What are you willing to give up to have something else? We all know the phrase, “You can’t have it all.” And we all know how very true that is. But in most cases we can have what we desire, provided we give something up that we already have. Are you willing to give up smoking to live a healthier lifestyle? Are you willing to give up playing sports because your body just can’t take it anymore? These are just trivial things pertaining to ourselves and for most people the answers to these questions are, “No.” Now, are you willing to give up your free or personal time to spend time somewhere else? Probably not if it’s something you don’t want to do. But what if it is doing something that is "for the greater good?" Would you give up your time to be with someone who is dying, or with an organization reaching out to better your community? Would you give up the personal things you absolutely enjoy to be with the person you love? Would you give up your life to save another?

Sacrifice can be an extremely difficult thing to do especially when it comes to the things that we think makes us who we are. Fortunately it’s not what we give up that makes us who we are, but the fact that we do give up that makes us stand out as great individuals. Sacrifice is typically not a mandatory thing. It’s something we do because we want to be better people. Better to ourselves and better to others. Think of the great sacrifices in history that have brought us to the present we live in today. What would this world be without those sacrifices? What would the world be like tomorrow if we stopped living for others and only lived for ourselves? What would there be left to live for?

If you’re not a modern computer programmer or would prefer not to be totally confused, then you may want to skip this post. But recently I’ve had a wild thought about what we as physical, and spiritual beings actually are, and in order to explain it, I need to use a little programming knowledge (and a diagram might come in handy too, but I doubt I'll have time for that).

Not too many people would disagree with the statement that we as beings have physical (bodies) and metaphysical (minds and/or souls) entities. To simplify the example I’ll assume the mind and soul are one and the same, but by no means should you limit the thought process to that.

First, let’s talk a little about Object Orientation or OO as it is abbreviated. This of course is a programming term where we model our programming code after real world objects. Our objects have properties, methods, constructors, etc, that define what the object actually is, and how it will act within itself and with other objects. Now when we create an instance of an object, we assign that instance a variable and create some room in memory for the object to be housed. Of course the memory can be allocated well before the creation of the variable if so chosen. When we access the object we access it thru the variable assigned to it. Where things get a little confusing is in understanding that the variable itself is not the object, but just a “pointer”, or reference to the object. The actual object resides in memory and cannot be accessed (safely anyway) without the reference variable. Now when things get even more complicated is when we want to make a copy of the object. We can’t just make a new variable and assign it to the same object. If we did that we would just be making a new reference to the exact same object, not a new object. The object would now have two variables accessing it. To make a second object that is the same as the first, we would have to first create a new instance of the object with a new reference, and then assign it all the same properties as the first.

Let's put this is 5th grader talk. I have a ball (the object) that I clear out room for and place on the floor (in memory). The ball has numerous properties, such as temperature, density, color, material, etc. The ball also has actions (methods) it can do such as deflate, bounce, etc. Now since I am a 5th grader and in a pen so I don't damage the rest of the house, I can only play with the ball (that is outside my pen) using a stick (the reference variable). I can't interact with the ball in any other way but with the stick. If I want a second ball just like the first, I can't just make a copy of the stick. If I do, all I get is two sticks that interact with the exact same ball. However, if I want a copy of the ball, I need to create a brand new ball, and then copy the properties of the first ball to the second. I then need to make the second stick to interact with the second ball.

So what the flip does this have to do with our physical and metaphysical selves? Well, let’s pretend for a minute that all minds since the dawn of time reside in a single repository out in some unseeable dimension. Think of it as a godly hash table if you will. These minds have properties such as personalities, thoughts, and feelings (which in themselves would be their own objects), but also constructors that are used to create the mind, as well as methods that let them interact with other minds. When the minds are created, they are assigned a body, or reference if you will. And we can interact with other minds safely thru our bodies.

Now comes the fun part; understanding how this can work. Let’s look at identical twins. Indeed they look like the same person, but truly their minds are different. They are copies of each other. However, we’ve all heard stories about twins liking the same things, thinking the same thoughts, even sensing each other's pain! What if their bodies weren’t pointing to different minds, but to the same one? One mind, two bodies. One object, two references. Now of course we know this isn’t the case because the twin’s bodies can act independently of each other, but if the properties of the mind were made up of other objects, such as thoughts, feelings, pain, experiences, why couldn’t there be references to those properties, and not new ones? Think of it in our ball analogy. A property of the ball is mass. Mass is indeed it's own object made up of all kinds of fun still like the base unit for mass. Let call that a kilogram. If for whatever reason wesuddenly define a kilogram to be something other than what it is today, we would want the ball's mass to follow suit. The ball's mass wouldn't still be the old mass, but would be the newly defined mass automatically. Hence, the ball's mass is a reference to mass, and not a copy of it.

