Saturday, May 30, 2009
I am my own grandfather.
After long years as a bachelor I was tired of being alone and married a widow with a grown daughter. My father fell in love with the daughter and took her as his wife. This made me my own son-in-law and my stepdaughter became my mother. After a year my wife gave birth to a son. Now, my son was my father's brother-in-law and at the same time my uncle, since he was my stepmother's brother. But my father's wife also gave birth to a son. So this was my brother and also my grandson, since he was the son of my daughter. This meant I'd married my grandmother, since she was the mother of my mother. As my wife's husband, I was also her grandson. And since the husband of a grandmother is always a grandfather, I am my own grandfather.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thank God It's Friday, May 29
What a week!
I've been looking forward to tonight since this week started. I had this research paper that I had to turn in today, and it was hard. Like, really hard you guys. I love writing, but not when I have to analyze plays and literary concepts, though I know it's good practice for aspiring writers. John Green, an author and one of the vlogbrothers, once said that in order to become a good writer you have to read and write and analyze, because that is the apprenticeship to becoming a good writer. But this research paper is finally finished, though I didn't really like it. But we'll see how it turned out. We have the final Monday that I will be studying for all weekend. That should go well I think.
Probably the best thing that happened today is my hot water heater was fixed. It had gone out today, and of course I didn't notice until after 5:ooPM. This meant that our custodial staff had already left for the day, and wouldn't be able to get back until Monday. Cold showers all weekend, my favorite. Luckily Todd is a great guy and came back and fixed it for me. Shout out to my man Todd.
Another good thing that will happen this weekend is that I will be getting paid. Not only will I be getting paid the $515 for the apartments, but I'm also getting paid the $426 for working at central campus. So this month I am getting a staggering $941. But all of that money is going straight to the bank account to save up for fraternity dues and books for next semester.
The final plus for this weekend is that one of my brothers David is having his birthday party tonight, and that should be fun. I'm probably going to take a nap or something before I head over there. And I get to take a hot shower before hand!
I Google Image searched "Thank God It's Friday" and this is one of the first images that showed up. It made my day instantly better, except that it should be "it's" not "its." But that's just the English major in me. I think that this will be the picture I use from now on for my T.G.I.F. posts. Or maybe just until I get a funnier picture. We'll see.
The one thing I'm not looking forward to this weekend is check-outs. Whenever an RA is on duty, they are in charge of any check-outs for that day. I'm on duty tomorrow and Sunday. Lucky me, Sunday is the day that most of the contracts expire for the apartments. That means that everyone is checking out Sunday, and I get to do it! Oh boy! Hopefully it won't be too bad though.
So how's your week been, and what do you have going on? Leave it in the comments.
-Beast
I've been looking forward to tonight since this week started. I had this research paper that I had to turn in today, and it was hard. Like, really hard you guys. I love writing, but not when I have to analyze plays and literary concepts, though I know it's good practice for aspiring writers. John Green, an author and one of the vlogbrothers, once said that in order to become a good writer you have to read and write and analyze, because that is the apprenticeship to becoming a good writer. But this research paper is finally finished, though I didn't really like it. But we'll see how it turned out. We have the final Monday that I will be studying for all weekend. That should go well I think.
Probably the best thing that happened today is my hot water heater was fixed. It had gone out today, and of course I didn't notice until after 5:ooPM. This meant that our custodial staff had already left for the day, and wouldn't be able to get back until Monday. Cold showers all weekend, my favorite. Luckily Todd is a great guy and came back and fixed it for me. Shout out to my man Todd.
Another good thing that will happen this weekend is that I will be getting paid. Not only will I be getting paid the $515 for the apartments, but I'm also getting paid the $426 for working at central campus. So this month I am getting a staggering $941. But all of that money is going straight to the bank account to save up for fraternity dues and books for next semester.
The final plus for this weekend is that one of my brothers David is having his birthday party tonight, and that should be fun. I'm probably going to take a nap or something before I head over there. And I get to take a hot shower before hand!
I Google Image searched "Thank God It's Friday" and this is one of the first images that showed up. It made my day instantly better, except that it should be "it's" not "its." But that's just the English major in me. I think that this will be the picture I use from now on for my T.G.I.F. posts. Or maybe just until I get a funnier picture. We'll see.
The one thing I'm not looking forward to this weekend is check-outs. Whenever an RA is on duty, they are in charge of any check-outs for that day. I'm on duty tomorrow and Sunday. Lucky me, Sunday is the day that most of the contracts expire for the apartments. That means that everyone is checking out Sunday, and I get to do it! Oh boy! Hopefully it won't be too bad though.
So how's your week been, and what do you have going on? Leave it in the comments.
-Beast
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thoughts on Thursday, May 28
Currently all of my thoughts are occupied by Shakespeare and this damn research paper. It's due tomorrow. And I'm hating myself right now. So if I write about Shakespeare, that would be like studying and preparing for the final Monday, right? Right.
Why I like Shakespeare: He's witty and dirty. Here's one of his sonnets that I think captures this the best. Sonnet 135:
Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will,
And Will to boot, and Will in overplus;
More than enough am I that vex thee still,
To thy sweet will making addition thus.
Wilt thou, whose will is large and spacious,
Not once vouchsafe to hide my will in thine?
Shall will in others seem right gracious,
And in my will no fair acceptance shine?
The sea, all water, yet receives rain still
And in abundance addeth to his store;
So thou, being rich in Will, add to they Will
One will of mine, to make thy large Will more.
Let no unkind no fair beseechers kill;
Think all but one, and me in that one Will.
In this sonnet he's playing around with his name (the capitalized Will) and sexual innuendos (sweet "will" making). I don't need to tell you what he means when he's asking her to hide his will in her "large and spacious" will. I think it's brilliant how he manipulates words.
A lot of people get turned off when they think of Shakespeare because they think they can't read it or understand it, but I say push through it! This sonnet is hilarious! Sure there are some parts that are hard to understand, but there are plenty of collections of Shakespeare's works that have notes to help you better understand it. If you want to read a dirty play read "Measure for Measure." It's hysterically dirty.
Also, I'm pretty sure he was in love with a guy. Actually a lot of people are pretty sure about this, seeing how some hundred and twenty something of his sonnets were written to a younger male. I don't think the earring helps any.
He frequented taverns. He left his wife his "second best bed." He constantly writes about sex and venereal diseases. He wrote love poems to an unknown guy. He went to brothels that popped up around the theaters.
And they say Shakespeare is sophisticated.
-Beast
Why I like Shakespeare: He's witty and dirty. Here's one of his sonnets that I think captures this the best. Sonnet 135:
Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will,
And Will to boot, and Will in overplus;
More than enough am I that vex thee still,
To thy sweet will making addition thus.
Wilt thou, whose will is large and spacious,
Not once vouchsafe to hide my will in thine?
Shall will in others seem right gracious,
And in my will no fair acceptance shine?
The sea, all water, yet receives rain still
And in abundance addeth to his store;
So thou, being rich in Will, add to they Will
One will of mine, to make thy large Will more.
Let no unkind no fair beseechers kill;
Think all but one, and me in that one Will.
In this sonnet he's playing around with his name (the capitalized Will) and sexual innuendos (sweet "will" making). I don't need to tell you what he means when he's asking her to hide his will in her "large and spacious" will. I think it's brilliant how he manipulates words.
A lot of people get turned off when they think of Shakespeare because they think they can't read it or understand it, but I say push through it! This sonnet is hilarious! Sure there are some parts that are hard to understand, but there are plenty of collections of Shakespeare's works that have notes to help you better understand it. If you want to read a dirty play read "Measure for Measure." It's hysterically dirty.
Also, I'm pretty sure he was in love with a guy. Actually a lot of people are pretty sure about this, seeing how some hundred and twenty something of his sonnets were written to a younger male. I don't think the earring helps any.He frequented taverns. He left his wife his "second best bed." He constantly writes about sex and venereal diseases. He wrote love poems to an unknown guy. He went to brothels that popped up around the theaters.
And they say Shakespeare is sophisticated.
-Beast
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A cat sits on a hot stove- QotD
"We should be careful to get out of an experience all the wisdom that is in it--not like the cat that sits on a hot stove lid. She will never sit down on a hot lid again--and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore."-Mark Twain
I don't know the history behind this quote, how Mark Twain intended it to be used, but when I first heard this quote it was in the context of racism. It states that the cat learns not to sit on stoves, because he was burned by the last one he sat on. Unfortunately people often learn like that cat does. If someone has a bad experience with one person from a different race, then they learn not to trust everybody from that race. What they should have learned is not to trust that one person, like the cat should not sit on only hot stoves. I think this is very true. And I used to think that racism didn't really exist anymore and that it had faded out.
I grew up in a town that was 80% black, 15% white, and 5% other (yes I just made a giant catagory for all the other races). Obviously, most of my friends were black, or at least the same amount were black that were white. Race was never a big issue where I came from. To some extent I was sheltered. I do remember one of my friends telling me about a time he walked home. He literally was just walking down the road after school when a cop pulled to the side and started harassing him about where he just came from, where he was going, and what was in his bag. This was one of my friends who never got into any major trouble. After hearing this I just kinda brushed it off. An isolated incident, right?
Not so much. Now that I'm in college I would like to say that everyone here was the same as back home, and that racism was a thing of the past. I would also like to say that the world is at peace, and all religions finally learned to get along. But I would be lying. Sadly many people are still under the impression that someone is inherently inferior simple because of their race. Now, not everyone here is like this. In fact most people aren't. But more people were than I knew back home. But is that true, or was I just unaware when I was younger because of how my parents raised me?
When I was little, five or so, my family and I went to a Braves game. We were up in the nose bleeds (the seats so high it makes your nose bleed) and we were having a great time. There was a large group of black guys sitting behind us, and they were in their twenties or so. Whenever they talked to each other they would use slang and called each other "niggers." Now, being five and never hearing that word while growing up, I didn't know what it meant. So I asked.
"Sir," I asked, "what's a 'nigger?'" They all stopped talking. One of them stood up.
"Guys," he said, "we just taught this little boy something he shouldn't ever hear." After that they stopped saying it and bought me peanuts for the rest of the game.
Now, I always wondered why "nigga" was a term used to refer to other black people. So I asked my good friend, and someone I consider a mentor, why this was. He explained it as this: when there is a class system of any kind, people in the same class often refer to each other using terms they identify with. Such as poor people calling each other "po'." Now I can understand this mentality, but I still think that any derogatory word no matter how it's used will still bring down that group of people. Ergo, that word should not be used anymore, by anyone. But that's only wishful thinking.
For my last issue that I'm going to bring up here, I would just like to mention black culture how I've heard it used by some people. Now I've heard people say that black culture is saggy pants, rap music, idolization of the gangster, etc. I would just like to say that I do not think this is black culture, but urban culture. In big cities, such as Hotlanta (sidenote, "Hotlanta" is a word, according to spell check), this is the prominent culture. But I bet if you move out to the rural areas, the culture is a lot different. Why I think urban and black culture get confused, as well as white and rural culture, is because of demographics.
For example, if more white people live in rural areas, it would be easier to say that rural culture is white culture. The same for urban culutre and black culture. But what about any white people who live in the city and follow the urban culture, or vice versa? Would that would mean the white person is following black culture? No. That white person is following urban culture. But what if they're not even black or white? Of course there are all sorts of demeaning terms for people like this. Racism has been around for a long time.
In closing, I do not think all hope is lost. I think that my generation will be the one to end racism. After all, our new president is black, interracial relationships are on the rise, or are at least not so uncommon, and people have generally become more tolerant of differences. Of course there are still things that need to be fixed, but that will always be the case. Civil wars are still being fought because of race, like the Hutu and the Tutsi. And I know that I do come from a middle class background, and will not know the many difficulties that some people face due to race. But I do see a brighter future. I think that there are some bigger problems that we will face, and to get through them we are going to have to learn to live together.
What do you think? Leave your ideas in the comments below.
-Beast
PS- If you're wondering how I had time to write this if I was going to be extremely busy for the rest of the week, I had an extremely productive day so far and was able to get more work done than I thought. Wish me luck for the rest of the week.
