I am the critical young

The Death of a Friendship

2020-10-12T12:54:00.000-04:00

I had an interesting experience this week. And by interesting, I mean it feels like someone has taken a meat tenderizer to my heart. A friend of mine posted on Facebook that they would be blocking any “friend” (their quotation marks, not mine) who was voting for Trump this election. Normally I ignore political posts on Facebook (as part of my continuing resolve to not argue with people online), but I was really hurt by the insinuation that because we would vote differently I was no longer a real friend and I commented saying so. I expected a disagreement, but I didn’t even get that. I just got blocked. Several years of friendship ended with apparent ease on their part and a not insignificant amount of shock on mine.

This blog has been dormant for over eight years, but this situation has put so many thoughts in my head and feelings in my heart that I’ve resurrected a thing that was probably better off dead. This isn’t the first Facebook post I’ve seen implying that a person who votes differently is no longer a friend and each of those posts has a host of comments celebrating the poster's rejection of those no-longer-friends. And I’ll be honest, it really chafes. When I see a political post I disagree with, I scroll past it (groundbreaking, I know). I might roll my eyes if it’s an overly dramatic rant or get kind of irritated if it’s a heavily biased article, but what I do not say or post or even think is that the person who posted it is somehow less of a friend.

Now I feel the need to clarify...I understand that some people don't want to see so many (or any) political posts on social media. But there is a huge difference between unfollowing someone for the political season for your peace of mind and unfriending or blocking someone because you can't stomach seeing a different opinion than yours in your personal echo chamber.

I would never vote Biden/Harris because our principles don't align, but when I see friends that do support them, I understand why because I know those friends well enough to see what’s important to them. In some cases, I may disagree with their underlying principles or think their reasoning for voting that way is illogical, but that doesn’t preclude me from understanding their viewpoint. And if I don’t get it and want to know, I’ll ask. Personally, I don’t see that same courtesy being extended to people like me. If you can’t fathom why anyone would vote Trump/Pence this election, then you need to try to understand. And the same goes for the other way around. If you're voting Trump/Pence (or Jorgensen/Cohen or anyone else) and can't understand one reason why a friend would vote Biden/Harris (or Jorgensen/Cohen or anyone else), you need to do a little self-reflection on what it means to be a friend.

I look at the news and the comments and the social media posts and I see a world that labels me. Because I vote conservative, I’m a bigot, a racist, a white supremacist, a Nazi, a science-denier, a woman-hater, an ignorant, backwards, uncompassionate fool. And people say those things while they set houses on fire for daring to put up Trump signs and attack old men and teenagers for daring to wear a MAGA hat. But I’m not a label. I’m a real person with real convictions and principles and beliefs. If you can’t understand why anyone would ever vote Trump/Pence, then you’re part of the reason he won in 2016 and you’re part of the reason why I think he’ll win again in 2020.

To bring this back to a smaller scope, if you can’t understand one single reason why I personally would vote for Trump this election (when-for the record-I didn’t even vote for him last election...and no, I didn’t vote for Hilary either), then you simply don’t understand me very well. And you should try because I am someone who considers you a friend no matter how different our political views may be. No one should have to choose between political self-censure and the understanding of people who are supposed to be their friends. My hope for anyone reading this is that regardless of your political views you would try to understand someone different from you a little better. And if after reading this you are merely angry, then I would say you need to spend a little less time focusing on politics and a little more time focusing on being a decent human being.

It's the End of the World As We Know It

2012-09-13T23:40:00.002-04:00

And I'll admit I'm a little ticked off.

For starters, this has been the worst week of probably my entire college career, if not my life. So in reality I probably shouldn't be blogging because I have a propensity to be even more of a jerk when it's been a tough week (who'd have thunk?), but I just can't help myself.

Mayor/Dictator Bloomberg of New York City and his lovely Health Board have officially passed a soda ban. In New York City it is no longer legal to sell "sugary drinks" over 16 oz. And the darling dictator himself had the audacity to say, "This is the single biggest step any city, I think, has ever taken to curb obesity. It's certainly not the last step that lots of cities are going to take, and we believe that it will help save lives".

You've got to be freaking joking me.

And to make matters even better, public opinion was pretty much thrown out the window because it's New York City and it's not like that in America or anything. Most polls, even in liberal NYC, showed that about 2/3 of people opposed the ban.

And there you have it folks.

The precedent has officially been set. Not only can the government now tell people to buy health insurance which is a bit less understood and a great many more faceted, now they can tell us what we can or can't drink outside the comfort of our homes. Not that Michelle hasn't already been working on that.

Next thing you know they'll put the soda companies out of business all in the name of the greater good. Oh and also because they despise anyone who makes a profit, but that's a whole other topic.

Here in the middle of the nation, I'm sure it'll take a little bit longer but this is the beginning of the end of individual rights as we've always understood them.

"Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual)." --Ayn Rand, Collectivized Rights, June 1963

Connecting the Dots

2012-03-18T22:37:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while, I have some free time and I get to sit down and think about things. More often than not, however, I just can't sleep for thinking. And one of the things that has left me sleepless lately is connecting the dots. Take this picture for example:

Unless you have some connect the dots super power, you probably have absolutely no idea what this is supposed to be. But if we zoom out a little, we get this:

Which while still not the greatest picture, might be a little bit more clear with some time and imagination. If we connect the dots, however, we get this little masterpiece:

Which is quite the doozy and not nearly as good as the original, but pretty freaking impressive if you remember that it's a connect the dots puzzle.

So what, you are most certainly asking, does this have to do with any of the opinionated things I'm usually spouting about? Well, just everything.

In some of my late night ponderings, I've come to some conclusions that in hindsight should have been obvious, but because of the way a mind works seemed to be massive revelations instead of common sense.

Living in the lovely situation that I do (aka the dorms of drunkenness), I have the opportunity to observe people in what I like to think of as their natural habitat. The people I live with will, as I've so often heard, be the future of our country. This is a bit terrifying especially when you realize that they're supposed to be learning skills to help them be useful members of society (I can't say with any sort of experience but I feel that might be hard when you're inebriated at least 40% of the week).

But, I also think it goes beyond the current drunkenness of my classmates. Maybe it's because my generation has been spoon-fed and coddled entirely too much to develop the cognitive skills necessary to make connections. Maybe we're just lazy. Whatever the case is, I see a growing trend in peoples' inability to connect various topics and actions to one another.

I could make any number of cases, but I might as well just throw my "John Hancock" out in the open. The trend that I first noticed is the trend between the growing idea of "free love" and the degradation of the family unit. Now, not being hippies, no one actually refers to it as free love anymore, but many have this view that it's their body, their life, and they're not hurting anyone.

I would beg to differ on every single one of those feeble and juvenile defenses, but I think I can make a better case by working the angle of connecting the dots. Right from the beginning you have to realize that I'm starting with a premise that most of society already rejects: that the family is an important--no, vital--unit in society, the building block of human civilization as a whole, instituted and upheld by God.

What makes a family different from other groups of people? Some would say it's biology, but that wouldn't explain marriage relationships or adoption. Families transcend other groups because of the sacrifice necessary to support one.

Being a member of a family means that you are going to give up things that you might want for things that are better. You--no--I will give up my time, I will give up my worldly wealth, I will give up "getting my way" for this little thing called a family. There is a good chance that I will give up traveling the world or buying a fancy car or getting to eat out whenever I want for staying at home and taking care of those dear children that I may someday have the opportunity to be blessed with, making dinner, cleaning up, chauffeuring (but not in a minivan--I do let myself have some dignity), compromising with my husband. These things hold so much more happiness than a career or wealth or fame could ever offer.

So here's what's really bothering me...that great mass that we'll call "society" has the idea that it doesn't matter who you give yourself to. Aside from being detrimental to your health and rather foolish, this very idea undermines the institution of the family. The marriage relationship is not something to be shared by a couple of half-drunk college kids. It's not something to be shared with a stranger met on the street a few hours before. That view removes the importance of a family.

