Okay, I just posted about abortion and the principle of the Prime Duties.
One of the featured videos currently on YouTube.com is an animated video on the Male Restroom Etiquette. It's pretty funny, but what's really odd is that it mentions Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The top tier of Hierarchy is Self-Actualization which is the basis for the principle of the Prime Duties. It's funny because I've never even heard of this concept and in one night I learn what it is and see it mentioned in a video.
The second coincidence is that on TV, the South Park episode at 11:30, which I watched a little bit of, was about Cartman trying to get stem cell research approved to help Kenny fight off a degenerative muscle disease. In one scene he is in front of an abortion clinic getting women to donate their aborted fetuses to stem cell research.
Thursday is a day I especially look forward to because of my Ethics class with Dr. William Hale. As I've said before in a previous entry, this class challenges my thought process and just is just downright interesting.
Tonight we were required to bring in our paper we wrote on where we stand with the issue of Abortion.
Here is what I wrote half an hour before class started, so forgive the errors:
Abortion
In today’s day and age there’s a major debate over abortion. The main question within the topic of Abortion is when the an embryo actually becomes a life-being. The age old question of “When does life begin?” We are all unified in the thought that murder in itself is unethical and wrong. Murder is taking away the life of another individual. Does a fetus have ‘life’? Is it considered Murder? To decide if abortion is ethical or not, we must decide if the aborted fetus/embryo has life.
What are the facts? There are many differing scientific views as to when life actually begins. I choose to go with the Genetic View. The Genetic View takes the position that life actually begins when unique human characteristics are formed. This happens right at the union of sperm and egg cells, also known as fertilization. One set of genetics from the sperm and another set of genetics from the egg are combined to form a completely unique and distinguishable set of genetics. From that point on, the developing embryo has all the traits that will go with that human for the rest of his or her life.
With this information, we deduce that life starts with the combination of a sperm and egg cell. What this means is that past the point of using a condom or a birth control pill, a human zygote has been formed. Life has begun
If we are to believe that life begins at the point of fertilization, then it is not okay to ever interfere with that developing human being in any negative way.While the argument is there that a mother has the right to do what she wants with her body, when can she say she doesn’t want a child? This forming zygote or embryo is another human being that is both part of her and unique and independent in it’s own special way.The Fairness Principle developed by Emanuel Kant implies that you have the right and freedom to do anything you want until you infringe on the rights of another person. This includes murder. You do anything you like to your own body, but you cannot impede on the rights of the human being that is inside of you.
This view also coincides with the moral principle of Agape which implies that one must act in such away that the consequences of that person’s actions produces the greatest amount of Christian love. What this entails is that the revocation of someone’s life is not an act of Christian love.
The consequences and implications of such a view is that past condom use and birth control pills, once fertilization occurs, it is an immoral and unethical act to abort a human embryo. This also means that even in cases of rape and sexual abuse, which are both immoral and unethical, a mother cannot abort her child ethically if she does in fact become pregnant. It goes along with the principle that two wrongs do not make a right. Because someone acted unethically upon you does not give you the right to act unethically upon another human being. There are many alternatives to abortion such as placing you child up for adoption if it is the best thing for the mother and often times the child, as the mother may not have the necessary resources to best take care of that child.
In conclusion, with the view that life begins at fertilization, it is immoral to abort a child. Condom use is okay because there is no union of egg and sperm. A zygote is not formed. Birth Control Pills are also okay because it prevents ovulation from occurring. If there is no egg to be fertilized, then obviously there will not be a zygote formed. However past the point of fertilization, any interference with the natural growth of a human embryo is thus immoral and unethical because it unfairly infringes on the right of that human being.
Tonight's discussion was very interesting because Dr. Hale took the issue to something I've never even thought about before. We discussed how often times abortion clinics are most prevalent in the poorer regions of cities. Middle class citizens with private doctors and insurance usually don't have a problem with abortion. However, with today's overcrowding in public schools and the poverty in our country, one has to think about the advice our citizens from a less fortunate economic background are receiving. A clinic will most likely give advice to a poor woman to abort the child, not necessarily for the choice of the mother, but because it would be a benefit to the community. Bringing a child into this world and providing for their education up through college will cost us tax paying citizens more than it would for us to pay for that woman pregnant with the child to get a free abortion.
Although this is one aspect of why one could be a proponent for abortion, the issue still stands that murder is wrong. Tonight we learned a new philosophic principle that is so powerful.
"I have a moral responsibility to tear down any artificial barrier which would prohibit any individual from achieving their full potential not for just their sake, but for the sake of the whole."
What this entails is that it is our obligation by the virtue of being a human being to do all we can to make sure people are allowed to be the best they can be. Not just for the well-being of that person, but also for the potential benefit that person can and will be to our world community.
The principle of Prima Facie Duties, or the Prime Duties, can be used in defense of the "Pro-Life" argument. Applying this principle, we can ask the question, "What if you just aborted the man who has the potential for coming up with the cure for cancer?" or even "What if Einstein, Beethoven, or Winston Churchill were aborted? How different would our world be?"
Dr. Hale said several very profound things in relation to the Prime Duties;
"I cannot truly be free as long as racism, biggotry, sexism, prejudice, and the like exists. It limits myself and our society."
"Imagine if in 1776, if our country was formed on rational reasoning instead of culture, think of where we could be as a nation. If blacks and women were equal from the get-go, imagine the possibilities."
Two days ago, I posted an entry about my friend George and his new blog Kinda Greek Philosophy. After George started up his blog, Justin and I joked that the only person left to start one up is another friend of ours, Tom.
Lo and behold, Mr. Poncho Man himself has started up a blog of his own! He of course had some help from yours truly, but he's definitely off to a good start. Check out his blog "Tom: Fact or Fiction" at www.tfof.blogspot.com.