I don't know the history behind this quote, how Mark Twain intended it to be used, but when I first heard this quote it was in the context of racism. It states that the cat learns not to sit on stoves, because he was burned by the last one he sat on. Unfortunately people often learn like that cat does. If someone has a bad experience with one person from a different race, then they learn not to trust everybody from that race. What they should have learned is not to trust that one person, like the cat should not sit on only hot stoves. I think this is very true. And I used to think that racism didn't really exist anymore and that it had faded out.
I grew up in a town that was 80% black, 15% white, and 5% other (yes I just made a giant catagory for all the other races). Obviously, most of my friends were black, or at least the same amount were black that were white. Race was never a big issue where I came from. To some extent I was sheltered. I do remember one of my friends telling me about a time he walked home. He literally was just walking down the road after school when a cop pulled to the side and started harassing him about where he just came from, where he was going, and what was in his bag. This was one of my friends who never got into any major trouble. After hearing this I just kinda brushed it off. An isolated incident, right?
Not so much. Now that I'm in college I would like to say that everyone here was the same as back home, and that racism was a thing of the past. I would also like to say that the world is at peace, and all religions finally learned to get along. But I would be lying. Sadly many people are still under the impression that someone is inherently inferior simple because of their race. Now, not everyone here is like this. In fact most people aren't. But more people were than I knew back home. But is that true, or was I just unaware when I was younger because of how my parents raised me?
When I was little, five or so, my family and I went to a Braves game. We were up in the nose bleeds (the seats so high it makes your nose bleed) and we were having a great time. There was a large group of black guys sitting behind us, and they were in their twenties or so. Whenever they talked to each other they would use slang and called each other "niggers." Now, being five and never hearing that word while growing up, I didn't know what it meant. So I asked.
"Sir," I asked, "what's a 'nigger?'" They all stopped talking. One of them stood up.
"Guys," he said, "we just taught this little boy something he shouldn't ever hear." After that they stopped saying it and bought me peanuts for the rest of the game.
Now, I always wondered why "nigga" was a term used to refer to other black people. So I asked my good friend, and someone I consider a mentor, why this was. He explained it as this: when there is a class system of any kind, people in the same class often refer to each other using terms they identify with. Such as poor people calling each other "po'." Now I can understand this mentality, but I still think that any derogatory word no matter how it's used will still bring down that group of people. Ergo, that word should not be used anymore, by anyone. But that's only wishful thinking.
For my last issue that I'm going to bring up here, I would just like to mention black culture how I've heard it used by some people. Now I've heard people say that black culture is saggy pants, rap music, idolization of the gangster, etc. I would just like to say that I do not think this is black culture, but urban culture. In big cities, such as Hotlanta (sidenote, "Hotlanta" is a word, according to spell check), this is the prominent culture. But I bet if you move out to the rural areas, the culture is a lot different. Why I think urban and black culture get confused, as well as white and rural culture, is because of demographics.
For example, if more white people live in rural areas, it would be easier to say that rural culture is white culture. The same for urban culutre and black culture. But what about any white people who live in the city and follow the urban culture, or vice versa? Would that would mean the white person is following black culture? No. That white person is following urban culture. But what if they're not even black or white? Of course there are all sorts of demeaning terms for people like this. Racism has been around for a long time.
In closing, I do not think all hope is lost. I think that my generation will be the one to end racism. After all, our new president is black, interracial relationships are on the rise, or are at least not so uncommon, and people have generally become more tolerant of differences. Of course there are still things that need to be fixed, but that will always be the case. Civil wars are still being fought because of race, like the Hutu and the Tutsi. And I know that I do come from a middle class background, and will not know the many difficulties that some people face due to race. But I do see a brighter future. I think that there are some bigger problems that we will face, and to get through them we are going to have to learn to live together.
What do you think? Leave your ideas in the comments below.
-Beast
PS- If you're wondering how I had time to write this if I was going to be extremely busy for the rest of the week, I had an extremely productive day so far and was able to get more work done than I thought. Wish me luck for the rest of the week.
My Apologies
So yeah, according to my schedule I was supposed to have posted a lot more stuff by now... and I haven't. It's just that Maymester is wrapping up and a friend came in town last night and I have a research paper due Friday and I've just been busy. So I'm sorry I haven't had time to really get back to writing much lately. Well, on here at least.
Just because I haven't been writing here doesn't mean that I haven't thought of any new stories or tales though. I am actually in the process of working on a project for the blogosphere that hopefully will be revealed in the next few days. I'll keep you posted. (Get it? Posted via posting. Hooray for puns!)
So it looks like the new scheme is working out pretty well, and y'all seem to dig it, so I'm going to keep it. I'm satisfied. Also, it was suggested that I keep fraternity related stories separate. I think this is a great idea. In fact, I like this idea so much that I'm going to have a separate day just for fraternity stories. So here is the revised schedule:
Monday: Favorite Quotes
Tuesday: Fraternity Stories
Wednesday: Story Post
Thursday: Thursday Thoughts
Friday: TGIF
That's a lot of writing guys, I hope y'all actually read that much. Also, TGIF will be stories from the week that explain why I look forward to the weekends. And I'm not going to be writing on the weekend, because I need sometime to refresh my awesome for the following week.
So, sorry for not getting back to you until now, and it looks like I won't be posting much this week. So maybe I'll treat you to some stories this weekend. Only if you're nice.
-Beast
Just because I haven't been writing here doesn't mean that I haven't thought of any new stories or tales though. I am actually in the process of working on a project for the blogosphere that hopefully will be revealed in the next few days. I'll keep you posted. (Get it? Posted via posting. Hooray for puns!)
So it looks like the new scheme is working out pretty well, and y'all seem to dig it, so I'm going to keep it. I'm satisfied. Also, it was suggested that I keep fraternity related stories separate. I think this is a great idea. In fact, I like this idea so much that I'm going to have a separate day just for fraternity stories. So here is the revised schedule:
Monday: Favorite Quotes
Tuesday: Fraternity Stories
Wednesday: Story Post
Thursday: Thursday Thoughts
Friday: TGIF
That's a lot of writing guys, I hope y'all actually read that much. Also, TGIF will be stories from the week that explain why I look forward to the weekends. And I'm not going to be writing on the weekend, because I need sometime to refresh my awesome for the following week.
So, sorry for not getting back to you until now, and it looks like I won't be posting much this week. So maybe I'll treat you to some stories this weekend. Only if you're nice.
-Beast
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Weekend Update
New Look
So if you're looking at this for the first time this weekend, there have obviously been some changes to the blog. Here's the scoop. Aquaman came over this weekend and we did a lot to our blogs. To make a long story short, we had everything like we wanted when we noticed that our comment boxes were missing. Now, for me the main reason I have this blog is to improve my writing. How can I do that if you can't read it? So what we had to do to fix the problem was to create new blogs. All of the
old stories are still here, but all of the comments were deleted.
Now, I guess I should ask, how do you like the new look? I personally like this picture of Beast because he has a pony tail. For those of you who don't know, I used to have really long hair too. This is a great picture of me with a pony tail. I'm supposed to be the Last Samurai or something. But what do you think? Should I change the color scheme? If you have any ideas just post a comment.
Old Friends
So this summer has been pretty good, except that everybody has left town. So it's pretty much been Shakespeare and I so far, except this weekend. A lot of people came in town this weekend and we got to hang out. As I said, Aquaman and James came over last night and literally spent the whole night just hanging out. It was good to catch up with them. Aquaman and I have become really close over the past year, and towards the end of this past semester it seemed like we got too busy to really hang out with each other, so this weekend was good.
On top of those two coming in town, one of my old friends Nay Nay dropped by too. Nay Nay is another one of my brothers who I don't really get to see a lot. He was one of my pledge brothers, like Aquaman and James, but he had to go back home last year, so it's been a while since we got to hang out. More good news with Nay Nay, he's coming back next year and will hopefully be an active brother.
Movies
Now one of my friends always makes fun of me because all I do is watch movies. However, one of my other friends always yells at me because I haven't seen many movies. This confuses me. Anyway, I just finished watching Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds and I have to say I enjoyed it. In the movie he plays a guy who was always "just a friend" and never the boy friend, then goes away for ten years and comes back a successful and attractive guy to woo his old sweetheart. I personally find this movie funny because I was "just a friend" most of high school.
In the movie he states that once a guy becomes a friend to a girl he no longer becomes dating material. I think this is a bit exaggerated, but it does have some truth in it. From what I can tell through past experiences, when you become "just a friend" but still have feelings for her, staying friends doesn't really work. So what should you do? My advice is just to move on. Don't stop talking to her, but don't expect anything else. And if you still like her, I would suggest not hanging out with her as much as you used to.
Going Home
So I haven't been home since I can't remember, but I get to go home tomorrow! It's going to be good to see the family, however brief it may be, and the hometown and all of my friends. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go back to Sangria's, the old restaurant I worked at last summer. Also, I'm getting new tires! This is especially exciting because I haven't changed my tires in, oh about six years. Needless to say we're about due. Oh you don't know? I drive a 1977 Chevrolet Scottsdale. I call her the Smurphmobile. She's my baby.
So that pretty much wraps up this weekend and a little about what's to come. I'll have more posts soon, and remember to leave any comments or suggestions.
-Beast
So if you're looking at this for the first time this weekend, there have obviously been some changes to the blog. Here's the scoop. Aquaman came over this weekend and we did a lot to our blogs. To make a long story short, we had everything like we wanted when we noticed that our comment boxes were missing. Now, for me the main reason I have this blog is to improve my writing. How can I do that if you can't read it? So what we had to do to fix the problem was to create new blogs. All of the
old stories are still here, but all of the comments were deleted.Now, I guess I should ask, how do you like the new look? I personally like this picture of Beast because he has a pony tail. For those of you who don't know, I used to have really long hair too. This is a great picture of me with a pony tail. I'm supposed to be the Last Samurai or something. But what do you think? Should I change the color scheme? If you have any ideas just post a comment.
Old Friends
So this summer has been pretty good, except that everybody has left town. So it's pretty much been Shakespeare and I so far, except this weekend. A lot of people came in town this weekend and we got to hang out. As I said, Aquaman and James came over last night and literally spent the whole night just hanging out. It was good to catch up with them. Aquaman and I have become really close over the past year, and towards the end of this past semester it seemed like we got too busy to really hang out with each other, so this weekend was good.
On top of those two coming in town, one of my old friends Nay Nay dropped by too. Nay Nay is another one of my brothers who I don't really get to see a lot. He was one of my pledge brothers, like Aquaman and James, but he had to go back home last year, so it's been a while since we got to hang out. More good news with Nay Nay, he's coming back next year and will hopefully be an active brother.
Movies
Now one of my friends always makes fun of me because all I do is watch movies. However, one of my other friends always yells at me because I haven't seen many movies. This confuses me. Anyway, I just finished watching Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds and I have to say I enjoyed it. In the movie he plays a guy who was always "just a friend" and never the boy friend, then goes away for ten years and comes back a successful and attractive guy to woo his old sweetheart. I personally find this movie funny because I was "just a friend" most of high school.
In the movie he states that once a guy becomes a friend to a girl he no longer becomes dating material. I think this is a bit exaggerated, but it does have some truth in it. From what I can tell through past experiences, when you become "just a friend" but still have feelings for her, staying friends doesn't really work. So what should you do? My advice is just to move on. Don't stop talking to her, but don't expect anything else. And if you still like her, I would suggest not hanging out with her as much as you used to.
Going Home
So I haven't been home since I can't remember, but I get to go home tomorrow! It's going to be good to see the family, however brief it may be, and the hometown and all of my friends. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go back to Sangria's, the old restaurant I worked at last summer. Also, I'm getting new tires! This is especially exciting because I haven't changed my tires in, oh about six years. Needless to say we're about due. Oh you don't know? I drive a 1977 Chevrolet Scottsdale. I call her the Smurphmobile. She's my baby.
So that pretty much wraps up this weekend and a little about what's to come. I'll have more posts soon, and remember to leave any comments or suggestions.
