So I feel I should post something a little less serious to tip the karmic scales back to neutral. So I would like to post this link to a wonderful song, dig it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__OSyznVDOY
We're playing it in jazz band, it's a bari sax standard (as requested by our bari player), but it's really catchy and has that deep melody that only a dark bari can deliver. Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Well...I have no Excuse...but...
Lets face it, the education system represented in my state (the wonderful land of potatoes, Idaho!) is beyond inferior to the rest of the country. There are many reasons for this, and none of it (at least in the grand scheme of things) is due to the actual educators. It has more to do with the administration and the local populous prefering their interstates repaved twice a year to a quality classroom.
Any decent educator can tell you that a small class size will produce better educated children, simply due to the fact you can get to know your students better, and spend more time assisting them individually instead of the old college stand-by of cram and spam (30+students/classroom+teacher/prof who just lectures w/o any real emphasis or feeling or personality...). Current classroom policies being discussed right now ask that classroom cap sizes (which are generally 10 less of what the actual average class size is) be increased to 28-30 students/class. That is rediculous, considering what teaching already infers with students. With that proposal, they also suggest that every secondary student be given a laptop to keep. Sure, tech junkies will be impressed, but really, a cheap laptop handed out en masse is only a concoction for trouble. If you were ever a teenager, and given something technologically fancy that could be accessed during class, you were never really doing classwork. You were probably texting, listening to music, checkin social websites, or looking at porn. Lets get serious, who the hell thinks laptops are a good solution? I know myself now here in college, and in lecture classes (i.e spam-crams) i just pull out my laptop for "notetaking" and play tetris while updating blogger or facebook, useful. And unless I'm much mistaken, 18 year old me wasn't any more ambitious or trustworthy with such things (thankyou mp3 players, you broke highschool boredom). That's strike two.
Strike three: the new plan proposes to cut aroun 874 teaching positions-not "school faculty," but teachers. Those same rediculously overqualified and underpaid public servants that we all entrust to pave the way for a better tomorrow-we want to gut them. I personally have an issue with this because basically everyone I am friends with are planning on becoming educators of some sort, and the threat of them not being able to find a job and make a difference in people's lives is disturbing to me.
The cycle will remain as it is now, that students of today will get a stupid education. They will live stupid lives in ignorance and assume that education is not neccessary (or as the colloquialism around here is, "a waste of time"), and they will reproduce (more likely than not with more than three kids since this is a rural state) and pass the values that a good education has little value to their offspring. How wonderful. So in 20years, Idaho will be controlled by a bunch of idiots who still prefer their roads to the state of their society, remaining in blissful ignorence of the world's problems.
Education is not a buisiness, trying to run it as such will run it into the ground. It isn't just on a wide scale that this happens (no child left behind does a good job screwing the pooch nationally, certain elected officials in this state keep "streamlining" the education machine, and at my local university certain higher officials keep trying to do backhanded financial deals) which is why certain ideas can be used in a multitude of ways.
-Invest in your educators-higher qualified people have more options available to them, so make it worth their while to be part of your institution.
-Keep buildings and materials up to date. This is going to be the "upkeep" and second most expensive portion of a school system's budget. New books, new gym equipment, building expansions/constructions, etc... Without these things up to date, learning will quickly diminish in its value.
-Don't ever sell yourselves for personal gain. I know, a politician that isn't crooked is as real as the tooth fairy, but sometimes they take throwbacks from sources unrelated (and non-interferring) to their office. When you let a third party invest in people you technically have no say over, the results are tumultuous at best.
-Students are not a product, their education will set the stage of the world decades from now. There is a vast repitoryof studies done on how a person's primary education experiences directly correlate with how they will behave within society as well as a person later on in life. This is not coincidence considering we are creatures of habit, and therefor, what we start with is usually what we want to end with even if we don't like it. So don't nickle and dime them like they were a used car, they will be controlling your life someday, whether you like the thought of it or not.
That's a rant that I've been wanting to put down for a few days now. So it goes.
Monday, January 24, 2011
What's that, striding up the street!?
