I have been tempted to post this for several days/weeks. I've managed to restrain myself, but I cannot any longer. Whenever I drive into the city, especially when going to South Philly, I take Penrose Avenue (knowing where this street is located is irrelevant to the rest of the post). On the one underpass, there are several signs which talk about the sale of the Inquirer. I can never remember the exact wording, but basically in large print the poster says that there is a special of two for $1.50. In a smaller print, it says that the price is 75 cents for a single copy.
This bothers me every time I see it. I'm constantly thinking there is something that I am just not getting about this (so if someone understands this, let me know) because it can't be that they are trying to make a special out of the cost of two papers. See, I understand that if you buy two you would get a discount, and I would not have a problem if this was the advertisement. However, it isn't. They are just advertising the price of two papers as a special. You don't save anything by buying two. So I just don't get it.
I usually pull up by these signs at a red light and the whole time I just stare at them and try to figure them out. It seems so simple to understand, but I can't comprehend that they are really trying to dupe Philly residents. So I think I must not be understanding, but I can figure out no way that this sign would make sense.
And this is really boggling my mind to no end...
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Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 30, 2005
Funny pics...
Found this online--hilarious
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Why does my coffee taste like crap?
Probably because it is made from Kopi Luwak coffee beans. "Would you pay $175 for a pound of coffee beans which had passed through the backside of a furry mammal in Indonesia?!?" I don't think I would
What the hell are Kopi Luwak coffee beans you might be asking? They are "rare and expensive, thanks to a unique taste and aroma enhanced by the digestive system of palm civets, nocturnal tree-climbing creatures about the size of a large house cat."
Yes, that was not a typo. Coffee beans are actually the seeds of a coffee cherry. In Indonesia, an animal called a Palm Civet lives (pictured on right). The Palm Civet eats the coffee cherry which gets digested. However, the coffee bean does not get digested by the Civet. Because of this, the Palm Civet relieves itself and the coffee beans are found in the droppings. The droppings are found near coffee plantations in Indonesia and after being "carefully cleaned and roasted," they are sold to buyers.
If anyone is interested, I'm now selling coffee beans that I haven't digested for only $125 a pound. Call me for order information.
Weird world...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
*article can be found here.
What the hell are Kopi Luwak coffee beans you might be asking? They are "rare and expensive, thanks to a unique taste and aroma enhanced by the digestive system of palm civets, nocturnal tree-climbing creatures about the size of a large house cat."
Yes, that was not a typo. Coffee beans are actually the seeds of a coffee cherry. In Indonesia, an animal called a Palm Civet lives (pictured on right). The Palm Civet eats the coffee cherry which gets digested. However, the coffee bean does not get digested by the Civet. Because of this, the Palm Civet relieves itself and the coffee beans are found in the droppings. The droppings are found near coffee plantations in Indonesia and after being "carefully cleaned and roasted," they are sold to buyers.
If anyone is interested, I'm now selling coffee beans that I haven't digested for only $125 a pound. Call me for order information.
Weird world...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
*article can be found here.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Burnt bridges
Since I haven't posted in a while, I figured I'd post several items tonight.
This last post is something that I've thought about a lot lately. You always hear, especially if you are in the communication industry, that you should never burn bridges. Outside of business relationships this is also true.
I've realized that there are some things that I've done in the past few years that at the time may have sounded like good ideas, but the repercussions aren't so great. There are several friends who I've 'burned' in various ways in the past and as a result my friendship with them has taken a drastic change. Some of them I've lost the entire friendship with, while others have just become distant friends. And both of these are hurtful. I've lost/diminished the friendship I had with some really close friends because of different things I've done to them. For me, who distinguishes between friends and acquaintances, this is a major issue. It just goes to show that every decision I make will have many consequences down the road, some intended and some unintended.
Maybe in a few years my current view will be wrong.
Reminiscing...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
This last post is something that I've thought about a lot lately. You always hear, especially if you are in the communication industry, that you should never burn bridges. Outside of business relationships this is also true.
I've realized that there are some things that I've done in the past few years that at the time may have sounded like good ideas, but the repercussions aren't so great. There are several friends who I've 'burned' in various ways in the past and as a result my friendship with them has taken a drastic change. Some of them I've lost the entire friendship with, while others have just become distant friends. And both of these are hurtful. I've lost/diminished the friendship I had with some really close friends because of different things I've done to them. For me, who distinguishes between friends and acquaintances, this is a major issue. It just goes to show that every decision I make will have many consequences down the road, some intended and some unintended.
Maybe in a few years my current view will be wrong.
Reminiscing...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Commercialization
For those of you who think holidays aren't too commercialized:
I went shopping on Monday to pick up a few things I'll need for a project I'm going to be starting. I went to Wal-mart and the very first thing I saw when I went in the door was items for Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day? This was December 26, only one day after Christmas. Could they not even wait for the new year to pass before pushing the next opportunity to buy expensive gifts in our face? It is completely ridiculous.
And for the record, as of the time of this post, there is only 361 shopping days until Christmas.
The joys of marketing...
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I went shopping on Monday to pick up a few things I'll need for a project I'm going to be starting. I went to Wal-mart and the very first thing I saw when I went in the door was items for Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day? This was December 26, only one day after Christmas. Could they not even wait for the new year to pass before pushing the next opportunity to buy expensive gifts in our face? It is completely ridiculous.
And for the record, as of the time of this post, there is only 361 shopping days until Christmas.
The joys of marketing...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Christmas revisited
My holiday weekend wasn't too bad. I went home Thursday evening after grabbing dinner with friends. Friday morning I was up early to go see the doctor and unfortunately, it's another 'slice and dice.'