Welcome to the club, Tom!
II. Halloween Horror Nights
The last several years, it has been a Halloween tradition for my friends and I to go to some type of "Haunt" event. These events normally take place at a theme park. In 2005 and 2004 we went to Knott's Berry Farm's Halloween Haunt. The years before that, Magic Mountain was the park we visited for their yearly Fright Fest.
Typically, the parks are filled with fog as the sun disappears. People dressed to look like monsters and creeps roam the walkways and stalk guests. There are normally several themed Haunted Mazes that are filled with monsters in the darkness.
Universal Studios: Hollywood started HHN back in the early 90's, but because US:H really is an actual studio, they had to pay the "scare-actors" actual union wages, which got to be quite pricy. That on top of not enough customers coming in because of the lack of advertisement, US:H really suffered some losses and only went to do the event 3 or 4 more times sporradically until it's last year in 2001. Five years later, they're bringing it back with a new twist.
HHN 2006 will turn their backlot tour into an attraction where guests actually get off the tram to walk around the infamous Universal sets. However, there's nothing normal about these sets. Masked murderers with chainsaws terrorize the Bates Motel. Evil Clowns wreak havok on the Whoville Set of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Reanimated corpses roam free in the Plane Crash Set from the movie War of the Worlds.
In addition to the "Terror Tram" attraction, Universal will be putting out two different Haunted Mazes. One themed to an old asylum where chaos has descended and the other maze where popular Universal monsters, villains, and killers stalk about.
Needless to say, I'm pretty excited for the event and I think it's going to be one to remember. Oh and if you buy your tickets online, you can save up to $15 on the price of admission.
III. What in the World??
...is a blog that Justin and I started a year and a half ago, but never really went anywhere with it. With the addition of George and Tom to the blogging community, we thought we'd bring it back. The four of us will be updating it with random crap that no one will probably care about, but have a looksies when you're bored. There's bound to be something amusing on it.
See it at www.BiggBucks.blogspot.com (named after an over-used phrase our driver instructor said many many times when Justin and I were going to ZeeBee to get our permits.)
[10:18p]
Eckh... it kinda fell apart at the end there, but I need to get some gas in the tank (food) before heading out to the gym.
A couple weeks ago, I got a membership at a popular franchise gym. Along with the membership came 5 free 30 minute sessions with a personal trainer. On my first scheduled meet with a trainer, it turned out I was double booked with one of his regulars, so I had to reschedule. Tonight, I went in for my appointment and again was double booked. However, there was an available trainer who was going to help me again reschedule.
So this guy, we'll call him Tom, sits me down at his desk and asks me when I'd like to come in. I'm already getting some arrogant vibes from him as he's pretty much telling me I'm lying to him when I say that I was scheduled tonight for another trainer. He suggests that can either wait for the other trainer to call me, have a management person call me to reschedule, or I could even have him as my trainer for after the 6th of October.
I tell him that I bought the gym membership for the gym, not really for a trainer... 5 free sessions was just a cool bonus. He smirks arrogantly and begins to tell me why I need a trainer.
He then goes into asking me what my goals are. I told him that it was to gain at least 20lbs of muscle by the end of the year. He asks me where I've been getting advice. I tell him off of a message board, which gives him his arrogant smirk again and replies, "Are they certified trainers?"... I say that I don't know because really I don't. By this point, it's not even about whether or not the people on this forum are certified, it's that he's mocking my efforts at getting advice and help.
He's goes on asking me what they've been telling me on this forum. I tell him how I've learned to diet a lot better. He asks how much protein I'm getting, I say 180-200g a day. He then pulls out his cell phone and calculates that at my weight of 140lbs, I shouldn't have to have more than 127g. That's much less than anything I've read on any of the web sites I've visited regarding protein intake. He starts to explain blah blah 5-6 meals a day, protein intake, how the body gets energy first from carbs, then protein, then muscles, then fat... All things I already know, but he's explaining it in a tone that I have no clue what he's saying... He keeps reiterating himself.
He says I'm taking in too much protein and that I could be saving a lot of money, by not using as much protein powder (I drink 1-3 shakes a day). He tells me that Apex is the best because it's the only FDA approved multi-vitamin supplement and that my generic Multi-Vitamin from costco isn't that great of a choice. Surprise, Surprise... this gym sells Apex! He also tells me about Creatine...things I already know.
Then he asks me about my workout. I tell him my routine: Clean and Press - 10,8,6; DB Bent Over Rows - 10,8,6; Squats - 10,10,10 3 times a week and Bench press - 10,8,6 and Curls 10,8,6 once a week.
He asks if this is a football player's regiment. I shrug. He says, yeah it is. I'm a trainer. I know these things. He tells me that the clean and press isn't what I need and can in fact do more damage than good because of the "explosiveness" of the clean. He recommends only doing military presses. He then says that doing DB rows are okay, but I should be doing Pulley Rows instead. As for squats he says, "Ehh... yeah squats are good." He tells me that I should probably be doing 12,10,8 instead because "6 is dangerous".
Tom asks me, "How long do you look to spend in the gym?"... eyebrow raised.
I answer, "No more than an hour."
He responds, "That's the only thing you've said that I agree with so far. Well that, and that you need to eat right."
At the end of all this he goes, "See what I mean? See why you need a trainer?"
I say "yeah", mainly because I just want him to stop talking and I just want to go home.
So he brings up the options again about waiting for the manager to call me, waiting for the other trainer to call me, or he can be my trainer. There's no way in heck I'm picking option three, so I just leave a message for the manager to call me.
Honestly, this whole encounter turned me off to the idea of ever getting with a personal trainer. I'm sure this is just an isolated case and I had the privilege of talking with a guy who thinks he's the bomb.com. I'm hoping I get the other trainer I was supposed to have, as he seems like a much nicer and humbler guy.
