Dinosaur Pedal Carts!

July 30th signifies a very special day. Is it a birthday? No. Is it the start of a festival? No. Is it even a long weekend? Nope! If you are dying to know, wait no longer! It is the opening day of....

The Edmonton Corn Maze!!

I never knew Edmonton had a giant corn maze, but we do! The site says it is approximately an average of an hour to get through the maze. After that, other attractions include some mini mazes, a "mountain of bale" to jump around on, and dinosaur pedal carts!! Actually, I'm pretty sure everything but the actual giant maze is lame because there are no other pictures. However, the designs and size of the actual maze is ... amazing... dammit I tried to think of another word to describe it...

The maze has been designed in the form of Ryan Smyth of the Edmonton Oilers and Ricky Ray of the Edmonton Eskimos. This year the current design is a nod to our new junior hockey team, the Oil Kings.

I think it would be neat to get in the maze, especially at dark, and try to navigate your way through. Anyways, just thought I'd put a post so if anyone is bored one day, we can head out to the 'ole corn maze... yeehaw!

A Day in the Life

I've been unable to come up with a blog topic I was comfortable with or something that could sustain itself for more than a few lines so stay a while and listen as I blog a typical day of my current summer life. Note that this day is really composed of various events that happened over a bunch of days, but its a little more interesting to pretend it all happened in one day.

0545/0600

I wake up and stumble out of bed. First thing I do is look for the newspaper to see if the sports section is in the mailbox, and... it isn't.

0615

Hey, the paper is here! I read the sports section in about 3 minutes and then go and get ready for a fun filled workday at the local landfill.

0628

I head out for the fun drive onto the Yellowhead highway. As I try to exit onto it, I see that no one is at a speed where they can merge properly. The cars are moving at about 30-40 kph while people are zooming around 80-90 kph. As I get nearer, I see the reason for this and its a huge rottweiler that apparently wants everyone to fail at merging and crash horrifically.

The fun continues as all of a sudden, traffic jams up on the two lanes where the speed limit is 100 kpm. Now, we are moving snail speed but we're still on a fricking highway. Nevertheless, a truck is riding my rear end hardcore, and at one point when I had a to suddenly brake, the truck had to swerve onto the shoulder of the road to avoid rear ending me. This delay was apparently because of some car rollover, but I didn't see it, as I was too busy trying to drive...

0700

Aah, I arrive at work to the fresh scent of compost in the air. I merrily drive over the somewhat fixed railroad tracks and note it is no longer a 6 railroad track long speed bump. The car has sustained no damage, yay!

Frick, the flat tire I thought was fixed on Friday is still flat. Its leaking and luckily a co worker notices it right away. The earlier the better, because it can take 2-3 hours for tire guy to get to your vehicle...

0715

I think our landscaping crew actually starts to do some work. We goto a plant bed and start picking out all the toxic weeds. The crew is responsible for keeping the landfill clean of litter (the landfill is only one part of the whole place really) and upkeep of all the trees, grass and plantlife. I think the reasoning behind this is to show the landfill is being environmentally responsible in terms of the litter control and upkeep of the area, and it proves to the public you can't just dump your garbage anywhere as the landfill is actually quite nice and clean.

0800

Is it break yet?? Its freaking hot... One of our coworkers decides to go back to the Ops building for something, and asks if we need anything from it. One girl says yeah, a jr. bacon cheeseburger delivered on a horse, and I ask for a dinosaur. Later when she gets back, she actually took the time to track down some paper and draw out our requests! In fact, my dinosaur was so big that several pieces of paper were stapled together. I proudly display it on one of the trees, but other crew members thought it was litter and wondered why no one took it down...

1030

Our first break is about over and we started on what I think is one of the most random tasks ever. Basically, the landfill takes in computer monitors and televisions which are to be recycled once a new facility is built (to be finished in the fall). In the meantime our crew has to store them away. We do this by building makeshift crates out of various 2 by 4's and pallettes that we can find in the woodpile. Then we hitch up the trailer filled with all the tv's and monitors and tetris these things into our makeshift crates. Thankfully, the majority of this task actually takes place in the shade.