-Beast
Saturday, May 23, 2009
New Blog Structure
So my friend Aquaman came down this weekend. He's in my fraternity as well, and he's also one of the Executive Councilmen. This weekend we had an EC retreat, where basically we sat in a room for five hours and talked and talked and talked about what we're going to do for the upcoming year. In the end it was a productive meeting, but I don't feel like thinking much after that.
Back to Aquaman. We're chilling in my apartment now before we to head over to another one of my brother's place for his Double-Deuce Birthday Bash. It should be a good time. Aquaman's now helping me figure out more stuff to this whole Blogger website. He should know, since he stayed up several nights in a row messing around with it. But basically I was having trouble posting comments on other people's blogs, and finally we got it working. Oh, and if you try to post a comment on anything I write, which I encourage you to do, I have it so that I must approve the comment first. This is just to keep out spam or stupid comments (like "durr ur gay" or "lolz omg!!!!1). I think I might change this soon though.
You also might have noticed a new bar along the bottom of the page. This is a general comment box that you can use to comment on my blog as a whole. Like if you like the font or if you like the color scheme or this or that.
So I got to thinking that this blog needs some stability, which is ironic because this post is pretty scattered. So I'm going to have a specific post per day, like this:
Monday: Quotes to Ponder
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Story Post
Thursday: Thursday Thoughts
Friday:
Saturday: Weekend Update
For "Quotes to Ponder" I'm going to have a different quote per week, then after the quote I will talk about it and how it's effecting my life or why I like it. The "Story Post" will be posts like "The Watchmen of Wells" where I make up some ridiculous tale about a mundane task. "Thursday Thoughts" will be the post where I put my two cents in about a current event or a philosophical topic. And "Weekend Update" is just what happened that week and what's coming up for the next weekend. Sunday I'm taking off, even though I know it'll be hard for you without one of my captivating posts.
Now, right about now you might be asking, "Beast, what about Tuesday and Friday? You don't have any post topics for those." And then I might tell you that you're like a stockholder for this blog, so I'm letting you decide what I write about every Tuesday and Thursday. Leave your suggestions in the comment box, and by Tuesday I will have a post based on your descion.
As for now, I'm going to go back to try and figure out some more things about the site. Mainly, I'm going to try and figure out how to search for blogs about specific topics. If you know how, please let me know in the comment section.
-Beast
Back to Aquaman. We're chilling in my apartment now before we to head over to another one of my brother's place for his Double-Deuce Birthday Bash. It should be a good time. Aquaman's now helping me figure out more stuff to this whole Blogger website. He should know, since he stayed up several nights in a row messing around with it. But basically I was having trouble posting comments on other people's blogs, and finally we got it working. Oh, and if you try to post a comment on anything I write, which I encourage you to do, I have it so that I must approve the comment first. This is just to keep out spam or stupid comments (like "durr ur gay" or "lolz omg!!!!1). I think I might change this soon though.
You also might have noticed a new bar along the bottom of the page. This is a general comment box that you can use to comment on my blog as a whole. Like if you like the font or if you like the color scheme or this or that.
So I got to thinking that this blog needs some stability, which is ironic because this post is pretty scattered. So I'm going to have a specific post per day, like this:
Monday: Quotes to Ponder
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Story Post
Thursday: Thursday Thoughts
Friday:
Saturday: Weekend Update
For "Quotes to Ponder" I'm going to have a different quote per week, then after the quote I will talk about it and how it's effecting my life or why I like it. The "Story Post" will be posts like "The Watchmen of Wells" where I make up some ridiculous tale about a mundane task. "Thursday Thoughts" will be the post where I put my two cents in about a current event or a philosophical topic. And "Weekend Update" is just what happened that week and what's coming up for the next weekend. Sunday I'm taking off, even though I know it'll be hard for you without one of my captivating posts.
Now, right about now you might be asking, "Beast, what about Tuesday and Friday? You don't have any post topics for those." And then I might tell you that you're like a stockholder for this blog, so I'm letting you decide what I write about every Tuesday and Thursday. Leave your suggestions in the comment box, and by Tuesday I will have a post based on your descion.
As for now, I'm going to go back to try and figure out some more things about the site. Mainly, I'm going to try and figure out how to search for blogs about specific topics. If you know how, please let me know in the comment section.
-Beast
Thursday, May 21, 2009
What I Believe
So I started out with this blog with the idea that, through writing, I would be able to find myself. I would be able to figure out what it is I actually believe. This is where I am now. And yes, I realize what I'm about to talk about does not make for good dinner conversation, but I'm not at dinner so it's ok.
For starters, let's talk about God. I think that the idea of God and religion are good things. They give people hope and inspiration. It is the light in an otherwise dark world. But, like all things humans become involved with, religion has been molested. It has been the reason for uncountable wars since the idea of a God. But it's not religion's fault. Anything people become passionate about is bound to be used for a personal agenda.
So what do I think about God and religion? Well, I do believe that there is a God, and I believe he created the universe and everything in it. For me, the idea that everything just "came to be" by rapidly expanding as the Big Bang theory states still lacks something. Who created the matter that expanded? The universe is too complex for it to have just happened.
I believe that God is omnipotent, but I don't think that he chooses what happens to people specifically. I believe we are in control of what happens to us, and that the choices we make today will effect us thirty years from now. I believe that God could change things if he wanted, but what would be the point of that? The point of our hardships is to learn. I believe prayer is powerful, in the sense that it gives one hope. I do not think that our prayers will change what happens though. I believe we must face the consequences of actions in the past, and do so in order to learn and prepare ourselves for the future. I do not think that God chooses for things to happen to someone, bad or good, but he lets them happen.
Now this begs the question, what about children who are brought up in extreme poverty, children who die, children who have not even had the chance to do something wrong yet are faced with horrendous obstacles? Did God choose for that to happen? No, I don't think God chooses things to happen to anyone, regardless of age or innocence. I think God gave man the opportunity to do good or wrong, and then he let's us deal with the consequences. One life affects many, and so does the actions of that one life. So if a dictator decides to commence in the slaughter or thousands, thousands will suffer because of that one decision. Is that fair? Well, when has life ever been fair? I believe the justice of the innocent will come in the afterlife.
Yes, I believe in an afterlife. The creation of life and the being of God seems pointless without the idea of some form of afterlife. If one is morally good during their life, then they shall be rewarded in the afterlife. Obviously, the opposite for those who were morally bankrupt.
As for Jesus, do I believe in him? There is enough documents that we have discovered to prove his existence, but was he God's only son? I do not know. (After this, know that most of my information comes from either articles I've found on the internet or shows on the History Channel, or something of that sort. I realize the sources can be unreliable, this is merely my beliefs based on what I have found.) I know that the Gospels were written after his death, a hundred years give or take. I also know that there are several books that have been left out, and these tell different stories than we are used to. I also know that the Bible was put together by a council of men. I know that they left out some of these books, some simply because they did not have the economic means to publish everything. So, using their best judgment, they selected the best of the best, creating what we now know to be the Bible.
Now, I also know that whenever power is entertained by a host of men, good things often become tools for personal gain. Is it happenstance that the church for centuries was the most powerful entity? No. Man got involved and muddled with religion, and added politics to the power of God. But does this lack of faith in mankind make me not believe in Jesus?
I do believe in him, because I believe that sometimes it just takes faith. Sometimes, the most powerful medicine that a sick patient can have is the faith that they'll survive. Sometimes, all a suicidal person needs is the faith that their life is worth living and that someone cares. Sometimes, all I need to get me out of a rut is the idea of a higher power. So, yes, I believe in Jesus.
So I guess my views aren't that different from Christian teachings, but here's where I start to veer off. I do not think that homosexuality is the working of the devil. I do not think gay marriage will ruin the sanctity of marriage. If anything, I think that the willingness to fight the opposition of the masses and face discrimination every day for the rest of your life, all for the one you really love, deserves the sanctity of marriage.
Divorce is what's ruining the sanctity of marriage, not gay people. I overheard two women talking in line at Wal-Mart the other day. One had recently gotten divorced, and the other asked if she was okay. She replied that she was fine and, after all, he was a good first husband. A good first husband? That mentality is what's ruining marriage.
As for going to church, I think that it is up to the person. Personally, there has only been one church that I have really enjoyed, and that was the catholic church back home. The priests there understood their congregation, and I enjoyed hearing their sermons. Now I've moved, and I just haven't found a place that I like. And honestly, I don't think I will. I feel like I can pray to God in my bedroom and he can hear me just as well as he can if I was in a church. But if I was in a bad spot in my life, then I would seek council from a church. When I was at my old church, I liked hearing the sermons because I liked having the gospel explained to me. Now, however, I like to think that I am able to decipher it myself. Of course it's always better to have other ideas to contrast with your own, which is an important part of church. Honestly, I'm still not sure about what I believe here.
Whew, that was religion, now let's move onto the fun topic of politics! I will try to be more brief here, as brevity is the soul of wit. I come from a republican family, though I think myself more libertarian. I believe that the less government we have, the less chance government has to meddle with our lives. I do not think that the government should have too much control of our economy, because then they will just sway it to their good fortunes. I do not think the government should control abortion either. Though I think abortion is wrong, who am I to say someone else cannot do it? It is their life, their baby, and their choice. Yes it is a baby, otherwise you would have nothing to abort.
As with any large group of people with power, governments are prone to corruption. Therefore, the less government we have, the less there is to become corrupt. I have problems with the welfare system. It might have started out as a beneficial program for those who are truly in need of it, but now I think that it is so abused it is no longer helpful to the people who are on it. It seems like most of the people use it so they don't have to work. I almost feel that the practice of tough love is necessary with society, because without feeling the pains of poor decisions, what motivation is there to change and work harder? But what about the people who actually use welfare as a tool to pull themselves up, as it was intended? I don't think it needs to be taken away from them. Quite frankly, I don't know what we should do. I could go on with politics, but this is already getting long. Plus, we still have the third thing you're not supposed to mention at the dinner table: sex.
Ah sex, the cause of wars and troubles since the dawn of man. All I really want to say here is that people of all ages will have sex, whether it's premarital or not, and there's really nothing you can do to stop them. And honestly, it's not really your place to stop them. Now if your a parent, I think it's important to actually take the time to sit down and talk to your kids about sex.
Yes I'm giving advice to parents, because I'm unfortunately older than some parents are. And quite frankly, I'm more mature than some of the parents who are older than I. If you're a guy and have a kid, be a man and be there to help raise your child. There is no excuse for the pathetic men who impregnated someone and abandoned her. Secondly, when you have a child it's time to grow up. Again, I think we have to live by our mistakes, and that means if you're fourteen with a child, you just grew up very fast. But back to sex, parents should talk with their kids about sex, not as if they were five and using metaphors like the birds and the bees, but actually talk about it. What you will tell them will not be a shock to them, they've heard the words penis and vagina before, I guarantee it. Chances are, they already know more about it than you think, but it's important for them to hear it from you.
But no matter what, teenagers will have sex. It's inevitable. I personally think that sex is something that should remain between two people who love each other, not one night stands. There is a great article I read, though I cannot for the life of me remember the title or author (I do know it was in MIGHT Magazine if that helps), that compared AIDS to the dragons in the old knight's tales. He explained that when the knight was in search for the "fair maiden" he first had to get past the dragon. The dragon made sex something more than casual sex, it made it something worth fighting for. He then goes on to say that the 60s movement of free love was based on a time without dragons to stand in the way of casual sex. Because of this we had the AIDS epidemic as well as many other sexually transmitted diseases. He said that AIDS is actually beneficial, because it is the dragon guarding casual sex for our generation. Though he knows that there will always be casual sex, we now have something that will help people weigh the consequences of casual sex. And I agree with him, sex is something that should not be casual.
These are some of the things I believe based on my life, the things I have read, and the observations I have made. I am thoroughly convinced that I do not, nor never will, know all of the correct answers to religion, politics, sex, or anything else. If your opinion differs for mine by all means share it with me. It is never a bad thing when two people can compare their beliefs striving to learn more. So if you ever want to talk, just let me know.