If the world does indeed exist in this fashion, it makes perfect sense. Let’s take a look at love. People say than when we love another, we take that person with us wherever we go (not in the physical sense of course). They become a part of us in a sense. What if love creates references to the other minds or parts of minds? This would explain why we can know what the other person is thinking, or feeling without having to ask. It truly is a direct connection. Psychics may be gaining access to this mind repository in an unsafe manner, or hacking into it. This is how they would know what they know (assuming they aren’t just darn good observers) without actually interacting with anyone.

I could probably write a book on this whole matter, but I’ll leave you with one more thought. In programming when we are done with our variables, or references that access the objects, we destroy them. However, the object itself doesn’t get destroyed until the Garbage Collector comes around and re-allocates the memory, at which time the object is completely disposed of. When programming, we typically don’t control the Garbage Collector; it does what it does, when it needs to do it.

Recently I've been pondering the mysteries of our universe (which explains my blogging absence as of late) and while I haven't solved any of these mysteries I definitely have put some thought into them.

The first mystery is why, oh why, has the idea of the automobile not changed in the last 100 years? I'll give it to Ford. He had one HECK of an idea. And in the beginning of the automotive era, there were some really huge advancements and improvements. But let's face it. The last 30 years have been pretty lame when it comes to what we putts around in on our way to The Workplace. Sure the hybrid was a novel idea, but the overall vehicle concept remained the same. Check it out automotive engineers. Our world has changed a great deal since the 1950s! I think it's time to redesign the automobile from the ground, er road, up. Do you need some ideas you jolly little money collecting chair warmers? It's a good thing I'm chalk full of them (I don't really have any idea what that phrase means, but everyone seems to use it).

The first is why the 2-slash-3 pedal system? If you ask me, the engineers of the sky got it right. Let's devise a throttle system instead of one pedal brake, one gas and possibly one clutch pedal. That's so inefficient and slow-reacting. One lever is all you need, whether it works with the foot or the hand (or even possibly with weight shift?), one direction speeds you up, the other slows you down. And let's make the throttle a "smart" throttle. When you set the speed for 50 mph, it accelerates properly and easily maintains your speed. None of this cruise setting garbage that doesn't really work when going up or down hills. If my foot can maintain a more consistent velocity, then so can a computer.

And seriously? Internal combustion engines? Could we use a more inefficient mechanical system? Here's a novel concept. DC drives and motors. Ever hear of 'em?

And why this two-passenger-up-front thing. If you're any kind of sci-fi freak then you've seen countless TV shows and movies that depict the bridge of futuristic spacecrafts containing three passenger chairs. One for the pilot, one for the navigator and one for the weapons specialist (which believe me would come in quite handy some days). Come on now. If alien and futuristic spaceships clearly see the need for such a setup, then why would automobiles be any different? Of course don't forget the pilot chair is always just a little more in front of the other two passenger chairs.

Now let's talk safety systems. The headlights for example have got to go. You're going to sit there in your comfy little chair and tell me that the dual, corner mounted headlight scheme that was cooked up back when we discovered darkness cannot be improved upon? What about one long, halogen stile front light? Or countless ultra-bright LEDs. Maybe even laser scanners that illuminate everything within a 100 foot radius of the vehicle.

Look people, here is my general gripe. We have clearly lost the will and the desire to come up with creative, and brand spankin' new ideas. We have locked ourselves in a room with well defined walls and decided that we can only improve upon old ideas. I call that stupid, idiotic and unmotivated. Let's break down the walls and look at the world from a completely new point of view. We've all seen video footage of people attempting to fly off of bridges in their homemade flying machines, way back when the world lacked colors other than gray. And who can forget the amazing story of the invention of the light bulb? Why can't we do that kind of stuff again?

So it's time to stop trying and actually DO something. Let's get inventive again. Let's forget about what we have now, and look at what we could create tomorrow. Well, that's one mystery pondered, another 314 to go.

It's funny the things you remember from when you were a child. Now I know some of my readers might imply that I myself am still a child, but frankly I've been hating my birthday since I turned twenty so really I consider my childhood days long gone. Especially since I have aches and pains like they're going out of style these days. By hey, I've digressed. Let's talk funny childhood memories.

