A Depressing

But good read on how people are dealing with hard economic times.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/news/0803/gallery.real_stories/index.html

Why The Hell Are You Wearing Shorts?

On the rare occasion that I sleep dangerously close to the beginning of a class or appointment, I usually drive to campus, look to the bus stop and notice that it has everything but the bus. It's a place to stop, that's it, and by the time a bus does come, I would most likely be late for the aforementioned class. I walk instead.

Today I had an interview on campus. I woke up late. I got to the commuter lot late. The bus was missing. I walked.

It was raining.

And cold. Very cold.

So there I am walking down 195 with a back pack, an umbrella in one hand, a camera case (huge) in front of me, and a tripod resting on top of that in a pair of jeans, a windbreaker and bare hands. To say that I was mildly uncomfortable would be a huge understatement. I believe my hands were blue at one point, but that may have been because of the color of my umbrella, however, the illusion played its part in me freaking out.

And I thought I was going to wear shorts today.

You're probably wondering why the hell I'm even bringing this up. Well, I often get conversations that go like this:

Person A: Why the hell are you wearing shorts? It's like, 30 degrees out here!
Me: I don't know, it's not that bad.
Person A: Aren't you cold?
Me: Yeah.
Person A: ...

Let me break it down for you, when it comes to physical "unhappy" experiences, there are three variations: Pain, Discomfort, and what can only be described by an adjective, annoying.

Pain can be worth it. You can fall out of a tree and get a concussion or get shot nine times and both, I'm sure you will agree, suck. But after the experience has come and gone, you have had enough time to reflect upon it and have a story to tell with friends when you go out to dinner. A notable "cool" factor is present, making pain ultimately worth it. It's bearable. It's a story. Hell, you might be able to go to a nearby bar and talk about your scar, cause you're cool like that.

Discomfort isn't as cool as pain and often sits in watching TV on a Friday night while his brother Pain is out socializing. Discomfort is at the opposite end of Pain and is a more meditative experience. It's cold, enough to make you feel uncomfortable, but you don't want to cut yourself in order to warm the rest of your body with a healthy supply of blood.

Annoying is between Pain and Discomfort. It lacks the "cool" factor and really isn't all that meditative, it's just annoying. Things that fall under this category are stuffy noses or what I currently have, a sore throat.

Sore throats are the antithesis of a stuffy nose. Instead of being unable to breathe, you breathe all too well, and it's like having a spur wearing wooly bear down your throat, only to have it slowly climb back up and repeat the process ad nauseum.

For those of you ignorant of the wooly bear and google image search, I provide a picture.


There's absolutely nothing cool or beneficial about a stuffy nose or sore throat. They are just annoying.

Kinda like dysentery.

Finally

I had one of my Acts read out loud today and for once I wasn't torn apart. People actually really enjoyed and were excited about what I wrote; it was a good feeling. It took a lot of work (and will continue to take a lot of work), but I'm enjoying every minute of it.

I was walking out of the student union Tuesday and when I go from class to class, I tend to zone out and think about things without really focusing on who or what's around me. I was heading for the doors facing the business school when someone bumped into me. I sort of figured it was just an accident and kept walking, but then a hand fell on my shoulder and pulled me around. I heard, "You've got to be kidding me."

"Mike?" I said.
"Are you kidding me? You just kept walking?"
"Well, I sort of get caught up in my thoughts," I said laughing.
"Dude, you didn't even turn around and say what the hell or anything."
"Well, I figured it was an accident or if someone did have the balls to run into me like that, I would get my ass kicked if I turned around and started something."

I realized at that point how big my smile gets when I'm happy. It was good seeing Mike since it's been a while.

Anyway...It's great that break is finally here, right? Before I go, my professor showed us this in class today. I feel like it needs to be shared. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa1pIO4_lUY

Untitled

Long evening talk
Slightly silent and flowing
Faint smiles make their mark
A close understanding and following

Strong and embraceable compassion
An enveloping silk and warm acceptance
Holds forever to be a memory
And tends to be used as a ration

It was all in a moment
Can't exactly remember when
But the smiles changed, the everything...
Never occuring again...

