Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Edit
I really didn't like that previous entry too much. I guess it's because I'm just not in the mood to write anything right now. I really don't care too much though (as you would know by my mood). One of my goals though was to update my blog more regularly, so I guess I'll leave it up. Thanks.
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Ta-Da, To-Do!
I came to the conclusion today, while sitting at the dinner table, that I have too many things that I'm trying to do at once, and that I need to organize it all better. As a first step towards hopefully making things go smoother, I've complied a list of goals that I have for the next year or so. I asked Ben about his goals today, and he was reluctant to share them with me. What he eventually told me was that he wanted to be free of everything...free of God, free of death, free of debt, free of people, etc... I don't quite understand where he was coming from on that one. I agree that freedom is a great goal, but on the other hand, there are times in your life when you need more than yourself. The simple truth is that you can't do it all on your own. So it's kind of a dilemma whether or not to share my list of goals here. I could ask for your encouragement on some of them, but some are more private. In the end, I guess that I'm just an independent person. It's my nature to bottle things up and try to deal with them on my own, so why break from the pattern now? I guess that doesn't leave me with too much to share at this point then.
On an unrelated note, I've now tried both Coke C2 and Pepsi Edge. Neither was terrible, but I preferred the Coke to the Pepsi, just as I do with the regular variety. At first, the C2 tasted almost the same as regular Coke, but then it has a slight aftertaste, which really isn't quite bad. Overall, it has a lightness to it that regular Coke doesn't have. It doesn't leave your mouth feeling sticky and sugary like the regular. Many of the same things can be said about Edge, however, it tended to have a more diet-y flavor to it, and as a result tasted further from the regular Pepsi. In general, I believe that Coke has a more complex flavor, which allows it to blend and be manipulated better. Pepsi is just too simple and drab in comparison.
On another unrelated note, I just wanted to make mention of the achievements of SpaceShipOne and Mike Melvill. Yesterday marked the first commercially funded spaceflight, and that's something that really excites me. The possibility of freedom and the spirit of discovery are thrilling prospects to me. I'm looking forward to the day that commercial spaceflight is common and man has truly extended his reach beyond this planet. Enough sappy romanticizing though...
Current Mood: Ambivalent
Currently listening to: These In Between Times by Last Conservative
Last movie I saw: Along Came Polly
One line review: It attempted to be funny by being absolutely ridiculous, but fell short and ended up coming off as stupid (not enough ferret).
On a scale of 0-5 sucks (0 being the best): 3 sucks
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On an unrelated note, I've now tried both Coke C2 and Pepsi Edge. Neither was terrible, but I preferred the Coke to the Pepsi, just as I do with the regular variety. At first, the C2 tasted almost the same as regular Coke, but then it has a slight aftertaste, which really isn't quite bad. Overall, it has a lightness to it that regular Coke doesn't have. It doesn't leave your mouth feeling sticky and sugary like the regular. Many of the same things can be said about Edge, however, it tended to have a more diet-y flavor to it, and as a result tasted further from the regular Pepsi. In general, I believe that Coke has a more complex flavor, which allows it to blend and be manipulated better. Pepsi is just too simple and drab in comparison.
On another unrelated note, I just wanted to make mention of the achievements of SpaceShipOne and Mike Melvill. Yesterday marked the first commercially funded spaceflight, and that's something that really excites me. The possibility of freedom and the spirit of discovery are thrilling prospects to me. I'm looking forward to the day that commercial spaceflight is common and man has truly extended his reach beyond this planet. Enough sappy romanticizing though...
Current Mood: Ambivalent
Currently listening to: These In Between Times by Last Conservative
Last movie I saw: Along Came Polly
One line review: It attempted to be funny by being absolutely ridiculous, but fell short and ended up coming off as stupid (not enough ferret).
On a scale of 0-5 sucks (0 being the best): 3 sucks
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Your Change is thirty-seven cents....
Well loyal readers, it's been awhile... Where can I start? I guess I won't say too much about what I've been doing the past two months, as I would rather look ahead than back. I will say this though; flying on the KC-135 zero-g plane was awesome. Floating around was such a cool and strange experience. It's like jumping without giving any effort and without anything pulling you down. It's like falling, but without the rush of wind and sense of impending doom. It's very peaceful actually. I can't wait to go again in August (and hopefully September/October). Maybe if I figure it out later, I'll post my pictures, or at least link to them.