Some might consider my family life a little bizarre; parents living hours apart yet still "together." It seemed normal to me growing up however. But I remember weird, random things like what I watched on TV when my sister and I would go to visit my dad. Stuff like a Disney firework special broadcast from Disney World or bits of a TV show that would preview small sections of all the Saturday Morning Cartoons, on Friday night (which I think is a genius idea). But what prompts all of these seemingly random and pointless memories? More randomness. A song on the radio from the 80's that I remember two guys singing in that Disney special. Or a clip from Everyone Loves Raymond because Marie played an ever-so-small role on that one cartoon preview show.

All this has made me think, "Why do we remember some of the stuff we remember?" Clearly I haven't locked away all my childhood memories as my dad is quick to point out how much of a pain I could be when I was a little tike and I don't seem to recall those moments at all. Clearly I am alluding to the time I "forced" my family to attend the early church service at The Barley Church. That doesn't even sound like me! I hate getting up early! Yet my dad and uncle still remind me of that time on a quite normal, and obnoxious basis. And while they still don't believe me, I don't remember that ever happening. Why? It obviously affected my family enough for them to attempt to remind me about it over and over and over again. Why does it not exist in my world of remembered consciousness?

Sometimes it concerns me because I think of what I am doing right now that I may or may not remember in the future. I want to remember everything I ever do like it's recorded in my head on super hi-def brain matter. The good and the bad. There is so much to learn from all our experiences. Even those ones that seem like long ago "funny" childhood memories. The thing that is so great about the memories we do keep is that they are multidimensional. Not only do we remember what we see and hear, but we remember what we smell, and feel and even think. It's those extra emotions and thoughts that we remember that seem to make those funny, random memories meaningful and worthy of being remembered.

So take it all in. Capture the world not only through your eyes and ears, but through all your senses, through all that you can feel and experience. Maybe in another twenty years I'll think back to some random time when I was 27 and I spent one weekend with a group of friends sometime, somewhere . . . It'll be a good memory. They always are.

In case you haven't noticed, the 2008 presidential election is quickly approaching. In this corner (picture me pointing to my right with a silver microphone hanging from the ceiling) is John McCain, the "original maverick" (does anybody really even know what that means?) who just made the vice presidential choice of his life! He is a 72 year old, prisoner of war / cancer survivor. And in this corner (now of course I am pointing to my left, microphone still in hand) is Barack Obama, the first African American presidential candidate and according to his campaign speech, the only real hope for change. He's a frail man at best but eager to get himself on the same level as his supporters.

So what is a person to do? Well I'll tell you. Basically now all you have to do is watch as these two knuckleheads duke it out in verbally horrific television ads. Frankly I feel as though these elections have gotten quite out of hand. Is it really even about being a person elected by the people, for the people anymore? Or is it more about just winning? Looking at McCain it seems to be about winning. In one swift and completely unforeseen motion McCain gathered women of all ages and without warning got them to join his team without hesitation (I say team because really the way elections work is the person with the most voting team members wins). It was pure strategy and an amazing one at that.

But that appears to be what elections are these days; strategic movements to stun your opponent and to get people to join your team. Is that what they should be? I don't really think so. Shouldn't elections be the candidates voicing whom they are, what they plan to do and how they plan to do it? Of course we'd have to assume here that we live in a fact-and-truth-telling society. We know that isn't accurate because it takes Candidate #2 to point out Candidate #1's misleadings and vice versa.

Perhaps there in lies the problem (pun intended). We've become a society so consumed with winning, how we get to the end is unimportant anymore. We have TV shows like Survivor and Big Brother where the better lier you are, the more likely you are to win. We teach kids with movies like Election that it is better to destroy your opponent than to promote yourself.

So over time we have come to this; campaigns that are run strategically more like a game than like the election for our nation's leader. Even more so we end up with lives that revolve more around winning than actually living. Don't get me wrong, I like to win just as much as the next guy, but frankly I'd rather live honestly and in the moment. It's not about winning, but about making this life better for yourself and others.

So how will you vote come this November? Are you voting to be a winner or are you voting because you actually care to make a difference?

Slap me thrice and call me Slacker! I know I skipped the whole month of May with my extremely talented blogging skills, but let’s face it; I can’t just do what the rest of the world wants me to do. Unless of course I’m getting paid for it, then I don’t mind as much (unless of course it tramples on my moral beliefs which I seriously doubt blogging would do).