Saturday I woke up at 330am to go help at Lancaster County Project for the Needy. While this is usually a great time, I didn't enjoy it as much as previous years. A lot of people were helped (about 1200 boxes of dinner materials were prepared), but, in a selfish manner, I thought there were too many volunteers. Basically, the weather was quite warm (later in the day it reached about 50 degrees) and instead of the usual 150 volunteers, I'd say that there were over 300. This meant that there was not a lot of work to be done. It was still rewarding, but it was more fun when I was constantly busy and feeling like I was making more of an impact.
Saturday night I exchanged gifts with my parents. They were the only person I actually bought presents for, and only because I had gotten them an authentic Indian peace pipe when I was out in New Mexico this past March. They got me a coffee maker and a spice rack of sorts (both of which I need---though I usually only cook with two spices).
Sunday I got up and went to pick up my sister and her kids and take them to my grandmothers. We exchanged presents with the whole family and I got to play with my niece and nephew, which is something I really enjoy doing. We also ate Christmas dinner over at my grandmothers.
That's pretty much the extent of what happened. I did notice that I always seem tired when I am at my parent's house. I know I tend to be lazy at times, but it's really bad at their house. I just have no energy and feel like sleeping all day. It culminated on Monday night when my eyes were so blurred/glazed over (so to speak) that I couldn't focus on anything/see anything even with my glasses on. Not sure what that's all about, but whatever.
Overall a decent holiday...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Saturday I woke up at 330am to go help at Lancaster County Project for the Needy. While this is usually a great time, I didn't enjoy it as much as previous years. A lot of people were helped (about 1200 boxes of dinner materials were prepared), but, in a selfish manner, I thought there were too many volunteers. Basically, the weather was quite warm (later in the day it reached about 50 degrees) and instead of the usual 150 volunteers, I'd say that there were over 300. This meant that there was not a lot of work to be done. It was still rewarding, but it was more fun when I was constantly busy and feeling like I was making more of an impact.
Saturday night I exchanged gifts with my parents. They were the only person I actually bought presents for, and only because I had gotten them an authentic Indian peace pipe when I was out in New Mexico this past March. They got me a coffee maker and a spice rack of sorts (both of which I need---though I usually only cook with two spices).
Sunday I got up and went to pick up my sister and her kids and take them to my grandmothers. We exchanged presents with the whole family and I got to play with my niece and nephew, which is something I really enjoy doing. We also ate Christmas dinner over at my grandmothers.
That's pretty much the extent of what happened. I did notice that I always seem tired when I am at my parent's house. I know I tend to be lazy at times, but it's really bad at their house. I just have no energy and feel like sleeping all day. It culminated on Monday night when my eyes were so blurred/glazed over (so to speak) that I couldn't focus on anything/see anything even with my glasses on. Not sure what that's all about, but whatever.
Overall a decent holiday...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Who knew?
So I am supposed to be packing to go back to Philly, but I just wanted to share. I was watching TV earlier today and for some reason looked at my hand. I realized that my thumb is the only digit on my hand that doesn't bend at two places (don't count where it attaches to my hand). For some reason, that just struck me as odd. The rest of my fingers bend at two places. Why is this? It can't be because of the size of my thumb because my thumb is the same size as my pinkie which has two bends.
I really don't know why this has stood out to me, but it has.
Confused...
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I really don't know why this has stood out to me, but it has.
Confused...
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DAMN >:o
I just had a long post typed up outlining my holiday weekend and including a rant or two, but this damn computer lost it>:o So this is the post for today
pissed off...
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pissed off...
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Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Is there no control?
Tonight I went to see King Kong (see previous post for more details on the night). We started by getting into major traffic since there was an accident on I-95 at Woodhaven Road (where the movie theater is at) which caused bumper-to-bumper all the way back to the Ben Franklin Bridge. If you're not familiar with Philadelphia, that's a good 10 miles or so of traffic. So we went a different way through the city and by the time we got to the movie theater, it was sold out. Luckily, there was another showing at 8:00 which wasn't listed online and we bought tickets.
The reason I'm bringing this up is that we went in the theater and sat down. I noticed there were several young kids behind us and since the theater was empty, I suggested that we move to the other end of the row. Instead, we decided to stay where we were. BIG MISTAKE. Now it's time to rant...
Why would you bring kids (maybe 7 years old and another looked at most 5) to a movie such as King Kong? It's rated PG-13 for a reason. While some kids mature faster than others, I highly doubt a 7 year old is close to a 13 year old. So the kids basically talked through out the entire movie. Yes, the entire 3 hour movie. At some points, they were even telling each other to cover their eyes because it was getting scary--I even jumped and squirmed at some things. Several times I turned around to 'shhh' them. Then, to make matters worse, the mother (I'm assuming it was at least one of the kids mother) left for about a 1/2 hour to talk on the phone. I know this because she finished the conversation while she was coming back up the stairs in the theater. It was just so damn annoying. How hard it is to control kids this age? Don't get me wrong, I love kids, but there is a time when they have to be quiet. And if they aren't, then leave. Why should they be allowed to ruin the movie for others? It's ridiculous. Furthermore, why take a 5 or 7 year old for this type of movie? It's absurd
On the same topic--the other night I was out eating dinner when someone started yelling. Turns out it was a kid (maybe 7-10) who was following around a younger kid who was still an infant. Next thing I know, the kids are running around the restaurant, dodging in and out between the servers and customers.
Honestly, how hard is it to control your kids? I know parenthood is a challenge, and I have respect for people who do it, but the least you can do is control your kids in places like restaurants and the movies. If you can't, then don't take them out. I never acted like these kids did. If I did, then I knew we wouldn't be going out for a long time.