Is it a circus performer? A hobo with big sticks!? NOO!!! It's Pocatello's greatest superhero! Eliptical Man! Once an ordinary college student trying to major in Buisiness or Economics or something like that, that one day discovered online shopping! Perusing a popular site of percarious pieces of perfected products, he found an item that would change his life forever. Invented by a supposed crazed hobo who claimed to be the duke of lower east Manhattan, it was a bicycle that had its pedals replaced with an Eliptical Excersize machine!
A supposed shot of the Hero being chased by the villian...could it be a fake?He now strides at furious speeds (rumored to be above 30mph!) to stop evil wherever it rears its ugly head! His weaknesses include steep hills, road blocks, unpaved surfaces, and walls!
He enjoys towering over all the small children as he just stays close enough behind them to scare them, also he likes to try and grab cats from trees...or put them up there, depending on the time of day.
His greatest rival is none other than the speedy dodger the Pocatello Wind!! Nobody knows much about the Pocatello Wind, only that it wreaks havoc upon the town, causing slight irritableness to all who dwell there! The battles between the two are epic...for the 4months a year where it's actually nice to go outside.
Keep your eyes peeled Southern Idaho, for your streets are being protected by Eliptical Man!!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Listening
So I'm listening to my girlfriend's online lecture for her American History class. I find it amusing that the professor discusses that America was seen as a profiteering venture, only then to assimilate the later trends we identify as American Revolutionary thinking: freedom of religion, government, equal power, etc... America started with great intentions as a country, we have seemingly come a far ways from our original ideals, but I still feel we have a lot of policies that remain better than many other countries.
Yes, America is the self proclaimed leader of the western world, we wish to believe we are still #1 in all things, but unfortunately, we are now as Britain was at the turning of the Raj, and are slipping from power. People wish to believe that America has always been the best, but it realistically only started after WWII, which is less than 100 years.
Who then will take the reigns as world superpower? China? Japan? The European Union? None of the above. A single world power is impossible in modern society. To put it simply, a Capatilistic world has to remain too diverse to monopolize, so no single country can contain all the power. America still has the most diverse economy in the world, but not the strongest. That would actually go to Sweden, who always has maintained a strong Socialist economy carefully monitored through a very selective population. The strongest armed forces without a doubt is still America's, we invest enough to stay ahead of the technological curve of killing, but China has become masters of the computer subterfuge. What do I mean by this? They have been going around to major buisinesses and government jobs looking to strike a deal, you know- my company scratches your back if you scratch mine sort of affair. Well, what happens is when these proposals go down, they give a cd or jumpdrive that has their "preview" or "demo" of their product, what the company doesn't know is that it has a deeply encrypted virus that downloads the entire Company's system to a remote location, and within weeks, the company will be dominated or shut down by these Chinese buisinessmen. They've hacked into MI6 and MI5, most likely the CIA and FBI as well, along with numerous fortune 500's. So what defense is there against an economic war with no paper trails?
So who controls true power in the world scene? The U.N has now teeth, though I personally agree with their aims and goals. However they have a hard time even policing themselves, there are always numerous stories how UN controlled states suffer from theft, rape, and pillaging from their would-be protectors. Why? Because nobody can control them, they have total control and can get away with murder if they so chose....so obviously there is something crooked here.
Third world countries (specifically American) control the drug trafficking of the world. They are powerful in the black markets, and to a great extent, politically on an international level. In 2005-06 when Bush was threatening to build a giant 20' wall around the border of Mexico to keep aliens out (how utterly thoughtful...) and the Mexican president's response: you go ahead and do that, I'll legalize acid and meth. Surprise, we didn't build a wall at the threat that drugs would be so easy to access. And now Mexico is at war with itself due to cartels...but that's another story altogether.