So what the crap has been going on the past month? Here’s the quick lo-down. Early in the month I got my hair cut then headed on down to MD for a friend’s party. It was great! We drank; I played Guitar Hero, what could be better? I then went to Rehoboth Beach to play in a volleyball tournament where I completely crapped out (I’ve been seriously considering early retirement), but hey, I got hit on in a bar by a dude. Nice to know if I stopped attracting women (ha! Like that will ever happen) I won’t fair too badly with the other team. Not that I'm planning on switching teams by the way. Then it was off to Buffalo, NY for a few days to work. The weather was nice at least. I had a couple birthdays to celebrate then. Following that, I chilled with my old neighbors (old as in used-to-be neighbors, not old as in old people old) and then rang in Memorial Day with the fam. I closed the month with another hair cut and another friend’s party in MD where I once again drank and played Guitar Hero. Again, it was great!

That my friends was my month of May. Hardly anything to gloat about, but it was probably more fun than say a root canal or child birth. Oh I also had a few thoughts this month as well. Consider this a bonus to this entry! I know, you can wipe that drool off your face now.

• How do one armed folk wash their hand?
• My Garmin GPS (aka Jill) currently knows when the sun is setting. Will she still be accurate come the year 9424?
• Also, if I went back in time to when GPS satellites were first launched would Jill still work? If so I’d impress the crap out of people!
• If the Brits are currently paying more than $8.50 a gallon for fuel, then why would any oil conglomerate think Americans couldn’t afford that?
• Not only can you not drive well when you’re having sex in the car in front of me, but it’s very distracting to me as well.

Curious about what kinds of things I contemplate throughout the day? Read on my friend!

You know how when you’re typing and you hold down a key, that character repeats quickly? An example of this would be holding down the backspace key to delete those last few words you typed. Ever wonder at what point does holding down a key become more efficient than hitting a key as fast as you can? Well I have.

After a few experiments I found I can quickly press the same key about 20 times in 3 seconds. That calculates to 6 2/3 presses per second, or a key press every .15 seconds. Not too shabby in my opinion. Now, I have my keyboard repeat rate set for Frickin’ Fast which “types” about 20 characters per seconds if I hold down a key, or a key press every .05 seconds. Yeah that puts my finger to shame, but the repeat delay is set for one tick shy of Short as Dani Devito which after several minutes of testing I calculated to be roughly a 1/2 second delay. This means that my keyboard does not repeat a key press like a mofo until half a second has passed with a key held down.

With all this data I came to the conclusion that if I need to type more than four of the same character in a row, theoretically it would be quicker to hold that character key down. Of course this is the real world and not Theoreticalville so holding down a key for ¾ of a second is going to be pretty cumbersome and will likely take up more time because I’d be forced to use more keys in order to fix the inaccuracy I’d get with holding down a key to get five characters out of it. But such is life I suppose.

Another January, another stretch of ridiculously warm temperatures. I'm starting to get tired of people claiming, "This is warmest January they remember!" Guess what? It was the same temperature last year, and the year before that and possibly even the year before that. Every year in January I get royally jacked because the weather is too warm for me to go snowboarding. This typically wouldn't bother me if I didn't buy a season pass for the current year at the end of the previous year. It's hard to drag yourself up to the mountain when there are 3 slopes open and the temperature is 66 degrees. But I might as well get used to it. I'm convinced that the days of large snows in Pennsylvania are over. With the increased rate of melting ice in the polar ice caps in addition to more and more man-made pollutants being released into the atmosphere, It's my belief that PA will eventually become an ideal temperature zone, sort of like San Diego, at least in the winter anyway. It'll still have hot summers, but even those seem to be on the decline. Overall I doubt too many people that aren't two-plankers or knuckle-draggers would mind the steady migration to a more temperate climate, but for the balance to remain, there needs to be other places that are more severely affected by global warming. Perhaps colder, crop destroying winters in the south, or maybe excruciating, life threatening heat near the equator. In my own opinion, I'd prefer to stick with the weather patterns of yesteryear where PA winters were cold and snowy, and the Earth functioned properly.

This entire universe seems to work in steps. Even Life doesn't appear to happen gradually. Take for instance your aging body. You go to bed one night feeling great, and you wake up the next morning and your back is in complete pain. There was nothing gradual about that. You went to bed, you were feeling good, you woke up unable to bend over. Sure you were sleeping, but take it from me, your back did not gradually get worse.

Okay, so maybe that was a bad example. The weather has been a good example of this lately. With global warming becoming more and more apparent, we have seen quite the change in seasonal weather over the years. It wasn't too long ago that PA winters were cold and snow was plentiful. Then one year, it became warm and rainy. There was no gradualness about it. One winter there was snow the next winter there wasn't.