1330

This is after lunch and we're done the task of building crates and jamming as many tv's and monitors them as possible. It has been estimated that they have collected about 10 thousand tv's and monitors. So now we face going back to the ever awesome task of pulling weeds. At this point, people are begging for other tasks like picking up litter with our poker sticks, or washing the trucks.

1500

Woohoo! Its hometime for me! Currently I work a 5 day 8 hour schedule, but that will change to a 4 day 10 hour schedule which means 3 day weekend! Yay!!

1502

Ahhh shit.. I hit a train.

1520

Yay, the train finally ends and I'm on my way home. Looking forward to the best part of the day, my nap before accounting class.

1745

I take a nap, than around this time get ready to goto NAIT. The class starts at 6:15 pm and goes 'till about 9:30pm. The instructor I have right now is pretty good, but he usually does not let us out early.

2000

We have our break and I reach another hilight of the day: Snack time! Usually I'll have something packed, like smokies!! Mmm... smokies

2130

At some point in this class, I can't help but clock watch. A minute seems like an eternity, and when its finally time to go, I can't fathom it. Its like I'm expecting it to be a trick, and that really the clock was set ahead an hour and I still have to sit in the class.

Some point in time

I get home, watch some sports hilights, make a sleep playlist and then goto bed. I'm not sure what time it is anymore, just that its time to make things go dark in the head for a little while...

Well it was an exciting day in the neverending battle of keeping the landfill clean. Be sure to stay tuned for death defying tales of mowing the lawn and suiting up for a treacherous stint of weed whacking!!

200th Post

Its number 200 and I wanted to do something special for this post... but eh... I got nothing.

But wait! This just in, I cleared conditional acceptance for the U of A. This fall I will be entering the School of Business at the University of Alberta. Nevermind that I originally got in two years ago, but picked a different program and had a bit of a long road to get there. My long term goal is to reach the Chartered Accountant designation. At the very earliest, thats 5 years. Not really going to get into it, except that it really doesn't seem that bad to me...

As for summer, it'll be fairly busy. I'll be playing floor hockey again! Thats going to be really fun and the team is full of people I don't know, so it'll be cool (or terrible) to meet new people. We've got a team lunch thingy, and who knows, maybe we can start up a pickup game of road hockey or something.

Also, this summer I picked up some seaon tickets for the Eskimos. I'm really pumped for that and can't wait to get to the first game. Jason Tucker is my favorite player because he just makes ridiculus circus catches routine. The apparent knock on him in the NFL was consistency, but maybe being in the CFL where there isn't as much hype lets him perform better.

Anyways, just really wanted a quick update. That really seems to be the bulk of my blog posts, but oh well, better than nothing I think. Heh, I should rename the blog that, "Better than Nothing!".

Transformers

Check out this thread for some really cool "would be" transfomers. Ever wondered what a Super Nintendo transformer would be like? Leaf through this!

Non Weekend-Update Weekend Update

I have no idea what to talk about really and thats why I haven't blogged in ages. Right now I'm forcing myself to update something, anything! The title refers to the attempt I made at trying to blog over the weekend, and it would have coincided with the youtube videos on the SNL skits Weekend Update (which I'll take down later on and replace with something else later on).

Anyways, just to update on what I've been up to. I'm working at the city where I get driven around to deliver city flyers. Hopefully when that is done there is an opening at a landscaping job they have. I'm also still working once a week at Sears as they're hurting for staff and could probably use someone for those busy Saturdays. It just keeps me productive when I would probably just sleep the day away.

I'm also taking an intermediate accounting course at NAIT right now in the evenings and it runs 6:15-9:30pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. It has been okay, but I think I messed up a bit on the midterm. That kinda sucks because it should have been all the stuff I knew. Oh well...

