Really Texas, I don't think may people care if you secede from the Union.
After all of the election jazz seemed to be over Texas had to go and keep the whole thing alive. I read in the news and that over 75,000 citizens of Texas have filed a petition to secede from the Union as they don't like the way the federal government is heading. They feel that they can do a better job creating their own country and cutting all ties with the Federal Government of the United States of America.
Is that such a great idea Texas? Do those 75,000 people realize what it costs to establish a country? Well, just to list a few things, Texas will need to establish their own monetary system, military, loan systems for college aid, etc. It costs a lot of money to become completely independent from another country. Have you ever asked yourself why Canada and Australia are still associated with Great Britain? Well, it is just too expensive to become completely independent.
It is not happening for you Texas. And if it does, I am willing to bet that the majority of people who live in Texas will move back to the United States.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Five Thirty Eight
I would just like to take a little time out of my night to praise the insane genius of Nate Silver. Silver is a political blogger with the New York Times. He uses his blog entitled Five Thirty Eight (after the amount of electoral votes in U.S. elections) in order to showcase his predictions for the elections. By gathering information from all of the major political polls across the U.S. such as Gallup and PEW and weighting them based on their bias, Silver carves out accurate predictions about which candidate is most likely to be the victor.
Throughout the fall I followed Nate Silver's blog and found that following his no nonsense, unbiased and objective predictions for President, gave me comfort on election day. I knew, based on Nate Silver's predictions, that the probability of Obama winning was around 90% whereas Mitt Romney's probability was much lower at 9%. I cast my vote based on who I thought would do a better job leading the country, not swayed by Nate Silver's statistics.
When the election was over and almost all of the votes had been counted (as of right now they are still counting) I was not at all surprised that Obama won and laughed at every person on Facebook that was surprised when Romney lost. Nate Silver is a mathematical, logarithmic genius who pegged this election perfectly and who took the surprise out of the results of the election.
If everyone followed his blog the argument has been made that no one would vote. If everyone followed his blog, his blog would fail as his job would be immensely harder. People would look to him to predict the election and then decide not to vote because they would say their vote doesn't matter. It is good that Nate Silver has skeptics and that most people don't follow his Five Thirty Eight because that makes his job easier, people still vote when they think their candidate has a chance.
In this election cycle Silver pegged every state's electoral vote correctly and only missed one senate race which was decided by a few thousand votes. He is awesome and his blog is highly recommended for anyone who doesn't want to be surprised on election day.
Throughout the fall I followed Nate Silver's blog and found that following his no nonsense, unbiased and objective predictions for President, gave me comfort on election day. I knew, based on Nate Silver's predictions, that the probability of Obama winning was around 90% whereas Mitt Romney's probability was much lower at 9%. I cast my vote based on who I thought would do a better job leading the country, not swayed by Nate Silver's statistics.
When the election was over and almost all of the votes had been counted (as of right now they are still counting) I was not at all surprised that Obama won and laughed at every person on Facebook that was surprised when Romney lost. Nate Silver is a mathematical, logarithmic genius who pegged this election perfectly and who took the surprise out of the results of the election.
If everyone followed his blog the argument has been made that no one would vote. If everyone followed his blog, his blog would fail as his job would be immensely harder. People would look to him to predict the election and then decide not to vote because they would say their vote doesn't matter. It is good that Nate Silver has skeptics and that most people don't follow his Five Thirty Eight because that makes his job easier, people still vote when they think their candidate has a chance.
In this election cycle Silver pegged every state's electoral vote correctly and only missed one senate race which was decided by a few thousand votes. He is awesome and his blog is highly recommended for anyone who doesn't want to be surprised on election day.
That weird things that happen to you when your sister is a drug addict
Having a sister who loves drugs more than any human on the planet, I have noticed that some weird, strange things happen in my life that perhaps are not normal to the average individual.