You cannot say on one hand that you want to be married someday and have a family and on the other hand live your life as a selfish person who chases after their lusts with no sense of restraint. That selfishness works against the very epitome of family life and will not lead to any sort of happiness. If you couldn't control yourself before marriage, what difference will it make after a person is married?

Divorce is through the roof, as is the disease that comes from that kind of life. The family is under attack. There are really no other words for it. If we are not living in a way that's preparing us for families then what will those families be like? What will happen to society if the family becomes an antiquated tradition of the past? No one thinks, no one connects the dots. People are too busy being selfish to look past themselves.

I know a lot of the people who read this aren't members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints like I am, but this quote by the apostle Neal A. Maxwell has always meant so much to me:

When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sounds of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside of telestial time. The women of God know this.

No wonder the men of God support and sustain you sisters in your unique roles, for the act of deserting home in order to shape society is like thoughtlessly removing crucial fingers from an imperiled dike in order to teach people to swim.

What will it be? If a person thinks they can do more in society than they can in their home then there are sadly mistaken. If one thinks that their desires and lusts are more important than the sacrifice of a family and the preparation that that takes then the chance of another broken or dysfunctional home will be that much greater. It's time to start connecting the dots and not just on this subject, but on so many others. I can't walk around blindly and I don't know how anyone else stands to do it. Open your eyes and make an effort because these things are worth fighting for.

I suppose this isn't very upbeat for my first blog post in almost two months, but I'm sure some of you have missed me enough to forgive me. I'll write again before the week's out, so you can always hope. :D

I Have Fantasmagorical News!

2012-02-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

It's my blog's birthday!!! One year ago today, I published my first article under the "critical young" alias. I don't really have much to say, but I just wanted to thank all of you lovely readers and give you a gift. Although it may end up being one of those gifts that you push to the back of the hall closet and hope the giver never asks about...

This year at school, I'm taking a history of jazz class. It's amazing to say the least, but it has also presented me with an opportunity. We are required to make a portfolio on some topic of our choosing related to jazz AND it has to be on blogspot.

So I have a new blog.

Which makes me about as happy as this cat.

And as excited as this turtle.

Which is pretty dang excited.

So I just wanted to let you all know. My new blog is called Trading Fours and it's located at the URL here:

http://swayingonthetwoandfour.blogspot.com/

So enjoy if you want and if not that's okay too. Happy Birthday Blog!

And So I Bear Witness

2012-01-18T23:13:00.000-05:00

Thursday, January 12th

It's not a day that will live in infamy. If I'm honest I'd already forgotten the date and just looked it up for the sake of keeping an accurate record.

It was a Thursday. It was the last week of Christmas break. I had gotten up and gotten ready for the day and decided to check my Facebook and was abruptly confronted by a video entitled "Mormons vs Epic Black Guy".

(Now I refuse to post that video on my blog. If you want to watch it go to youtube. If you can't find it I'll send you a link.)

And I couldn't help myself. I had to know even though I knew it would probably upset me and make me doubt the decency of humanity. So I did and it was as expected. Except worse. And then I read the comments and that made it doubly worse.

A few examples of the comments were: "Amen! This pumped me up so much I wanted to go run thru a brick wall! haha" "Ahhhhh man I just got hyped! I can't wait till I'm strong enough in my faith to conquer like this!!!! Man! GOD IS GOOOOOOOOOD!" "Great way to to start the day! Better than a cup of coffee!" "just hit y'all with some knowledge"

And then I looked at the likes. And recognized people I'm facebook "friends" with. And then I wasn't angry. I was just depressed.

I won't talk religion. I won't argue who's right. Because in the end that's not what this is about. It's about indecency--the indecency of both the "epic" black guy and these facebook "friends" of mine.

First, let's discuss the "epic" black guy and let's disband with that long and awkward phrase and just call him Mr. "Epic". For me this is an easier topic to approach. It's someone taking a stance against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It's nothing new; I've been dealing with that particular situation since middle school, if not earlier.

The problem with Mr. "Epic" is that he's under the misconception that picking a fight with the missionaries makes him some warrior of God or something (and if you don't think he was trying to pick a fight then you tell me why he and his buddies were standing around with a video camera and a soapbox speech ready for action).

The comments tell us that "God is good". This is true. But God is also love. And that man had nothing but contempt and hatred for those young men. He tries to excuse his actions by using logic and scriptures and repeatedly cutting off the missionaries. In short, he tries to "bible bash" to use the catchy colloquial.

And here's the thing: missionaries don't "bible bash". They share their message with those that want to hear it and in situations like this they answer questions no matter how aggressively asked until it cannot be called a discussion any longer and then they try to extract themselves from the situation as nicely as possible. Maybe you call that losing, but I don't.

And one more word of support for those missionaries: Those young men give up two years of their lives--no family, no dating, no TV or video games or most music, no parties, no school, just proselyting. Beyond that they deal with people who hate them day in and day out--they are yelled at, they are threatened, doors are slammed in their faces. And yet they continue--without shouting, without raging, without bible bashing.

Contention is of the devil. The scriptures say so. Those scriptures that both you and I hold so dear.

Old Testament: "A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes" --Proverbs 18:6

New Testament: "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God" --1 Corinthians 11:16

Even the Book of Mormon (though I understand that this book means nothing to you): "For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another" --3 Nephi 11:29

Now to the second indecency. Let's talk about my facebook "friends". Actually, let's talk about me.

Really, I am not a Mormon. "Mormon" is a nickname. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, my Savior. I know they live. I know that Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane to bring about the Atonement that through his sacrifice we can be saved after all we have done to save ourselves. I believe that the Bible is the word of God. I also believe the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I believe in continuing revelation--that I can pray to God and he will answer me. I believe in prophets from Adam to Abraham to Joseph Smith. I believe in serving and loving my fellowmen. I know that by serving others and by loving them that I will be more able to follow in the footsteps of my Redeemer, even Jesus Christ.

I understand that there are differences between my religion and other religions. What I don't understand is why you don't see the similarities. My church is not to be hated because of our differences but rather, if not accepted, at least not actively sought out to be despised. We both claim to be following Jesus Christ. That similarity should be enough.

I'll conclude with one final point: I am not Allison, who happens to be a "Mormon". I'm a "Mormon". I am a Latter-Day Saint. If you have a problem with my church, then you either have a problem with me or you don't understand because I do my best to emulate the attributes of a righteous member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I wish I didn't have to do this. It shouldn't even be an issue. I don't want to offend anyone. That's not my purpose. But I cannot let this hatred and misinformation continue and then stand blameless before God at the last day. And so I bear this witness.

If I Could Change The World

2011-12-30T13:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, first a word of explanation. I've started three different posts since the last one I posted and I can't finish a single one of them. They've all just been too horribly depressing. I've been kind of pessimistic apparently and I couldn't publish anything like that without feeling like I was completely ruining my credentials (of which I actually have none but that's besides the point).

So I'd been thinking about an entirely new topic--drug testing for welfare recipients--but it was getting depressing just researching and without having written a word. So I decided on something else:

The welfare system in it's entirety.

Now you're probably thinking, "Because this is going to be sooooo much happier than anything else you'd talk about", but I think it will be. Because instead of pointing out all of the welfare systems many problems, I'm just going to offer a solution.

When you are faced with a crisis, a tragedy, or something else equally devastating in your life, there is an order to the help you should be receiving.

First, yourself. No one is better equipped to help you than yourself. No one will be more accountable to your actions than yourself. So first, do all that you can.

Second, your family. There's a reason we have families. They know us best and are usually closest and love us most no matter how stupid we are sometimes. Now I will allow for the fact that sometimes our families are worse off than we are and sometimes our families aren't supportive or reliable like they probably should be, but if at all possible your family should be your second line of help and defense.