Kids are great, but not providing a commentary to a movie or running an obstacle course while I'm eating my dinner. Some things in this world are in such a decline.
Confused by the lack of respect for others...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
The reason I'm bringing this up is that we went in the theater and sat down. I noticed there were several young kids behind us and since the theater was empty, I suggested that we move to the other end of the row. Instead, we decided to stay where we were. BIG MISTAKE. Now it's time to rant...
Why would you bring kids (maybe 7 years old and another looked at most 5) to a movie such as King Kong? It's rated PG-13 for a reason. While some kids mature faster than others, I highly doubt a 7 year old is close to a 13 year old. So the kids basically talked through out the entire movie. Yes, the entire 3 hour movie. At some points, they were even telling each other to cover their eyes because it was getting scary--I even jumped and squirmed at some things. Several times I turned around to 'shhh' them. Then, to make matters worse, the mother (I'm assuming it was at least one of the kids mother) left for about a 1/2 hour to talk on the phone. I know this because she finished the conversation while she was coming back up the stairs in the theater. It was just so damn annoying. How hard it is to control kids this age? Don't get me wrong, I love kids, but there is a time when they have to be quiet. And if they aren't, then leave. Why should they be allowed to ruin the movie for others? It's ridiculous. Furthermore, why take a 5 or 7 year old for this type of movie? It's absurd
On the same topic--the other night I was out eating dinner when someone started yelling. Turns out it was a kid (maybe 7-10) who was following around a younger kid who was still an infant. Next thing I know, the kids are running around the restaurant, dodging in and out between the servers and customers.
Honestly, how hard is it to control your kids? I know parenthood is a challenge, and I have respect for people who do it, but the least you can do is control your kids in places like restaurants and the movies. If you can't, then don't take them out. I never acted like these kids did. If I did, then I knew we wouldn't be going out for a long time.
Kids are great, but not providing a commentary to a movie or running an obstacle course while I'm eating my dinner. Some things in this world are in such a decline.
Confused by the lack of respect for others...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Monday, December 19, 2005
Flyers and a $10 night
Went to the Flyer's game tonight. It was a really good game, even though they lost. It went into overtime and then into a shootout, so that was cool to see. Plus it was my first hockey game which made it interesting. Did I also mention that there were 2 fights (same Flyer) in the first period?
Plan for the next few days. Tomorrow I'm going to wrap presents for Project DUFF, and then going for a $10 night. What is a $10 night? It starts with supper at Chik-fil-a, which is free (yeah, last November, we camped out on opening night & got free Chik-fil-a for a year). Dinner is followed by Movie Tuesday which is where you pay $4 and see any movie and you get FREE POPCORN (this is unheard of in today's world). Following the movie, most likely King Kong, we will be hitting up South Philly Tap Room for Temples, which are dollar drafts for Temple students. So figure I'll buy four of them, and tip 2 dollars.
Price of Chik-fil-a: Free
Price of Movie Tuesday (with popcorn): $4
Price of 4 Temples (plus tip): $6
The joy of getting a whole night of entertainment for $10: Priceless.
Oh yeah, I'm also going to the 76ers game on Wednesday night.
On a side note, I'm still getting messages from people I have drunk dialed on Saturday night. I was so drunk I even called myself. What a night.
Should be a good week...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Plan for the next few days. Tomorrow I'm going to wrap presents for Project DUFF, and then going for a $10 night. What is a $10 night? It starts with supper at Chik-fil-a, which is free (yeah, last November, we camped out on opening night & got free Chik-fil-a for a year). Dinner is followed by Movie Tuesday which is where you pay $4 and see any movie and you get FREE POPCORN (this is unheard of in today's world). Following the movie, most likely King Kong, we will be hitting up South Philly Tap Room for Temples, which are dollar drafts for Temple students. So figure I'll buy four of them, and tip 2 dollars.
Price of Chik-fil-a: Free
Price of Movie Tuesday (with popcorn): $4
Price of 4 Temples (plus tip): $6
The joy of getting a whole night of entertainment for $10: Priceless.
Oh yeah, I'm also going to the 76ers game on Wednesday night.
On a side note, I'm still getting messages from people I have drunk dialed on Saturday night. I was so drunk I even called myself. What a night.
Should be a good week...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Sunday, December 18, 2005
One down...7 more left
Anyone who tried to music lover's challenge, here are the answers. NOTE--the picture is an uncropped version which includes more detail on the left side of the picture.
One semester of law school is finished. Only seven more are left before I'm done with school. While there was a lot of work this semester, I really enjoyed everything. Well, ok..I didn't really enjoy getting locked in the library one night. But other than that, it was a good time. The research, while plentiful, was really fun to complete and I got great satisfaction knowing I accomplished what I did. Studying for finals was a real pain since I never actually studied for a final or test before in school. Yep, that's right, I never really studied for a final before. I just never had to. Sure I had some tough classes, but nothing that required huge study sessions.
Law school was different. There was so much material covered that it was impossible to not study. I managed to luck out and got involved with a great study group, and I credit this group with helping me do well on the exams (at least I think I did well--I'll know when grades come out).
All in all, it was a good semester and I'm ready for the next one. I'm not sure what area of law I am going to pursue, but I know that going to law school was a good decision.
While I may have a semester break until January 9th, I will be kept busy. The big thing for this upcoming week is to finish shopping for Project DUFF and then wrapping all the gifts.
oh, if you're reading this & got a drunk dial last night-my utmost apologies. I know I called a heck of a lot of people, but don't remember who or what I said (and I can't look through my phone history because I used about 4 or 5 different cell phones). And for the record, I never 'fell' in or into the tub.
