Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
EVOLUTION vs CREATIONISM in the classroom
I believe that NEITHER one should be taught in public school. They are nothing more than theories. One is based on modern texts and the other one is based on ancient texts, but both require FAITH which is not what public school is for. If it is required to make people happy, then a class on "Origins" should be an elective that you can take where these theories are discussed along with others. Maybe students can take Bio (minus talk about evolution) and their choice of either Origins or Religions of the world.
So far, good results...
Well my pants are getting loose and some people are saying I look like I have lost weight and that is when I am not sucking in my stomach. I think I have discovered something.
Respect your teachers!
This article will cover:
Teacher Salaries
Quarterly Evaluations for Teachers made Public and the teaching of EVOLUTION versus CREATIONISM in biology class.
I apologize for this post being so scattered, I have a lot of thoughts about this one...
I find it hard to comprehend why so many people have a problem with teachers. And the one's I have met are middle class, white, conservative, christian, republicans-successful people...you'd think they would be particularly happy that their teachers gave them good grades, taught them important skills like math, geography, American history... No, instead there is this almost insane amount of justifiable outrage coming from these people towards teachers for making "too much money". I believe that this is completely a product of some kind of media led brainwashing campaign because the argument falls apart and goes nowhere, yet these people still firmly believe that teachers get paid too much.
TOP 10 REASONS TEACHERS DON'T GET PAID ENOUGH
10.) Your spoiled brat
You know what I am talking about. This is the real problem, no accountability. Parents want kids so they can have a family, but they don't want to put any work in. Then they get pissy with the teacher when the child is still a dumb ass. You can't grow flowers in kitty litter. You need fertile soil. This doesn't just stop when you "grow up". This is another subject altogether. I'll cover it some time later...
9.) A.D.D./A.D.H.D
I know what this is all about since I was diagnosed with it as an adult. Imagine your mind is like a blender and you take your thoughts about what is going on in front of you, what happened yesterday, what you'd rather be doing right now and what would be cool to do later and throw them in the blender and press puree. That is what A.D.D. feels like. You get used to it, but it makes learning hard. Imagine being a teacher and having a student like that. Constantly dazed and daydreaming, drawing and never able to stay focused on what is being discussed. I remember teachers being mad at me constantly. Cutting up in class, making noises, forgetting to put my name on the paper, drawing, not listening... Now imagine a few of those children and one or more of them is hyperactive.
8.) Other Learning Disabilities/Undiagnosed
I have a friend that has this problem. A brilliant guy, but he has Dyslexia. I am not an expert on this one, but really, some students were in a special class for it. Others, like him, were not. There are lots of brain dysfunctions, disorders or whatever that affect the way we take in information, some that are not even known and in situations like that it can be very frustrating for a teacher.
7.) Asperger's
Symptoms of Asperger's. Keep in mind that there are many levels of severity and some students may have Asperger's and not be diagnosed. (Some may have these behaviors and NOT have Asperger's)
-Social awkwardness / no friends
-Obsessions / focused on one subject
-Lack of eye contact
-Sensitivity to noise / touch / feel of clothing
-Slow to begin talking
-Odd speech / extreme logic / very proper speech
-Anger / aggression / hitting others
-Craves ROUTINE!
-Appears lost / in own world
-Flapping hands
-Communication problems or motor skills problems
-Stimming behavior
Now imagine your class has one student that has Asperger's.
6.) Sex
It happened when I was in high school, but what if two of your students were playing doctor during nap time or when you left the room with all the other students cheering them on. It has happened before. Never mind the risk that you could be called a pervert or a sex offender for helping a student of the opposite sex more than they or someone else thinks is appropriate. Or if they make advances or they don't like you and they accuse you of making advances... need I type more?
5.) Bullies
Yay! Bullies! This is no longer just between students. Students are big and bad enough (and stupid enough) to threaten teachers now. I remember one of my bullies made a substitute teacher cry because he said something hateful to her.
4.) One word: Columbine.
3.) Drugs
Yeah as a teacher I imagine you would also have to act as a DEA agent and kids are taking pills now, so imagine one of your students coming to class starts drooling and wheezing and passes out on the floor.
2.) Parents
Parents having different expectations for their children that you have to live up to-especially having 30 students in a classroom means potentially 60 parents. "Trevor is allergic to peanuts", "Conner has got to make a C in order to get a scholarship...", "How come Skylar isn't talking to me?!"...
