There and Back

It is 6:34 am. I just got out of the hottest, longest shower I've had for some time. Probably since yesterday, that's just how I roll when it comes to showers. It was nice today though because I was up at 3 am to go hiking with some friends. Hiking, walking, it's all the same. We went to a hill, an old volcano actually, not very high up, but the walk nearly did me in. The path isn't more than a mile from base to peak, it only took us 30 minutes or so, I guess. I was so out of breath it felt like longer than it really was. I blame the thin mountain air, thinner than the comb over on your high school chemistry teacher. The elevation around here is somewhere in the 5,000 feet mark, twice that of my home, and 5,000 times that of where I lived until high school when we moved. Excuses aside, I'm just not in great cardiovascular shape. Which is to be expected when I don't exercise regularly and I just spent the last three days sitting around eating pizza. By the way, the chocolate lava cake from Domino's is phenomenal. Add some Breyer's triple chocolate ice cream and you've got yourself some magic right there. Despite my limited lung capacity, it was a nice hike. The trail is either sand or sheer rock covered with a sprinkling of sand, you know, just enough to make it slippery as a greased up pig at some type of hill billy rodeo. The sand on the sheer rock is my fave. We made it to the top and it was a nice view. For not looking like much of a hill at the bottom, it has a stellar view from the top. Our intent was to watch the sun rise, but some misinformation from others (who were not attending the hike) got us to the top of the hill by 4am. There wasn't much of a sun rising view, but it was still nice up there as it changed from dark to light. The moon was nearly full so that was neat too. It was pretty chilly, with a constant breeze blowing. As everyone was huddled for heat conservation, or friendship, our conversation naturally turned to anthropology. I was interested in the conversation about how people might be taller today than 100 years ago because back then energy was expended in physical labor and today we just sit in chairs all day. This leads to energy that could be expended in work is instead funneled into growing. The implication is that laziness leads to a large physical stature. We have no science to back this hypothesis up, however. It is just an interesting thing to think about. I think there is some credence to it. It makes sense in my mind anyway, but if you've been reading this blog (I refer you to my boiling ice cream idea) then you know what that means. Really though, if you are at a party and you tell people confidently that we are growing taller these days because we no longer expend as much energy in working so our bodies use that energy to grow, people will probably believe you. If not, just tell them you read it on a blog and thought it was funny because it was such a ridiculous claim, then laugh nervously and look around and do the one-finger-pull-on-your-collar deal. It'll be great. Take pictures. It didn't feel like 6 am when I got home, nor did it seem like I spent half the night out gallivanting around nature, but now it feels that way. I was surprised how many little flowers were growing on that old volcano. Mostly there is just rock and sage brush. The variety of colors in the flowers, though not very populous, was impressive. It was a good time. Now it is 6:51 am and I am going to sleep. Homework will just have to wait, again.

A Long Paragraph Regarding My Thoughts on Welfare

Receiving something you did not earn is not good for you. Let me rephrase, receiving the basic necessities of life without earning them is never good for you. Receiving gifts is good, the ones from your family and friends, as they are (hopefully) a token of appreciation, friendship or love. These are good feelings to express and I am not against giving gifts in order to express them. I am against giving someone a "free ride." People might think I'm just jealous, or look at the benefits I've received and think I'm being whiny or acting like an elitist. If I am, perhaps it is because of those benefits I have received? Look at children, we can learn a lot from them, as they are, we once were, and as we are, they will become. What happens to most children when they hit the two year age mark? The story is that they become "terrible" and out of control. Why? Is it because for their entire lives to that point they have been "babied" and given everything they need to survive? I'm not saying this is bad, there is no way that I think we should leave an 18-month-old alone to fend for their self. I'm not saying that; I'm simply saying that we should look at this experience that so many people share in and wonder. Maybe this stage of development has a correlation to the behavior of the people in the environment of the child. Maybe we breed a sense of entitlement in the children. They may simply be responding to our treatment. An interesting thought experiment. What is it that brings them out of the "terrible two's?" They become autonomous. The child starts learning to do things on their own. They now can tie their shoes, communicate their wants and needs with their parents through language, they can feed themselves with less help than before. Autonomy sets in and they act for themselves. Let's look back at ourselves. Are we autonomous when someone else is providing for our basic needs, such as food and shelter? Or are we reverting back to toddler hood...

The rest of this post can be found in the Ajax's Whimsical Revolution ebook for Amazon's Kindle. The book is a compilation of my favorite posts, 78 to be exact, of which this is one. If you don't have a Kindle e-reader you can download the free Amazon Kindle app for PC or Mac.