Things are working out wonderfully...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
One semester of law school is finished. Only seven more are left before I'm done with school. While there was a lot of work this semester, I really enjoyed everything. Well, ok..I didn't really enjoy getting locked in the library one night. But other than that, it was a good time. The research, while plentiful, was really fun to complete and I got great satisfaction knowing I accomplished what I did. Studying for finals was a real pain since I never actually studied for a final or test before in school. Yep, that's right, I never really studied for a final before. I just never had to. Sure I had some tough classes, but nothing that required huge study sessions.
Law school was different. There was so much material covered that it was impossible to not study. I managed to luck out and got involved with a great study group, and I credit this group with helping me do well on the exams (at least I think I did well--I'll know when grades come out).
All in all, it was a good semester and I'm ready for the next one. I'm not sure what area of law I am going to pursue, but I know that going to law school was a good decision.
While I may have a semester break until January 9th, I will be kept busy. The big thing for this upcoming week is to finish shopping for Project DUFF and then wrapping all the gifts.
oh, if you're reading this & got a drunk dial last night-my utmost apologies. I know I called a heck of a lot of people, but don't remember who or what I said (and I can't look through my phone history because I used about 4 or 5 different cell phones). And for the record, I never 'fell' in or into the tub.
Things are working out wonderfully...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Friday, December 16, 2005
Torts
One more final tomorrow morning at 930 & then my first semester as a law student has come to a conclusion. While 3 weeks off sounds good, I have plenty of other work to occupy my time.
For anyone who is going to be aroudn Philly--big party here tomorrow night---I'm getting plastered in honor of finishing the semester.
Anxious & ready for it to be over...
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)^* !!& !)@ !)@
For anyone who is going to be aroudn Philly--big party here tomorrow night---I'm getting plastered in honor of finishing the semester.
Anxious & ready for it to be over...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Happy Holidays? I think so
For the first time in a long while, I'm actually enjoying the Christmas season. Yes, I do still think the holiday is over commercialized and no, I still don't believe in the religious backing to Christmas, but I'm enjoying it. The reason? Not only is Project DUFF exceeding my expectations, but my mom called today to tell me she was going to participate in 'Lancaster County Project For the Needy' with me.
For the last several years (since I was in high school), I've been going out on Christmas Eve morning at 5:00am to downtown Lancaster for LCPFN. Around that time, trucks start pulling up into the city square and all the people gathered begin unloading trucks. Meanwhile, a line slowly starts forming (some people have been in line all night). After about 20 or so trucks are unloaded (delivering everything from turkeys to milk to apples to roast pans to frozen vegetables to cranberry sauce) and the items separated, all the volunteers grab boxes (that other volunteers have made) and go through a long line filling the box with the materials needed for a Christmas Dinner. By the time the boxes are started to be given out at 8:00am, the line for the food has wrapped around the block. In all, over 1200 boxes with holiday dinners will be given out to needy families in Lancaster County.
Like I said, I've been doing this for years, but my mom is going to join me this year. That means a lot to me. Additionally, she told me she wants to go to a food kitchen on either Christmas Eve or on Christmas and help serve dinner. I did this one or two years and it's such a small effort, but means so much for the people we are helping. All of this, Project DUFF, the Lancaster County Project for the Needy, and the food kitchen is what is making this a great holiday for a change.
I think I found my reason for being here...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
For the last several years (since I was in high school), I've been going out on Christmas Eve morning at 5:00am to downtown Lancaster for LCPFN. Around that time, trucks start pulling up into the city square and all the people gathered begin unloading trucks. Meanwhile, a line slowly starts forming (some people have been in line all night). After about 20 or so trucks are unloaded (delivering everything from turkeys to milk to apples to roast pans to frozen vegetables to cranberry sauce) and the items separated, all the volunteers grab boxes (that other volunteers have made) and go through a long line filling the box with the materials needed for a Christmas Dinner. By the time the boxes are started to be given out at 8:00am, the line for the food has wrapped around the block. In all, over 1200 boxes with holiday dinners will be given out to needy families in Lancaster County.
Like I said, I've been doing this for years, but my mom is going to join me this year. That means a lot to me. Additionally, she told me she wants to go to a food kitchen on either Christmas Eve or on Christmas and help serve dinner. I did this one or two years and it's such a small effort, but means so much for the people we are helping. All of this, Project DUFF, the Lancaster County Project for the Needy, and the food kitchen is what is making this a great holiday for a change.
I think I found my reason for being here...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Living? Or merely existing?
To start with a more upbeat item--I saw Syriana tonight--it was ok, not the greatest movie I've ever seen, but I want to see it again before I make any final judgment (for the record, there were 14 people that left at various times through the movie and at least 3 who were snoring--including the guy right behind me). The reason it wasn't great was that there were so many characters, and plot lines, that at times it was hard to tell who each person was and how different people were related. Without knowing this, various parts of the movie didn't quite make sense. So I want to see it again and maybe it'll be better.
A good friend lost a family member today. So we got to talking, and he told me that it was for the better because the family member had "not been living for the past year, but merely existing." This stuck in my head, and it is a good distinction for several things. On one hand, it is a motivator. There are many times when I feel like I am only existing, and then when I think about how I'm going through life, I do something to put me back in the living category. (ok, I might not have used 'existing' and 'living' exactly, but it was the same concept)
This comment also made me think about the future--I don't want to live till the point when I am only existing. Medical advances have allowed people to live longer than they should be living--at what point do we make the determination of living and existing? A person could be kept 'alive' for any amount of time by being hooked up to machine (either of old age or caused by an injury), but is this living? I know I don't want that. It sounds bad, but I want to die while I am still living--I don't want to be so old that I am only existing.