See KC-135 May '04 album
*it's a lot harder than you would think to aim when you're floating around*
I guess that brings us up to today. I was talking to my co-worker today and I told him that over the past year or so, as I've been examining myself I've come to the conclusion that, if I were somebody else, and saw the way I act and who I am, then I wouldn't like myself. Now, I know that's a pretty harsh statement, but sometimes the truth hurts. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to whine again here, but I believe the first step towards self improvement is recognizing your faults. Then you know what you need to work on to become a better person. Along with examining myself and trying to find my faults comes the attitude that these are the things that I need to change. So really, it's a painful process, but it's for the best. It's not self loathing, but self improvement. I'd like to think that I've been making some progress so far. It's not a lot, but then these things take time. I think that I've been happier since I've been on co-op, and in general I'm happy with the way things are going in my life right now. By the way though, my co-worker's response was labeling me as a "jackass" and stating that "People can't change!" Which brings us to the next point...
Can people change? Is my whole "self improvement" scheme even worthwhile, or is there a basic state of being and set of characteristics that define a person from which you cannot escape? It's quite the interesting philosophical question. I think that people can change, even if it takes a long time and is very difficult. After all, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." I mean, there is obviously something that makes you unique and defines who you are, but at the same time attitudes can change, opinions can change, and habits can change. If you're a bad person, it doesn't have to stay that way forever. If you truly have the desire to change your ways, then it is possible. Really, though, I'm not trying to read too much into anything. I'm in a pretty positive mood. I just thought discussing some of these issues might be interesting. I'd also be interested to see what any of you might have to say on the issue. *cough*Comment!*cough*
By the way: the whole low carb craze is crap, but due to the power of advertising, and my natural curiosity, I want to try the new Coke C2, even though I've heard someone describe it as "Low Carb is just a synonym for Suck". I'll let you know my impression once I've tried it....
Current Mood: Contemplative
Currently listening to: Tommy by The Who
Last movie I saw: Big Fish
One line review: It was strange, somewhat hard to follow, and although the ending tried to tie things together, it fell short.
On a scale of 0-5 sucks (0 being the best): 2 sucks
(0) comments
See KC-135 May '04 album
*it's a lot harder than you would think to aim when you're floating around*
I guess that brings us up to today. I was talking to my co-worker today and I told him that over the past year or so, as I've been examining myself I've come to the conclusion that, if I were somebody else, and saw the way I act and who I am, then I wouldn't like myself. Now, I know that's a pretty harsh statement, but sometimes the truth hurts. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to whine again here, but I believe the first step towards self improvement is recognizing your faults. Then you know what you need to work on to become a better person. Along with examining myself and trying to find my faults comes the attitude that these are the things that I need to change. So really, it's a painful process, but it's for the best. It's not self loathing, but self improvement. I'd like to think that I've been making some progress so far. It's not a lot, but then these things take time. I think that I've been happier since I've been on co-op, and in general I'm happy with the way things are going in my life right now. By the way though, my co-worker's response was labeling me as a "jackass" and stating that "People can't change!" Which brings us to the next point...
Can people change? Is my whole "self improvement" scheme even worthwhile, or is there a basic state of being and set of characteristics that define a person from which you cannot escape? It's quite the interesting philosophical question. I think that people can change, even if it takes a long time and is very difficult. After all, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." I mean, there is obviously something that makes you unique and defines who you are, but at the same time attitudes can change, opinions can change, and habits can change. If you're a bad person, it doesn't have to stay that way forever. If you truly have the desire to change your ways, then it is possible. Really, though, I'm not trying to read too much into anything. I'm in a pretty positive mood. I just thought discussing some of these issues might be interesting. I'd also be interested to see what any of you might have to say on the issue. *cough*Comment!*cough*
By the way: the whole low carb craze is crap, but due to the power of advertising, and my natural curiosity, I want to try the new Coke C2, even though I've heard someone describe it as "Low Carb is just a synonym for Suck". I'll let you know my impression once I've tried it....
Current Mood: Contemplative
Currently listening to: Tommy by The Who
Last movie I saw: Big Fish
One line review: It was strange, somewhat hard to follow, and although the ending tried to tie things together, it fell short.
On a scale of 0-5 sucks (0 being the best): 2 sucks