1.) THE JOB ITSELF
Teaching is not something that just anyone can do, first of all, you have to WANT to teach, then you have to know HOW to teach. If it were easy, we wouldn't have schools, parents would do it. I have been on the receiving end of some really poor teachers and I can tell you for a fact that there are some godawful teachers out there, I'd say that most of them are not actual teachers. My last encounter was someone supposedly teaching me how to do my job, only instead of offering any information, just telling me what to do when it needed to be done. I basically had to teach myself and I only did that because I HAD to learn because I NEEDED a job. First of all you need to know who you are teaching and then you learn how to teach to them. As a teacher, you don't get that luxury, with 30+ students...
EVALUATIONS
They have a VERY important job and it is a VERY difficult job, more so than ever before since teenagers are bringing guns to school. Yes, teachers should be evaluated. We all are evaluated. NO they should not be evaluated 4 times a school year and NO the evaluation should not be made public. I feel that this does little more than cheapen the role of teacher AND whatever respect the students have for their teacher will be lost when all that has to happen is the student behave poorly and not learn and the teacher will be gone and another one will come in.
Children need a role model and a teacher has the power to be one, but this power is taken away from them when the school does not treat teachers with respect. When I worked for the telecommunications industry, I remember when things were getting rough. All of my friends were leaving the company, people were disappearing left and right. We were being micromanaged, I felt like my cubicle was positioned under a microscope. They started evaluating us every week plus any time they noticed we did something they didn't "understand" Supervisors started acting like... well... this:
At least I was getting paid well for it.
EVOLUTION vs CREATIONISM
I believe that NEITHER one should be taught in public school. They are nothing more than theories. One is based on modern texts and the other one is based on ancient texts, but both require FAITH which is not what public school is for. If it is required to make people happy, then a class on "Origins" should be an elective that you can take where these theories are discussed along with others. Maybe students can take Bio (minus talk about evolution) and their choice of either Origins or Religions of the world.
Teacher Salaries
Quarterly Evaluations for Teachers made Public and the teaching of EVOLUTION versus CREATIONISM in biology class.
I apologize for this post being so scattered, I have a lot of thoughts about this one...
I find it hard to comprehend why so many people have a problem with teachers. And the one's I have met are middle class, white, conservative, christian, republicans-successful people...you'd think they would be particularly happy that their teachers gave them good grades, taught them important skills like math, geography, American history... No, instead there is this almost insane amount of justifiable outrage coming from these people towards teachers for making "too much money". I believe that this is completely a product of some kind of media led brainwashing campaign because the argument falls apart and goes nowhere, yet these people still firmly believe that teachers get paid too much.
TOP 10 REASONS TEACHERS DON'T GET PAID ENOUGH
10.) Your spoiled brat
You know what I am talking about. This is the real problem, no accountability. Parents want kids so they can have a family, but they don't want to put any work in. Then they get pissy with the teacher when the child is still a dumb ass. You can't grow flowers in kitty litter. You need fertile soil. This doesn't just stop when you "grow up". This is another subject altogether. I'll cover it some time later...
9.) A.D.D./A.D.H.D
I know what this is all about since I was diagnosed with it as an adult. Imagine your mind is like a blender and you take your thoughts about what is going on in front of you, what happened yesterday, what you'd rather be doing right now and what would be cool to do later and throw them in the blender and press puree. That is what A.D.D. feels like. You get used to it, but it makes learning hard. Imagine being a teacher and having a student like that. Constantly dazed and daydreaming, drawing and never able to stay focused on what is being discussed. I remember teachers being mad at me constantly. Cutting up in class, making noises, forgetting to put my name on the paper, drawing, not listening... Now imagine a few of those children and one or more of them is hyperactive.
8.) Other Learning Disabilities/Undiagnosed
I have a friend that has this problem. A brilliant guy, but he has Dyslexia. I am not an expert on this one, but really, some students were in a special class for it. Others, like him, were not. There are lots of brain dysfunctions, disorders or whatever that affect the way we take in information, some that are not even known and in situations like that it can be very frustrating for a teacher.
7.) Asperger's
Symptoms of Asperger's. Keep in mind that there are many levels of severity and some students may have Asperger's and not be diagnosed. (Some may have these behaviors and NOT have Asperger's)
-Social awkwardness / no friends
-Obsessions / focused on one subject
-Lack of eye contact
-Sensitivity to noise / touch / feel of clothing
-Slow to begin talking
-Odd speech / extreme logic / very proper speech
-Anger / aggression / hitting others
-Craves ROUTINE!