-Beast
For starters, let's talk about God. I think that the idea of God and religion are good things. They give people hope and inspiration. It is the light in an otherwise dark world. But, like all things humans become involved with, religion has been molested. It has been the reason for uncountable wars since the idea of a God. But it's not religion's fault. Anything people become passionate about is bound to be used for a personal agenda.
So what do I think about God and religion? Well, I do believe that there is a God, and I believe he created the universe and everything in it. For me, the idea that everything just "came to be" by rapidly expanding as the Big Bang theory states still lacks something. Who created the matter that expanded? The universe is too complex for it to have just happened.
I believe that God is omnipotent, but I don't think that he chooses what happens to people specifically. I believe we are in control of what happens to us, and that the choices we make today will effect us thirty years from now. I believe that God could change things if he wanted, but what would be the point of that? The point of our hardships is to learn. I believe prayer is powerful, in the sense that it gives one hope. I do not think that our prayers will change what happens though. I believe we must face the consequences of actions in the past, and do so in order to learn and prepare ourselves for the future. I do not think that God chooses for things to happen to someone, bad or good, but he lets them happen.
Now this begs the question, what about children who are brought up in extreme poverty, children who die, children who have not even had the chance to do something wrong yet are faced with horrendous obstacles? Did God choose for that to happen? No, I don't think God chooses things to happen to anyone, regardless of age or innocence. I think God gave man the opportunity to do good or wrong, and then he let's us deal with the consequences. One life affects many, and so does the actions of that one life. So if a dictator decides to commence in the slaughter or thousands, thousands will suffer because of that one decision. Is that fair? Well, when has life ever been fair? I believe the justice of the innocent will come in the afterlife.
Yes, I believe in an afterlife. The creation of life and the being of God seems pointless without the idea of some form of afterlife. If one is morally good during their life, then they shall be rewarded in the afterlife. Obviously, the opposite for those who were morally bankrupt.
As for Jesus, do I believe in him? There is enough documents that we have discovered to prove his existence, but was he God's only son? I do not know. (After this, know that most of my information comes from either articles I've found on the internet or shows on the History Channel, or something of that sort. I realize the sources can be unreliable, this is merely my beliefs based on what I have found.) I know that the Gospels were written after his death, a hundred years give or take. I also know that there are several books that have been left out, and these tell different stories than we are used to. I also know that the Bible was put together by a council of men. I know that they left out some of these books, some simply because they did not have the economic means to publish everything. So, using their best judgment, they selected the best of the best, creating what we now know to be the Bible.
Now, I also know that whenever power is entertained by a host of men, good things often become tools for personal gain. Is it happenstance that the church for centuries was the most powerful entity? No. Man got involved and muddled with religion, and added politics to the power of God. But does this lack of faith in mankind make me not believe in Jesus?
I do believe in him, because I believe that sometimes it just takes faith. Sometimes, the most powerful medicine that a sick patient can have is the faith that they'll survive. Sometimes, all a suicidal person needs is the faith that their life is worth living and that someone cares. Sometimes, all I need to get me out of a rut is the idea of a higher power. So, yes, I believe in Jesus.
So I guess my views aren't that different from Christian teachings, but here's where I start to veer off. I do not think that homosexuality is the working of the devil. I do not think gay marriage will ruin the sanctity of marriage. If anything, I think that the willingness to fight the opposition of the masses and face discrimination every day for the rest of your life, all for the one you really love, deserves the sanctity of marriage.
Divorce is what's ruining the sanctity of marriage, not gay people. I overheard two women talking in line at Wal-Mart the other day. One had recently gotten divorced, and the other asked if she was okay. She replied that she was fine and, after all, he was a good first husband. A good first husband? That mentality is what's ruining marriage.
As for going to church, I think that it is up to the person. Personally, there has only been one church that I have really enjoyed, and that was the catholic church back home. The priests there understood their congregation, and I enjoyed hearing their sermons. Now I've moved, and I just haven't found a place that I like. And honestly, I don't think I will. I feel like I can pray to God in my bedroom and he can hear me just as well as he can if I was in a church. But if I was in a bad spot in my life, then I would seek council from a church. When I was at my old church, I liked hearing the sermons because I liked having the gospel explained to me. Now, however, I like to think that I am able to decipher it myself. Of course it's always better to have other ideas to contrast with your own, which is an important part of church. Honestly, I'm still not sure about what I believe here.
Whew, that was religion, now let's move onto the fun topic of politics! I will try to be more brief here, as brevity is the soul of wit. I come from a republican family, though I think myself more libertarian. I believe that the less government we have, the less chance government has to meddle with our lives. I do not think that the government should have too much control of our economy, because then they will just sway it to their good fortunes. I do not think the government should control abortion either. Though I think abortion is wrong, who am I to say someone else cannot do it? It is their life, their baby, and their choice. Yes it is a baby, otherwise you would have nothing to abort.
As with any large group of people with power, governments are prone to corruption. Therefore, the less government we have, the less there is to become corrupt. I have problems with the welfare system. It might have started out as a beneficial program for those who are truly in need of it, but now I think that it is so abused it is no longer helpful to the people who are on it. It seems like most of the people use it so they don't have to work. I almost feel that the practice of tough love is necessary with society, because without feeling the pains of poor decisions, what motivation is there to change and work harder? But what about the people who actually use welfare as a tool to pull themselves up, as it was intended? I don't think it needs to be taken away from them. Quite frankly, I don't know what we should do. I could go on with politics, but this is already getting long. Plus, we still have the third thing you're not supposed to mention at the dinner table: sex.
Ah sex, the cause of wars and troubles since the dawn of man. All I really want to say here is that people of all ages will have sex, whether it's premarital or not, and there's really nothing you can do to stop them. And honestly, it's not really your place to stop them. Now if your a parent, I think it's important to actually take the time to sit down and talk to your kids about sex.
Yes I'm giving advice to parents, because I'm unfortunately older than some parents are. And quite frankly, I'm more mature than some of the parents who are older than I. If you're a guy and have a kid, be a man and be there to help raise your child. There is no excuse for the pathetic men who impregnated someone and abandoned her. Secondly, when you have a child it's time to grow up. Again, I think we have to live by our mistakes, and that means if you're fourteen with a child, you just grew up very fast. But back to sex, parents should talk with their kids about sex, not as if they were five and using metaphors like the birds and the bees, but actually talk about it. What you will tell them will not be a shock to them, they've heard the words penis and vagina before, I guarantee it. Chances are, they already know more about it than you think, but it's important for them to hear it from you.
But no matter what, teenagers will have sex. It's inevitable. I personally think that sex is something that should remain between two people who love each other, not one night stands. There is a great article I read, though I cannot for the life of me remember the title or author (I do know it was in MIGHT Magazine if that helps), that compared AIDS to the dragons in the old knight's tales. He explained that when the knight was in search for the "fair maiden" he first had to get past the dragon. The dragon made sex something more than casual sex, it made it something worth fighting for. He then goes on to say that the 60s movement of free love was based on a time without dragons to stand in the way of casual sex. Because of this we had the AIDS epidemic as well as many other sexually transmitted diseases. He said that AIDS is actually beneficial, because it is the dragon guarding casual sex for our generation. Though he knows that there will always be casual sex, we now have something that will help people weigh the consequences of casual sex. And I agree with him, sex is something that should not be casual.
These are some of the things I believe based on my life, the things I have read, and the observations I have made. I am thoroughly convinced that I do not, nor never will, know all of the correct answers to religion, politics, sex, or anything else. If your opinion differs for mine by all means share it with me. It is never a bad thing when two people can compare their beliefs striving to learn more. So if you ever want to talk, just let me know.
-Beast
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Letter to My Sister, From College, Part II
Dear Sister,
It's a wonderful thing, college. It's like high school with all of the crap cut out. Well ok, not all of the crap, but most of it. Like the annoying kid, the drama, and the bad teachers. Ok I lied again, all that's still here.
Let's start with the annoying kid. I'm sure you know this guy. He has to be the center of attention, always. He's usually loud and incompetent. And he smells. Well, this guy came to college with you, oh boy! Except now he's drunk all of the time. This just makes him louder and even stupider! Plus he smells like beer. It's great.
And don't worry, I know how much you were going to miss drama. But there's good news, it came too! That's right, all of that childish he-said-she-said comes with the package upgrade. Except now it's he-broke-up-with-me-to-go-out-with-her-so-I-am-going-to-take-her-man-to-get-even-but-he-wants-some-other-chick. It's great.
And bad teachers? Don't worry, they'll be here too. And guess what, not only are they here, they have more leniency with grading than they did in high school! This means that they could be from Russia teaching you pre-calculus at 8:00AM. Lucky you, you won't understand a thing, even if it was in a dialect you could understand.
But it's not all bad though. Sometimes you will get to go downtown and watch the big drunk buffoon barf all over the place, embarrassing himself. And that drama, well it's really more interesting that any TV show or book because you actually know the people. As for the bad teachers, for every bad teacher you have, there will be twenty good ones. And you'll make older friends who will help you pick the good ones.
So I hope you're looking forward to it. It's a blast really. Like high school on steroids. So study hard, and get into trouble. No don't really get into trouble. Just don't get caught. I'm kidding mom.
Love you,
Beast
It's a wonderful thing, college. It's like high school with all of the crap cut out. Well ok, not all of the crap, but most of it. Like the annoying kid, the drama, and the bad teachers. Ok I lied again, all that's still here.
Let's start with the annoying kid. I'm sure you know this guy. He has to be the center of attention, always. He's usually loud and incompetent. And he smells. Well, this guy came to college with you, oh boy! Except now he's drunk all of the time. This just makes him louder and even stupider! Plus he smells like beer. It's great.
And don't worry, I know how much you were going to miss drama. But there's good news, it came too! That's right, all of that childish he-said-she-said comes with the package upgrade. Except now it's he-broke-up-with-me-to-go-out-with-her-so-I-am-going-to-take-her-man-to-get-even-but-he-wants-some-other-chick. It's great.
And bad teachers? Don't worry, they'll be here too. And guess what, not only are they here, they have more leniency with grading than they did in high school! This means that they could be from Russia teaching you pre-calculus at 8:00AM. Lucky you, you won't understand a thing, even if it was in a dialect you could understand.
But it's not all bad though. Sometimes you will get to go downtown and watch the big drunk buffoon barf all over the place, embarrassing himself. And that drama, well it's really more interesting that any TV show or book because you actually know the people. As for the bad teachers, for every bad teacher you have, there will be twenty good ones. And you'll make older friends who will help you pick the good ones.
So I hope you're looking forward to it. It's a blast really. Like high school on steroids. So study hard, and get into trouble. No don't really get into trouble. Just don't get caught. I'm kidding mom.
Love you,
Beast
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
She's pretty awesome. She's eating pork chops tonight. She also likes it when her roommate reads Winnie the Pooh to her boyfriend, over the phone, as a bedtime story.
Speaking of Winnie the Pooh, has anyone else noticed that he is a "pooh bear?" What is a pooh bear? I know we're not in the fourth grade anymore, but pooh has been symbolic of feces for as long as I can remember. So should it be "Winnie the Feces" or something? I don't know about you, but if I was read to as a child about some giant fecal bear eating honey from a jar, I would neither like bears or enjoy honey. Back to the girl though.
She used to be a model as a baby. She's listened to me ramble about various things that not many other people have heard. She watched turtles lay eggs.
Speaking of turtles, has anyone else seen Finding Nemo? If you have, do you now think all turtles talk like surfer dudes? I mean I know turtles don't talk, but if they did I bet that's how they would talk. They live in the freaking ocean, bro. Of course they talk like surfers. But I digress...
She likes to rub in the fact that she lives on the beach and I don't. She texts me using Shakespearian prose. She makes fun of me for watching movies.
Speaking of movies, I just saw SE7EN with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt (yes I know it's an old movie) and it blew my mind. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. Like right now, go. Oh, and if you haven't seen the original Batman, the one with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, so see that movie too. Both of them are exquisite. And if my ADD will quit flaring up, I will continue.
She puts up with me and all of my stupid attributes. She knows that she can talk to me about anything and that I'll listen. But most importantly, she's become a close friend of mine, whether she knows it or not.
This one's for you.