So I feel America is still very powerful, but within itself it is seeing a great power flux, not the whole Dems vs. Reps., that has always existed and never has really meant much, considering both political parties are just a little left and right of the middle (compare to Torries and Workman parties of Britain which are extremes...), but instead we are seeing West against East. I feel it is much the same idea of why America fractured from the crown to begin with- how can someone thousands of miles away know what is best for us? I'm not saying were going to have another Civil war, that's just stupid. But how can our elected officials properly dictate to us what is best for our states when they only see their "home" a couple weeks a year? And how does New York have any say how something like, motorized off-road vehicle restrictions in Yellowstone of Cascade National Parks, when they don't even live or see these places. It doesn't effect them in any way, but it can devastate local ecologies and economies, which in the end bite them back. For that matter-what right do states like Idaho or Montana have in dictating Urban laws for the country? Most cities have larger populations than these states, so what would we know about it?
California and Texas both act basically indipendent of how the states dictate they should, but we still allow them in the union. California buys excess power from all it's neighboring states, all the way from Idaho...which begs me to ask, if your state doesn't have enough resources to sustain itself, maybe a little internal restructuring is in order? But I'm ranting now.
I just feel that times have changed and that where the central power of America is located, should be a bit more literal in the "central" category. Someplace like Iowa, or Wyoming should have the capitol building... but that's never going to happen.
So withing the next couple of decades, the world will be shaken and there will be an extreme amount of change that will alter power the world over.
That's a rant for today. Yay...
Yes, America is the self proclaimed leader of the western world, we wish to believe we are still #1 in all things, but unfortunately, we are now as Britain was at the turning of the Raj, and are slipping from power. People wish to believe that America has always been the best, but it realistically only started after WWII, which is less than 100 years.
Who then will take the reigns as world superpower? China? Japan? The European Union? None of the above. A single world power is impossible in modern society. To put it simply, a Capatilistic world has to remain too diverse to monopolize, so no single country can contain all the power. America still has the most diverse economy in the world, but not the strongest. That would actually go to Sweden, who always has maintained a strong Socialist economy carefully monitored through a very selective population. The strongest armed forces without a doubt is still America's, we invest enough to stay ahead of the technological curve of killing, but China has become masters of the computer subterfuge. What do I mean by this? They have been going around to major buisinesses and government jobs looking to strike a deal, you know- my company scratches your back if you scratch mine sort of affair. Well, what happens is when these proposals go down, they give a cd or jumpdrive that has their "preview" or "demo" of their product, what the company doesn't know is that it has a deeply encrypted virus that downloads the entire Company's system to a remote location, and within weeks, the company will be dominated or shut down by these Chinese buisinessmen. They've hacked into MI6 and MI5, most likely the CIA and FBI as well, along with numerous fortune 500's. So what defense is there against an economic war with no paper trails?
So who controls true power in the world scene? The U.N has now teeth, though I personally agree with their aims and goals. However they have a hard time even policing themselves, there are always numerous stories how UN controlled states suffer from theft, rape, and pillaging from their would-be protectors. Why? Because nobody can control them, they have total control and can get away with murder if they so chose....so obviously there is something crooked here.
Third world countries (specifically American) control the drug trafficking of the world. They are powerful in the black markets, and to a great extent, politically on an international level. In 2005-06 when Bush was threatening to build a giant 20' wall around the border of Mexico to keep aliens out (how utterly thoughtful...) and the Mexican president's response: you go ahead and do that, I'll legalize acid and meth. Surprise, we didn't build a wall at the threat that drugs would be so easy to access. And now Mexico is at war with itself due to cartels...but that's another story altogether.
So I feel America is still very powerful, but within itself it is seeing a great power flux, not the whole Dems vs. Reps., that has always existed and never has really meant much, considering both political parties are just a little left and right of the middle (compare to Torries and Workman parties of Britain which are extremes...), but instead we are seeing West against East. I feel it is much the same idea of why America fractured from the crown to begin with- how can someone thousands of miles away know what is best for us? I'm not saying were going to have another Civil war, that's just stupid. But how can our elected officials properly dictate to us what is best for our states when they only see their "home" a couple weeks a year? And how does New York have any say how something like, motorized off-road vehicle restrictions in Yellowstone of Cascade National Parks, when they don't even live or see these places. It doesn't effect them in any way, but it can devastate local ecologies and economies, which in the end bite them back. For that matter-what right do states like Idaho or Montana have in dictating Urban laws for the country? Most cities have larger populations than these states, so what would we know about it?