Eyes meet Eyes, a mixed tone to a brown
An empty smile, For the sake of being there
When I look a peace is missing, empty saturated air
Your face is a void, Midnight black and dark
Forever consuming my thoughts and care

The knowledge sought, a double edged sword

Isn't it?

Tick tock drip drop clock, time flies

Sunny rain dancing on piano keys: harmony

Trickle down and enjoy a childish, playful melody

Pit Pat C D - The music of life.

Loved, but ignorant of the song that sings a purpose.

Reaches ears, mind, exposes ivory happiness.

It was never bad.

Simplicity itself found in the tone of a crystalline drop of purity -

Everywhere

Isn't life just a little more beautiful?

A Day That Shall Live in Infamy

And so we shall mark this day as one to be remembered for as long as we live. March 4th, 2008 will mark the day that _______ was publicly revealed to have been arrested.

1:05 a.m. - Police charged _________, 21, of Windsor with failure to have a rear license plate illuminated and operation while under the influence. Police stopped a vehicle operated by _________ for not having his rear license plate illuminated. Officers suspected _________ to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and subjected him to a series of field sobriety tests, which he failed.

'Cause I mean, who hasn't been caught drunk driving?

Best birthday present ever <3.

Failure!

I failed to write today!

By today I mean yesterday!

I really wish I could tolerate academic failure, then I'd have a lot more time for this!

At any rate, public restrooms always lend themselves to the most amusing situations. I walked into the restroom at the Student Union (which I affectionately refer to as my third home, the second being CLAS) and did what gentleman do in the bathroom when I heard the door blow open behind me. With his backpack swinging its weight left and right, the kid quickly made his way to the closest urinal and frantically clawed away at his zipper.

I watched through the mirror, taking an awkwardly long time to wash my hands because I found the entire scene amusing: he couldn't get his zipper undone. Each yank pulled his body upward, as if he were jumping to some sort of outdated hip hop song, until finally he succeeded in tearing an opening in the front of his pants. None of this mattered though, sweet relief couldn't have come sooner for him.

Of course, the poor kid was a little overzealous in his release and so he left with two problems: a broken front zipper and the largest splash-back I had ever witnessed in my life.

Expectations

People seem to always go above and beyond them. Thank you for making my birthday something special and going the extra mile, it meant so much to me. You didn't have to do anything, but you did, and it reminds me of all the great people that I'm surrounded by. It's cheesy, but I love you guys like family. I may not always show it and I'm sorry for falling short.

At any rate, enough with the sentimental stuff, it isn't becoming of a gentleman. That's totally Wilde right there.

I caught an interesting read on CNN that I thought I would share: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/02/china.sex.ap/index.html

It seems that China is going through a sexual revolution. I've learned about Chinese history and philosophy before, but it's tough to imagine modern China without pulling up all of the stereotypes. I find it very amusing that the word sex, or "xing," is still largely taboo in public circles. Some highlights that caught my eye or amused me...

Abortion is readily available and viewed as a much better alternative to the searing shame of being an unwed teenage mother in China.

A walk-in abortion costs $140 at the Haidian Maternal and Child Health Hospital, a large public hospital in northwest Beijing. Too pricey? Skip the anesthesia and the price falls to $55.

As a result, sex education has not kept up with sexual activity, with some unwelcome consequences. High school girls make up 80 percent of the patients at Shanghai abortion clinics during one-week school holidays, state media reported last year.

Studies indicate that 60 percent to 70 percent of Chinese have had sex before marriage, up from 15 percent in 1989, according to Li Yinhe, a sex expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

In that time, the average urban marriage age has crept steadily higher, reaching 31 for men in Shanghai last year. There has also been a notable shift in attitudes, particularly among those born in the booming '80s.

"If two people want to be together, time isn't an issue," he said, still avoiding the word "sex" when talking to a stranger.