-Beast
Speaking of Winnie the Pooh, has anyone else noticed that he is a "pooh bear?" What is a pooh bear? I know we're not in the fourth grade anymore, but pooh has been symbolic of feces for as long as I can remember. So should it be "Winnie the Feces" or something? I don't know about you, but if I was read to as a child about some giant fecal bear eating honey from a jar, I would neither like bears or enjoy honey. Back to the girl though.
She used to be a model as a baby. She's listened to me ramble about various things that not many other people have heard. She watched turtles lay eggs.
Speaking of turtles, has anyone else seen Finding Nemo? If you have, do you now think all turtles talk like surfer dudes? I mean I know turtles don't talk, but if they did I bet that's how they would talk. They live in the freaking ocean, bro. Of course they talk like surfers. But I digress...
She likes to rub in the fact that she lives on the beach and I don't. She texts me using Shakespearian prose. She makes fun of me for watching movies.
Speaking of movies, I just saw SE7EN with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt (yes I know it's an old movie) and it blew my mind. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. Like right now, go. Oh, and if you haven't seen the original Batman, the one with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, so see that movie too. Both of them are exquisite. And if my ADD will quit flaring up, I will continue.
She puts up with me and all of my stupid attributes. She knows that she can talk to me about anything and that I'll listen. But most importantly, she's become a close friend of mine, whether she knows it or not.
This one's for you.
-Beast
The Best Thing You Will Ever Read
Welcome my friend, to the best thing you will ever read.
This story will sell more copies than the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series combined. It will even sell more copies than the Bible. Okay, not that many, but it will be close.
This is the introduction to the best story you will ever read. After reading this introduction, you will never want to stop reading this epic tale. This introduction tells you just how amazing this story is. You are already captivated, and you just can't help yourself from continuing to read this grand journey.
These are the best characters that you have ever heard of. They are extremely well developed. They start off full of questions about themselves and about life, but by the end of this odyssey they will learn so much.
This story has the most amazing action sequences of any tale ever. The journeys are so amazing you'll tell all your friends about it, and then you'll go do them. You'll have so much fun doing them that you'll come back and read this amazing story.
This epic tale also has the best romances between its characters. When you read it, you'll hope for the love between them to work out. You'll feel their passion. You'll feel their pain when their hearts are broken, and you'll feel the joy when they're reunited.
In this story you'll laugh so hard you'll bruise a rib. This story will also make you cry. It will make you hungry, it will make you think. It will make you long for things you once had, and it will make you happy. It will then make you sad, make you bored and then will make you think. It will make you realize things about your life. You'll love this story. You'll hate this story. You'll feel apathetic to this story. Once you've read this story you will never be the same.
This story will have the best plot of all stories. It will put Hamlet and Huckleberry Finn and all of the classics to shame. There will be twists and turns and you will never know what's going to happen next. It will have the most climactic ending of any story.
This book will have the best symbolism and imagery of any tale. It will have more symbolism than Ralph Ellison used in Invisible Man and more imagery than Shakespeare. Its message, which will be life changing, will be subtle as not to detract from the main story, but will be easily recognized.
The conclusion will wrap up all the loose ends, and make everything make so much sense. It will make you want to read it over and over again, and every time you reread it, you'll still be amazed. Simply put, this book will blow your mind.
This book will have the best reviews of any other book. It will be the most criticized by thousands of college students across the globe. Professors will teach this story in their classrooms. It will be in print hundreds of years after it's first publication.
This was the best thing you have ever read. You're welcome.
This story will sell more copies than the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series combined. It will even sell more copies than the Bible. Okay, not that many, but it will be close.
This is the introduction to the best story you will ever read. After reading this introduction, you will never want to stop reading this epic tale. This introduction tells you just how amazing this story is. You are already captivated, and you just can't help yourself from continuing to read this grand journey.
These are the best characters that you have ever heard of. They are extremely well developed. They start off full of questions about themselves and about life, but by the end of this odyssey they will learn so much.
This story has the most amazing action sequences of any tale ever. The journeys are so amazing you'll tell all your friends about it, and then you'll go do them. You'll have so much fun doing them that you'll come back and read this amazing story.
This epic tale also has the best romances between its characters. When you read it, you'll hope for the love between them to work out. You'll feel their passion. You'll feel their pain when their hearts are broken, and you'll feel the joy when they're reunited.
In this story you'll laugh so hard you'll bruise a rib. This story will also make you cry. It will make you hungry, it will make you think. It will make you long for things you once had, and it will make you happy. It will then make you sad, make you bored and then will make you think. It will make you realize things about your life. You'll love this story. You'll hate this story. You'll feel apathetic to this story. Once you've read this story you will never be the same.
This story will have the best plot of all stories. It will put Hamlet and Huckleberry Finn and all of the classics to shame. There will be twists and turns and you will never know what's going to happen next. It will have the most climactic ending of any story.
This book will have the best symbolism and imagery of any tale. It will have more symbolism than Ralph Ellison used in Invisible Man and more imagery than Shakespeare. Its message, which will be life changing, will be subtle as not to detract from the main story, but will be easily recognized.
The conclusion will wrap up all the loose ends, and make everything make so much sense. It will make you want to read it over and over again, and every time you reread it, you'll still be amazed. Simply put, this book will blow your mind.
This book will have the best reviews of any other book. It will be the most criticized by thousands of college students across the globe. Professors will teach this story in their classrooms. It will be in print hundreds of years after it's first publication.
This was the best thing you have ever read. You're welcome.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
So I am currently taking Shakespeare as a Maymester course. For those of you who don't know, Maymester is an entire semester crammed into the last three weeks of May. This means that everyday we're in class, it's like we've been in class for a week. Luckily my professor is a pretty nice guy and gives us breaks halfway through the class.
So by this time, it's pretty early and my head is filled with thees and thums and wherefore art thous and I really need to go to the bathroom. So I wander off into the hall, thinking about how cool it would be to be able to talk like I was Richard II or Hamlet or something (yes I did think that), when I finally stumble into the bathroom.
Now this side of the hall isn't where any of my classes normally are as I realize when this bathroom is set up differently than the other ones. I quickly try to find a urinal to relieve myself when I realize there isn't one. How strange I thought as I walked over to an open stall.
Closing the door behind me I life the lid and notice the foot from the occupant next door. His toenails are painted. Pink. Well this throws me for a loop. I almost laugh aloud when I realize my horrible mistake. Quickly sprinting out of the bathroom, I make it out unnoticed.
Unnoticed that is, until I step outside and a group of people walking by see me. Oh what they must think of me, as I couldn't help myself but chuckle.
-Beast
So by this time, it's pretty early and my head is filled with thees and thums and wherefore art thous and I really need to go to the bathroom. So I wander off into the hall, thinking about how cool it would be to be able to talk like I was Richard II or Hamlet or something (yes I did think that), when I finally stumble into the bathroom.
Now this side of the hall isn't where any of my classes normally are as I realize when this bathroom is set up differently than the other ones. I quickly try to find a urinal to relieve myself when I realize there isn't one. How strange I thought as I walked over to an open stall.
Closing the door behind me I life the lid and notice the foot from the occupant next door. His toenails are painted. Pink. Well this throws me for a loop. I almost laugh aloud when I realize my horrible mistake. Quickly sprinting out of the bathroom, I make it out unnoticed.
Unnoticed that is, until I step outside and a group of people walking by see me. Oh what they must think of me, as I couldn't help myself but chuckle.
-Beast
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
What Is Love?
This was written a while back for a friend of mine. She had to write an essay about a variety of opinions on love. I have been hesitant about posting this because my personal life is something I really don't like to talk about. But since this is anonymous enough, here it is.
What is love? Who knows, I sure don't. And to be quite honest, I don't think anyone does. So much has been done to define love. Love is too broad of a term to work with, so let's pull out the old Merriam-Webster Dictionary and narrow it down.
Love: A strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. Okay, I know this one. A deep feeling for someone. But I have a lot of friends who I have deep personal ties with. But does that mean I love them? Wait, aren't you supposed to fall in love, then you get married? Well I wouldn't marry those friends! This doesn't seem right. Let's go to the next definition.
Love: An attraction based on sexual desire. Ah, okay now this must be the definition of love. Sexual desires? That defiantly deals with marriage and happiness. Hold on though, there are plenty of marriages out there that started off as "sexual desire" and have ended up in divorce. In fact, that's one of the main reasons why the divorce rate is so high. Well if it's not that, let's go to the next definition.
Love: Affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests. Really? That sounds more like friendship to me. Common interests? That could be anyone in your church group or chess club or Student Government Association or Business Fraternity or Theater Club or... well, the list just goes on and on.
Surely this kind of love isn't the kind the princess finds at the end of the fairly tale? Or the kind of love that started the Trojan War? Or the kind of love that poets write sonnets about? Or is it? Think about the first person, outside of your family, that you said "I love you" to. I remember. I was young. I didn't know anymore about love then than I do now.
It was eighth grade, and she went to my church. We got to see each other once a week, when we went to Sunday school. We would sit with each other and hold hands, giggling all the while. During the week we would talk online. "I love you," I would say. "I love you too," she'd reply. It was puppy love.
Whoa there, puppy love? So there's more than one kind of love? That just makes things that much more confusing! We haven't figured out what regular love means yet, we can't move onto other kinds of love. Before I know it, I'm in high school. I meet a girl. We go out. Things are going well, and then it happens.
"I love you."
Whoa. Now things just got real. We're three months in the relationship and now we're saying I love you.
Hold on though, I was only going out with the girl in middle school for like two weeks when we said I love you. It wasn't this intense.
But that was only puppy love in middle school. The love for the high school girl is real. It's true love, and that's more serious.
True love? So there's another kind of love? How does that differ from the puppy love I felt earlier? What about regular love? Where did all of these types of love come from?
It's a few years down the road and I've graduated college, have a good job and a lovely girl that I've been going out with for five years. We get married, get a house, get a dog, have some kids, and live happily ever after. Until we get divorced.
Everything was like the fairy tales though! We can't get divorced, we said happily ever after!
I think I got it now. The problem with love is happily ever after, because happily ever after doesn't exist. Sure if you look at the long run you're happy, but what about all of those arguments? I'm sure those weren't too happy. Or what about the time your lover cheated on you? That can't happen in happily ever after.
Love is a job. You have to work at it. Sometimes you can go home early. Other times you have to work overtime just to scrape by. Sometimes you do more than your coworker. Sometimes they do more than you. Other times you get in a rhythm that's just right. No matter what though, the job changes. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
So what is love? Who knows, I still don't. And I think that's the point. After all, if you really knew the answers to love's riddles, what's the point?
-Beast
What is love? Who knows, I sure don't. And to be quite honest, I don't think anyone does. So much has been done to define love. Love is too broad of a term to work with, so let's pull out the old Merriam-Webster Dictionary and narrow it down.
Love: A strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. Okay, I know this one. A deep feeling for someone. But I have a lot of friends who I have deep personal ties with. But does that mean I love them? Wait, aren't you supposed to fall in love, then you get married? Well I wouldn't marry those friends! This doesn't seem right. Let's go to the next definition.
Love: An attraction based on sexual desire. Ah, okay now this must be the definition of love. Sexual desires? That defiantly deals with marriage and happiness. Hold on though, there are plenty of marriages out there that started off as "sexual desire" and have ended up in divorce. In fact, that's one of the main reasons why the divorce rate is so high. Well if it's not that, let's go to the next definition.
Love: Affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests. Really? That sounds more like friendship to me. Common interests? That could be anyone in your church group or chess club or Student Government Association or Business Fraternity or Theater Club or... well, the list just goes on and on.
Surely this kind of love isn't the kind the princess finds at the end of the fairly tale? Or the kind of love that started the Trojan War? Or the kind of love that poets write sonnets about? Or is it? Think about the first person, outside of your family, that you said "I love you" to. I remember. I was young. I didn't know anymore about love then than I do now.
It was eighth grade, and she went to my church. We got to see each other once a week, when we went to Sunday school. We would sit with each other and hold hands, giggling all the while. During the week we would talk online. "I love you," I would say. "I love you too," she'd reply. It was puppy love.
