13.7 Billion Years Later...

Fighting on Behalf of High Fructose Corn Syrup?

2009-03-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

We all know that HFCS is bad. Actually, we don't. There are a lot of people who don't know much about it. Enter the Corn Refiners of America, here to sway the vulnerable minds of millions. You can see their website here. To quote Jeanie Darcy, don't get me started... don't even get me started.

(1:03)

On Pop Music and Spring Break

2009-03-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

I know I was supposed to post those journal entries from Mt. Washington. I'll post the first today. I promise. The past few weeks have been really busy. Anyway, this week is my spring break, and it's been dominated by a hiking camp of 5th graders that I've been helping out with. They are pretty annoying. Today, for example, there was a lot of drama (2 people cried) because someone was "walking too slow" on the trail. Please tell me I was never one of them. Anyway, they all demanded that on the bus we play the local pop station. I don't get the concept of pop music. Listening to stuff just for the sake of listening to what's popular is silly and just makes you look obsequious. It's kind of like when people try to be friends with the cool kids. Quick aside: I accidentally just turned on the iTunes visualizer. When did they update it to make it look cool? I also noticed that a lot of pop songs are using orchestral sounds. For example, Coldplay's Viva la Vida (links to Youtube) uses a string section. There was another one that includes a flautist (comment if you know what song I'm talking about). Anyway, comment if you've noticed this trend also.

Mt. Washington

2009-03-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got back from winterim on Mount Washington. I kept a journal, which I'll post here in real time, as it were (each day's entries will be posted one week after they were written). My entries from the mountain are far more succinct than those in airports/planes, but I had ~~far more~~ time to kill there. Return travel isn't included, because I wanted to end things on a high note.

Winterim

2009-02-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning, I leave for Mount Washington. I'll be back late on Friday, and I'm going to try to keep a journal of the experience each day. I'll post those entries on Saturday or thereabouts. I'm also going to take a lot of photos (That's a definite.), which I'll post, again, on Saturday or Sunday. You can get the latest wind speed/temperature readings at the Mount Washington Observatory website. The daily avalanche reports are here, at the Mount Washington Avalanche Center. Enjoy your week and the rest of your weekend. I'll see you here on the interwebs soon.

Wait... That Blog Still Exists?!

2009-02-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know. It's been 2 weeks since my last post. These past 2 weeks have gone by at a breakneck pace. My final SCJAS paper was due, APEH papers and tests, Mount Washington prep., etc. Most of my blogging efforts have been directed toward Project 365, a link for which is in the sidebar. I also know that I missed February's 12 of 12. Mea culpa. Yesterday, I went on another photo walk, which was this time along the River Walk. Below is one picture from the walk. You can click it to get to Flickr, where you can access larger sizes, find others from the walk, comment, etc.

And So Begins the College Mail

2009-02-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

I just got an email. I think it's the first directly from a college yet. Congratulations, Carleton College.

Neglect, as usual

2009-01-31T19:55:00.000-08:00

Please forgive me, blog and reader (singular, on purpose). Anyway, over the past week, I posted at least one haiku per day as my Facebook status. I thought I'd spread the love to the blog, so here's a blog-exclusive haiku for your reading pleasure:

Haiku are critiqued
Too many, few syllables —
It is Facebook, guys.

A Haiku

2009-01-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

Homework at four thirty
Wait. Not procrastinating?
This cannot be true.

Stuff White People Like

2009-01-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

I've been told that I basically am the blog Stuff White People Like. Just for kicks, I decided to count how many things on the list I like. Of 120, I like 80, or 67%.

North Face, etc.

2009-01-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

I've noticed recently how outdoor gear is starting to gain/has gained general popularity. The North Face and Timerberland were among the first to gain popularity. Now Uggs and Mountain Hardwear are all over the place. It's not really for a practical purpose, though. South Carolina is definitely not that cold. I'm not really sure where these trends started. Any ideas?

A Quick Note

2009-01-24T11:04:00.001-08:00

If someone says to you that they are speechless, please inform them that they are lying. That is all.

January 2009 12 of 12

2009-01-14T16:02:00.001-08:00

Here's my first 12 of 12 of the year! It's probably pretty boring, since it fell on a Monday. Anyway, here goes.

Not a great way to start off the week. I overslept, and ended up being late to school.

And the spinach search begins! One primary goal for today was to confirm that my spinach sources for my science project were still there. Apparently, finding places with loose (not bagged) spinach is pretty remarkably difficult.

While calling various grocery stores, I took some photos by my school's pond.

My brother got me from school, and before we went to the grocery store, he wanted to take some photos near campus. Pictured here is Columbia's crappiest repository.

I'm feeling a profile picture here. Thoughts?

A photo taken near campus with my brother. I've been wanting to do a shot in the middle of the road like this one for a while. I used a polarizing filter and no post processing.

At the grocery store, I went ahead and bought a cabbage head to at least learn the sampling/incubating methods.

Since I had a few dollars left over after buying the cabbage, I bought this Mexican soda. It was quite satisfactory, despite the food coloring. Ugh.