At the same time, I'm now wondering what things Tom said that might be right and what things I should disregard. I respect all the opinions of everyone on the message board I frequent because I think that it is a responsible community. Also, I understand that this guy is 'certified'... with what, I don't know... at the same time, he works for a franchise gym and in the back of my mind, I'm thinking they're out to make an extra buck out of their clients.
Here goes an attempt to do this in 30 minutes before I have to go the gym at 11p...
I. Dissection
Webster's gives two different definitions for the word "Dissection":
1 : to separate into pieces : expose the several parts of (as an animal) for scientific examination 2 : to analyze and interpret minutely
1 : Today in my biology lab we dissected earthworms. What a throwback to my Freshman biology class in High School! I was pretty excited to get to dissect something today. It's been so long! While our female lab partners weren't so excited about the idea, I was all ready to grab that worm and slit it open. I know... I'm crazy, weird, and nerdy. But hey, I uncovered the esophagus, was able to keep the dorsal blood vesel intact, and was able to identify the crop, gizzard, and seminal vessicles! Cool huh? Not really? I know.
Worms are absolutely disgusting to me, but dissecting anything is way fun.
2 : Lately, I've been doing some analyzing and minute interpreting of my life and how I've been living it. Am I doing things for the good of others or have I been living solely for my own gain? I think as a Christian, this is something I have to ask myself and examine on occasion. One thing I'm reminded of is that Christ came not to be served, but to serve. (Matthew 20:28) How have I been doing with that?
Selfishness is something that leaves me feeling guilty a lot. It's definitely something that hits my heart hard. I want to be the person who strives not to hold on to material possessions as if they're the only things that matter on this earth.
Anyway, I've come to the realization that this is something that just needs to be worked on continuously throughout life. People are naturally selfish and self-serving.
Challenge: Live to Give.
II. Chili's
Today I got to go out to Dinner with two of my best friends, Justin and Justin. Let's clarify; Justin G. and Justin L..
The three of us headed out to Chili's Bar and Grill over in Palmdale before Justin L. headed down to Hollywood for school. (He's going to a recording school.)
We had a good time. It's always good to just sit with your buds and talk about whatever over a good hearty meal. One of our friends from High School, Ryan L., was our server. He was a grade above ours and was known for his silly antics and being a dang good guitarist. He was doing his training for being a waiter, thus he was being shadowed by some other dude whose arms were heavy laden withtats. Ryan did a great job and we gave him a $10 tip for a $40 bill. Not too shabby, eh?
It's times like these where you appreciate the friends you have and have to thank God for putting certain people in your life.
III. Balderdash
After Dinner, Around 7:18p I headed on over to the casa of my buddy Luke and his wife Amanda. They normally hold meetings with the leaders of the youth ministry every other week. This week, instead of having a meeting, we celebrated our friend JR's birthday. He turned 25 today! We shared with him how much we appreciate him and his joyous attitude (which if you've met JR you'd know exactly what I'm talking about).
We had ice cream cake and played a ridiculously silly game called Balderdash:
A clever repackaging of the free game Dictionary, Balderdash contains several cards with real words nobody's heard of. After one of those words has been read aloud, players try to come up with definitions that at least sound plausible, because points are later awarded for every opposing player who guessed that your definition was the correct one.
Balderdash is a pretty cool game. We got some really weird words that I can't remember now, but I'm sure I will later. EDIT: See Stilbite, Facula, and Misopedia.
Anyway, it's a fun game. I think I might buy it.
IV. A New Blogger!
First I started up a blog in 2004 called "What's in Cy's Head". It was changed in 2005 to "Insidecy". In August of 2005, my friend Justin G. started his blog "A Rambler's Ramblings". Then just a month ago in August, my friend Emily starts up her academic blog A Word or Two".
Now, another friend from High School, George A., has started up his blog, "Kinda Greek Philosophy". Check it out. He's a great guy with some good insight. I definitely look forward to seeing what he comes out with.
Why it is that seeing people hurt themselves is so funny, I do not know, but I do know that Johnny Knoxville and the other Jackass Boys are completely out of their minds.
Friday night I went with my buddy Justin L. to see one of the most anticipated films of the year
, Jackass: Number Two. Ja:NT continues in the same vein as the first film and the TV show. It simply is a series of shorts strung together with two themes in mind: Pain and Stupidity.
The first scene in the film is filled with absolute suspense that I won't go into detail with, but let's just say that you fear for the future of Chris Pontius's capability to ever reproduce again.
Several of the stunts just made me cringe while one or two others seriously made me feel like gagging. Despite the gratuitous violence and nudity, this film is filled with laughs from start to finish. The ending is well done and clever. In the closing credits, Bam Margera says to the camera, "Please God, don't let them do a Jackass 3. Please." Bam had some pretty bad stunts in the film...
Anyway, if you can deal with male nudity and countless scenes of vomiting, then you might enjoy it. I guess as this is something I've grown up with, watching the TV show, I'm not as shocked by some of the material as others would be. Desensitization? I guess so.
II. Surprises
Saturday night was great. I drove down to Monrovia with some friends of mine to go celebrate my buddy Grant's birthday. His girlfriend Jessica was super cool to throw a surprise party for him.
We had a pretty good time, played some games including one game for the PS2 that's like DDR except for singing. I can't remember the name of it, but it was pretty rad. We also listened to the newest song that Grant's new band Bentrovato has recorded called "Resolution". Have a listen on their Myspace Page.
Grant's been one of my best friends for a long time and it was nice to see him again. He moved down to Pasadena this summer, so we haven't been able to hang out as much. I miss the guy.