Animals

I was writing a paper for my ethics class - which, by the way, I think philosophy is ridiculously useless - and the question of what gives value to people came up. The topic for writing had to do with God as the source of morality, basically. My thoughts brought me to thinking that the value of people is dependent in some way, or to some people, upon their (our) relationship with God. For those who believe in a God that is real and relates to people as Father to child, I assume they must see value in other people because they are children of God. At the very least, even if they don't see individual value in human life, they see value in their own relationship with God so they follow what he commands them to do, which includes treating other people well. I come from the camp that believes all people are the children of God, thereby granting them intrinsic value. I wonder how I would value people if I didn't have this belief; I don't think that I can accurately suppose it as my beliefs are so much of who I am. Perhaps the value comes from a realization of what the self is. I would know how I value myself and then project that value upon other people. An interesting thing to think about. This next bit I will explore is heavily biased, which I don't apologize for, but I want to make it clear that I don't think this is how it is, it is just a route that my pondering took. It is a possible explanation from a strictly biological point of view, wherein humans are simply higher level organisms. It is interesting that I worry that my view might be offensive to someone who doesn't have the same core belief as me, when this approach may very well be what someone else's core belief is. All speculation of course, just another thought expansion exercise...

The rest of this post can be found in the Ajax's Whimsical Revolution ebook for Amazon's Kindle. The book is a compilation of my favorite posts, 78 to be exact, of which this is one. If you don't have a Kindle e-reader you can download the free Amazon Kindle app for PC or Mac.

Is it a Conspiracy if it is True?

I like to develop conspiracy theories, its sort of like a hobby for me, a thought expansion exercise. I think it is healthy to look around things and see all that there is to see. How often are you completely honest in your presentation of self to others? We all put up fronts in some ways and in some circumstances. Formulating conspiracy theories helps to be aware of those sorts of fronts when they are presented, maybe. I'm just making this up as I go along. It is all an introduction to my newest conspiracy theory. Do I believe it? No, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be true. Here it is:
The recent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast was perpetrated by President Obama and his goons in order to delay or exterminate the United States off-shore drilling program. That's right, my explanation for the disaster is that our President initiated it. Now, give credit where it is due, it probably wasn't his idea, it might have originated form one of his cronies, but he is the puppet, so I'll single him out for the blame. President Obama hates private industry and autonomy. He thinks that the earth has more value than people. Well why else would he put so much money and effort into being green when there aren't any jobs for people and so many are without food? Right, he is a politician. They are all the same these days. Power hungry and corrupt. They think we can't manage ourselves, so they try to do it for us. Maybe they don't actually think that, maybe they just think there is nothing we can do to defend ourselves so they'll just take over. Either way, they think they ought to tell us what to do. It is so bad that even when President Obama is responsible for this disaster, he comes out in the press conference and claims full responsibility for it. See! He is taking the blame, he did it, I knew it! He is so confident in his smoke screen that he can tell us the truth and we won't get it. He didn't say why though, so I'll fill you in on that. He wants to prove that drilling is dangerous and shouldn't be done. Then what? Well, then we have to go in for the cap and trade business. We then have to put forth more governmentally regulated green energy initiatives. We'll have to buy carbon credits.
OK, that's all fun and games. I highly doubt this was anything other than an accident, and I don't mean to trivialize the tragic toll it is taking on so many people. I am frustrated with the President and the trend of U.S. government over the last few years, namely 100, give or take. The government should not be its own entity. It is supposed to be of and by the people. This government is at the expensive of and in the face of the people. Maybe they ought to think about that "us vs. them" mentality and realize we are all together in this boat. I think we do need to increase research into renewable "green" types of energy, but I don't think the government should be in charge of it. The government isn't even a thing, its a concept. How can a concept invent new technology? The regulations and red tape need to come down so that human ingenuity can do what it does best and create. The technology is out there already in many cases, but something is holding it back. I'd suggest another conspiracy, but I don't think it is a conspiracy that these technologies are being held back by someone with power and money who stands to lose money if the current trends were to stop. Everyone has an agenda. We have to be careful whose agenda we are supporting.

