I really don't get a chance to vent my feelings on current events except here. I really don't talk to anyone that cares, or cares to hear me rant. I'll go a few.
Imus: He kinda had it coming. You just don't run somebody down like that on what was possibly the greatest moment of their lives. Yeah, they lost the game, but they were college basketball players in a championship game. That should have been a moment of pride, not everyone can accomplish that. Imus said something really tacky, which has been his gimmick for about 30 years, so he's been dodging the bullet, but I don't agree with the fact that Jesse and Al are hypocrits enough to call for his head. I think both of them only represent themselves, not the Black community. The only reason Imus had the program is the fact that he was a moneymaker for so many years, but he was not really getting listeners and it was time for something new anyway. I found his brand of "humor" to be downright unfunny. That being said, I don't think we should squelch every offensive voice. Repression and opression do not change things, it's like putting a lid on a boiling pot, it will eventually blow and make a mess of things. We've got to try and find a better way to understand and get along.
VA Tech shootings: I'm an ISS teacher at a middle school and a full-time college student. Spending all this time around schools, which seem to be the only places crazed gunmen are targeting, is making me a little nervous. Almost like I'm dodging the bullet, no pun intended.
Makes me wonder when the saftey of others should take precedence over the rights of the individual. It's a slippery slope and I'm not too sure I can answer that question. I do know that if a person is considered a danger to himself and others, maybe s/he shouldn't be allowed the same freedoms. Maybe a person in this state of mind should be monitored more closely. Why not? Our government spies very closely on people who they believe are a terrorist threat, why not a person that could go nuts and kill people. Big Brother is already watching, if I were to type the right words in the right combination in this very blog, I could be flagged as a threat to national security and be monitored. So then why was nothing done to bring a person like the VA Tech shooter into protective custody? If he hadn't killed anyone, he's not a criminal. Since he is not a criminal, we'd be violating his rights.
The sad part is, there may be no answer as to how to keep these things from happening. Any "coursre of action" to prevent future tragedies could bear scary, unexpected outcomes. Not doing anything could do the same.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
odd place for a quote
I person I don't like said a quote I liked.
"If money is all you need to solve it, then it's not a problem."
I like it. There are a few exceptons, but not too bad. In my ISS room, I like to put up a new quote every week. I do it every week because I don't have the same visitors every day. If I did, I might could do a daily quote.
In high school, 9th & 11th grade, I had a teacher that was quite possibly insane, but so inspiring. She put up daily quotes and we had to write on the main idea of those quotes and how they made us feel. Those classes with her were not challenging, but they were inspiring.
As an adult who, as a child, threw away so many of my own opportunities, I see the efforts made by the teachers who really tried and believed they could make a difference and I am grateful.
Sometimes I forget the reward for being a teacher is not always tangible and I can't always see it in the kids I've worked with, but it's there. I have helped chage lives and it feels good.
"If money is all you need to solve it, then it's not a problem."
I like it. There are a few exceptons, but not too bad. In my ISS room, I like to put up a new quote every week. I do it every week because I don't have the same visitors every day. If I did, I might could do a daily quote.
In high school, 9th & 11th grade, I had a teacher that was quite possibly insane, but so inspiring. She put up daily quotes and we had to write on the main idea of those quotes and how they made us feel. Those classes with her were not challenging, but they were inspiring.
As an adult who, as a child, threw away so many of my own opportunities, I see the efforts made by the teachers who really tried and believed they could make a difference and I am grateful.
Sometimes I forget the reward for being a teacher is not always tangible and I can't always see it in the kids I've worked with, but it's there. I have helped chage lives and it feels good.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
If it's free....TAKE IT!!!!
You never know what you'll find for free. People get rid of things all the time that are good, but they want something new or they run out of space. Sometimes, something is just wrong with it that they can't fix and it makes more sense to replace it. This is where people like me come in. So far in my life, I have gotten so much free stuff, it's crazy. Some of it wasn't worth keeping and got tossed, other things were only in need of minor repair. Some things were perfectly good and just needed a new home.
The scavenger lifestyle can be lucrative as well, just so long as you do not become a packrat in the process. You need several things to be a truely successful scavenger:
1. A vehicle to haul stuff around, like a pickup and/or a trailer.
2. An extensive set of tools.
3. A decent place to store and work on your "finds".
4. Mechanical aptitude.
5. A place where you can dump things off if they turn out to be worthless.
I have taken so much free stuff, I can't even begin to catalog it all. A few notable finds do stick out.
1. A 125 gallon aquarium with stand.
2. A metric asston of office chairs (great for the D&D game night).
3. Two working dishwashers.
4. A 1985 Ford Ranger.
5. A 1976 Caddilac Eldorado Convertibe with 54000 original miles!
6. A queen-sized sleeper sofa. I miss this one now.
7. A damn good oil-filled electric radiator-type space heater.
8. My coveted, one-of-a-kind, Icee Light.
9. Four computers.
10. Two TV's
An enterprising person that doesn't get too attached to these things can turn a profit or atleast break even on such a hobby. For example, people give away junk cars just to get rid of them. I know a guy who'll BUY those cars and haul them off for scrap. I make a profit off of selling car that was given to me, and he makes money for selling it to the scrap metal dealer. It works out nice really nice.