The final thing this comment has me thinking about (and I really wish it didn't) is my father. I don't know what his final year or so was like. Was he living or just existing? I really don't know because I was too young to understand what was happening. When I think of my father, I often want to hate him for what he's put me through and for leaving me, but tonight, the comment above has me thinking that maybe he wasn't really living any more (yes, I know it's selfish to think of him in terms of how it affected me, but too bad). Maybe he had reached the point where his life changed from living to just existing. And if that is the case, I can't fault him for what happened. If I had been older, would I have seen that? Would I have seen that he wanted to stay for his family, but he had crossed the point of no return and would only remain with us in the state of existence? Maybe I really am selfish for thinking of myself and not figuring out how bad it was for him? What makes me any more important than him?
Too much of the wrong thinking in my head...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
A good friend lost a family member today. So we got to talking, and he told me that it was for the better because the family member had "not been living for the past year, but merely existing." This stuck in my head, and it is a good distinction for several things. On one hand, it is a motivator. There are many times when I feel like I am only existing, and then when I think about how I'm going through life, I do something to put me back in the living category. (ok, I might not have used 'existing' and 'living' exactly, but it was the same concept)
This comment also made me think about the future--I don't want to live till the point when I am only existing. Medical advances have allowed people to live longer than they should be living--at what point do we make the determination of living and existing? A person could be kept 'alive' for any amount of time by being hooked up to machine (either of old age or caused by an injury), but is this living? I know I don't want that. It sounds bad, but I want to die while I am still living--I don't want to be so old that I am only existing.
The final thing this comment has me thinking about (and I really wish it didn't) is my father. I don't know what his final year or so was like. Was he living or just existing? I really don't know because I was too young to understand what was happening. When I think of my father, I often want to hate him for what he's put me through and for leaving me, but tonight, the comment above has me thinking that maybe he wasn't really living any more (yes, I know it's selfish to think of him in terms of how it affected me, but too bad). Maybe he had reached the point where his life changed from living to just existing. And if that is the case, I can't fault him for what happened. If I had been older, would I have seen that? Would I have seen that he wanted to stay for his family, but he had crossed the point of no return and would only remain with us in the state of existence? Maybe I really am selfish for thinking of myself and not figuring out how bad it was for him? What makes me any more important than him?
Too much of the wrong thinking in my head...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Grammar with my twin
Yesterday I got the mail from the mailbox and noticed there was a postcard to the last person who lived her from a salon. Basically it was a flyer/coupons for the salon. The name of the salon? 'Excuse Me Who Style That?' (note, the company is listed as 'styled', but the flyer does not have the extra letter) What the hell kind of name is that? I don't profess to be the best grammatical speaker or writer, but that is absolutely horrible. It's no wonder that the children in this country, who will end up as our next leaders, are horrible in the English language. I mean, if there are places of business that are called 'Excuse Me Who Style That?' who is going to learn to use the English language correctly? I dunno what else to say about this...
On another note: I was sitting here doing work tonight when my phone starts ringing (maybe about 1030PM). It was my mom calling and when I answered, she asked me where I was. She sounded disappointed when I informed her I was at home doing work. The reason? My parents were watching the news at home and the news was doing live interviews from Philly bars about the Eagles loss tonight. My parents saw a guy right next to the man being interviewed and they were dead sure it was me. As we were talking, the screen went back to the same shot and they saw 'my twin' again and told me that yep, that looked just like me. How scary would that be? The world is not ready for two Duff's. Can you imagine if there was another person just like me? That's a scary thought--one Duff is a problem at times, but think how bad it would be with two of us. Though, I would have someone to blame all the bad things on...Interesting.
Side note--Project DUFF is getting better and better--thank you all for the donations.
that's all for tonight--weekend sucked because it was study, study, study, final, study, study, study. Oh well, only one more final and this term is over...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
On another note: I was sitting here doing work tonight when my phone starts ringing (maybe about 1030PM). It was my mom calling and when I answered, she asked me where I was. She sounded disappointed when I informed her I was at home doing work. The reason? My parents were watching the news at home and the news was doing live interviews from Philly bars about the Eagles loss tonight. My parents saw a guy right next to the man being interviewed and they were dead sure it was me. As we were talking, the screen went back to the same shot and they saw 'my twin' again and told me that yep, that looked just like me. How scary would that be? The world is not ready for two Duff's. Can you imagine if there was another person just like me? That's a scary thought--one Duff is a problem at times, but think how bad it would be with two of us. Though, I would have someone to blame all the bad things on...Interesting.
Side note--Project DUFF is getting better and better--thank you all for the donations.
that's all for tonight--weekend sucked because it was study, study, study, final, study, study, study. Oh well, only one more final and this term is over...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Heard on the radio
I was listening to the radio while driving at two different times today and heard two things that I took notice to.
The first thing I heard was on KYW-1060 news radio while on my way home from my final today. There was a news item about a company (maybe of German company) that has instituted a new policy on complaining. What? Someone is actually tired of hearing people complain? Now this is good. The policy basically states that you can complain once about something. However, if you complain a second time and you do not offer a suggestion on how to fix it, your job could be in jeopardy. Now, this isn't just complaining to management, but complaining in general. And it also does not apply to people whose opinions are used to safeguard a company (such as someone who complains to their boss about the company doing something illegal or doing something that is bad for the company). This mainly applies to people who complain for the sake of complaining. You all know who these people are--they are the people that complain non-stop. They complain about what others are doing, the tasks they are doing, the fact that so & so gets the better assignments, the procedure in which things are done, etc. We've all run into these people, some on a daily basis.
