Blog moved to: www.four96.com/blog

BLOG MOVED!

2008-05-26T18:01:00.000-05:00

BLOG MOVED TO www.four96.com/blog

GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Catching Up

2008-05-01T00:28:00.002-05:00

So heres the deal:

I am now on twitter, and I'm feeling extremely connected already. :)
twitter.com/danadee

I have also set up a profile on linkedin.com
linkedin.com/in/danamccormick

I have decided to pay more attention to my radar...
radar.net User:DanaMc Invite Code:nerd

I'm writing (every once in a while) on Helium.com.

And I'm looking for exciting things to do/be a part of.

____________________________________________________________________

I'm driving to California with Josh on May 12th. We're doing a "1955 Drive," turning off our cells and using only an atlas the whole way. It should be an adventure. :)

Also, I'm leaving for Berlin on May 20th and will be in Europe until about July 8th. Go ahead... get jealous. Don't worry though, I called T-Mobile and they sent me the unlock code for my cell for free (who would have thought). So I'll be able to twitter my travels. :) Plus, I'll probably be ridiculously excited about everything and blog like every other night! Aren't you thrilled?

Grammar.

2008-04-23T21:58:00.003-05:00

One of my Facebook "friends" just put up a new status: "Jane Doe thinks your dumb."

(her name isn't really Jane Doe- duh)

People should learn the difference between you're and your. Especially those that think OTHER people are dumb.

Just thought you'd like to know. :)

Counterfeit Art

2008-04-08T19:39:00.003-05:00

Oh this is great. I always love the Worth 1000 Photoshop contests.. but I found a spectacular one today.

Alien Abduction!

2008-04-03T21:41:00.005-05:00

So I'm taking a pseudoscience class. I know. I know.
But we had this pointless, yet ridiculously fun, homework where we had to write an alien abduction story, take UFO pictures, and try to take a picture of the aliens who abducted us.

Heres my Story:

I was sitting on the roof of my car. Perhaps the extra three feet off the ground brought them to me, perhaps it was something else- at the time, I wasn’t thinking of it.
I was cold, angry, tired, and hopeless. Fighting does that to a person, or at least to me in any case. I had been fighting. It was windy and the brisk air was making my eyes water. I wasn’t crying, I swear, it was the wind…
At first, I thought the light was just a product of my blurry vision. I brushed my tears away. Still there. I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened. Not gone.

What in the world?

Actually, nothing. Nothing of this world, but I wasn’t thinking of that at the time either…

The light had been bright- too bright. It had also been warm, which was comforting; giving my chill bumps a break. I had to be dreaming. I always enjoyed lucid dreams- if you couldn’t control the world, at least you could control your dreams. I stood up (on the hood of my car, in boots, because I knew I was dreaming and wouldn’t notice those scratches and dents when I awoke) and turned my face to catch the full warmth of the light. It advanced, getting brighter and brighter (too bright) until even my closed eyes could not face its intensity. I tried to exercise control of the dream and dim the light. I tried very hard. I tried to turn it off. I tried to make it the sun, and to put myself on a beach. I tried everything, and I failed. I hate failing…
It was then, in that instant, that the fear struck me. Immediately I was overcome and I opened my eyes. The light! Too bright! Then suddenly… darkness. Blindness? I scrambled off my hood, twisting my ankle on the way down (damn boots). I could feel the warmth growing stronger, even though my eyes had failed me. I scurried under my car, because surely, my car would keep me safe from whatever creatures were coming for me. I suppose I wasn’t thinking clearly. Had I known they had picked me specifically I wouldn’t have run. Had I known they’d been following me for years I wouldn’t have run. Had I known there was no way imaginable that I could have hid from them, I would have saved myself the embarrassment of running (and the twisted ankle of course). Or I might have still run.
But I didn’t know. So, at the time, I cowered under my car and waited. I heard noises (what else does one hear?). There were no engine sounds, just a soft thud when the craft encountered the hard soil. I heard hydraulics. I heard snapping. I heard… music. I longed to see, but was relieved I couldn’t. I would have probably peed. People do that sometimes when they’re scared. Not that I do. But, you know, some people might…
I lay there, trying not to pee, when suddenly I was blown out from under the car. When I say blown, I mean blown. I’m not talking about someone slowly pulling me out, or someone asking me to come out, or even anyone shoving me out violently. This was a gust of frigid air forcing my frame from under the car and into the starlight (that I couldn’t see). Welcome back chill bumps.
More snapping. “What the hell is that?” I thought. I was laying on the ground, wondering how exposed I was when I was pulled up by what felt like a painless hook attached to the back of my head. Standing was the last thing I wanted to do. I peed, and then I passed out.

When I awoke, I was in another world- literally. I was also in dry clothes, thank god. There was that snapping noise all around me. My eyes still didn’t work. I reached out. I knew someone (or something) was close to me, and I reached for it. I would say “I found it,” if I had reached out, grasped around for it and finally felt my hand close on it, but this was much more like reaching out and being reached out to in return. I touched something long, slender, and, yes, furry. I recoiled. More snapping. Then, I felt the softness of the fur on my face, and something saucer shaped, almost like a suction cup cover each of my eyes and then fall away. I could see again. I looked around, and wished to be blind. I peed.
I was surrounded by 8-10 furry creatures. Normally, the word furry suggests images of tiny rabbits hoping around, or cute and cuddly kittens. I hope this is not the “furry” you are thinking. Think more of an abominable snowman, with the most caring and sweet face you’ve ever seen, yet a demeanor that suggests he might have skinned 700 “furry” rabbits for his coat, and 900 more just for the fun of it.
They were majestic. They stood upright, like a human, but they towered at a staggering 8 feet tall. They were actually fairly thin, though. Only their white/grey fur made them seem thick. Protruding from where their breasts might originally be, were two long slender tentacles with suction cup-like ends. Had I fondled one of these creatures earlier?! They each had four arms. Two smaller arms with hairless fingers created that strange snapping sound I kept hearing. Ah!- communication. Two larger arms, resembling normal arms (with fur) and performing normal arm functions, were busy doing arm things. One was passing a salve to another, who was coating my ankle in it, then massaging it with a suctioned tentacle. I probably would have laughed at this site (you probably would have too) but the pain in my ankle was quickly subsiding, so all I could do was stare.
The snapping was consistent. I found it hard to imagine one creature could hear and comprehend another over all of the snapping, but it seemed to be working fine for them. They moved with a graceful and steady speed and agility. I was shaking, but I wasn’t afraid. They were helping me. After they had applied the salve, and my ankle was feeling like new, they gathered around me and they all put their tentacles on my body. Their snapping took on a chant-like rhythm. The sensation was overwhelming and I immediately started crying, had an orgasm, and then went unconscious.

I remained with the Couziers (for that was what they had eventually told me they like to be called) for 4 years. I communicated with them through a special thought bug they placed in my brain. This bug was capable of translating what they were saying into whatever language I pleased. Sometimes I tried to practice on my Spanish by forcing my thought bug to translate that way. I still don’t know Spanish.
The Couziers taught me many things, though I doubt I taught them any. I learned of their planet, a cold barren land with skyscraping tree-like entities that produce a meaty fruit (which necessitated the Couziers abnormal height and thick fur). I learned of their culture, one filled with song, dance, peace, sex, and an ever-present search for truth and knowledge (which produced all their cool technology, and ankle healing salves).
These were the things the Couziers tried to teach me: Lessons about their pillars of truth. To always make music, for it instigates reverence and awe; To know my body and move it in line with the songs of my people and the song of my universe; To seek first peace among all people (and all creatures- even furry outer-space ones); To understand my sexuality and appreciate the pleasure the body can provide, and to always look for ways to grow, things to learn, and new truths to be discovered.

The Couziers had come to me with a mission, and they sent me back here to Earth to spread their word. I am their ambassador. Someday they hope to openly visit our planet, but someone has to make the way for them. Violent religions and skewed politicians would not accept the Couziers today. It is my job to spread a new morality and a new way of thinking, so that eventually we may be able to share our world with the Couziers and they may be able to share theirs with us.
I still visit the Couziers. They enjoy reports on the progress of humanity, and they like to give me new truths and information that they have gleaned from their relentless search for knowledge. I have been back on their craft 4 times, but for significantly shorter periods than my maiden voyage. I never fail to be surprised, though, whenever I spend 4 months with the Couziers, then return to earth 15 whole seconds before the “abduction” actually took place. There is still a lot to learn.

I have no idea why the Couziers picked me. It seems quite strange. I’m a coward. I’m a runner, a hider, a failer, a crier, and worst of all, a pee-er. Yet, the Couziers have faith in me and see something worthy inside of me. Perhaps this is the fundamental message they have sent with me- simply to appreciate the diversity around us. To love others for what they have to offer, and not to ostracize them for their shortcomings. Simply, to accept.

And here's some of my pix. The ones to turn in I couldn't take on my digital camera, and I think they actually turned out better.. but heres the ones I took digitally anyway.

Hehe.. oh well- it was fun. :)

xkcd

2008-04-02T19:33:00.006-05:00

Here's the 3rd to the xkcd Journal Series... this series is one of my favorites :)

Insomnia.. ?

2008-03-26T00:51:00.005-05:00

I'm having one of those nights.

I don't have them a lot.

They're common in my family though. My whole life my mom has had problems sleeping. She used to come in my room and wake me up at some ungodly hour to tell me stupid things like "Don't wear baggy T-Shirts to school anymore, they make you look trashy." Her mind races about ridiculous things and eventually she just gets up and plays on the computer or watches TV. I still get e-mails from her at like 4:30 in the morning sometimes. I've learned my brother has become the same way. He has to have earplugs, complete darkness, and get an early start to make sure he gets some sleep.

I feel lucky that usually I fall right asleep- No matter what. I can conk out at 2 in the afternoon even if I only woke up at 12. I heart sleeping. However, tonight I can't sleep. I realize its only 1am, but its been a very long day. I had to be up at 8:30 this morning, and I worked ALL day (10-8). I'm exhausted, but when I lay down this is what I think:

1. I have to keep my grades up. My GPA depresses me. I imagine I'll keep letting it fall, until I end up with exactly a 3.0 because thats all I have to have to get $20,000 of my loans forgiven. So sad. So sad.

2. My dog chewed my passport up. I'm going to Germany at the end of May. I need to get a new one, pronto.

3. I have zero coin.

4. I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life. I know that I care about books, knowledge, writing, truth, religion, freedom, equality, education, and breaking taboos... but I don't know what I can do with any of those things that will make me any money.

5. I REALLY need to wash clothes... and dishes... and clean my room.

6. I need to buy new pillows.. mine kinda suck- hardcore.

7. Thinspo (I just learned about this earlier today)

8. I'm not that great of a writer...

I hope this not being able to sleep thing doesn't become a habit. It's silly. I'm far too laid back to be worrying my little head about things all night long. ;)

Shouldn't a girl be entitled to her beauty rest?!

I'm going to put King of the World on and try again......

(I've gotten up 4 times and changed this post... and I've restarted King of the World 3... This is getting silly.)

xkcd - Munroe

2008-03-24T11:34:00.003-05:00

Good xkcd today.

"I didn't even know I *had* the Monty Python 'Lumberjack' song."

I also friended Mr. Munroe on Facebook today... we'll see if he accepts. If he doesn't, I think I'll just be that crazy person that friends him a million times until he finally does. :)

(I love how "friend" is now used as a verb)

Religion and Obama's "More Perfect Union"

2008-03-23T13:56:00.006-05:00

I watched Obama's speech the other day (I know this is fairly late) and I really loved it. I'm not going to go too far into the dynamics of the race arguments, because even though they were great, thats not what I really want to write about. Yes Obama's speeches are great, and yes you can call him a "televangelist" or argue that he's just a great orator with words that sound pretty, but I would argue (and Parker would agree) that if you read that speech on paper it would be just as moving and just as good.

Here's the speech, in case you missed it:

But, I digress. The issue that I want to talk about is not race or candidate preference, but religion (duh.. you know me). When I watched the speech I paused at a particular point where Obama mentioned all the worlds great religions. He said, "In the end then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the worlds great religions demand, that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us." I turned to the person beside me and began a rant on the ability of "No Religion-ers" to have morals too, arguing that it was ironic that while Obama was giving a speech on the divisive power of race he was still ignoring the divisive power of religion.

I understand that Obama cannot make an appeal to people with no religion. I know that this would be political suicide for him. However, it pains me to see any group of people treated as lesser citizens and I yearn for the day when Americans can accept atheists and agnostics as people too, and a politician can speak out against religion.

The person next to me did not agree and told me that hope in an America that accepted non-religious people was futile and naive. Hm... sort of like hoping for a country where races are treated equally, where women don't suffer from discrimination, and where gays and lesbians aren't treated as second class citizens?

I believe the fight against the religious monopoly goes hand in hand with Obama's fight against racial divisions... and I'm not alone. Sam Harris wrote a great article on the issue.

He says:

"Like every candidate, Obama must appeal to millions of voters who believe that without religion, most of us would spend our days raping and killing our neighbors and stealing their pornography. Examples of well-behaved and comparatively atheistic societies like Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark—which surpass us in terrestrial virtues like education, health, public generosity, per capita aid to the developing world, and low rates of violent crime and infant mortality—are of no interest to our electorate whatsoever."

and

"Obama did not say that religion’s effect on our society, and on the black community especially, has been destructive—and where it has seemed constructive it has generally taken the place of better things. Religion unites, motivates, and consoles beleaguered people not with knowledge, but with superstition and false promises. Surely there is a better way to bring people together in the 21st century."

and my favorite,

"But Obama’s candidacy is also depressing, for it demonstrates that even a person of the greatest candor and eloquence must still claim to believe the unbelievable in order to have a political career in this country. We may be ready for the audacity of hope. Will we ever be ready for the audacity of reason?"

Will we ever be ready? I hope so.

Richard Dawkins

2008-03-23T10:55:00.006-05:00

Evolutionary Biologist, Atheist, and Author, Richard Dawkins came to the University of Texas and spoke on his book The God Delusion Wednesday evening. The event didn't start until 7pm, but when I got in line at 5:20, there were probably already 700 people in front of me. Luckily though, I happened to be on the side of the building that Dawkins came in on. Look how close I was:

Anyway, the lecture was amazing. I wish I could have videoed the whole thing, but they asked us not to video at all, and I looked very funny holding my camera up for like 50 seconds anyway. Here's a clip of an answer to a question about why Atheism is important:

His voice is so cute. ;)

He also used a clip from comedian Marcus Brigstocke in his lecture. I found it on YouTube. This video is over 7 minutes long, but Dawkins only used the first 3:15. Its really pretty funny.

Dawkins has also started the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science and has included a great list of goals and priorities for the foundation. These include fighting the epidemic in the science classroom, research on things like why people are more interested in astrology than astronomy, and at what age a child is most impressionable, maintaining a database of available lecturers and thereby supporting the next generation of freethinkers, publishing books in America or Britian that may only be published in one country, supporting The Out Campaign, and raising consciousness about the religious label imposed on young children who no more identify with Christianity or Islam than they do with Marxism. These aren't all, but these are my favorites. :)

The Out Campaign is pretty cool... they sale Scarlet Letter T-Shirts w/ a big Atheist A on the front... How cute is that?

Also, through links from Dawkins's Site, I found a fund to help finance security for Ayaan Hirsi who was born into the Islamic faith, and now speaks out and condemns it for many different reasons, including its treatment of women. The death threats may not come in such a large number if Ayaan Hirsi was simply a dissenter who spoke out every once in a while. However, she happens to be a fierce politician, an author, and one of the mind's behind Theo van Gogh's 11 minute film titled "Submission Part 1." van Gogh was murdered because of his views, and his killer left a 5 page letter to Ayaan Hirsi impaled on the corpse. In any case, she is a freethinker whose free speech is coming with a large price. How can she marry? How can she raise a family? She has to be surrounded by security and practically running from one place to the next. This story disgusts me. If you'd like to help her out donate Here. If you'd just like to read a pretty good Time's article on her, then go Here.

Anyway, Dawkins is great, so is Sam Harris, Carl Sagan, Christopher Hitchens and all the other emerging freethinkers... Go watch some videos of them, you'll enjoy it. :)

I'll leave you with a Dawkins quote:

"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Sahara. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively outnumbers the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here."

Pseudo-Science

2008-03-20T16:02:00.004-05:00

Can someone please tell me why the history channel and the discovery channel continue to pollute the world with pseudo-scientific claims and programs?

Currently, the History Channel is "investigating" UFOs and USOs (Unidentified Submerged Objects). Their "evidence" is nothing but "eye-witness" accounts. Any moron in the world who wants to be on TV can claim they saw something "they'd never seen before." Are you kidding?! These people say they saw a light in the sky. Later 2 college students said they were experimenting with weather balloons and thats what people had seen. However, all these eye-witnesses refuse to accept that as an answer.. for some reason, in their minds, its more probable that these lights were from extraterrestrials, than weather balloons... Seriously?

Not too long ago the Discovery Channel did a whole program on Mayan Prophesies about the end of the world. A whole fucking program on how the world will end in 2012.

This isn't science. I'm disgusted with the lack of science and math education in our schools today, the lack of science and math knowledge present in our adult culture, and with the surplus of pseudo-science in popular culture.

Tattoo!

2008-03-17T09:11:00.002-05:00

Wham, Bam, Thank you Tom Robbins :)

Politics, Religion, and Tattoos.

2008-03-11T14:13:00.007-05:00

cute story: Here

Disturbing story: Here
1 in 4 teenagers have an STD yet the church just distributed a list of 7 Social Sins including "Bioethical Violations" such as birth control, and the religious right still pushes against HPV Vaccinations on moral grounds. Disgusting.

I voted in the primaries this year :)
I also caucused... which was.... uh.. interesting. You would think that with all the talk and hype they would have been prepared for a record caucus turnout.. but no.. they weren't. Some creepy guy with a mic got up and said "okay, uh, we need everyone to sign this paper." And everyone got up and tried to run and push to the front of the sanctuary. Yes. I said sanctuary. You see, even though we have ~~the false assumption of~~ Separation of Church and State, my caucus was held in the sanctuary of a Lutheran Church. I was sufficiently creeped out while I waited in a wooden pew for teh festivities to begin. All I had to look at were visitors cards and hymnals... ew.

I was standing in the middle of the sanctuary here... it was mass chaos. Very representative of the way our government works, actually..

I also got a letter back from Tom Robbins!!!! It was awesome. I'm the happiest girl alive :)
He said he likes the symbol from Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas. It was developed 5,000 years ago to memorialize a visit to them by extraterrestrials from the star system Sirius. hehe. Anyway I had Josh draw it on me so we could see how it looked:

Cool huh? :)

Catch ya l8er.

Letter to Tom.

2008-02-21T20:26:00.002-06:00

I mailed my letter to Tom Robbins today. Aren't you excited?

Yes- its addressed to the Union of Mad Scientists.... don't ask.

Tom Robbins Tattoo

2008-02-19T01:52:00.004-06:00

Okay, I've been thinking long and hard about getting a new tattoo, and I've finally come up with the perfect idea.

You all know how much I adore Tom Robbins, right? You better.. or else you've never read my blog... Well, I was thinking that my tattoo MUST be Tom Robbins inspired, perhaps something from the first book of his I ever read, Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates, or perhaps just a generic "Tom Robbins Themes" piece, or just a great quote (he has TONS).

BUT THEN.. I had a stroke of genius. I hear lovely Tom responds personally to fan mail he receives, answering all questions and complying with mosts requests... :) So I'm writing him a letter and asking for a little creative help in designing a tattoo! Isn't that exciting?!?!?! Oh I do hope he replies.. I love him so very much.

I'll keep you posted. yay!

People and Things that I Love

2008-02-15T12:56:00.004-06:00

I'm in the library right now, and I really should be reading Thucydides.. but I don't feel like it. :) You should be excited because that means I have an hour to blog for you! Woot!

FIRST:

I want to make a list of people/things that I really like- a WHOLE lot- and admire in one way or another. People/things that have impacted my life.

1. Tom Robbins - my favorite author of all time and someone who says what he thinks and brings a lot to the table. You have no idea the influence he's had on me.

2. Bob Schneider - <3 his music. Freedom.

3. The city of Austin - Small town girl moves to the city. The diversity, the ideas, and the culture that pours from this city has forever changed the way I see the world.

4. Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, & Freethinkers across the country - Thank the spaghetti monster that free thought and rationalism are back on the rise in America.

5. Dana Stauffer - My first Political Theory professor. The first time I ever got to truly explore why as Americans we think democracy, justice, and freedom are right, what it stems from, and if we're right or wrong. I love political theory.

6. My Dad - Gave me a passion to be the best at whatever I do, strive for perfection, and always persevere. Independence and a tough skin.

7. Parker Zangoei - My first out and out atheist friend. :)

8. Josh Bruno - its okay to be nerdy, a little weird, and just all together different. A special kind of elitism without pride. What its like to TRULY enjoy someone for who they are. Adventure. Randomness. No inhibitions.

9. Andrea Perez - my best friend from high school = nearly unconditional love. Accepting someone's flaws and loving them anyway. :)

Woot. Cool. <3

SECOND:
XKCD Series.

THIRD:

I want this bookshelf. Please.

Thanks.

Okay- I actually forgot that I need to be at class early today- so this is all you get! Have a great day!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T12:34:00.008-06:00

On this day for celebrating love... and for reminding everyone without someone special how lame they are... I'm going to recount my favorite Valentine's Days (since today is destined to suck).

Okay.. lets go ALL the way back to my Sophomore year of High School :)
(Keep in mind, I was a sophomore in high school, so everything seemed WAY cool... and I was still romantic back then.. hehe)

I got to school that morning and Mason (my high school sweet <3) bust into my classroom with a big bag of Hershey's kisses and a card that said "I'd give you a bag of my kisses.. but you can't confine love." Or something equally cheesy. hehe

Then.. after my first period class I went to my locker and found a cute pink teddy bear with a card that said something like "You are the 'bear' essentials in my life, babe."

THEN.. during my 3rd period class I got called to the office to pick something up... He'd gotten me a dozen roses and he'd written I Love You on it in about 5 different languages and something like "No matter how you say it, it still means my heart belongs to you."

Oh Mason, ever the romantic...

__________________________________________________

Okay- Good V-Day #2

This was junior year of high school. Mason and I had broken up (again.. we probably got back together at some point after this.. lol), and I was dating Nathan.

It was either a weekend, or I skipped school, because Nathan showed up at my house w/ supplies.

He brought a 12 pack of Dr. B (I think- in any case, it was a Dr. Pepper substitute) and strawberries and chocolate, and chocolate chip cookie dough.

We tried to melt the chocolate and make chocolate covered strawberries*, but it didn't work quite right lol... then we baked the cookie's- only we made one giant heart shaped cookie instead of lots of cookies. I remember him saying "We're baking our own cookies and no one can tell us how to do it. Lets bake one HUGE cookie!!!" He was so excited... it was cute.

*I don't like chocolate covered strawberries, but he was so cute I couldn't tell him. On the next valentine's day he got me a big thing of chocolate covered strawberries- because that's what we'd done on our first V-Day! Haha, I still couldn't tell him, I gave them to my mom and pretended I'd loved them! A few years later, having forgotten that Nathan might still read my facebook I included the phrase "I hate Chocolate Covered Strawberries" in my "About Me" section. Of course, he found it.. lol It was quite funny.

__________________________________________________

Last year Josh and I ate at a cute little Italian restaurant.. got all dressed up and got a little tipsy off the wine. It was a great Valentine's Day just because he was great... :)

__________________________________________________

Anyway, since Valentine's Day is just depressing this year, I was trying to come up with a holiday that I'd actually like.

I ran this idea by Josh and we came up with Smart People Day!

It would be held in a multi-level club and to get to the next level you'd have to answer a question/puzzle. Of course the questions would get harder the higher you got. And when you finally got to the top....... there'd be a HUGE nerd orgy. hehe ;)

ha!

On another note, does anyone find it disturbing that this day originates from a man getting stoned to death?
Anyway, I hope your Valentine's Day Rocks (no pun intended) - do something exciting! Woot!

Music.

2008-01-22T16:42:00.000-06:00

I love this song.. right now I love it. Right now it speaks volumes to me... and so I thought I'd share it (even though I tend to dislike this artist these days).

Pat Green - Temporary Angel (lyrical excerpts)

Well I believe in hope and marriage, forever and I do,
But love suffers pain when you try too hard
And tonight we're living proof.
If we fell in love already, we can fall in love again.
There is no doubt we can work it out,
Find a way to fall back in.

....

Be my temporary angel, I'll be your love for just one day.
Hold me for the moment, let the moment fade away.
When you wake up in the morning, and your heart tells you to stay,
Be my temporary angel forever, when forever comes our way.

...

We can start this thing all over,
Let tomorrow wait it's turn.
Forget about the past it will never last,
Strike a match and watch it burn.

Accelerated Free Fall

2008-01-19T18:27:00.000-06:00

Sorry this took so long, but here's my skydiving video from this Christmas Break..

Enjoy the adrenaline rush!!! :)

My Library :)

2008-01-18T20:42:00.001-06:00

I was rearranging my "library" in my apartment, so I went ahead and gathered some fun facts for you.

Currently I am living in a one bedroom apartment. I have been here 5 months and I plan on moving in August, so lugging around a lot of books is a BIG pain. Thus, some have been left at home with my parents.

However, I have somehow accumulated:

136 Books (if we use an averaged cost of $12- which I imagine is far too low- then I've spent $1,632 on books in the last 2 1/2 years.)

9 books on Politics or International Relations

27 books related to religion
- 8 Novels
- 5 "general religion"
- 8 Atheism/Agnosticism/Skepticism
- 3 on Islam
- 3 on Christianity

11 books on Political Philosophy/General Philosophy
- 1 Montesquieu
- 1 Vitoria
- 2 Kant
- 2 Hobbes
- 1 Rousseau
- 1 Locke
- 1 Machiavelli
- 1 Nietzsche
- 1 Thucydides

9 books on History (That I didn't count in Politics)
- 4 of which are Historical Fiction

8 Tom Robbins Books

13 books that I consider Classics
- 4 that were stolen from my high school

34 Hardback books

49 books that I haven't read
- 36% isn't that bad
- most of these are worthless novels that were bought on Sale

14 books that I'll probably never read
- again, worthless novels

25 books written by Women Authors
- 4 of those that fall into the "I'll probably Never Read" section
- 5 that I liked
(This disturbs me)

and 1 children's book (my favorite growing up)

What can you tell about a person from their bookshelf? :)

Books Books Books!

2008-01-13T00:12:00.000-06:00

Topic: Amazingly Awesome Books

Ready, Set, Go!

1. Fierce Invalids Home From Hot ClimatesTom Robbins - Fierce, Exotic... Unbelievable.

2. Jitterbug Perfume
Tom Robbins - Creative and thoughtful book about living forever.

3. Darkmans
Nicola Barker - Very Long, but its worth it. I couldn't put it down, and its definitely a book that keeps you thinking long after you've finished it.

4. The Golden Compass
Philip Pullman - Better and more in depth than the movie. Its about time someone encouraged free thought.. and its not nearly as bad as all the Christians make it out to be.

5. Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card - Science Fiction like you've never seen before. I read it in one sitting- it was that good. A mix of Aliens, War strategy, Space Ship Pilots, Human Suffering, Sacrifice, Political Theory, Hope, futuristic technology and Perseverance. Awesome.

6. No One Belongs Here more than You (Short Stories)
Miranda July - Ridiculously out of the ordinary... what isn't there to love? Be prepared for anything from old men slyly seducing other old men, to giving swimming lessons on the kitchen floor of your apartment.. and more..

7. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Tom Robbins - do I even have to sing his praises anymore? A gang of feminist cowgirls, and one hitch hiking honey with extremely large thumbs.

8. Politics
Adam Thirlwell - A dirty, yet romantic novel about 3 people living in a ménage à trois, their insecurities, their inability to communicate with each other, and of course, their hot and steamy sex life ;)

9. The Other Boleyn Girl
Philipa Gregory - Historical Fiction - Takes a look at Henry VIII's court and his love life through the eyes of Anne Boleyn's Sister. A power hungry family uses its Daughters as pawns to get what they want. Definitely a page turner- not the kind of book that I usually read, but amazing nonetheless.
(Not to mention, I just found out, they're making a movie- it comes out in February- How have I not heard about this?!)

10. Confessions of an Economic Hit man
John Perkins - The confessions of a man whose job was to help monetarily enslave countries to the United States. Disgusting and eye-opening.

11. The Constant Princess
Philipa Gregory - Historical Fiction - Same time period, but through the eyes of Catherine of Aragon, King Henry's first wife. Her resolve, steadfastness, and determination are inspiring and heart wrenching.

Tada.
Those are, of course, in no particular order.

Guanajuato!

2007-12-19T12:42:00.001-06:00

I just got back from Guanajuato, Mexico... and it was AMAZING. It was such a cute city, very clean, lively, and did I mention cute?!

Check out the Pix

Poetry

2007-12-03T22:42:00.000-06:00

Okay- heres an attempt at poetry. Whenever I read other people's poetry I always think it sucks.. so it makes me very nervous to write poetry. This may be why I absolutely never do it. However, today, I was feeling somewhat frisky in class and decided to try my hand at it... let me know what you think.

A hardened heart that won’t give in
With a Selfish streak and No reason to bend

An Arrogance so soft and sweet,
No room for you to be my defeat.

Then a sweeping look- an elitist grin-
A flash of hope… the end begins.

My response is so deep, buried in pride
A symbol of fear, a heart that’s denied.

Its Such a shame, to fall this way,
If I must go down, then why be cliché?

Away with tradition, I’m done with the chains
I’ll give you life- relieve and cause pain.

A torn shirt with nails, buried deep in your back
I’m your passion, your prayer, your hope, intact.

The walls have come down, I’m yours to be claimed..
Truthfully, lovingly- Bodies inflamed.

Audrey Kawasaki

2007-11-29T17:42:00.000-06:00

OMG! I just got my Audrey Kawasaki Print in.

I was so excited I could barely open the freakin package. It is soooo beautiful.

Sorry for the quality of the pics- my camera is broken, so they're from my phone. Enjoy... and be jealous of course :)

496.

Pumpkin

2007-11-15T16:13:00.000-06:00

My dog tried to chase the mouse arrow around the screen today. It was really cute. :)

(P.S. I used the "insert picture" button that time.) :)

Music.

2007-11-12T22:23:00.001-06:00

Song Lyrics I like:

"A lesson in reality would come before too long.."

"And death will be my final lover, and life will always be something that I'll never understand"

"I just thought I'd drop you a line, lie and say I was doing fine, Cause baby its been a long long time since you walked out my door"

"Please don't ask me what I like about you, cuz its every little thing you do, and that just the way you make me feel"

"By the time that we get through the world will never ever be the same, and you're to blame"

"I had big dreams, big dreams dont ya know? Its so hard to make these big dreams come true. Now I tried to hold on to what we had the best I could, I find that holdin on is the hardest thing to do."

"It sure didn't take too long, I woke up in the morning shes gone. Well the note that she wrote didn't say Dear John, it said goodbye sucker I'm gone"

"So much of me is you, I wanna cater to my man"

"Your just a tiny dot on that horizon line, come on tap those brakes baby just one time"

"The telephone rings off the hook by her bed, the other ends Johnny with a gun to his head. He said "You always looked good in black," the next thing she heard was a bone chilling crack."

"And you were raised with your head held high, but any fool can see it's just a clever disguise"

"My first love was a wicked twisted road, I hit the million mile mark at seventeen years old"

"But then she looked into my eyes I knew she felt my pain, and only then I realized we were standing in the rain"

"Hey, let's cross the sea and get some culture. Red wine with every meal and absinthe after dinner."

Just thought you might like to know :)

Disappearing Act

2007-11-03T15:07:00.000-05:00

It's funny how you forget the things you like to do.

It's funny how when you've been away from someone for so long, nothing seems quite the same.

It's funny how a need for the new and unknown can take control of your whole life.

Life is funny.

______________________________________

Anyway- skip the excuses, I'm back. (And I apologize for all the missing images and outdated stuff in the old posts- I'm not going back to fix them, get over it.)

First, my long lost lover:

Second:

Halloween is awesome.

Third:
I just bought this print from
Audrey Kawasaki.
Aren't you jealous?

Fourth:

Go here click Past Shows and Find Andrew Brandou from the drop down menu.

His paintings are awesome. They're based on the Jonestown mass suicide/murder of 1978. They're so awesome.

Fifth:

I really like Eric Zorn. I read a post of his on values and I thought it was worth sharing.

Sixth:
My dog has finally found her voice. Lately she's been barking a lot and I'm rather frustrated. I thought I'd gotten lucky and found a tiny dog that didn't yap at everything, but now I'm reconsidering. I guess its true that dogs pick up their owner's personality- she's a victim of the Napoleon Complex.

Seventh:
Jefferson 26
If you sign a lease I get commission :)

Eighth:
I want to fly a kite. Bad.

Ninth:
I still compose my blogs under the "Edit HTML" tab instead of the "Compose" tab. And even tho theres an "insert link," and an "Add Image" button I never use them. This make putting links and images in more time consuming, but it makes me feel good inside. :)

Tenth:

I just realized how often I write "tho" instead of "though." When do you think we'll finally do away with silly spellings? Just like colour became color, isn't it time for though to become tho, Night -> Nite, Through -> Thru.. etc?

I found this on it, and I think he's right. Official reform is not going to happen, to much opposition, confusion, and too many traditionalists... however, at some point spelling changes go from just commonly used to widely accepted- at what point do they make the leap to "correct?"

Aside: my spell check doesn't catch tho or nite.

Okay, I'm done. See ya soon. :)

Munroe.

2007-05-07T20:08:00.000-05:00

Did I ever mention I'm going to marry Munroe? No? Well I am, because he knows me... how does he know me so well?!

Writing Makes Me Happy.

2007-05-05T00:57:00.000-05:00

Okay, today was my last day of class... exciting huh? Yeah, except that now I have nothing to do, and when I'm bored I'm depressed. :/ lol

Anyway, I decided I like procrastinating. "Why?" you ask. Because it makes me feel good about myself. :) See, anyone can go to class all the time and take notes and study hard all semester and make good grades... but not everyone can skip class... never study.. and then cram/start a project the day before its due, and still pull it off. I heart procrastination because it keeps my education exciting, challenging, and fun :)

In August I'm moving into a one bedroom apartment. I'm extremely excited about it. Though I'm always complaining that I don't have any time to myself, and I'd like to be alone, I'm sure I'll get lonely. Therefore, I'm going to buy a dog. :) Go ahead, be jealous. I had been considering a maltipoo- Dustin bought his mom one and I totally loved it- but today I was looking at breeds online, and I absolutely fell in love with the American Eskimo Dog.

Oh my god, how freaking cute is that? :)

Next....

I found this today, and its Freaking Hilarious! haha. The Rational Response teams challenges you to commit the one unforgivable sin: Deny the Existence of the Holy Spirit. Heres the Promo video:

You should check out some of the actual submissions. They're funny.. I noticed, though, that the responses were overwhelmingly from males. Are men more likely to be atheist? Or are they just more technologically savvy than females? lol

In response to the Rational Response Team, some Christian group started a website called ChallengeBlasphemy.com (How clever). Their promo video isn't nearly as cool as The Blasphemy Challenge's one.. but at least they tried right? Anyway, if you want to see some videos on why people believe in God, go there... Cool.

I don't own a video camera. :(

Speaking of videos... Toddler Landlord Pearl is gonna get you if you don't pay your rent. Just watch her bitch out Will Ferrell Here
Too Funny.

Oh! Heres a good one. Clever = Awesome. So, I'm buying this chick's book. Miranda July wrote a book titled, "No One Belongs Here More Than You." I have no idea what its about, but because her whole website is a picture set of her scribbling on her refrigerator and stove, I'm sold. :) Check it Out

Did you know the RIAA beat out Halliburton to win the "Worst Company in America" award, via a Consumerist Reader's Poll. I once got a letter from the RIAA..........

Okay, I'm really bored with blogging now.. It's 1:45 am on a Friday night. haha. Wow. I really should have gone to Salt Lake City this weekend to see my Aunt and Mom... oh well, I get to go wakeboarding tomorrow so I guess life's not that bad. ;)

Enjoy.

My Linguistics Project

2007-04-17T02:29:00.000-05:00

I need help.

I'm a procrastinator :)

Go Here:

Puhleez and Thank you!

Vote for Teagen!!!

2007-04-09T11:28:00.000-05:00

This is Teagen. I love her. Very Much. :)

She's pretty much awesome, and she wakeboards, and shes gorgeous, and one time she had red and blue extensions, and I love her. (oh did I already say that?) :)

Please vote for her and make us both happy. :)

I am Random. I love Random. (Then I love me?)

2007-04-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

Heres a new money managing program. Well not new yet, because its not out.. but you might wanna follow it. I used to use Microsoft Money but when I moved to my beautiful amazing iBook I couldn't use it anymore. I haven't really found another money management software that I like a lot..... so maybe this will be cool.. who knows, but it is pretty :)

I'm in love with Audrey Kawasaki's Paintings. Someone please buy me one. :)

I hear from Sugiero that if you still use a hotmail address you're obviously not a computer person, and you're not going to get hired for a job that involves computers. :) Anyone want a Gmail? I'll invite you!!!

ooh ooh.. heres a good one!

What can you do with Turkey Basters?! I have a few uses :)

1. You can baste a turkey.
2. You can employ a little creative genius and make a beautifully yummy mix of gin, sprite, lemon, and lime, and baste people! And by baste I mean flood their gaping mouth with the potent substance via your traditional turkey baster. :)

3. And finally, for the musically impaired (Me! Me! Me!) you can follow the cords of a song from this turkey baster hat.

Wonderful! We'll chalk that up to "Awesome Uses, for Random household Items" :)

Okay, I'm in class.. And I think my prof knows I couldn't possibly be so enthralled with taking notes on my computer. :)

Net Neutrality

2007-03-24T15:41:00.000-05:00

Explains things well. Spread Awareness.

Basketball = Life.

2007-02-07T15:30:00.000-06:00

The best feeling in the world:

Waking up unable to move because your body is so sore. Knowing that you left every ounce of life you had on the court. Counting your bruises, your points, your fouls, and the number of times you almost punched that butch girl. Recapping the highlights with your friends/teammates. Being a winner. Knowing you were the epitome of sportman ship. Being able to hold your head high and be a little cocky. Looking forward to the next time you get to issue an ass whipping. :)

This is why I love basketball.. with every single inch of me.

How about you meet our roster.. :)

Chance Robinson

Benny Lee

Zain Mithani

Robert Chen

Me.. Dana McCormick

Samantha Kuhn

Lene Lay

Kerri Kirkpatrick

(These were our "look like a hard ass" pictures) :)

I love this game.

My Life and 11 things you'll like.

2007-02-03T16:13:00.000-06:00

For your information, this past week has been a very very good one. :)

1st of all, I got a job at the capitol working for a representative. :)
Somehow this little opportunity just fell into my lap. Advice: If you meet someone at random place (like Chili's) ask for a business card, it could really help you out in the future... :)
I couldn't be more excited if I was working for Tom Robbins.. (well that might be a LITTLE more exciting..)
Anyway, I'm totally cool now, just in case you were wondering.

Also, I think I might get the job at my apartment complex.. should find out Monday or so. Its been a long interviewing process.. not to mention a real pain..

What else is good? I went shopping and bought new "professional" clothes, my gecko made it through another shedding without losing any toes, my IM Basketball team kicked ass in our first game, Im getting to play on a Second IM Team, My grandma decided she needed to send me money because I got an internship... AND..

I made a very uncreative, but none the less awesomely fun stick figure today :)

He's my friend... cuz he dances.

Okay, I'll quit with the awesomeness.. I don't want to make you jealous :)

Heres some cool stuff for you to look at while you're getting over your hang over today:

1) Sam Harris, atheist and Author of a really good (and short) book I read over the break titled Letter to a Christian Nation is debating Andrew Sullivan, pro-religion blogger and author of The Conservative Soul(a book i know nothing about) via what beliefnet.com is calling a "blogalogue."

It's pretty interesting (though pretty lengthy) and a must read if you're into religious dialogue.

2) Some clever girls were caught using random blogs as IM replacements at school. We all know the bans on pages and IM services on High School computers. Well these little boogers just decided to post their daily chit chat on unsuspecting blogger's easels. ::shakes head:: How will they bend the rules next time? Boing Boing Link

3) Speaking of schools.. this article suggests that Dance Dance Revolution will keep our kids skinny and should thus be put in all our schools.. well at least in all the ones in West Virginia. Maybe I'll move there when I have kids.. DDR is the best game ever.. it teaches coordination, rhythm, and agility while not only challenging you cardiovascularly, but also giving you a hell of a leg work out... I bet Alex would come with me too. :)

4) This lady saw Charles Darwin in a tree... too bad she couldn't cut it down and sell it for $28,000 on eBay...

5) Take this Logo Recognition Quiz. I really sucked at it...

6) Recently my roommates got into playing Scrabble. (Yes we're nerds, and no we're not worried about it.) So I thought maybe we should get some of this furniture.

7) I thought these excuses for not blogging were funny. We all know I've given my fair share...

8) I won't be in for the rest of the day.. I'll be out promoting the War on the Caps Lock Key.

9) Interesting article on how the US is falling farther behind other countries in rankings based on Freedom of the Press. Whats going on guys?

10) Screw Road Rage... Mouse Rage is what we should really be worried about.

11) Some very ~~excited~~ angry people are finding porn videos on their "new" Microsoft Zunes. I told you Microsoft was the devil. :)

I think Eleven is a good number to end on. :)

The Idea Book Vault.

2007-01-23T22:41:00.000-06:00

A friend (who I've never actually met in person) asked me today if I had any recent blog posts.. and I felt bad that I didn't. I've realized that since I bought my idea book (its not a "diary" or a "journal," its a book for me to jot down ideas, quotes, contacts, and awesome-ness.. no one will degrade it by calling it something as dainty and common as a "diary" or a "journal")I've been neglecting to post things on here and simply writing it down for my own benefit. So I decided I go through some of it today and pass it on to you guys.

1) I really need to buy a flash drive. I'm going to start a book, and I want a special flash drive to keep everything on. :) And when I say "special" I mean something like that cute glowing duck, or those humping dogs.

However, there are very few places to find these kinds of things. I think I might make my own.. maybe I'll make you one too.. Maybe I'll sell a few to help me pay the hellaciously high rent on West Campus :)

2) I'm going to write a book. I promise. It's coming. lol I realize I wrote this in my idea book in November and I have yet to really start. But I'm going to. Tom Robbins will be the books greatest inspiration. I think the main character will be a mix between me and Switters, or at least how I want to be, and how I view Switters. :)

Anyway, thought I'd tell you so I could maybe be held accountable :)

3) I'm quite enthralled with Professors. One of my profs was talking about politics during class and said something along the lines of, "Politicians can't tell people what to think. That's why I'm a professor." :) What a great idea. High school teachers don't really change the way people THINK. They may change people's work ethics, or show them they CAN do something.. but profs get to influence how you think about certain things and ideas. Maybe I want to be a professor... but of what?! Eek.

4) A good friend, who's name I won't reveal, (not because I want credit for his clever wit, but simply because I'm not sure if he would like me saying this..) made me laugh very hard the other day. I was asking him about something silly and unimportant.. and I said, "Do you really believe that?" and he said, "I don't need much proof.. I'm a Christian." :)

5) The other day I was driving somewhere outside of Austin (it was either I-35 North, or 290 East.. I think 290 East) and I saw a Cingular billboard that said, "Go Places. Google Things." I was utterly shocked. After all the hoopla about google being used as a verb I would think Google wouldn't allow this. Who knows... you?

6) I made a quilt. That's right ladies and gentlemen.. I'm only 20 years old and I already learned how to quilt! haha Translation: I'm a dork. My aunt owns a quilt shop in Corpus Christi, Tx call The Quilt Cottage, (Go buy some fabric and stuff from her :) She's awesome) and over the Christmas break she taught me how to use my sewing machine. I created greatness.. see for yourself:

7) Today I was watching the History Channel (see above Translation) and they told me the Mayan calendar predicts the world will end on December 21, 2012. Just thought I'd warn you.

8) When I was in Steamboat Colorado over the break for the Music Fest I met an Author (how convenient). His name is Roger Kay and he wrote a book called Fayal Roads: A Tale of Naval Heroism in the War of 1812. Historical fiction is always fun. I haven't read it yet, but I just ordered it from him. I liked him when I met him in person, so you should buy his book.. because I said he's cool. Peer Pressure sucks huh? :)

okay that's all that I can reveal from my book.. (there are some top secret business Ideas in there that you'd probably try to steal) ;) But heres some other asides.

I want the iPhone. It's awesome. I've been following the rumors for a LONG time now and I'm SO glad they were true. (Gotta love apple gossip. )
Anyway.. Apple is god.. and cingular is freakin' lucky. I'm predicting lots of switchers moving on over (perhaps myself included) just to get their hands on that shiny little Trojan horse, silently enticing us- and then costing us our entire fortunes.
Oh, and the whole law suit doesn't even matter. Either Apple, Inc. (No longer Apple Computers) will win and call it the iPhone, or they will lose and call it something else.. either way, they will sell tons of them and make tons of money. Period.

I love you Steve Jobs.

Uhm What else?

I'm looking for a job. So if anyone knows of anything that pays pretty well and has flexible hours, please hit me up. Basically anything to do with: Writing, law, politics, office work, efficiency, or just being awesome :)

Also, I want to buy my very first video camera. I'm tired of being left out of the you tube movement. I want to make videos and post them like Papo and Dustin. Any Suggestions on Which one I should buy? Its got to be relatively inexpensive (I am a struggling college student) but I want it to be good.

There now you are forced to comment. :)

Two New Beauties.

2006-12-30T21:02:00.000-06:00

Munroe is my lover.

We wonder about the same things...

And we are annoyed by the same dumb ass people..

Munroe = Love.

2006-12-26T10:01:00.000-06:00

No Break.

2006-12-25T19:48:00.000-06:00

For everyone who enjoyed their Christmas today.. and who got to see their family home from work.. Here's a (very incomplete) list of people who didn't get to spend Christmas morning with their families.

1. Firemen (Thanks Dad)
2. Pilots (Thanks Derek)
3. Waffle House Employees
4. Doctors & EMS Workers
5. IHOP Employees
6. Cops
7. Soldiers

What else?

Thanks to everyone who sacrifices their Christmas day to make everyone else's better. Merry Christmas :)

Christmas 2006!

2006-12-23T19:06:00.000-06:00

You know that one day it has to come, but you act like its never REALLY going to happen. But it does. Your sister gets married and spends Christmas with her husbands family and your brother has to work. No longer can you hold tight to the traditions that you look forward to every year.

This year, your sister won't come wake you up at 7:30 am. And when you lock her out and go back to sleep she won't come up with clever ways to be super loud so you can't.
This year, your brother won't steal one of your presents and open it and then laugh and act like he didn't mean to do it.
This year, you won't all be able to have contests with the little $.50 game mom stuck in your stockings..... at some point it all has to end........

So, to avoid that.. we had Christmas two days early this year :) You thought we were REALLY going to ruin Christmas??!? Ha!

It was wonderful. Even though Dusti stayed up super late, she still was up at like 8:00. Derek didn't open any of my presents.. but its because he was distracted by the number of his own presents- for some reason the amount grew significantly. But we did race our styrofome air planes- break our styrofome air planes- fix our styrofome air planes- and race our styrofome airplanes again. :) (Mine was totally the best)

I absolutley love Christmas :)

See the pix Here.

Okay, so on to the good stuff..

Dad bought me a Houston Firefighter shirt (I've only been asking for one for like the last 10 years of my life).
Derek got me 2 Tom Robbins Books. :)
Dusti got me cool Shoes.
Nannie bought me a watch.
And Mom got me clothes and lotions and stuff.

Exciting huh?? Yeah, well theres more.

Dustin got me:

1. Tom Robbins Last book: Wild Ducks Flying Backward.
Its a collection of T.R.'s short writings- stuff abouthis travels, tributes to people and things, interview questions he's answered.. etc. Its pretty cool.
BUT Not ONLY did he by me the book... he ALSO got it signed :) And its not just stamped, or copied- its signed in marker.. which bled through to the other side of the page :)

Way too cool. Dustin = Perfect.

2. My very own Leopard Gecko. :) - (and then his friend bought him one too.. so now we have 2)

These babies are AWESOME. We've got a huge aquarium, live crickets to feed them (not to mention the food to keep the crickets alive), and lots of love for them :)
I had to resist the urge to name him Geico.. after my one true love. ;)

Anyway, they rock, and Dustin rocks, and my family rocks, and Christmas rocks, and you rock for crying out loud. :)

Hope your Christmas is awesome.. now go be jealous that I already got to open all my presents. :)

D-O-N-E

2006-12-18T17:49:00.000-06:00

Guess What?!

Thats right... After hours and hours of studying.. and writing.. and studying.. and reading.. and studying... and after hours and hours rolling over in bed.. tossing and turning unable to get Friedman, Mill, Lincoln, Goldwin, and Solzhenitsyn out of my mind... I am FINISHED! :)

One more semester under my belt!

Just thought you'd like to know.

My Wish List :)

2006-11-23T18:07:00.000-06:00

Well.. Thanksgiving lunch is over, so is the Thanksgiving after lunch nap, and the Thanksgiving left over dinner.. :(

So whats next?

Christmas.. Duh! Mom's got the house decorated with lit garland, stockings, santa hats, and a little town of houses on our mantel. I can see reindeer already. :)

But the real... pertinent question is.. who will be joining me tomorrow at the malls.. as we fight tooth and nail to save 20 cents on that new iPod? A phone call from my brother just informed me that the best buys already have lines of people, anxiously waiting to snag that $249 laptop.

So, I guess, since we're in the spirit- and you're going shopping tomorrow (and I'm in a list mood) I think I'll go ahead and let you know what's on my Christmas Wish list (wish being the key word here) just incase you're thinking of me tomorrow. :)

1) A New Ski Jacket

2) Pink Ski Pants

3) A Black MacBook

4) This Nokia Phone

5 ) An Electric Toothbrush. Because I'm Lazy.

6) The Red Nano

The 4 gig will suffice.

7)This Shirt:

8)A Red wool coat.

9)New Black Boots... or.. any kind of shoes.

10)Every Book Tom Robbins has ever written (excet for Jitterbug Perfume- I already have that one).... or just to meet Tom Robbins :)

11)Really.. any book. As long as its not a corny Christian book. :/

11) MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Uhm..... I think thats it :) I figure everything before #7 (excluding the electric toothbrush) I'll probably have to buy on my own. ::sighs:: I need a better job. Ideas anyone? Oh well..

Happy Shopping! ;)

Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T17:04:00.000-06:00

So, wanna know what I'm thankful for? Okay fine... I'll show you a few things. :)

1) My Family.. Duh

2) My Friends

3)The Word Boom.

4)Not being an idiot

5)Not having an accent.

6)My New Snowboard

7)The Opera

8)Munroe.

9)

10) Apple :)

11) HTML

12) Geekiness.

13) People who think like me. :)

Oh did I already blog him? ;)

14) Intellect Sex.

15) High Speeed Internet.

16) Travel Benefits.

17) Books by Tom Robbins

18) Wikipedia
And how it shapes your mind.

19) Being at home with nothing to do but blog. :)

and

20) Orange Juice Love.

What are you thankful for??

Neatness I've been saving. :)

2006-11-15T13:28:00.000-06:00

The Unofficial Apple Weblog gave us a nice illustration of how the Rumsfeld Resignation would have looked on a Mac. :)

Matthew Inman illustrates a the wonderful journey of life with an ipod. The Seven Phases pretty much describe my life.

And if your still in Phase 1 of the ipod journey.. you might want to friend Blue Nano on Myspace... (thanks tuaw)

Goopymart on Flickr has an awesome set of illustrations for "teh internets."

Speaking of Flickr.. Daniel W. has a set of photos showing off his totally awesome cardboard box maze. I always loved mazes as a kid... actually.. i still love mazes. Daniel.. wanna get married?

Uhm.. what else. How bout a lover of puns. Meet "rapping paper." Incase you want to know the lyrics of favortie rap song while your wrapping christmas presents... hrm. lol

okay.. I'm sitting in the Union.. the internet is slow.. and I have to leave for work in 30 minutes.. so the rest of my saved goodies will have to wait. :)

Randomness

2006-10-18T13:27:00.000-05:00

Forgive me for being petty and emotional. This randomness was written over the past few days just whenever something hit me. Enjoy.

They tell you its Russian Roulette.. but you never believe them.

I like different so much that I’m completely smitten over someone I have nothing in common with. And he’s not into the different thing as much as I am.

In The Departed, when he asks her “What about the baby?” she should have kept walking and said, “Don’t worry about it. It’s not yours.”

Not only is today Monday, but it’s a rainy Monday. No wonder I slept through all of my classes. ;)

I still have dreams about my ex. We’ve been broken up for almost a year.

I’m sick, but I can’t sleep because I have so much to do. So I wake up and start playing on the computer. And though I’m getting nothing real accomplished, I feel better. :)

I’m a pretty good coach. But I absolutely hate it.

I think I’m starting to really figure out the definition of smart.. maybe.

When my sister was my age she was married.

I bought new speakers for my lappy: Logitech Z-4i 2.1. I totally love them. :)

I wonder what I will do this summer. I wonder where I’ll go when I graduate.

My friend’s girlfriend broke up with him via email. People are silly.

I changed my astronomy class to pass/fail. Astronomy is stupid.

I saw that ex today. ::sighs::

I need to take a trip. Traveling clears my head and puts things in perspective. Where should I go?

I took a quiz that was supposed to tell you how great your life was. Mine said it was 48% perfect. Hrm. That’s not very good. Actually.. that’s failing.

Still Life With Woodpecker - Tom Robbins

2006-10-04T14:11:00.000-05:00

Once again, Tom Robbins strikes gold.

Still life with Woodpecker is a genius love story. Yet its not your cliché love story (It’s Tom Robbins; nothing is cliché). It holds all the imagination and randomness of any good Tom Robbins book.