Whoa there, puppy love? So there's more than one kind of love? That just makes things that much more confusing! We haven't figured out what regular love means yet, we can't move onto other kinds of love. Before I know it, I'm in high school. I meet a girl. We go out. Things are going well, and then it happens.
"I love you."
Whoa. Now things just got real. We're three months in the relationship and now we're saying I love you.
Hold on though, I was only going out with the girl in middle school for like two weeks when we said I love you. It wasn't this intense.
But that was only puppy love in middle school. The love for the high school girl is real. It's true love, and that's more serious.
True love? So there's another kind of love? How does that differ from the puppy love I felt earlier? What about regular love? Where did all of these types of love come from?
It's a few years down the road and I've graduated college, have a good job and a lovely girl that I've been going out with for five years. We get married, get a house, get a dog, have some kids, and live happily ever after. Until we get divorced.
Everything was like the fairy tales though! We can't get divorced, we said happily ever after!
I think I got it now. The problem with love is happily ever after, because happily ever after doesn't exist. Sure if you look at the long run you're happy, but what about all of those arguments? I'm sure those weren't too happy. Or what about the time your lover cheated on you? That can't happen in happily ever after.
Love is a job. You have to work at it. Sometimes you can go home early. Other times you have to work overtime just to scrape by. Sometimes you do more than your coworker. Sometimes they do more than you. Other times you get in a rhythm that's just right. No matter what though, the job changes. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
So what is love? Who knows, I still don't. And I think that's the point. After all, if you really knew the answers to love's riddles, what's the point?
-Beast
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Here recently I've noticed that I'm beginning to phase out of that childish part of life, and have started slipping away into adulthood. It just hit me a few days ago that I am now a junior in college. A junior. That means that two years of my college career have flown by. So I decided to look back at them, and see what I thought about them, and what I could learn from the mistakes I've made and those things I got right.
In pretty much every positive memory of college that I have, my fraternity is in it someway. Hands down this was one of the best decisions that I've ever made, and if you're in college or going to college I encourage you to rush. It doesn't matter which one either, as long as you pick one that fits you best. Here's the back story to why I rushed in the first place...
It was freshmen year first semester, and I moved into my new dorm room. I had a roommate and two suite mates, but we moved all of our beds into one room and used the other as a living room, so I call them all my roommates. Regardless, we all had girlfriends back home which was convenient because we each kinda looked after each other. We all became real close, especially David and I. We started working out each day pretty much, and I actually lost the Freshmen 15 (which I have since gained, and am now working on losing it again).
Anyway, many of the men in David's family have been in fraternities so he was very excited to rush. I, however, am the first one who will graduate from college in my family (for the most part, I think I have some uncles or aunts whom I don't really know that went to college). On top of that, the only thing I knew about the fraternity was from movies or TV, so I had no intention of joining. David convinced me to at least rush, because it wasn't like I was actually joining one and he wanted someone he knew to go through with him. So I rushed.
For this next part it might help if I explain how the rush process works. First you go through for about a week and meet all the guys in the fraternity. Then they pick a list of guys who they want and give them a bid. When you sign the bid from a fraternity, that means you are officially pledging that fraternity. Once you sign the bid, you can no longer pledge another fraternity for an entire year.
During the rush week, I immediately clicked with the guys in my fraternity, everyone I talked to was down to earth. David, however, clicked with another one. On the day we received our bids, he decided to rush the other one, though I told him he should pledge with me. A few days later, for reasons I will not go into, David dropped his fraternity. After talking with me and several of our other brothers, he was able to pledge us. He had never singed his bid card, so he never was an actual pledge. Today, I am proud to call him my brother. And he will actually be my roommate next year.
I think that something everyone hopes for is a decent relationship. Unfortunately for me, this doesn't really happen that often. If you're one of those people who are in a decent relationship, then flaunt it elsewhere. Now when I looked back over the past years, I realized that I had actually done better relationship wise than I had expected. I don't like to go into too much detail, but I dated three girls this last year. More than my entire high school years. But of course, that means that they ended three times as well.
Now I would just like to say that women are peculiar. They say that they want a man who will listen to her, who will make her laugh, and who isn't an asshole. Now I fill all three of these requirements, but no surprise that I as well as numerous other nice guys out there am single. This is because women are liars, and what they really want is that asshole who will treat them like crap, then leave them for the next thing that comes along. When this happens, they need the nice guy to cry to.
And to be honest, I don't really care right now. Okay, of course I care, everyone cares. And it would be great to have a nice girl around. But really, I don't have time or money for it. Women are too expensive. Oh hush ladies, you are and you know it. But men don't mind really. It makes us feel like we're in control, which is what we need sometimes. What I am sick of, though, are the girls who are teases. Really? If you're a girl and are reading this, please do me a favor and don't tease a guy.
Recently I was flirting with this lovely young lady, who was clearly flirting back. For about two weeks or so this went on and I was feeling rather confident and was going to ask her out to dinner, when we were hanging out one day and she drops the "Hey you know how I've been flirting with you? Yeah, well I just want to be friends" card. Now this happens a lot, my being the just-a-friend or like-a-brother, and normally I don't let it get to me. For some reason though, this did get to me. I haven't told her how I feel though, and I probably won't. It's been a while since that happened and I'm pretty much over it. But please ladies, spare any fellow you've been rubbing elbows with if you're not interested.
And the thing that should probably come before all of this, school. Ah school. Now I'm not one to brag, but high school for me was a breeze. I do not attribute this to my being intelligent, but rather my high school being a little behind. Now I was in all of the advanced and AP classes, and I even was accepted to the International Baccalaureate program, but in all honestly I did nothing in high school. And it was awesome.
Not only was the schoolwork rather easy, but I was a complete suck up which helped a lot. On top of that, I was on the football team which meant I had an unlimited Get Out of Jail Free card. Then came college, and I learned that I was not a juggernaut of the classroom, but rather I was just your Average Joe. This worked out well for the first year or so, but then I was handed responsibilities.
President of the German club for two consecutive years, officer of the Technology Student Association for two years, captain of the JV football team... yeah I was involved in things, but like everything else in high school the responsibilities for organizations here was on a different level. This past year I was an RA, which means that anytime anyone in Wells has a question about anything, I am the person they asked. Or if there was a party and I had to bust it, I was the one who was called because I was the only guy. Or if they left their key after coming back from downtown at 3:00AM, it was my door they knocked on. This would have been fine if I had not been the Historian for my fraternity as well. All of the nonsense I had to do for this position can be found in my other notes I'm sure. But let's just say I had a full plate.
The reason we study history, as they say, is so we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. So what have I learned? I have learned that joining the fraternity is by far the best and most fun (grammar?) decision that I have ever made. I have learned that no matter how many times my sleeping schedule has been disrupted by my residents, a giant yellow thank you card at the end of the year and a handful of great memories makes it all worth it. I have learned that I need to buckle down more when it comes to my schoolwork, it's not freshmen year anymore. And secondly I learned that I have found a new love for writing, even if nobody reads my blog.
Speaking of, if you have managed to read my blog, would you please let me know? Leave a comment about what you like and what you don't. I won't take it offensively, unless you're just a complete ass about it.
-Beast
In pretty much every positive memory of college that I have, my fraternity is in it someway. Hands down this was one of the best decisions that I've ever made, and if you're in college or going to college I encourage you to rush. It doesn't matter which one either, as long as you pick one that fits you best. Here's the back story to why I rushed in the first place...
It was freshmen year first semester, and I moved into my new dorm room. I had a roommate and two suite mates, but we moved all of our beds into one room and used the other as a living room, so I call them all my roommates. Regardless, we all had girlfriends back home which was convenient because we each kinda looked after each other. We all became real close, especially David and I. We started working out each day pretty much, and I actually lost the Freshmen 15 (which I have since gained, and am now working on losing it again).
Anyway, many of the men in David's family have been in fraternities so he was very excited to rush. I, however, am the first one who will graduate from college in my family (for the most part, I think I have some uncles or aunts whom I don't really know that went to college). On top of that, the only thing I knew about the fraternity was from movies or TV, so I had no intention of joining. David convinced me to at least rush, because it wasn't like I was actually joining one and he wanted someone he knew to go through with him. So I rushed.
For this next part it might help if I explain how the rush process works. First you go through for about a week and meet all the guys in the fraternity. Then they pick a list of guys who they want and give them a bid. When you sign the bid from a fraternity, that means you are officially pledging that fraternity. Once you sign the bid, you can no longer pledge another fraternity for an entire year.
During the rush week, I immediately clicked with the guys in my fraternity, everyone I talked to was down to earth. David, however, clicked with another one. On the day we received our bids, he decided to rush the other one, though I told him he should pledge with me. A few days later, for reasons I will not go into, David dropped his fraternity. After talking with me and several of our other brothers, he was able to pledge us. He had never singed his bid card, so he never was an actual pledge. Today, I am proud to call him my brother. And he will actually be my roommate next year.
I think that something everyone hopes for is a decent relationship. Unfortunately for me, this doesn't really happen that often. If you're one of those people who are in a decent relationship, then flaunt it elsewhere. Now when I looked back over the past years, I realized that I had actually done better relationship wise than I had expected. I don't like to go into too much detail, but I dated three girls this last year. More than my entire high school years. But of course, that means that they ended three times as well.
Now I would just like to say that women are peculiar. They say that they want a man who will listen to her, who will make her laugh, and who isn't an asshole. Now I fill all three of these requirements, but no surprise that I as well as numerous other nice guys out there am single. This is because women are liars, and what they really want is that asshole who will treat them like crap, then leave them for the next thing that comes along. When this happens, they need the nice guy to cry to.
And to be honest, I don't really care right now. Okay, of course I care, everyone cares. And it would be great to have a nice girl around. But really, I don't have time or money for it. Women are too expensive. Oh hush ladies, you are and you know it. But men don't mind really. It makes us feel like we're in control, which is what we need sometimes. What I am sick of, though, are the girls who are teases. Really? If you're a girl and are reading this, please do me a favor and don't tease a guy.
Recently I was flirting with this lovely young lady, who was clearly flirting back. For about two weeks or so this went on and I was feeling rather confident and was going to ask her out to dinner, when we were hanging out one day and she drops the "Hey you know how I've been flirting with you? Yeah, well I just want to be friends" card. Now this happens a lot, my being the just-a-friend or like-a-brother, and normally I don't let it get to me. For some reason though, this did get to me. I haven't told her how I feel though, and I probably won't. It's been a while since that happened and I'm pretty much over it. But please ladies, spare any fellow you've been rubbing elbows with if you're not interested.
And the thing that should probably come before all of this, school. Ah school. Now I'm not one to brag, but high school for me was a breeze. I do not attribute this to my being intelligent, but rather my high school being a little behind. Now I was in all of the advanced and AP classes, and I even was accepted to the International Baccalaureate program, but in all honestly I did nothing in high school. And it was awesome.
Not only was the schoolwork rather easy, but I was a complete suck up which helped a lot. On top of that, I was on the football team which meant I had an unlimited Get Out of Jail Free card. Then came college, and I learned that I was not a juggernaut of the classroom, but rather I was just your Average Joe. This worked out well for the first year or so, but then I was handed responsibilities.
President of the German club for two consecutive years, officer of the Technology Student Association for two years, captain of the JV football team... yeah I was involved in things, but like everything else in high school the responsibilities for organizations here was on a different level. This past year I was an RA, which means that anytime anyone in Wells has a question about anything, I am the person they asked. Or if there was a party and I had to bust it, I was the one who was called because I was the only guy. Or if they left their key after coming back from downtown at 3:00AM, it was my door they knocked on. This would have been fine if I had not been the Historian for my fraternity as well. All of the nonsense I had to do for this position can be found in my other notes I'm sure. But let's just say I had a full plate.
The reason we study history, as they say, is so we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. So what have I learned? I have learned that joining the fraternity is by far the best and most fun (grammar?) decision that I have ever made. I have learned that no matter how many times my sleeping schedule has been disrupted by my residents, a giant yellow thank you card at the end of the year and a handful of great memories makes it all worth it. I have learned that I need to buckle down more when it comes to my schoolwork, it's not freshmen year anymore. And secondly I learned that I have found a new love for writing, even if nobody reads my blog.
