have thrown me for a loop. One of your clues that you left behind was I the comment about the essay I read in class titled “o Rotten Gotham.” Now you see, I am pretty sure that we were at a campfire in one of our close friends backyards when you put one of the ipod headphones in my ear and told me to listen to this speech given by Baz Luhrmann, that was recently made into a song. The speech was call “sunscreen,” and one of the best lines of advice from it was(see quote at bottom)…. So if I am right about my anonymous reader, I am letting you know you better think your comments through a little harder if you still wish to remain so.. :)
Goodnight ******

"Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth."

I Met The Walrus

2009-02-01T23:40:00.003-06:00

This is one of the best short films I have seen put together on you tube, It is quite amazing the things that this whole you tube craze has brought out. Peoples talents are being exposed to millions of people all over the world. Things like this are being created for contests promoted by you tube itself. Things like you tube are bringing out things that we would never have seen before, and I am extremely grateful that I live in the age of yotube, it has brought many laughs, Goosebumps, shivers, and uneasiness to my life.

On the topic of John Lennon, I just randomly started searching his name and I have read some extremely interesting things about the man. Any one you creates that big of a deal, usually has some really stupid ideas, or some really good ideas that some important people find stupid. And personally I love to listen to everything the man has to say, I see him as a very wise and thoughtful man…

Working Class Hero

2009-02-01T23:10:00.003-06:00

Go ahead and take the time to play and watch this video, it is quite possibly one of the best I have seen. These lyrics of this song just plain amaze me. As I take a look a little closer at them line by line you start to understand exactly what he is saying. John Lennon is his name, you might of heard of him, but he is quite the character. As you can sense in not only the tone of his voice, but all the video and the lyrics, he questions about everything you could in society. I havent figured out yet if I like this song so much because of the way it is out together, or because I absolutely believe everything word this man is saying. Its crazy to think about but, I do think he has so many valid points. There are a couple of lines that just make my head spin with how correct it is, “they hate you if you clever, and despise a fool.” As soon as I hear that line my train of thought automatically diverts to school. All of these lines relate somehow to school and it just one of those things that gets me thinking so in depth about everything that is happening around me….. Listen to this song and TRY.. TRY not question everything you have ever been taught.

Heroes

2009-02-01T22:50:00.004-06:00

As I was sitting down on a friends couch watching the finial seconds of the football season tick away, I started reminiscing on how much I missed college football, and remembered why I liked it so much more than the NFL stuff. As I searched you tube for some of the more insane highlights from this college football season I stumbled across one of the best montages I have ever seen. This excellent clips from the 2008/2009 season are put on accompanied by a new song called “heroes” by David Cook. This song is absolutely perfect for the recap of the football season.

Gets me thinking a lot about the words said in this song, talks about how all these “heroes” come and go, and it is quite a powerful thing to watch, as we see countless of these athletes, some only a couple of years older than myself, become such heroes in my eyes and the eyes of so many. Its incredible to see some of these images. The one that extra special is the clip where the Cincy wide out Gilyard ran into the stands after a ball and ran into a kid with the bear-cat colors all over his face. The kid cried for a bit, but was completely overcome with happiness when Gilyard came back over and gave the kid a hug and rubbed his head. The kid was soon surrounded with others his same age, and was even shown giving some autographs himself.

But the most important thing to remember his how these heroes come and go, and how they get 4 years to show what they can do, and they have so much pride in what they do its insane. The most special thing to see is a college athlete giving his all towards a goal, with no reward waiting for him, expect that of a trophy that goes to the university and maybe some bragging rights…. I hope college football is around forever.

O Rotten Gotham

2009-01-29T09:13:00.004-06:00

As I read this essay assigned to us in my language arts class I grew extremely fond of it and started to look closely into this idea presented by Tom Wolfe. In this essay Tom speaks about a variety of issues that affect the entire human race. This is probably one of the most in depth and interesting essays that I have ever had the privilege to read. Tom Wolfe wrote this in 1968, and has a very “recent” tone about him. He most talks about the over crowding of the great New York City. It is amazing to me that a man back in this time period could have such wisdom about everything, people, the world and future problems.

