Monday, September 05, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Love and Cat
The other night as I arrived home I noticed that under the porch light, among the usual numbers of moths, were two Praying Mantises. Normally I don’t make much of an audience for insects but this was different. I guess I subconsciously assumed that my chances of seeing a moth ferociously devoured by a creature equal in size were twice as likely. My math has never been very good.
After a minute or so it became apparent that the scary looking bugs were not interested in the moths. One was enthusiastically courting the other. I am embarrassed to say that this interested me even more – and not just because I am ultra-romantic or two weeks away from my wedding. I believe it was Ranger Rick who many years ago taught me that after it’s all said and done the female Praying Mantis rips off the male’s head and eats it or something. I don’t remember.
They were sort of fluttering around one another. The moths next to them seemed indifferent. And then one of the ugly green bugs lost his footing and fell to the ground. Before he had even the slightest chance to recover and properly fuel the gestation period of his potential offspring - Mafofa pounced. Game over.
Mafofa (pron: Mafooofa) means “feathers/fur” in Sotho. This ferocious little kitty was found alongside her brother Ben Kramer inside the dumpster at the fruit market. Weren’t we all?
I guess the moral of the story is that one man’s trash really is another man’s treasure…and never take relationship advice from a Praying Mantis.
After a minute or so it became apparent that the scary looking bugs were not interested in the moths. One was enthusiastically courting the other. I am embarrassed to say that this interested me even more – and not just because I am ultra-romantic or two weeks away from my wedding. I believe it was Ranger Rick who many years ago taught me that after it’s all said and done the female Praying Mantis rips off the male’s head and eats it or something. I don’t remember.
They were sort of fluttering around one another. The moths next to them seemed indifferent. And then one of the ugly green bugs lost his footing and fell to the ground. Before he had even the slightest chance to recover and properly fuel the gestation period of his potential offspring - Mafofa pounced. Game over.
Mafofa (pron: Mafooofa) means “feathers/fur” in Sotho. This ferocious little kitty was found alongside her brother Ben Kramer inside the dumpster at the fruit market. Weren’t we all?
I guess the moral of the story is that one man’s trash really is another man’s treasure…and never take relationship advice from a Praying Mantis.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
This blog is not relevant to any of my normal readers.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, no-gi grappling MMA etc. Is there anyone/anywhere/anything related to these sports in the Tzaneen area? Duiwelskloof? Limpopo? This post is actually just an attempt to link those sports and the city in one blog in hopes that one day some other poor soul Googles it. Email me if you know of anything or find a few friends and we can just start it up ourselves: terw0015 @ yahoo . com
Delete the spaces, duh.
Mark
Delete the spaces, duh.
Mark
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Kgaugelo is eating the monkey!
Here I am, sitting on a small mattress with pink Barbie princess sheets. I should note that it has a matching pillow case, which may be a first for me. There is also a cat staring at me as if he is baffled by my very existence. Don’t judge me cat.
In a few hours I will wander down the rocky sidewalk and into Sarah’s half-painted kitchen. If I play my cards right I will be greeted by half-eaten bowls of oatmeal and a floor covered in Corn Flake residue. If I am early I will be greeted by a bunch of 8-12 yr-olds that refer to me as dad, like hugs and lack a proper understanding of what one’s attitude should be like on a Monday morning.
This is my first blog as a father, thus I feel as if I should have something profound to say. Unfortunately I do not. (EDIT: take care of your kids). Instead I will try to give you a glimpse into what life is like for me.
There are a lot of us; twelve kids, two adults a few neighbors and a bunch of pets. We have kids from all sorts of varying circumstances; orphaned, neglected, the street etc.; kids who tell stories about how they used to spend their nights dangling from the roof while stuffed inside a potato sack and kids who may not truly believe that the guy who raped them was a bad guy. We have 12-year olds that wet the bed every night and a Great Dane that gets nervous around kittens. I guess it is only fitting that I will be part of the duo heading up this family. And yes, we do think of ourselves as a family, and no, I do not really know what I am doing.
Wake up, eat, school, homework, play, eat, bathe, story and sleep. That is our daily itinerary. It doesn’t really sound like something that inherently involves chaos, but it does. That will be a later message.
My main goal at the moment is just to continue to earn the trust of those around me. They all call me dad but I know that at this point it is more of a formality than a relationship. We grow closer every day. For some it is easy and for others it is not. For some of them the concept of “dad” is completely new and for others it may have connotations that we prefer not to think about. I will be working to change those - one day at a time. I've heard that people tend to view God as having the same characteristics that their father has. Gulp.
In order to work with orthotics or prosthetics (my degrees) I would need to get certified. I am hoping to hear back within a week or two on the next steps I would need to take (EDIT: I am either being aggressively ignored or they are on serious “African Time.” If that works out and one of the two places here is willing to sponsor my work visa then I will pursue that route as well. Despite spending the last four years in school for a specific career field, I am not too anxious about the thought that my paperwork is likely being used as a coaster somewhere. I already have a full-time job; it just doesn’t pay very well.