Speaking of, if you have managed to read my blog, would you please let me know? Leave a comment about what you like and what you don't. I won't take it offensively, unless you're just a complete ass about it.
-Beast
Sunday, May 10, 2009
End of the Year Thoughts
"I hate saying goodbye, so I'll just say I'll see you later!" -Katie Morgan
So this year has wrapped up fairly well. For those of you who don't know, I took on a little too much this year. I was the Historian for my fraternity, which means I planned our annual formal. I was an RA for Wells Hall, which is by far the best hall. And on top of that I had the worst schedule of my life. Needless to say, my responsibility level went from normal to insane. I went from responsibility to liability.
As far as liability for the fraternity goes, I was on the Executive Council. This means if anything bad goes down, we're the ones responsible. Though fraternities in real life, or at least mine, are nothing like the ones you see on TV or movies, the EC is responsible if, God forbid, something happens. But honestly that's not so bad considering that as an RA I am in possession of a master key to the building. That one little key is worth something like $10,000, which is definitely more than I can afford to lose.
I remember one time it was late at night, probably around three thirty or so, and someone knocks on my door because they forgot their key. Well of course I was sound asleep and so I woke up, let them in, and went straight back to bed. Unfortunately, I really did go straight to bed. When I woke up the next morning I couldn't find my keys. Eventually I found them, in the lock where the master key was supposed to be.
Freaking out I frantically searched my room. And by search I mean throwing my sheets off the bed, flipping through all of my clothes checking the pockets. I pretty much emptied out the drawers to my desk seeing if maybe I had lost it somewhere in there. Finally I found them in my couch cushion. I guess I sat down before I went to bed that night. But as any RA who has lost their master key can tell you, it's one of the worst things you can feel.
School this past semester was, to say the least, ridiculous. I had the most sporadic schedule. One class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Three classes Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday and Thursday I was in class for five and a half hours starting at 8am. The classes I took were Art, Brit Lit, US History, Communications, and Mixed Martial Arts. Like I said, I had a ridiculous schedule.
But after countless hours of stressing out about everything, I think I did very well this semester. Rose Ball, that annual formal for my fraternity I mentioned earlier, went over very well. I forgot to mention that this year was our 25th anniversary, so it was an extra special occasion that I had to plan. On top of that pressure, I had never seen a Rose Ball before, so I was going in blind. In the end, I had a lot of good feedback from our alumni and the active brothers. Of course there are some things I would have changed, but luckily that's not my job next year.
Speaking of next year, it should be significantly better. My schedule consists of classes that I actually need, not just random things that I had to pick up because I changed my major from Management to Creative Writing. I will be the Secretary for my fraternity, which basically means I'll be doing a lot of paperwork (something I would much rather do than plan a formal). And I will be an RA at the Universities apartment complex. I will have a roommate, one of my brothers who I was roommates with my freshmen year. Actually, he is the one that made me rush, but that's a story for later.
So all in all I think this year has been pretty B.A. Next year's looking pretty good as well. But for now, I need to finish unpacking my new apartment. Maybe I'll put some pics up if you're lucky. Oh, and since I just saw the new Star Trek movie last night, and I've been wanting to say this...
Live long and prosper.
-Beast
PS- I just re-read some of my notes and fixed a couple of typos. In the process I noticed I only have a couple stories up. I'll start working on some more so you have something to look forward to.
So this year has wrapped up fairly well. For those of you who don't know, I took on a little too much this year. I was the Historian for my fraternity, which means I planned our annual formal. I was an RA for Wells Hall, which is by far the best hall. And on top of that I had the worst schedule of my life. Needless to say, my responsibility level went from normal to insane. I went from responsibility to liability.
As far as liability for the fraternity goes, I was on the Executive Council. This means if anything bad goes down, we're the ones responsible. Though fraternities in real life, or at least mine, are nothing like the ones you see on TV or movies, the EC is responsible if, God forbid, something happens. But honestly that's not so bad considering that as an RA I am in possession of a master key to the building. That one little key is worth something like $10,000, which is definitely more than I can afford to lose.
I remember one time it was late at night, probably around three thirty or so, and someone knocks on my door because they forgot their key. Well of course I was sound asleep and so I woke up, let them in, and went straight back to bed. Unfortunately, I really did go straight to bed. When I woke up the next morning I couldn't find my keys. Eventually I found them, in the lock where the master key was supposed to be.
Freaking out I frantically searched my room. And by search I mean throwing my sheets off the bed, flipping through all of my clothes checking the pockets. I pretty much emptied out the drawers to my desk seeing if maybe I had lost it somewhere in there. Finally I found them in my couch cushion. I guess I sat down before I went to bed that night. But as any RA who has lost their master key can tell you, it's one of the worst things you can feel.
School this past semester was, to say the least, ridiculous. I had the most sporadic schedule. One class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Three classes Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday and Thursday I was in class for five and a half hours starting at 8am. The classes I took were Art, Brit Lit, US History, Communications, and Mixed Martial Arts. Like I said, I had a ridiculous schedule.
But after countless hours of stressing out about everything, I think I did very well this semester. Rose Ball, that annual formal for my fraternity I mentioned earlier, went over very well. I forgot to mention that this year was our 25th anniversary, so it was an extra special occasion that I had to plan. On top of that pressure, I had never seen a Rose Ball before, so I was going in blind. In the end, I had a lot of good feedback from our alumni and the active brothers. Of course there are some things I would have changed, but luckily that's not my job next year.
Speaking of next year, it should be significantly better. My schedule consists of classes that I actually need, not just random things that I had to pick up because I changed my major from Management to Creative Writing. I will be the Secretary for my fraternity, which basically means I'll be doing a lot of paperwork (something I would much rather do than plan a formal). And I will be an RA at the Universities apartment complex. I will have a roommate, one of my brothers who I was roommates with my freshmen year. Actually, he is the one that made me rush, but that's a story for later.
So all in all I think this year has been pretty B.A. Next year's looking pretty good as well. But for now, I need to finish unpacking my new apartment. Maybe I'll put some pics up if you're lucky. Oh, and since I just saw the new Star Trek movie last night, and I've been wanting to say this...
Live long and prosper.
-Beast
PS- I just re-read some of my notes and fixed a couple of typos. In the process I noticed I only have a couple stories up. I'll start working on some more so you have something to look forward to.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
WARNING! Do Not Read This Post!
Seriously, don't read it. It's filthy and disturbing. It probably shouldn't be read by anyone, really. The only reason I'm posting this is because out of the 90% of people who are disgusted, there will be 10% who will laugh. And it's for that 10% that I write.
The following is a facebook conversation between a friend and I. All names have been changed to protect the innocent. Although, there's not much innocence here.
Calvin: hey big sexy
Beast: Sup baby?
Calvin: whatcha wearin?
Beast: Nothing. You?
Calvin: a thong. and a bikini top made out of salami
Beast: Ooo, my favorite. Just for me?
Calvin: I can sense what you want
Beast: You were always good at that.
Calvin: it's cause I'm a part of you
Beast: Hey now! You know I don't do that until the second date.
Calvin: just close your eyes and take it
Beast: You love it when I say that.
Calvin: yeah baby
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Top Ten Tuesday, May 5
The Top Ten Ways to Spend Finals Week
1. Spend your nights in the library, cramming in all the information you should have been studying throughout the school year.
2. Spend a good amount of time sucking up to teachers so you can get a better grade.
3. Spend hours getting notes that you missed from people in your class you don't even know.
4. Spend too much time procrastinating on facebook.
5. Spend the 2:00am hour at a fast food place for a midnight snack.
6. Spend the entire week stressing about your work load.
7. Spend the ten minute breaks you get catching up on sleep you missed the night before.
8. Spend some time packing up all your things to get ready to move.
9. Spend a few minutes realizing that you've just completed another year at college.
10. Spend the rest of your time after your last final enjoying the summer break.
1. Spend your nights in the library, cramming in all the information you should have been studying throughout the school year.
2. Spend a good amount of time sucking up to teachers so you can get a better grade.
3. Spend hours getting notes that you missed from people in your class you don't even know.
4. Spend too much time procrastinating on facebook.
5. Spend the 2:00am hour at a fast food place for a midnight snack.
6. Spend the entire week stressing about your work load.
7. Spend the ten minute breaks you get catching up on sleep you missed the night before.
8. Spend some time packing up all your things to get ready to move.
9. Spend a few minutes realizing that you've just completed another year at college.
10. Spend the rest of your time after your last final enjoying the summer break.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Condoms and Credit Cards
All names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Recently my good friend Alexander tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, and ever since his hunger has not been quenched. Unfortunately for my dear friend, his main squeeze has been unavailable due to that monthly visit. Needless to say, he's been quite restless for a week.
Hanging out today, he mentioned that tonight be that special night that ends that horrible week, and he wanted to have some condoms just in case. I'm not sure why, but it seemed like everywhere he went there were no supplies. I mention that I needed to go to Wal-Mart because I had run out of toothpaste and deodorant, and that it would probably be cheaper for him to get condoms there anyway.
So being the shy young man he is, he goes over and gets a box of Trojans and quickly gets in line at the self-checkout. Slowly we make our way up the line, laughing at his embarrassment. As we're waiting, a long line forms behind us. Finally his turn arrives and he scans the box, his only purchase, and checks out. He swipes his credit card and signs the electronic pen pad.
As fate would have it, today would not be the day that he could buy condoms in peace. The pen pad is broken and is not accepting his signature. Quickly, he signs again, hoping that it works. He tries this several times to no avail. Each time he signs, his face becomes a brighter shade of red. Each failed try only aggravates the long line behind us too.
"Will you hurry up and sign it?" suggests the impatient man behind us. Now people are starting to wonder what's going on, and are looking interestingly at my friend's purchase. There is also a mom and her kids, who are now curious to what my friend is buying. Of course this only makes things worse for him. Finally an employee walks over and enters a magic code that sets him free from his embarrassment. I checkout and pay with my card as well. The machine works perfectly for me, as he hurries away with a scarlet face.
So I guess the moral of this story is to always pay for condoms in cash to avoid embarrassment. Or not to be embarrassed when buying condoms because, hey, at least you're getting some, right?
-Beast
Recently my good friend Alexander tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, and ever since his hunger has not been quenched. Unfortunately for my dear friend, his main squeeze has been unavailable due to that monthly visit. Needless to say, he's been quite restless for a week.
Hanging out today, he mentioned that tonight be that special night that ends that horrible week, and he wanted to have some condoms just in case. I'm not sure why, but it seemed like everywhere he went there were no supplies. I mention that I needed to go to Wal-Mart because I had run out of toothpaste and deodorant, and that it would probably be cheaper for him to get condoms there anyway.
So being the shy young man he is, he goes over and gets a box of Trojans and quickly gets in line at the self-checkout. Slowly we make our way up the line, laughing at his embarrassment. As we're waiting, a long line forms behind us. Finally his turn arrives and he scans the box, his only purchase, and checks out. He swipes his credit card and signs the electronic pen pad.
As fate would have it, today would not be the day that he could buy condoms in peace. The pen pad is broken and is not accepting his signature. Quickly, he signs again, hoping that it works. He tries this several times to no avail. Each time he signs, his face becomes a brighter shade of red. Each failed try only aggravates the long line behind us too.
"Will you hurry up and sign it?" suggests the impatient man behind us. Now people are starting to wonder what's going on, and are looking interestingly at my friend's purchase. There is also a mom and her kids, who are now curious to what my friend is buying. Of course this only makes things worse for him. Finally an employee walks over and enters a magic code that sets him free from his embarrassment. I checkout and pay with my card as well. The machine works perfectly for me, as he hurries away with a scarlet face.
So I guess the moral of this story is to always pay for condoms in cash to avoid embarrassment. Or not to be embarrassed when buying condoms because, hey, at least you're getting some, right?
-Beast
Friday, May 1, 2009
Letters to my Sister, From College
Dear Sister,
As a big brother it's my duty to prepare you for college, so I've decided to write you a series of letters to help you make better decisions than I. This is the first one.