Its kinda nice to be so busy so that when I waste time, its okay, I'm "resting". Actually, I guess it doesn't really make it okay, but whatever! Actually, I've kinda been contemplating a "finance" blog where I could try to sum up a bit on what I've learned about investing, saving, and so on. Its been interesting to me and I kind of want to blog it, but it could end up being really boring. Well, if I don't get to it, the two magic sites are www.investopedia.com and www.stockhouse.com.

Problem Solving Worksheet

See Maggie's post on the problem solving worksheet. Now I will apply it.

Does "damn thing" work? No, window does not work

Did you fuck with it? Yes, I smashed it

Yep, I'm an idiot

Does anyone know? Yeah, although at the time no one saw me do it...

Can you blame someone else? I could, but than my brother would utterly hate me enough for three lifetimes

Which leads to: You Poor Bastard! I think thats too lenient, it should be more like you mega retarded shit for brains moron. Ah well

I apparently refuse to act my age!!

In Their Honour

Follow the link to see stories and tributes of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. Many friends and family have posted their comments and I think it is nice that CNN put this up. For all the attention the shooter has gotten and how his name and face will go down in infamy, its nice to commemorate the victims. Thats all that I'll post about the subject.

Fear the Feather Duster

The funniest thing I saw lately was the facebook group "My Chinese parents beat me with a feather duster" (Image above is from that group). The terrible memories conjured up by that thing is universal among Chinese childhood memories. It is so damn funny that somehow it is a cultural practice to beat your kids with a feather duster. Why the 'ole feather duster? Is it because provides the perfect blend of providing pain, but not to the point of serious injury? The other thing I've also heard is rulers, coat hangers, and anything else that was convenient...

Well, as humorous as it may be the various tales of kids running from the beatings, trying to hide the duster only get hit by something worst, and many other attempts to escape I always wondered if there are serious consequences. This article was somethig I quickly googled up. There are probably some better articles, but it gets the point across. It unfortunately doesn't have too much data or conclusions, but it cames out with some of the things I had always wondered.

All I know is I would be too worried about seriously injuring my child to strike them with anything. Then again, I say this now with a cool head. Maybe spanking in moderation is okay? Well, for myself I would never want to do it. The article mentions the argument "Hey I was spanked and I turned out okay", but that is probably a result of the other ways parents show love for the children. Imagine if those weren't there at all. Than beatings would seem exactly like that, as violent action. I've learned from my mom that sometimes a sharp voice and an unwavering stare can get a kid to back down.

This post does kind of build off the last one. I am a fan of agressive, violent action (MMA, hockey, football etc..) but I'm a firm believer that violence has no place in domestic home life. Hopefully my actions can be in line with that.

What Would You Do?

I was reading about the Parkland school strike when I also started reading about the recent debate of whether or not to ban fighting in the NHL. The debate about fighting in the NHL is kind of silly considering how much of an issue violence is in other aspects of life. This ended up in me wondering about a scenario in dealing with violence in the far future...

Imagine yourself in the future with a nice family, your own home, all that good stuff. You are happily married and a great job. One day you arrive home early from work and wait for the kids to come home from school. When your child finishes the big task of a schoolday in grade 5 and steps through the door you are horrified. Your child is crying and bloodied up. A bully has clearly beaten up your child. As far as you know, your child is pretty much average. Likes the typical kids movies, does well in classes except English, and plays regularily on the soccer team...

What would you do? Should your child fight back? Would you talk to the principal? Talk to the parents of the bully? What would you say in your talk?

And how do other factors such as gender play into this? I tried to keep it relatively gender neutralin this. Or at what point in school? What of their status in the hierchy of school?

I'm not exactly sure what I would do. I lean toward telling my kid to stand up for themselves. But I'm not sure how far, whether it be to tell them off, or to physically fight back. At what point would you get school authority figures involved? How long can you wait? How would you deal with the violence that happens like this?

"No Child Left Behind, No Child Leaps Forward"

Not really sure where this blog is going to go, but here it is...

Has anyone ever heard of the "No Child Left Behind Act"? It is an American act involving its public school system. The above link is from the U.S. Department of Education. Here is a wikipedia link. From what I've been able to gather, it seems like an act with the right intentions, using the right words, but in practice is stifling those it affects.