Many of the ideas that Tom speaks about seem to relate to the one of the lowest animals on the food chain; rats. This man described all of what he thinks about humans, in rat terms. This is perfect even if we, as humans, don’t like be compared with these creatures we behave social and fundamentally a lot alike. This is maybe an eye opener for some of the people in the world that forget we are animals too and ferocious ones at that. One of the most interesting techniques this author uses is the way that he refers to humans as animals, like I said before. He always calls them humans, like we are some sort of strange creature you can find in the swamps. This is a very affective way of making a point.

This was almost a disturbing essay to read and analyze. It was one of those essays where I read in and every point that is made I can relate it to something that had happened or is happening. One of the best sections of the essay is when Tom Wolfe talks refers to “behavioral Sink” that we all live in. I take this sink to be symbolizing the world that we all live on. He talks about the over crowding of this sink and the damaging affects it has on every single living thing that is in ceramic prison. This essay was written so long ago but now comes into play more than it ever has. There are so many fundamentally wrong things with us humans right now it makes me sick. This just points out more, the fact that we are reminding ourselves of rats. It is a tad scary to think about, the one animal (us) at the top of the food chain, and the one at the bottom (rats) are starting to become similar in so many ways…

Ugh...

2009-01-24T14:26:00.005-06:00

Here is one more of my random ideals that I have thought about over the last couple of hours…. This one was kind of came up in a weird way, I just woke up on this Saturday afternoon, and I was trying to recall this vivid dream that I have. I had no luck, but I remember the big picture. I think when it was in this dream It was kind of related to the recent movie “yes man,” which in my opinion was a real good movie. It seems as though all the things that you decide not too do, is because you think it will make tomorrow worse for some reason. I feel like a lot of people worry about tomorrow then they worry about right now. My perfect example of this is summer time in cedar rapids Iowa of a unemployed high school student. This quite possibly could be the best times of my life, in every way, I, personally, don’t have to worry one bit how what I do today will affect the next. That is the one statement where I think I person can come true happiness. You seem to be living for the day, not stressing or planning on what is going on tomorrow. But as I looked closer at this, this day in age, this society, this culture we can not do one thing that just doesn’t matter. Every last decision we make has an impact on what our world will be like tomorrow. This is scary to me, to understand that those summers that I cherish so much, where I can really become happy, are most likely gone. As you grow you cant help but to live your live for tomorrow, and it truly is a tragedy to see people living to today for tomorrow…… have a good day….

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”- Einstein

Lame....

2009-01-22T09:16:00.005-06:00

Today as I woke up at 7:30, later than usual, I stalled a bit before rolling out of bed for about 5 min and stared up at the ceiling and just thought about what I have been doing for the last 13 years of my life. I have been basically in the same mode since kindergarten. Sure there are always sometimes when the schedule takes a turn for the better of the worse, but it is all basically the same. As senior year rolls around I am beginning to think what I am I doing..? I think this often when I see so much of the world on TV and on the computer. I just think to my self, I need to be doing something different. I need something new, and soon, this time right now is so extremely tedious and boring I can’t stand it for much longer. I am so glad that I have a couple of friends that feel the same way. I feel like we reach a point where you just sort of retain a negative stand point on about everything, this is now. I walk around and start to realize why did I ever like this person, or why did I even try to be friends with them. Right now I am confused if people change or I am the one who is changing…

Audience

2009-01-21T16:35:00.003-06:00

I was asked a question about who i write for... and it really got me thinking carefully and i struggled to come up with a clear consist answer. I started this assignment as just that , an assignment, but as i started to really take interest in this way to show everyone who you are it soon changed... I started to really get into the fact that people all over could be reading what i was writing and that really made me feel good. I think it breaks some barriers that i couldn't break in a "real-life" meeting with one of my readers. People no matter who you are find some way to stereotype you no matter how you dress or what you look like... and i think this works to my advantage i like the way people come up to me and say i would of never expected that to come from you.. this makes them kind of realize that a lot of people aren't that bad once you sit down and get to know them... so in a way i write from myself in order to get out some of my feeling and learn from experiences i have had. But i also write for everyone else, because in some ways i would like to in a way, a very small way, teach all people some lessons. And some advice leave some comments on here and anywhere else you read something you like..... it means alot

have a good day.. :)