Upon getting back, I checked a game of Diplomacy I'm playing on Facebook. I've basically been eliminated from this game.

Shortly thereafter, it was off to Scouts. This was my last meeting as Senior Patrol Leader, which is basically the youth leader of the troop. After a year, I think it's about time for someone else to get the experience.

Today was the first—and brightest—full moon of the year. I think this was an 8 second exposure, but I can't remember exactly, and I don't feel like digging through EXIF data.

And finally, homework. You can't really tell here, but that font is the Ecofont.

Well, that's my day, albeit boring. More next month!

Best Amazon review... ever.

2009-01-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

I heard about this on TBTL. Wow. Here's the review to The Secret:

Please allow me to share with you how "The Secret" changed my life and in a very real and substantive way allowed me to overcome a severe crisis in my personal life. It is well known that the premise of "The Secret" is the science of attracting the things in life that you desire and need and in removing from your life those things that you don't want. Before finding this book, I knew nothing of these principles, the process of positive visualization, and had actually engaged in reckless behaviors to the point of endangering my own life and wellbeing.
At age 36, I found myself in a medium security prison serving 3-5 years for destruction of government property and public intoxication. This was stiff punishment for drunkenly defecating in a mailbox but as the judge pointed out, this was my third conviction for the exact same crime. I obviously had an alcohol problem and a deep and intense disrespect for the postal system, but even more importantly I was ignoring the very fabric of our metaphysical reality and inviting destructive influences into my life.
My fourth day in prison was the first day that I was allowed in general population and while in the recreation yard I was approached by a prisoner named Marcus who calmly informed me that as a new prisoner I had been purchased by him for three packs of Winston cigarettes and 8 ounces of Pruno (prison wine). Marcus elaborated further that I could expect to be raped by him on a daily basis and that I had pretty eyes.
Needless to say, I was deeply shocked that my life had sunk to this level. Although I've never been homophobic I was discovering that I was very rape phobic and dismayed by my overall personal street value of roughly $15. I returned to my cell and sat very quietly, searching myself for answers on how I could improve my life and distance myself from harmful outside influences. At that point, in what I consider to be a miraculous moment, my cell mate Jim Norton informed me that he knew about the Marcus situation and that he had something that could solve my problems. He handed me a copy of "The Secret". Normally I wouldn't have turned to a self help book to resolve such a severe and immediate threat but I literally didn't have any other available alternatives. I immediately opened the book and began to read.
The first few chapters deal with the essence of something called the "Law of Attraction" in which a primal universal force is available to us and can be harnessed for the betterment of our lives. The theoretical nature of the first few chapters wasn't exactly putting me at peace. In fact, I had never meditated and had great difficulty with closing out the chaotic noises of the prison and visualizing the positive changes that I so dearly needed. It was when I reached Chapter 6 "The Secret to Relationships" that I realized how this book could help me distance myself from Marcus and his negative intentions. Starting with chapter six there was a cavity carved into the book and in that cavity was a prison shiv. This particular shiv was a toothbrush with a handle that had been repeatedly melted and ground into a razor sharp point.
The next day in the exercise yard I carried "The Secret" with me and when Marcus approached me I opened the book and stabbed him in the neck. The next eight weeks in solitary confinement provided ample time to practice positive visualization and the 16 hours per day of absolute darkness made visualization about the only thing that I actually could do. I'm not sure that everybody's life will be changed in such a dramatic way by this book but I'm very thankful to have found it and will continue to recommend it heartily.

Keeping up with New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

My Project 365 photos are viewable here. I'll post my 12 of 12 pictures on this blog with the tag 12of12. Links to the P365 set and 12 of 12 posts will be in the sidebar to the right.

Resolutions v. 2009

2009-01-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

1. Procrastinate less.
a)Complete to-do lists by the end of Saturday each week. I have had things on my to-do list since last summer.
b)Finish school work earlier. I could use the sleep.

2. Get into shape for Mount Washington.

3. Take a Project 365 photo for each day this year, and take 12 on the 12th of each month for the 12 of 12 photo project.

4. Blog more. I'm going to try to more find time to blog.

The First Commercial of 2009

2009-01-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

There's probably nothing to it, but it's interesting how the first commercial seems to predict the year's event. For example, a few years back a horror movie was the first. Later that year, we invaded Iraq. If it does predict anything, I like this one, which was the first on NBC.

Hope, joy, unity, happiness? I hope that means we'll get an Obamiracle.

The Pinnacle of American Ingenuity

2009-01-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

I present you the Snuggie:

I know this is the first post of the year. I hope it won't portend the rest of the year...

2008

2008-12-31T18:50:00.000-08:00

I may perhaps be experiencing, right now, the last 129 minutes of the most historically significant year of my life. An economic crisis surpassed only by the Great Depression. The election of the first African American President of the US. The first viable candidacy of a woman for President. The second woman running mate. A war in South Ossetia. A new Russian ~~figure head~~ president. Huge gains for the Democrats in both chambers of Congress. The most lavish Olympic games ever, in Beijing. Phelps's record-breaking swimming. Bolt's record-breaking running. ~~The first woman Speaker of the House.~~ Mumbai terrorist attacks. Chinese earthquakes. Hurricane Ike. Spitzer's scandalous fall. Madoff's Ponzi scheme. Blagojevich's scandalous appointment. The media's learning how to pronounce Palin... and Blagojevich. SC Gov. Sanford's refusal to accept bailout money. Midwestern floods. The Bush shoe incident. Californian wildfires.