Gradualness has it's own scales. Sometimes the step is more noticeable than others. Even on the smallest of all scales, time and even matter itself are not gradual. Planck units estimate the the smallest length to be about 1.62 x 10^-35 meters and the smallest unit of time to be around 5.39 x 10^-44 seconds. This means that our entire universe, including all its mass, energy (those are actually the same thing, but you should know that by now), and time is a step function. Sure the steps are infinitesimally small, but they are steps nonetheless and since the universe often times acts as an immense fractal, these steps are not only multiplied, but magnified. So it only makes sense that the macro-world we experience be perceived in steps. Our brains sort of work that way. The emotions, sensations and ideas we experience, they all just happen. They aren't really gradual at all. So next time you decided to sit back, take it all in and wonder why things aren't happening very gradually, just remember, nothing really happens gradually at all. Ever.

I've had a fair amount of things on my mind for the past few days. Some are rather important, other's are just things that pop into my head because I am some kind of erotic turbo-charged organic thought machine. While you don't get to know the important things, I will share with you my pointless thoughts. Aren't you just so darn lucky!

• Do blind people turn on the lights when they walk into a dark room at night? I mean it's just habit for me.
• Do cops get irritated when they get stuck behind someone that is driving exactly the speed limit? I do when I'm behind a cop.
• Will I ever pay less than $3 a gallon for gasoline ever again? Maybe when water becomes less than $1 a bottle.
• I've had my bedroom furniture for over 4 years now and I have never once changed the drawers my clothes are in. How is it that I still get confused between which drawer has my white t-shirts and which drawer has my gym shorts?
• Why does Scientific American charge you $35 to renew your magazine subscription, but only charges you $25 to get a new, gift subscription? Why would I ever renew when I can get myself a gift for $10 less? Stinks for those of you that already renewed this year I guess.
• Why are toilets in the over-sized handicap stalls always elevated, but sometimes the toilet paper dispenser is not? This only benefits the handicapped if they have freakishly long arms and/or extreme flexibility.
• Why doesn't Jay Leno just write his own monologue? Didn't he used to be a stand-up comedian? Oh what?? He still is???
• Does anybody other than myself actually say the term properly? It's Daylight Saving Time people! Not Savings!

I guess that's it for now. It's apparent that my thoughts get more and more lame as I continue to list them. Might as well stop there before I start listing stuff that just makes you think I'm a complete wacko. Mmmm, too late.

The American people are hypocrites I think. More exact, the people of Central Pennsylvania are hypocrites. Of course I'm just making a generalization here. Forgive me if I have incorrectly included you in my generalization, but for now you'll have to deal with it. Why do I think this way? It's simple really. People complain until the cows come home about energy costs and pollution, but when given the option of switching to clean, renewable energy, these same people go ape poop! Let me give you an example. Within the last few years Wind Power has become quite popular here in Central PA. We're in a prime location for it! Thanks to our geographic location, The Appalachian mountains, and U.S. weather patterns, the wind nearly blows constantly at many locations in this Commonwealth. Why not harness that naturally generated power? Years ago 6 giant wind turbines were built in Somerset County to generate power for countless people across this state (and possibly other states). In fact, one of my college professors paid extra per month to get that power pumped out to his home in Grantham, PA (because, unlike even Heaven, you know you can pick your energy provider here in PA, at least that's what the commercials used to portray) simply because it was clean, renewable energy. Within the last year, nearly 100 wind turbines were constructed on a mountain ridge not more than 20 miles from my home. In fact, on a clear, crisp evening you can see their tiny, distant silhouettes against the bright orange sky. It's really quite a site to see

In case you're new to this term, Renewable Energy, I'll explain it because it's simple really. Renewable Energy is energy that can be generated without harmful emissions, and frankly, will never cease to be generated by losing its source. Current energy technologies such as burning coal, and nuclear power all have ends in site. When we run out of nuclear fuels, or fossil fuels, we are out of power and out of luck. Who knows how many years we have left of that stuff, but I can tell you, it ain't long. Sure maybe our kids' kids will still use that power, but probably not much further than that. Enter Renewable Energy! Like its name states, it's renewable. Examples of this type of energy are solar cells, wind turbines, and water turbines. Obviously even these sources of energy have an end too, but the human race won't be around anymore to see the end of our Sun or water. Water turbines have been used for decades to generate electricity. The best example of these are dams like the Hoover Dam. There the natural flow of water turns giant turbines, generating electric current. Newer hydro-electric generation technologies are coming in the form of harnessing the power of oceanic waves, and hi-tech (and so far highly expensive) hydrogen extraction of water. Solar cells have also been around for years, but are still pretty expensive and rather inefficient. This brings us to wind energy. Pressure differences across the planet will aways exist causing the phenomenon we have all come to know as wind. Using the natural occurrence of atmospheric pressure differentials, we are able to spin giant turbines, some of which the wings easily stretch the length of an entire football field, to generate a whole crap load of electricity. The cost of these units is quite minuscule compared to a giant electric plant, and maintenance costs to keep the turbines functional are minimal as well.