-Appears lost / in own world
-Flapping hands
-Communication problems or motor skills problems
-Stimming behavior
Now imagine your class has one student that has Asperger's.
6.) Sex
It happened when I was in high school, but what if two of your students were playing doctor during nap time or when you left the room with all the other students cheering them on. It has happened before. Never mind the risk that you could be called a pervert or a sex offender for helping a student of the opposite sex more than they or someone else thinks is appropriate. Or if they make advances or they don't like you and they accuse you of making advances... need I type more?
5.) Bullies
Yay! Bullies! This is no longer just between students. Students are big and bad enough (and stupid enough) to threaten teachers now. I remember one of my bullies made a substitute teacher cry because he said something hateful to her.
4.) One word: Columbine.
3.) Drugs
Yeah as a teacher I imagine you would also have to act as a DEA agent and kids are taking pills now, so imagine one of your students coming to class starts drooling and wheezing and passes out on the floor.
2.) Parents
Parents having different expectations for their children that you have to live up to-especially having 30 students in a classroom means potentially 60 parents. "Trevor is allergic to peanuts", "Conner has got to make a C in order to get a scholarship...", "How come Skylar isn't talking to me?!"...
1.) THE JOB ITSELF
Teaching is not something that just anyone can do, first of all, you have to WANT to teach, then you have to know HOW to teach. If it were easy, we wouldn't have schools, parents would do it. I have been on the receiving end of some really poor teachers and I can tell you for a fact that there are some godawful teachers out there, I'd say that most of them are not actual teachers. My last encounter was someone supposedly teaching me how to do my job, only instead of offering any information, just telling me what to do when it needed to be done. I basically had to teach myself and I only did that because I HAD to learn because I NEEDED a job. First of all you need to know who you are teaching and then you learn how to teach to them. As a teacher, you don't get that luxury, with 30+ students...
EVALUATIONS
They have a VERY important job and it is a VERY difficult job, more so than ever before since teenagers are bringing guns to school. Yes, teachers should be evaluated. We all are evaluated. NO they should not be evaluated 4 times a school year and NO the evaluation should not be made public. I feel that this does little more than cheapen the role of teacher AND whatever respect the students have for their teacher will be lost when all that has to happen is the student behave poorly and not learn and the teacher will be gone and another one will come in.
Children need a role model and a teacher has the power to be one, but this power is taken away from them when the school does not treat teachers with respect. When I worked for the telecommunications industry, I remember when things were getting rough. All of my friends were leaving the company, people were disappearing left and right. We were being micromanaged, I felt like my cubicle was positioned under a microscope. They started evaluating us every week plus any time they noticed we did something they didn't "understand" Supervisors started acting like... well... this:
I didn't feel respected and I eventually just started waiting till the day they would fire me."Okay you need to do your job harder! I mean REALLY do your job harder!! Do your job or else... we'll have to talk... You are failing miserably... get off the phone! Come with me!"
At least I was getting paid well for it.
EVOLUTION vs CREATIONISM
I believe that NEITHER one should be taught in public school. They are nothing more than theories. One is based on modern texts and the other one is based on ancient texts, but both require FAITH which is not what public school is for. If it is required to make people happy, then a class on "Origins" should be an elective that you can take where these theories are discussed along with others. Maybe students can take Bio (minus talk about evolution) and their choice of either Origins or Religions of the world.
Monday, March 26, 2012
PZL-230 Skorpion
This little warplane was no joke. The Polish Air Force wanted an economical, modular design that could be easily modified, and Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capability. The Skorpion was armored and manuverable plus it could really do some damage. A later version even had some stealth capabilities. Compare it to the A-10 Thunderbolt II... Not sure you can do that, because the project was cancelled due to budgetary constraints, we'll never know how well it really could perform.
If I ran a country, I'd have a HUGE fleet of these little planes.
General characteristics
Crew: 1 (pilot)
Length: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 12.1 m (39 ft 8 in)
Height: 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 25.4 m2 (273 sq ft)
Gross weight: 11,000 kg (24,251 lb)
Performance
Maximum speed: 1,000 km/h (620 mph; 540 kn)
Maximum speed: Mach 0.85
Combat range: 300 km (186 mi; 162 nmi)
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
Rate of climb: 90 m/s (18,000 ft/min)
Takeoff distance: 300 metres (980 ft)
Armament
Internal gun; up to 4,000 kilograms (8,800 lb) ordnance
Monday, March 19, 2012
ALIEN Mythos
"I propose a more specific definition of "canon", and the use of a
different term, "mythos"
Canon- Multiple works that are presumed to form
a fully coherent whole, particularly in consistency of events, characters, and
science (biology, technology, etc.) New works are limited in what they can
introduce, and cannot presume to alter what has been put down in preceding
works.
