Blog of R'kik D'nec

There's nothing worse than Saturdays alone
Saturdays alone
On top of having Fridays at home
On top of having Fridays at home
Your whole weekend alone
-Koufax, "Saturdays Alone"

Why do I have "no" social life? OK, so everyone at Case is a geek....I accept that, and I know how it is. When you have to do work or whatever, you gotta get it done. Seriously though, come on people! For everything there is a time and a place, and Friday and Saturday nights are not the time for homework! Whatever. I'm not trying to implicate anyone in particular. It's really more of a general trend. There are bigger issues at hand anyway. I just don't have connections. It's a simple fact that there are a limited number of people at Case that I feel comfortable hanging out with, and when they're all busy, (which is totally fine, I mean people have got to have their own lives and all) it gets pretty boring for me. Also, a lot of the time at Case, I don't feel like a part of the group, or a real friend. It's just like I'm there, and no one particularity pays much attention to me. The lack of people to hang out with is a glaring deficiency in Mentor as well. I don't know anyone in this town. I never get out, and just have no idea where to start meeting people. I'm too young to go out to bars, and it's not like I go to school and meet local people or anything. At work, the people I meet are all significantly older, and just not people I could hang out with. It's becoming a recurring pattern...I always find myself at home with nothing to do, and it sucks. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I've gotta do something.

Read this article first to know where I'm coming from

First of all, I'm going to say that I really don't have too much of a stand on the whole issue of gay marriage. On one hand, biblical marriage can only be between a man and a woman, but on the other, if gay people want the tax credit, or whatever, let them have it. I don't think it's really the government's place to be determining the morality of the issue.

I do have to say though, that I really admire Mayor Newsom. I like the point in the article about putting a human face on the issue. I mean, you can debate about something in theory forever, but never get anywhere. By allowing this to happen, he is forcing people to come to grips with this issue right now. One of the things I don't really like about politics is the endless debating and bureaucracy; the going around in circles and never getting anywhere. Mayor Newsom is taking a stand against all that, and I think it's great. It gets attention, and it gets things done. For better of for worse, one way or the other, he's creating public policy. I mean, other cities are looking into doing the same as San Fran, and Bush has said that he's more likely to support a Constitutional amendment against gay marriage now. Newsom is making a difference, and I think that it's really cool. More people need to stand up and take action. We need strong leaders who get things done. It's interesting though, on the other end of the spectrum, you could say that Bush has done the same sort of thing. With everything that's happened since "9/11" he's done a lot to expand the powers of the office of the President, and in the future, I think that others will look back on what he's done as a precedent. Of course, on the flip side, you could say that what Bush and Newsom are doing is actually bad in that it makes the government bigger and more powerful. The last thing we need is a bigger government. Let people fend for themselves, and make their own decisions. It's called free will people...

Well, not as if anyone cares, because practically no one voted, but the results were 1-0 for the hair question, and 2-0 for the shirt question. A big thanks goes out to Sam and Christine for voting. I went ahead and ordered the shirt tonight, and the hair is a work in progress.

I've never really been a speeder. My parents always drive less than 5mph over the speed limit, and until recently, so did I. I guess it was when I started commuting to work that I started going faster. Now I try and "flow with traffic" more, even if that means going 15-20+ mph over the speed limit. So anyways, tonight when I was driving back to Mentor from being home over the weekend. I was cruising along, passing someone at 87mph (speed limit 65) with a car right behind me. When I pulled back into the right lane, the other car passed me. It was a New York State trooper. I never got pulled over or anything. Now, if that's not an endorsement for speeding, I don't know what is. I don't know, I just thought I'd share.

Should I let my hair grow out?

Should I get this shirt?

Politics?
So who is this John Kerry guy anyways? I really don't know much about him other than the fact that he's a Democrat. I don't think that Bush is doing a great job as President, but then I'm not going to bash him either. Will I vote for Bush in November? Probably, assuming I'm not disenfranchised again....yeah that's right, New York State screwed up my absentee ballot somehow in '02. I never got it. Anyways, the only reason I say I'll probably vote for Bush is because I don't like the Democratic ideas about making the government bigger by helping people out. I realize that's a huge over-generalization, but whatever. I guess I would be considered Libertarian leaning in my political views, but since there's basically no room for third parties in America, it doesn't matter. So what's the deal with this Kerry guy, and do I actually care? Not yet. Check back round about October.

Italics are fun

Grad School?
So I was sitting in the eye doctor's office this morning and I started thinking about grad school. I figure if that's what I want to do after Case, I should make some decisions about it fairly soon. I mean, applications would be due in the fall, and I figure as long as I'm working and have a lot of free time, it would be nice to get them done or at least started over the summer. But I still really don't know if I even want to go to grad school. I think my top choices right now based solely on geography would be University of Southern California or MIT. Like I said, I'm not sure I want to go to grad school, but the idea of starting "the rest of my life" at a full time job only 15 months from now is really scary.

Guitar?
This week I've been practicing my guitar every day after work. I still suck, but it's been fun. I guess I really don't have too much to say about it.

Work?
So my co-op is going pretty well, like I said in a previous post. I don't know. It's interesting, but a lot of the time I really don't feel like I've got much to do. When I do have something to do it usually leads to problems and a brick wall. That can be frustrating. On the other hand though, I don't know what I would do without work. As much as I'd like to sit around all day and do nothing, I just don't think I could handle it. It's a great theory, but you really have to have something to keep you busy, to have a purpose in life.