So what do people have against these renewable forms of energy? Really stupid stuff like appearance, damage to the surrounding environment, and possible noise solution. In reality what it is coming down to is people not knowing enough about renewable energies in our environment, yet still trying to make decisions. Sort of sounds like your workplaces doesn't it? Well guess what, the whole country seems to operate this way! Unfortunately decisions aren't made based off fact, education and long term benefits, but are "more importantly" based off money, personal interest, and possibilities of instant gratifications. Thanks to the American people's decision making process wind turbine farm proposals across Bedford and Blair counties are being shut down because of our inability to base decisions off of fact. We just assume that since these are big machines, and near crucial water supplies that they will destroy said water supplies. So we hire expensive environmental engineers and consultants only to refuse to listen to them because of what they know is too different than what we think we know.

What point am I trying to make here? Support any local renewable energy plans that are proposed to your communities. Okay, so maybe a 100 wind turbine farm does not express beauty the same way as trees do, but they are quiet, and sort of have their own beauty. Plus if the government wants to build them on your property, they'll pay you for many many years to come. More importantly though is the fact that you'll be involved in the generation of clean, renewable energy that even your kids' kids' kids will be able to experience (that's your great grand kids by the way, and if you plan on being around to see them, you better start thinking of how to make this planet better for them and not how you, yourself can profit from it).

Love it, or hate it? That's the name of this game. Care to read on? Yeah you do.

HDTV - Love it! Even after months and months of viewing the same movies over and over, HDTV never gets tired, ugly, or old! Shoot I even watched In Her Shoes just because it was in HD.

Sirius Radio - Love it! My only complaint: when driving thru a wooded road in the summer, I lose the signal a lot. That and I also wish the music was less compressed. But hey, those are two small things a universe of greatness!

The Singing Bee - Hate it! The show has such great potential, but fails because it contains about 4 seconds worth of pure thought. The set looks like it took about 2 hours to put together and the way they chose contestants is just plain ridiculous. Good idea, bad planning. And honestly, can Mr. Backstreet be any more fake as a host?

The Weather - Hate it! It's hot, humid, and just down right miserable. If you're trying to get me to move south, you better come up with more of a conversation starter than, "Wow it's really hot here!" I'll take the mountains any day.

Guitar Hero - Love it! I haven't tried Rockin' the 80's yet mainly because the set list didn't look that great to me, but even after a month of playing Hard and still not being able to get thru all the songs, I'm still rockin' it like your parent's honeymoon night.

Lindsay Lohan's Arrest - Hate it! What truly baffles me is why Lindsay Lohan continues to drink her life away out in California when she could do the same here, with less consequences and be with me. It's just one of those things that will never make sense to me.

Campbell Brown's Move to CNN - Hate it! NBC really screwed up when they failed to make her the co-anchor on the weekday Today show. She's 10 times the news lady Katie Couric ever was and 10 times what Meredith Vieria ever will be. I wouldn't re-sign if I were her either. The up side here is that CNN may be giving Campbell her own show. Could this potentially be what gets me to watch CNN? The magic 8 ball says, "You know it bi-atch."

Possible X-Files 2 Movie - Love it! Come on now. Scully and Mulder back again on the big screen? What isn't to love there? So maybe it wouldn't be about The Conspiracy, but frankly I've been waiting for this since that last movie came out in 1998. I can't get enough of that show. Thank goodness it comes on everyday at 5PM. The only thing that could possibly be better is a Stargate 2 movie. But it would have to star Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter and MacGyver or else it's not really worth watching.

Picture this. You're sitting in the train station when a complete stranger sitting next to you lets out a monstrous sneeze throwing spit and snot half a mile through the air like an exploding car bomb. You turn to him with a courteous smile on your face and politely utter, "God bless you." If you were in some other English speaking country you might say, "Gesundheit" to the fellow. If you were in some Spanish speaking country you would state, "Salud." Frankly no matter what part of the world you were in, you would say something to the sneezer to wish him good health. My question is this: WHY!?