Ooo... Sunday Nights

2009-01-05T00:33:00.005-06:00

As I sit here in the o’ so normal spot at 12:30 on a Sunday night, surrounded by constant music ranging from Dj Tiesto to the eagles I have no choice but to reflect on the all things that have happened to be over this “holiday break” that we have come to know. I witness so many things that raise so my questions to me, but I am unable to remember them for when I get home to blog about them…. I need to improve upon this. But one of the main topics that raised my eyebrows a bit is the whole celebration of the new year. This got me really thinking, as I was standing in a room with none of my close friends but all of my new friends. Many things were going through my head at this time, one is the fact that all of us have a limited time on this earth and was questioning the fact upon why we celebrate yet another year gone? I soon realized… why not? Why not celebrate this occasion, nothing Is going to stop it from happening. Embrace things you cannot stop, and learn quickly that you cannot stop them.

I also noticed something truly insane… as I was sitting in a car with one of my new best friends in the entire world I looked over and thought about how we met… I started to try and piece together my night and try to exactly pinpoint how I ended where I did that night. I came to the conclusion that I cant recall at all what I did or why I decided to go where I did. As I did this I started to think about all the little actions that we make (some subconsciously) and how much they affect your lives. Its insane to me to think that I cant remember how I ended up at the house where I met this person… was it a text message, was it the person riding in the car with me.? What if I didn’t go? Where would I be at now instead? I am just purely amazed by the fact that the things so small that everyone just brushes off could make such a monumental difference in ones life. Truly amazing, make note of all the things you do today…. Take some chances, say yes to something (thanks Jim Carrey), do something you wouldn’t normally, just remember that everything that you do affects something that will happen later…. Always remember that….. Sleep well :)

I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross:

When I Grow Up

2008-12-15T20:27:00.008-06:00

When I grow up is one of those things that you hear come out of countless peoples mouths, and I always seem to catch myself thinking about when they going to actually believe they are grown. I think that most of them will probably see themselves most grown up when they accomplish what ever it is they want the most. But to me that seems wrong, I think there are multiple things that have to happen in order to make yourself believe that you are grown up.

“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.”- Anais Nin

Right now I am real unsure about all the things necessary to learn and to realize that you have grown, but I honestly can say that I have encountered some of them. And by no means, am I saying that I am growing up too fast, or trying to grow up too fast, I am just saying that there have been times in last couple of days which make me feel uneasy and more “grown” about things.

First, Yesterday one of my close friends and I went to go look around at the mall and ran into a old friend that no longer attends the same high school as we do. Back when he did attend the same high school he sure had gotten into his fair share of trouble, as he will tell you, and that’s most of the reason he doesn’t attend anymore. But as we got talking about school, future plans, friends I noticed a huge shift in everything I thought I knew about the kid. He went from some one who could care less about what other people think about him, to telling us he hopes no one is holding anything against him at school. And now is getting all kinds of opportunities to extend his education through the help of the army. After shaking his hand and a honest “good luck,” I walked away with a weird feeling that I have witnessed a complete change in a person that I would of never thought would of.

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.- Henri Bergson

I suppose there is one more little thing that got thinking about while staring off into space in either math or science class, and that’s my views on teachers and these adults that all of us kids are supposed to be learning all these important life lessons from… what a joke. Its weird to me for me to finally be able to look at a teacher or some one of authority and relate them to someone I know. Now, don’t get me wrong I do respect all of them and there are many, many good people teaching around here but the ones that I had been looking up too ever since middle school are kind of reminding me of the some of the jerks that I hang around with. I could throw these guys farther then I trust them , which let me tell you is quite an uneasy feeling.. HAHA Have a good night :)

Trust him not with your secrets, who, when left alone in your room, turns over your papers.- Johnann Kaspar Lavater

My Influences

2008-12-10T09:08:00.005-06:00

As I have been trying to keep up with my blog as much as possible, with my busy hectic life, I start to realize what makes me look at the world differently. Sure some writers can sit down at any point in their busy day and spit out or right down what seems to be a flawless piece of writing. This is frustrating to me, because as I try to come up with some new ideas I always feel like I am coming up short. I started this blog to help me practice the one thing I have been constantly told I am not good at, expressing my feelings. I have found that this is an extremely hard task to try and learn. I will admit I feel like I am getting better, but it seems to take an actual event to “jumpstart” my thought process. I strive to be the kind of person that can share his important feelings any time he needs to, or to be able to tell the special people in your life how you feel about them, or to blog on a daily basis about seemingly nothing….. Have a good day.. :)

Now What...?