It basically states that it wants every child to reach a certain proficiency in their classes once they graduate. This is determined through standardized state testing that the students must go through. The goal is to have every student proficient (in core subjects? all? not too sure) by the year 2012 or something like that. This includes minority groups, low income, and disabled children. This is actually a noble idea however, in the end it reminds me of affirmative action. Its true that minorities etc.. get the shaft, but these programs seem to have difficulty taking action where it needs to be but ease at places where it may be a hindrance. Now schools must make sure that they have kids passing, and may even make the tests easier so as not to garner the attention of the higher ups. I've already read that they have increased the science and math portion, while cutting back on other things such as phys. ed.

Regarding testing, I found an interesting link on the U.S. Department of Education site. It lists at the bottom testing myths. After reading this I just had to go, huh?! The answers to those myths seem to be mislabelled "reality", as it is more in line with "in theory". They also didn't really give solid answers, but just seem to say "thats not true!" and moved on.

This leads me to the other big test, the I.Q. test. A long time ago, a psychologist wanted to be able to identify schoolchildren who may be developmentally challenged so resources could be directed to help them as early as possible. It wasn't about finding the smartest or the best, it was about finding who needs help. The problem is, once you found out who needed help, you then labelled them. Those who did really well must be smart, so obviously those who did poor must be the opposite, stupid. And once a label sticks to you, sometimes people go out to try and help you, or the label provides them other information so they can "deal" with you.

Another that I've seen is to hold teachers accountable. What a concept! For all the great, wonderful teachers, there are also some that should be fired but won't be unless there is gross misconduct. The flaw is that this is based on how their classes do on the exams. Clearly this may be unfair when for example they may teach classes with kids in a lower academic stream.

Now there are plenty of other critiques, but I won't put them here. I'll just say that at least the core of this act is to say, "right now our school systems need to get better" and I think that is a good step. But its not like there is a great need for American math scores to beat Japanese math scores at the grade 5 level. Hopefully they can keep tinkering with the act to get it right...

Thats all for now... oh yeah, if you're bored try this "I.Q." test from CBC. Although, it is clearly broken since I got a 111 while Maggie got 126... =P

Pie Charts Are Fun!

My introductory finance class has got me interested in, well finances. Currently, we have a that project involves examining a couple's cashflow. This then inspired me to take a look at my spending habits. In order to do this, I decided to take a look back at my bank statement. This goes back to near the end of October, to the end of January.

This method is quite flawed because I completely do not remember what I did with any cash that I didn't get through my bank account. Nevertheless, lets call those amounts bonus money or whatever. It wasn't really a lot (I hope), and I guess some were really just withdrawals. Another note is that my clothing expenses are happily subsized by the government of mom and dad. Also, note that eating expenses are lessened because there are packed lunches meals that are made with groceries. Groceries is not a part of my spending.

This following chart looks at spending and how it was allocated. I tried to minimize the number of categories for easy viewing. Now, food covers all of fast food, restaurants, and snacks. Interestingly, I thought I would have spent quite a bit at places like KFC, but it was more of a high frequency transaction then it was a high expense. Electronics refers to DVD's, CD's, and video games. This is after getting a new MP3 player.

Withdrawals are that, although I think a large portion of that went to food. Thats the most likely scenario. Sports spending refers to equipment and sporting goods/wear. I don't know what some of them were exactly, but its likely to be things like an Oilers hat or winter gloves. The rest of the categories are self explanatory.

So clearly, and its probably the same with most people, essentials like textbooks and bus pass take up the most. Its probably a good thing when these are the types of items that take up most of the spending.

This next one is the same, but without the category textbooks included.

I could have taken out bus pass, but I didn't think it was necessary. Now here, food shoots up as a high expense if you combine that with the likelihood that withdrawals mostly ended up as food. Food is probably still underrepresented because I can't account for a lot of other transactions.