California and Texas both act basically indipendent of how the states dictate they should, but we still allow them in the union. California buys excess power from all it's neighboring states, all the way from Idaho...which begs me to ask, if your state doesn't have enough resources to sustain itself, maybe a little internal restructuring is in order? But I'm ranting now.
I just feel that times have changed and that where the central power of America is located, should be a bit more literal in the "central" category. Someplace like Iowa, or Wyoming should have the capitol building... but that's never going to happen.
So withing the next couple of decades, the world will be shaken and there will be an extreme amount of change that will alter power the world over.
That's a rant for today. Yay...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Another double whammy!
Ok, so another rant for today. Credit cards and indeed any credit system. I just finished paying off my credit card, which for all 1200$ that was on it initially, wound out costing me around 4000$. That's a lot of money for a college student to fork over.
What to say about credit companies-they are pushy, greedy, mean, persistent, and smooth talkers. They know how to sell their product really well, and take advantage of stupid college students ( I can probably extent this to just people in general, but i was just a freshman when this started).
And the story starts like this: I obtained the credit card my senior year in highschool to try and build some credit in college as well as overdraft protection the banker tried to convince me I absolutely needed. Bullshit. Best overdraft protection: go into the red once (meaning like $50+ of overdrafting), and smart people learn to budget so much better after that. So here's how I accrued my credit bill. My freshman year in college I did pretty well, paid everything, never went into the red, always are, and I was able to afford living in on-campus housing (fancy for dorms). One of the best years if my life to be sure,a lot because my best friend and cousin was there for it all. So the summer after that initial year we decide to move into an apartment together. He skipped town on me, which, when you work minimum wage and part-time, is a death sentence. I spent the year working my add off to succeeded in school and pay my debts. $450 a month was rent, and on the best of months, how much I earned in wages. So now you can see why that credit line I had left rather alone (except with quick, cheap monthly purchases that I immediately paid off to build credit) seemed like my only option. I know what you are probably thinking "why didn't you ask family for help or advice?" My dad was paying for my cell phone at the time (which I'm still eternally thankful for) but he has had some history of getting behind payments as well...so my phone often would be deactivated, and with no internet, I was alone. This is not an exaggeration, the only friendly human contact I had was at my work. Later in the school year my friend Mitch would hang out with me and share his flex meals with me (which I am also eternally thankful for). So that's how I made my debt. For three years I've been battling to get it paid off. As of 9:23pm Jan. 21, 2011 I have it eliminated.
My advice: if you feel the need to build credit, don't do it in college. You may want to start your life early, that's ok, but don't plan on buying a house until you established your credit as a couple. How you builds credit safely and easily: get one credit card to your most used grocery store, use it when you buy groceries , then go home and transfer money to pay it off immediately. Consistent payments and having fewer lines of credit GREATLY helps build credit. Not high payments less frequently.
Always pay your utilities and rent on-time. These silly bills help to establish credibility, which often helps you obtain credit or better housing or deals (you'd be surprised how far a couple of good references can take you).
Don't take out loans if at all possible. I make two exceptions: student loans and mortgages.lets face it, education us expensive and nobody wants to waste 9 years of the"playing it debt-free" method to get a 4 year degree. Houses are expensive, and nobody is going to save up $10k and just but a house (unless you are rich in which case you don't really need credit).
Now for these loans, get ahead with them, get that job but still live in a small apartment until you get a better job in life or married or something like that.you spent at least 4 years living in smaller spaces just fine, so why move up? Seriously, as a lower middle class wage you make around $30-50k annually. So if you still pay $300 a month for rent and have an average $200 a month in bills and groceries...that's $6k a year on what beds to be paid. How much outside of that you want to pay off your loans is up to you, but you can see how much faster you can pay it off by waiting a few years (ya you might want a new car, but c'mon, with the way gas is right now, that's not a sound investment really).