Third, your church. If you don't have a church or just don't have a helpful church then I guess you can skip this part. In my case, the members of my church are some of the most helpful, caring, and compassionate people I have ever happened upon. Time and time again I have seen these people rise magnificently to a cry for help whether that be a death, an illness, or just a bad day.

Fourth, your community. There are institutions in place for the betterment of society. Thrift stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army, or DAV; The Lord's Diner and various soup kitchens; homeless shelters, NHS, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Red Cross. These are organizations that are designed to help people. They cannot do everything for you or for anyone else, but they can help.

Fifth, and finally, and really only maybe, is the government. Obviously it's not working out so hot now, so I don't really know why anyone considers this a viable option. After all the money being given out by the government is really just ours.

So here's my solution. We do away with the welfare system. Completely. And people get back to giving. I'm probably in a unique position being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I pay a 10% tithe on everything I make because I want to and, because we have no paid ministry and because we have such excellent financial department, a lot of that money can go towards helping other people.

We have a Bishop's Storehouse and Welfare Square which provide food and basic needs items for those in need of assistance, the Perpetual Education Fund which allows people to rise out of poverty through education, the Church Welfare Program which has been serving others for 75 years. There are classes on provident living and self-reliance. The Church has an entire program called Humanitarian Services which includes among other things Emergency Response, The Clean Water Service, and Wheelchair Distribution. In addition to tithes, I pay whatever else I feel that I can to help with various other causes.

I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression. I'm not really doing much. I'm doing just fine without 10-15% of my income and look what the combined efforts of so many others doing the same thing can accomplish. I'm not trying to show off what I'm doing (if anything I'm showing off what the Church does...). But I'm trying to show what we can do. People can make a difference. A much bigger and better difference than any the government can make when it comes to helping people.

I am charging you with a solemn responsibility. To stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about others. To start helping and giving and sharing and serving. I can promise you with absolute conviction that by doing so, not only will you better the lives of others but you will find yourself bolstered up and your burdens lifted. You will be happier, those you serve will be happier, and the world will become a better place one act of service at a time.

A man decided that he would change the world.
But, he wasn’t successful.
So he decided to change the country.
But, he wasn’t successful.
So he decided to change his community.
But, he wasn’t successful.
So he decided to change his street.
But, be wasn’t successful.
So he decided to change his family.
But, he wasn’t successful.
So he decided to change himself.
AND HE WAS SUCCESSFUL.
AND HIS FAMILY CHANGED AND THEY AFFECTED THEIR STREET.
AND THE PEOPLE ON THE STREET AFFECTED THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND THE PEOPLE OF THE COMMUNITY AFFECTED THEIR COUNTRY.
AND THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRY AFFECTED THE WORLD.

One Nation, Under God

2011-12-11T19:37:00.001-05:00

Maybe I should start this post with a disclaimer. I'm right. And I'm going to be blunt about it. End of story.

In today's society it has become socially unacceptable to be religious. Look at the mockery made of Tim Tebow. Look at the fight to change the Pledge of Allegiance. Look at what we're taught in schools about the founding fathers and the creation of this nation.

In my US History class we were taught that the founding fathers were polytheists, thus removing any real reliance on that one higher being who was at the helm of the formation of this country.

Look at science. It seems that every new discovery is immediately turned into a debacle of science versus religion whether by the media or the scientists themselves. Maybe we should focus on solving more problems instead.

Anyways, what I find ironic about this entire situation is that religion is the only reason our society has any sort of honest and good traits.

I'm sure some think that's a load of crock, but people are not naturally good. I can't say I'm naturally inclined to turn the other cheek or help someone I don't know or give up my time and resources and talents to something that might not be at the top of my to-do list.

But I do it anyways. Why? Because I live my life in such a way that I will be unashamed to stand before God at the last day and declare that I have done all I can do.

So, going back to society at large...while lots of people follow those inclinations to not help or turn the other cheek, etc. they don't completely act like heathens either. Murder is not viewed as acceptable. Neither is stealing. Adultery. Abuse. Lying. Cheating. Smuggling drugs. You get the idea.

And yet again, why? Why aren't these things socially acceptable?

I find it ironic that the world will take the Lord's precepts and commandments without accepting that they are His. And in my opinion someday the world will have to answer for that. In the meantime it gives you something to think about. Enjoy and (for those of you in my position) good luck on finals!

In Defense of Twihards

2011-11-25T16:09:00.001-05:00

So you all just read the title of this post and about half of you probably just spit apple cider on your monitor. Sorry about that? But the real point here is that I have a theory. And it must be shared.

For some reason the general populace cannot handle the Twilight saga's popularity. So many otherwise rational people come out of the woodwork to say heinous and awful things about Twilight fans.

I personally have read the entire Twilight series and even own all the books (though that's more because of my compulsive book buying than because they're any kind of literary genius). Having read the books I can say that yes, the writing level is rather low (umm duh? They're written for preteens. Oh, and it's PLEASURE READING, not your chemistry book.), that the storyline is fun but kind of cliche, and that Bella is easily the most irritating character in the series. But having said that I don't hate the series, Stephenie Meyer, or anyone who happens to think that the books or movies are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

So here's my theory: everyone who "hates" the Twilight series or Twilight fans doesn't in fact hate the people or the saga, they are in fact just ticked off because they failed to recognize what a large and powerful fan base teenage girls are.

Yeah, that's right. Teenage girls. (How else did boy bands get so big?) Teenage girls have all the necessary qualities to make good fans: they're compulsive, fall for fads and cheesy cliches, and are easily parted from their money. Perfect.

Let's take a look at the Twilight franchise as a whole:

There are four books in the Twilight saga. As of October 2010, 160 million books had been sold worldwide. If we estimate and say each of those books cost $20 that's $3.2 billion.
Besides the four books of the actual series there have been a few other novellas published as well as movie guides. And as with any major franchise there's a ridiculous amount of merchandise (think t-shirts, stickers, coloring books, kid's toys...). I'd be willing to bet that it's at least a few million.
And then of course there are the movies and the DVDs. They're making five movies, four of which have been released and three of which are available on DVD. According to Box Office Mojo, just theatre tickets for the first three movies grossed $1.8 billion and the recently released fourth movie has already made $500 million (it's been in theatres for two weeks tomorrow). According to The Numbers, the three movies on DVD have brought in about another half billion.

So they've already grossed over $6 billion with one movie still in the theatres, another on the way, and no end to the merchandise. Now that's what I call money making!

What I'm really trying to get at here is God bless America. I know it's a little late to be a Thanksgiving post or anything (as per usual I'm behind), but I think it's amazing that we live in a place where it's possible to do these kinds of things. If tomorrow I come up with a great idea, I can go out into the world and I can make it happen. Because capitalism rocks. So don't let the crazy economy and the occupiers and all the commies get you down...because tomorrow you too could write a book at a low reading level and, with a little bit of luck, good timing, and understanding of the people who make up your market, rake in $6 billion.

Stupidity Breeds...More Stupidity. Imagine That.

2011-10-19T22:01:00.000-04:00

Okay, here we go!

First of all, for those of you who don't know, I'm an engineering major. This means that I take lots of math and science classes and am generally able to avoid the liberal indoctrination of college campuses (which in turn makes me less likely to say something that will get me kicked out of class). On the other hand though, it means that when my professors do make political comments it just makes me that much more irritated because Differential Equations and Chemical Process Analysis are hard enough without me getting riled up about politics.

So when I went to Chemical Process Analysis last week and, about half-way through class, my professor said something that reminded him of Sarah Palin which then obviously meant he had to rant about how "public servants used to be the best and the brightest" and are now more like "the dumb and the dumber", needless to say I was irritated.

It's not really the fact that he was saying that Palin had "never read a book in her life", he actually said both parties were full of idiots, it's just that (a) I'm paying mega-bucks to learn and therefore don't appreciate unrelated topics and (b) it's our own dang fault if the politicians are stupid.

I know I've used it before but I love this quote:
"Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption."
[James Garfield, "A Century of Congress" published in Atlantic, July 1877].