Some conclusions: It would be very beneficial to set up a food budget. Its about trying to eliminte those impulses, but acknowledge that you want to eat out and allow for a reasonable amount. I thought the "recreational" expenses such as reading, electronics, sporting are fairly low. They add up to 35% which I don't think is too bad. This is a spending chart, so there is no comparison to how much was put away and saved on here.

While looking at these, I imagined comparing these to the expenses of someone living on their own. Obviously this chart doesn't compare, it really has no monthly bills whatsoever to speak of. Basically, the spending is still that of a carefree student. It is a privilege to live the way I do, and I should start shouldering more of the load as well as taking advantage of the fact that the costs of life haven't caught up to me yet. It is something I already know, but looking at these really brought it to my attention...

Its The Eye of the Tiger

Sometimes its amazing how people will take that shot at "something great" in their life, for something they love. Sometimes its their first shot, or it could be their very last. The physical, mental, or emotional risks can certainly be tremendous. In this post I will be using an extreme example. Although I'm certain everyone we know faces these kinds of chances I'll talk about something that recently happened that really stands out.

At age 43, Randy Couture exited retirement for one last shot. It was a decision that made people cringe, as he was reentering the sport of mixed martial arts (or "ultimate fighting"). His opponent? A 6 foot 8 inch, 265 pound 30 year old named Tim Sylvia that was the current heavyweight champion. Needless to say, the favorite was Sylvia. Despite being physically outmatched, Couture was able to defeat Sylvia without ever taking a serious punch. He proved all the naysayers completely wrong and gave everyone an unbelievable memory. Despite his age, his desire to compete allowed him to come back and shoot straight back to the top.

These things do not always work out. You do not always hear the stories where taking the chance backfired in the worst way. There is a realistic chance of being in over your head. Or maybe a higher chance of a freak occurrence. Again, using MMA as an example, Justin Eilers was a heavyweight who lucked into getting a title shot against Andre "The Pitbull" Arlovski. The result? Eilers suffered extensive injuries in this match, breaking both hands, his jaw, and tearing his ACL.

Eilers would subsequently leave the big leagues and fight in minor shows. His career at the top level is pretty much over. However, it could be argued that he can always say he stepped into the ring against someone few wanted to take on. Maybe all those injuries were worth the choice instead of possibly looking back years later and wondering, "what if?" It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and who knows, maybe he did understand fully that his career could end or significantly change from taking on a top fighter.

I just wanted to blog something about Randy Couture because this feat is absolutely amazing. No one expected him to come out and dominate. A few years ago, at age 39 he came in to defeat a top fighter in a lower weight class and everyone was amazed. When he did it again recently, well, he is certainly living up to his moniker "Captain America." Someone check and see if he is injected with the secret serum...

Music Explored

By the way, youtube is so awesome. Here is my youtube music link of the week! Its the Foo Fighters concert at Hyde Park in front of 85, 000 people. There is supposed to be a DVD of this but I haven't been able to find it at any stores here.

I read Dev's blog about music and thought I would post something. Music is interesting because of so many different things. Its amazing just how many different genres and sub genres are. Would it be possible to be listen to every single type of music out there?

Something I found interesting and that I remember reading is that it is the melody of the song that really hooks people in. Dev was even saying that the lyrics broken down without the melody have no meaning. This is what I think made bands like the Beatles endure. It wasn't really their lyrics or instrument playing early on, although these would improve immensely. They were able to come up with tons and tons of pop melodies. I think that is how during their "invasion" they managed to live up to their ridiculus hype, with their songs sounding different although admittedly saying the same thing. Maybe its me but it seems that now with bands their songs say the same thing and sound too similar melodically.

Music is also interesting because there is a lot of structure behind it. When I was looking up the lyrics to the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby (just listen to the song) I found this site which gives a bit of analysis on the song. When you click the link for further analysis, it really just stops making sense. It is kind of funny how art such as literature and music can be created so naturally by few and yet the best the rest can do is try to dissect it to some level of understanding.