Why do we feel the need to say something to someone after he/she sneezes? We don't say anything to someone after they cough. Should we? Am I not being polite by not saying anything to my buddy when he's done hacking up a lung? Although if it were that bad I might ask if he's okay. But I certainly would not wish a blessing upon him or good health. Who ever started that fad for sneezing anyway? The Romans thousands of years ago? The Ancient Greeks perhaps? And why do we continue to do it today? I'm getting ready to start protesting this conception because it makes no sense whatsoever. And to top it off, Americans are too lazy to say the whole "God bless you" phrase so it has been truncated to "Bless you," but most people are still too lazy to even pronounce that properly so it has gotten slurred to "Bleshyou" which isn't even a flippin' word! Why is sneezing so special as to warrant a response from an observer? Think about it next time. Why do you do say anything (if you do)? Is that not one of the most idiotic habits or what? Although I still think it is polite for the sneezer to pardon himself afterwards. Just as he should do after coughing, burping or cutting the cheese. Ewe I hate cheese!

Let's be honest here. Those 272 friends you have there on your MySpace; how many of those people would you really consider to be "friends?" Not to insult those people on my MySpace friends list, but frankly not all of them I would consider true "friends." Some of them I've never even met before except online thru MySpace. Others I went to high school or college with and haven't seen since while others I met once at a wedding, or a group gathering, or may even be the friend or spouse of a friend. Now at the time of this post I have a mere 67 friends on my Myspace. I have even less on Facebook with a staggering 38 of which only one have I never met before (so consider yourself a decent, person-worthy-of-knowing if you can be found on either site).

So who are these people you're making friends with when that number is over 100, or 500 for that matter!? I don't even think I could name 500 people that I know! And the 50% of people that I do know probably don't even know how to find MySpace.com on the internet (sad I know) let alone spell it. So what are you really gaining by having 314 friends? Are your Friday nights better now that you "know" more people? Probably not because you're spending it and the rest of the weekend leaving comments and messages for all the people you've never even met! Why? Why would you ever do that? Is it in the hope that one day you will meet these people (half of which probably aren't even using their own picture [oh yeah, how can you miss those perky little breasts the girls like to flaunt])? You Facebookers go crazy over befriending every single person that went to your school! You don't even know most of them! Why?! Why are 12 year-olds wanting to create MySpace accounts? Call your friends on the phone, go play outside, do something other than stalk your other friends!! You're not old enough yet to not like people to the point of obsessive hate-stalking (usually that doesn't start until after college).

So the next time random Jane Doe friends (I can't believe that's used as a verb now [sort of like Google, but I refuse to use that as a verb, I still "search"]) you, think twice before accepting. I mean if you're truly interested in this person, by all means, use the internet's potential to the fullest, but if it's just so you can brag to your friends (real or virtual) about your new record high 997 friends, then honestly I think you may need to find something more constructive to do with your time. How about spelunking?

I don't understand why people on this mass we call a planet do the things that they do. If anyone could help me out with some answers here I'd greatly appreciate it!

• I don't understand why school buses stop on the train tracks and open their doors. Just about all train crossings these days have red flashing lights and drop gates if a train is coming. And if indeed the buses are stopping for safety, wouldn't it be more safe to get the bus the heck across the tracks just in case a train is coming instead of slowing, stopping, then continuing on?


• I don't understand why nurses and doctors continue to smoke. Grant it I don't know why anyone does it really, but these groups of people know more than anyone else what smoking can do to the human body.


• I don't understand why some pregnant women think that showing off their bare, full bodied stomachs, with a belly shirt is sexy or even remotely attractive. Yes I can see you're pregnant thru your clothing and frankly I think if any person finds a gigantic protruding navel even remotely close to being sexy, they need help.


• I don't understand why we have 4-way stop signed intersections. Why not just have two stops, and two yields, or a combination of stop-except-right-turns? On the same topic I don't understand why there are one lane bridges that tell both directions of traffic to yield to oncoming traffic?


• I don't understand why people should even have a choice of turning on or off their headlights while driving. What's so wrong with forcing the lights on when you put the car in drive?


• I don't understand why it's "so hard" to develop an online, internet voting application. You log on, supply your voting verification code (SSN or other unique number that only you should know) and cast your vote with the click of a mouse. Instant voting, instant results. And don't give me that security crap! Today, all I'd need around here to cast a presidential vote is someone's drivers license. And I bet I wouldn't even need that!


• I don't understand why we as an entire people refuse to rise up and help our fellow brothers or sisters when all we'd have to do is just give the slightest amount of money, or the smallest ounce of food, or the lightest article of clothing, or most importantly, the tiniest bit of time.