I actually like this idea. Not only should it cut down on the constant complainer, but the main thing is that you get in trouble if you don't offer suggestions on how to fix it. This is an important aspect of life. Everyone can complain that something isn't working, but not many people try to fix it. Granted, it usually is easier to just complain & let someone else correct it, but that sucks for the people in charge to be constantly changing these things because people won't shut up. So you get in trouble for complaining if you don't try to fix it--this is a great idea & should be adopted by other companies--how much more productive would a company be if instead of complaining about how dumb cover sheets are on TPS reports, an employee actually comes up with an idea on how to replace the cover sheet but still get the material that's on the sheet incorporated in the TPS report? This is a great policy for corporate America!
The second thing I heard was a commercial on a regular music channel (I might have been listening to country at the time). The commercial was for loans, I believe from Quicken Loans.
The commercial was encouraging people to apply for mortgages & even offered a $500 savings on any mortgage over $400,000! Now that's savings! If that was the end of the commercial, I still might have written about it, but that wasn't it. The last line of the commercial was something like "For the guy who has everything, get a Quicken Loan." The wording might have been different, but that was the basic idea. WTF?!? So for the guy who has everything, why not add on a little bit of debt? Hell, why not get him a few credit cards (maxed out from buying his presents of course) as stocking stuffers? This just goes to show the state of the world we live in. People are encouraged to get debt if you can't think of anything better. Can you imagine the conversation after Christmas when you go back to work?
"Hey, what did your wife get you for Christmas?"
"Since I'm the company president and already have everything I could ever imagine, she decided to treat me like the rest of world and give me some good ol' American debt. What a great wife--she's always thinking. I mean, what else depicts me as an American that having debt? She started me off small, but in a few years, I should be so high in debt that I'll stop answering the phone because it is a creditor calling--this is more American than apple pie!'
Ok, that's a bit extreme, but still. Who gets a loan for someone who has everything? Does a person with everything really need debt? Maybe Bill Gates should be asked--since you have 30-40 billion dollars, how would you feel if your wife got you debt for Christmas? It just seems ridiculous. Maybe I should ask for debt for Christmas--if you get debt when you're rich, then maybe by getting debt I can become rich (just like I'll be surrounded by all these hot girls if I drink a specific beer or soda). I could continue to rant forever, but I think the idea is pretty clear---this just boggles my mind--how is debt a gift at all?
Who knew radio could be so entertaining...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
The first thing I heard was on KYW-1060 news radio while on my way home from my final today. There was a news item about a company (maybe of German company) that has instituted a new policy on complaining. What? Someone is actually tired of hearing people complain? Now this is good. The policy basically states that you can complain once about something. However, if you complain a second time and you do not offer a suggestion on how to fix it, your job could be in jeopardy. Now, this isn't just complaining to management, but complaining in general. And it also does not apply to people whose opinions are used to safeguard a company (such as someone who complains to their boss about the company doing something illegal or doing something that is bad for the company). This mainly applies to people who complain for the sake of complaining. You all know who these people are--they are the people that complain non-stop. They complain about what others are doing, the tasks they are doing, the fact that so & so gets the better assignments, the procedure in which things are done, etc. We've all run into these people, some on a daily basis.
I actually like this idea. Not only should it cut down on the constant complainer, but the main thing is that you get in trouble if you don't offer suggestions on how to fix it. This is an important aspect of life. Everyone can complain that something isn't working, but not many people try to fix it. Granted, it usually is easier to just complain & let someone else correct it, but that sucks for the people in charge to be constantly changing these things because people won't shut up. So you get in trouble for complaining if you don't try to fix it--this is a great idea & should be adopted by other companies--how much more productive would a company be if instead of complaining about how dumb cover sheets are on TPS reports, an employee actually comes up with an idea on how to replace the cover sheet but still get the material that's on the sheet incorporated in the TPS report? This is a great policy for corporate America!
The second thing I heard was a commercial on a regular music channel (I might have been listening to country at the time). The commercial was for loans, I believe from Quicken Loans.
The commercial was encouraging people to apply for mortgages & even offered a $500 savings on any mortgage over $400,000! Now that's savings! If that was the end of the commercial, I still might have written about it, but that wasn't it. The last line of the commercial was something like "For the guy who has everything, get a Quicken Loan." The wording might have been different, but that was the basic idea. WTF?!? So for the guy who has everything, why not add on a little bit of debt? Hell, why not get him a few credit cards (maxed out from buying his presents of course) as stocking stuffers? This just goes to show the state of the world we live in. People are encouraged to get debt if you can't think of anything better. Can you imagine the conversation after Christmas when you go back to work?
"Hey, what did your wife get you for Christmas?"
"Since I'm the company president and already have everything I could ever imagine, she decided to treat me like the rest of world and give me some good ol' American debt. What a great wife--she's always thinking. I mean, what else depicts me as an American that having debt? She started me off small, but in a few years, I should be so high in debt that I'll stop answering the phone because it is a creditor calling--this is more American than apple pie!'
Ok, that's a bit extreme, but still. Who gets a loan for someone who has everything? Does a person with everything really need debt? Maybe Bill Gates should be asked--since you have 30-40 billion dollars, how would you feel if your wife got you debt for Christmas? It just seems ridiculous. Maybe I should ask for debt for Christmas--if you get debt when you're rich, then maybe by getting debt I can become rich (just like I'll be surrounded by all these hot girls if I drink a specific beer or soda). I could continue to rant forever, but I think the idea is pretty clear---this just boggles my mind--how is debt a gift at all?