As well, Dev mentioned how influential music is. Although nowadays its a full package. Its the music video, ideals of the artist, and what their supposed genre is supposed to be. When Guns 'n Roses (song is Civil War) exploded, hair metal was everywhere! And of course you cannot forget the riots associated with their concerts. So I guess when the songs you like are from gangster rap to drug addled rock stars you need to seperate the song from the artists.

Well, I guess thats it for this post. I managed to quickly talk about melody and thats really all I wanted to do. Last music link is going to relate back to the first link. Its yes, Everlong at Hyde Park for those that aren't going to look at the top link. Just imagine being in that place, 85, 000 strong. I could only imagine the atmosphere...

Face of a Franchise

Ryan Smyth has been traded.

For some reason, every time these trades happen in Edmonton its just as suprising as the last one. And the timing is just unbelievable as TSN even commented, who decided Mark Messier night should be on trade deadline day?? Although I was around when Doug Weight, Bill Guerin, and Curtis Joseph left, for some reason Ryan Smyth is just huge. Well, I guess it was that those three players were under the "Old NHL" where it was acknowledged that Edmonton couldn't afford him. But Ryan Smyth?

He is the old sports cliche the "heart and soul" of his team. He helped lead his team to within a game of reclaiming past glory. He has always been among the team's best player and is the best player this year.

The issue probably with negotiation was whether or not Ryan Smyth can be paid as the team's best player in a few years. Certainly most people feel it will be Hemsky... as well, with all the other contracts at the moment taking up budget...

I'm watching TSN and the reaction is just nuts. Last year the Oilers were getting the big news because they were on their big playoff run. Unfortunately, they're getting the big attention for the wrong reasons this year.

Random Stuff from Youtube

Wow, I found this really neat. Its an orchaestra band covering Green Day songs, but check out their movements as they are playing, its really neat.

Now, for some crazy guitar sound effects from Dragonforce (With a name like that, you have to take a look) check this out.

Finally, if you're bored, here is an episode called "Intramural Glory".

Will it Blend? And Other Random Shit From the Internet!

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you put lightbulbs in a blender? Well now you and I can stop turning and tossing at night pondering such a question! The answer can simply be found right here. Finally, life can continue on with some semblence of satisfaction.

I probably spend too much time on youtube and other stupid videos... oh well!

This comic from Penny Arcade is also awesome to the 'nth degree.

Oh this one is actually useful. Ever wonder how to sell your home? Comfree makes it easy as 1, 2, and 3!

And last one for the night, did anyone get to read this news story? Whats missing from this report is that she has been quoted as wearing diapers while driving to confront the other lady. The diapers are apparently something astronauts will use while lifting off and such. Anyways, she was wearing diapers while on her drive so that she didn't have to take bathroom breaks. Am I the only one who started imagining astronauts planning out how lazy they can be during the day? "Lets see, I can watch the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy if I set up my toothpaste meals on my let, and wear my diapers..."

Books

One of the things I wanted to get back into was more reading for this year. I've probably strayed a bit too far into sports books and now they all appear to be the same. So I want to get back into reading something with a bit more difficulty. Right now I'm reading Catch 22, having just finished The World According to Garp.

The World According to Garp was a very interesting book as it was all kinds of just plain old crazy (thats an oxymoron, because crazy isn't plain... or is it?). At the time I bought that book I actually thought in my mind, "there is no way I can make this a stand alone purchase. I should get that Bobby Orr book too." Anyways, once I got into it I was still thinking, "I can't believe I'm reading this!" It started to become a novel that I kept going because I wanted to know what happened next. There is one part I totally want to talk about, but it would be a spoiler for anyone who decides to check out the book. Its just completely twisted, disturbing, funny, and sad... I'll have to reread the whole thing sometime just to try and get things I may have missed the first time.

Catch 22 so far is really wacky. It makes me think of it as a precursor to Leslie Nielson type humour. Anyways, the book is set in the army and a catch 22 is this: If you are "crazy", you can ask to be shipped out because you are not fit to serve duty, however if you ask for such a request you have proven youself sane because you understand war is dangerous, and thus you then are fit to serve duty. So far the book seems to be introducing characters, and I have no idea where it is going.