I'm one for surprises. I love the idea of not expecting something. Granted, bad surprises aren't so great... "Surprise, I'm pregnant!"... probably not a good one.
I've never really had a surprise birthday party thrown for me. The one time that someone actually tried, not enough planning or thought was put into it. I actually ended showing up to the party before anyone else did. Needless to say, people were a little surprised when the birthday boy answered the door. I was greated by a confused, "Uh.. surprise?!?"... Still had a good time, but yeah... no real surprises for me. Am I not worth the effort and planning? *emo alert*
Oh... and I got Grant a gift card to Hollister. He was more than happy.
III. Transfering
While Tumbleweed Tech (AKA: AVC) is a great college, it's not a place I want to stay at forever. Classes have been going great and I do have some friends here, but I have plans to finish my education at a 4-year university.
The past couple of years, I had planned to go to Azusa Pacific University, a private Christian college in the Pasadena area. Just recently, I've re-thought my options. I want to stay in California, somewhere not too far from home for the occasional laundry run, and in range of good recreational activity. I've figured that the University of Southern California is probably the best fit for both my major (Business Administration) and my personal interests.
My friend Emily (Blog) brought up the argument that if I'm going to pay the money for a private school, I might as well spend it on the best eduaction I can get. Valid point.
I'm planning on trying to transfer after this year... so, fingers crossed.
IV. Marco Tempest
I've always been a fan of "magic tricks" or what I simply call Illusions. One "magician" has recently become very popular on YouTube.com with his "Cell Phone Magic". It's really cool actually. A lot of people want to know how the illusions are done, but I'm content with taking the trick at face value. These people know their craft very well and if they can make a living off of it, then good for them.
Here's the latest Camera Phone trick from Marco Tempest:
You can check out his other videos at his YouTube Profile.
..over the new TMX (Tickle Me Elmo 10 or Tickle Me Xtreme).
It's hard to believe that it's already been ten years since the first Tickle Me Elmo hit store shelves.
The toy is frighteningly cute. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Elmo. :)
The TMX has some amazing capabilities. Check out this YouTube clip of the TMX in action. I have to admit, I was laughing so hard when I first watched this!
This is what makes me wonder... Who gets paid to voice all of this histeria? I can imagine some guy in the recording studio for hours trying to perfect the pee-your-pants kind of laugh that Elmo does.
Come Christmas shopping time, parents are going to be all over this toy like white on rice. I hope it doesn't turn into some kind of massacre...
Be safe out there when purchasing your Tickle Me Elmo Xtreme.
Today, while walking around campus, I spotted a woman wearing a shirt that read "I HAVE OPTIONS."
Admittedly, I was a little baffled by the statement. Sure, in life we have plenty of options, but was this just a statement of the obvious? No doubt, it must have stood for something of significance.
My mind seemed to dwell on the subject for a while. Could it have to do abortion? politics? education?
Today some examples seemed very clear to me that deal with Options and Choices - two words that I believe are synonymous.
As I was driving to work, I saw two different places with signs in the front window that read, "FAST DIVORCE $--". I couldn't help but think to myself about Marriage and it's value in today's society. Are people finding it that hard to stay together and work things out; that getting a 'fast divorce' is just as marketable to the community as a vanilla frosty at Wendy's?
What choices are made that brings people to the point of divorce? I wonder what choice they made when they first met each other. What they chose to put aside in order to grow into a deeper relationship. I wonder what choices they made in order to get married and what they chose to promise each other in their vows. I wonder what choices they made in their marriage to keep the romance alive. I wonder what choices they made to intentionally hurt each other. What choice brought along the final straw where one finally said, "It's over"?
I understand that there are several cases where one needs to break off a relationship, say to abuse or infidelity, but I believe so many marriages are split apart just because they don't care to deal with it anymore. What a choice...
Several minutes ago, maybe ten or fifteen, I saw a commercial on CBS - which ironically, their website front page currently has an advertisement for a dating show called 'Hook Me Up'... Anyway, the commercial was absolutely brilliant and beautiful and adds on all the more to the idea of 'choices', which seems to be an underlying theme to my day. It's a one minute advertisment for Libery Mutual Insurance of people doing nice things for perfect strangers in a Pay it Forward kind of nature. These people in the commercial have the option to do good, or ignore it.
See the clip for yourself.
The commercial was designed and produced by Hill Holiday. This company went with the choice to market their clients and products, not from a fabricated or sensationalistic approach, but rather from one of truth, shining light on the greatest assets of that client or product. Check out their website. It's in blog format and it's a good read. You can also view a better resolution version of the commercial here.
Anyway, what's more interesting about the Scissor Sisters is a promotional website they have where you can star yourself or others in a music video! Here's one I did of my buddy Justin and his girlfriend Heather.
Tonight was the season three premier of The Office on NBC. It was absolutely HILLARIOUS. I don't think I've laughed as much because of a TV show as I have tonight.
Here's the premise of tonight's episode: "When Michael unintentionally outs a gay employee, he stumbles through a sensitivity minefield."
It was great. It looks like it's going to be a great season! Oh! We might be getting a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) pretty soon! No more missed shows! It'll be especially great for when Lost comes on Wednesday nights and we miss it because of church.
Okay... I'm going to try to get this out quickly, because I need to get to sleep... Here it goes.
I. Greatest Tone
Back in High School, I did a drama class. My sophomore year, we did two different productions; My Fair Lady and Shakespeare's Twelth Night. Both productions were great, but a saying arose from some of my friends that year (including Justin)... "Oh, it was better than 'My Fair Lady', but not quite as good as 'Twelth Night'"... Good memories.
Anyway, in rehearsals for 'My Fair lady' our choir accompanist Jamie B. would run us through the songs. On one fateful day, she said to me in front of everyone, "Cy, you have the best tone ever." Which was really nice to hear from her, but soon spun out of control because of my friends. Pretty much whenever I had to sing something, someone would always say that phrase in a jovial kind of way. Justin used it a lot too.