Throughout the past six years here are some highlights of oddity within my life:
One time my sister's boyfriend who happens to be a lowly drug dealer who thinks he is a younger version of Eminem, thought I was dumb enough to drink a bottle of pee. Yes, pee. I awoke one fall afternoon to find a bottle of dehydrated pee colored Vitamin Water on my desk. What?!? Apparently my sister's boyfriend assumes that I am dumb enough to drink a suspicious bottle of disgustingly colored vitamin water that appeared mysteriously overnight. Did he think I would just be incredibly thirsty and want to indulge in some juice as soon as I woke up? I am not a big fan of Vitamin Water and I won't ever drink anything that looks remotely like urine, so this one was a fail Slim Shady.
As I have mentioned pee, another instance involving the bodily fluid has been dusted from my memory. Freshman year of college my sister was looking for a job, and being an avid pot smoker she was unable to pass a drug test. Instead of doing the logical thing and resisting from smoking a joint for 30 days, my sister asked me if I would pee in a cup and sell my urine to her. I said no. I am not about to sell myself for money, that is prostitution lady!
There have been some fairly strange occurrences at my house, but the weirdest happening to date occurred while my sister and her boyfriend accompanied my parents up north for a short weekend. As my father slept in the corner of the room filled with single beds, Slim Shady woke up, walked over to him, and began to pee...on my father. Needless to say my dad almost killed the kid. When does that happen ever! Its crazy.
Given my three examples, I have come to the conclusion that drug addicts have a strange correlation with urine. Wherever a drug addict resides, one must beware as urine may come up in a topic of conversation or end up on you. It is not pleasant.
Throughout the past six years here are some highlights of oddity within my life:
One time my sister's boyfriend who happens to be a lowly drug dealer who thinks he is a younger version of Eminem, thought I was dumb enough to drink a bottle of pee. Yes, pee. I awoke one fall afternoon to find a bottle of dehydrated pee colored Vitamin Water on my desk. What?!? Apparently my sister's boyfriend assumes that I am dumb enough to drink a suspicious bottle of disgustingly colored vitamin water that appeared mysteriously overnight. Did he think I would just be incredibly thirsty and want to indulge in some juice as soon as I woke up? I am not a big fan of Vitamin Water and I won't ever drink anything that looks remotely like urine, so this one was a fail Slim Shady.
There have been some fairly strange occurrences at my house, but the weirdest happening to date occurred while my sister and her boyfriend accompanied my parents up north for a short weekend. As my father slept in the corner of the room filled with single beds, Slim Shady woke up, walked over to him, and began to pee...on my father. Needless to say my dad almost killed the kid. When does that happen ever! Its crazy.
Given my three examples, I have come to the conclusion that drug addicts have a strange correlation with urine. Wherever a drug addict resides, one must beware as urine may come up in a topic of conversation or end up on you. It is not pleasant.
Thanksgiving Break at its finest
This Thanksgiving has been much less of a holiday and much more of a "spend all of your waking moments getting caught up on all of the things you didn't have time for during the week" kind of time. I find that every semester I start out with the greatest intentions of getting everything done on time and far in advance, but inevitable I always fall behind and procrastinate. This being my third year in college one would hope that I would have figured out by now how to manage my time effectively and start things in advance. Nope.
I always get behind...
...attempt to get caught up....
fail...
So, my Thanksgiving and Spring Breaks every year are filled with paper writing and excessive reading.
Perhaps you would like to know what my problem is, just why do I get so behind all of the time?
Here are some reasons:
1) Too much thinking. Yes it is a problem. I think too much about the assignments I need to complete instead of actually starting them and completing them in a timely manner. One time I spent three hours researching a topic for a paper that didn't even require research! I just got so cought up in the interesting facts and learning. Thought is a hard aspect to halt so unfortunately I believe I will be plagued it for the rest of my life.
2) I like to sit and do nothing after a hard day at school. Who wants to work on a paper after you have gone to class, work, class, work, student senate meetings, and snack runs for ten hours of your day? When I get home I veg out in front of the TV....sitting....doing nothing. It's a bad habit. I believe I need to get rid of the TV, but that is just such a hard relationship to end.
3) I love sleep. I know, when you are sleeping you aren't really doing anything, but it is sooo nice. Who doesn't love to cuddle up under a lovely, soft blanket and take a nap? Blissfull. I also tend to fall asleep when I am reading an incredibly dull book. That doesn't help with the completion of my homework either.