If the people in office are idiots, then it's because we voted idiots into office. Such is life. At some point, whether in this life or the next one, everyone has to accept that he or she alone is responsible for his or her actions.

The other thing I've been thinking about lately is the Occupy movement. In short, they're idiots (word of the day? I think yes). I'm in a list making mood so I suppose I'll make you a list. I'll even give it a fancy heading.

Reasons Why the Occupiers Are Idiots (And Probably Can't Tie Their Own Shoes Either):

1. They don't have a purpose. At all.

These people seem to think that there is nothing more to changing the world then standing around like a bunch of smelly hippies with their signs and their yelling and their outrage. This will do exactly what it's doing right now: whip the leftist media juggernaut into a frenzy of praise and irritate the rest of us while doing exactly nothing.

2. Unorganized (oh, my mistake, I meant leaderless)

So as I've been watching this debacle unfold I've also secretly been collecting some of my favorite quotes. This one in particular just makes me die a little inside: "We are a community group, we do not have leaders, we are a leaderless movement...". This comes from an article about the alleged rape at Occupy Cleveland Ohio and while that in and of itself is a problem, I'd rather focus on the whole "leaderless" thing.

The first thing I thought of when I found out about this whole "leaderless movement" shenanigans is communism. It's so very like it...one big happy family with no leaders to screw things up. It's these people with their lovely, idyllic, Utopian "horizontal democracy" (I would link this to something but it's so pointless--just google it there are tons of results). Everyone's equal. But we've learned that lesson so many times. "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others" [George Orwell, Animal Farm].

3. No understanding of what they claim to protest

The movement doesn't seem to have any sort of purpose (I'm going to hazard a guess and say it has something to do with the fact that they have no leaders...oh, and the fact that they don't do anything). I think my favorite illustration of this point is this video from Exposing Leftists (it's a bit explicit but I think that just helps prove my points):

4. There are no solutions

Honestly, this is all just a big chain of problems. If you have no leaders and no organization, if your participants have no real idea as to what they're protesting, if all your movement is is a bunch of outraged protesters, then of course you're not going to have any solutions. I have yet to see a single solution to any problem. Sure there's plenty of complaining, plenty of finger-pointing, and plenty of blaming [insert your latest displeasure here], but there aren't any plans. It's as if they believe that just because they make a fuss the universe will change its entire course to please them and--newsflash!--it won't.

5. These people are the dregs of society

There is something wrong with these people. Of that, I am certain. In my own lovely (sarcasm) school newspaper, they had an article about our very own Occupy MHK and the article, entitled "Manhattan Residents Join Nation In Protest", is mostly a bunch of sob stories about former students who can't pay off their student loans. And what did they get their degrees in? Social sciences, anthropology, women's studies, human services...you get the picture. Now I understand the importance of doing something you're good at and that you love, but if you major in something for which there is no job market, then you have no excuse when you can't get a job and can't pay off your loans. The banks didn't force you to take a loan, you chose to take it and, therefore, have no room to whine about it.

I could detail the rest of the sordid story but it's easy enough to google--alleged rapes, drugs, theft, the list goes on and on and it's only going to get bigger.

So now that I've made this freakishly long, let's bring it all together. We live in America. We have means given to us to run our own government. If we stopped voting in all these corrupt leaders then we wouldn't have corrupt leaders (I know, mind-boggling). If we stopped being so lazy and putting so many restrictions on businesses maybe the economy would get the chance to recover. If our government stopped spending so much money on (unconstitutional) social programs, we'd be taxed less. Someone needs to tell these whiners to get off their rumps and do something. I understand that even with the degree I'm at school to get, there's a chance that I won't have a job when I graduate, but I'm going to do whatever I can and I'm going to buck up and deal with it and I'm going to solve my own problems instead of standing on the streets like a bunch of sixties protest throwbacks.

So that's my two cents on the matter. It's probably not the best article you'll read and if it is (and probably even if it isn't) then you're missing out on some great things so here...a present just for you!

This is by a friend of mine. He's a much better writer than I am and he's more informed as well. This article is frankly amazing to the nth degree! http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/10/marching_for_shackles_and_chains.html

And then there's Ann Coulter who I'm a big fan of because she's sarcastic and doesn't care what she says. She's written three articles on OWS so far.
http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2011-10-05.html
http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2011-10-12.html
http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2011-10-19.html

And then this is just an interesting article that a friend of mine posted...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204479504576637082965745362.html

Have a fantastic evening!

"Let Me Make You A Sandwich!"

2011-10-12T22:26:00.000-04:00

I've often contemplated how people can fall for such obvious schemes of evil. But then I realized that in all honesty they're probably not that obvious. Because the best way for evil to work is not to make something 180 out from what's correct, but instead to make it more like 7 or 8 degrees off from what's right.

It's like flying. Anyone can tell when a plane is flying the complete opposite direction from it's destination. But, if a plane is just off a few degrees it doesn't seem so bad. However, if a plane is off course by just a few degrees it will end up hundreds of miles off course by the end of its journey.

So, as we can see, wrong doesn't really have to seem wrong to be wrong.

And I think a prime example of this is Michelle Obama's food campaign that goes by the official name of "Let's Move!" (which in my mind always sounds like a command from a drill sergeant rather than a cheerful encouragement for healthiness).

Being healthy is not a bad thing. I don't have any problem with being healthy. I mean, heck, I actually eat vegetables and fruit as snacks. And although I could definitely use more exercise, I'm no couch potato.

So with that being established, we'll go take a stroll through the Let's Move website (actually I'll take a stroll and tell you all about it because I wouldn't want to subject you to that unnecessarily...of course if you don't take my word on it then go ahead and take that walk).

The site looks all cheery...kind of like an elementary school room. It's well laid-out (which is surprising considering it's a government website) and right across the top it has five things that I would like to call suggestions but are actually orders (remember? question, statement, exclamation, command--those are the only types of sentences).

And right there under "Learn the Facts" is a nice little quote by none other than Michelle Obama herself which says, "The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake".

What Michelle Obama has realized is that she can hide most anything she wants behind good intentions.

And it's just inevitable that someone will think, "But whatever could she be hiding?"

And the answer is really very simple--socialism.

It's kind of funny that everyone seems to think that seeing socialism behind someone's actions is this big hoax or that it's the same old excuse because you don't have anything else to say or that it's just stupid when, in fact, sometimes it's just the truth.

Let's look at it--what is socialism?

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines socialism as, "Any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods".

And what this glorious new food revolution is beckoning into our country is just one more attempt to spread socialism. By supporting it we are advocating that what we eat should be regulated and controlled.

Did you know that there are schools across the nation that now send lists home telling parents what they can and cannot send in their child's sack lunch? Excuse me? It's not enough that the schools are removing soda, candy, ice cream, chips, and anything else that might be considered unhealthy from the school lunches and vending machines and telling children what they must pick up in the lunch line, now some feel that it is their right to tell us what we can pack to bring from home or to tell us that we cannot even bring our own food.

They can tout their banner of "protecting" people from their own bad decisions or reducing obesity or whatever else they want to hide behind, but in the end it's just an excuse to expand the ever-expanding government reach into our homes and our lives. And it's wrong.

Of course people praise this plan as a step forward. Of course the plan has good attributes. Every bad plan has good attributes or no one would follow it. But in the end, it is up to each of us to make our own decisions and deal with the consequences of those decisions.

If I want to eat ice cream and potato chips every meal for the rest of my (very short) life, then that is entirely my business and the government, to use a colloquial I'm rather fond of, can shove it.

When the government has the ability to reach into the very bowels, the kitchens, of our homes then our government is obviously too big. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Because if they government can tell us what to eat, then they can tell us what to wear and what to believe and who to vote for and who to worship and then Big Brother will "watch over" everything.

But at least we won't be fat.

Love Is Like A Lot of Stupid Similes

2011-09-27T20:42:00.000-04:00

Love will not sweep you off your feet...

but slipping on a banana peel might.