That’s all for now, you can expect a proper missionary update letter sometime soon. It will be a little more pious and maybe even have some bold-face-print or italics. I will try to get out a few blogs as well over the next few years.
The cat is now sleeping.
Love you guys,
Mark
In a few hours I will wander down the rocky sidewalk and into Sarah’s half-painted kitchen. If I play my cards right I will be greeted by half-eaten bowls of oatmeal and a floor covered in Corn Flake residue. If I am early I will be greeted by a bunch of 8-12 yr-olds that refer to me as dad, like hugs and lack a proper understanding of what one’s attitude should be like on a Monday morning.
This is my first blog as a father, thus I feel as if I should have something profound to say. Unfortunately I do not. (EDIT: take care of your kids). Instead I will try to give you a glimpse into what life is like for me.
There are a lot of us; twelve kids, two adults a few neighbors and a bunch of pets. We have kids from all sorts of varying circumstances; orphaned, neglected, the street etc.; kids who tell stories about how they used to spend their nights dangling from the roof while stuffed inside a potato sack and kids who may not truly believe that the guy who raped them was a bad guy. We have 12-year olds that wet the bed every night and a Great Dane that gets nervous around kittens. I guess it is only fitting that I will be part of the duo heading up this family. And yes, we do think of ourselves as a family, and no, I do not really know what I am doing.
Wake up, eat, school, homework, play, eat, bathe, story and sleep. That is our daily itinerary. It doesn’t really sound like something that inherently involves chaos, but it does. That will be a later message.
My main goal at the moment is just to continue to earn the trust of those around me. They all call me dad but I know that at this point it is more of a formality than a relationship. We grow closer every day. For some it is easy and for others it is not. For some of them the concept of “dad” is completely new and for others it may have connotations that we prefer not to think about. I will be working to change those - one day at a time. I've heard that people tend to view God as having the same characteristics that their father has. Gulp.
In order to work with orthotics or prosthetics (my degrees) I would need to get certified. I am hoping to hear back within a week or two on the next steps I would need to take (EDIT: I am either being aggressively ignored or they are on serious “African Time.” If that works out and one of the two places here is willing to sponsor my work visa then I will pursue that route as well. Despite spending the last four years in school for a specific career field, I am not too anxious about the thought that my paperwork is likely being used as a coaster somewhere. I already have a full-time job; it just doesn’t pay very well.
That’s all for now, you can expect a proper missionary update letter sometime soon. It will be a little more pious and maybe even have some bold-face-print or italics. I will try to get out a few blogs as well over the next few years.
The cat is now sleeping.
Love you guys,
Mark
Friday, December 19, 2008
New book/blog
Well, I have plans for a great novel. One that could easily be translated into a blockbuster! It deals with all sorts of typical movie themes all lumped into one. It also begins the transition of my blog from pointless text floating through cyberspace into genius. Yes, my blog is now genius.
So here is the basic outline. I am kind of thinking of this idea at the moment, so we'll see.
It begins with a pack of werewolves in central MN. We'll say Long Prairie. And they are typical werewolves except the problem they face is that after they spend a night under the full moon killing and eating cattle, they turn back into humans and find themselves out in the middle of nowhere, naked, and it's 0 degrees outside. I mean who has never been there before? So we will have different stories from the lens of the werewolves who must find out how to stop dying, the populace which is terrified from all these cattle killings as well as frozen naked corpses found in the middle of fields etc. And of course you have the sheriff (think Tommy Lee Jones) trying to put all the pieces together before he retires in 6 months. Oh, and just for fun I guess we might as well have one of the main werewolves head over heels for the sheriff's daughter who is helping him on the case.
So here is the basic outline. I am kind of thinking of this idea at the moment, so we'll see.
It begins with a pack of werewolves in central MN. We'll say Long Prairie. And they are typical werewolves except the problem they face is that after they spend a night under the full moon killing and eating cattle, they turn back into humans and find themselves out in the middle of nowhere, naked, and it's 0 degrees outside. I mean who has never been there before? So we will have different stories from the lens of the werewolves who must find out how to stop dying, the populace which is terrified from all these cattle killings as well as frozen naked corpses found in the middle of fields etc. And of course you have the sheriff (think Tommy Lee Jones) trying to put all the pieces together before he retires in 6 months. Oh, and just for fun I guess we might as well have one of the main werewolves head over heels for the sheriff's daughter who is helping him on the case.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Pop quiz
A Chicago guy. Graduated from Harvard. Very interested in politics. Half Kenyan, half white. Really liked by Mark. You guessed it. Tom Morello!