4) I simply don't care sometimes. Will this paper actually make a difference in my life? If a get a B in a class instead of an A will I really alter the course of my existence? Hmph. I don't think so. But I should care, after all learning is the point of college and papers and reading aid in the process. It is just hard sometimes to want to write a paper. I could be spending time with my family or my boyfriend.
The crazy truth is that I do care if I get an A in a class. Having the strength of achiever really gets me. I need to be the best and do my best in order to feel satisfied with myself.
...that is probably why I feel like such a failure this semester. I have been a crappy student with no motivation to turn things in on time.
I need to work on that.
I always get behind...
...attempt to get caught up....
fail...
So, my Thanksgiving and Spring Breaks every year are filled with paper writing and excessive reading.
Perhaps you would like to know what my problem is, just why do I get so behind all of the time?
Here are some reasons:
1) Too much thinking. Yes it is a problem. I think too much about the assignments I need to complete instead of actually starting them and completing them in a timely manner. One time I spent three hours researching a topic for a paper that didn't even require research! I just got so cought up in the interesting facts and learning. Thought is a hard aspect to halt so unfortunately I believe I will be plagued it for the rest of my life.
2) I like to sit and do nothing after a hard day at school. Who wants to work on a paper after you have gone to class, work, class, work, student senate meetings, and snack runs for ten hours of your day? When I get home I veg out in front of the TV....sitting....doing nothing. It's a bad habit. I believe I need to get rid of the TV, but that is just such a hard relationship to end.
3) I love sleep. I know, when you are sleeping you aren't really doing anything, but it is sooo nice. Who doesn't love to cuddle up under a lovely, soft blanket and take a nap? Blissfull. I also tend to fall asleep when I am reading an incredibly dull book. That doesn't help with the completion of my homework either.
4) I simply don't care sometimes. Will this paper actually make a difference in my life? If a get a B in a class instead of an A will I really alter the course of my existence? Hmph. I don't think so. But I should care, after all learning is the point of college and papers and reading aid in the process. It is just hard sometimes to want to write a paper. I could be spending time with my family or my boyfriend.
The crazy truth is that I do care if I get an A in a class. Having the strength of achiever really gets me. I need to be the best and do my best in order to feel satisfied with myself.
...that is probably why I feel like such a failure this semester. I have been a crappy student with no motivation to turn things in on time.
I need to work on that.
Modern Family, Always there for a good laugh.
Every Wednesday night Modern Family makes me chuckle for the
full 30 minutes that it airs. The three
intertwined families, Gloria and Jay Pritchard, Phil and Clair Dunphy, and
Mitchel Pritchard and Cameron Tucker portray the complicated, yet hysterical
lives of the modern day family.
This Wednesday, Gloria and Jay were
urged to go to parenting classes by Manny, Gloria’s 12-year-old son, in order
to prepare for the birth of their child.
Jay and Gloria’s relationship is an odd yet perfectly compatible. Gloria is about thirty years younger than Jay
and is a flaming hot Columbian while Jay is a 60 year old white man with two
grown children, Mitchell and Clair.
Phil and Clair find that it is time
to send their eldest daughter Hailey off to college. They pack up all of her stuff including a box
of 25 condoms, which Clair slips into Hailey’s purse to make sure that her
daughter is prepared.
Mitchell and Cam are forced this
week to set up a play date with two lesbians who are the complete opposite in
sexual orientation, but ironically similar in interests and
characteristics. The dynamic opposites
that the two couples face make for some laughable lesbian and gay stereotype
pokes. Cam and one of the lesbian mothers
through witty insults at one another throughout their play date, but in the end
they realize that they are similar in one aspect, they would do anything for
their children.
This short comedy is always filled with exaggerated looks into the lives of individuals within a crazy yet relatable family. There is never a dull or uneventful occasion within the half hour show. Modern Family does an excellent job at pulling the audience in and keeping them there. I have never met a person who has watched an episode been disappointed. It is simply exceptional and entertaining television.
I leave you with some of Phil
Dunphy’s life lessons which he passed on to his daughter via a leather bound
book on her first day of college.