2008-12-01T23:09:00.003-06:00

I experienced an extremely difficult situation to understand this week, i have been thinking about it non- stop for the past couple of days. Actually thinking about it to the point where it is hard to sleep and makes my stomach have a constant nervous feeling, it is a terrible thing. This was my experience, my best friend for about 5 months and i are now not speaking, not visiting, not communicating in any way. This can really do some harm to the moral of any human being. Its hard for me to grasp the fact of breaking up...

This was one of the most difficult experiences i have been through thus far in my short inexperienced life. The thing that really makes me wonder is how a simple title, "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" change the way the society as a whole looks at you. Its and idea, a concept, a word, not a tangible object like a wedding ring. But this title has more power than you would ever believe. This title of boyfriend/girlfriend makes you choose what you do with you free time differently, makes you spend money differently, makes other people look completely different at you. And the most powerful of all turns people completely against you when it is removed. The thing that i am having such a hard time with, is the fact the my best friend that quite possibly knows more about me than even my parents, is just gone. That gives me such an uneasy feeling it makes me sick. The only reason i decided that this "relationship" was not gonna work was because of distance. Then i start to realize that this is quite depressing... I in reality lost one of my best friends and mutual friends because of an hour car ride. For some reason it doesn't stack up for me. I guess what i am getting at is that relationships should be saved for those who are a little more mature, and in the time in their life when having a significant other is vital. Because what you get out of it, which is a lot, is not worth what you are going to lose...... have a good night :/

From one of my best friends... Do what makes you happy :)

Josiah Leming

2008-11-11T00:13:00.006-06:00

I seemed to run across this video on one of those nights where all I seem to do is search you tube. This was quite I good find I found out quickly after watching about 2 min. of it. After watching this amazing video of what it seems to be the next great musician, I did some research about this musician that I have never heard of before. This is quite an amazing story, Josiah is his name and He decided to devote his life to music and dropped out of high school is senior year, live in his car, was basically homeless for about 2 years. Then he caught a break, in maybe one of the less likely ways, the good ol’ American Idol. Then from then on this young man has been taking off, signing contracts, selling albums, writing flawless songs and making money. But the real reason that I linked this video to my blog is because this young musician has a lot of what I am striving to find. This video shows complete passion in his music, something is clearly felt by this musician. You can tell this by the way he seems to “Feel” the music, he seems as though nothing else matters when this creating this music. I wish I were brave enough, passionate enough, talented enough, to drop all that is normal (accepted) in my life to pursue something greater as this man did. He took an extreme risk and suffered for awhile but then because he loved what he was doing so much, came out ahead. I believe Josiah is wise beyond his years, he has accomplished more than most grown people I know, has something I think that we all wish to posses and that Is to love something so much that nothing else matters, nothing seems to be as important as that, and to drop everything in order to make that one dream a reality……Have a good night.

2008-11-04T23:56:00.005-06:00

Mr. President
Enough Said...

About Time

2008-10-30T22:44:00.003-05:00

This has been the worst political commercial season i have seen, and have heard numerous people agree. This is starting to scare me, how crazy some people can get when electing a president. This is an extremely important matter i realize this, but i understand that when John McCain or Barack Obama get elected, life will go on, things will change, some good, some bad. I have also come to realize that it will be a different place no matter who is elected, and no one goes into office trying to screw things up. This is what scares me about John McCain, he needs to realize that to some people he is becoming an extremely reliable source, powerful as well. It seems as though he is not aware of that and assumes every one has an equal intelligence of his or the majority of the united states. Some people cannot think for them selves, you will be surprised how many there are, they believe what they are told. They have no interest in seeing the opposite side of the story, or the facts that are right under there nose. John McCain needs to step up realize what he is saying, who he is saying it too, and fix that false accusations that have been put upon senator Barrack Obama.

32 Dollars

2008-10-28T22:09:00.007-05:00

Let me first explain myself to, who ever may be reading. I am not the type of person that likes to be over dramatic about thing. I see both sides of every story, its what I pride myself on. These are just my random thoughts that I get running through my head, when I am doing nothing in high school.