I'll admit that I had to use Google to remember a lot of these; it's been that sort of year. Goodbye, 2008. You've been one heck of a year.

UPDATE: The italicized and stricken statement is incorrect. Sorry.

Pandora

2008-12-22T17:10:00.001-08:00

Has anyone else noticed how Pandora rocks? I created a station on it with two of my favorite artists--Sufjan Stevens and Ratatat--as a starting point, and it has come up with some pretty incredible matches. It's insane how far technology has progressed.

On another Pandora note, I saw a billboard a few days ago for a jewelry store called Pandora. Whoever opens one of Pandora's (jewelry) boxes should understand the repercussions of their actions.

Things That Aren't Actually Pet Peeves of Mine That I'm Going to Say Are Anyway

2008-12-18T14:41:00.000-08:00

First of all, that's the longest post title, by far, in this blog's short history.

So here's the list, as it stands right now:

1. Asking to "borrow" paper. You can borrow paper from me, provided that you give it back to me... with your notes.
2. Complaining about gas prices while owning an SUV. Yep, it's a real shame they're so high. Too bad you couldn't prevent it at all.
3. Christmas music. Retail stores have burnt me out on the traditional stuff, but Sufjan Stevens's album "Songs for Christmas" is pretty rockin'.

That's all I can think of right now, but I'll post more when they come to me.

A Letter to the State of South Carolina

2008-12-18T14:33:00.001-08:00

Dear South Carolina,

I realized last night that a window in my room has been open for the past week. Why is this significant, you ask? Because it's December 18, and I didn't notice for a week. If it were cold, I would have noticed, but the temperature is rather pleasant. For example, it is currently 5:36 PM on December 18, and it is 77ºF. What should it be more like? Well, I just used a random number generator to produce a random zip code. In Rehrersburg, PA (19550), it's currently 35ºF. South Carolina, I know your horrible school system might not have taught you about what winter is, but, in brief, winter is cold. Please adjust accordingly.

Thank you.

Neglect

2008-12-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

Oh, "Disappointed Reader," if only you knew. I haven't posted here in a while, but fear not; I will soon. The weeks right before are inherently busy and hectic. That, coupled with the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, has left me without enough time to write as much here as I'd like. I'll do a day-by-day writeup on SDLC soon. When we hit Christmas break, you'll get more posts than you can handle. By the way, it's funny that it takes a lack of posts to get a comment. Sigh.

Neglect/On Coldness

2008-11-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

I know. I haven't done a post in 10 days. It's bad. The past week or two have been incredibly hectic; it's the pre-exam buildup of assignments. I've also been sick, so I've missed school, which adds to the buildup. For the time being, all the weekly bits are on hiatus. All my photos are on my Flickr account.

So... At school, being in the South, I've heard lots of complaints about how it's "so cold." This, of course, starts when the temperature dips below 60ºF. Can you really blame a people who are accustomed to 90ºF+ in the summer? Anyway, this weekend it was legitimately cold, as on both Friday and Saturday nights it got down to just 19º. Where was I? ~~Camping~~ Freezing myself at Sesqui. I now have a full-blown cold. Hooray! While camping, I took some pictures. These two, which I'll upload to Flickr next month (I've hit my upload cap... again), stuck out:

From dfg

Sparks from a fire. Motion Blur. Long Exposure.

From dfg

Tree!

South Carolinians for Early Voting

2008-11-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

Here's my new project, as it were. I'm trying to start movement toward early voting in SC. I'm not really sure how to pursue the goal, but I started with a Facebook group. You can join the group (please do!) here.

Here's the group's description:
We are a group of South Carolinians who believe that, for our democracy to stay strong, we must encourage high voter turnout. Our government can only be truly representative if its electorate encompasses all its citizens. In the 2008 election, we saw record numbers of voters voting early. Early voting increases turnout, makes voting easier for all citizens and reduces the stress on the system on Election Day. 32 states now allow no-excuse-required, in-person early voting. Many of them saw their turnout records smashed in 2008. We thus support no-excuse, early voting in South Carolina.

ARD/Winterim

2008-11-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

Today was America Recycles Day. I volunteered, as I mentioned in a previous post, with Keep the Midlands Beautiful. While I didn't get to be a plastic bottle as previously anticipated, I still had a really good time. Seeing a bunch of kids there was really encouraging; the western consumer society needs to be stopped somewhere. Really, though, everyday should be America Recycles Day (yeah, I stole your line, E =P ); we only get one Earth, and we need to preserve it.

Speaking of things that need to be preserved, I made a selection for Winterim. This year, I'm going to... *drum roll please* climb Mount Washington. I'm really, really excited.