And this isn't love either...

Love is not uncontrollable.

Love is a choice.

And sometimes it's a bad one at that.

Now before everyone and their dog asks if I'm alright, I want you to know that I'm perfectly happy. That I'm not being a debbie downer, that I'm not the victim of unrequited love, that I've had a perfectly fantabulous day. I've just been thinking. Because that's what I do.

And what I've determined is that people are idiots. Because if you can't control your emotions then your emotions will control you. And I think that makes you approximately two years old.

That is all. Have a nice day! Oh, and if I get the time there will be the most EPIC picture blog of the century sometime this weekend. So that gives you something to look forward to...kind of like Christmas.

A Little Assigned Reading

2011-09-07T16:07:00.000-04:00

So I have a confession to make...

About a week ago, I was playing a trivia board game (Know it or Blow it!) with some friends. Now the questions can get pretty obscure (ex. Name 9 movies in which John Wayne's character dies) and the one I got was "Name the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution". In detail. As in particular phrases that sum it all up. And I'm ashamed to say I only got 6. Out of 10. That's pathetic.

This is a serious problem. If someone like me--who loves the Constitution, owns a copy of it, makes a point of reading it occasionally--can't name all the parts of the Bill of Rights then what does everyone else know about it?

Thinking back on this I realized that it's highly doubtful that most people know what's in documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Because of my upbringing and my own interest in the subject, I've studied them personally but I don't ever remember studying them in school. At least not in detail.

I remember learning about it in 5th grade (we even had a Revolutionary War! ...which makes me wonder if school is too PC to do that now...). The next time was my junior year in high school in AP US History. Even taking that class I don't think we spent much time on the actual documents although we did talk extensively In AP Government of all classes I'm pretty sure we drew a picture of one amendment in the bill of rights and of course everyone chose the easy ones.

It's frightening what's been done to history classes. Granted, it's not a school's responsibility to teach us, but it's strange that history has become so diluted (can you tell I'm writing this during chem lab?). In the future, will it matter to any of us what day the Battle of Harlem Heights was fought on? Doubtful. But will it be important to know what our Constitution says?

Well, in my opinion, if people actually knew what our government is and is not allowed to do, we'd have run at least half the politicians out of Washington. Soooo, I'd say yes.

Go get a copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. They're not expensive. If you listen to right-wing talk radio you can usually get them for free (although you'll be badgered by organizations for the rest of your life after they sell your name). Then read. Then study it. And then you'll have to decide what you're going to do about it.

Preparation is Key. Oh, and Cauliflower.

2011-08-25T16:24:00.000-04:00

So there's one topic that everyone should be prepared for no matter what.

The Zombie Apocalypse.

The problem is people really like zombies for some reason. I mean let's go google it...

And the verdict is:
--zombie games
--are zombies real
--zombie pictures
--zombie music
--zombie survival

That's the first five autofillin answers and of those only one is seriously concerned about zombies. Three are blatant plugs for zombie-lovers. And the last one is some poor, confused soul who has yet to realize the importance of his question.

Zombies are not your friends. I mean let's face it...

You love zombies.

Zombies love you too.

You're delicious.

So, I think the key here is to be prepared. Nothing works better than just being prepared. I'd make sure you have enough food for at least a few months if not a year or so. And enough ammo for that time period is always a good idea. And maybe a shovel. Just saying.

In the end though, I'd say that cauliflower is a pretty good thing to keep on hand. I mean zombies aren't very smart (I'm going to take a wild guess and say it has to do with someone trying to eat their brain, but who really knows?). And cauliflower kind of looks like brains.

See what I mean? It's almost disconcerting to see the similarities. Take this one for example...

I mean it's almost magical what a little food coloring can do to a cauliflower.

So, keep an eye out for any strange behavior amongst the neighbors, buy some heavy firepower, zombie-proof the house, plant a garden full of cauliflower and I think you'll weather the zombie apocalypse just fine.

Hi, I'm Indignant, What's Your Name?

2011-08-23T23:41:00.000-04:00

So, I have zero awesome ways to lure you into reading this so instead I'll tell you what I'm doing right now.

I'm listening to Florence & the Machine...

...and eating chocolate pudding.

So now that you're all jealous, let me tell you what I was doing 30 minutes ago...listening to the "speeches" people gave to be elected for Hall Governing Board for the dorms. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh boy. So now that you're not jealous, I'll proceed to the body paragraph. :)

Those "speeches" were the exact reason we have presidents like we do now. They got up and they were well-known and "popular" and they promised amazing things (like more free things and free food and lots of activities). The people who got up and said smart things about what leaders should be like and what they wanted it to be like for everyone--things that were realistic and not half stand-up comedy--were barely recognized.

And so who did they elect? The one who promised everything.

If I had run for HGB (which I had absolutely no desire to do whatsoever) my speech would've gone something like this:

"You've heard some interesting things tonight and I'm here to tell you that if I'm elected as floor president all of your wildest dreams will not come true. I'll work hard and I'll do my best to get whatever we want or need, but there's only so much money in this program and just because someone promises you something doesn't mean you'll get it--especially not if they're standing on the soapbox. So you can vote for whoever you like, but I'd ask you to consider what you're really voting for--popularity or potential?"

Or something to that effect.

I wouldn't have won. I would've offended most of the other candidates and most of their friends. I wouldn't have cared. If they want to be offended that's their problem.

I don't really have any plans for this blog. I just thought it was an interesting real life situation. A stupid example with important consequences as my calc 2 professor would say.

How to we treat our own elections?

You know, the ones that decide who's going to make the important decisions, the ones that decide the future, the ones that elect men and women who will break promises--it's just a matter of figuring out which ones they'll break most easily.

Modern Day Slavery

2011-08-18T20:32:00.000-04:00

This post will definitely be killing two birds with one stone although that might make it a bit long. Pretty much since the founding of this blog I've been looking for an opportunity to write about welfare and in the past few months I've also wanted to write about taxes and our tax system. I've never really found the right time, the right words, and especially the right hook (no pun intended though now that I've noticed the pun I kind of like it) to make it a genuine Allison post. :D :D :D Which is of course the only reason you all read this.

But finally, FINALLY!, I've found the perfect hook. And it comes from a most unexpected angle and that angle happens to be slavery.

One-hundred and fifty years ago, the Civil War was fought to end slavery in America. About fifty years ago, the civil rights movement worked to help remove the last vestiges of slavery in the form of discrimination. However, there is still slavery among us today and it's more widespread then you'd think.

There are those among us who have found the perfect way to enslave us the vast majority of us. There are evil people in the world, it's as simple as that, and they know exactly how to work the system.

The rich among us, whatever you may feel about them, are in bondage to our current tax system. The government has stifled not only their right to enjoy a capitalistic society, but also their right to be treated as equals. They are in bondage to the taxes that are leveled against them.

Today I'm feeling blunt so I'm just going to throw it out there...I don't care for people who think the rich should be taxed more because they make more. It's not right. They earned that money. This is supposed to be a capitalistic society and there's nothing wrong with making money. When that money is taken and given to others in the name of taxes or welfare or "fairness" that's just another word for socialism. And last time I checked, we live in America.

The poor are also enslaved as much as, if not more than, the rich. Enslaved, in fact, by the very people who claim to be their advocates and protectors. Welfare is nothing more than an elaborate trap. When people have things given to them as handouts it destroys their desire to work for anything. Who among us would choose to work when we could receive things for "free"? With a little nudge from the government, these people have given away their right to the pursuit of happiness.

When the poor give up their desires to better themselves--to become more productive, more educated, more self-reliant--they have given up any potential they had to become better citizens as well. They have become, for the most part, nothing more than a mass of people, no, less than people, a mass of things, of voters, that can be swayed by any politician willing to help them continue their indolent lifestyle.

I know I'm probably being really offensive to some, but I'm tired of people dancing around the answers or trying to be diplomatic. I'd rather have things shown to me the way they really are, not sugarcoated or disguised.