Lotto?
So I saw that the jackpot was up to 150 million dollars today on a billboard. I started thinking to myself about what I would do if I won that much money. I think that I would finish off my co-op and my undergraduate degree, but after that I would take some time off. Enjoy my life while I'm still young. I would like to go travel the world, and have fun. I would pay off my college and my car, of course, as well as invest most of the money. I also think that I would like to buy a couple properties to rent out. The first things I would buy though, would be cars. I would immediately buy a Ferrari 360 Spider, an Enzo, and of course, my absolute dream car, a Ferrari 250 GT California Spider. Isn't it fun to dream? But....

Money can't buy me love. ~The Beatles

Social Life?
Check out the band Koufax and their CD "social life" if you've never heard of them. IM me if you want a sample. But anyways, this is something that's been kind of dull since I've been working. Tony's a good guy, and I enjoy chilling with him, but I just don't feel like I get out enough. I really don't have contact with too many different people during the week. Then if I do see people from Case I don't really feel that comfortable anymore, or I feel like I'm imposing. (Thanks a lot for that guilt trip, JP, or should I say ;p) I don't know. It's just something I'd like to improve. By the way, I bought my ticket for A Perfect Circle. If anyone still wants to go, I'd love to have you come, and I'll even give you a ride. Rock on, kids, rock on.....eeeeeeeeeeew (;-) Sam lol)

Sooooooo I guess that about wraps up what's been on my mind. Oh yeah, one more thing, for all y'all, is that I'm going home for the three day weekend on Friday. So I'll either see you (Batavia people) or I'll miss ya (Cleveland people)

(Of course, I couldn't go without my rant about how Valentine's day is the most useless fabricated holiday out there. I hate it, and not just because I'm bitter. It's stupid. Period. Let me put it this way:

Valentine's Day:Holiday::Chicago:Movie

I think you should all get that, and if you don't, ask me for my opinion on the movie Chicago sometime....)

I'm out.

I didn't really intend to go on a bragging rant or anything, and I hope it didn't come off that way. You know what though, I don't care. Think whatever you want of me...I can always tell myself that you're wrong

....but first a few random tidbits:
I've come to the conclusion that I'm an impatient person

My co-op at NASA is going well, it's been interesting and fun, but I'm still not convinced that this is what I want to do with my life

From the outside, Case is a really boring place....it's a shame all my friends are stuck there

See the post below! Tickets go on sale Saturday


As many of you know, I recently purchased a brand new 2004 MINI Cooper...MSRP $22,859. This is not a car that my parents are buying for me, it is actually my car, not to mention my first car. I'm paying for everything myself, and I'm pretty proud of that. Now basically what I want to do with this post is give some reasoning and justification behind why I chose to put so much into the car. On a broader level, however, the point is to give a little bit of insight into who I am, what's important to me, and what makes me tick. With that said, let's get it on.....

Uniqueness
I could have easily gotten any number of used, or even new cars that would have been a lot cheaper, but there was really nothing else that was as unique or exciting as the MINI. The fact is, most cars are either really common or really boring or both. The MINI stands out, however. There are only about 65,000 of them in the whole country. When you consider how many hundreds of millions of cars are on the road, that's really not that much. Volkswagen sold over 90,000 New Beetles in the first year alone. I like the MINI because it's distinctive and uncommon. I don't want to be just like everybody else, I would rather stand out.

Aesthetics
The simple fact is, aesthetics matter to me. Not only in car selection, but in most things in life. In the grocery store the other day I was appreciating the lattice crust on an apple pie. I really enjoyed my art history classes, and I think that they helped me gain an appreciation for beauty. I am a big fan of beauty; in cars, in nature, and yes, even in apple pie. With the MINI, the distinctive design also plays into it's uniqueness. I think the car has an aggressive, yet approachable look to it. The front end is playful and "cute". The high curved fenders on the bonnet are reminiscent of classic cars and at the same time help to offset the relative boxy-ness of the car as a whole. I especially like how the roof and belt lines converge slightly towards the rear of the vehicle. It draws the eye back, giving the impression of speed. I also like the slightly bulging rear fenders, which gives the rear end a muscular look and again helps the car from being too boxy. The wide stance of the car also helps to give it a more aggressive look. Finally, I like the chrome grill and accents, as well as the color contrasting roof. I love my car :-D

Class
The MINI is a classy car, and the silver and black color combination helps enhance this image further. It's a European car made by BMW, and it's been highly praised in numerous automotive publications. I've always liked the thought of being classy and important. I've always wanted to be one of those people who has good taste and enjoys the finer things in life. While the MINI isn't a luxury car, in my opinion it's still much more upper crust than, say, a Neon. The MINI isn't for everyone, but people who can respect it have good taste in my opinion.

Freedom
Because the financial burden is all on me, it definitely makes me appreciate it more. Though it may seem that it would take away from my freedom, it is actually a big step towards growing up and becoming more independent.

So in conclusion, I appreciate beauty and the finer things in life, and I would like to be important and stand out on my own merits. I guess this is kind of the image of a "good" or respected person that I've always had, and something that I aspire to be. I hope to have shown how coming from this background has influenced my car buying decision and offered you a bit of insight on who I am to myself.

Did that make any sense at all?

Anyone want to go see A Perfect Circle with me at Tower City? April 23rd, $35.....
AIM me if interested "rkikdnec"

(actual post to follow when I get the chance, hopefully tonight....shocking, I know)