I was working yesterday, trying to find a way to kill time. We were listening to the radio and they said that TM would be at the Electric Fetus. My "client" didn't seem too interested in the idea and I didn't want to push it on him. But he eventually caved. TM would be playing a few songs and signing autographs for his show later that night. So we went and when we got our autographs TM says something like "hey, are you guys coming to the show?" We say no and then he asks us if we want to. We of course say yes and then he tells his right hand man or whoever to add us to the guest list. Then at the show we get a guy with a flashlight to escort us right up to the very front of the crowd. And I got paid the whole time...it was pretty cool
The thing I think makes him a really cool guitar player is not that he just rocks...which he does, but rather that I could listen to 5 seconds of any of his solos and immediately know who it is. Every rock band has a guitar player who launches into solos in every other song. But they all kind of sound the same. Maybe he just has a bad guitar or something and that is why it is so identifiable. I don't know. He also tears up the harmonica which I discovered last night.
I was working yesterday, trying to find a way to kill time. We were listening to the radio and they said that TM would be at the Electric Fetus. My "client" didn't seem too interested in the idea and I didn't want to push it on him. But he eventually caved. TM would be playing a few songs and signing autographs for his show later that night. So we went and when we got our autographs TM says something like "hey, are you guys coming to the show?" We say no and then he asks us if we want to. We of course say yes and then he tells his right hand man or whoever to add us to the guest list. Then at the show we get a guy with a flashlight to escort us right up to the very front of the crowd. And I got paid the whole time...it was pretty cool
The thing I think makes him a really cool guitar player is not that he just rocks...which he does, but rather that I could listen to 5 seconds of any of his solos and immediately know who it is. Every rock band has a guitar player who launches into solos in every other song. But they all kind of sound the same. Maybe he just has a bad guitar or something and that is why it is so identifiable. I don't know. He also tears up the harmonica which I discovered last night.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Self Defense Videos
There are a lot of them online. Some are really good. Some are really dumb. While I am not opposed to selling crap to suckers for their hard earned cash, I opposed to wearing a blackbelt and then telling poor little Harley how he can make a not so bad situation much worse for himself.
Yes Harley, when the bully grabs your shirt...just poke him in the belly with your fingers. I am sure he won't proceed to give you the beating of your life.
Yes Harley, when the bully grabs your shirt...just poke him in the belly with your fingers. I am sure he won't proceed to give you the beating of your life.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Dream Blog!
I missed the bus because I was picking corn. But imagined the corn would be fun to draw during recess.
-dream journal from last night.
I seem to be a pretty laid back guy, even in my dreams. I missed the bus? So what! I have this cool ear of corn that I am going to draw during recess. How am I going to get to recess if I missed the bus? Who cares!?!?! I have corn and I am excited about it.
Yes Mark, you are care-free, in touch with the environment, artistic, always looking forward to things...and irresponsible when it comes to school and punctuality. I should analyze dreams.
-dream journal from last night.
I seem to be a pretty laid back guy, even in my dreams. I missed the bus? So what! I have this cool ear of corn that I am going to draw during recess. How am I going to get to recess if I missed the bus? Who cares!?!?! I have corn and I am excited about it.
Yes Mark, you are care-free, in touch with the environment, artistic, always looking forward to things...and irresponsible when it comes to school and punctuality. I should analyze dreams.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Legalism blog
I've been thinking I should start (or convert this blog) a blog solely dedicated to legalism. But then I decided one probably already exists and is much better than I could ever do. Here is an excerpt I stumbled upon. Of course I don't know the context of everything and it is just a short paragraph, but anyway, these things always kind of irritate me:
When Short -Termers Conduct is an Embarrassment! Listen!
"Some members of a short-term team visited a local disco hall seeking entertainment. They took alcohol in public—a scandal for the local community. In another case, two members of the short-term team were smoking—an embarrassment to local believers and the host pastor. The two were also seen with local girls who made their living from prostitution. The host of this team said that with few exceptions, “they do not build relationships; they come for projects.” A pastor’s wife was puzzled that the short-term mission often turns out to be a vacation, which raises questions about the sincerity of some short-term missionaries. She asked, ‘Do they come here to do the holiday thing or do they come here to minister?”
Scandalous!
When Short -Termers Conduct is an Embarrassment! Listen!
"Some members of a short-term team visited a local disco hall seeking entertainment. They took alcohol in public—a scandal for the local community. In another case, two members of the short-term team were smoking—an embarrassment to local believers and the host pastor. The two were also seen with local girls who made their living from prostitution. The host of this team said that with few exceptions, “they do not build relationships; they come for projects.” A pastor’s wife was puzzled that the short-term mission often turns out to be a vacation, which raises questions about the sincerity of some short-term missionaries. She asked, ‘Do they come here to do the holiday thing or do they come here to minister?”
Scandalous!
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
I have Aspergers Syndrome
Maybe you think people with mental disabilities are unable, by definition, to properly diagnose themselves. But I bet to differ. I work with kids with Aspergers. Working with these kids has led me to conclude that either A. I have Aspergers or B. they are normal. What I am trying to say is their "problems" are the same that I have had. While Wikipedia offers several symptoms to define this condition, none of the kids exhibits any of them other than the avoidance of and uncomfortable feelings around people.
My mom said that she was worried that my teachers would think I was abused. I went to one day of basketball, cried and went home. I remember the first day of swimming lessons. I cried and went home. