Well, this is it. The last blog. I'm watching my cat right now, he's thinking about trying to steal food off the grill. Boy is he in for a treat when he gets up there.
On that note, it's been pretty hot out lately. Better than cold I suppose. I'd really like to see some 70-80 degree days before all the 90s kick in, and apparently that's what we're going to have tomorrow. Nice days really do a lot for my mood and overall attitude.
Does anyone know if you can swim at the aquatic complex with a Buck ID ?
I need a pool for Olympic training.
I was going to bring my kids to class tomorrow, at least one of them (I have multiple). Colivn probably wouldn't be up for it, but I was going to bring Elijah. I don't know if Leslie would be down with that in English class though. Even if he's just sitting there coloring or reading, Eli demands some attention. He's pretty cute. A real charmer. I was going to let Aly and Kristen watch him while I was in anthropology. I was afraid they may kidnap him though. Maybe even take him to a 3rd world country and marry him. My baby's momma would never forgive me.
Think I have a place lined up on Neil or 14th. I'm in debate about getting a place now or waiting until fall though. It would be ideal to wait for various reasons, but it may be a pain finding a place closer to campus come fall. It's going to save some serious drive time though.
I need a new tv for the Columbus home. I think I'm gonna like my new place :)
Well, I think that's it. It's been fun.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Blog # 70 : English 110.01 students
Welcome to English 110.01. I'm not a model student but I will lend some helpful advice. If the format is the same as it was for our class, you will be wrting in blogs, probably daily. I'm going to suggest you do this religiously. It's kind of a pain at first, but they get easier as you go along. And writing some of the ones later on are actually kind of like therapy. I think blogs and comments are work 25% of our grade, and you may be in a similar situaiton. This is probably the most important thing you can control and stay on top of in the class.
The ARP and Commonplace papers are obviously a big part of the grade. Don't get too worked up about the ARP. Just take your time and find a good topic. Once the rough draft is out of the way, you will have time to finish your final paper.
The commomplace paper isn't too bad. Much shorter than the ARP.
If you get a chance to go to the writing lab, then do so. You may even get extra credit for this if you have an awesome teacher. You'll probably have to schedule an appointment, but its worth it.
Take the assignments seriously and perform the exercises in class. Even if you're not an English guru, you should do fine.
The ARP and Commonplace papers are obviously a big part of the grade. Don't get too worked up about the ARP. Just take your time and find a good topic. Once the rough draft is out of the way, you will have time to finish your final paper.
The commomplace paper isn't too bad. Much shorter than the ARP.
If you get a chance to go to the writing lab, then do so. You may even get extra credit for this if you have an awesome teacher. You'll probably have to schedule an appointment, but its worth it.
Take the assignments seriously and perform the exercises in class. Even if you're not an English guru, you should do fine.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Blog # 68 : Summertime
I'm looking forward to this summer more than any other summer in recent memory.
I'll be taking summer classes. This might make most students sick. Not me ! It won't be bad until July 22nd. I'm only taking one class in June and July, but I'll tack on two more for the second 5 week in July and August. I figure it'll just be 5 weeks of hell, and then I'll get about a month off before autumn quarter starts up. Looking forward to it all. Only one class from June 20-July 22. That allows for extra curricular time. It's on.
I have to take some extra classes to get back on schedule. Actually had to drop 110.01 last winter quarter due to conflicting dating/class schedules. Another reason to never date people you work with.
Anyhow, I think I'm going to score some Zoombezi Bay season passes. I took the kids there a couple summers ago, and I think I liked it more than they did. Regardless, I need someone to keep me company there, and it'll make a good summer activity. After all, I can't just walk around in a forest looking at trees with them all summer, and tractor rides get old after a while.
The Hartford Fair is in August, and I think I have that whole week off work. Kristen's going in case nobody heard. If any of ya'll are out that way I suggest you check it out. I'm going to see if Kristen will watch my kids for me so I can get in the mosh pit at the Josh Thompson concert. Aly may have to travel in for backup support since she’s good with kids. My kids can be a bit of a handful.
I'm also taking a week off in June and September. I'm stoked. You know what else I'm happy about? Only two more blogs ! Though I am going to miss my blog time.
I'll be taking summer classes. This might make most students sick. Not me ! It won't be bad until July 22nd. I'm only taking one class in June and July, but I'll tack on two more for the second 5 week in July and August. I figure it'll just be 5 weeks of hell, and then I'll get about a month off before autumn quarter starts up. Looking forward to it all. Only one class from June 20-July 22. That allows for extra curricular time. It's on.
I have to take some extra classes to get back on schedule. Actually had to drop 110.01 last winter quarter due to conflicting dating/class schedules. Another reason to never date people you work with.
Anyhow, I think I'm going to score some Zoombezi Bay season passes. I took the kids there a couple summers ago, and I think I liked it more than they did. Regardless, I need someone to keep me company there, and it'll make a good summer activity. After all, I can't just walk around in a forest looking at trees with them all summer, and tractor rides get old after a while.
The Hartford Fair is in August, and I think I have that whole week off work. Kristen's going in case nobody heard. If any of ya'll are out that way I suggest you check it out. I'm going to see if Kristen will watch my kids for me so I can get in the mosh pit at the Josh Thompson concert. Aly may have to travel in for backup support since she’s good with kids. My kids can be a bit of a handful.
I'm also taking a week off in June and September. I'm stoked. You know what else I'm happy about? Only two more blogs ! Though I am going to miss my blog time.
Blog # 67: The Hangover 2
Anyone going to see the Hangover 2 Friday ? I'm looking forward to it.
I think I'm going out to see it with a friend from one of my classes. I'm not going to lie; I'm looking forward to it. The movie and hanging out with the friend. We were supposed to go do something a few weeks ago, but work kept getting in the way.
I guess she has a twin sister. I just found this out today. She asked if her twin could tag along. I'm all for it. We're supposed to go out after the movie.
Just found out today she's moving in a few months, guess the boyfriends got new job. This was the first mention of the boyfriend.
What's this? Now her sister can't go. Interesting. I'm sure we'll have fun regardless. I found out a lot of things today. I'm confused.
On a different note, I got some pretty sweet concert tickets. Just between us, I got front row tickets to Katy Perry at the Q in July. Ha-ha, I know, funny right ? This pulls off the pop princess gauntlet for me though. Lady Gaga, Kesha, and Katy Perry. I also win a bet as soon as I snap some pictures ! I don't know who I'm going with yet, but it looks like trouble no matter what.
I think I'm going out to see it with a friend from one of my classes. I'm not going to lie; I'm looking forward to it. The movie and hanging out with the friend. We were supposed to go do something a few weeks ago, but work kept getting in the way.
I guess she has a twin sister. I just found this out today. She asked if her twin could tag along. I'm all for it. We're supposed to go out after the movie.
Just found out today she's moving in a few months, guess the boyfriends got new job. This was the first mention of the boyfriend.
What's this? Now her sister can't go. Interesting. I'm sure we'll have fun regardless. I found out a lot of things today. I'm confused.
On a different note, I got some pretty sweet concert tickets. Just between us, I got front row tickets to Katy Perry at the Q in July. Ha-ha, I know, funny right ? This pulls off the pop princess gauntlet for me though. Lady Gaga, Kesha, and Katy Perry. I also win a bet as soon as I snap some pictures ! I don't know who I'm going with yet, but it looks like trouble no matter what.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Blog # 66: I'm cutting all my hair off
It's 1:00am and I'm shaving my head. Yep, bald. May even break out the straight razor. You know what, never mind. I'm too tired for that tonight. Maybe tomorrow. I had someone tell me I needed to cut it all off the other day. I think it could use a trim, but I'd be kind of lost without some of my hair.
I'm working on this massive 8 page paper and a presentation I have for anthropology 597.01. It's painful. It's all about Costa Rica. I had to take a break from it. I've read 176 pages of journal articles concerning ecotourism tonight. I have about 80 more pages to go. It's really hard for me to focus on this. I think I have ADD or ADHD, or one of those. Anyways, I have this Philosophy assignment due next week, and then there's a computer lab tomorrow--Oh shit, I think I see a spider on the ceiling.
Okay, never mind, it wasn't a spider. Where was I ? Oh, computer lab. Finished a paper for anthropology 201. I think I'll do okay. We were allowed to write about whatever we wanted. It's one of my best pieces of work, ever.
My commonplace paper sucks, but I did revise it and I'm going to stick with it. The topic is bland. I wish I went with sex or drugs, but I think others have that market cornered. Need to work on my ARP more. Leslie does a great job with the class. I wish I was a little bit better of a writer. I feel like I'm letting her down. I've been putting two spaces after my periods in between senteneces. She busted me out on it. I don't know how or why I've been doing this. I'm probably doing it right now. I won't do it in my final commonplace or ARP papers though.
Think I'm getting a tat this week. That's my reward at the end of every quarter from now on. I hate needles though. I can't believe I had my tongue pierced for a while. That's not gonna happen again.
Aly, how can you like shots ? Or were you talking about jello shots, or shots of jack ? I mean, I might like shots too if there was morphine involved or something like that. I think I answered my own question.
I'm working on this massive 8 page paper and a presentation I have for anthropology 597.01. It's painful. It's all about Costa Rica. I had to take a break from it. I've read 176 pages of journal articles concerning ecotourism tonight. I have about 80 more pages to go. It's really hard for me to focus on this. I think I have ADD or ADHD, or one of those. Anyways, I have this Philosophy assignment due next week, and then there's a computer lab tomorrow--Oh shit, I think I see a spider on the ceiling.
Okay, never mind, it wasn't a spider. Where was I ? Oh, computer lab. Finished a paper for anthropology 201. I think I'll do okay. We were allowed to write about whatever we wanted. It's one of my best pieces of work, ever.
My commonplace paper sucks, but I did revise it and I'm going to stick with it. The topic is bland. I wish I went with sex or drugs, but I think others have that market cornered. Need to work on my ARP more. Leslie does a great job with the class. I wish I was a little bit better of a writer. I feel like I'm letting her down. I've been putting two spaces after my periods in between senteneces. She busted me out on it. I don't know how or why I've been doing this. I'm probably doing it right now. I won't do it in my final commonplace or ARP papers though.
Think I'm getting a tat this week. That's my reward at the end of every quarter from now on. I hate needles though. I can't believe I had my tongue pierced for a while. That's not gonna happen again.
Aly, how can you like shots ? Or were you talking about jello shots, or shots of jack ? I mean, I might like shots too if there was morphine involved or something like that. I think I answered my own question.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Blog # 65 : Elijah, my little man
I slept most of the day today. It sucked because I was going to take my kids fishing. I'll probably do so next Saturday instead, but today would have been ideal.
My little guy, Elijah was pretty mad at me. He loves to fish. Elijah will be 8 in July, but he's always going to be my baby. He still kind of talks like a baby sometimes. Part of it's probably because both his mom and I treat him like our baby. He has a little accent. His mom and I refer to it as "Eli's southern accent". We've been trying to figure out where that came from. Initial speculation was milkman (jokingly), but there's no denying either of my boys are mine.
They both have blonde hair with a twinge of red, unmistakable ginger. They also are starting to develop some freckles. Both boys have some other unmistakable "Keith" characteristics as well. They get a lot of their personality traits from there mom as well. Elijah has been known to give me the silent treatment if he doesn't get his way.
It's been fun watching them grow up, but now that they are getting older it's bittersweet. My babies aren't babies anymore !
I'm really fortunate they have a good mom. I'm also thankful we have healthy and intelligent boys who will have the opportunity to live good lives.
Apparently Eli is pretty popular with the girls in his class. Last year I asked him if he had a girlfriend. He whispered in my hear because he didn't wan't anyone else to hear. He said "all of the girls in my class are my girlfriend". I've also come to find out my oldest apparently has a "friend" named Chloe who he talks to on the phone. I wasn't prepared for all this noise.
Anyways, my kids demand pizza.
To my classmates who elect to go out tonight. Stay out of the street and don't throw bottles. You'll be fine.
My little guy, Elijah was pretty mad at me. He loves to fish. Elijah will be 8 in July, but he's always going to be my baby. He still kind of talks like a baby sometimes. Part of it's probably because both his mom and I treat him like our baby. He has a little accent. His mom and I refer to it as "Eli's southern accent". We've been trying to figure out where that came from. Initial speculation was milkman (jokingly), but there's no denying either of my boys are mine.
They both have blonde hair with a twinge of red, unmistakable ginger. They also are starting to develop some freckles. Both boys have some other unmistakable "Keith" characteristics as well. They get a lot of their personality traits from there mom as well. Elijah has been known to give me the silent treatment if he doesn't get his way.
It's been fun watching them grow up, but now that they are getting older it's bittersweet. My babies aren't babies anymore !
I'm really fortunate they have a good mom. I'm also thankful we have healthy and intelligent boys who will have the opportunity to live good lives.
Apparently Eli is pretty popular with the girls in his class. Last year I asked him if he had a girlfriend. He whispered in my hear because he didn't wan't anyone else to hear. He said "all of the girls in my class are my girlfriend". I've also come to find out my oldest apparently has a "friend" named Chloe who he talks to on the phone. I wasn't prepared for all this noise.
Anyways, my kids demand pizza.
To my classmates who elect to go out tonight. Stay out of the street and don't throw bottles. You'll be fine.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Blog # 64 Legal drinking age of 18
I think the legal drinking age should be dropped back down to 18. My reasoning’s are pretty simple. First off, 18-20 year old "kids" are going to drink anyway. Next, how can people get into the military and go die for their country, but not be considered enough of an "adult" to go legally purchase alcohol ? Seriously ?
Also, a 20 year old friend of mine got arrested 3 years ago while standing in someones yard at a party. He was drinking, and an undercover lady cop (Mrs. Officer) arrested him. Nothing too serious transpired from it, but he did have to do public service, and that shit goes on his record. Why? It accomplished nothing. Kids are still going to drink. All it did was tarnish his criminal record and life. The law helps nothing, and if anything, it encourages kids to drink in order to be rebellious, different, or simply to seem more mature.
I know the laws were made this way for public and individual safety, but the laws will always be broken. Plus, legal drinking ages all over the world are under 21. I believe it's 19 in Canada. Until 1997, you only had to be 18 to purchase alcohol in Louisiana (home of mardi gras and drive through bars). Louisiana is the United States. That was a contradiction. I've heard they're still pretty relaxed when it comes to the drinking age laws.
Please note, I do not condone underage drinking.
Also, a 20 year old friend of mine got arrested 3 years ago while standing in someones yard at a party. He was drinking, and an undercover lady cop (Mrs. Officer) arrested him. Nothing too serious transpired from it, but he did have to do public service, and that shit goes on his record. Why? It accomplished nothing. Kids are still going to drink. All it did was tarnish his criminal record and life. The law helps nothing, and if anything, it encourages kids to drink in order to be rebellious, different, or simply to seem more mature.
I know the laws were made this way for public and individual safety, but the laws will always be broken. Plus, legal drinking ages all over the world are under 21. I believe it's 19 in Canada. Until 1997, you only had to be 18 to purchase alcohol in Louisiana (home of mardi gras and drive through bars). Louisiana is the United States. That was a contradiction. I've heard they're still pretty relaxed when it comes to the drinking age laws.
Please note, I do not condone underage drinking.
Blog # 59 Dating in the workplace
No such thing as a "biggest" mistake.
I'm advising you don't date people you work with though. Someone told me you shouldn't date people you work with a few years back. It made no sense to me at the time, but it does now.
It's kind of like dating people from school, but it's a little harder to avoid them in some circumstances if things end up not working out (or get a little nasty). Especially if neither of you leave the job. It creates a bit of a situation. In addition, if there are co-workers, friends, and management at a job, a whole set of variables may come into play that can totally derail a good thing you have going on.
Even if you're "just friends", one person inevitably becomes more attached, and/or sometimes both parties want different things at different points.
More specifically perhaps than dating in the workplace : Guys, definitely don't date a girl that has a "boyfriend". Even if they're supposedly "breaking up" after the holidays, and he's a total "dick" to her. Even if she's telling her friends and her mom about you, and even if you're getting 250+ texts a day. I'm telling you, it all may seem like fun and games, but it might be trouble. Especially when you eventually learn her and the boyfriend have been on and off for a long time (years). I mean, it's fine and dandy when she's running the straightener through your hair while you sit on the couch and watch test results on Maury one day. But she's texting someone every 30 seconds, and you know it's not her mom. If you've made it to this situation, you may end up with some anxiety issues. It mainly depends on your previous situations, your current moral values, and your emotional stability. Oh, and how much you're willing to drink so your mind stops thinking about it. None of you are even old enough for that though, so we wont elaborate today.
Other things to consider are age, maturity, and life situations. These things often go hand in hand. It's difficult to measure though, because sometimes people come off as being very mature. You have to realize though that some people have different mind sets, needs, wants, goals, and so on. A girl is pretty mature at 19, but she's probably not going to want to be locked into a serious relationship (the same can be said for some guys). This is understandable, and I would advise guys and girls to wait until you're at least 25 to get hitched (married). There are lots of hormones, and lots of life to experience. I know most girls dream about getting married, and girls, you will get married, I promise. But if you're with a guy, and things are working out, don't rush things. And guys, if your with a girl, and you know she's the one, just stick with her until you finish school, and don't screw things up, seriously. You don't want to piss your girl off, trust me. It's just about the worst thing you can ever do.
Wait a second, when did this turn into a life lesson ? Where was I ?
Oh yeah, don't have sex with people you work with.
When you throw in all those variables I mentioned earlier, you end up with a soap opera that never ends.
I'm advising you don't date people you work with though. Someone told me you shouldn't date people you work with a few years back. It made no sense to me at the time, but it does now.
It's kind of like dating people from school, but it's a little harder to avoid them in some circumstances if things end up not working out (or get a little nasty). Especially if neither of you leave the job. It creates a bit of a situation. In addition, if there are co-workers, friends, and management at a job, a whole set of variables may come into play that can totally derail a good thing you have going on.
Even if you're "just friends", one person inevitably becomes more attached, and/or sometimes both parties want different things at different points.
More specifically perhaps than dating in the workplace : Guys, definitely don't date a girl that has a "boyfriend". Even if they're supposedly "breaking up" after the holidays, and he's a total "dick" to her. Even if she's telling her friends and her mom about you, and even if you're getting 250+ texts a day. I'm telling you, it all may seem like fun and games, but it might be trouble. Especially when you eventually learn her and the boyfriend have been on and off for a long time (years). I mean, it's fine and dandy when she's running the straightener through your hair while you sit on the couch and watch test results on Maury one day. But she's texting someone every 30 seconds, and you know it's not her mom. If you've made it to this situation, you may end up with some anxiety issues. It mainly depends on your previous situations, your current moral values, and your emotional stability. Oh, and how much you're willing to drink so your mind stops thinking about it. None of you are even old enough for that though, so we wont elaborate today.
Other things to consider are age, maturity, and life situations. These things often go hand in hand. It's difficult to measure though, because sometimes people come off as being very mature. You have to realize though that some people have different mind sets, needs, wants, goals, and so on. A girl is pretty mature at 19, but she's probably not going to want to be locked into a serious relationship (the same can be said for some guys). This is understandable, and I would advise guys and girls to wait until you're at least 25 to get hitched (married). There are lots of hormones, and lots of life to experience. I know most girls dream about getting married, and girls, you will get married, I promise. But if you're with a guy, and things are working out, don't rush things. And guys, if your with a girl, and you know she's the one, just stick with her until you finish school, and don't screw things up, seriously. You don't want to piss your girl off, trust me. It's just about the worst thing you can ever do.
Wait a second, when did this turn into a life lesson ? Where was I ?
Oh yeah, don't have sex with people you work with.
When you throw in all those variables I mentioned earlier, you end up with a soap opera that never ends.
Blog # 61 No food, no water.
Overpopulation is causing a strain on water and food supplies.
Most of the world has to irrigate water to grow crops. This means they pump water out of the ground for crops to grow. pretty much everywhere in the Middle East and Africa does this when they grow their crops. Ever wonder why it's so dry over there ? It wasn't always like that. It used to be called the "fertile crescent". The water table dropped though, and it's dropping here in the U.S. too. In fact, they have to irrigate most of their crops pretty much everywhere except for the Midwestern United States. They even do it here sometimes when it's dry. If the water table drops low enough, there won't be enough water for the crops to grow, or for people to drink. They have to dig wells deeper and deeper to get to the water. Pretty soon, there won't be enough fresh drinking water to go around.
The only way we can sustain our large population is through agriculture. Just about everything has corn, beans, or wheat in it. Ideally, the population needs to decrease. Some experts say the earth should have never had more than 2 billion people on it. There are now 7 billion plus and counting. It could get interesting in the next 50 years.
Most of the world has to irrigate water to grow crops. This means they pump water out of the ground for crops to grow. pretty much everywhere in the Middle East and Africa does this when they grow their crops. Ever wonder why it's so dry over there ? It wasn't always like that. It used to be called the "fertile crescent". The water table dropped though, and it's dropping here in the U.S. too. In fact, they have to irrigate most of their crops pretty much everywhere except for the Midwestern United States. They even do it here sometimes when it's dry. If the water table drops low enough, there won't be enough water for the crops to grow, or for people to drink. They have to dig wells deeper and deeper to get to the water. Pretty soon, there won't be enough fresh drinking water to go around.
The only way we can sustain our large population is through agriculture. Just about everything has corn, beans, or wheat in it. Ideally, the population needs to decrease. Some experts say the earth should have never had more than 2 billion people on it. There are now 7 billion plus and counting. It could get interesting in the next 50 years.
Blog # 60 Miami Vice (different time period)
I'm going to choose several possibilities. I will point out that I'd be a pretty cool guy in any time period I was born. I'm pretty versatile.
If I were born in 1827, I would have ended up moving to California on one of those wagon trains in the 1840s. I would have been there for the gold rush. Legend has it some of those guys were pulling gold nuggets the size of softballs out of shallow streams in the first days of rush. We're talking several pounds of gold. I think gold is over 1,000 a troy ounce now. Could you imagine pulling gold chunks worth $30,000 to $50,000 out of a creek? Let alone filling a burlap bag up with them, then calling it a day. That would be pretty sweet. Even sweeter if it was like 160+ years later and Katy Perry was around to go hang on the beach with. Russell Brand ? Why Katy ? It's okay, call me when it's over.
If I were born in 1947, I probably would have ended up in Miami. Chances are I wouldn't have been able to find work after I blew out my knee playing football for the Dolphins in 1970. Sports medicine just wasn't as advanced back then. Rehabilitation was almost unheard of. So I would spend the rest of my days walking with a cane, all be it, a very pimp cane. Fortunately, I still would have my degrees from Ohio State and the U (University of Miami). I would probably get a teaching job, but that wouldn't be enough to buy that 1970 Plymouth RoadRunner with the 426 Hemi (or the Camaro with the 454). So I would probably get involved in something shady. I don't know, maybe some illegal arms dealing, or something else. For some reason I picture myself with a Cuban guy in a high speed motor boat. It's dark, probably like 4:00am in the port of Miami, and he's driving. I still have sunglasses on for some reason though, and there’s a cigarette hanging out of my mouth while the winds blows my hair around. All the while I'm holding a sub machine Uzi on my forearm and there are bales of an unknown substance in the back of the boat. Haha.
If I were born in 1827, I would have ended up moving to California on one of those wagon trains in the 1840s. I would have been there for the gold rush. Legend has it some of those guys were pulling gold nuggets the size of softballs out of shallow streams in the first days of rush. We're talking several pounds of gold. I think gold is over 1,000 a troy ounce now. Could you imagine pulling gold chunks worth $30,000 to $50,000 out of a creek? Let alone filling a burlap bag up with them, then calling it a day. That would be pretty sweet. Even sweeter if it was like 160+ years later and Katy Perry was around to go hang on the beach with. Russell Brand ? Why Katy ? It's okay, call me when it's over.
If I were born in 1947, I probably would have ended up in Miami. Chances are I wouldn't have been able to find work after I blew out my knee playing football for the Dolphins in 1970. Sports medicine just wasn't as advanced back then. Rehabilitation was almost unheard of. So I would spend the rest of my days walking with a cane, all be it, a very pimp cane. Fortunately, I still would have my degrees from Ohio State and the U (University of Miami). I would probably get a teaching job, but that wouldn't be enough to buy that 1970 Plymouth RoadRunner with the 426 Hemi (or the Camaro with the 454). So I would probably get involved in something shady. I don't know, maybe some illegal arms dealing, or something else. For some reason I picture myself with a Cuban guy in a high speed motor boat. It's dark, probably like 4:00am in the port of Miami, and he's driving. I still have sunglasses on for some reason though, and there’s a cigarette hanging out of my mouth while the winds blows my hair around. All the while I'm holding a sub machine Uzi on my forearm and there are bales of an unknown substance in the back of the boat. Haha.
Blog #63 Leslie, I'm sorry I missed class yesterday (1)
Here's the thing, my Philosophy professor canceled my 9:30 am class last week so I didn't have to be on campus until 11:30 for English. I've been working 3rd shift for a while now and I usually just come straight to school from work. I figured I'd go home to get some sleep since my 9:30 class was canceled. I had two alarms set on my cell, but of course I managed to shut them both off, snooze included. Next thing I know, I'm waking up at 1:06pm. I was both stunned and disappointed. I'm sure anyone reading this probably laughs, but it kind of reminds me of the dreams I used to have about not making it to class on time and never finishing school. It's compounded by the fact that the quarter is almost over.
Anyhow, I'll be there next Tuesday. My apologies if I let anyone down. Maybe we'll go to Chuck E.Cheese or Magic Mountain if everyone gets an "A". Or maybe a pool party at Zoombezi. That sounds like fun (smile).
Anyhow, I'll be there next Tuesday. My apologies if I let anyone down. Maybe we'll go to Chuck E.Cheese or Magic Mountain if everyone gets an "A". Or maybe a pool party at Zoombezi. That sounds like fun (smile).
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Blog # 56 Down on the Farm
I live on a farm, with chickens, cows, tractors, and all the typical farm stuff. I've lived there my whole life. My house is 110 years old, and I'm pretty sure our farm is a little older than that. In fact, I found a license plate in the attic last year still inside an envelope addressed to one of my great, great grandparents. The plate was from 1913.
Our farm got bigger in the 1960s and 1970s. My Grandfather purchased neighboring farms. It's still classified as a small farm though. We have about a thousand acres we farm. We grow corn, beans, wheat, and hay most of the time. There are wooded areas on our farm, which is good for me (since I'm a bit of a tree hugger). Unfortunately, there's some poison ivy as well. We also have pasture land for the cows.
We don't have many chickens. Maybe 20. It's nice having fresh eggs from chickens that get to run around and raise hell on our farm. Sometimes the roosters attack me. I laugh about it. We have quite a few cows. About 140 at last count. They are dairy cows, for milk. Not raised for beef. They are all like pets, and even though most of them have numbers, they usually have names as well. I have 6 cows. Cookie, Little Cookie, Cutie, Cookie # 3 (or Cookie 3.0 optimized), Cocoa, and Tank. Tank is short and wide, like a tank. They're my babies.
We have 2 bulls (boy cows). One of the bulls ran my sister through wall last summer. She broke all her ribs, lacerated her spleen, cracked 2 vertebrae, and punctured both lungs. She actually ended up here at OSU medical center. They took good care of her. She's back to 100% health. Sometimes bulls play rough.
I have lots of farm stories, but it's time for work.
Anyways, I love the beach too, but the farm is where I'm from and where I still live. It will always be my home. I'm getting a place on campus in the fall, but I'm still keeping my house in the country. You can't always crank super loud music, shoot guns, or light off fireworks in town. Unless you were on campus last weekend of course. Sometimes its okay if you don't mind getting maced.
Our farm got bigger in the 1960s and 1970s. My Grandfather purchased neighboring farms. It's still classified as a small farm though. We have about a thousand acres we farm. We grow corn, beans, wheat, and hay most of the time. There are wooded areas on our farm, which is good for me (since I'm a bit of a tree hugger). Unfortunately, there's some poison ivy as well. We also have pasture land for the cows.
We don't have many chickens. Maybe 20. It's nice having fresh eggs from chickens that get to run around and raise hell on our farm. Sometimes the roosters attack me. I laugh about it. We have quite a few cows. About 140 at last count. They are dairy cows, for milk. Not raised for beef. They are all like pets, and even though most of them have numbers, they usually have names as well. I have 6 cows. Cookie, Little Cookie, Cutie, Cookie # 3 (or Cookie 3.0 optimized), Cocoa, and Tank. Tank is short and wide, like a tank. They're my babies.
We have 2 bulls (boy cows). One of the bulls ran my sister through wall last summer. She broke all her ribs, lacerated her spleen, cracked 2 vertebrae, and punctured both lungs. She actually ended up here at OSU medical center. They took good care of her. She's back to 100% health. Sometimes bulls play rough.
I have lots of farm stories, but it's time for work.
Anyways, I love the beach too, but the farm is where I'm from and where I still live. It will always be my home. I'm getting a place on campus in the fall, but I'm still keeping my house in the country. You can't always crank super loud music, shoot guns, or light off fireworks in town. Unless you were on campus last weekend of course. Sometimes its okay if you don't mind getting maced.
Blog # 55 TOP FRIENDS
This should be like facebook or myspace and we should just get to list "top friends".
I'm going to have to go with Daniel. I'm not very close to many, and I'm kind of a non-traditional student. Non-traditional is another way of saying "old".
Regardless, I started back at Ohio State in large part due to inspiration I got from my friend Daniel. We're pretty close, but we don't talk as much now. He lives near campus, but we both work, really busy.
When we did work together though, he always used to have the best OSU party stories. I worked with him for about 3 years, and it made me ponder why I didn't go back to school sooner.
Daniel and I hung out quite a bit at work, and outside of work. We both grew up in the country and shared similar interests. We went on a mandate and saw the Killers at the LC a few years back. I'm pretty sure a drunk girl tried to rape him. It was fascinating. One of the best concerts ever.
After he graduated, he asked if I wanted a few shirts. He was clearing out his closet on campus. I told him "sure". He brought two trash bags with about $1,000 worth of name brand shirts, pants, and jeans into work one day and threw them in my car. I was shocked.
I'm living life kind of backwards. I feel fortunate that I've been able to go back to school and am thoroughly enjoying it. I would like to have a little more leisure time, but I will by autumn if all goes according to plan. I'm thankful I met Daniel a few years ago, and that we became friends. My life went in a positive direction after we met. A case of young influencing old for the better.
I'm going to have to go with Daniel. I'm not very close to many, and I'm kind of a non-traditional student. Non-traditional is another way of saying "old".
Regardless, I started back at Ohio State in large part due to inspiration I got from my friend Daniel. We're pretty close, but we don't talk as much now. He lives near campus, but we both work, really busy.
When we did work together though, he always used to have the best OSU party stories. I worked with him for about 3 years, and it made me ponder why I didn't go back to school sooner.
Daniel and I hung out quite a bit at work, and outside of work. We both grew up in the country and shared similar interests. We went on a mandate and saw the Killers at the LC a few years back. I'm pretty sure a drunk girl tried to rape him. It was fascinating. One of the best concerts ever.
After he graduated, he asked if I wanted a few shirts. He was clearing out his closet on campus. I told him "sure". He brought two trash bags with about $1,000 worth of name brand shirts, pants, and jeans into work one day and threw them in my car. I was shocked.
I'm living life kind of backwards. I feel fortunate that I've been able to go back to school and am thoroughly enjoying it. I would like to have a little more leisure time, but I will by autumn if all goes according to plan. I'm thankful I met Daniel a few years ago, and that we became friends. My life went in a positive direction after we met. A case of young influencing old for the better.
Blog #54 One of these stories is fake
I promise you won't guess which one is fake. If you do, I truly respect you.
1) I met Lady Gaga after a concert a few years back. She's pretty cool to her fans. Security said not to take pictures, but she took pictures with everyone that was there, which seemed to piss security off. When I got up to see her, she was sitting down. I didn't really know if I should give her a hug or shake her hand or what. She got up out of her chair, put a big hug on me, kissed me on the cheek, and told me I smelled good. Then signed a cd for me. Personalized to "Keith". There was more, but I'll stop for now.
2) In 2009, I decided to take my Motorcycle ( Kawasaki Ninja) up to Mohican National Forest so I could take a nature walk (I'm a bit of a tree hugger). After my walk I arrived back at my bike. There were three police cruisers (state highway patrol) parked around it. They said I was clocked going 167mph on route 13. I was arrested for reckless operation and driving a motorcycle without a proper endorsement. My bike was impounded and I'm not allowed to possess a motorcycle license in the state of Ohio ever again.
3) I like Kenny Chesney better than Luke Bryan. I think Luke has rugged good looks and nice voice, but I know for a fact that Kenny Chesney concerts are a great time. After all, Kenny performed just a few miles down the road from me at the Hartford Fair one year. I can't wait to go see KC this summer.
1) I met Lady Gaga after a concert a few years back. She's pretty cool to her fans. Security said not to take pictures, but she took pictures with everyone that was there, which seemed to piss security off. When I got up to see her, she was sitting down. I didn't really know if I should give her a hug or shake her hand or what. She got up out of her chair, put a big hug on me, kissed me on the cheek, and told me I smelled good. Then signed a cd for me. Personalized to "Keith". There was more, but I'll stop for now.
2) In 2009, I decided to take my Motorcycle ( Kawasaki Ninja) up to Mohican National Forest so I could take a nature walk (I'm a bit of a tree hugger). After my walk I arrived back at my bike. There were three police cruisers (state highway patrol) parked around it. They said I was clocked going 167mph on route 13. I was arrested for reckless operation and driving a motorcycle without a proper endorsement. My bike was impounded and I'm not allowed to possess a motorcycle license in the state of Ohio ever again.
3) I like Kenny Chesney better than Luke Bryan. I think Luke has rugged good looks and nice voice, but I know for a fact that Kenny Chesney concerts are a great time. After all, Kenny performed just a few miles down the road from me at the Hartford Fair one year. I can't wait to go see KC this summer.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Blog # 53 I'm going with "volcano"
I wanted to use the words "sex" or "love". Lets face it though, I could go on for hours about those things, especially given the nature of my previous "loves" and relationships.
Volcano's are much simpler. It's all about definition here to me. This is intriguing, I promise.
Volcano's are holes in the earths crust that spew magma, which is actually called lava once it gets above the surface.
Volcano's are common along plate boundaries under the earths crust. If you want to know more specifics, I suggest you see me, or take Earth Science 100,105,121, or 122.
There are several types of active Volcano's. I'm going to discuss a few of the important ones.
Shield volcano's are typically very large in terms of total area, but aren't necessarily all that tall. These are the types of volcano's that can often be found in Hawaii. I highly suggest you check out the national parks there. These are the kinds of volcano's that shoot lava out. There is very little in terms of ash flow.
Cone volcano's are typically smaller, cone shaped volcano's. They usually only erupt once. They spit out a mix of lava, gasses, and ash, but not much of it. Ash is more deadly than lava. Sunset crater in Arizona is an example.
My personal favorites are Stratovolcano's (Composite Volcano's). These are the big ones. They spit out a little bit of lava, but more gas, and tons of ash ! The ash is hot and destroys just about anything it touches, including lungs. Mt. St. Helen's in Washington is a kind of Composite Volcano (though some debate the exact classification). Mt. Tambora in Indonesia erupted massively in 1815. This created a massive ash cloud that hovered around the earth for a few years. It partially blacked out the sun. As a result, there were no true summers in 1815 or 1816. It snowed in June as far south as Kentucky. I can't tell you how detrimental this would be to our crop supplies if this happened today. World hunger galore.
Yellowstone national park is a caldera (volcanic depression). It's swelling because it's getting closer to erupting. Yellowstone itself is an extremely large volcano. It (and other volcano's) erupt with regular frequency. Experts say Yellowstone goes off every 600,000 years or so. It's been an estimated 650,000 years since it last erupted. If it goes off again, were in deep shit.
By the way, you only live once kids. Enjoy life to the fullest.
Volcano's are much simpler. It's all about definition here to me. This is intriguing, I promise.
Volcano's are holes in the earths crust that spew magma, which is actually called lava once it gets above the surface.
Volcano's are common along plate boundaries under the earths crust. If you want to know more specifics, I suggest you see me, or take Earth Science 100,105,121, or 122.
There are several types of active Volcano's. I'm going to discuss a few of the important ones.
Shield volcano's are typically very large in terms of total area, but aren't necessarily all that tall. These are the types of volcano's that can often be found in Hawaii. I highly suggest you check out the national parks there. These are the kinds of volcano's that shoot lava out. There is very little in terms of ash flow.
Cone volcano's are typically smaller, cone shaped volcano's. They usually only erupt once. They spit out a mix of lava, gasses, and ash, but not much of it. Ash is more deadly than lava. Sunset crater in Arizona is an example.
My personal favorites are Stratovolcano's (Composite Volcano's). These are the big ones. They spit out a little bit of lava, but more gas, and tons of ash ! The ash is hot and destroys just about anything it touches, including lungs. Mt. St. Helen's in Washington is a kind of Composite Volcano (though some debate the exact classification). Mt. Tambora in Indonesia erupted massively in 1815. This created a massive ash cloud that hovered around the earth for a few years. It partially blacked out the sun. As a result, there were no true summers in 1815 or 1816. It snowed in June as far south as Kentucky. I can't tell you how detrimental this would be to our crop supplies if this happened today. World hunger galore.
Yellowstone national park is a caldera (volcanic depression). It's swelling because it's getting closer to erupting. Yellowstone itself is an extremely large volcano. It (and other volcano's) erupt with regular frequency. Experts say Yellowstone goes off every 600,000 years or so. It's been an estimated 650,000 years since it last erupted. If it goes off again, were in deep shit.
By the way, you only live once kids. Enjoy life to the fullest.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Blog # 51 Anthropology : bitchin' major
I major in anthropology, which is pretty much all about humans. Anthropologists don't dig for dinosaurs, paleontologists do that. Some anthropologists do dig and research human remains. When the remains are ancient, those anthropologists are called archaeologists. When the remains are fresh, like CSI, your looking at a forensic anthropologist. Some anthropologists don't play with human remains, but rather study the behavior of humans or human languages. These are considered cultural anthropogists.
Switching gears, I double minor is in two separate fields of earth science. Economic geology and petrology and mineralogy. In all actuality, if things go well, I may end up going grad school for something out of this field. It really depends on what mood I'm in, and how advisers and professors influence me. There are some pretty cool career fields that allow for travels in the field of earth science. Of course, the same can be said for anthropology.
If your wondering what you can do with an anthropology degree, keep wondering. No, I joke. There are lots of things you can do with an anthropology degree, but usually you're best served to get a masters after completion of the B.A. or B.S.. They say it's good to get your degrees from different schools. It's probable that I end up getting my masters in Coral Gables at the University of Miami. It's either going to be there, or another school somewhere out of the "freeze you ass off in the winter" zone.
The plan is to teach with my degree(s). Probably elementary or high school, possibly a community college or something.
I'll also do fieldwork in Central and South America at some point. I may just live there as long as knife/gun fights can be avoided. As long as there's some water, food, a few pretty girls, and Corona, I think I'll be happy there. I actually don't care for Corona much, I'll find something good though.
Switching gears, I double minor is in two separate fields of earth science. Economic geology and petrology and mineralogy. In all actuality, if things go well, I may end up going grad school for something out of this field. It really depends on what mood I'm in, and how advisers and professors influence me. There are some pretty cool career fields that allow for travels in the field of earth science. Of course, the same can be said for anthropology.
If your wondering what you can do with an anthropology degree, keep wondering. No, I joke. There are lots of things you can do with an anthropology degree, but usually you're best served to get a masters after completion of the B.A. or B.S.. They say it's good to get your degrees from different schools. It's probable that I end up getting my masters in Coral Gables at the University of Miami. It's either going to be there, or another school somewhere out of the "freeze you ass off in the winter" zone.
The plan is to teach with my degree(s). Probably elementary or high school, possibly a community college or something.
I'll also do fieldwork in Central and South America at some point. I may just live there as long as knife/gun fights can be avoided. As long as there's some water, food, a few pretty girls, and Corona, I think I'll be happy there. I actually don't care for Corona much, I'll find something good though.
Blog # 50 Teri Hatcher : We should probably be married
I have little interest in meeting anyone dead. There are some attractive women out there I wouldn't mind meeting. Does that make me shallow ?
Anyways, I had a crush on Teri Hatcher back in the day. She played Lois on the New Adventures of Superman show that ran on ABC like 150 years ago (it was the mid-late 1990s I think, when most of my fellow students were toddlers). This was pre - Desperate Housewife Teri.
There used to be all kinds of Teri Hatcher swag in my room, and I even had an autographed Teri Hatcher pic. It was legit too, they used some question I wrote on a website for a segment on Access Hollywood or Extra, I can't remember which one. After this, she autographed a picture for me and they passed it along after I was solicited for my address. Never got to meet up with Ms. Hatcher though, and I guess it might have been illegal lust anyways based on my age.
Anyways, I got older, fell in love (multiple times I think), got married, and so on. I'm not married anymore, so I'm pondering why I haven't called up her agent and set up lunch. I mean, Teri and I aren't getting any younger. Lets face it, we're both single parents, we probably have a lot in common, and I'm guessing she has a pretty nice place in Cali. She makes a little more than I do, but I'm okay with her being the breadwinner. We could pick up another place in Laguna, and I could take up surfing full time. I could probably get a part time acting job to supplement our income, or just work at In and out Burger. Regardless, I think we should date.
Anyways, I had a crush on Teri Hatcher back in the day. She played Lois on the New Adventures of Superman show that ran on ABC like 150 years ago (it was the mid-late 1990s I think, when most of my fellow students were toddlers). This was pre - Desperate Housewife Teri.
There used to be all kinds of Teri Hatcher swag in my room, and I even had an autographed Teri Hatcher pic. It was legit too, they used some question I wrote on a website for a segment on Access Hollywood or Extra, I can't remember which one. After this, she autographed a picture for me and they passed it along after I was solicited for my address. Never got to meet up with Ms. Hatcher though, and I guess it might have been illegal lust anyways based on my age.
Anyways, I got older, fell in love (multiple times I think), got married, and so on. I'm not married anymore, so I'm pondering why I haven't called up her agent and set up lunch. I mean, Teri and I aren't getting any younger. Lets face it, we're both single parents, we probably have a lot in common, and I'm guessing she has a pretty nice place in Cali. She makes a little more than I do, but I'm okay with her being the breadwinner. We could pick up another place in Laguna, and I could take up surfing full time. I could probably get a part time acting job to supplement our income, or just work at In and out Burger. Regardless, I think we should date.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Blog # 49 Keith's disturbing dreams
I'll blog about both kinds of dreams. By both kinds I assume you mean both the type you have during REM sleep, and dreams we have while awake (like daydreams).
I had a reoccurring dream every 3 to 4 months for several years. In the dream, I was always late for a class at Ohio State, usually running late for a final. I never made it to class on time, or at all for that matter. I would always wake up agitated. I believe the dream stemmed from withdrawing from school after only a quarter and never finishing my degree. I've been back in school for a few years now, and I don't have the dream anymore.
Next, I've always wanted a Dodge Viper. They no longer make Vipers, and they're going to become more scarce. Thus, I should probably purchase one now. I'm a pretty big fan of Bentley's, Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, and other sports cars, but the Viper is a nice American made sports car that will surpass 200mph with ease. With 600 horsepower, you can get where you need to go fast. This supports my busy lifestyle, and if I can save a little time around the outer belt, so be it. Please note, I'm a safe driver. I'm all about safety.
I want a newer model (2004-2009). The newer ones are a little more desirable, they have the 8.4 L V-10.
I found several online. This dealership in Chicago had a 2005, 8.3 L with 19,000 miles on it. Silver, convertible, and they were only asking $40,800 for it. While that's not cheap, I made the decision that I would buy it if they still had it. I emailed the dealer to inquire about it. "Terry" called me back the next morning and informed me it was sold to a guy in Portland, Oregon. While I was pretty emotional, I've since changed my focus to the newer Vipers (2008s and 2009s). There's a nice white and blue 2009 in Texas with just 147 miles on it. Unfortunately, they're usually running $65-$75 thousand a pop, and I didn't have that much in my piggy bank last month. My dealer Terry is keeping his eyes open for another silver convertible in Chicago though.
I may just wait until school is finished to get one, tuition isn't all the cheap (frown). I just spent $40 to go to the doctor and get a shot for poison ivy as well. Seriously, poison ivy on the face ? Ruthless.
I had a reoccurring dream every 3 to 4 months for several years. In the dream, I was always late for a class at Ohio State, usually running late for a final. I never made it to class on time, or at all for that matter. I would always wake up agitated. I believe the dream stemmed from withdrawing from school after only a quarter and never finishing my degree. I've been back in school for a few years now, and I don't have the dream anymore.
Next, I've always wanted a Dodge Viper. They no longer make Vipers, and they're going to become more scarce. Thus, I should probably purchase one now. I'm a pretty big fan of Bentley's, Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, and other sports cars, but the Viper is a nice American made sports car that will surpass 200mph with ease. With 600 horsepower, you can get where you need to go fast. This supports my busy lifestyle, and if I can save a little time around the outer belt, so be it. Please note, I'm a safe driver. I'm all about safety.
I want a newer model (2004-2009). The newer ones are a little more desirable, they have the 8.4 L V-10.
I found several online. This dealership in Chicago had a 2005, 8.3 L with 19,000 miles on it. Silver, convertible, and they were only asking $40,800 for it. While that's not cheap, I made the decision that I would buy it if they still had it. I emailed the dealer to inquire about it. "Terry" called me back the next morning and informed me it was sold to a guy in Portland, Oregon. While I was pretty emotional, I've since changed my focus to the newer Vipers (2008s and 2009s). There's a nice white and blue 2009 in Texas with just 147 miles on it. Unfortunately, they're usually running $65-$75 thousand a pop, and I didn't have that much in my piggy bank last month. My dealer Terry is keeping his eyes open for another silver convertible in Chicago though.
I may just wait until school is finished to get one, tuition isn't all the cheap (frown). I just spent $40 to go to the doctor and get a shot for poison ivy as well. Seriously, poison ivy on the face ? Ruthless.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Blog #48 I'm a bit of a tree hugger
I'm a bit of a tree hugger. I became fascinated by trees a few years back when a logging company was interested in a wooded area on our farm. I went ahead and took the time to figure out what kind of trees were in the forest, and how much the timber was worth for each tree.
I became very intrigued with the different kinds of wood, varieties, and variations in each tree. Each wooded area is somewhat different in what flora and fauna it has. It's really pretty boring compared to a good movie, teen mom, or an all night drug rave (not that I would know about any of these things). Yet the trees intrigued me non the less.
Maple trees are in abundance in Ohio. I knew what a Maple tree was. I didn't realize there were at least 7 or 8 distinctly different kinds of Maples that grow naturally in Ohio. Oak trees are also abundant. Once again, I didn't realize there were multiple kinds of the species that grew in the state. Much of it depends on elevation and soil type.
Some trees grew naturally in the state, some species were introduced by settlers and grow naturally now. There are only 125 or so species that grow naturally in the state.
Fun facts about trees. Trees with needles are conifers, trees with leaves deciduous (welcome back to elementary school). Bald cypress trees are some of the oldest living trees. They can live to be over 500 years old in Ohio, and over 1,000 years old in southern states. Most other species of trees live a much shorter life (100-200 years for most). Some trees grow faster than others. Most “softwoods” (trees with softer wood) grow rapidly. Most “hardwoods” (yes, trees with hard wood) grow slowly. Eastern White Pines, Cottonwoods, and Sycamores are usually some of the largest in the state. Some can reach heights over 125 feet.
The biggest trees are out west of course (in lovely California). Giant Sequoias and Redwoods can reach heights of over 300 feet. I suggest you google it sometime, and definitely check it out if you happen to be in California (shake it Cali).
Friday, May 6, 2011
Blog # 47 I "liked" a girl named Emily
There were lots of girls I "liked" before Emily. I might have "liked" Emily a little more than the previous girls though.
I finally got around to taking Art class my Junior year of high school. There was a freshman named Emily in my class. We ended up sitting at the same table. Even though seats weren't assigned, we ended up sitting in the same spots everyday, which is a typical phenomena in classrooms across the country. We used to read Cosmopolitan and Glamour magazines while we did our Art, and we flirted around a bunch. Those little quizzes and articles are pretty informative. Honestly, I didn't even realize I liked Emily. I didn't even know what "flirting" really was either.
In retrospect, I now recall playing around with her in class, wrestling around, laughing. We were always smiling and laughing about everything too. I guess we were giddy.
Apparently other people took more notice of our friendship than I did. During the last week of class, another Junior named Jason called me out during class, right in front of the teacher and all the other students. He said "Keith, why don't you just ask her out man ? You're killing us over here !" All the males in the class were nodding approvingly of Jason's comments, and everyone else was stunned, myself included. I should have asked her out then and there. Of course, I never really did ask her out. I think Emily might have been upset at me for not doing so at that very moment.
I waited though, and didn't really say anything until a few weeks later. Things didn't work out. I can't fault Jason for saying something though, because I probably never would have anyway.
It wasn't until after he spoke up and after the class ended that I realized how much I liked Emily. I never got to hang out with her much after that. Of course she ended up being one the best looking girls in the school by the time I graduated the following year. She was always cute, but everyone is different, and it took time for her to become the talkative socialite/cheerleading captain sort of girl she ended up being.
Don't be afraid to speak up and ask someone out, especially if it's apparent the other person likes you after weeks of flirtation. Sometimes you may make an ass of yourself, but it's worth it. Even if things don't work out, you won't have regrets later on.
I finally got around to taking Art class my Junior year of high school. There was a freshman named Emily in my class. We ended up sitting at the same table. Even though seats weren't assigned, we ended up sitting in the same spots everyday, which is a typical phenomena in classrooms across the country. We used to read Cosmopolitan and Glamour magazines while we did our Art, and we flirted around a bunch. Those little quizzes and articles are pretty informative. Honestly, I didn't even realize I liked Emily. I didn't even know what "flirting" really was either.
In retrospect, I now recall playing around with her in class, wrestling around, laughing. We were always smiling and laughing about everything too. I guess we were giddy.
Apparently other people took more notice of our friendship than I did. During the last week of class, another Junior named Jason called me out during class, right in front of the teacher and all the other students. He said "Keith, why don't you just ask her out man ? You're killing us over here !" All the males in the class were nodding approvingly of Jason's comments, and everyone else was stunned, myself included. I should have asked her out then and there. Of course, I never really did ask her out. I think Emily might have been upset at me for not doing so at that very moment.
I waited though, and didn't really say anything until a few weeks later. Things didn't work out. I can't fault Jason for saying something though, because I probably never would have anyway.
It wasn't until after he spoke up and after the class ended that I realized how much I liked Emily. I never got to hang out with her much after that. Of course she ended up being one the best looking girls in the school by the time I graduated the following year. She was always cute, but everyone is different, and it took time for her to become the talkative socialite/cheerleading captain sort of girl she ended up being.
Don't be afraid to speak up and ask someone out, especially if it's apparent the other person likes you after weeks of flirtation. Sometimes you may make an ass of yourself, but it's worth it. Even if things don't work out, you won't have regrets later on.
Blog # 62 My Lakers just lost
My Lakers just lost game 3. This scars me.
No Ron Artest (did you see that clothes line?). We had a lead going into the 4th quarter, and had a 16 point lead in game 1. Should be up 2-1 right now. Not good. My appreciation goes to Dr. Buss though for putting a quality product on the floor every year. It's just hard to stay motivated if you've won everything already, multiple times. It wouldn't be any fun if the Lakers won all the championships either. So congrats to whoever wins. Lucky for the eventual champion they never had to play the best team from the west (yes, the Lakers).
My guess is Lebron (queen James) will get 3 or 4 championships if the Lakers can't make it back to the finals. Of course, that's dependant upon Dwayne Wade staying healthy. History has shown us Lebron can't win with any other players, and Wade needs to keep his legs healthy to carry Lebron.
It's okay Lebron, even Kobe needs help to win his championships. It's a team sport.
My Lakers are tired, they've played 76 post season games in the last 3 seasons. That's like a whole extra season. Plus you figure Kobe, Lamar, and Pau have played summer ball for their respective countries in the off season. Imagine going to school for 4 straight years without taking a break in the summer. Brutal !
The Lakers need a summer break.
The latest Laker "dynasty" will need to be tweaked after this season. It will be interesting to see if they make any trades. Ron Ron has little trade value due to his basket case tendencies (did anyone see the "Malice in the Palace" ?, I'll post a link at the end of this). Gasol or Bynum could be dealt. Dwight Howard and Chris Paul will be free agents next summer. Greg Oden is a free agent this summer, and would be interesting to bring off the bench behind Bynum. I'd like to see them get a decent young point guard. John Wall or Mike Conley would be a solid pick up. I'm a big Fisher fan, but he should really be brought off the bench.
Most of this is irrelevant to you kids I'm sure.
We still might come back against the Mavericks, but a 0-3 hole is pretty brutal. It's not a big upset either, the teams had identical records this season. Everyone expects the Lakers to win though, myself included.
The Lakers are winners, and that's just how it is. 17 championships and counting. That's something the fans in Dallas, Chicago, and Miami will never ever have. Do I sound bitter ? I think I am. My Lakers just lost.
Malice in the Palace (Ron Artest punches multiple fans on his way to a suspension)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvTAJo4tCLc
It was crazy, but I think Ben Wallace and the fans were pretty horrible about it. Apparently a guy came up and hit Artest with a beer bottle while he was laying on the scorers table. That's why I'm pretty sure none of the civil suits held up.
No Ron Artest (did you see that clothes line?). We had a lead going into the 4th quarter, and had a 16 point lead in game 1. Should be up 2-1 right now. Not good. My appreciation goes to Dr. Buss though for putting a quality product on the floor every year. It's just hard to stay motivated if you've won everything already, multiple times. It wouldn't be any fun if the Lakers won all the championships either. So congrats to whoever wins. Lucky for the eventual champion they never had to play the best team from the west (yes, the Lakers).
My guess is Lebron (queen James) will get 3 or 4 championships if the Lakers can't make it back to the finals. Of course, that's dependant upon Dwayne Wade staying healthy. History has shown us Lebron can't win with any other players, and Wade needs to keep his legs healthy to carry Lebron.
It's okay Lebron, even Kobe needs help to win his championships. It's a team sport.
My Lakers are tired, they've played 76 post season games in the last 3 seasons. That's like a whole extra season. Plus you figure Kobe, Lamar, and Pau have played summer ball for their respective countries in the off season. Imagine going to school for 4 straight years without taking a break in the summer. Brutal !
The Lakers need a summer break.
The latest Laker "dynasty" will need to be tweaked after this season. It will be interesting to see if they make any trades. Ron Ron has little trade value due to his basket case tendencies (did anyone see the "Malice in the Palace" ?, I'll post a link at the end of this). Gasol or Bynum could be dealt. Dwight Howard and Chris Paul will be free agents next summer. Greg Oden is a free agent this summer, and would be interesting to bring off the bench behind Bynum. I'd like to see them get a decent young point guard. John Wall or Mike Conley would be a solid pick up. I'm a big Fisher fan, but he should really be brought off the bench.
Most of this is irrelevant to you kids I'm sure.
We still might come back against the Mavericks, but a 0-3 hole is pretty brutal. It's not a big upset either, the teams had identical records this season. Everyone expects the Lakers to win though, myself included.
The Lakers are winners, and that's just how it is. 17 championships and counting. That's something the fans in Dallas, Chicago, and Miami will never ever have. Do I sound bitter ? I think I am. My Lakers just lost.
Malice in the Palace (Ron Artest punches multiple fans on his way to a suspension)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvTAJo4tCLc
It was crazy, but I think Ben Wallace and the fans were pretty horrible about it. Apparently a guy came up and hit Artest with a beer bottle while he was laying on the scorers table. That's why I'm pretty sure none of the civil suits held up.
Blog # 46 Not into bad drivers
I'm not a great driver. Only one "accident" though, and it really wasn't my fault. I'm all about safety, really I am. Not into the slow drivers though. I call them "pokers", or other names that aren't so affectionate. I don't like people who drive excessively fast either. They're typically referred to as "bad asses" or other such terms. In all reality though, I'm more of a "bad ass" myself. Here's the thing. If the speed limit is 35 miles per hour (MPH), you have to go 35 MPH, because we all have places to go. In this capitalistic society, we all have places to go, and time is money. That's why you can really get away with going 36-45 MPH most of the time in that "35" zone. Myself, I'm more of a 40 MPH in the "35" zone kind of guy. Of course, I always get some slow "(insert multiple expletives here)" in front of me going 25 MPH in the "35". This boils me, and it happens in "55" and "65" zones too. I also love the clown in the far left lane on I-270, 315, or 71 that's going around 60 MPH and staying in the fast lane, clogging it up for those of us who have the fuckin (not to be confused with "fucking") cruise set on 78 MPH on our way to our second job, or school. Sorry, you probably see some road rage developing. I actually flipped someone off the other day. This was actually a first for me, and it wouldn't have happened if they didn't honk their horn.
The point is, I have places to go.
Again though, if I'm going 86 MPH down 315, and some bad ass comes up behind me doing 95 MPH, I'm point blank fuckin flabbergasted (should that be spelled "fuckin'"?). That person is automatically a "maniac" that should be locked up. I also just realized "fuckin" is a slang term, and probably not a proper English word at all. This isn't good considering I'm in an English class.
Anyways, you can tell what my pet peeve is. I'm an excellent driver. I consider excessively slow drivers to be bad drivers, because they cause a safety hazard. Just for the record, I drive like a soccer mom when I have my kids in the car. I just have places to go, so slow people who are fortunate enough to not be in a hurry should probably stay out of the way.
The point is, I have places to go.
Again though, if I'm going 86 MPH down 315, and some bad ass comes up behind me doing 95 MPH, I'm point blank fuckin flabbergasted (should that be spelled "fuckin'"?). That person is automatically a "maniac" that should be locked up. I also just realized "fuckin" is a slang term, and probably not a proper English word at all. This isn't good considering I'm in an English class.
Anyways, you can tell what my pet peeve is. I'm an excellent driver. I consider excessively slow drivers to be bad drivers, because they cause a safety hazard. Just for the record, I drive like a soccer mom when I have my kids in the car. I just have places to go, so slow people who are fortunate enough to not be in a hurry should probably stay out of the way.
Blog # 45 California Love
I went to Los Angeles last year for a solo vacation. I'm a pretty big Laker fan, and I love warm climates. The beach is a favorite pastime, and I've never been west of Indiana. California was always a destination I wanted to explore.
Originally, I was supposed to go to Florida with someone, but sometimes things don't work out. The opportunity to purchase a round trip ticket for a decent price was too much to resist.
Touched down at LAX and picked up my rental car at 3 A.M.. Drove for about an hour south to Laguna Beach. I watched the sun come up while I sat on the cliffs watching the waves crash in. It was one of nicer mornings I've experienced. I took the pacific coast highway back north and hit some other beaches, including Santa Monica and Malibu. In the following days I drove through downtown L.A. and up and down Hollywood boulevard, hit some clubs, and had a decent time. I stayed in Manhattan Beach, not far from LAX. I was amazed at how relaxed all the people seemed. Even in some gridlock traffic and some smog, everyone seemed to be in a decent mood. I guess you would be in a decent mood if you lived in southern California all the time.
The only thing I didn't accomplish was a visit to the Staples Center to see the Lakers. I'm reserving that for next time.
Sometimes things don't work out for a reason. I'm glad I went to California.
Originally, I was supposed to go to Florida with someone, but sometimes things don't work out. The opportunity to purchase a round trip ticket for a decent price was too much to resist.
Touched down at LAX and picked up my rental car at 3 A.M.. Drove for about an hour south to Laguna Beach. I watched the sun come up while I sat on the cliffs watching the waves crash in. It was one of nicer mornings I've experienced. I took the pacific coast highway back north and hit some other beaches, including Santa Monica and Malibu. In the following days I drove through downtown L.A. and up and down Hollywood boulevard, hit some clubs, and had a decent time. I stayed in Manhattan Beach, not far from LAX. I was amazed at how relaxed all the people seemed. Even in some gridlock traffic and some smog, everyone seemed to be in a decent mood. I guess you would be in a decent mood if you lived in southern California all the time.
The only thing I didn't accomplish was a visit to the Staples Center to see the Lakers. I'm reserving that for next time.
Sometimes things don't work out for a reason. I'm glad I went to California.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Blog # 43 Plymouth Roadrunner
I've gotten some great presents over the years. The best thing I ended up getting was a car. I have a 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner. 383 cubic inch engine, 4 barrel V-8, 350 + horsepower fun car. I always wanted a muscle car , especially my senior year of high school. I was able to save up enough money to buy one for myself, thanks in large part to my parents. Aren't parents great ? They work so hard to keep their kids happy .
Anyways, not much else to tell about it. I still have it, it sits at my residence. It does burnouts and goes kind of fast for an old car. It's ridiculously long, and heavy for a car. The ozone would be gone if everybody was driving one, and it gets about 12 miles on a gallon of fuel. It probably doesn't help that I hold the gas pedal down further than I should when I drive it, but you only live once.
Anyways, not much else to tell about it. I still have it, it sits at my residence. It does burnouts and goes kind of fast for an old car. It's ridiculously long, and heavy for a car. The ozone would be gone if everybody was driving one, and it gets about 12 miles on a gallon of fuel. It probably doesn't help that I hold the gas pedal down further than I should when I drive it, but you only live once.
Blog # 42 I was a Fed Ex Delivery Courier
Lets just keep this between us.
No joke, I was a Fed Ex Delivery Courier for over a year. Not going to lie, I was pretty much an All-Star Fed Ex driver too. Dispatchers and co-workers told me so.
Of course, we're all about safety at Fed Ex. I'm excellent at following the rules too. Until no one is watching of course. Unfortunately, at Fed Ex Express, we deliver time sensitive material. It's no fun getting your face torn off by angry customers. So sometimes, we bend the rules a little. I probably should have been a race car driver.
Again, I'm not going to lie. I was an excellent rule bender, but that's why I was among the best. In retrospect, I should have stayed at Fed Ex, bid on a position in Hawaii, and lived the dream. After a year however, the high stakes delivery game was too much for me to bear, and I had to pick up more hours at my other job (lower stress!). Have I had one of those Blue and White Fed Ex trucks going over 100 miles per hour ? Possibly. But that may be why I was one of the best. If your uncle Pete lived out in some shack in the middle of the hills of Appalachia, miles from civilization, you bet your ass this courier would have his Insulin there by 4pm, regardless of circumstance.
No joke, I was a Fed Ex Delivery Courier for over a year. Not going to lie, I was pretty much an All-Star Fed Ex driver too. Dispatchers and co-workers told me so.
Of course, we're all about safety at Fed Ex. I'm excellent at following the rules too. Until no one is watching of course. Unfortunately, at Fed Ex Express, we deliver time sensitive material. It's no fun getting your face torn off by angry customers. So sometimes, we bend the rules a little. I probably should have been a race car driver.
Again, I'm not going to lie. I was an excellent rule bender, but that's why I was among the best. In retrospect, I should have stayed at Fed Ex, bid on a position in Hawaii, and lived the dream. After a year however, the high stakes delivery game was too much for me to bear, and I had to pick up more hours at my other job (lower stress!). Have I had one of those Blue and White Fed Ex trucks going over 100 miles per hour ? Possibly. But that may be why I was one of the best. If your uncle Pete lived out in some shack in the middle of the hills of Appalachia, miles from civilization, you bet your ass this courier would have his Insulin there by 4pm, regardless of circumstance.
Blog # 41 Pacific Islanders
I'm intrigued by pacific islanders and other hunter/gatherer societies. This is what the Native Americans were doing several thousand years before we got here, and it's what all humans were doing until 5 or 6 thousand years ago.
I look at Pacific Islanders because they and some smaller isolated groups are among a very small minority of people who don't practice much in terms of agriculture. We generally think agriculture is a great thing, but corn is in everything, and it's not that great for you. In fact, it's bad for your teeth, and it can make you fat. If you ate just corn, your health would be poor. Lots of carbohydrates create a vast amount of energy to feed a population though, and corn and beans changed history. Some people say Maize (corn) agriculture was our biggest mistake as a species.
Corn and other crops require farming. Farming is hard work.
People who's diets primarily consist of meats, especially fish, and some vegetables and plants are generally in good health. Often times, they are in better health that those of us in the "civilized" world. They have nicer teeth too. They often times don't have cell phones, ipods, laptops, or even TVs. They do however lead a life with far less complications. The average person in a hunter gatherer society works about 2 days a week. Yes, that's about 16 hours a week. A little hunting, fishing or gathering in the morning or evening, that's it. Lounge around the rest of the day, eat, have sex, whatever. I'm game for it. As soon as I finish my BA up, I may be on my way.
I look at Pacific Islanders because they and some smaller isolated groups are among a very small minority of people who don't practice much in terms of agriculture. We generally think agriculture is a great thing, but corn is in everything, and it's not that great for you. In fact, it's bad for your teeth, and it can make you fat. If you ate just corn, your health would be poor. Lots of carbohydrates create a vast amount of energy to feed a population though, and corn and beans changed history. Some people say Maize (corn) agriculture was our biggest mistake as a species.
Corn and other crops require farming. Farming is hard work.
People who's diets primarily consist of meats, especially fish, and some vegetables and plants are generally in good health. Often times, they are in better health that those of us in the "civilized" world. They have nicer teeth too. They often times don't have cell phones, ipods, laptops, or even TVs. They do however lead a life with far less complications. The average person in a hunter gatherer society works about 2 days a week. Yes, that's about 16 hours a week. A little hunting, fishing or gathering in the morning or evening, that's it. Lounge around the rest of the day, eat, have sex, whatever. I'm game for it. As soon as I finish my BA up, I may be on my way.
Blog # 40 My oldest son
My kids are awesome (insert smiley). I'm going to blog about my oldest today. He'll be 11 years old in a few weeks (yes, that makes me old). He reminds me a lot of myself, and it's pretty scary. After spending time around him it becomes apparent that his mother and I were able to create a child that is more advanced than either of us are. This is good biologically for the course of the evolution of humans, but more interesting for my own feelings and emotions. It makes me proud and happy to see an advanced version of myself. I doubt anyone will read clear through this blog, but if you do, I will assure you there will come a day when you too have children of your own and you will completely relate to what I'm saying. I have to give props to his mom too. After all, she gave birth. Twice actually. Wish all your mothers a happy mothers day this weekend !
My son likes Dinosaurs, Pokemon, Nintendo DSI, Wii, and so on. Both my kids enjoy these sorts of things.
He's a shrewd business man. I'm fairly certain he's almost as advanced as I ever was at math and science, which is a delight to see. Those were some of my weaker areas. My younger son reads two grade levels above his own, but I'll talk about that another time.
I always tell both of my sons the same thing. "Stay in school, and do your best. You can do anything you want if you keep doing good in school." This is probably the best advice I could give to anyone, especially college students who may read this.
My son likes Dinosaurs, Pokemon, Nintendo DSI, Wii, and so on. Both my kids enjoy these sorts of things.
He's a shrewd business man. I'm fairly certain he's almost as advanced as I ever was at math and science, which is a delight to see. Those were some of my weaker areas. My younger son reads two grade levels above his own, but I'll talk about that another time.
I always tell both of my sons the same thing. "Stay in school, and do your best. You can do anything you want if you keep doing good in school." This is probably the best advice I could give to anyone, especially college students who may read this.
Blog # 39 Texting created bad habits
Commas still get me. I think I use them sometimes when I shouldn't. Sometimes maybe I should have used them, and I didn't. I think it's more about overuse though. I put a lot of pauses in when I speak, so a lot of my sentences have the same points of hesitation. I think it's important to take a break in the middle of the sentence, it gives people time to take in information. Of course, this opens the opportunity for argument on some occasions, but I welcome it.
I dated someone last year who was more of a texter than I was. Now I text a lot. Of course, smileys and "lols" are now littered in all of my texts and emails, and I find myself refraining from using them in blogs and papers. Personally, I think the smiley should just be allowed from now on. It's like the new exclamations point. Except it says "I'm not that excited, just happy".
I dated someone last year who was more of a texter than I was. Now I text a lot. Of course, smileys and "lols" are now littered in all of my texts and emails, and I find myself refraining from using them in blogs and papers. Personally, I think the smiley should just be allowed from now on. It's like the new exclamations point. Except it says "I'm not that excited, just happy".
Blog # 38 Human Growth Hormone : Baseballs best friend
I don't really anticipate the topic will generate much buzz since rules are in place now. Plus, this isn't nearly as sexy a topic as some. It's what I chose though, so I'll stick with it.
I appreciated the input people gave for a more creative title. My favorites were "MLB ; we don't cheat *" (nice touch with the asterisk), "How drugs ruined baseball", and "MLB legends set the standard with steroids". I'm probably going to use the title above though, "Human Growth Hormone : Baseballs best friend." It's a little long, but is certainly more appealing than the "Performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball" that I started the day with.
Again, the paper will hold MLB more accountable for the drug use, along with the players.
I appreciated the input people gave for a more creative title. My favorites were "MLB ; we don't cheat *" (nice touch with the asterisk), "How drugs ruined baseball", and "MLB legends set the standard with steroids". I'm probably going to use the title above though, "Human Growth Hormone : Baseballs best friend." It's a little long, but is certainly more appealing than the "Performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball" that I started the day with.
Again, the paper will hold MLB more accountable for the drug use, along with the players.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Blog # 37 Hypothetical scenario
What if all the players in Major League Baseball took performance enhancing drugs ? Would it be considered wrong if everyone was allowed (or forced) to take them ? Technically, the players using the drugs could no longer be considered "cheaters" because everyone was allowed to use them. Just like any other over the counter supplement you could get at GNC.
If all the players took the drugs, and everyone starting hitting more home runs, and the game of baseball was much more entertaining to watch, would fans accept and be happy with that ?
Based on what we know about the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, would anyone be concerned about the safety of the players ? How many of the players would use any drug if they were legal ? What would the long term health effects be ?
If all the players took the drugs, and everyone starting hitting more home runs, and the game of baseball was much more entertaining to watch, would fans accept and be happy with that ?
Based on what we know about the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, would anyone be concerned about the safety of the players ? How many of the players would use any drug if they were legal ? What would the long term health effects be ?
Blog # 36 Personal Anecdote
In all reality it's probably not good that Major League Baseball (MLB) players were taking performance enhancing drugs (and sometimes still do). It was clearly a form of cheating. On the other hand, it's likely that MLB itself knew or at least suspected that many of the players were on something due to the changes in appearance of the players, and the amount of home runs being hit in games. It was reported that Barry Bonds feet grew at least 2 sizes in the late 1990s, and that his hat size also went up. Only Human Growth Hormones are known to do these sorts of things. Bonds seemingly doubled in mass from 1995 to 2000. MLB knew there was something going on. Speculation was rampant by the time Bonds broke Hank Aarons home run record in 2007.
As a fan of Baseball, I was kind of let down. This appears to be something that was preventable. I wasn't particularly fond of any of the players or teams involved in the drug use (that I know of), but I can imagine if I was. I know if I idolized Barry Bonds or Jason Giambi growing up, that I would be disappointed in them now. Moreover, I would be disappointed in MLB. I am disappointed in MLB, because they've done absolutely nothing to defend these players or take any of the blame. They left the players with tarnished reputations while trying to "save baseball". These players didn't do the right thing, but they technically didn't cheat. There was a gray area for at least 15-20 years where anything went. Players pushed each other competitively in a MLB system that was relatively unchecked. MLB could step in and take more of the blame. I also feel that all the home run records that were set during the "steroid" era of baseball should stand, without asterisks. Everyone will always know the players probably took steroids, and it will be a black eye on the sport. The sport deserves a black eye for letting the players do what they did to themselves and the fans.
As a fan of Baseball, I was kind of let down. This appears to be something that was preventable. I wasn't particularly fond of any of the players or teams involved in the drug use (that I know of), but I can imagine if I was. I know if I idolized Barry Bonds or Jason Giambi growing up, that I would be disappointed in them now. Moreover, I would be disappointed in MLB. I am disappointed in MLB, because they've done absolutely nothing to defend these players or take any of the blame. They left the players with tarnished reputations while trying to "save baseball". These players didn't do the right thing, but they technically didn't cheat. There was a gray area for at least 15-20 years where anything went. Players pushed each other competitively in a MLB system that was relatively unchecked. MLB could step in and take more of the blame. I also feel that all the home run records that were set during the "steroid" era of baseball should stand, without asterisks. Everyone will always know the players probably took steroids, and it will be a black eye on the sport. The sport deserves a black eye for letting the players do what they did to themselves and the fans.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Blog # 35 Purpose of my CP paper
I'm going to make Major League Baseball (MLB) more accountable for the performance enhancing drugs that players used over the past 20 years. They're just as much to blame as the players. Rules were minimal, and regulation of the drugs was pretty much non existent until a few years ago. MLB profited heavily from the use of the performance enhancing drugs. Now, they're making the players who used them out to be bad guys, scape goats. What the players did is a "black eye" on the sport. MLB tries to make it look like it was purely a product of player greed, when in all actuality, it was a product of competition and peer pressure among players and teams. Money was involved, and that's a pretty big motivator to succeed.
Players are considered villains by some for using the drugs. They were trying to gain an advantage. Just like you would if you were practicing, working out, or taking creatine or another "legal" substance. The drugs may push the limits, and be "illegal" now. They may also be bad for you physically. It also isn't fair to the players who weren't using the same performance enhancing drugs. At the same time, it's not technically "cheating" if it's not against the rules, or there no testing for it.
Players are considered villains by some for using the drugs. They were trying to gain an advantage. Just like you would if you were practicing, working out, or taking creatine or another "legal" substance. The drugs may push the limits, and be "illegal" now. They may also be bad for you physically. It also isn't fair to the players who weren't using the same performance enhancing drugs. At the same time, it's not technically "cheating" if it's not against the rules, or there no testing for it.
Blog # 34 Compelling
If I were a baseball player in 1998, and there were no rules in place for performance enhancing drugs, and some of my competitors were using the drugs, should I use the drugs too ? I mean, if everyone else seemingly is using them, and there is no repercussion to it, and they benefit me and my team, why wouldn't I ? If the sport wasn't regulating it, or didn't even have rules against it, would it really be cheating ? After all, I'm just trying to succeed. If I hit home runs, my team wins, and I get to play baseball for a living. I make more money, and so does my team, and so do the leagues or universities my team play within. Aren't we all in this to win and make money ?
It's good for the sport when people watch, fans are happy, I make money, my team makes money, and it's technically not cheating when there aren't rules against it. How is it bad ?
It's good for the sport when people watch, fans are happy, I make money, my team makes money, and it's technically not cheating when there aren't rules against it. How is it bad ?
Blog # 33 Relevancy of Perfromance Enhancing Drugs in MLB
The topic of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball (MLB) and other sports is relevant because some of us ourselves are competitive athletes and we look up to professional athletes as examples. Also, many athletics play a crucial role in many or our lives. Look at The Ohio State University. What kind of school would it be without athletics ? In particular, football. We built an insanely large football stadium back in the 1920s that we couldn't hardly fill up until after the 2nd world war. Now, football is a multi million dollar money maker for the NCAA and the university.
What if our student athletes used performance enhancing drugs ? What would the pitfalls be for those individuals and the university ? What if we could win the national championship in football or basketball next year by utilizing players who were on performance enhancing drugs? Would it be fair for us to do that if other universities were utilizing players on the same drugs ? How would we enforce the rules against using the drugs if they were not able to detect them in tests ?
What if our student athletes used performance enhancing drugs ? What would the pitfalls be for those individuals and the university ? What if we could win the national championship in football or basketball next year by utilizing players who were on performance enhancing drugs? Would it be fair for us to do that if other universities were utilizing players on the same drugs ? How would we enforce the rules against using the drugs if they were not able to detect them in tests ?
Blog # 32 Timely example for CP
Performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball (MLB) is the prime focus of my Commonplace paper. It's the most celebrated example of sports where performance enhancing drugs have been a major issue. I will touch on performance enhancing drugs in other sports, and raise some questions, but the focus will probably be on MLB because it's timely.
Baseball home run totals from 1990-2007 were extremely high. They were much lower every year previous to 1990, and have also been lower since 2008, when testing became common for performance enhancing drugs.
Ticket sales and television ratings in 1998 were extremely high for MLB when there were record numbers of home runs being hit. Ticket sales and televisions ratings are down now. MLB profited highly from the home runs being hit 1998 and other surrounding years, but did nothing in terms of investigating the players who were using the drugs. These players are made out to be villains now, yet MLB knew there was something going on a long time ago. If a large percentage of MLB players were taking the drugs to compete with each other, does that make all of the said players "cheaters"?
Baseball home run totals from 1990-2007 were extremely high. They were much lower every year previous to 1990, and have also been lower since 2008, when testing became common for performance enhancing drugs.
Ticket sales and television ratings in 1998 were extremely high for MLB when there were record numbers of home runs being hit. Ticket sales and televisions ratings are down now. MLB profited highly from the home runs being hit 1998 and other surrounding years, but did nothing in terms of investigating the players who were using the drugs. These players are made out to be villains now, yet MLB knew there was something going on a long time ago. If a large percentage of MLB players were taking the drugs to compete with each other, does that make all of the said players "cheaters"?
Blog # 31 Performance enhancing drugs in Athletics
Performance enhancing drugs in professional and intercollegiate sports will probably be the topic of my CP paper.
The motivation to succeed and reasons behind drug use will be considered. Who profits the most from the drugs ? Athletes themselves, or the teams and leagues they play for ? Do Universities profit from athletes using performance enhancing drugs ? What toll do the drugs take on the human body ? Is it cheating if there are no regulations in place for the drugs ? Who is to blame ? Maybe too broad, I may focus on particular areas.
Major League Baseball (MLB) made millions when people tuned in or went to games to watch Mark Mcgwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, and a host of other players hit home runs. In fact, MLB pondered the idea of using metal bats (as opposed to wood) in the late 1980s to increase home runs and scoring in games to make it more exciting for the fans. The sport was deemed "too boring" by many as professional football (NFL) and professional basketball (NBA) grew in popularity. Now that performance enhancing drugs are regulated, and offensive numbers are back down in MLB, attendance and fan interest seem to be dropping.
MLB profited from players who suddenly gained vast amounts of muslcle and body size in the 1990's. Why weren't there investigations and regulations being implemented then ? Baseball profited, and now players who helped baseball make money are vilified by the media and by MLB itself. Was it wrong for these players to use the drugs if they weren't regulated ?
The motivation to succeed and reasons behind drug use will be considered. Who profits the most from the drugs ? Athletes themselves, or the teams and leagues they play for ? Do Universities profit from athletes using performance enhancing drugs ? What toll do the drugs take on the human body ? Is it cheating if there are no regulations in place for the drugs ? Who is to blame ? Maybe too broad, I may focus on particular areas.
Major League Baseball (MLB) made millions when people tuned in or went to games to watch Mark Mcgwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, and a host of other players hit home runs. In fact, MLB pondered the idea of using metal bats (as opposed to wood) in the late 1980s to increase home runs and scoring in games to make it more exciting for the fans. The sport was deemed "too boring" by many as professional football (NFL) and professional basketball (NBA) grew in popularity. Now that performance enhancing drugs are regulated, and offensive numbers are back down in MLB, attendance and fan interest seem to be dropping.
MLB profited from players who suddenly gained vast amounts of muslcle and body size in the 1990's. Why weren't there investigations and regulations being implemented then ? Baseball profited, and now players who helped baseball make money are vilified by the media and by MLB itself. Was it wrong for these players to use the drugs if they weren't regulated ?
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Blog # 30 : Everyone is Buying it
This article by Krysta Suydam discusses materialism in our society. She brings up many valid points. Advertising and peer pressure make for a very materialistic society. Name brands mean everything, especially in the competitive culture we live in. As the author points out, prospects aren't good for the job market, and budgeting is important, but not something young adults focus on enough. Student loans are brought up, and though these are typically low interest, they can be sizable and take time to pay off. Something Krysta doesn't mention in the article is credit, or credit cards. A whole separate article could be written on that. I just think it's vital to bring credit cards up, because so many adults (young and old) rely on money they don't have to get the things we want. People frequently spend money they don't have. There is a reason we had to take out a very large loan from our friends in communist China (this is ironic to me). Now the United States owes someone money too. It should be an interesting future.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Blog # 29 : Classes, Finals, Friends, and Cancer: The Life of Future College Students?
This article by Shelby Veppert discusses cancer in college aged students. An important topic that not many 17-23 year old students probably think about. There's some good advice here from someone who cares. Like Shelby, I'm nobodies parent either, but the information regarding tanning, eating healthy, not smoking, and exercise is all true. I'm 32, and I smoked for 9 years. I'm in decent health at the moment, but I wish I never smoked, I wasn't very healthy during that period of my life. I give Ohio State credit for offering many food choices to it's students, but there are still way too many soda machines. Coke owns half the planet though, so you'll have that.
Overall the article was positive and gives good information without preaching too much.
Overall the article was positive and gives good information without preaching too much.
Blog # 28 : Comfort Food by Morgan Glaze
In this article, Morgan Glaze compares plastic surgery to ice cream, stating that people are "eating it up". I was surprised to hear that she knew of 5 different girls at Ohio State who had had plastic surgery (breast augmentation). It's one thing to hear about these things in Hollywood, but to understand that college students, and possibly even some younger women are having these surgeries tells us quite a bit about our society and the importance of physical appearance.
Heidi Montag is brought up as a celebrity influence. This is truly scary, because it's my opinion based on what I saw that Heidi looked fine (maybe even good) before she underwent procedures. While I realize this was something she had personal reasons for doing, it may not have provided a good influence to other attractive young women who have confidence issues. Most of her features are now artificial and exaggerated, and she's probably no more attractive than she was to begin with. In some ways, she's probably less attractive to due alterations in her appearance.
The main point of the article wasn't to condemn plastic surgery. It seems to be Morgans opinion that you should only have plastic surgery if you want yourself to look a certain way, not because of what others may think. I would tend to agree with that, though I'm afraid the way we feel about our own appearances will always be highly influenced in some way, shape, or form by those around us.
Heidi Montag is brought up as a celebrity influence. This is truly scary, because it's my opinion based on what I saw that Heidi looked fine (maybe even good) before she underwent procedures. While I realize this was something she had personal reasons for doing, it may not have provided a good influence to other attractive young women who have confidence issues. Most of her features are now artificial and exaggerated, and she's probably no more attractive than she was to begin with. In some ways, she's probably less attractive to due alterations in her appearance.
The main point of the article wasn't to condemn plastic surgery. It seems to be Morgans opinion that you should only have plastic surgery if you want yourself to look a certain way, not because of what others may think. I would tend to agree with that, though I'm afraid the way we feel about our own appearances will always be highly influenced in some way, shape, or form by those around us.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Blog # 27 : Introduction to ARP
People sometimes do irrational things when they are in love. Men specifically do extremely irrational things when they are in love. Chivalry is a term that has been used for hundreds of years. It's use originated in medieval Europe, but the word itself revolves around honor, virtue, and love. This paper will focus on the relationship of Mal and Inara from the TV series Firefly, and how the episode “Shindig” exemplifies chivalry and argues that it will always be a part of our human nature, regardless of where we are, or where we go.
(Still in progress.....)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Blog # 26 : Taking a deeper look at chivalry
There aren't many implications revolving around the idea of chivalry, honor, and men being territorial when it comes to women. This is something that is natural, and happens with many species of animals. Stepping back, analyzing, and watching what happens in the “Shindig” episode of Firefly allows us to observe extreme human behavior from a rational perspective. It also gives us an opportunity to compare it to real world situations and discuss the reasons for the behaviors involved.
It's my belief that a female who watches the episode isn't surprised by anything she sees. This is something a woman might appreciate a man doing if he cared about her. As a male, I'm not surprised when Atherton and Mal fight for Inara, and I assume not many other men would be either. It seems extreme though when you step back and look at the rationality of it. Yet, we all know why they are fighting and it doesn't shock us. It's makes you take a closer look at the situation though, and other real life situations similar to it, and ask "why?". My Analytical Research Project will answer that and hopefully give some perspective on the reasons behind the behavior.
blog # 25 : Real world connection
There are many real world connections to the chivalry that is on display in Firefly : “Shindig”. Gang violence was a good connection relating to present day chivalry and links the human behavior of the past to the human behavior of the future. A past example of chivalry may have been a fight between two knights in medieval England, or a gunfight between the Hatfield's and McCoy's in the late 1800s. These conflicts often revolved around disputes regarding women and relationships.
My current day real world connection revolves around gang violence. There are many reasons for the violence and the situations gangs themselves are involved in. However, “a lot of gang fighting is about girlfriends” says Wes McBride, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriffs investigator in California. He explains this in the article “When Chivalry is Deadly” by Tom Junod. McBride goes on to say “It's really a turf dispute. The woman is a man's property, and if she's insulted, he's insulted,. It's like, Hey, he dissed me. Or, Hey, I don't like the way he looked at you. And then it starts. But it starts with guns, and it's over in seconds.” This isn't like a sword fight that we see in Firefly, but the argument can be made that the situations are very similar.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Blog # 24 bridge between scene and real world
I’m comparing the chivalry in Firefly : “Shindig” to situations involving current day gang violence.
They’re very comparable. They only difference in terms of the physical dynamics of it are that guns are typically used in street gangs as opposed to the swords that were used in “Shindig”. It’s very common for a woman to be insulted, or “dissed” by another man. If the woman happens to live in a semi-archaic gang environment, in a certain part of Los Angeles California, this may lead to a conflict between males. If the female is in relationship with a male different than the one who insulted her, the relationship male will probably be told of the insult spewed by the first male. This will inevitably lead to some sort of confrontational conflict. Often times, this conflict will not involve a simple verbal conversation. They don’t typically argue with swords in current day Los Angeles either. Many people in these gang environments do have guns however. This is sometimes a way for men to have their “duels” in the current world.
Blog # 23 significant scene analysis
The sword fighting scene from Firefly : “Shindig” doesn’t argue anything so much. It’s more of a statement that men will do irrational things when they love a woman. If you want to argue that point, then watching “Shindig” becomes a solid premise for the argument that men will indeed go to great lengths when they love a woman. The sword fight itself seems a bit irrational as we watch, but nothing shocking occurs. Men fighting over women is something that has been going on in various cultures since prehistory of mankind. It has little shock value because we’ve all seen men fight over women in some way. In our society, it’s much more verbal and psychological. In a more archaic society, men would fight over swords. In a modern archaic society, that is somewhat less “civilized” than our own, men might commonly shoot each other with guns over disputes regarding women, and personal honor.
The sword fighting scene itself isn’t anything too extreme because it mimics sword fighting scenes from previous civilizations of our own present day. It shows us however that men display forms of chivalry. Firefly takes place in the future, so it is being argued that chivalry will take place in the future. Just like we know it did in the past, and it sometimes still does in the present.
Evidence to support Mal loving Inara comes from a combination of other incidences in various episodes of Firefly. There are many one on one conversations between Mal and Inara, when no one else is present. Mal makes many disrespecting statements of Inara because of her occupation, but at the same time always seems protective of her. The most obvious instance of Mal caring for Inara comes in “Shindig” when Mal fights Atherton to defend the honor of Inara. In another episode, “Our Mrs. Reynolds”, Inara kisses Mal while he is unconscious, fearing he is about to die. Both characters show mutual feelings towards one another.
Blog # 22 significant scene
In the Firefly episode “Shindig”, there was to be a duel between Atherton and Mal. They previously had gotten into an argument about Inara (a woman). After Mal punches Atherton, Atherton accepts this as a challenge to a sword duel.
The following day, the men face off, although Mal knows nothing about sword fighting. Atherton knows this is a highly advantageous situation for him.
The duel has many on-lookers, including Inara. Mal gets lucky early in the duel, and cuts Atherton across the chest with a shallow blow. After a brief skirmish, it becomes apparent Atherton is just toying with Mal, and is indeed far superior in terms of swordsmanship. Atherton lures Mal towards him by exposing his chest. As Mal approaches, Atherton spins around and stabs him in the side of the abdomen. Mal is hurt, but not vitally wounded. Not long after, Atherton is able to snap Mal’s sword blade while he is on the ground. Just as it appears Atherton is going to finish him, Inara says “Atherton, wait! I'll stay here, exclusive to you.
Just let him live.” Atherton is distracted at this point, and Mal is able to knock the sword from his hands and clubs him across the face with the handle portion of his own sword. He soon after takes control of Atherton’s sword, which he uses to wound him. Atherton isn’t mortally wounded. Mal has the opportunity to then finish Atherton, but he doesn’t.
Just let him live.” Atherton is distracted at this point, and Mal is able to knock the sword from his hands and clubs him across the face with the handle portion of his own sword. He soon after takes control of Atherton’s sword, which he uses to wound him. Atherton isn’t mortally wounded. Mal has the opportunity to then finish Atherton, but he doesn’t.
Atherton is humiliated and lashes out at Mal and Inara. In the end, he makes a fool of himself as Mal and Inara walk away together.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Blog #21 "Sperm does not vary widely in its price, but eggs do"
"Sperm does not vary widely in its price, but eggs do"
This is a brief comment from one of the many anthropological sources I may use. Being and anthropology major, I tend to see this side of relationships more than some people might. The main theme that will support the argument that chivalry exists (and will continue) is the biological motivations of males and females. This article and several others discuss the importance and value of female eggs as opposed to male sperm. We don't put this into verbal context or think about it much, but in my opinion, it's one of the primary motivators for all of our human behaviors ; Especially when it comes to relationships and intimacy. I may use multiple anthropological sources for reference, this is a temporary fix.
Lewis, Ellen. Feminist anthropology : a reader. Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
If you think about it, why are we here ? 90% or better of the human population reproduces, and many of the ones who don't, biologically are unable to (it's not for lack of trying). Even gay and lesbian couples often times want children. People make more people, just like all the other animal species. Eggs are worth fighting for. So we see two men (Mal and Atherton) fight each other in Firefly. In some aspects, the fight doesn't even shock the audience much because acts of chivalry are deeply integrated into our culture and society.
This is a brief comment from one of the many anthropological sources I may use. Being and anthropology major, I tend to see this side of relationships more than some people might. The main theme that will support the argument that chivalry exists (and will continue) is the biological motivations of males and females. This article and several others discuss the importance and value of female eggs as opposed to male sperm. We don't put this into verbal context or think about it much, but in my opinion, it's one of the primary motivators for all of our human behaviors ; Especially when it comes to relationships and intimacy. I may use multiple anthropological sources for reference, this is a temporary fix.
Lewis, Ellen. Feminist anthropology : a reader. Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
If you think about it, why are we here ? 90% or better of the human population reproduces, and many of the ones who don't, biologically are unable to (it's not for lack of trying). Even gay and lesbian couples often times want children. People make more people, just like all the other animal species. Eggs are worth fighting for. So we see two men (Mal and Atherton) fight each other in Firefly. In some aspects, the fight doesn't even shock the audience much because acts of chivalry are deeply integrated into our culture and society.
Blog #20 "Men who lived in an increasingly difficult and complex world committed acts of violence because of jealousy, driven by a sense of honor, by love and by desire for a woman."
"Men who lived in an increasingly difficult and complex world committed acts of violence because of jealousy, driven by a sense of honor, by love and by desire for a woman."
This article discusses chivalry and other issues from Eighteenth century China. I don't plan to use a great deal from this article, but it will be one of several sources that I use to reflect on chivalry over time, and how it has always been a part of our society. This is an important bridge as we come to some of the current day archaic chivalry we still see in parts of our society, including the gang violence that will be brought up in some detail on my APR. More importantly than chivalry though, this article shows how men will become prone to acts of violence when driven by love and desire for a woman. This describes Mal and Atherton in Firefly : "Shindig" to perfection.
"Fighting For Love: Male Jealousy In Eighteenth Century China." Men, Women and Gender in Early Imperial China, Vol. 4 Issue 1, (2002), pages 35-69.
This article discusses chivalry and other issues from Eighteenth century China. I don't plan to use a great deal from this article, but it will be one of several sources that I use to reflect on chivalry over time, and how it has always been a part of our society. This is an important bridge as we come to some of the current day archaic chivalry we still see in parts of our society, including the gang violence that will be brought up in some detail on my APR. More importantly than chivalry though, this article shows how men will become prone to acts of violence when driven by love and desire for a woman. This describes Mal and Atherton in Firefly : "Shindig" to perfection.
"Fighting For Love: Male Jealousy In Eighteenth Century China." Men, Women and Gender in Early Imperial China, Vol. 4 Issue 1, (2002), pages 35-69.
Blog # 19 "We all have theories..."
"We all have theories about what makes a successful relationship tick--romance, communication, what have you. But those theories are more than mere musings: they influence how--and how hard--we fall in love."
This quote comes from a brief article about how hard people fall in love. According to a study done by 3 researchers in New Zealand , how hard people fall in love depends largely upon their personal beliefs. While this may be somewhat true, I won't be using this article as much (maybe one quote) as some of the others. However, the concept and idea of how hard people fall in love does coincide with the relationship of Mal and Inara on Firefly.
Another potential (and possibly more ideal) quote....
"What's important is how closely your relationship mirrors whatever beliefs you bring to it."
"Love's Labors". Pshycology Today ; May/June (1995), Vol. 28 Issue 3, p21
Friday, April 15, 2011
Blog #18 "Given that romantic love is an important part of our lives, one would also expect the same of falling in love."
"Given that romantic love is an important part of our lives, one would also expect the same of falling in love."
Riela, Suzanne. “Experiences of falling in love: Investigating culture, ethnicity, gender, and speed.” Journal of social and personal relationships. Volume 27, Issue 4 (June 2010) p473-493.
blog #17 "A lot of gang fighting is about girlfriends."
"A lot of gang fighting is about girlfriends." Written by Tom Junod for esquire (Feb2008) the article "When Chivalry is Deadly" talks about societies that are "honor based". The article also discusses gang violence and points out that on many occasions, the violence is initiated when a woman is insulted. After a woman is insulted, the man who loves that woman is also insulted, or "dissed". The article is short in terms of description of gang violence, I will find another for my paper. It clearly shows the premise for the argument that chivalry is still alive today though, and that it probably will always exist in every society. There are several classic quotes from this article that will show up in my paper.
Junod, Tom. "When Chivalry Is Deadly", Esquire; Feb2008, Issue 2, p100
Junod, Tom. "When Chivalry Is Deadly", Esquire; Feb2008, Issue 2, p100
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Blog # 15 : Love's Labors
This article talks about how our own values can effect "how hard" we fall in love with someone of the opposite sex. Basically, everyone is different in terms of how they will fall in love. I only plan to use small references from this article.
My plans are to use another handful of references in addition to the main 5. I will also possibly use some real world experience and maybe even conduct some personal interviews if time allows. Some of the items I'm looking at for my paper are referenced news stories and interviews.
After the prospectus assignment, it seems like a universal agreement (by both men and women) that men especially will do some pretty irrational things when they are in love with a girl. Some of the things men do are completely irrational. Of course, women do irrational things too, but they don't often have sword fights like Mal and Atherton had in the Firefly episode "Shindig". In addition to fighting over women, men often go beyond that and do another handful of extreme things. I'm going to look at some of those things, and the chivalry aspect in my paper.
"Love's Labors". Pshycology Today ; May/June (1995), Vol. 28 Issue 3, p21
My plans are to use another handful of references in addition to the main 5. I will also possibly use some real world experience and maybe even conduct some personal interviews if time allows. Some of the items I'm looking at for my paper are referenced news stories and interviews.
After the prospectus assignment, it seems like a universal agreement (by both men and women) that men especially will do some pretty irrational things when they are in love with a girl. Some of the things men do are completely irrational. Of course, women do irrational things too, but they don't often have sword fights like Mal and Atherton had in the Firefly episode "Shindig". In addition to fighting over women, men often go beyond that and do another handful of extreme things. I'm going to look at some of those things, and the chivalry aspect in my paper.
"Love's Labors". Pshycology Today ; May/June (1995), Vol. 28 Issue 3, p21
Blog # 14 : When Chivalry Is Deadly
This was a relatively short, simple article my Tom Junod that ponders the importance of honor and Chivalry. It talks about gang violence, and how much of it revolves around men and their "ownership" of women. If a woman is disrespected in any way by another male, whoever is with that woman is made to feel like they themselves have been disrespected. When fights occur in gang environments such as those that exist in parts of Los Angeles, men don't typically fight with swords (like the dual in Firefly : "Shindig"), they instead use guns. The fights don't last very long. As mentioned, nobody wants to be the one who brings a knife to a gunfight. Though this article focuses more on gang violence, it shows a modern form of Archaic Chivalry that goes back thousands of years. The men probably have no idea what the word "Chivalry" even means, but they do indeed practice a form of it.
Junod, Tom. "When Chivalry Is Deadly", Esquire; Feb2008, Issue 2, p100
Junod, Tom. "When Chivalry Is Deadly", Esquire; Feb2008, Issue 2, p100
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Blog # 13 : Research for APR
While looking for reasons as to why Mal and Atherton would be willing to attempt to murder one another, we have to consider that both men are obviously in love with Inara. Although, Mal isn't exactly forthcoming to her in terms of his true feelings. The fear of losing her however has brought some of his true feelings out. His jealousy and anger towards Atherton is very obvious, as he sees Atherton as a true threat. Mal isn't ready to admit that he loves Inara yet, but nobody else is allowed to.
This article discusses some of the precursors to falling in love. The factors listed in the article include reciprocal liking, appearance, personality, similarity, familiarity, social influences, filling needs, arousal, readiness, specific cues, isolation, and mysteriousness. , such as a sword fight, I felt it was important to understand why he would fall in love with a woman.
This article discusses some of the precursors to falling in love. The factors listed in the article include reciprocal liking, appearance, personality, similarity, familiarity, social influences, filling needs, arousal, readiness, specific cues, isolation, and mysteriousness. , such as a sword fight, I felt it was important to understand why he would fall in love with a woman.
Riela, Suzanne. “Experiences of falling in love: Investigating culture, ethnicity, gender, and speed.” Journal of social and personal relationships. Volume 27, Issue 4 (June 2010) p473-493.
Blog # 12 : Research for APR
I felt this article was relevant because is shows us male envy and jealousy when it comes to women. In terms of time, it goes back several centuries. Since it's in China, it also shows a different culture besides the typical "Western" cultures we typically see a lot of media from in the United States and Europe. Biologically speaking, similar things go on among humans in various places. It shows variation in time and place, but similar behavior.
"Men who lived in an increasingly difficult and complex world committed acts of violence because of jealousy, driven by a sense of honor, by love and by desire for a woman."
"Fighting For Love" sums up what Atherton and Mal are doing to win over Inara in "Shindig".
"Fighting For Love: Male Jealousy In Eighteenth Century China." Men, Women and Gender in Early Imperial China, Vol. 4 Issue 1, (2002), pages 35-69.
"Men who lived in an increasingly difficult and complex world committed acts of violence because of jealousy, driven by a sense of honor, by love and by desire for a woman."
"Fighting For Love" sums up what Atherton and Mal are doing to win over Inara in "Shindig".
"Fighting For Love: Male Jealousy In Eighteenth Century China." Men, Women and Gender in Early Imperial China, Vol. 4 Issue 1, (2002), pages 35-69.
Blog # 11 : Feminist anthropology
Portions of this book discuss the value of human eggs. This is common for many placental mammals who give live birth. Basically though, human sperm is readily available quite often, and is worth less biologically. Female eggs are in higher demand because they are less frequently available. This may be part of the reason a girl is more selective than a guy when it comes to choosing a mate of any kind. I believe women look for quality over quantity. Where as a man may look for a quality mate, but is less selective when it comes to who he will be with physically, as he would like to fertilize as many eggs as possible. Biologically, it's what males tend to do.
This is very important though in relation to Firefly's Shindig episode. Mal and Atherton are fighting over Inara. Both men are willing to die over a woman. Basically, they are fighting for the rights to be with her because her eggs are in extremely high demand. In addition to her being a female with eggs, she also has more attractive female features than many others, which makes her eggs even more valuable. The men would like their offspring to posses her attractive qualities and attributes. Of course, they're not really thinking about all this while they are "in love" or "lusting" over Inara. Tunnel vision sets in though, and they both want the same woman.
This is very important though in relation to Firefly's Shindig episode. Mal and Atherton are fighting over Inara. Both men are willing to die over a woman. Basically, they are fighting for the rights to be with her because her eggs are in extremely high demand. In addition to her being a female with eggs, she also has more attractive female features than many others, which makes her eggs even more valuable. The men would like their offspring to posses her attractive qualities and attributes. Of course, they're not really thinking about all this while they are "in love" or "lusting" over Inara. Tunnel vision sets in though, and they both want the same woman.
Lewis, Ellen. Feminist anthropology : a reader. Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Blog # 10: Research
I'm using the Firefly “Shindig” episode for my Analytical Research Project. This episode illustrates some of the irrational and crazy things men do when they are in love with a woman. “Shindig” features a dual between two men (Mal and Atherton) to win the heart of a woman (Inara).
I plan on finding some real world historical occurrences of men fighting each other, possibly even risking their lives for the women they love. I'm also looking for an article that analyzes what love is and maybe gives some incite on how men and women fall in love, and why men are so willing to “fight” for the woman they love. Anthropologically, I will attempt to explain why men are willing to die sometimes in order to win over a woman; There is more to it than whats on the surface.
I will only use one or two of the following, they may all possibly be replaced by later in the week. I haven't had adequate time to research yet.
Alcock, John. Animal behavior : an evolutionary approach. Sunderland, Mass, Sinauer Associates, 1993.
Lewis, Ellen. Feminist anthropology : a reader. Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
Moore, Lisa Jean. Sperm counts: overcome by mans most prestigious fluid. NYU Press, 2007.
Sarah Franklin and Susan Mckinnon. Relative Values : reconfiguring kinship studies. Duke University Press, 2001.
Riela, Suzanne. “Experiences of falling in love: Investigating culture, ethnicity, gender, and speed.” Journal of social and personal relationships. Volume 27, Issue 4 (June 2010) p473-493.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Blog #9 Prospectus
I'm looking at using the Firefly "Shindig" episode for my Analytical Research Project. This episode illustrates some off the irrational and sometimes crazy things that men do when they are "in love" with a woman. Joss Wheden illustrates this in the "Shindig" episode by showing two men (Atherton and Mal) challenging each other to a sword fight over the girl (Inara). We see this dual as being a bit over the top, but for the two men, there is nothing more important at the moment than Inara.
From a rational standpoint, we reason that there are plenty of fish in the sea, and that the love of one person isn't worth dying for. At a boiling point in "Shindig" we see two men who obviously have strong feelings for the same woman. Whedon illustrates that rationality means little when the emotions of love and affection come into play. There comes a time when either man is willing to die in order to win the girl. It makes very little sense that Mal would fight so hard to "defend the honor" of a woman he sometimes would call a "whore". This proves somewhat ironic, but also shows us a serious development in the relationship between Mal and Inara.
Atherton has less to lose, he is a skilled swordsman. He is the one who actually proposes the duel. He does this in part because he knows he would stand little chance if he had to fight Mal without a weapon.
There are many episodes and examples throughout history of men doing things that are borderline crazy to win over the women they are in love with. I'm not exactly sure what I will look for in terms of research, but probably some real world historical references, along with more recent examples. "How far will men go for love ?", or something to that effect may end up being the potential research question. I don't believe the episode makes a strong argument, but more of a statement about how a man will do anything for a woman he truly loves. As stated, there have been many examples of this throughout history, and I intend to find some of the classic ones for my paper. I'm also planning to question and examine why other instances of this irrational sort of behavior occur, and why people (men especially) , would be willing to risk not only their safety, but pretty much everything they have in order to win over a woman.
From a rational standpoint, we reason that there are plenty of fish in the sea, and that the love of one person isn't worth dying for. At a boiling point in "Shindig" we see two men who obviously have strong feelings for the same woman. Whedon illustrates that rationality means little when the emotions of love and affection come into play. There comes a time when either man is willing to die in order to win the girl. It makes very little sense that Mal would fight so hard to "defend the honor" of a woman he sometimes would call a "whore". This proves somewhat ironic, but also shows us a serious development in the relationship between Mal and Inara.
Atherton has less to lose, he is a skilled swordsman. He is the one who actually proposes the duel. He does this in part because he knows he would stand little chance if he had to fight Mal without a weapon.
There are many episodes and examples throughout history of men doing things that are borderline crazy to win over the women they are in love with. I'm not exactly sure what I will look for in terms of research, but probably some real world historical references, along with more recent examples. "How far will men go for love ?", or something to that effect may end up being the potential research question. I don't believe the episode makes a strong argument, but more of a statement about how a man will do anything for a woman he truly loves. As stated, there have been many examples of this throughout history, and I intend to find some of the classic ones for my paper. I'm also planning to question and examine why other instances of this irrational sort of behavior occur, and why people (men especially) , would be willing to risk not only their safety, but pretty much everything they have in order to win over a woman.
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