To me it was somewhat mysterious. Theres a highlight on inanimate objects, but what its saying is hard to catch. Is it mocking our attachment to inanimate objects? Or is it saying we take some things for granted? Is it disrespecting love? Is it belittling royalty? Is it persuading yoTu to care more about the world you live in? Is it asking you to make a difference? Or is it wondering why we care so much about things we can’t control? Is it calling us shallow and self-centered, or over anxious and stressed? Oh Tom Robbins.. I do love you. :)

See what you think. Here’s some quotes:

"'Neoteny' is 'remaining young,' and it may be ironic that it is so little known, because human evolution has been dominated by it. Humans have evolved to their relatively high state by retaining the immature characteristics of their ancestors. Human s are the most advanced of mammals- although a case could be made for the dolphins- because they seldom grow up. Behavioral traits such as curiosity about the world, flexibility of response, and playfulness are common to practically all young mammals but are usually rapidly lost with the onset of maturity in all but humans. Humanity has advanced, whit it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature."

“In terms of hazardous vectors released, the transformation of ideas into dogma rivals the transformation of hydrogen into helium, uranium into lead, or innocence into corruption. And it is nearly as relentless. The problem starts at the secondary level, not with the originator or developer of the idea but with the people who are attracted by it, who adopt it, who cling to it until their last nail breaks, and who invariable lack the overview, flexibility, imagination, and, most importantly, sense of humor, to maintain it in the spirit in which it was hatched. Ideas are made by masters, dogma by disciples, and the Buddha is always killed on the road.”

“Those who shun the whimsy of things will experience rigor mortis before death.”

“All the romantic bullshit that makes life interesting. People need that as badly as they need fair prices at the Texaco pump and no DDT in the Pablum.”

“Bullshit. Unromantic, unattractive bullshit. Equality is not in regarding different things similarly, equality is in regarding different things differently.”

“There’s a tendency today to absolve individuals of moral responsibility and treat them as victims of social circumstance. You buy that, you pay with your soul. It’s not men who limit women, it’s not straights who limit gays, it’s not whites who limit blacks. What limits people is lack of character. What limits people is that they don’t have the fucking nerve or imagination to star in their own movie, let alone direct it. Yuk.”

“It’s not at all unusual for love to remain for a lifetime. It’s passion that doesn’t last. I still love my first husband. But I don’t desire him. Love lasts. It’s lust that moves out on us when we’re not looking, it’s lust that always skips town – and love without lust just isn’t enough.”

“Twenty candles on a cake. Twenty Camels in a pack. Twenty months in the federal pen. Twenty shots of tequila down a young girl’s gullet. Twenty centuries since Our Lord’s last pratfall, and after all that time we still don’t know where passion goes when it goes.”

“When we’re incomplete, we’re always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we’re still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on – series polygamy – until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter.”

“A successful external reality depends upon an internal vision that is left intact.”

“Plato did claim that the unexamined life is not worth living. Oedipus Rex was not so sure.”

“Who shall control those who control those who control?”

“The word that allows yes, the word that makes no possible. The word that puts the free in freedom and takes the obligation out of love. The word that throws a window open after the final door is closed. The word upon which all adventure, all exhilaration, all meaning, all honor depends. The word that fires evolution’s motor of mud. The word that the cocoon whispers to the caterpillar. The word that molecules recite before bonding. The word that separates that which is dead from that which is living. The word no mirror can turn around. In the beginning was the word and the word was CHOICE.”

“Of a couple, one person invariably loved stronger than the other. It seemed a law of nature, a cruel law that led to tension and destruction. She was dismayed that a law so unfair, so miserable prevailed, but since it did, since imbalance seemed inevitable, it must be easier, healthier to be the lover who loved the least.”

“How can one person be more real than any other? Well, some people do hide and others seek. Maybe those who are in hiding – escaping encounters, avoiding surprises, protecting their property, ignoring their fantasies, restricting their feelings, sitting out the Pan pipe hootchy-kootch of experience – maybe those people, people who won’t talk to rednecks, or if they’re rednecks won’t talk to intellectuals, people who’re afraid to get their shoes muddy or their noses wet, afraid to eat what they crave, afraid to drink Mexican water, afraid to bet a long shot to win, afraid to hitchhike, jaywalk, honky-tonk, cogitate, osculate, levitate, rock it, bop it, sock it, or bark at the moon, maybe such people are simply inauthentic, and maybe the jackleg humanist who says differently is due to have his tongue fried on the hot slabs of Liar’s Hell. Some folks hide, and some folks seek, and seeking, when it’s mindless, neurotic, desperate, or pusillanimous can be a form of hiding. But there are folks who want to know and aren’t afraid to look and won’t turn tail should they find it – and if they never do, they’ll have a good time anyway because nothing, neither the terrible truth nor the absence of it, is going to cheat them out of one honest breath of earth’s sweet gas.”

Just as with all Tom Robbins’ Books: Highly Recommended :)

California

2006-09-06T21:13:00.000-05:00

I know its been forever. But I'm a busy girl :)

I went to Cali.. however I'm excited about other things now so I don't really feel like blogging much about it. It was a blast though. :)

Do:
Buy Strawberries from local farms
Drive the coastal route
Shop on Haight Street in San Fran
Eat Freddies Sandwhiches
Visit Morro Bay
Stand under a redwood
Visit Stanford and Berkley
See the golden gate

Don't:
Swim outside the orange flags
Carry Strawberries in your car for 4 days
Buy Gas in Lucia
Don't visit Cambira when all the shops are closed
Drive in the fog

Thats pretty much it :)

Cool Things for the Day.

2006-08-18T10:26:00.000-05:00

Cool Things for the Day:

1. Today is my last day of work. :)

2. These Clever Shirts.

3. The Sweetest Book Store Ever. (Or just, the Chinese haha)

4. Playing Shortstop for BGE Coed Softball.

5. Window Shopping with Polo Ralph Lauren.

6. My New Apartment!

7. My Marketing Girls. :) (I'll miss you guys tremendously.. but I'll update the blog all the time for you. Its been really really fun, and I love you all! ::Muah::)

Don't Believe Me? Then google it.

2006-08-15T11:02:00.000-05:00

"Appropriate: I ran a Google search to check out that guy from the party. Inappropriate: I googled that hottie."

If you look up Google in the dictionary, what do you find? Dictionary.com says the word can be used as a verb... hrm.. a verb? Yes.. I think thats safe.. I use it as a verb on a daily basis. I google random things all day long, and often tell others, "Just google it." Good publicity right?

Well Google doesn't like it too much. Apparently they sent legal letters to a bunch of different media organization and dictionary types asking them to cease using google as a verb. They say, "We think it's important to make the distinction between using the word Google to describe using Google to search the internet, and using the word Google to describe searching the internet. It has some serious trademark issues."

They even went on to list a few appropriate and innappropriate usages. (See first line of post). Because google is obviously used most to search for "hotties."

Anyway, what I dont get is why they're so upset. Isn't that sort of like Coca-Cola getting pissed cuz people say "I want a coke," when they really want a dr. pepper or something? The more people say the word they more publicity the company gets and the more people are going to use their services.

Is it just that Google doesn't want to simply be remebered for their amazing search engine, when they offer a myriad of other services? But do they really think no one's going to care about their other services just because they use their name as a verb?? I mean.. google started as a search... Am I missing something?

In any case, I'm going to continue to google things (and hotties) until the trade mark police take me to the grave.

Link

Fashion Books.

2006-08-14T11:43:00.000-05:00

If you're flying from the UK and you're pissed about the new laws against books and magazines on planes then look no further for a solution- Boing Boing has the answer to your traveling woes.

All you have to do is take the time to buy iron on paper, find a printable book, and buy some fabric long enough to house all you're text. Then, don your wearable book thru security. Genius.. ?(sounds like more of a hassle than just flying without reading material.. But whatev.)

Death in the Family.

2006-08-11T15:27:00.000-05:00

Bad News. I dropped my iPod (twice) today. Steve showed his disappointment by popping up (incarnated) as the X-eyed Sad Face.

Hopefully I can fix this baby.. or else.. ::sniffs:: I will be mourning a death in my happy little Apple Family.

Oh Steve.. do forgive me!

(at least now I may have an excuse to buy a Nano!) :)

Where My Dogs At?

2006-08-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

Apparently Where My Dogs At? has offended some prominent African Americans. They're calling it degrading to black people, and "racist and crude." Hrm.....

I wonder if the writer will be getting any visits from Oprah and Bill Cosby. :)

Geico Gecko

2006-08-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

So.. incase you didn't know.. I'm in love with the Geico Gecko. (I was going to insert a picture, but I couldn't find one that really did him justice.)

He's cute, clever, and he has a hott accent. Turns out.. he also has a blog!! I knew it. We're soul mates. :)

(Thanks Hector!)

A Generation Being Lied To.

2006-08-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

Anyone else think schools are making kids soft? I do, and so do some people in this article.

What are the side effects of kids being excluded from birthday parties? Are they harmful enough to require that children only give invitations at school if everyone in the class is invited?

What are the side effects of losing? Are they harmful enough to give every child the same "first place" trophy?

I don't believe so. I think, rather, what are the side effects of sheltering kids and giving them a false sense of self? What are the consequences of not preparing your children for the real world.

Better yet, what if these types of "Self-esteem" boosters are damaging some children and holding them back? For example:

Suzy and Sarah both do gymnastics. Suzy is very good. She's also a pretty motivated and passionate child. Sarah's not so great.
At the end of the day Suzy and Sarah both leave with the same Ribbon.
Sarah feels great- she's fed a false idea that she's just as good as Suzy.
However, how does Suzy feel? She's worked so hard, and she's recieved no recognition for her success. Shes slowly being forced into mediocrity. Eventually, she will lose her motivation to work hard at anything, because no matter how good she does, she will always be the same as Sarah. On a deeper/different level, are we erasing individual identity?

Children should be recognized when they succeed; Shown their faults when they fail in order to find a way to fix them.

Personally, I believe we're creating a generation of babies. People who won't be able to deal with life's major setbacks, people who won't be aware of their short comings and who won't be able to adjust in the ways they must to succeed.

Competition breeds Growth- and Growth builds Nations.

Munroe is Love.

2006-08-04T11:09:00.000-05:00

I love Munroe. Period.

Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates

2006-08-03T22:17:00.000-05:00

Tom Robbins has a philosophy about EVERYTHING.

This whole review can be summed up in... "WOW"

"Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates" follows a man through his many odd journeys (i.e. his "how did the author think of that?" journeys). The reader falls in love with "Switters" and is ever more intrigued by him as he goes from meeting a man with a pyramid head, to living in a convent with ex-communicated nuns- all the while imparting his "wisdom."

Here's some quotes:

"And so he came to recognize that there were two kinds of people: those who were curious about the world and those whose shallow attentions were pretty much limited to those things that pertained to their own personal well-being. He concluded further that Curiosity might have to be added to that list of traits- Humor, Imagination, Eroticism, Spirituality, Rebelliousness, and Aesthetics- that, according to his grandmother, separated full-fledged humans from the less evolved."