Now, I'm just going to suppose that the vast majority of us are middle class citizens. Most people are. And so you've read this and maybe you're indignant or maybe you're ready to change the world, but you're probably thinking "I'm free!" (well maybe not exactly that but you probably think you've escaped the bondage I'm portraying in this post). Well not to break your hearts of anything but you didn't escape. You've been caught as well in either one of two things (or maybe a combination of both): indifference or apathy. Now not all people have this problem, but I even find myself lapsing from my usual political fieriness (super side note, but can you believe that's actually a word? I totally had to look it up in the dictionary to make sure I wasn't just making up words again).

Most of the people I know who are my age, the rising generation, couldn't care less about politics or anything that's happening and most of them really know next to nothing about our government or how our country is run. My high school government class was a joke and I've never met anyone who really learned anything in theirs either.

Those of an older generation are sick of it. People only care when something drastic happens. It's like the last presidential election. The percentage of voters went up drastically but not because of any political reawakening but merely because of race, because of how "history" would perceive this "historic" event.

Today I have no moral for you, no call to awaken, no call to arms. If you can't figure out what I'm saying then that's that. But I do have a question...I know that I try to tone down my articles with humor and/or sassiness (and for the record that one isn't a real word), but if I was to write an article that was purely factual (it'll be cited and everything!) would you still be interested? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated! :D :D :D

Mawage is wot bwings us togeder today

2011-08-13T15:33:00.000-04:00

Well, there's officially only one week until my summer is over. And in honor of that, I'm going to ask you all to indulge me and my "poor-me" attitude for awhile.

Lately, a whole plethora of people I know are getting married. It feels like I can't get on facebook with seeing another relationship status proclaiming that yet another one of my friends is engaged.

And to be honest, the whole business really freaks me out.

I'm just a kid. End of story. I mean I still have the urge to build blanket forts and jump on my bed, for goodness sake! And yet I know a whole bunch of people who are roughly my age and they heading off to the land of matrimony.

Maybe they just feel older than I do but I'm quite content to be single for a very long time. Because I'm pretty sure that anyone that finds the idea of themselves in a wedding dress completely laughable is not ready by a loooooong shot to get married.

Oddly, I'm not feeling very long-winded today, I just felt that you might like an update into the convoluted contraption that is my mind, so I'll free you from my ravings considerably earlier than usual. Consider yourselves lucky :) Oh! And bonus points if you get the title...

Words Cannot Describe How Stupid This Post Is...Although the Title Might Be A Clue

2011-08-05T22:37:00.000-04:00

Okay, first off, I'm really sorry that I've kind of disappeared off the face of the planet. Have you ever had one of those days (read weeks) where life is like, "That one's not drowning yet!" and decides to add about 17 more tons of water to your already flooded life? Welcome to the last two weeks of my life. No big deal though...I can swim. :D :D :D

Anyways, just a warning, this is probably going to be a super hodge-podge of a post because well that's the way my brain works when I'm too lazy to organize it.

First off, I'd recommend you go see Cowboys and Aliens because it freaking rocked. But if you're kind of faint-hearted and/or jumpy, I'd go with someone who can provide some sort of comfort whether that be legitimate "you're not alone" comfort or just laughing at you so you feel like you have to man-up a little bit (guess which kind of movie-going companions I had...). Either way it was amazing. It had a good pace and a great storyline, nice special effects, a few surprises, and, luckily, only one or two hokey scenes. Oh, and, if you're willing to indulge my shallowness for a moment, Daniel Craig is super hot. Like supermegafoxyawesomehott. So go see it.

This is fine example of manhood. Also please note the vest. Vests are sexy. And the firearm doesn't hurt anything.

And now on to the business end of things: Why can't people drive?

Every time I get into the driver's seat of a car I recognize my potential to kill, or at least injure, someone. Car beats person pretty much every time. It's as simple as that. And yet what have I seen this week?

1. Driving to work at 6 am and there's a guy in the lane next to me who quite literally has the newspaper on his steering wheel and is reading it.

2. Approximately 7382 people texting or talking on their phones. Oh, and driving poorly. What a surprise! Not.

3. A frik-ton of people who don't seem to understand basic driving rules. Such as staying between the dotted lines, not crossing three lanes of traffic to get to your exit in rush hour (with no signal to boot), and who has the right-of-way, etc. etc. etc...

I mean maybe I just expect too much out of people, but a bit more common sense and a bit less general rudeness would be super appreciated.

Sorry this kind of turned into a rant...that's one of the reasons I haven't written. I've been in a slightly foul mood with people in general because everyone is acting like they've been eating lead paint.

But, to wrap things up, people had better shape-up their driving skills or I'm going to buy a tank and then all hell is going to break loose. :)

And yes, I will have a gunner.

Democrats vs Republicans

2011-07-23T18:55:00.000-04:00

So a minor few of you decided to read this because you actually enjoy my blog, the rest of you probably decided to read it because you wanted to see which party I was going to rip so you could decide if you liked me or not.

The answer to your inquiry of who will be mocked and chastened is neither. Or both depending how you look at it.

What brought this on is the realization that I finally understand what people mean when they say they hate politicians. Do I register as a Republican when I go to vote? Yes. Do I agree with most of the basic views of the GOP? Yes. However, do I like most of the people who are in office on a federal level? For the most part, no. There are too many RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and not enough public servants.

In my mind when you become an elected official, you have ended your campaign and become a public servant. There is nothing I hate worse than a politician who makes decisions based solely on whether it will help him get into office next term.

There's a reason politicians were (are?) called public servants. Servants serve others. Duh. Instead of public servants, the ranks of our government at all levels is filled with "career politicians" whose only thought is for the next election.

I've thought about this quite extensively and I like to keep things simple so in my mind there are two things we need:

1. Normal people who decide to run for office be that at the local, state, or federal level of government.

Normal people, everyday people, people like you and me, we can run for public office. There is no where that says you have to have a degree in political science or a lot of money to run for public office. It's public after all isn't it? Yes, there are certain requirements, but for the most part there is next to nothing that keeps us from being a part of our government.

2. People actually paying attention to and caring about what is happening in the government.

There is nothing to excuse our negligence in our patriotic duty to vote and be informed. We-- you and me and everyone else--have the privilege to live in this country (and if you don't think it's a privilege then watch the next few posts because there will definitely be one on that) and that privilege comes with certain responsibilities, like actually paying attention and using reason to consider who and what we vote for instead of just voting party lines. If you don't vote, you have no right to complain about anything that happens as a result of the government, which these days is most everything. No complaining about taxes or unemployment or the prices of goods or services or the state of roads or public parks.

I don't want to lose anyone because this gets too long, so just know that there will be more on the importance of voting and of being informed. And before I sign off, I'll leave you with something to think about...

"Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual--or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country. "
Samuel Adams, The Writings of Samuel Adams, Harry Alonzo Cushing, editor (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1907), Vol. IV, p. 256.

"Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption."
James Garfield, "A Century of Congress" published in Atlantic, July 1877.

And last of all, feel free to disagree. I don't write this to have my ego stroked by those who agree. :)

Why I sometimes get lost in the Internet

2011-07-18T17:28:00.000-04:00

As you may have noticed by now, there is no description on this blog to explain what it's all about. That's because I really have no idea what it's about at all. So having said that, today I'm going to give various links and videos that I have found worth my time and/or worthy of wasting my time... (Also, I'm hoping this is just my computer, but the spacing on this post is super duper screwy and it won't change, so my apologies if it's totally messed up. At least the content is the same even if the layout is less than aesthetically pleasing.)