Fortunes Are Best When They Come From Cookies

We were having a group present information on the Shinto religion and some of their holidays. As part of the presentation, we were all given a folded paper with a list of "fortunes." At the top of mine, it says "Fairly Good." It then lists different topics with a comment under each one. Here is my fairly good fortune:
Wish
Respect others, and it will soon be realized.
Expected visitor
No problem. He (she) will come very soon.
Business
All right.
Study
Work hard, or you will fail.
Love
Do not hesitate. Be positive.
Travel
Any direction will do.
OK. I don't really have any issue with any of these except Study. I don't want to work hard. I refuse to; I also refuse to fail. I'll show this piece of paper who is boss...Me. That's right. I do like the "All right" under the Business heading. As if to say, "you have business? fine. You don't? fine." I like it. You have to love the Expected Visitor one as well. My expected visitor will arrive soon? Thanks for the update. Finally, when I read the Travel section I feel a little bit like Rodney Dangerfield - a comparison I already regret making - no respect. As if to say, "are you travelling? great, go somewhere and do something, whatever."
Work hard, or you will fail. We'll see.

It is Raining; I am Sweet Like Sugar. Class is Cancelled.

It is raining steadily, therefore I do not want to walk all the way to the building wherein my classes take place today. It is roughly seven tenths of a mile to walk, that's a lot of wet that I would be by the time I get there. I don't have an umbrella. My coat is waterproof and does a great job of keeping my upper-half dry, but I've done this walk before, and my pants are soaked through. If it were fifteen or twenty degrees warmer, it might be pleasant, but as it is, no thank you. Besides, this is my last semester, and it is college. TV always shows college students avoiding class and then just going in to fail the final. Today, unless the rain stops in the next 40 minutes, I will live up to the TV role of a college student and skip class. I haven't missed a class for at least the last two semesters. I won't feel bad about not going to class.
And it is raining, and I love rain like this, so I'm just going to enjoy it. I'll set by the open window and read for a while, then play some guitar, maybe write a song about rain. I'm finishing up a book called Chief: My Life in the LAPD, an autobiography of sorts by Daryl Gates, the late, former chief of police in Los Angeles. I read a little bit about him in a class when researching influential people in policing. Gates created the first SWAT (special weapons and tactics) program as well as inventing DARE (drug abuse resistance education). Sadly, when Gates died not too long ago the news articles focused on the controversy associated with some things he had said that were taken out of context or blown out of proportion. As a conservative police officer, the liberal LA Times and other local government factions were constantly trying to hang him out to dry. As I was discussing Gates with one of my mentors/professors, he let me borrow the book. I think it is always best to get someone's story from that someone who the story is about. It still includes bias, but you read their side and then another side and look at what motivation each side might have for being biased and somehow you boil down to the real story, or as close as you can get to it. Chief is a good read and I think Daryl Gates is a man deserving of respect.
I can't tell if the rain is letting up or not. I think it is. I suppose I'll go to class. I still have twenty minutes before I need to start walking though, and it is rather windy...

What Happens When You Boil Ice Cream?

Muffin Man was correct, it melts faster. It also does boil down, becoming thicker, somewhat like the consistency of melted marshmallow or pudding. It smelled like ice cream still. It also stuck to the pot like a pain. This wasn't straight ice cream though, so the consistency and smell and stickiness might be the result of the bits of cinnamon roll dough in there. I'm not a scientist, so whatever. Enjoy the video, it is boring, soundless and long (relative to how much is or is not happening in the video).

Passing the Time...so It Doesn't Pass Me

I have a class that I just can't get into. Luckily, I don't have to in order to pass. This is the worst attitude possible at school, but, as you will read in a future posting, formal education is a plague, or worse. What's worse than a plague? Two plagues. Formal education is the equivalent of two plagues. I will explain that later, though. For now I will mention some things I thought about in class on Monday, as well as one from yesterday's 3 hours of classes.
If you put grapes in grape jelly, does it become chunky grape jelly?
Pocket depth should not be dependent upon pant-leg length. I have some shorts that don't quite understand this.
My friend Rory, from Brooklyn, was on the phone and I overheard him repeatedly and heatedly saying "Sam and Pink!" When he got off the phone I asked him what "sam and pink" means. After a few minutes of further agitation on his part and confusion on mine, it was established that he was talking about the color of a shirt, salmon pink.
I'm addicted to Bejeweled Blitz, a game on Facebook. Sometimes I wish I was addicted to something more socially acceptable, like alcohol, people are more understanding with that one.
The difference between people and monkeys is that monkeys don't set themselves up in universities to teach things they know nothing about.
And...
What happens to ice cream when you boil it? This was my thought yesterday. I posed the question to Muffin Man, he suggested that it melts faster. Good answer. I was thinking more along the lines of what does it melt into? Obviously, it doesn't melt into ketchup or anything like that, but does it dehydrate a bit and become like icing? That's what I want to know, and that's what I'm going to find out. Perhaps today, and I will record it on video. This is my own Doc Brown time-machine experiment. Marty will ask me, "you mean to tell me, you wanted to know what would happen if you boiled ice cream, so you boiled Ben and Jerry's?" And I'll reply, "the way I see it, if you want to boil ice cream, you might as well do it with a little class." Back to the Future is a fine movie. Don't you forget it.
The lilacs outside my window are starting to bloom.