Today while sitting in class an announcement comes over the intercom, dismissing all seniors for a lame cap and gown meeting. At this meeting we learned about all the cool, over priced, pretty much pointless goodies you can buy from the company. This was one of those occasions that you were just mad that you had to come too in the first place. Then one of my favorite associate principals (complete sarcasm) was handed the microphone. I don’t remember much about what he was trying to say to us, but I caught the part about the fees being around $32. Then we said with a more stern voice if you don’t rent this and look like the other 435 other students you will not walk. Walk referring to the walking across the stage at graduation ceremony, Walk symbolizing your entire high school career in a few moments. This for some strange reason got me thinking so much. I hear grown people talking about how they remember their walk. We see countless movies about it, and hear vitamin C sing about it every may. This struck me has hard to comprehend, as I have spent a huge portion of my life walking down the halls it comes down to me spending 32 dollars to receive the credit for doing it. For all the money I have spent in those halls ways, on those lunches it all comes down to me spending 32 more dollars to not have to spend any more. For all the time, effort I have put into everything was involved in, it all was worth 32 dollars? “its just $32” said someone sitting next to me, reacting to my confused/almost angry look. I responded with…. that’s the point its just $32 experience one of the best experiences (so I have been told) of your life. One of the best experiences of your life should have no dollar amount attached to it. Sorry if I ramble but hearing that just made me go into my (question everything) modes.

The Final Frontier

2008-10-23T09:16:00.007-05:00

As I was sitting in my A.P. Environmental science class yesterday we started talking about how much we know about the world around us. We started talking about what we knew and about what we didn’t know. Then I really started to think hard about this subject. Then moments after I caught my teacher contradicting himself, or in my opinion, he did. He called Space the final frontier; I seem to disagree with this. This is because earlier in the class room discussion we talked about all we knew and he said that we know more about the surface of the moon, then we do about our own ocean floor. How can this space we talk about be the final frontier when we have already reached it with human beings and it so far away. Our ocean is the most mysterious thing that we have on this planet. We can touch the ocean yet we still don’t have the technology to study it in depth as we are with outer space. It scary to think that we haven’t even explored all there is to explore on this planet and we are already trying to study all the others, sure it might be more interesting but I don’t like the fact that there are unknowns about the planet that I live on. But maybe that’s what makes it so interesting and mysterious. Have a good day…

College Admissions

2008-10-20T23:20:00.003-05:00

Tis the season that I am receiving 10-12 letters each day about how great this college in the middle of no where is. I have learned that this is one of the most stressful times I have been through thus far. They try to prepare us in high school for what we need to know, and if we don’t do good enough we are out of luck, demeaned unable to have a successful future. When in reality it is all a game, a game where people learn how to work to the system in there favor. But to me it is amazing how one person can change everything for you in these automatic grade books we call computers. Seriously to think about how much control high school teachers have over our lifeline to success (grades) is somewhat scary. A couple of changes in each of the computer of every class room, I am now saving 13,000 dollars a year. To recall all the pointless busy work I have acquired over the years that I have not bothered to turn in is now depressing to me. Then many of my friends are so consumed in how there transcripts look to colleges that it is completely taking over there life and it is sad to me. And I can confidently say that I would put my smarts up against there any day, in any situation. But because they spent 2 hours more a night, there GPA is better than mine and then receive a couple thousands more than I do, which the ones I am talking about probably have about 100,000 in there own personal bank account. I just feel as though the school system right now is not working the way they had in mind. I wish that some employers some day will be able to look past the fact that I didn’t get into the college that I wanted because my high school teacher didn’t like me, and in returned ruined my GPA, therefore “not being ready to move on.” (just an example) I think that to really have an accurate reading on who is successful in this area of matter is no longer paper tests, but the skills needed to live in the world and to perform the one maybe two tasks that you will need to know for your job. Never will happen but just had to let off some steam before heading to bed… Goodnight