Mythos- Multiple works which have central common elements,
particularly characters and/or setting, but are not necessarily consistent. New
works may substantially revise what has been put down in preceding works.
The biggest problem I see with an Alien "canon" is that even the
authorized films leave substantial issues that are at best unresolved and at
worst subject to contradictions. This is most glaring is the differing
portrayals in "Alien" (before a major edit) and "Aliens" of the origin of the
eggs. Are they the aliens' transformed victims (apparently the original
concept)? Are they laid by all aliens? Or are they only laid by a queen as seen
in Aliens? I propose as a solution simply not to try to reconcile the films, but
to treat them as something broader, matching my definition of a mythos. It might
be considered the sum of a real universe's history, speculation and folklore
about the aliens, Ripley and others.
David N. Brown, Forum
admin/moderator Fanfiction.net Dec 20th 2008, 9:04pm"
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Trickle-Down
I understand the concept behind trickle down economics and I think that it is a sort of unmonitored and unchecked "spread the wealth" system that, in theory, would work fine, except when those that are supposed to be doing the trickling aren't trickling... well you have what we have right now in 2012. As I said, I don't have any real problems with this system, it just needs some fixes of which I will list here.
1.) Salary Caps - I am not talking about just for professional athletes, I am talking about for EVERYONE. Argue against it all you want to, it would fix problems that affect everyone and any other problems it created could easily be fixed too. The only reason you would argue against this is that you believe greed is good (Unless I am wrong).
2.) Minimum wage for a 30 hour work week MUST be equivalent to whatever the basic cost of living is for a single person. Why not 40? because if you work 40 hours, that is all you do pretty much. Economists recommend a 21 hour work week. I say that is too little, hence 30 hours. This would definitely make people feel better about their lives and they would probably enjoy working more if they didn't feel like that was all they ever did. Working 21 or 30 hours a week whatever the amount is should get your bills paid-Not your credit card bills and all that, just RENT, Gas, food, water, electricity, etc. The necessities. If you wish to work 40 hours, you get a reward that way. You get spending money or money to pay off your credit card bills.
3.) Welfare Reform - If you can't work for whatever reason, your basic necessities MUST be covered. I don't mean luxury. Kinda like prison. All people need to have access to free healthcare, housing, transportation, food, drink and clothing (plus anything else I can think of). I say free because these are things that people must have to live and be in a society.
Prisoners are given a place to live, healthcare, clothing, food and drink, etc.I don't think that welfare should provide T.V.s for everyone, that's stupid. Yes, I am aware that very high taxes are the downside to this type of system. To encourage people to actually work, new products and services offering better clothes, personal transportation, entertainment, and products are obtainable by earning money in the same way that the system allows now (minus the ridiculously high taxes).
and these are people that commit crimes. Some prisoners even get television.
Speeding
People speed for a number of reasons which will be discussed here.
LATE
It is 7:50! You are running late for work. If you speed, you can make up some time. Lets do the math to see how much time we can save using the following formula:
LATE
It is 7:50! You are running late for work. If you speed, you can make up some time. Lets do the math to see how much time we can save using the following formula:
If work is 10 miles away...
45 mph = 13:20
50 mph = 12:00
55 mph = 10:54.54
60 mph = 10:00
65 mph = 09:13.84
70 mph = 09:24.38
75 mph = 08:00
80 mph = 07:30
Speeding will, at best, gain you a minute or two. A minute or two that is easily lost at a red light or when you are caught by a state trooper. Not to mention the obvious... Is it worth it?
OVER-CONFIDENCE
45 mph = 13:20
50 mph = 12:00
55 mph = 10:54.54
60 mph = 10:00
65 mph = 09:13.84
70 mph = 09:24.38
75 mph = 08:00
80 mph = 07:30
Speeding will, at best, gain you a minute or two. A minute or two that is easily lost at a red light or when you are caught by a state trooper. Not to mention the obvious... Is it worth it?