1. Julian Smith TV

All credit for this one goes to my sister Whit for finding it and my sister Jac for always informing me when there are new ones. Julian Smith is without a doubt a huge spaz. I think that's why I like his videos so much. They are so off the wall that most everyone will enjoy them for some reason or another. There are a lot of videos so if you only get to watch a few I would definitely suggest Hot Kool Aid, Techno Jeep, Monsters Are Real, and I'm Reading a Book. My second tier choices would be Jellyfish, Grandma Like Whoa, Beached Whale, and Waffles. Okay actually scratch that. Now that I'm actually looking on the site this is getting waaaayyy too ridiculous because I also want you to watch Brag Call, I'm Brushing My Teeth, Trees Hate You, and Malk. So pretty much watch all of those and you'll have watched all the ones I really like. There are others that are okay, but these are the ones that I'd watch more than once/over and over and over again until mom gets super sick of hearing us quote them. :D :D :D P.S. I want you to know that it took forever to link all of those directly to the videos so you had best watch at least a few of them. Or you will break my heart and make me cry. :(

2. A Very Potter Musical

Once Upon a Time, there were some kids from the University of Michigan who really liked Harry Potter and really liked musical theatre, so obviously they made a Harry Potter musical. It's awesome! The sequel sucks though. Don't bother with it. Anyways, there's not much else to say about it...you just have to let it speak for itself. ***If the video on their website is being slow, you can also watch it on YouTube.*** Also, I'm not sure who credit for introducing this to me goes to but for some reason I'm thinking it was Earl. So props to you Earl, you're the bestest!

3. Full Metal Alchemist

Okay, confession time. I really like manga. A lot. But for the most part I can balance my life and not waste too much time reading it. The one story I always fail at not just reading for hours upon hours is Full Metal Alchemist. It's just so freaking amazing. I realize this might not be your thing, but that's okay because this isn't your blog. :) And anyways I figure I have to pass along all the amazingness that I've found. Credit for this goes to Matt who got me hooked on this story and Whit who got me hooked on manga in general!

4. Sleep (or how to hack your brain)

Now this isn't something I've wasted an enormous amount of time on. In fact I just found out about it a few days ago from Michael, who is a fellow part-time insomniac and also the nicest person in the world (or so he tells me). Mostly I just like how little scientists know about our brains...it makes me that much more sure that we weren't formed out of goop spontaneously. ;D I think really why I put this up here is just to represent all the weird things that I find on the Internet when I'm trying to google something (NO! NO! You stupid computer! I meant what I typed, stop auto correcting all my searches!) and find something better that I then have to look up more about. Hooray for 731,000,000 results in 0.17 seconds! ... ?

5. Glenn Beck and The Blaze

Some of you will hate me for this, but I also like to read articles on Glenn Beck's website and on The Blaze. While I prefer to think for myself so I usually end up going to other sites and reading lots of stuff, these two sites are typically where I like to start. Part of it is because I usually agree with them (and who doesn't like to read stuff that correlates with their own beliefs?), but part of it is because it's so un-PC which makes me all sorts of happy inside. If you don't agree with it then that's your prerogative, but I like it so it gets a spot on the list.

6. Ravemaster

More manga/anime but this is one that I watch rather than read and it's on YouTube. Oh and they have to translate it so it's not all up yet which is super sad. :-( Props on this one go to Brian who got me totally hooked. :)

7. Blogs!

Obviously, I spend time writing a blog. I also spend time reading a blog :D :D :D So, in order to maybe get my friends some more readers (if I have more than them in the first place, which is extremely doubtful) I'm going to give you links to my two favorite blogs to read! So here's the first one and here's the second...Neither of them are as irritating as I am and they write about completely different (but super amazing things). Hooray for Ryan and Emma and their super legit blogging skills!

Well, you've probably found at least one more way to waste time on the Internet. Or you could go do something with your real friends (I know, strange right?) Have a fantastic day!

A New Post (in which Harry Potter helps teach a lesson)...

2011-07-17T21:52:00.000-04:00

Harry Potter is everywhere right now what with the release of the final installment of the films, but while most are focused on the end of a franchise (so to speak) and the continuation of a love of a series, I've been more focused on what we can learn from Harry Potter and all of his wizarding pals.

Why do people love Harry Potter and his story? Why do you love it?

Could it be that people yearn for a world in which the underdog triumphs over the monolithic power of tyranny? Where good always triumphs over evil? A world where people are filled with the passion of a cause and of friendship?

Interestingly enough, it's probably all of these things. For some reason we as people limit ourselves to believing that great friendship and love, triumph over evil, and breaking free from tyranny can only really happen in movies. But that subject will have to wait for another time because I have something else in mind.

Grindelwald. Gellert Grindelwald. For the greater good.

Grindelwald is in my opinion one of the most interesting characters in the seventh Harry Potter book, if not in the whole series. He's a youth with too much ambition and too little morality. He's a dark wizard second only to Lord Voldemort himself. He, in the end, redeems himself slightly by lying to Lord Voldemort about the location of the Elder Wand. All in all, he's a very in-depth character.

His relationship with Dumbledore is both interesting and puzzling as well. Dumbledore completely bought into Grindelwald's plans for the greater good. You and I reading the story probably thought about how dumb, how naive Dumbledore was in his youth.

But in reality, we don't have much room to talk.

As I completed my Sunday morning routine of eating breakfast while I read select portions of the paper before I get ready for church, I read an opinion line comment that said, "If the rich are the ones who create jobs, what kind of a job are they doing? There are no jobs. Let's get the rich on the ball and do something for our country. Create jobs -- or let's raise their taxes for the benefit of the country."

Now there are a lot of things wrong with that statement, but I'd like to focus on that last part -- "or let's raise their taxes for the benefit of the country" -- sound familiar?

For the greater good. For the benefit of our country.

It's not the desire to make things better that's at fault here. It's the desire to make things better at the expense of someone else that is immoral and unjust.

Now I could go on and on about all of the minor workings of what exactly is wrong with this and why it's wrong, but that's not really the point at the moment. My point is why do we insist on separating our beliefs into categories? Why is it alright to believe one thing in a story and a different thing in life? Why is it acceptable to hold to one standard at home and another at work? What happened to consistency? What happened to moral rectitude and a firm set of beliefs? What happened to common sense and logic?

You will most definitely get more on this topic although whether or not Harry will be involved again is undecided at the moment, but for now I just wanted to get everyone thinking...

So, what inconsistencies to you hold to so firmly in your own lives that might need a little bit of rethinking?

I can't focu--Oh. My. Gosh. Giraffes!

2011-07-14T22:17:00.000-04:00

I've decided that sometimes life just likes messing with me.

Take this blog for example. When I first started I knew for a fact that no one except my roommate and my family back home were reading it so I felt free to share whatever I liked. As it got more popular (mostly among other friends but also among strangers that stumbled upon it) I was super excited that others were reading it, but now I get all paranoid and don't really want to share anything too personal because my life doesn't need to be more complicated with stalkers and the like.

Although, even supposing that I might obtain a stalker is a bit conceited. I'm not actually that awe-inspiring. I'm kind of like...a giraffe. Super awesome if you've never seen one before but really easy to get used to except when they do something strange--like lick you with their freaking huge purple tongues.

Or we could have this amazing situation. You fret and worry yourself half to death over a decision for almost a MONTH and then the person you were so worried about offending or hurting totally beats you to the punch and makes the decision before you've decided how best to do it. I mean sure, it makes life a lot easier and less stressful, but you feel kind of dumb stressing so much in the first place when the other party just threw it out there in casual conversation. It's kind of like getting camel-slapped. Not particularly painful, but surprising to the nth degree.

(I couldn't find an illustration to explain a camel-slap, but it's been used in my family for quite some time to describe when one person smacks another person's forehead...usually when they're not paying attention because they tend to make really ~~stupid~~ awesome faces. Since I couldn't find a legit picture I'm including this picture of a camel hoping that it will quench your desire for more illustrations.)

This blog totally started off as a commitment to write more (or at least it did in my head) and it's completely turned into something else so sorry about that. I think I'll just wrap it all up with a nice quote by Anton Chekhov a Russian playwright, short-story writer, and physician who said, "Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out."