Points of View

2008-10-16T21:20:00.003-05:00

This video I stumbled across might look at first glance another stupid teenage you tube video, think again. This video has so much creativity with the perfect amount of humor. They balance it out perfectly in this video. The video I think is so cool because we have all seen the movie the matrix and the distinctive fight scenes and this puts it into a incredibly simple way of showing us how it is done. This video reminds me of geometry class and how we are supposed to learn how to rotate figures in our heads, most kids have an extremely hard time with this task, and I think that after watching a video like this you start to see the scene from different points of view. This is an extremely important trait to acquire, seeing others points of view and understanding where they are coming from. This video, to me, just re emphasizes that everyone sees something from a different point of view, and thinks it makes the most sense how they are viewing it, and have a hard time seeing what others do. I have to remind myself of this daily because of my constant opinions I have on everything around me. Its scary how a stupid video like this can get me talking about morals and life lessons.

This is AMAZING...

2008-10-15T23:41:00.002-05:00

This is one of the most ridiculous things i have seen in awhile. This election has gotten so out of hand the last couple of weeks that it makes me think about not voting all together. Maybe i have only noticed this negativity because i have actually been following this election and the candidates for quite some time now. And now that i have looked back on some of the things McCain has said in recent rallies and such, i think that what is happening with his supporters is what he wanted, maybe not to the extent, but this is it. In recent speeches i have heard Sarah Palin numerous times linking Barrack Obamas name to "terrorist", and being the super politicians the are people believe them. This is so scary to me, that people that we are supposed to trust just go out and carelessly use extremely meaningful words to maybe not the most educated crowd. I will say it takes a lot of John McCain to step in and correct the woman, he earned a lot of respect from me for doing that. But i think you ask for it when you dont choose your words wisely and put out false statements. The thing i worry about now is that i haven't seen much of this from the obama campaign, and the only reason why this worries me is that i know that the "nice guy" always finishes last.... lets HOPE that the nice guy wins this one

Blog Topics

2008-10-14T23:05:00.000-05:00

This is my blog, this blog is my own personal blog that i can write about anything that i desire. There is a couple of differences i have noticed already from my blog and the conventions of the others that i have seen thus far. The ones that we have been browsing for the past couple weeks seem to have a very distinct topic about them, whether it be about politics, tattoos, movies, science, religion of any other topics for review/discussion. That seems to be the greatest difference between mine and the rest. Rather than pick one topic that i will try to devote my whole blog too, i am going to work it exactly how my mind works. This could be interesting but i think that it will end up better than a one topic sort of thing. Now instead of confirming what my blog is going to be about i will tell you some of my interests and maybe that will lead you on some sort of path to where iam going to take this. I am very intrested in people, they are the most intersting things on this planet, sit and watch them for a bit and you will understand. Music, i think that music is one of the most important things on this planet, and there are so many people who can put flawless lyrics to melodies that just make life worth more. Science, the truth of what actually goes on to make this world go around, and the way we use science to make life more enjoyable through video games :) Movies, so many good ideas out there that no one has seen. Those are some of the subjects that iam most intrested in, now dont be thrown for a loop when i throw something out of the odrinary in there due to the world around us. Example, The election is coming up soon and i think i need to express some points of view in there as well.... hope you keep reading :)

Microsoft Surface

2008-10-13T23:17:00.000-05:00

This one is quite new... This new Microsoft Surface is the most amazing thing i have seen in quite a long time. The new stuff that they come up with is getting crazy. Its almost scary to think about what things are gonna be like for my kids.

Well Hey

2008-10-01T09:44:00.000-05:00

Interesting name choice i know... i was sitting in last hour and staring off into space and this song by incubus came on my ipod. Aqueous Transmission and i really sat there for about 20 min, just thinking about that title. It really jumped out at me for some reason, no personal reasoning just really like the name.

Lyrics: I'm floating down a river
Oars freed from their holes long ago
Lying face up on the floor of my vessel
I marvel at the stars
And feel my heart overflow
Further down the river
Further down the river
Further down the river
Further down the river
Two weeks without my lover
I'm in this boat alone
Floating down a river named emotion
Will I make it back to shore
Or drift into the unknown
Further down the river
Further down the river
Further down the river
Further down the river
I'm building an antenna
Transmissions will be sent when I am through
Maybe we'll meet again further down the river
And share what we both discovered...
Then revel in the view
Further down the river
Further down the river
Further down the river
Further down the river