OVER-CONFIDENCE
"Speed limits are only there for people that don't know how to drive.""I am a good driver, so I can go however fast I want to.""This is a high performance car.""I am always careful, even when I am speeding.""I have only had a few."
Being confident is not a bad thing at all, and being over-confident has it's advantages too. When driving, being confident is very important, but the feeling of overconfidence does little more than endanger people's lives. Over-confident drivers have other behaviors with deadly consequences, but for now we are just talking about speeding.
Our lives can be boring and monotonous, and it is easy to understand why people seek out dramatic situations in their everyday life, such as with speeding. It makes travel less boring and more like a roller coaster. It may seem harmless enough to the speeder, especially if they are also overconfident, but even if there is no danger present, the very act of speeding like this is scary to other, more cautious and respectful drivers. Speeding for fun is not only stupid and dangerous, but also shows disrespect towards other people.
EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT
Drivers that use this excuse say that the speed limit is more of a suggestion or a speed average. Although there may be some truth to this, the bottom line is that speeding is illegal, just like doin' crack cocaine. That said, state troopers aren't pulling people over for going 56 in a 55 zone usually and when they do people bitch about it like it is their constitutional right to go however fast they want to. On the freeway, when all the traffic is going 80 and the speed limit is 70, I'd encourage you to just get over to the right lane and go the speed limit. Chances are pretty high that at least a few drivers will match your speed and you will be safe to drive another day.
I think that I have covered all the excuses that people use for speeding and why they are not valid. So there you have it. Don't speed. Trust me, I am a professional driver. ;^)
Adele
I ain't trying to come off like some kind of deep person that is not impressionable and so original and all that, because I used to like some really bad top 40 stuff and I used to listen to Bette Midler and Whitney Houston. This isn't about me and my image-It's about music. It is hard to have feelings about things and to think about things. It's like people "join" so they don't have to think. I never had the option to join because I didn't fit it. I have never felt like I was part of a group. This may have caused me to be anti-group or whatever, but I never was given a pamphlet telling me what I must and must not like. Now, at great risk of coming off as a total douche-bag I will tell you all now that I HATE most pop music. I don't hate it all because I can TOLERATE some of it. Some of it I might even say I like. That is saying a lot, because I like this:
That said, I like this a whole lot:
That said, I like this a whole lot:
Friday, March 16, 2012
first thing
i rolled out of bed and turned on my equipment and
started playing this morning. i played some skynnrd. i can
play freebird like crazy. lord knows i can't change. i was
pretty pleased with this recording, but i destroyed it.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Suck it in
As an experiment, I have been doing NOTHING more than just sucking in my gut, sitting up as straight as I can, rolling my shoulders and upper back up and forward and my pelvis forward and have noticed that my knee and hip pain has lessened and I can tell that I have lost inches. I am not weighing myself, but I ain't dieting right now either. This seems to be a secret that I'll share with you if you read this stupid blog. Thanks for reading, btw!
BOSS AW-3 Dynamic Wah
Very nice pedal from Boss. Sturdy, reliable & relatively easy to use. The Humanizer effect is interesting, allowing you to do more than just “wah”. Now you can “I-EE” and “AY-OH” as well, should you desire to do so. The “Down” is my favorite but there are enough settings that you are sure to find one you like. I found the controls a bit touchy and it was a little difficult to find the exact sound I wanted without a fair amount of knob tweaking. The pedal tends to be a little weak on it’s own but I play it after a tubescreamer and it sounds great. I’m sure there are better pedals out there, but none with a humanizer effect.
I'm a crastinator pro!
I'm writing this post because I should be packing up my stuff now. In my last post, you may have read that I am no longer working with T-Mobile. Although this is a very good thing, I now make almost 1/2 what I did at T-Mobile. We cannot afford to live in our apartment anymore. I officially gave the 60 day notice yesterday. Now comes the hard part.
Hot Chocolate
I fixed me a delicious mugfull of hot chocolate this morning. Here is how I made it:
2 Cups of milk
PLUS
2 TBSP Cocoa Powder
PLUS
PLUS
2 TBSP Cocoa Powder
PLUS
2 TBSP Sugar
PLUS
1/2 TSP Cinnamon
PLUS
1/2 TSP Cinnamon
1.) Heat the milk up in a saucepan on the stove at medium temperature to desired temperature.
2.) Add the cocoa, sugar and cinnamon and stir untill completely dissolved.