Who knew radio could be so entertaining...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
One down...one to go
So I took my first law school final today. And suprisingly, I feel pretty good about it. There was 18 multiple choice questions and 1 essay with 2 questions incorporated. Now this may not seem like a lot, but with a three hour time limit, I only had about 10 minutes to spare. So it was a difficult test. I had studied so much that I feel good about the test now.
The teacher tried to mess everyone up, and she succeeded with some people. See, most teachers post their old exams online where students can look at them. So the study group that I've been working with has gone over the last three exams. The teacher only included the essay portion for everyone to view, not the multiple choice so we spent several hours for each essay from the last three years to get a good answer. All three essays dealt with personal jurisdiction. So, everyone assumed that personal jurisdiction would be on the essay this time. Well, it definitely wasn't. Instead, this essay dealt with subject matter jurisdiction (and while they both deal with jurisdiction--hence the names), the two are really different. Basically, subject matter jurisdiction deals with the issue of whether a federal court can hear a court case while personal jurisdiction is whether a specific state has the authority over the parties in the court case. So they are very different.
I feel good about the essay, though I do know that I messed up one part. In the one section of the US Code (which is needed to determine subject matter jurisdiction), there are three subletters (a, b, & c) that we use. Subletter b is only used in certain instances and the facts we were provided meant we did not need to use this section. However, I still talked about it & included it in my analysis. Is it a big deal? Fortunately, using this subletter did not change my overall answer, so there isn't a huge problem, but I'm sure I will lose points for using a section that I wasn't supposed to.
The multiple choice questions were absolutely brutal. We were allowed to have a rule book (which includes the Federal Rules for Civil Procedure) which meant that the questions were extremely specific and it was one of the tests where you pick the 'best' answer. This means there times where two answers seem right, but there is a 'best' answer. I know of at least 1 question I got wrong, but I still feel pretty good.
Before the exam (yesterday), everyone in my study group was worrying about the exam. I predicted it would be similar to when you were a small child & you did something wrong & you had to tell your parents what you did. Most of the time (at least for me) the anticipation of telling them was a heck of a lot worse than actually telling them. I predicted the test would be the same--the anticipation would be a lot worse than the test itself. And I think I was right.
All this crap about feeling good about the test is subject to change when we receive our grades however...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
The teacher tried to mess everyone up, and she succeeded with some people. See, most teachers post their old exams online where students can look at them. So the study group that I've been working with has gone over the last three exams. The teacher only included the essay portion for everyone to view, not the multiple choice so we spent several hours for each essay from the last three years to get a good answer. All three essays dealt with personal jurisdiction. So, everyone assumed that personal jurisdiction would be on the essay this time. Well, it definitely wasn't. Instead, this essay dealt with subject matter jurisdiction (and while they both deal with jurisdiction--hence the names), the two are really different. Basically, subject matter jurisdiction deals with the issue of whether a federal court can hear a court case while personal jurisdiction is whether a specific state has the authority over the parties in the court case. So they are very different.
I feel good about the essay, though I do know that I messed up one part. In the one section of the US Code (which is needed to determine subject matter jurisdiction), there are three subletters (a, b, & c) that we use. Subletter b is only used in certain instances and the facts we were provided meant we did not need to use this section. However, I still talked about it & included it in my analysis. Is it a big deal? Fortunately, using this subletter did not change my overall answer, so there isn't a huge problem, but I'm sure I will lose points for using a section that I wasn't supposed to.
The multiple choice questions were absolutely brutal. We were allowed to have a rule book (which includes the Federal Rules for Civil Procedure) which meant that the questions were extremely specific and it was one of the tests where you pick the 'best' answer. This means there times where two answers seem right, but there is a 'best' answer. I know of at least 1 question I got wrong, but I still feel pretty good.
Before the exam (yesterday), everyone in my study group was worrying about the exam. I predicted it would be similar to when you were a small child & you did something wrong & you had to tell your parents what you did. Most of the time (at least for me) the anticipation of telling them was a heck of a lot worse than actually telling them. I predicted the test would be the same--the anticipation would be a lot worse than the test itself. And I think I was right.
All this crap about feeling good about the test is subject to change when we receive our grades however...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Music Lovers Challenge
CAUTION this post can lead to a very addicting task--it's very clever, but highly addictive. CAUTION
If you are a music fan (need to know band and singer names) and need to procrastinate for a bit, check out this picture: http://www.oldschoolmp3.com/images/Music.jpg. There are 75 band/singer names in the picture, cleverly hidden. For example, one of the names is Smashng Pumpkins (get it, there is a guy that is smashing pumpkins). Another example is Matchbox 20 (there is the number 20 created by Matchboxes). I've now given you two names, and there is 73 left.
if anyone gets any more, let me know--i'm stumped...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
If you are a music fan (need to know band and singer names) and need to procrastinate for a bit, check out this picture: http://www.oldschoolmp3.com/images/Music.jpg. There are 75 band/singer names in the picture, cleverly hidden. For example, one of the names is Smashng Pumpkins (get it, there is a guy that is smashing pumpkins). Another example is Matchbox 20 (there is the number 20 created by Matchboxes). I've now given you two names, and there is 73 left.