"Stay fierce and funky fresh" sounds like pretty good advice and it has alliteration, sooo that's my salute to you. And here's a nice ending ~~illustration~~ video (google images failed me but youtube was a definite win)...

***By the way, just in case you were wondering, this post definitely wasn't named until after I'd written it. The giraffes were a byproduct of my completely inability to focus when I have multiple ideas in my head.***

I'm the cooliest kid ever! :D :D :D

2011-07-13T17:57:00.000-04:00

So as my super conceited title has informed you, I think I'm the cooliest kid ever!

I usually hate the summer. I know--I'm a freak. It's just that usually the summer is awesome for about 2 weeks and then you're either:

a. bored out of your mind or
b. put to work by your illustrious and lovely mother who also happens to be quite the slave driver.

Therefore, I've never been the biggest fan of summer. Oh also it's super hot during the summer here which I hate. A lot (Speaking of "a lot" I feel like everyone should read this).

This summer I was given the task of finding a job owing to the fact that I now have first hand experience with the phrase "broke college student". I probably applied for about 20 jobs and received the same answer everywhere--"we don't hire summer help".

As frustrating as that was I just made some contingency plans. I'm now teaching piano and taking odd jobs. My odd jobs are probably what make me feel like the cooliest kid ever. Through a series of events that could probably be considered miracles I've been able to do massive amounts of yard work (and I have the farmer's tan to prove it), play piano for a church and a children's theatre, and this next week I'll be working some construction building a deck.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I kind of feel like I've stuck it to the man. Our economy sucks but thanks to a little inventiveness and some super helpful skills I've learned over the years, I probably won't starve this next semester. Which makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. :D :D :D

I don't really know how to end this in a way that won't be completely anticlimactic to my announcement that I'm the cooliest kid ever so here's a picture for you --->

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

2011-06-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Take Me As I Am...?

2011-04-16T17:18:00.000-04:00

So I know that some of you enjoy worlds of butterflies and rainbows and unicorns that have magical farts (MKK that's for you), but I happen to live in the real world. And although my last post was nice and happy, it's back down to business now. My business is mostly sarcasm and facts. My subject today is social problems. For those of you who'd rather not think about problems I'm going to do you a favor--stop reading and go do whatever it is you were doing before you stumbled onto my doorstep.
Anyways...

In 1980, "Psychotherapy and Religious Values" was published. In it Ellis, the author, concluded "that human disturbance is largely associated with and springs from absolutistic thinking--from dogmatism, inflexibility, and that [being extremely religious] is essentially emotional disturbance." This could lead to any number of discussions but I'd like to focus on the implications it presents for how we run our lives. It's interesting that we need a psychotherapist to tell us this but, in other words, the best way to relieve any guilt we may feel is to believe that there is so such thing as a moral or immoral life.

Thirty years later, no one really needs the psychotherapist to tell them this, but no one really acknowledges that that's how we run our lives. This attitude has displayed itself in a variety of ways but none more prevalent than the popular "take me as I am" ruse.

Society today dictates that we as people just accept everyone exactly as they are. Standing up for what you believe in makes you cruel and ruthless, bigoted and intolerant, selfish and arrogant. The world looks up at you as you stand on the mount that is your principles and scoffs that you could ever believe that you have morals because the world doesn't believe in morals any longer.

Morals are a thing of the past. Today's code relies more on silence and acceptance. It doesn't take much to see it; it's infiltrated media, music, politics, even religion. These are the areas that I've chosen to pull my examples from.

I'm sure that some of my readers will not agree with what I have to say. Some of you will be offended. That's life--I doubt it's the first time and it won't be the last, so deal with it.

I figure I'll get what is probably (though not necessarily) the most offensive out of the way first. Politics. Don't we just all love talking politics? To be honest I have quite a few friends who refuse to talk politics with me so this could get kind of gnarly. What I'd like to talk about is Proposition 8. I'm sure you've all heard about Prop8. If not you can go here or find your own info elsewhere.

I support Proposition 8. Fully, completely, totally, unequivocally, without a doubt. I have friends who are gay or lesbian and they'd probably be offended by this. But that's my opinion. It doesn't mean I hate gay people. It means that I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, simple as that. I believe being gay is a lifestyle not the way you're born. Again, I've probably offended someone already, but that's that. That's my opinion. And that's the funny thing...in the minds of some I have been branded as homophobic or as an intolerant [insert offensive language here], but I'm required by nothing to believe that your beliefs are right and mine are wrong, no more than you are required to cast off your own beliefs to embrace mine.

So now that I've offended about half of you, you can choose if you'd like to keep reading. My next issue is with a certain song that just about sums up the problems with society: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way". Unfortunately, I've heard this song waaaaaaaaaay too many times thanks to the girls who insist on playing the worst music possible on the radio in the dorm bathrooms, but I digress. If you haven't heard this song go check out the lyrics.

Now for those of you who are worried, no I'm not going to talk about gays anymore, don't get your panties in a bunch, I'd like to just focus on the overall message of the song. Lady Gaga seems to be under the impression that just because God made her, she isn't a mistake. Not to say that God accidentally made a person (that's just ridiculous), but we make our own decisions. How we are now is, in fact, not how we were born. We've gone down many paths and made many decisions and they all influenced us and we've changed. Just because you're a certain way now doesn't make it right. Just because you do something doesn't make it right.

It all goes back to the psychotherapy...the easiest way to relieve your guilt is to convince yourself that there is no such thing as a moral life and therefore no such thing as an immoral life.

My last topic will flow in quite nicely since I'll be talking about religion. I believe God made man and woman in His own image and that He loves all of us. However, some people, some churches, seem to be under the impression that God loves us just the way we are and there's nothing more required of us. Yes, God loves each and every one of us, as a father loves his children. No, we're not done. Like I said, God loves us as His children and like all fathers He wants us to become better. I don't know why this is such a concept to some, but we're here for a reason. We're here to be tested and tried and to endure and overcome in the end.

So there you have it...I'd rather you not take me as I am. The person I am now is hopefully a lot worse than the person I'll be in the future. And the things I believe that make me who I am, that lead me to lead the life I live, are there to make me better. Some things are wrong and some are right. And though there might be those that condemn me for my morals and for the mount I stand on, still I stand and I declare that I will never accept myself or anyone else the way they are until we have become the best we can be. And let me tell you, that's going to be quite a long time.

Insincere Apology

2011-03-12T16:27:00.000-05:00

While I seriously doubt that anyone actually looks forward with an intense anticipation to reading my blog, if perchance you do, I apologize for being completely MIA this past month. I suppose that really I just don't have the heart to write. I've always been like that. I'll get going on something and then it just comes and goes as to whether I really work on it.

Like now, I'm writing because I'm bored not because I really want to (to be honest I'm thinking about jumping ship to the land of coloring books and crayola crayons). I think that I have three problems that really keep me from writing...

1. I don't like talking about myself. I don't like people knowing about me. Especially not out here in cyberspace. So it makes it hard to tell stories if I don't want to talk about myself.

2. I can't convince myself that this isn't just a big waste of time. I'm sure there are very few people who are reading this and those who are probably have better things to do and are just looking for a few minutes of mind-numbing nothingness.

3. I need a cause. I'm not that funny in my opinion. I get righteously indignant now and again but I don't like to write unless I have the time to make a logical argument and time isn't a commodity with which I'm well endowed.

So I suppose you'll have to forgive me. It's an insincere apology at best, but these days I don't have the anger to speak out against the things that bother me and I don't have the energy to tell enlightening or entertaining tales. I guess if you really were looking for something today when you came here then go away with this--it's a beautiful day today.

Go outside and do something or stay inside and do something. But don't do something alone with a million other people in cyberspace, go spend some actual time with a human being face to face.

Tell someone you love them. Prepare a meal with your family or friends and then relish every bite. Bask in the sunlight or rest in the shade. Ponder the stars, the moon, the cosmos. I guess really just be happy. :D :D :D