The point of these books is to kind of get away from some of the action thriller type bestsellers. I'm not sure why The Da Vinci Code was loved so much, because to me it came off as a typical action thriller. I guess it just seemed to have a whole bunch of "smart" theories.

So now that I am on this kick, I was trying to think of what was my favorite book. It would actually be Champions: The Making of the Edmonton Oilers by Kevin Lowe and Stan Fischler. Its great because it gives some history of the Oilers, the WHA, and a look into the glory Oilers. There is a bit of irony, because as far as I know, Fishler was a quite the critic of Gretzky and slammed for the sake of it. I also have Peter Gzowski's The Game of Our Lives which chronicles the 1981 Oilers team. Now as for fiction books, it would probably be Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy.

I also think I should get a copy of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger as it is the book I did in high school that I guess opened up my mind. After that book I didn't see books or movies as media where "things should happen." It could be much more than that through uses of different storytelling techniques. It wasn't about the tough guy hero who could beat up all the bad guys in the end (although you can never replace Tony Jaa's Ong Bak). When I first read The Catcher in the Rye it was basically summed up as: three days of the guy complaining about stuff, and then he cries. Once things were explained a bit, I was forced to dig into the book and figure out what the author is trying to say and even what the author is saying without meaning to. This led to the book being pretty good, and I figure if you can understand a book, sometimes it can help you understand life a little bit. This is probably what they meant when they said they wanted to develop "Critical thinking skills." Except for the part where they mark you and tell you that you are wrong if you do it different (or just plain wrong...).

Thats pretty much it for this post, I guess I'll leave one question though. For the upcoming months, does anyone have any suggestions for good reads? Lemme know if you do.

Dang it!

Sigh, I put up a previous post and it looks like it didn't make it so now I am putting up this sentenc e to symbolize that an awesome blog was supposed to be here.

Rocky Balboa

Its the story of a blood and guts warrior, a man who takes an excruciating amount of physical and emotional damage. Its Rocky Balboa. With this movie, I think Sylvester Stallone is able to give his character the finale he deserves.

The character Rocky Balboa is based on a real life journyman boxer named Chuck Wepner. One night he was taking on one of the greatest heavyweight champions ever, Muhammad Ali (who of course, was inspiration for Apollo Creed). Now, Chuck was given absolutely no chance to win. As an indication of how good a boxer, or more appropriately what Chuck was known for, his nickname was the Bayonne Bleeder because he was cut so often. Not exactly the Itallion Stallion. Before the fight, all Wepner really wants to do is prove that he belongs.

During the bout with Ali, Wepner magically manages to knock him down. There is a funny quote where Wepner goes:"hey I knocked him down!".

Trainer: "sure, but now he looks real pissed off!"

And so Ali starts taking it to Wepner. Ali is actually known for extending his fights and adding additional punishment to his opponents instead of just ending the bout. Nevertheless, Wepner manages to make it to the 15th round before Ali unleashes and forces a TKO.

But enough about that. Rocky is the fundamental underdog story. It is a story thats uses boxing as a metaphor for getting up after being knocked down, and that when you finally got the opportunity to be with the champ, at the very least all you want to do is prove you belong there.

Quickie

Quick update for now...

Its funny how we percieve things while exams are running. Well, at least its what happens to me. Like when I'm trying to study, all of a sudden the room is just too damn cold. Or the the chair is too wooden. Or this table is too high. Oh, now my pen just doesn't have enough ink. You get the point, but anyways exams have ended and we're into the holiday season...

Anyways, what am I up to lately? Well, its been pretty much working at Sears and, some exercise, and sleeping. One thing I would like to get done during this holiday season is donate some of my old jackets and clothing away. I have just a load of stuff that I don't use and could definitely be put to better use. If anyone wants to also donate some of their older stuff, we'll see what places my family normally goes to and maybe do a quick run...