A Little Something I Had Typed Away Somewhere

I don't remember when exactly I typed this. It was saved in the documents folder on my laptop. I was perusing files to see what was saved in there and came across this and the blog is as good a place as any to say things like this, so here it is:

I like oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips. Raisins are good too, but you can never go wrong with chocolate chips. I also like pancakes with chocolate chips in them. Pancakes are one of my most favorite foods. I also like to eat oatmeal. It’s a natural process then to try chocolate chips in oatmeal. I did that this morning. I poured a handful of semi-sweet chips into the steaming bowl of oatmeal. The chocolate promptly melted as I stirred them in. It looked like something that might taste OK, but it had a funny taste to it. After adding an unhealthy amount of sugar, the funny taste faded. It always amazes me how I think about something and then do it, only to have an unexpected result, which upon further pondering seems so obvious I begin to question how I didn't expect it from the start. I honestly thought the chocolate chips would maintain their shape and not just melt into the shapeless goo that is oatmeal. After all, raisins don't melt (but they do rehydrate a bit, which is neat).

Driver Safety Folks are Hating on Texting, Why Not Ajax, Too?

The text message: a useful tool of communication or a detriment to relationship building? There used to be a time when you would hear the statement “he dumped her over the phone!” Now you hear the same incredulity of voice, but the statement is slightly altered, “he dumped her through a text!” I guess there used to be a day when people took care of relationship business in person, face to face. It makes sense that once the technology was available to avoid an awkward or difficult situation that it was utilized. Then once you are taking care of such affairs with a phone conversation, why not escape further into the text-generation of avoidance? If you have heard the statements above and have agreed with the surprise of the situation, why were you surprised? Is there something abnormal about breaking off a relationship over the phone or through a text message? From what I’ve heard from people, there is. “The least they could do is say it to my face.” Well, no, the least they could do would be to forget they know you and ignore your existence, so maybe you should be happy that you got the phone call or text. I don’t mean to be rude, I do think that certain aspects of relationships ought to be conducted in person, but is it morally wrong not to? That is a question for people with more time to waste than me, not for someone smarter, just someone who has more time to waste (some philosophical questions are less useful than baseball cards in the spokes of a motorcycle). I digress. Breaking up using a phone is only a part of a larger issue. It is an example of a relationship interaction that might be best performed face to face. Personally, I like text messages. I think they are convenient sometimes (especially when you want to avoid a lengthy phone conversation or face to face meeting) and it is fun at other times. Sometimes you just need to say how much you like lucky charms, but that’s all you have to say. Other times you’ll be late, but you don’t want to say it, it’s easier to just send a message. And sometimes it is easiest to text a conversation because you are able to avoid awkward and difficult situations. I don’t think that is the best way to do it, but it is easier, and human nature says take the path of least resistance...

The rest of this post can be found in the Ajax's Whimsical Revolution ebook for Amazon's Kindle. The book is a compilation of my favorite posts, 78 to be exact, of which this is one. If you don't have a Kindle e-reader you can download the free Amazon Kindle app for PC or Mac.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Oil

No, maybe you should. A bird got oil on itself. I feel bad for the bird, but its a bird, stay out of the water. Granted, it was a pelican, so it needs to go to the water to get fish to eat. I understand that, but I saw the news clip and my initial response was "stupid bird, stay out of the oil-saturated water." Then as I came over to the blog and starting typing, I realized that some birds spend a lot of time in the water because that's where they get their groceries. I take back my attempt to poke fun at the birds. I'll move on to fish - we'll see how long this one lasts. Fish should be safe from the oil, right? Have you ever held a fish before? Fish oil is some slippery stuff, there's no way the crude oil is going to be able to stick to the fish. Eh, not as good as the bird bit was going to be. I like turtles, so if turtles are getting coated in oil that's just not funny at all. I hope the turtles are safe. I actually don't like to think of any of the animals suffering in oil, but I'm much more concerned about people who suffer everyday because of social "crude oil." Poverty, homelessness, hunger and so forth. Didn't see that one coming. I started typing to make fun of birds and oil. Oh well. I walked over to the grocery store today and on the way back I was bouncing along like Kevin from Home Alone and The Turtles' (speaking of turtles) "So Happy Together" came on the audio player. I was walking in perfect synchronicity with the song. It was neat. Also, I think television is stupid and I don't care for the majority of the commericals I see on it. I still like some television, but overall, I don't like it.
I'm working on an essay about education. It is lengthy and I'll be working on it for a few days, but it will be up here soon. Until then, keep watching the skies.