So now, I'm reminded of that phrase in my voice class today. Our next project in class is to choose, practice, and perform a song from a movie or a broadway musical. I didn't really have a preference, but it seemed that all the girls wanted me to sing Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera. Not really caring, I went with it.
Today in practice, I sang it for the first time, while Dr. Kim (the instructor) played it on the piano. At the end of my practice, everyone was clapping. Wow. Dr. Kim said I had really good tone. Another female classmate, while we were leaving class, said "Cy, you could sing anything to me anytime and I'd be happy."
Not to inflate my ego or anything, but it felt good getting recognized for this talent I've been blessed with. I guess that's why I'm taking this voice class; to build and develop what God's given me. Yay.
II. Wallpaper
Okay, you might be thinking, "Wallpaper? what the heck?"
No, this isn't a section on interior decoration. You might not think this is all that significant, but it's important to me... so there.
I hardly ever change my desktop wallpaper. I usually find something I like and stick with it for a good 6-8 months. Today I found a wallpaper I really liked and decided it was a good time to change.
I think it's pretty neat. I've always liked the radioactive symbol for some reason.
III. North
North is the second album released from the Orange County band Something Corporate. North was first released almost 3 years ago in October of 2003. I remember buying this album and instantly falling in love with it. I haven't listened to it much over the last couple years, but decided that today I would pop it in the CD player. The songs are just as beautiful as they were years ago.
You've probably heard of Jack's Mannequin, which is lead by Something Corporate frontman Andrew McMahon. He has been hard at work making good music with this new band. The Jack's Mannequin website says that they are a 'sideproject'. There hasn't been any rumors or news about Something Corporate producing a new album, but hopefully they aren't done for good. They're absolutely amazing.
I recommend picking this album up if you don't already have it. You can get it for $10 or less from Amazon.com.
IV. Photography
Tonight at the gym, as I was finishing up and walking back to the locker room, I saw Scott S., a guy I went to High School with. We got to talking about working out, college, and life. I learned that he had dropped his classes for the semester over at AVC and is enrolling in a photography school.
Scott and I are friends on Myspace and I had seen some of his recent shots, and they're pretty good!
I really miss photography. I really want to get back into it. A couple months ago, I did an entry on Kevin Lee, another guy I went to High School with. You can see that entry here.
BIO101... Mr. Michael Taback might be the most boring teacher I've ever had. I guess there could be worse, but he's up there. I call him 'squints' because he has some kind of tic whenever he talks that causes him to squint his eyes tight and open his eyes wide every 5-10 seconds. It was funny and entertaining for the first two classes, but even that can't keep my attention now. As a result, I've pretty much paid no attention in the last several class meetings. I just can't follow the guy. Even his lectures are terrible. He just goes to fast for anyone in the class and his notes are so small you can hardly read them off the projected transparency. Needless to say, this is my least favorite class of the semester and it would be an entire waste if it wasn't for one thing...
This past week I was really stressing out because of today's exam. This being the first test of the class combined with the fact that I haven't been paying much attention at all, I was definitely concerned with how I would do today.
Luckily, last week he made a study guide availible to us in the library for photocopies. Never one to pass up a study guide, I made my way to the library last Thursday and picked one up. Altogether, it was about 3 full pages of facts in a numbered list. I thought to myself, there's no way I'm going to remember all this.
All in High School I was a procrastinator. Heck, I mastered procrastination when I was in 4th grade with book reports. Why should college be any different? I put off studying for this test until my singing class this morning at 8:30. I had two and a half hours to study for an exam at 11am. I read through the facts several times throughout the class, stopping only to stand up and sing songs like "The Music of the Night" and others from different musicals.
Come time for Biology class, I felt I was as ready as I was ever going to be... well not so true. I could've studied over the weekend. Oh well. When I got the test and started to take it, I was surprised to find that EVERY single fact on the study guide he gave us was on the test in almost the same order. The only difference was that it was in the form of a multiple choice question. The test was easy. Too easy. As long as he continues to give tests like these, he can be as boring as he wants to be.
On Mondays I also have my Biology lab with instructor Nikki Riley. She's a way cool teacher. I'd be willing to bet that she's the best you can get out of all the instructors who proctor the lab classes. She's younger, she more than willing to help and answer questions, and she lets us get started on the actual lab as soon as possible instead of spending half an hour to 45 minutes lecturing like some other teachers do. (I know. Taback subbed for one class and Justin and I had to do a make-up lab under another instructor... who was absolutely terrible, by the way.) It's a good class. And I have 3 outstanding lab partners.
Note: If Mr. Taback has Tourette's, then... my bad. If not, then it's really funny.
II. 162
Tonight, after my workout at the gym, I headed on over to the local Brunswick lanes to bowl a couple games with my buddy Justin, his girlfriend's sister Chelsea, their co-worker, Kimi (?), and her boyfriend Travis.
I was a little excited because I haven't bowled since October of 2005. I was a little out of practice, but quickly got into the swing of things, bowling over 100 consistantly. Justin and I were on the same lanes, so we were pretty much in direct competition with each other. His first highest was 140-something and on a really close game I topped that with a 162, Justin trailing 4 points behind... If I recall correctly. I left around 11pm, content with my 162. Justin promised he would beat it, as that was his only goal for the night. I responded simply with, "I hope you do." He's like that. Half an hour ago, I just got a text from him that said "209".
Well, I guess you got me, bud. Congrats on a new PR for ya too.
I'm hoping I can maybe go every other week. $11 a week is kinda pricy for me right now.