" 'But human beings have-'
'A need to belong somewhere, to believe in something? Yeah, Sister.. They seem to. It's virtually genetic. I'm on guard against it, and it still overtakes me. The concern is that we may annihilate ourselves before we can evolve, or mutate, beyond it;"

" 'Then fundamentalists are the same everywhere, are they not?'
'Yeah. Their desperate craving for simplicity sure can create complications. And their pitiful longing for certainty sure can make things unsteady.'"

"And yet, it was a game absolutely worth playing. For its own sake. For the wahoo that was in it. For the chance that it would enlarge one's soul."

" 'Humanity is generally offensive,' he told her happily. 'Life's an offensive proposition from beginning to end. Maybe those who can't tolerate offense ought to just go ahead and end it all, and maybe those who demand financial compensation for offense ought to have it ended for them."

"You've got a brain, too, and don't forget it. If you develop it, it'll be around to enrich your life long after your tits and ass have declared bankruptcy."

Okay those were just some... I dog-eared like 496 million pages. :)

Anyway, it was a very thought provoking book.. and still had a really interesting, funny, and gripping narrative story. I'm in love with Switters. Read this book.

Read it if:
No ifs about it- READ IT.

Don't read it if:
See above.

This is.. Perhaps.. my new favorite book. Why? Because I heart clever.

West Virginia...

2006-08-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

...is beautiful.

I saw a coal mine :)

Go see Pix from the trip.

Randomness.

2006-07-28T17:03:00.000-05:00

I sometimes grab my phone thinking its my mouse.

Windows Vista

2006-07-28T09:21:00.000-05:00

This is for Hector, who told me yesterday, "Haven't you heard of Windows Vista?!?" after I went on a tanget about how wonderful and amazing and easy to use Mac OSX is (and of course how Steve is God and all Mac computers are angels).

Windows Vista Waffling Sends Microsoft Shares Down

Myspace Music Death.

2006-07-28T08:46:00.000-05:00

Munroe.. how do you know me so well?

I HATE PEOPLE THAT PUT MUSIC ON THEIR MYSPACE. And for that matter- I hate the fact that completely uncreative people are allowed to destroy their page by "customizing" it (i.e. making it unreadable, cluttered, UGLY, and just plain annoying)

Thanks, Munroe, for understanding.

How to Market your Blog.

2006-07-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

Have a kid.. duh.

Pretty Clever.. just let your little cutie run around with this shirt on and you'll never have to worry about your steadily declining number of page hits and comments. (Slightly reminiscent of Big Daddy using his boy?)

Technology at its best.

2006-07-27T10:52:00.000-05:00

The Magazine/Newspaper/Book/Whatever Reading Material you enjoy is SO last year.

Apple Camp.

2006-07-27T10:11:00.000-05:00

Apple Camp. How Awesome!?

8-12 year olds (or parents of 8-12 year olds.. or people who think apple is cool).. ATTENTION!

Apple offers a FREE computer camp to give kids advanced skills in Apple's Applications. Camp consists of 2 1/2 hours of hands on experience doing fun/new things on macs. Program Options are: Podcast Workshop, iWeb Workshop, Music Workshop, and Movie Workshop. A good tool to help raise a new generation of mac lovers :)

(You can read about Peter Cohen's experience w/ Apple Camp here.)

But the cleverness doesn't stop there. For liability reasons, parents must stay in the store for the 2 1/2 hour camp. (Understandable.. we dont want Apple getting sued). Whats so clever about that? Well after parents get bored with playing/working on the available Macs.. they decide to do a little looking around.. i.e. shopping. Oh Steve.. you are so tricky!

In Summary.. send a kid to Apple Camp for free* so he/she will become a member of The Cult of Mac. :)

*And by free we mean.. you only pay for the new nano that was glowing so heavenly at you while you waited.

The Mellified Man

2006-07-27T08:34:00.000-05:00

Um.. Wow.

Ever heard of a Mellified Man? I hadn't- until today...

Mary Roach, author of a book called Stiff, apparently describes this 12th century Arabian practice in great detail for her readers. (However, I haven't read Stiff.. I just got the basics) She says that men 70-80 years old.. on the verge of dying.. would eat and drink only honey (even bathe in honey) until... until they began to excrete pure honey. (If thats not gross enough.. read on) THEN when they died (because you can't live long like that) their "loving" family would seal them in a stone coffin full of honey for 100 years. After that 100 years- yup you guessed it- The honey/decayed human mix was eaten.

I wasn't a believer... So I wikied it:

Mellified Man refers to a topical and oral medicinal substance from ancient Arabia.

To create a mellified man, an aging man would begin a strict diet of honey until he began to excrete pure honey. After death, the man would be entombed in a coffin filled with honey which was sealed for a century.

When the coffin was unsealed the contents were applied topically or ingested to cure a variety of illnesses and complaints.
[edit]

References

* Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. W. W. Norton & Company.

Yummy.

Amazing Quotes You won't Understand.

2006-07-25T14:04:00.000-05:00

1. "And suddenly.... The forks mattered." - Dana Monson.

(Will Update)

My Goal? You + SuperViva.

2006-07-24T20:21:00.000-05:00

I'm a list person. If someone were to take my computer and search through it, they'd find TONS of lists- and learn lots of new and interesting things about me :) (dont get any ideas). I'm also a Goal person. I enjoy making all kinds of goals, from very silly somewhat pointless goals, to serious goals about the rest of my life and who I want to be.

So.. when I stumbled across SuperViva I was SuperExcited. :)

SuperViva lets you list all your life goals, and it connects you with people who share them. You can leave (or read) comments/tips from people who've already done what you want, or who know how to do it. You can organize your goals by topic (job related, indulgences, self improvement.. etc) and you can set dates to help you visualize completion.

I think the site is really neat... a very clever idea.. and finally a social network that promotes forward motion and growth- instead of stalking. :)

Heres my list so far:

Things to Share My Space.

2006-07-21T09:55:00.000-05:00

Cool Things For Today:

1) Never knew that there were people who actually made a living Designing the Inside of books. Sweet.

2) I want this shirt:

3)I'm sending Srdj here. He's addicted to XBox. ( but maybe I am too... :/ )

4)Munroe does it again:

5) Austin by 8:30.. 6th Street by 11:00.

6) Jen redid my resume.
For Her (courtesy of Munroe):

The End of the World!

2006-07-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

Last night I was going through my list of required blog readings when I came across this article.

Basically, it's a lot of people super excited about whats going on in with Israel and Hezbollah. Why? Because they think the rapture is just around the corner. Apparently, this is fulfilling one of the numerous prophecies in the Bible's Book of Revelation.

Though I was raised in Church, I don't really know much about what's "supposed" to happen in the "end of time." (Perhaps because all of it is so far fetched and hard to believe.. Churches don't want to alienate a group of followers by asking them to believe things even crazy than all the shit they're already asked to "take on faith".. ? Maybe?)

Anyway some of these comments were interesting. Anyone have any other thoughts on the issue? And anyone with knowledge about the "prophecies" want to share?

Also.. What do you Really Know About the Bible? A 50 Question quiz... It's long.. but it's interesting.. especially when you see the correct answers at the end.

Beauty.

2006-07-21T09:20:00.000-05:00

"And I want Life in every word to the extent that its absurd."

Randall Munroe Secretly Stalks Me.

2006-07-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

And this one too.. :)

Efficiency > You.

2006-07-20T20:06:00.000-05:00

This is SOOOO Me:

The Devil Wears Prada

2006-07-19T21:11:00.000-05:00

So I just finished reading The Devil Wears Prada. I was hoping to go see the movie and then write a post comparing and contrasting both versions.. but we dont always get what we want.

The book is pretty good... it's fun, and fast moving so it was easy/quick to read. The author, Lauren Weisberger, is clever and witty and definitley tells a good story. However, I didn't find the book to really be anything special.

The tale is ages old..... girl gets all wrapped up in herself/her new good fortune/her job/her boyfriend/ect. and forgets all about her friends/family/ect.. then she has a moment when she realizes how horrible shes acting and shes changes her ways and fixes everything with the people she hurt... and everyone lives happily ever after.... Nothing new or groundbreaking here guys.

But my question is: What's so wrong with putting a few things on hold to pursue your career? I mean really.. when it all boils down to it.. you're all you have. It may sound selfish, and in some ways it can be... but the people who really love and care about you should be able to understand that you have goals that you want to reach.. things that you need to do for you... just like you should understand if your friends or family are trying to reach their goals and such (of course when it comes down to a dieing friend halfway across the country or your job, like in the book, its a tougher issue).

But anyway, it's a fun story, with a neat insight into the fashion/magazine world, and a happy ending.

Read it if:
You like quick reading.
You want an easy story.
You like fashion.

Don't read it if:
You're looking for something intelligent.

I'd recommend it to young girls... or cheerleaders ;)

CBS is "Shelling" out the Advertising

2006-07-19T20:51:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know its been a while.. sowwe :( Dana = ~~Busy~~ Lazy

So I saw this article the other day and thought it was really neat (I saved it as new so I could post it whenever my lazy streak subsided).

Apparently, CBS is laser-etching ads on the shells of eggs. I suppose we all need a reminder at 7:00 am to make sure and get home before CSI catches the killer without us (how could we forget?).
However annoying it might be, it looks like a whole new precedent for advertising.. which is always cool. Whats next?

Steve = God :)

2006-07-11T16:27:00.000-05:00

We knew the time would come. I mean, I realate Steve Jobs to God all the time.. it was bound to catch on :)

This funny little tract compares Steve's life to the life of Jesus and then offers a "new operating system."

Click Picture to View Full Size and Read the Hilarity.

The Chappelle Theory

2006-07-10T16:17:00.000-05:00

I own both seasons of The Chappelle Show, and I believe Dave is the funniest man in the world. I was heartbroken when I heard Season 3 had been halted.. especially when nobody really knew why or what was going on.

I came across this today through a series of links from CNN. Could be true.. Read it and let me know what you think.

The Chappelle Theory

Cool Things for the Day.

2006-07-10T14:29:00.000-05:00

I heard about this guy a while back. He's still going strong. Clever boy.. why didn't I think of that?

One Red Paper Clip

What else? hrm..

Oh! This is neato.
Cool Car Tricks

UPDATE!!!!

Aren't you glad they're not yours :)

Other than that:

I'm moving into my apartment August 12th :)

Coed Softball at work starts next week. :)

I get half the day off on Friday :)

Work will be over soon :)

I see Srki this weekend :)

I go to Austin next weekend :)

I had sushi for lunch :)

Bunko (I like it better with the K) is tonight :)

I'm going to win :)

If I think of anything else I'll update.

Marriage, Religion, Small Towns, and Change

2006-07-07T21:01:00.000-05:00

I just got off the phone with my best friend in the whole world. While talking to her it really hit me- we are so different.

I love her with every inch of me. When we talk, we talk for hours without ever pausing for breath or thought. I can say anything, she can say anything.. theres never judgment or half truths, never negativity, never anything but complete support. But as time goes on I realize the different paths we've taken and how those paths have shaped us into the people we are- good and bad.