Mortgages are trickier because you can't just live in a cheap place to boost your monthly allowance on that bill. Still, if you have already eliminated almost all your other debts, and maintain things like you are still in college with no money, you can eliminate years of large debt in months.
so credit is the bitch of society in my opinion because you need it, and you need it eliminated. Not to mention or current world economic decline is due to overeager credit companies willing to suck the middle class dry, so avoid debt to these companies as much as possible. Try to only have one or no debtors at a time, but if you do find yourself in too deep with too many debtors, talk to a credit consultant or starving business major at your local college, they want to help get that monkey off everyone's back (or eat if you're the college student). Yes they charge a fee, but that isn't anywhere as bad as what the debtors charge you in overdraft or surplus charges is it?
So be smart, debt is inevitable, so prepare for it, and be ready to squash it as fast as possible.
What to say about credit companies-they are pushy, greedy, mean, persistent, and smooth talkers. They know how to sell their product really well, and take advantage of stupid college students ( I can probably extent this to just people in general, but i was just a freshman when this started).
And the story starts like this: I obtained the credit card my senior year in highschool to try and build some credit in college as well as overdraft protection the banker tried to convince me I absolutely needed. Bullshit. Best overdraft protection: go into the red once (meaning like $50+ of overdrafting), and smart people learn to budget so much better after that. So here's how I accrued my credit bill. My freshman year in college I did pretty well, paid everything, never went into the red, always are, and I was able to afford living in on-campus housing (fancy for dorms). One of the best years if my life to be sure,a lot because my best friend and cousin was there for it all. So the summer after that initial year we decide to move into an apartment together. He skipped town on me, which, when you work minimum wage and part-time, is a death sentence. I spent the year working my add off to succeeded in school and pay my debts. $450 a month was rent, and on the best of months, how much I earned in wages. So now you can see why that credit line I had left rather alone (except with quick, cheap monthly purchases that I immediately paid off to build credit) seemed like my only option. I know what you are probably thinking "why didn't you ask family for help or advice?" My dad was paying for my cell phone at the time (which I'm still eternally thankful for) but he has had some history of getting behind payments as well...so my phone often would be deactivated, and with no internet, I was alone. This is not an exaggeration, the only friendly human contact I had was at my work. Later in the school year my friend Mitch would hang out with me and share his flex meals with me (which I am also eternally thankful for). So that's how I made my debt. For three years I've been battling to get it paid off. As of 9:23pm Jan. 21, 2011 I have it eliminated.
My advice: if you feel the need to build credit, don't do it in college. You may want to start your life early, that's ok, but don't plan on buying a house until you established your credit as a couple. How you builds credit safely and easily: get one credit card to your most used grocery store, use it when you buy groceries , then go home and transfer money to pay it off immediately. Consistent payments and having fewer lines of credit GREATLY helps build credit. Not high payments less frequently.
Always pay your utilities and rent on-time. These silly bills help to establish credibility, which often helps you obtain credit or better housing or deals (you'd be surprised how far a couple of good references can take you).
Don't take out loans if at all possible. I make two exceptions: student loans and mortgages.lets face it, education us expensive and nobody wants to waste 9 years of the"playing it debt-free" method to get a 4 year degree. Houses are expensive, and nobody is going to save up $10k and just but a house (unless you are rich in which case you don't really need credit).
Now for these loans, get ahead with them, get that job but still live in a small apartment until you get a better job in life or married or something like that.you spent at least 4 years living in smaller spaces just fine, so why move up? Seriously, as a lower middle class wage you make around $30-50k annually. So if you still pay $300 a month for rent and have an average $200 a month in bills and groceries...that's $6k a year on what beds to be paid. How much outside of that you want to pay off your loans is up to you, but you can see how much faster you can pay it off by waiting a few years (ya you might want a new car, but c'mon, with the way gas is right now, that's not a sound investment really).
