Sleep Late, and Bathe Long

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?

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.

I guess it is...

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

19,753

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

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

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

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.

Wow....

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)

College Admissions

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