3.) Serve and enjoy!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Mixed emo
I really hate what has happened, though it may prove to be an even better opportunity for me to create some stuff. We are forced to leave our 2 bedroom apartment where I have a truly filthy mancave. We are moving into a house with a room mate and I will have a garage where I can set up my electronics projects and complete them and I will have a storage room in the house to set up my cheap equipment. We can save money so I can afford to buy a new amp. I guess I should have said that I love what has happened. Moving sucks though. I've been listening to a lot of psychobilly music and dirty south. I think these two styles should come together. What on earth would it be called?
"Looks like you missed your calling"
Well, I don't like to blurt out anything that I want to do, for fear of failure in the eyes of others. I have, in the past, maintained a safe middle ground by being cynical and skeptical-never making a decision. I have never needed to get in shape more in my life. I am not getting any younger and my body is beginning to age. I have been chubby/fat almost my whole life and have not shown any sign that I was going to change that.
I have always wondered what I was going to do with my life. Soldier? Archaeologist? Fighter Pilot? Police Officer? EMT? Nurse? CNA? Engineer? Psychologist? Musician? Writer? Game Designer? Programmer? This is not an exhaustive list, by any means. I have felt like I was lost my whole life. I knew that I didn't want to be a soldier, because I don't like the thoughts of killing other human beings (I save bugs), and Archaeologist and fighter pilot was excluded early on. I don't like to be judgemental and point fingers + I don't want to shoot people or be shot at, so police officer is not for me either. EMT, I thought about it a lot, but I don't like dealing with drugs and the healthcare system that much (although I love phlebotomy). I don't want to be a male nurse, even in the ER. I tried the ER out as a CNA and loved the job, but didn't get along with nurses too well as a CNA, there was a sort of attitude that CNAs or "Techs" are not as important a team member. Also, there was too much gossip, drama and backstabing going on. CNA... dear lord. I did that way too long and the pay is very low. The work is important and that is why I did it so long, because I did love what I was doing. If you can't pay bills, though, why do it? Engineer was ruled out due to my age and lack of time to go to school. I have to work full time to pay bills and it is just not an option. It would take me many, many years to be anything similar to what I want in that field. I haven't completely excluded it, but it is not very realistic. Psychologist was my first instinct when I was in the 11th grade. Took a class on it and enjoyed it, but ultimately I decided against it completely when I found out that with a degree, you are going to be a human resources person or a therapist and I don't want anything to do with either one of these. therapist, particularly after I started seeing one. (my own f---ed-up-ness made me not want to be a psychologist). I have always loved music. I inherited this from my grandmother and have always wanted to play music. I have never had a desire to perform, really, just to make music or even just sounds. This is not something you can make a lot of money doing so I have excluded it as a job. It is my hobby and that is all. As a writer or a game designer, I take way too long to produce anything because I am a perfectionist. My other grandmother had always told me to get into computers and so I have learned a lot about them and considered learning programing or whatever those whippersnappers are calling it nowadays. I think that I missed the boat on this, but it is not completely being excluded from my list. I am not excited about these options, though. I feel that they are not positions that allow me to be everything that I know that I can be or to do everything that I know that I can do. I have a sense of purpose and have felt that since I was a little boy in husky wranglers. Not an elitist feeling that I am better than or that I am 'special', just that I feel that I have a mission here and it isn't computers and it isn't engineering or working in the ER with sick patients.
Thank god I lost my job at T-Mobile. I started working as a courier and met many interesting people. All of them had something in common. They were almost all retired firefighters (a few were still firefighters, one was a police officer retired and another was a lawyer). Anyway, I worked with them for a while and never even thought about their profession.
One night, I came home late to the apartment and there were police officers driving thru the complex searching for someone. One officer flaged me down and as he approached me asked if I had seen anyone 'acting suspicious' around. I stated that I had not and that I had just got home. I said I'd let him know if I saw anyone and proceeded to the apartment. As I got to the door, I realized that I was going to have to take the dogs out as soon as I went in and also I remembered that there was a robbery in our complex a week prior. I set down my backpack and pulled out my flashlight to look behind the building, where I usually took the dogs since there is no lights back there and there are lots of trees. I figured that I would make sure that no one was hiding back there. I had a hard day on the job and didn't feel like being assaulted. I turned on the flashlight and immediately several police officers ran to me asking what I am doing out here. I explained that I was looking to see if there was anyone there. I was scolded by the officers, but what really affected me was that one of them said...