Mortgages are trickier because you can't just live in a cheap place to boost your monthly allowance on that bill. Still, if you have already eliminated almost all your other debts, and maintain things like you are still in college with no money, you can eliminate years of large debt in months.
so credit is the bitch of society in my opinion because you need it, and you need it eliminated. Not to mention or current world economic decline is due to overeager credit companies willing to suck the middle class dry, so avoid debt to these companies as much as possible. Try to only have one or no debtors at a time, but if you do find yourself in too deep with too many debtors, talk to a credit consultant or starving business major at your local college, they want to help get that monkey off everyone's back (or eat if you're the college student). Yes they charge a fee, but that isn't anywhere as bad as what the debtors charge you in overdraft or surplus charges is it?
So be smart, debt is inevitable, so prepare for it, and be ready to squash it as fast as possible.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5
Yessir...
So the other day I was at work when a community patron said"thank you sir"after I assisted her in finding materials for a report.this patron was obviously older than me, which begged me to ponder-when exactly did I become a"sir?"
I have been called sir before, but for the life of me, I don't know when I obtained that level of adultness. The first time I remember someone calling me sir in earnest was at the laundromat when a kid (about 10 years old) walked up to me and said "sir, your laundry is dry." It struck me odd, but the kid was polite and I was an adult by his standards and therefore a responsible (polite) sir was in order. Some time between then and last week I have become an official "sir."(not like a knight, but a professional...)
Positives: -people recognize maturity in me
- I have some authority as a library clerk
- I'm not mistaken for a teenager anymore
- People trust me and my abilities more
Negatives: - I'm getting older, damn.
- My bald spots probably have something to do with all this
- If I do something immature and stupid, people say I should know better and will probably not feel sympathy towards any damages occurred from said stupidity (broken bones from thinking I totally could do a backflip off of stairs [though I know a guy who can /jealous])
- I'm a sir...feel so damn old
I'm still conflicted whether I should take this as a positive or not...but this has bern on my mind for days.
I have been called sir before, but for the life of me, I don't know when I obtained that level of adultness. The first time I remember someone calling me sir in earnest was at the laundromat when a kid (about 10 years old) walked up to me and said "sir, your laundry is dry." It struck me odd, but the kid was polite and I was an adult by his standards and therefore a responsible (polite) sir was in order. Some time between then and last week I have become an official "sir."(not like a knight, but a professional...)
Positives: -people recognize maturity in me
- I have some authority as a library clerk
- I'm not mistaken for a teenager anymore
- People trust me and my abilities more
Negatives: - I'm getting older, damn.
- My bald spots probably have something to do with all this
- If I do something immature and stupid, people say I should know better and will probably not feel sympathy towards any damages occurred from said stupidity (broken bones from thinking I totally could do a backflip off of stairs [though I know a guy who can /jealous])
- I'm a sir...feel so damn old
I'm still conflicted whether I should take this as a positive or not...but this has bern on my mind for days.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thank God for Boots
As the title implies, gotta love boots! It is almost pure ice outside on any paved surface due to the melting snow and cold nights, and I don't know how many times in a 24 hour period one pair of old, purned, slashed, gashed, serated, dashed, slightly smelly, pair of work boots. Simple things usually make life easier and more comfortable.
On the other side of the coin, complex things that were specifically designed to make life easier usually wind out complicating everything further. Computers are fabulous, but they are complicated and stubborn, and are only as effective as all parties involved in working it. (in this case I mean the user, and in cases of internet related difficulties, the web host, the ISP, and of course, whoever the Hell doesn't know how to set up a router...)
But as for boots, they are wonderful!
On the other side of the coin, complex things that were specifically designed to make life easier usually wind out complicating everything further. Computers are fabulous, but they are complicated and stubborn, and are only as effective as all parties involved in working it. (in this case I mean the user, and in cases of internet related difficulties, the web host, the ISP, and of course, whoever the Hell doesn't know how to set up a router...)
But as for boots, they are wonderful!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A second post!
This post had no real place in the last post, but still remains on my mind. I hate this area of Southern Idaho for a vast amount of reasons. One of the most prominent is the stigma that you must marry young. I've seen so many people around here absurdly dive into a life long
relationship based on little more than knowing their name and supposed life philosophy...which to me, is insanity. I have been dating my girlfriend Abidoobi now for almost two years. Yes we're in love and care about each other, and we still like being friends, and we work out as roommates, as well as financial partners, we compliment each other; in so many words we work really well together.