On the phone she was so excited, and I couldn't help but smile to myself. She's been visiting a guy friend in the Army. He lives with some other people, and apparently one of the girls that lives there has little girls. My friend couldn't stop talking about how cute these kids were, how much fun she had playing with them, how cute the guy was with them. She said the guy kept "joking" around saying they were getting married, or telling everyone they already were married. Her voice told the familiar story.

For a girl in a small town the ultimate goal is marriage and family. Now, I'm not saying this is a bad goal to have- heaven knows when I was at home that was my sole goal and purpose as well. I'm just highlighting the differences that have come as a result of our different directions.

In my mind two things stand out from my hometown: Marriage and Religion (and they go hand in hand). Marriage is on the minds and lips of every sophomore aged couple, and religion on the ~~mind and~~ lips of every- well everyone, the saints and the sinners alike. Churches push kids to get married, and marriage/family pushes kids to go to church (and to stay in the small town they come from so no one ever tells them religion isn't right)- a ~~vicious~~ cycle that fulfills all psychological needs- it gives people a goal, and gives people a higher/meaningful purpose.

But when I left town I met people who had never been to church, who knew nothing of religion, who had no desire to date yet, and who had found their purpose in other ways. And ultimately I concluded that I had been brainwashed my entire life. That religion was an easy way out of the mental torture a being endures when he/she feels like his/her existence is pointless. I decided I would create my own purpose, and prove that people are strong enough fulfill their own psychological needs.

All in all, its been really tough. I mean, these people raise you with these ideas and they tell you its wrong to question them. So you never do. Anytime you start to doubt you feel guilty so you quickly direct your thoughts elsewhere. This was a huge battle for me- simply allowing myself to doubt; allowing myself to entertain the idea that religion could be wrong.
And after that I had to teach myself that "not everything happens for a reason." That really everything is just a consequence of something you or someone else has done. People aren't placed in your life, and good things aren't just given to you. Either you work for them and earn them, or you don't.
Then- I had to establish my own morality. Define things as wrong or right in my mind- not because someone else told me they were right or wrong. I had to evaluate every thing that I'd always considered bad and question why such a thing should be wrong. It was a good feeling.

But, truly, the hardest thing really has been finding my own purpose. And though I don't know what my "ultimate" purpose is, I wake up every morning purposely continuing; purposely pushing and growing; purposely pursuing perfection; purposely trying to mold myself into someone that may eventually change the world in one way or another; and purposely building a being that can one day create wonderfully amazing children who will be strong enough to pursue their own purpose.

I now have new goals, and I attribute them mostly to my change in environment. It has allowed me to explore an enormous world I would have never known, and has dangled new golden apples in front of me that are mine for the purposeful picking.

White vs. Black

2006-07-06T14:10:00.000-05:00

Well Sony,what have you done?

Personally.. I love the contrast of the colors. The imagery is amazing. However, I think the fact that the white woman is exercising power over the black woman gives reason for questions. If you follow the link.. some other pictures seem they would be better- highlighting the contrast in color, but not implying that one is any better than the other.

Still, should any of this matter to us? Why do we worry every time we show black and white people in the same setting? Doesn't that just prove how little we've accomplished in the area of equality?

I dont know, but I don't think its an ad that Sony can use in the US...
What do you guys think?

496 Sighting!

2006-07-05T20:38:00.000-05:00

Periodically the world is graced by perfection :)

Found this link while looking for neat languages:

"3) Hindustani (496 million speakers)
We have a large Indian/Pakistani population in Britain, and yet how many of are able to speak any of the languages from these countries? Pretty much none. In fact, to most, I would suspect even the names of the languages involved are somewhat unusual. According to wikipedia, Hindustani really descibes an umbrella of related languages including Urdu (official language of Pakistan and some regions of India) and standard Hindi (the official language of India) as well as a number of other regional dialects found on and around the Indian sub-continent. As an amusing aside, an Indian friend of mine once told me that, so far as he could tell, many of the Hindustani dialects were just like standard Hindi, but pronounced with a Scottish accent! I'm sure the differences are somewhat more involved than this, and indeed many of these "dialects" are considered as independent languages - including Punjabi, Bihari, Rajasthani and many more. So, given all of this, it may be difficult to find any "standard" Hindustani that will be understood across the wide plethora of dialects, but I'll have a bash:

Hello: namaste (nah-mah-STAY)
Goodbye: alavidha (al-vee-dah)
Thank you: dhanyavaad (dun-ye-waad)
Thank you very much: aapakaa bahut bahut dhanyavaad"

Awareness.. Understanding.. Knowledge

2006-07-05T19:53:00.000-05:00

This summer I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Mexico City with a small group of politicians from the Rio Grand Valley. The purpose of our trip was to visit Tony Garza, the US Ambassador to Mexico. (Also the husband of the chick that inherited Corona).

Anyway, I'm am captivated by the Mexican culture. I felt so dumb. I couldn't communicate at all- but even without words Mexico stole my heart. I was with a group of spanish speaking people, who had all been to Mexico before, so I felt like I really got to taste true culture- deeper than tourist level.

Since my return I've been contemplating if this is because it is so different (and I heart different) or if it truly is something about Mexico. If I were to gain insight into another culture would I fall in love with it all the same? Would I yearn to be able to relate, like I long to relate to the people who walk the crowded streets of Mexico City, invisible through all the faces? Would I have such a desire to learn their language, their dance, their cooking, their history?

I believe thats just who I am. I want to know. How then do I feed this hunger? I want to know what the small child growing up in Japan is going through. I want to watch two people in love get married in the African heat. I want to see them- to be able to share their feelings and their pride. I want to stand in the middle of hundreds of faces that look nothing like mine and know that we feel the same things, that we all share this life, and that we are all united in some way... however small that way may be. Am I destined to be disappointed? Ignorance is not bliss.

I plan on taking an immersion course in Mexico (perhaps Guanajuato). I'm writing this on my blog so that I can hold myself accountable to it. I don't want to let money be an issue (you know- the parents, "No you need to work this summer" ect. ect.).

But not only that, I want to take a different language through UT, and I want to spend a semester completely engross in another, just as stimulating, culture. (Once again, any suggestions? I technically could wait until next semester to start a language, and thus have more options... hrm.)

There I said it. Now I must do it. yay!

My goal? Culture Shock. :)

By the way,

2006-07-05T19:45:00.000-05:00

A few things:

1) Working out makes me Happy.

2) New Camera's are AWESOME.

3) Dancing is my lover.

4) I have good friends.

Languages = Cool

2006-07-05T10:59:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm signed up to take French. Cool right? Yea i guess... but everybody takes French. Plus, I'm going to study abroad wherever they speak the language that I take. So, if I take French then I'm going to live in France for a semester. France is cool and all, but I'd like to go somewhere else I think. France just doesn't intrigue me very much.

Really, I would like to take Chinese or Japanese, but those classes are all full ::rolls eyes:: So here are my options: Italian Russian French

Pick One! Leave a comment. (and if you dont like any of these give me another suggestion and i'll check the schedule)

Eh.. decisions suck.

I heart Apple.

2006-06-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

So today my brother broke his laptop (yea.. smart huh?). He wants me to sell him my beautiful, amazing, fabulous, shiny, loveable, yummy, spectacular, white iBook G4... for a measley $600. SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS?!?!?! Are you crazy?

Actually... yes.. maybe a little. I want a NEW beautiful, amazing, fabulous, shiny, loveable, yummy, spectacular, BLACK MacBook.

This clever little baby (plus a free iPod Nano) starts at $1,499. But, of course, I'm no plane jane. I need the extra 512 MB of RAM for $100.

So: 1499 + 100 = 1599 - 600 (from my bro) = 999 - 150 (give or take if i sell the ipod) = 849 - anything I get for a student discount + tax.

So thats like 900 bucks or something (??). For a beautiful, amazing, fab- (okay i'll spare you) Black MacBook... okay sure.

However! I'm a poor struggling college student with barely enough money to ~~buy drinks~~ pay for a cab so people can buy me drinks on 6th. I COULD get a cheaper.. WHITE MacBook.. with 1 GB RAM and an 80 for $1,449 - 600 - 150 = 699 - discount = tax.

So thats like $800 or something?

Oi. I have no idea. I could downsize the hard drive and the RAM i guess... BUT I WANT IT! :(

::sighs:: yea i know. I should go cheap huh? Help Me!

Absolutley American

2006-06-29T20:40:00.000-05:00

(Occasionally I will post book reviews. I read. I love it. Now you’ll read, because you love my reviews.)

Kay- so I just finished a book called Absolutely American- Four Years at West Point by David Lipsky. Pretty Cool. Reporter decides hes gonna do a story on West Point, instead he ends up following a class for four years and writing a freakin' book. Cool.

The story’s great. I always like books that give you an insight into a world you probably won’t ever enter (extreme huah). This book shows you the ins and outs of West Point. It tells you everything these kids are going through, the thoughts they think, how they push past adversity, how they fail, how they overcome, how they transform into crazy military machines, and how they make it through 4 years of college without being able to occupy the same piece of furniture with someone of the opposite sex.

It really made me want to go to West Point (but then I remembered all the dirt and bugs, and how there’d be no metro boys, and that I’d never have time for a family and kids… and how I’d be poor forever… but beyond that….). I’m intrigued by the opportunity to challenge yourself to the extreme; to push past your breaking point and to accomplish something. I enjoy leading, and the idea of being responsible for other people. Yup.. the army’s my kind of stuff.

However, I didn’t feel like the book was well organized. I was confused a little sometimes, and with so many characters names coming in and not of the story for no reason I kept mixing people up (and then having to backtrack and figure out who that guy was that said WP was like anal sex).

Yeah, but I have a friend that just left for West Point (he gave me the book to read.. duh). It was really neat thinking how he’ll be going through all the things I read about, and that he’ll be leading people (well that parts scary… lol) and he’ll get a neat little WP ring. Maybe he’ll let me wear it…. Hrm.

Anyway.. back to the point. In Summary:

Read it:
If you want to see a side of America you don’t really know a lot about
If Army boys turn you on
If you enjoy challenge
To feel patriotic
Before you visit WP
If you know someone who’s going

Don’t Read it:
If you hate the military
If you’re a pacifist
If you a close minded liberal
If you can’t stand unorganized writing

Anywho, in general I give it a- “Recommended”. Cool.

Meet Me.

2006-06-29T19:01:00.000-05:00

Blogging = Cool & Writing = <3.

I’m currently wasting spending my summer editing proposals and mailing invites at Brown & Gay Engineers Inc. in Houston, Texas. I live for my weekends.

So I’ve been thinking alot about:
Religion
Child Development
Being wealthy vs. Being in Love
How I <3 Technology
Friends
What I’m Good at
What I want to do with my life
Motivation
Doing:
Photography
Art (painting, pottery, sculpting)
More Writing
More Traveling
MORE BLOGGING! (See current page) :)

Uh huh.. so yea.. just some things to look for in blogs to come :)