My Thoughts on "Us and Them" Mentality...and What Follows

I've been thinking about this topic for a while now. Last semester I had a class on criminal corrections in which I began thinking about the topic in this way. I also had a U.S. history class and the idea seemed relevant there while discussing slavery in antebellum America. Currently, I am in an abnormal psychology class and the idea recurs while reviewing the diagnosing and labeling processes that go with mental health issues. In each case there is a situation of "us" vs. "them." I'd say it is a clearly defined issue of "us" and "them," but I don't think there is anything clear about it. Some definitions may be appropriate at this point (definitions which I am defining from my own mind, no direct reference to anything, just a compilation of ideas from all that I've learned recently).
The Us perception of Us
We are something special. We are not capable of devious, underhanded, criminal or un-virtuous behavior. We are the moral superior. We are in control of all of our thoughts and actions. We know what is right and we never deviate from it.
The Us perception of Them
They are immoral, dirty minded, shiftless, lazy and godless. They are sick and twisted in their actions, only surpassed in their deviance by their actions. They are victims of their sensual nature. They are different than us; different in upbringing or something, but just plain different. They are all that is wrong with society, a plague to all of us.
My own personal perception of Us
We are them.
My own personal perception of Them
They are us.
What do I mean by that? Are we all simultaneously capable of deviousness and virtuousness? Are we in control of our thoughts and actions, as well as subject to our base desires? Yes. Emphatically yes. There is nothing done by one person that cannot be done by another. We all have the capacity for amazing creation or awesome destruction. The failure to realize this dichotomy may be one explanation for some of the troubles we see in society today.
The reason this is a problem is that when we view other people as them, and seek comfort in being part of us, we create a deep-set separation between each other. If they are over there, they can't be over here. If they can't be over here, then we must not be the same. If we are not the same, and I am good, then they must be bad. If they are bad, they don't deserve the same things which I, being good, deserve. If I am human, they must be something less...

The rest of this post can be found in the Ajax's Whimsical Revolution ebook for Amazon's Kindle. The book is a compilation of my favorite posts, 78 to be exact, of which this is one. If you don't have a Kindle e-reader you can download the free Amazon Kindle app for PC or Mac.

A Few Things to Get Me Closer to Bed Time

I need to fill some time and I don't want to do it by reading anything for school, so I will type some stuff here. First of all, I'd like to announce a few new phrases for the hip kid on the block.
Bring it down! - When someone does something and you want to congratulate them or comment on their job well done, you say "bring it down!" This phrase is all the rage, make sure you say it a lot. Example: Your friend gets an A on a test. Then later they do something that is actually noteworthy and you say "bring it down!"
King me! - This is the first person application of bring it down! A throwback to the old days of playing checkers. We all remember that game, and what a joy it was to proclaim your kingship. Now you can relive your glory days whenever you do something successful. But don't be obnoxious about it, retain your humility. Being full of your self doesn't bring it down. Example: You are in a foot race down behind the old school house with Huck and Tom, and you win! This is an appropriate time to shout to the world "King Me!"
This will suffice for now as I can't remember if there are any other new phrases that Muffin Man and I have been kicking around.
Speaking of Muffin Man, he has introduced a new musical group to me, The Avett Brothers. They have a song called I and Love and You (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqZZlL0l5Uk).
I thought I might say more, but I got distracted on that song playing widget business and now I'm not going to. Well, one more little thought.
Currently, I have no food in the apartment, save some microwave popcorn, a few flavors of Pop-Tarts, a jar of spaghetti sauce (sans spaghetti), pancake mix and grits. That's basically it anyway. I only live a few blocks from the grocery center, and I have plenty of money, but I don't want to walk over there. I don't like asking people to drive me places either. I'll tag along if someone is going, but I don't want to ask. So to cover my laziness, I'm pretending that I am on a hunger strike and it is going quite well. I haven't come up with a purpose for the strike yet, I'll have to make it something convincing, like lunar colonization. I should have stopped before this last little thought. Win some, lose some. Jurassic Park, man, Jurassic Park.