Phil’s-osophy
If you get pulled over for speeding tell the policeman your
spouse has diarrhea.
Always look a man in the eye, even if he is blind tell him, “I
am looking you in the eye.”
You only get one change at a first impression. I suggest
Julia Child because it is easy to do. “Save the giblets.”
The most amazing things that can happen to a human being
will happen to you if you just lower your expectations.
Take a lesson from parakeets; if you ever feel lonely just
eat in front of a mirror.
Marry someone who looks sexy while disappointed.
You can tell a lot about a person from his biography.
Watch a sunrise at least once a day.
If you are ever in a jam, a crayon scrunched up under your
nose makes a good mustache.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Resident Evil: Retribution
Last Saturday, after supper at Applebees, I went and vegetated in the movie theater to Resident Evil:Retribution. After watching the first four films the series I couldn't pass up the opportunity to again witness gruesome, blood thirsty zombies being killed by the Alice, the protagonist of the series. To my great pleasure and amazement, there was a multitude of zombies and ass kicking.
Alice begins the movie in captivity of the Red Queen, a computer who is in charge of the Umbrella Corporation. The whole movie is based on her escape efforts from the underground operation. She travels through four different Umbrella Corporation simulations: Suburbia, Russia, Tokyo, New York. Each simulation has its own version of zombie death which Alice overcomes.
Being that this film was the fifth in a widely popular series I was not expecting to be disappointed. But, after being pleased by the initial killing of zombies I slowly became dissatisfied with the film. First off, the film was only 90 minutes long! How can one only produce 90 minutes of zombie killing escape efforts? It seems like there were so many opportunities to expand on Alice's history and build on anticipation for the next film but, the director did not take this opportunity. Instead I wasted 90 minutes of my life watching Alice escape from captivity, knowing all along that she was clearly going to make it because if Alice dies, so does the whole series.
After leaving the theater I was left wishing that that film had given me more for my money. It is definitely a renter.
Alice begins the movie in captivity of the Red Queen, a computer who is in charge of the Umbrella Corporation. The whole movie is based on her escape efforts from the underground operation. She travels through four different Umbrella Corporation simulations: Suburbia, Russia, Tokyo, New York. Each simulation has its own version of zombie death which Alice overcomes.
Being that this film was the fifth in a widely popular series I was not expecting to be disappointed. But, after being pleased by the initial killing of zombies I slowly became dissatisfied with the film. First off, the film was only 90 minutes long! How can one only produce 90 minutes of zombie killing escape efforts? It seems like there were so many opportunities to expand on Alice's history and build on anticipation for the next film but, the director did not take this opportunity. Instead I wasted 90 minutes of my life watching Alice escape from captivity, knowing all along that she was clearly going to make it because if Alice dies, so does the whole series.
After leaving the theater I was left wishing that that film had given me more for my money. It is definitely a renter.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Writing Process.
Ahhh the writing process. For me, the process usually starts at random moments when I have no access to paper or a computer. In writing this creative paper I had a myriad of ideas floating in my head at just the right time...while laying in bed, waiting to fall asleep. My best writing was not able to be documented because I was not prepared during the times in which my mind was working at its best.
I felt that I had a bunch of really awesome ideas for my paper and then, when I sat down at the computer, they all just left me. I definately spent a lot of time staring at a blank page. To get over the initial writers block I just started writing randomly and then ideas started to flow.
Writing this paper about the relationship between my sister and I was a struggle. I found it to be very emotional, begining to end. Writing this paper helped me to reflect on our relationship and the way I treat her. It allowed me to see our relationship from a different angle, giving me ideas as to how I can better our relations and change my ways.
I felt that I had a bunch of really awesome ideas for my paper and then, when I sat down at the computer, they all just left me. I definately spent a lot of time staring at a blank page. To get over the initial writers block I just started writing randomly and then ideas started to flow.
Writing this paper about the relationship between my sister and I was a struggle. I found it to be very emotional, begining to end. Writing this paper helped me to reflect on our relationship and the way I treat her. It allowed me to see our relationship from a different angle, giving me ideas as to how I can better our relations and change my ways.
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