Below is a list of the names I have found with the assistance of Jackie (she needed something to entertain herself)---the names are in white font, so highlight them if you wan to--i didn't want to ruin the fun if people wanted to do it by themselves---so far we have 48 (plus 7 maybes):
- Matchbox 20
- Smashing Pumpkins
- Sex Pistols
- Rolling Stones
- 50 Cent
- Alice in Chains
- White Snake
- U2
- The Eagles
- The B52s
- Gorillaz
- Led Zeplin
- Queen
- White Zombie
- Beach Boys
- Bush
- Nine Inch Nails
- Kiss
- The Police
- Phish
- Dead Kennedys
- Seal
- Guns & Roses
- Black Flag
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Hole
- BeeGees
- Eminem
- Green Day
- Blind Melon
- The Doors
- Lemonhead
- Black Crowes
- Prince
- Blur
- Garbage
- The Pixies
- Talking Heads
- Iron Maiden
- Korn
- RATT
- Manic Street Preachers
- Madonna
- Dinosaur, Jr.
- Radiohead
- Mountain
- Great White
- Cars
- Cranberries (in the box on the ground in front of the fruit cart
- Gin Blossoms (yellow flowers on teh back of the cart)
- Lovin Spoonful (the spoon)
- ManSun (the yellow guy)
- Presidents of the United States of America (the picture of Kennedy on the wall)
- The Monkees
- Village People (leaning against the subway stop--near the intersection)
if anyone gets any more, let me know--i'm stumped...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Great Day
So today was supposed to be spent doing work--either studying for a Civil Procedure final that's on Saturday or catching up on Phi Sigma Pi work that I have. But alas, that didn't quite happen. Instead, I spent almost all day reading a book. See, my parents had bought a book for me when I was home over thanksgiving break, but I hadn't opened it yet. So today I found it and was curious about it so I started reading it--BIG mistake. I spent all day reading this damn book (granted, it was a good book). I kept telling myself that the current chapter I was reading was the last, but then when I'd get to the end of the chapter, I'd be so engrossed, I'd just keep going and then tell myself the new chapter was the last. Well, I ended up reading the entire book today. So I got no work done....And I have no current book to read. I even ended up missing Alpha Lambda's chapter meeting because I was reading the book while taking a bath (had a tight muscle so I decided to soak for a bit--that turned into 1.5 hours since I couldn't stop reading).
So then I decided I was going to do work tonight--nope--I spent the last 2 hours doing stuff to this blog and surfing the internet. I always say I'm going to stop being a procrastinator, but I procrastinate on quitting procrastination. It's a never ending cycle.
Though I didn't really do anything all day, I'm in a great mood. For the second year, Project DUFF is going to be a success. So many people have been helping with purchasing items for these families & I am extremely grateful. Fraternity brothers, friends, and family are all contributing. Just like last year, I've told my family that instead of buying me any Christmas gifts, buy them for these families instead--I mean, sure there are things I could use, but allowing these children and families to have Christmas by foregoing on items that in the long run I don't really need (I have a place to stay, food, and clothing) is just too much of an opportunity that I can't pass up. There is so much wrong with the world these days, but helping out these families is one of the things I feel most proud about in my life--there is a long story as to why I started this project, but the end results are amazing. In fact, I just e-mailed my contact person asking if there is another family I can adopt due to the outpouring of help.
great mood, but feeling so unproductive right now...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
So then I decided I was going to do work tonight--nope--I spent the last 2 hours doing stuff to this blog and surfing the internet. I always say I'm going to stop being a procrastinator, but I procrastinate on quitting procrastination. It's a never ending cycle.
Though I didn't really do anything all day, I'm in a great mood. For the second year, Project DUFF is going to be a success. So many people have been helping with purchasing items for these families & I am extremely grateful. Fraternity brothers, friends, and family are all contributing. Just like last year, I've told my family that instead of buying me any Christmas gifts, buy them for these families instead--I mean, sure there are things I could use, but allowing these children and families to have Christmas by foregoing on items that in the long run I don't really need (I have a place to stay, food, and clothing) is just too much of an opportunity that I can't pass up. There is so much wrong with the world these days, but helping out these families is one of the things I feel most proud about in my life--there is a long story as to why I started this project, but the end results are amazing. In fact, I just e-mailed my contact person asking if there is another family I can adopt due to the outpouring of help.
great mood, but feeling so unproductive right now...
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
Monday, December 5, 2005
What's in a name?
Ok. Everyone else is doing these things, so I suppose I’ll join the crowd--what other thing can I do with my time? I mean really, its this or studying for my final and what kind of procrastinator would I be if I studied? So I created a blog
so if anyone is curious about the name of this blog, it can be blamed upon Mark, my landlord from the 'frontier.' Why does a landlord from a place I don't live anymore have any relation to my blog's name you might ask? well, it is sort of logical, in a way that only I could think. If I hadn't lived at the frontier, I wouldn’t have developed a strong dislike for Mark (I mean, who would like a landlord that blamed you for the room flooding because he never installed a sump pump?). And if I didn't have a strong dislike for Mark, I wouldn't have tried to screw him over by taking a refrigerator that was in the frontier when I moved in (nobody is really sure who it belongs to, only that it is not Mark's). This led to some heated discussions, and finally, Mark conceded and gave the refrigerator to me (he put masking tape with my name on the door).
Still you might wonder how this all relates. Well, as I was sitting here in my dining room trying to think of a name, I looked over at the refrigerator, and low & behold, the refrigerator is manufactured by
I didn't like journey, and thanks to the online thesaurus (www.bartleby.com), I came up with safari--I think safari sounds better.
SO...to make a long story short, my blog's alternative name is: "Synonym to Journey to Life's Refrigerator taken to spite Mark" --though that doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
)*# !!^ !)% !)* !)* )*$ !!$ !)! !)& !)& !)% !!) !)#,
)^* !!& !)@ !)@
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