By no means am I in a hurry to get married.
Why? I don't know, there are a lot of legal repricussions for getting hitched, ontop of the fact that even with divorce being oh so simple now-a-days, (as well as having gone through one with my parents) I feel that marriage is something you do pretending divorce was not an option, ever. You commit to that person for life, and I have a hard time doing that unless I really understand the person.
Let me advertise this real quick before I start getting flamed for this post:
This is my personal feeling, and does not reflect upon anyone or their marital decisions. With that said, back to the post.
I have to spend years to truely get to know a person, because one year is nothing in the grand scheme of things. I've lived with some of my closest friends for years, and I still barely know them really... And I live with my current girlfriend, and she is my best friend, but we still don't know everything about each other, and God (ha!) willing, that will never change. I have no intent on ever leaving her, and yes we've discussed the "M" word, and agreed that waiting is what we both want.
Now here's where I don't care about people flaming me- she and I have been together longer than I'd say 30% of the married couples I know. That's not a small number either, considering I include relatives and old friends. So really, how do "know" that the person is right for you in a matter of a few months? Or are most people just kidding themselves in wanting sex or to fit the social norm? I don't have anyone in mind in saying any of this, I just could never make such a mega decision so lightly.
relationship based on little more than knowing their name and supposed life philosophy...which to me, is insanity. I have been dating my girlfriend Abidoobi now for almost two years. Yes we're in love and care about each other, and we still like being friends, and we work out as roommates, as well as financial partners, we compliment each other; in so many words we work really well together.By no means am I in a hurry to get married.
Why? I don't know, there are a lot of legal repricussions for getting hitched, ontop of the fact that even with divorce being oh so simple now-a-days, (as well as having gone through one with my parents) I feel that marriage is something you do pretending divorce was not an option, ever. You commit to that person for life, and I have a hard time doing that unless I really understand the person.
Let me advertise this real quick before I start getting flamed for this post:
This is my personal feeling, and does not reflect upon anyone or their marital decisions. With that said, back to the post.
I have to spend years to truely get to know a person, because one year is nothing in the grand scheme of things. I've lived with some of my closest friends for years, and I still barely know them really... And I live with my current girlfriend, and she is my best friend, but we still don't know everything about each other, and God (ha!) willing, that will never change. I have no intent on ever leaving her, and yes we've discussed the "M" word, and agreed that waiting is what we both want.
Now here's where I don't care about people flaming me- she and I have been together longer than I'd say 30% of the married couples I know. That's not a small number either, considering I include relatives and old friends. So really, how do "know" that the person is right for you in a matter of a few months? Or are most people just kidding themselves in wanting sex or to fit the social norm? I don't have anyone in mind in saying any of this, I just could never make such a mega decision so lightly.
The Light!
As a musician, it is nearly a daily run-in where one must question the metaphorical implications of exactly what your music represents, symbolizes, portrays, and otherwise "says." When considering such artistry, a person has an arsenal of words they use to attempt at grasping and maintaining the feeling and concepts they feel by using words. Even though it has been done time and again, it always surprises me at how many ways one word may be taken and defined.
Take "light" for example. There are the typical definitions for it, a particle/wave that is within the visible spectrum of energy wavelengths; a weight that is small or easily lifted by an individual; or a less fattening butter alternative. There is also the metaphorical definitions behind this word (just to name a few) there is its representation with intelligence(oh, hell, pick a religion), warmth (bleak cold winter night, nice warm fire), comfort (a light in a dark place, we seek it out), energy (in the "get up and go" sense). Conversely, it can also represent unwillingness (don't head towards the light unless your really sure...), fear (just look at Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers when Gandalf the white blinds and stops the group dead), slavery (just ask the Jewish folk under Rah), sickness (his skin was quite light and ashen...), and probably thousands of more examples.