I was mad about that comment for weeks. Then one day, I realized that maybe I hadn't missed my calling. I realized that I have always been the person that wants to go help someone in need. Car wrecks (I feel the need to stop), someone falling (I want to make sure they are okay), I liked helping sick patients, but i always felt that I should be doing something more physical to help people. I am very strong and can carry a lot, I am pretty nimble for a fat guy, I am brave enough and cautious enough to go and do whatever needs to be done even if it is dangerous and I can withstand a lot of heat easily. I am very patient and bull-headed too. I am compassionate and very good with my hands. I am a very serious person (I can be just plain stupid too). These abilities are pretty much useless as a nurse or CNA. Since I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, I started to actually feel like I found what i am meant for. I started to feel my eyes tear up and not from being sad, but from being overwhelmed with emotion. I am still confused as to why I never even considered firefighter as an option when it feels so natural to me. Like it 'fits'. I even knew a girl in highschool that became a firefighter. I have always liked playing with the garden hose while watering the lawn. I am good with an axe. blah blah blah. Never once even thought about it. As strange as it is, this fact makes me feel even more strongly that it is my calling. I asked some of the guys about being a firefighter and they told me what the job entails and how to try out and all of that.
Anyway I looked down and then realized that I am not in the best physical shape of my life and THAT wasn't so good. I started to panic. I have till I am 39 to be a firefighter. The one good sign is that there can be NO SMOKINIG. I will never smoke a cigarette again anyway so I am on the right path. I have been trying to lose weight for a LONG time so this is all the motivation I need. I watched videos on the training and am not sure if I can do it now, but I know that I can in time. My main concern is to lose weight. When I don't weigh as much it will be easier to climb ladders and crawl on my hands and knees. Can I get in shape enough to make the cut? I don't know, but I am going to give it EVERYTHING that I've got starting today.
I have always wondered what I was going to do with my life. Soldier? Archaeologist? Fighter Pilot? Police Officer? EMT? Nurse? CNA? Engineer? Psychologist? Musician? Writer? Game Designer? Programmer? This is not an exhaustive list, by any means. I have felt like I was lost my whole life. I knew that I didn't want to be a soldier, because I don't like the thoughts of killing other human beings (I save bugs), and Archaeologist and fighter pilot was excluded early on. I don't like to be judgemental and point fingers + I don't want to shoot people or be shot at, so police officer is not for me either. EMT, I thought about it a lot, but I don't like dealing with drugs and the healthcare system that much (although I love phlebotomy). I don't want to be a male nurse, even in the ER. I tried the ER out as a CNA and loved the job, but didn't get along with nurses too well as a CNA, there was a sort of attitude that CNAs or "Techs" are not as important a team member. Also, there was too much gossip, drama and backstabing going on. CNA... dear lord. I did that way too long and the pay is very low. The work is important and that is why I did it so long, because I did love what I was doing. If you can't pay bills, though, why do it? Engineer was ruled out due to my age and lack of time to go to school. I have to work full time to pay bills and it is just not an option. It would take me many, many years to be anything similar to what I want in that field. I haven't completely excluded it, but it is not very realistic. Psychologist was my first instinct when I was in the 11th grade. Took a class on it and enjoyed it, but ultimately I decided against it completely when I found out that with a degree, you are going to be a human resources person or a therapist and I don't want anything to do with either one of these. therapist, particularly after I started seeing one. (my own f---ed-up-ness made me not want to be a psychologist). I have always loved music. I inherited this from my grandmother and have always wanted to play music. I have never had a desire to perform, really, just to make music or even just sounds. This is not something you can make a lot of money doing so I have excluded it as a job. It is my hobby and that is all. As a writer or a game designer, I take way too long to produce anything because I am a perfectionist. My other grandmother had always told me to get into computers and so I have learned a lot about them and considered learning programing or whatever those whippersnappers are calling it nowadays. I think that I missed the boat on this, but it is not completely being excluded from my list. I am not excited about these options, though. I feel that they are not positions that allow me to be everything that I know that I can be or to do everything that I know that I can do. I have a sense of purpose and have felt that since I was a little boy in husky wranglers. Not an elitist feeling that I am better than or that I am 'special', just that I feel that I have a mission here and it isn't computers and it isn't engineering or working in the ER with sick patients.
Thank god I lost my job at T-Mobile. I started working as a courier and met many interesting people. All of them had something in common. They were almost all retired firefighters (a few were still firefighters, one was a police officer retired and another was a lawyer). Anyway, I worked with them for a while and never even thought about their profession.