III. Hip-Hop Harry
One of my HOBY friends Ben B. recently moved from Minnesota to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. His latest project is a kid's television show that is premiering on Discovery Kids September 25th.
The show is called Hip-Hop Harry and features a thugged out fuzzy bear that dances and raps. It's really entertaining. Ben, I believe, actually is the actor in the Hip-Hop Harry costume. On the website, there's a section where you can listen to 11 of the songs. My personal favorite is #6 "Kaboom".
So... Support Ben. Support Education. Support Kids. Support Hip-Hop. Support Bears.
...Support Hip-Hop Harry.
IV. Carnivale
Having recently finished Lost, I felt like I needed another TV show to get hooked onto. I really really wanted to go out and rent the first season of Entourage just because I've heard a lot of good things about it and I also think Jeremy Piven is a cool guy and a phenomenal actor. Much to my dismay however, there were no availible copies of the first season at blockbuster.
Instead, I picked up the first season of Carinvale.
I haven't watched any episodes yet, but here is the premise off the HBO site...
The final battle between Good and Evil is looming, and Ben Hawkins and Brother Justin are on a collision course that could determine the fate of the world.
CARNIVALE follows a traveling carnival as it wends its way across the Dust Bowl, focusing on Ben Hawkins, a mysterious 18-year-old fugitive with hidden talents who is taken in by the carnival, and Brother Justin, the charismatic, shadowy evangelist who will ultimately cross his path. The series takes place at a time of worldwide unrest, with evil on the rise around the globe and the Great Depression wreaking economic and social havoc here at home.
The opening credits (pretty cool)...
I have 'til Friday to finish all the episodes, so expect a review at the end of this week!
I went to sleep around 1:30am last night. This morning I woke up feeling miserable. My nose was stuffed up and my throat was sore as ever. It hurt to swallow... and it felt like I needed to swallow ever couple seconds because my mouth felt so dry.
I haven't been sick since I've been back from the Philippines, but I don't welcome the feeling.
It's so weird too. Last night, I felt perfectly fine. 8 hours of sleep later, I feel like my head is detached from my body.
This is not good.
II. iTunes 7
If you're not already using iTunes, you're really missing out. The functionality that comes with this Apple software is priceless. It really makes organizing your mp3 library so much easier.
The coolest feature of the new version of iTunes 7 is what they call CoverFlow. What it is, basically, is just another way to browse through your library by cover art. I've spent a lot of time gathering the cover art images to my music, so for me, it's really neat.
Also new with iTunes 7 is that whenever you rip a CD to iTunes, it automatically finds and attaches the cover art to the songs. Very cool. No more looking up CDs on Amazon.com and copying and pasting CD artwork to each individual song!
Another one of my favorite new additions to iTunes 7 is that the pause time between songs is eliminated. Now you can listen to a fully ripped CD the way it was meant to be heard. For example, Justin Timberlake's new CD Futuresex/Lovesongs has a lot of interludes that lead into the next song without interruption. Prior to iTunes 7, there would be a slight pause inbetween as it switched to the next track. Now it goes uninterrupted.
Anyway, you can tell I really like iTunes 7. It does run slower than the previous versions, but it's worth it.
III. The Amazing Race
First off, if you've never seen The Amazing Race, watch this video... and if you have, watch it anyway.
Tonight the 10th (wow!) season of The Amazing Race premiered. I remember watching the first season years ago and being so entranced by the show. It's amazing where they take these people. Seeing the different locales around the world is just breath taking. I stuck with the show for the first 4 or 5 seasons, but haven't really watched it since. Tonight, I just happened to be flipping through channels when I saw it on CBS.
The one and a half hour season premier was incredible. The teams set off from Seattle to Beijing and in a twist that has never been done on an Amazing Race premier, 2 teams were eliminated tonight.
The show is incredible, not only for the places they go, but for the growth you see in these people. It's really interesting to observe how many of the teams really change throughout the experience. One of the contestants has an artificial leg and in one challenge, she had to scale a wall. It looked very grim at first, but she overcame and made it. It was an emotional scene.
I've only known one person in my life with a prosthetic leg. His name is Ben and he is one of the strongest guys I know. We went to school together and in Junior High he got in an accident where a SUV overturned onto him and his friends on a street corner. His leg had to be amputated as a result of the accident. Since then, Ben's been an inspiration to so many. He volunteers to help kids with learning disabilities, he's landed some roles doing acting work, and he's a skilled athlete. Just a great guy. It's amazing what some people can do despite hardships and obstacles.
The second team that got eliminated, in tears shared that the experience, though very short, was an incredible journey for them. They learned more about each other and that the only thing that matters is trust and love. Beautiful.
One of my good friends from High School recently started a blog of her own. Althroughout school, she jokingly criticised me and Justin for blogging. Calling us nerds and the like; vowing never to blog. Ever.
Come fall 2006, and Emily has to blog for one of her classes. I laughed at first seeing that she actually succumbed to the fabulous lifestyle of the blogger. Her blog is called A Word or Two and is primarily an academic blog focusing on different aspects of literature. Go have a read if you're into that.
We were talking on the phone tonight because she needed help embedding a YouTube video onto her blog. We talked about her professor and her frustrations with the class. Somewhere in the conversation she mentioned that blogging is, interestingly enough, a form of art. It's a creation. It isn't just some essay you slap together, but rather a culmination of visual and written expression.
Today I finished the second season of Lost. I bought it when it came out on Tuesday, September 5. After one and a half weeks, I have watched all 24 episodes. This show is absolutely incredible and undeniably addicting.
The season finale is a huge cliffhanger, but I'm glad I only have a couple more weeks until the Season 3 premier on Wednesday, October 4th. Lost is probably the best series I've ever seen on Television. The acting, writing, plot, dialogue, cinematography... everything. It's amazing.
Here is a YouTube clip of all the Season 3 TV spots strung together...
II. Attitudes
Along the subject of Lost, I've really been struggling with something. I bought the second season on DVD because, One, I wanted to catch up before Season 3 started and Two, I wanted to watch it with my parents as something we could do together.
We had watched the first couple discs together over last weekend, but this past week, one night when I was at the gym, they decided to go ahead and watch a whole disc without me. I was pretty upset. They laughed and told me I just needed to catch up. I was feeling let down and that they didn't really care that this was about us watching the show together.
So I tried to catch up. However, between school work and going to the gym, I just didn't have the time to watch a full disc in one night. Also, the whole time I'm trying to watch one or two episodes a night, they're still watching more. So I give up. I just figure I'll watch the rest of the season over the weekend.
This morning, as I'm finally on the last disc, my mom comes into my room and browses on my computer while I'm watching the last episode. As a crucial moment in the plot is revealed and the camera cuts away to a new scene, my mom says, "That's it, right?"... ... LIKE I'M SUPPOSED TO KNOW. Obviously she does. She's seen it already. If I can't have the pleasure of watching it with my parents, can I just at least have the privilige of watching the episodes without being tipped off on what's going on? Man! I was so upset this morning.
Don't get me wrong. I love my parents, but I was having a really bad attitude today and the last couple days because of this TV SHOW. *sigh*... feelings.
III. The Gym
I don't think I've said this yet, but last Saturday I got a membership at the local 24-Hour Fitness here in Lancaster. This, in addition to a change in my menu, is all apart of me trying to bulk up for the winter. I've been skinny my whole life and figured now is as good a time as any to do anything about it.
The gym is an interesting place. All kinds of people go there. You've got the skinny people like myself, the bigger people trying to drop the pounds doing heavy cardio, the fit and toned people maintaining their figure, and then the super muscular i-can-snap-your-face-in-two-with-my-left-hand types of dudes and chicks. It's a whole variety of individuals. Oddly enough, I don't feel awkward of insecure lifting weights among some of the biggest people I've ever seen. Nothing weird about it...
...but this is weird... There's this guy who I see every time I'm at the gym. He's skinny, probably of latin descent, hairy, and looks to be in his late 40s. That's not what is weird about him. What's weird is that I only see him in the locker room. No where else. He's never out on the floor. He's always walking around the locekr room in just a towel going back and forth from the Sauna to his locker. It's really really creepy.
Anyway, the gym is cool. Except for Hairy Skinny Sauna Guy.
IV. A Better Choice of Words
Okay. A couple days ago I posted an entry entitled Jaffe, Epiphanies, Porn, and Continuum. Because I'm trying to get more people to read this thing to make me feel like it's worth something, occasionally, I will throw up a bulletin on Myspace.com with a plug for my latest entry. For that particular entry, I put up a bulletin with the title of "Porn!" in the subject line.
Today, I got a message from one of my friends saying,
"hey bro how's it goin...did you really need that subject title though to catch people's attention?"
...and in retrospect, I realize it wasn't the smartest thing to do. I believe I compromised on an issue of faith for me just to get more readers. I believe that's wrong. There is nothing inherently wrong with the word 'Porn'. It's the motivation and the intention behind the word that I'm apologizing for. It was a cheap way to get more traffic to this site, and that's just not right.
I clocked out and looked at my time card. 10:15 was the last number stamped on the 'Total Time' column. Ten hours and 15 minutes for a whole week... I was surprised. I wasn't really following how much time I was accumalating throughout the week. I knew I wasn't working very much, but 10 hours is shocking. My goal was to work between 16-20 hours a week once school had started.
I guess this could be attributed to several things. First would be the ammount of school work and studying I had to do this week; Two tests, a paper, and an outline for a speech. Second would be the tiredness that came with all that. Being tired at work is never a good thing, especially since the office I work in always feels hot. Third would probably be that I'm just not finding the job interesting anymore.
Is this a personal flaw that is really making itself apparent? When I do something for a while, I start to lose interest? I used to be really involved with my instrumental practices. I learned piano when I was 5, alto saxophone when I was 11, electric bass when I was 14, and guitar when I was 17. I hardly pick up any of those instruments today. I did cross country my first 3 years of high school, but not my senior year. I worked at Anchor Blue for almost a year, but my attitude towards customer service started to fade after a couple months. I could think of plenty more relevant examples.
It seems shameful to me to think that I typically tend to give up on things after doing it for a while. Where is my sense of commitment? Is this something that I'll always struggle with? Probably.
II. Tuna Sandwiches
I'm getting sick of them. Loaded with protein. Repitious consumption brings bad taste to the mouth.
Oh well. It's food.
III. A New Find
I was looking through the winners of the 2006 Bloggie Awards and found a very interesting and poignant blog about a waiter at a Bistro. His blog is not just a narrative on the different happenings and interactions with people in the restaurant, but rather a true-to-life analysis of human nature and the world in which we live in.
This semester I'm taking HIST 118 - American West History, 1806-Present with Dr. Matthew Jaffe. If you know me really well, you would know that I describe myself as a Math/Science kind of person. I do not typically enjoy English nor do I have a passion for History. It was just never all that interesting to me.
Jaffe (as many know him by) is starting to change that.
This guy just has such a fire for history that he can project that passion on to his students quite easily. Even if you don't like history, he can convince you into thinking that you do.
We had a test on the first unit this past tuesday and got them back today. I got 80/100 which on the curve we were graded on was a solid 'B'.
I really like this class. Though history never once peaked my excitement, this class for some reason, seems to capture my full attention and interest. I think a lot of that is due to Jaffe.
II. Epiphanies
It's always amazing when something just clicks in your mind. It's the feeling you get where you figure out a riddle after long hours racking your brain. It's the feeling you get when out of nowhere you suddenly remember the name of that actor that was in that one movie. It's when something so absurd finally just makes sense.
This is the feeling I get every Thursday night in my favorite class of the semester, PHIL 105 - Ethics: Moral Issues in Contemporary Society. The class is taught by Dr. William Hale who is probably one of the best instructors I have ever had. This guy will teach you to think and to think hard.
The best I can describe him to you is that he's a big guy (overweight), hippy-like (long hair), and casual (wears a Hawaiian shirt and flip flops). He's often literally been called "The Spawn of Satan" by several parents and local church youth group leaders... He doesn't intentionally add fuel to the fire and deny or confrim those accusations, but he casually chuckles over it. One of the first things he said to us was, "I won't tell you what to believe, but I'm going to try my hardest to make you seriously doubt and question your own beliefs." Amazing. He definitely challenges my mental capacity and my faith.
His class is different from any others that I have this year. He gives no quizzes, tests, or practicums, but rather has us write a 2-3 page "journal entry" every week on different ethical issues.
III. Porn
Tonight we turned in a paper and had a discussion on Pornography. We were instructed last week to write this paper taking the position that was contrary to our own beliefs. The paper I turned in tonight advocated pornography, arguing that there is nothing immoral about it and that it should be accepted in the public eye.
The class was split 60-40 on the issue with the scale tipped on the side of advocacy. When it was time to debate, we got stuck on the very first objective: What is Pornography?. The common response was something along the lines of any sexually explicit material (written or pictorial) that is primarily designed to produce sexual arousal in its viewers.
Dr. Hale said that this definition wasn't sufficient for our purposes. The gist of tonight's lesson was that our entire class is still thinking in terms of legality... That's not what this class is about. yet, at least. We need to be thinking in terms of individual morality and logical reasoning.
Example: I am against viewing any pornography, or anything that I could potentially use to cause arousal, because I believe pornography holds no benefit for me and I am rationally entitled to act in my own best interest. (Rational Egoism)
Neat, eh? The class is exciting. (No pun intended.)
IV. Continuum
A couple days ago, I bought two CDs. One of them was John Mayer's Continuum. I'll tell ya. This album is incredible. It's just the right mix of pop, acoustic rock, folk, and blues. John Mayer proves once again that he is a talent machine. Enjoy one of my favorite songs from the album...
Dieting sucks. It doesn't matter if it's a diet to lose weight or a diet to gain weight. Dieting sucks. Period. Any change in normal eating habits is difficult.
For me, I pretty much have to eat everything I come into contact with throughout the course of the day. Not really, but it almost feels like it. It's tougher than it sounds too, because if I miss a meal, I'm frigginSTARVING.
Meals are becoming bland too. I need to figure out a way to get more variety in, but still get the same nutrition... All in time, I suppose.
Thank God for the invention of the Protein Shake. I just had strawberry one and I'm ready to crash and sleep.
Though Dieting sucks, I know it's going to get me to where I've placed my goals...
II. Poker
The reason I'm blogging so late is because I just got back from my friend Justin L's House. Not Justin, but a different Justin. Actually, Justin was there too... but it wasn't his house... you get the idea.
They invited me over for a fun night of poker... or in my case, a night of losing $20... or to clarify, a night of me owing someone $20. 2 games. $10 down the drain each go.
Anyways... I've been away from poker for so long, that I'm pretty bad at it now. I can't read anyone. Even if they had a huge LCD device strapped to their forehead that scrolled the words "I'm bluffing" or "I've got The Nuts", I still wouldn't be able to read 'em.
Eh, I better get in practice before our Vegas trip in 2008... LOL... 2008. That's pretty far away.
III. Manny
Manny is the soon-to-be brother-in-law of Justin L... and man... he's hillarious. He swears like a sailor, but he's quite the comedian.
Back in January of 2003 (I think), I had just returned from a trip to the Philippines and Justin L had decided to get me tickets to a Linkin Park concert in Long Beach for my birthday. Those attending the concert were Me, Justin, His sister Jen, and her boyfriend Manny.
All I remember of the drive down and back to Long Beach was how funny Manny was. For some reason I just remember him talking a lot about Pirates and their sexual orientation... Good times.
Anyway, Manny and Jen are getting married in November and that's rad.
Props for Manny.
EDIT: This is relevant because he was playing poker with us tonight. I thought I'd give him a mention.
IV. Sleep
So in order to really maximize the effectiveness of working out and eating the way I am is to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night... Yeah. I haven't been doing that. In fact, I'm sacrificing sleep at this very moment to deliver a blog for your viewing pleasure (haha, Justin... bio lab).
EDIT: Do a search on Google for "8 hours of sleep" and the majority of the results are to articles linking 8+ hours of sleep to a shorter life span... So maybe I'll just settle for 6-7.
Today I bought two CDs. Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds and John Mayer's Continuum. I haven't had the chance to listen to the latter, so this post is just about Justin Timberlake...
The album is really good. The songs are very upbeat and fresh. Justin Timberlake is just an amazing singer and an exceptional performer. Check out this clip from the 2006 MTV VMAs...
Probably one of the coolest performances I've ever seen on MTV. Justin rocks. Listen to my favorite song on the album so far.
Recently, along with my change in eating habits and taking up weightlifting, I decided to also stop playing World of Warcraft. It was really starting to become a detriment to my life. Spending hours on end on a game... moments of my life wasted to pixels on a screen... Anyway, I'm done with it.
I've been spending a lot more time with my friends as a result of the extra time. Also, if I didn't quit, I doubt I'd be able to keep up with the eating and workout schedule I'm on.
With all the extra time I have now, I've been browsing a lot of stuff online. YouTube has indeed become a huge time sink... Here are some good ones I've found over the last week...