• I don't understand why there aren't more people that think up these same stupid questions that are in some kind of position to change things. Sort of makes you wonder what kind of people we have that are actually making this world operate the way it does.

I’m not exactly sure how I feel about older women sporting nose rings or studs. I was at Bed, Bath and Beyond the other day and the cashier that checked me out, err checked my items out, err assisted me with my purchase rather, was wearing a nose stud and was probably in her late thirties. Now my dad would probably knock me for considering her an “older woman” but let’s face it, late thirties is more than ten years older than I. Anywho, her nose stud caught me a little off guard. Now don’t get me wrong; I have some friends with nose studs although grant it they are roughly all my age and I don’t think they look bad. My thought on nose studs is this: the nose stud doesn’t make you more attractive, but it can be an enhancement if you are already attractive enough to pull it off. Makeup, for instance, can make someone more attractive. If you’re an ugly gal and apply some makeup, generally this will make you less ugly (unless of course you stink at applying makeup). If however you’re an ugly gal and decide to pierce your snot factory, you will not become less ugly. That’s just how it is.

So back to my original thought. Can older women pull off the nose ring or stud? Let me just clear something up right now. I’m not a fan of the ring. The stud is quite all right, but the actual ring, well it’s just makes you look like a bull. I think really only time will tell who can pull off the nose piercing. Right now I think it just looks weird for older women (and it always does and will for men) to show off their studs but as my generation gets older it will probably become more commonplace and less awkward looking. I do know this for sure though, any grandma with a giant piece of metal in her tongue will never ever look normal to me.

I don't even remember why I was writing this post to begin with. I really need more of a life here.

With how widespread and far-reaching the Internet is today, it has become easier and easier to express ourselves to the world thru various different mediums such as writings, pictures, and videos. As an inhabitant of this country, the Constitution protects my rights to free speech allowing me the liberty to express my opinion to whomever I choose (to a certain extent). It is becoming more and more frequent though for people to be punished in this country for speaking their mind. Why is this? Our opinions are no long just heard by a select few. It’s easy to control information when data flow is extremely limited. Now however, since the world is exposed to the Internet, the bottleneck and restrictions on the way communications used to be has been completely made over. As a blogger it is more apparent to me that I am being targeted because my opinion is heard not only by my small group of friends anymore but also by people around the globe that I don’t even know. People are reading about my thoughts on Life, The Workplace, people, religion, and anything and everything else. Honestly this is a dangerous thing. People’s opinions are dangerous. A lot of people don’t care to hear other’s opinions especially when it clashes with their own opinion or their lives (which makes me wonder why they choose to acknowledge other’s opinions in the first place). Take for instance these two girls that wrote about the Catholic Church on their personal blogs. They work for John Edwards on his campaign. Some supporters of the Catholic Church (and not of Edwards obviously) wanted these two girls fired for some opinions expressed on women in the church. As bloggers, that will only add fuel to their American Rights Fire. Edwards however decided to not fire to bloggers, instead accepting regrets written by the two women.

With so much of our country being run off of commercialism, any bad publicity has become grounds for punishment. How long will this continue on? If our constitutional rights continue to be baked over by commercialism and people’s hurt feelings, where does that leave us that just want to let other’s know what we think? Is there no place for expressing creativity and opinions in the country anymore? Yes lets all be mindless drones that agree with everyone else where nothing is accomplished and there is no need to change. Sounds like a wonderful place! Where do I sign up? Better yet, where’s the door?

You know what I think is stupid about Latin routed languages? It’s the fact that we have to have thirty million words that mean the same thing. In my opinion synonyms should be outlawed! If you hate something, you say you hate it, not be able to have options like abhor, detest, loath, dislike, and so on and so forth. Now I know what you’re thinking, “those words all have slightly different meanings.” Ah! Don’t give me that smut! The minor differences in definition of those words are completely negligible in my opinion. Now I don’t know a whole lot about pictogram languages such as Chinese, or ancient Egyptian, but it would seem that in such a language you wouldn’t have those kinds of redundancies. Ahh an efficient language: music to an engineer-programmer’s ear. If only human languages were as efficient as computer languages. Of course songs and poetry probably wouldn’t be too good if they couldn’t find the right word. That’s where we humans differ from computers I suppose. While computers calculate off of logic and logic alone, we humans have the ability to be creative and spontaneous, a concept that I don’t ever see a computer comprehending or demonstrating. Hopefully . . .