If you have a place to store free crap you don't want yourself. Hold it for an annual yard sale. Fun stuff. The scavenger's motto: One man's trash is another's treasure.
The scavenger lifestyle can be lucrative as well, just so long as you do not become a packrat in the process. You need several things to be a truely successful scavenger:
1. A vehicle to haul stuff around, like a pickup and/or a trailer.
2. An extensive set of tools.
3. A decent place to store and work on your "finds".
4. Mechanical aptitude.
5. A place where you can dump things off if they turn out to be worthless.
I have taken so much free stuff, I can't even begin to catalog it all. A few notable finds do stick out.
1. A 125 gallon aquarium with stand.
2. A metric asston of office chairs (great for the D&D game night).
3. Two working dishwashers.
4. A 1985 Ford Ranger.
5. A 1976 Caddilac Eldorado Convertibe with 54000 original miles!
6. A queen-sized sleeper sofa. I miss this one now.
7. A damn good oil-filled electric radiator-type space heater.
8. My coveted, one-of-a-kind, Icee Light.
9. Four computers.
10. Two TV's
An enterprising person that doesn't get too attached to these things can turn a profit or atleast break even on such a hobby. For example, people give away junk cars just to get rid of them. I know a guy who'll BUY those cars and haul them off for scrap. I make a profit off of selling car that was given to me, and he makes money for selling it to the scrap metal dealer. It works out nice really nice.
If you have a place to store free crap you don't want yourself. Hold it for an annual yard sale. Fun stuff. The scavenger's motto: One man's trash is another's treasure.
The Apex of Technology
I noticed awhile back that nothing new has really been invented in awhile, we're just improving on what we already have and combining gadgets. I like multi-purpose gadgets. I appreciate the fact that they realize I don't want to carry around a backpack full of crap everywhere I go, so put it all in one hand-held device.
I own a Razr V3r. It's a cell phone, digital camera, MP3 player, and has pretty good video games to kill time. If you were to add a GPS, and a decent web browser...wow.
During the time I worked at Best Buy, all the "nifty stuff" was a combination of gadgets and widgets in one sleek package. A car stereo with DVD player and a retractable screen. A fridge with a 13" LCD TV built right in the door. Excessive? Maybe. Not for the people with TV's in the kitchen anyway. Even computers are becoming multi function. Computer now have DVD, DVR, multi-purpose, multi-media entertainment centers complete with HD widescreen monitors and crystal-clear, dolby surround with optional high power theater-quality speakers. Sunglasses with wireless bluetooth technology, so you are hands-free and care-free.
The only wonder is you wonder why your ass is broke, trying to pay for and keep up all this crap. It ain't cheap.
My question is, since we know what we can get and use, what can any of us do without?
I own a Razr V3r. It's a cell phone, digital camera, MP3 player, and has pretty good video games to kill time. If you were to add a GPS, and a decent web browser...wow.
During the time I worked at Best Buy, all the "nifty stuff" was a combination of gadgets and widgets in one sleek package. A car stereo with DVD player and a retractable screen. A fridge with a 13" LCD TV built right in the door. Excessive? Maybe. Not for the people with TV's in the kitchen anyway. Even computers are becoming multi function. Computer now have DVD, DVR, multi-purpose, multi-media entertainment centers complete with HD widescreen monitors and crystal-clear, dolby surround with optional high power theater-quality speakers. Sunglasses with wireless bluetooth technology, so you are hands-free and care-free.
The only wonder is you wonder why your ass is broke, trying to pay for and keep up all this crap. It ain't cheap.
My question is, since we know what we can get and use, what can any of us do without?
that was fast!
I had a whole week from work and now it's gone. I accomplished so little, but I guess that is why it is a break. You're not supposed to do Jack. The main reason why precious little was acomplished was because it was cold and I was/am broke. Being sick took more than my energy, it took my cash too. So the Caddy project will be delayed, and anything else I wanted to do for that matter.
I did get a few things done. I brought a dishwasher someone gave me home and tested it. I'll be writing about that soon, and I got a little yard work done too, but nothing major. I guess I'm not motivated to make the place look nice because it is packed with other people's trash that they won't take back and I really can't throw away either. I have a junk car in the back yard that will NEVER run again, but can't be removed for some odd reason. Why do anything if the centerpiece of the yard is a rotting 30 year old car? Nothing I do will make that damn car look better or go away. I have actually reached the point in my life where I want more and better for myself, I guess I just can't get it here.
I did get a few things done. I brought a dishwasher someone gave me home and tested it. I'll be writing about that soon, and I got a little yard work done too, but nothing major. I guess I'm not motivated to make the place look nice because it is packed with other people's trash that they won't take back and I really can't throw away either. I have a junk car in the back yard that will NEVER run again, but can't be removed for some odd reason. Why do anything if the centerpiece of the yard is a rotting 30 year old car? Nothing I do will make that damn car look better or go away. I have actually reached the point in my life where I want more and better for myself, I guess I just can't get it here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