What surprises me even further is what these words can mean to an individual in very personal ways. I feel that we construct these meanings usually without knowing, that we connect certain words to certain objects, feelings, times, thoughts.... and with those sleeping ideas, I feel they seep out into our dreaming states. As odd as this may sound, whenever I dream of myself dieing, in whatever situation it happened, I, in real life, usually have a new beginning or a rebirth of what was dieing. So death to me has a profound definition of rebirth, or life, to me. No idea where that came from, just that it's there.
Our cat just recently had a lot of doctoring, with a checkup for earmites, and again a week later to have three broken teeth extracted. She has no way of telling us what is wrong with her, and even her physical language is alien to me, admittedly I think saying "Hey idiot, I have ear parasites" is difficult with anything less than sign language in the physical department, and cats don't show pain if they can help it, so knowing something is wrong is rather difficult. Anyways, Minnie despises her carrier, as well as other animals in general. She does not understand language as we do (whether or not she gets the gist of what I am saying, or more rather how, is still a mystery) so to her, the abstract objects hold a different meaning from how we typically view it. So, if kitties could describe their world through abstract fashion (what we say is "art"), what would the world look like through her eyes? Would it be any more bizzarre, than say, Picaso's view on the world? Would she be so bold and abstract? Or would she rather take the literal picture, and just use a title, or her own personal, well known, history to help define the piece?
So a cat cannot do art, in any way we conceive, however people can, and how wonderous would the world become if everyone tried their hand at someone defining their world through an art? I don't know the answer, but I feel much of the corporate shackles we allow ourselves to be chained to would become loosened, because that is the power of the abstract-to help define ourselves, and thus become stronger and more real. How's that for a real backwards definition?
Take "light" for example. There are the typical definitions for it, a particle/wave that is within the visible spectrum of energy wavelengths; a weight that is small or easily lifted by an individual; or a less fattening butter alternative. There is also the metaphorical definitions behind this word (just to name a few) there is its representation with intelligence(oh, hell, pick a religion), warmth (bleak cold winter night, nice warm fire), comfort (a light in a dark place, we seek it out), energy (in the "get up and go" sense). Conversely, it can also represent unwillingness (don't head towards the light unless your really sure...), fear (just look at Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers when Gandalf the white blinds and stops the group dead), slavery (just ask the Jewish folk under Rah), sickness (his skin was quite light and ashen...), and probably thousands of more examples.
What surprises me even further is what these words can mean to an individual in very personal ways. I feel that we construct these meanings usually without knowing, that we connect certain words to certain objects, feelings, times, thoughts.... and with those sleeping ideas, I feel they seep out into our dreaming states. As odd as this may sound, whenever I dream of myself dieing, in whatever situation it happened, I, in real life, usually have a new beginning or a rebirth of what was dieing. So death to me has a profound definition of rebirth, or life, to me. No idea where that came from, just that it's there.
Our cat just recently had a lot of doctoring, with a checkup for earmites, and again a week later to have three broken teeth extracted. She has no way of telling us what is wrong with her, and even her physical language is alien to me, admittedly I think saying "Hey idiot, I have ear parasites" is difficult with anything less than sign language in the physical department, and cats don't show pain if they can help it, so knowing something is wrong is rather difficult. Anyways, Minnie despises her carrier, as well as other animals in general. She does not understand language as we do (whether or not she gets the gist of what I am saying, or more rather how, is still a mystery) so to her, the abstract objects hold a different meaning from how we typically view it. So, if kitties could describe their world through abstract fashion (what we say is "art"), what would the world look like through her eyes? Would it be any more bizzarre, than say, Picaso's view on the world? Would she be so bold and abstract? Or would she rather take the literal picture, and just use a title, or her own personal, well known, history to help define the piece?
So a cat cannot do art, in any way we conceive, however people can, and how wonderous would the world become if everyone tried their hand at someone defining their world through an art? I don't know the answer, but I feel much of the corporate shackles we allow ourselves to be chained to would become loosened, because that is the power of the abstract-to help define ourselves, and thus become stronger and more real. How's that for a real backwards definition?
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