One night, I came home late to the apartment and there were police officers driving thru the complex searching for someone. One officer flaged me down and as he approached me asked if I had seen anyone 'acting suspicious' around. I stated that I had not and that I had just got home. I said I'd let him know if I saw anyone and proceeded to the apartment. As I got to the door, I realized that I was going to have to take the dogs out as soon as I went in and also I remembered that there was a robbery in our complex a week prior. I set down my backpack and pulled out my flashlight to look behind the building, where I usually took the dogs since there is no lights back there and there are lots of trees. I figured that I would make sure that no one was hiding back there. I had a hard day on the job and didn't feel like being assaulted. I turned on the flashlight and immediately several police officers ran to me asking what I am doing out here. I explained that I was looking to see if there was anyone there. I was scolded by the officers, but what really affected me was that one of them said...
"looks like you missed your calling."
I was mad about that comment for weeks. Then one day, I realized that maybe I hadn't missed my calling. I realized that I have always been the person that wants to go help someone in need. Car wrecks (I feel the need to stop), someone falling (I want to make sure they are okay), I liked helping sick patients, but i always felt that I should be doing something more physical to help people. I am very strong and can carry a lot, I am pretty nimble for a fat guy, I am brave enough and cautious enough to go and do whatever needs to be done even if it is dangerous and I can withstand a lot of heat easily. I am very patient and bull-headed too. I am compassionate and very good with my hands. I am a very serious person (I can be just plain stupid too). These abilities are pretty much useless as a nurse or CNA. Since I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, I started to actually feel like I found what i am meant for. I started to feel my eyes tear up and not from being sad, but from being overwhelmed with emotion. I am still confused as to why I never even considered firefighter as an option when it feels so natural to me. Like it 'fits'. I even knew a girl in highschool that became a firefighter. I have always liked playing with the garden hose while watering the lawn. I am good with an axe. blah blah blah. Never once even thought about it. As strange as it is, this fact makes me feel even more strongly that it is my calling. I asked some of the guys about being a firefighter and they told me what the job entails and how to try out and all of that.
Anyway I looked down and then realized that I am not in the best physical shape of my life and THAT wasn't so good. I started to panic. I have till I am 39 to be a firefighter. The one good sign is that there can be NO SMOKINIG. I will never smoke a cigarette again anyway so I am on the right path. I have been trying to lose weight for a LONG time so this is all the motivation I need. I watched videos on the training and am not sure if I can do it now, but I know that I can in time. My main concern is to lose weight. When I don't weigh as much it will be easier to climb ladders and crawl on my hands and knees. Can I get in shape enough to make the cut? I don't know, but I am going to give it EVERYTHING that I've got starting today.
We'll just have to see if I actually did miss my calling.
Monday, March 12, 2012
J-20 Chengdu (Black Eagle)
The J-20 Chengdu
Role: Stealth air superiority fighter/multirole combat aircraft
National origin: People's Republic of China
Manufacturer: Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group
First flight: 11 January 2011
Introduction: 2017–2019 (planned)
Status: In development/flight testing
Primary user: People's Liberation Army Air Force
Unit cost: US$110 million (est.)
I love it's Canard-Delta/Twin-engine configuration and have since childhood upon seeing the movie "Firefox". This little puppy is stealth as well with AESA like the F-22 Raptor. Quite the contender, but is not expected to be operational till at least 2017.
Murcof
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/murcof-p544890
I've been listening to this a lot. I mean A LOT.
Particularly this one: http://www.allmusic.com/album/remembranza-r796002
This music has really dropped anchor in the harbour of my very subconscious and I now breathe it when I am doing things other than listen to music. Loading blood into my Ford Transit, Unloading blood, driving to Scottsboro, eating a Great Value brand doughnut stick or listening to reruns of 21 Jumpstreet. If I were to be able to make music, this is truly what I would want to make and I thank the maker of this music for doing so. It feels good, tense, mysterious at times, smooth and creamy always. This is post-a-licious.
LCD and obscure reference formula
I can listen to a lot of radio now on the job. Nosir, I don't like it. Awful music. I hate the direction that pop/rock and metal have gone. So formulaic. It's like they polled a bunch of teenage boys to find out what they like and made a bunch of bands from that. Also, being weird does not make you creative. You can try to be weird and may be successful at it, but eventually everyone will figure you out. Marketing Research is responsible for this; the worst garbage for us to listen to. Cold-turd-on-a-paper-plate bad.
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