For starters, let's look at your living situation. As an RA I see many roommate disagreements, the most of which come from girls. For some reason when you stick two girls into a room, one of two things is bound to happen:
A) They will become the best of friends. They do everything, literally everything together. They eat, sleep, take classes, work out, visit friends, everything together. If this doesn't happen, then we go to step B.
B) They will absolutely despise each other. First it will start off as a small quarrel. Then Girl 1 will piss Girl 2 off a little more by doing something small. Because Girl 2 is mad at Girl 1, Girl 1 will then look for things Girl 2 does that is annoying. Then it escalates from here.
Rarely does this happen for guys. I have never seen two guy roommates either join at the hip or repel like magnets. They will become friends and hang out, or they will just live with each other. The end. Guys are simple.
Secondly, in this letter I would like to tell you about parties. Ah yes, mother and father, if you're reading this your Precious Princess will indeed go to a party or twelve. I did. The thing is to be smart about it.
Now the subject of parties is a difficult thing for me to talk about, especially to my little sister. From the fraternity aspect, I have been to my fair share of parties, and maybe more. It's easy to get carried away with it though, so be careful not to become a habitual party-goer. This is where the RA in me kicks in.
Too many of my residents have gone down this road. First it starts with the Thursday night parties. Yes that's right, Thursday night. "What about class on Friday?" you might say. Well that's where unexcused absences come in. It's not uncommon for Freshmen to get "sick" their first few weeks. From Thursday it goes to Friday which, after all, you don't have anything to do Saturday so it doesn't really matter, right? Then Saturday rolls around, and of course you can do all of your work Sunday night, so you go out again. The real problem starts when other nights come into play. "Well Monday night is trivia night, so that's like learning, right?" "Oh, it's Tuesday! Karaoke Night, plus I need a break from that Monday..." ...as you can see, it just spirals out of hand.
The kids who do this generally are also the kids who get put on academic probation and who drop classes, gradually getting further and further behind. And of course there will be the occasional week where you will want to go downtown on a Tuesday night, and that's ok as long as it's only once in a while.
Another thing that will be something different for you to face than for me is what happens at parties. I've seen way too many girls who were sheltered go crazy now that mommy and daddy aren't there. And I'm not saying you're sheltered or that you're going to go crazy, but sometimes it's easier just to ignore what we know we should do and just do what seems to be fun. Don't go home with guys you've met at parties, and don't take drinks from strangers. Not to sound like a broken record, but those are things that you need to watch out for. Plus I'm your big brother, and you're not allowed to date until after you're married.
So now that I feel like a parent lecturing you about the evils of being out in the world on your own, I think it should only be fitting to tell you the truth. Here are some things you will do in college:
1) You will meet so many people it will be overwhelming for you. Some of them you'll like, some of them you'll hate, and many of them you'll forget.
2) After meeting all of these new people, you will forget virtually everyone from your high school. Sure you'll chat on facebook every now and again, but slowly you'll talk to fewer and fewer of them. Sure you'll keep a few of your close old friends near by, but even they will grow farther apart.
3) You'll meet Mr. Right, then he'll break up with you. For this all I can say is shit happens, so learn to carry roses to mask the stench. Keep good friends around and you'll be ok.
4) You'll skip class to work on something for another class. Hey, it happens. College is a lot harder than High School and you'll become a master at procrastinating, just like your older brother. Though you are smarter than I, so hopefully not.
5) You'll learn more outside of the classroom than you do in it. Yes it's true. Most of the learning that I've done here has been through my fraternity and being an RA. Get involved with things, and you'll learn so much that you'll wonder why you're taking class in the first place.
Well I feel that's sufficient rambling for one night, and as stories come up I'll be sure to write you again. As for now it's time for me to write that paper I've been putting off. See? I told you you'll learn to put off your work.
I love you,
Beast
As a big brother it's my duty to prepare you for college, so I've decided to write you a series of letters to help you make better decisions than I. This is the first one.
For starters, let's look at your living situation. As an RA I see many roommate disagreements, the most of which come from girls. For some reason when you stick two girls into a room, one of two things is bound to happen:
A) They will become the best of friends. They do everything, literally everything together. They eat, sleep, take classes, work out, visit friends, everything together. If this doesn't happen, then we go to step B.
B) They will absolutely despise each other. First it will start off as a small quarrel. Then Girl 1 will piss Girl 2 off a little more by doing something small. Because Girl 2 is mad at Girl 1, Girl 1 will then look for things Girl 2 does that is annoying. Then it escalates from here.
Rarely does this happen for guys. I have never seen two guy roommates either join at the hip or repel like magnets. They will become friends and hang out, or they will just live with each other. The end. Guys are simple.
Secondly, in this letter I would like to tell you about parties. Ah yes, mother and father, if you're reading this your Precious Princess will indeed go to a party or twelve. I did. The thing is to be smart about it.
Now the subject of parties is a difficult thing for me to talk about, especially to my little sister. From the fraternity aspect, I have been to my fair share of parties, and maybe more. It's easy to get carried away with it though, so be careful not to become a habitual party-goer. This is where the RA in me kicks in.
Too many of my residents have gone down this road. First it starts with the Thursday night parties. Yes that's right, Thursday night. "What about class on Friday?" you might say. Well that's where unexcused absences come in. It's not uncommon for Freshmen to get "sick" their first few weeks. From Thursday it goes to Friday which, after all, you don't have anything to do Saturday so it doesn't really matter, right? Then Saturday rolls around, and of course you can do all of your work Sunday night, so you go out again. The real problem starts when other nights come into play. "Well Monday night is trivia night, so that's like learning, right?" "Oh, it's Tuesday! Karaoke Night, plus I need a break from that Monday..." ...as you can see, it just spirals out of hand.
The kids who do this generally are also the kids who get put on academic probation and who drop classes, gradually getting further and further behind. And of course there will be the occasional week where you will want to go downtown on a Tuesday night, and that's ok as long as it's only once in a while.
Another thing that will be something different for you to face than for me is what happens at parties. I've seen way too many girls who were sheltered go crazy now that mommy and daddy aren't there. And I'm not saying you're sheltered or that you're going to go crazy, but sometimes it's easier just to ignore what we know we should do and just do what seems to be fun. Don't go home with guys you've met at parties, and don't take drinks from strangers. Not to sound like a broken record, but those are things that you need to watch out for. Plus I'm your big brother, and you're not allowed to date until after you're married.
So now that I feel like a parent lecturing you about the evils of being out in the world on your own, I think it should only be fitting to tell you the truth. Here are some things you will do in college:
1) You will meet so many people it will be overwhelming for you. Some of them you'll like, some of them you'll hate, and many of them you'll forget.
2) After meeting all of these new people, you will forget virtually everyone from your high school. Sure you'll chat on facebook every now and again, but slowly you'll talk to fewer and fewer of them. Sure you'll keep a few of your close old friends near by, but even they will grow farther apart.
3) You'll meet Mr. Right, then he'll break up with you. For this all I can say is shit happens, so learn to carry roses to mask the stench. Keep good friends around and you'll be ok.
4) You'll skip class to work on something for another class. Hey, it happens. College is a lot harder than High School and you'll become a master at procrastinating, just like your older brother. Though you are smarter than I, so hopefully not.
5) You'll learn more outside of the classroom than you do in it. Yes it's true. Most of the learning that I've done here has been through my fraternity and being an RA. Get involved with things, and you'll learn so much that you'll wonder why you're taking class in the first place.
Well I feel that's sufficient rambling for one night, and as stories come up I'll be sure to write you again. As for now it's time for me to write that paper I've been putting off. See? I told you you'll learn to put off your work.
I love you,
Beast
The World Without FaceBook
Oh dear, how can he possibly say such a thing? A world without facebook? That's ridiculous!
I often wonder what would happen to the college community if for some reason facebook was shut down. When I pose this question to my friends, their reaction goes something like this:
"It would suck because I use it to communicate with members of my organization."
"I would hate not talking to my friends!"
"OMG don't say such a thing!"
"I would literally go insane!"
"I would die!"
"I would rather not talk to people in person than not have facebook."
"I would rather gnaw my arm off than not have facebook."
Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. But really? Has a website become the staple of everyday life for so many people? And how? Granted I am as guilty as the next person for being on it continuously, but I like to think that I could live without it.
So what would happen? My first thought would be that the world would suddenly become more productive. Then I realized that would never happen. No matter what we students have a knack of finding something else to do besides what we should be doing (for instance, I'm writing this blog instead of my paper). So if not facebook, then what? Well without facebook, texting would skyrocket. Of course, every conversation for the first week or so would be, "I don't know what to do anymore!"
After a week or two of pitchforks and torches, the world would subdue. I remember when the Dining Hall got rid of trays. I never would have thought that something so small would piss so many people off. The argument was that by not using trays they would not use so much water, and people would not waste so much food. Facebook groups were started, and angry comments were made. After about two weeks, everyone forgot there were trays to begin with.
When the facebookers calm down, maybe it will be the start of a new, better chapter in their lives. Maybe they will go outside and enjoy the beautiful day with friends, instead of just saying "what a beautiful day" on their status while staying inside on their computer. Maybe they will watch the news. Not The Daily Show or The Colbert Report but actual news that isn't completely biased (of course all news stations have agendas). Or maybe they will read the newspapers, or even read more in general. Not about vampires named Edward or wizards named Harry, but thought provoking works. Hell, maybe they'll read my blog.
Of course, if facebook is shut down, another site will be created with newer and better features, and people will return to their old habits. Statuses will read, "I'm so glad the Dark Age is over." Blogs will be forgotten and sunny days will be spent inside. Work will be procrastinated.
But what if we each spent just a little less time on facebook, and spent that time reading a novel? Or doing charity work? Or calling our parents? What if we each reviewed our politicians and went out and voted? What if we spent a little less time on facebook? Of course none of what I say will hold any weight to the masses. I have to wonder, though... what if Obama said it?
-Beast
I often wonder what would happen to the college community if for some reason facebook was shut down. When I pose this question to my friends, their reaction goes something like this:
"It would suck because I use it to communicate with members of my organization."
"I would hate not talking to my friends!"
"OMG don't say such a thing!"
"I would literally go insane!"
"I would die!"
"I would rather not talk to people in person than not have facebook."
"I would rather gnaw my arm off than not have facebook."
Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. But really? Has a website become the staple of everyday life for so many people? And how? Granted I am as guilty as the next person for being on it continuously, but I like to think that I could live without it.
So what would happen? My first thought would be that the world would suddenly become more productive. Then I realized that would never happen. No matter what we students have a knack of finding something else to do besides what we should be doing (for instance, I'm writing this blog instead of my paper). So if not facebook, then what? Well without facebook, texting would skyrocket. Of course, every conversation for the first week or so would be, "I don't know what to do anymore!"
After a week or two of pitchforks and torches, the world would subdue. I remember when the Dining Hall got rid of trays. I never would have thought that something so small would piss so many people off. The argument was that by not using trays they would not use so much water, and people would not waste so much food. Facebook groups were started, and angry comments were made. After about two weeks, everyone forgot there were trays to begin with.
When the facebookers calm down, maybe it will be the start of a new, better chapter in their lives. Maybe they will go outside and enjoy the beautiful day with friends, instead of just saying "what a beautiful day" on their status while staying inside on their computer. Maybe they will watch the news. Not The Daily Show or The Colbert Report but actual news that isn't completely biased (of course all news stations have agendas). Or maybe they will read the newspapers, or even read more in general. Not about vampires named Edward or wizards named Harry, but thought provoking works. Hell, maybe they'll read my blog.
Of course, if facebook is shut down, another site will be created with newer and better features, and people will return to their old habits. Statuses will read, "I'm so glad the Dark Age is over." Blogs will be forgotten and sunny days will be spent inside. Work will be procrastinated.
But what if we each spent just a little less time on facebook, and spent that time reading a novel? Or doing charity work? Or calling our parents? What if we each reviewed our politicians and went out and voted? What if we spent a little less time on facebook? Of course none of what I say will hold any weight to the masses. I have to wonder, though... what if Obama said it?
-Beast
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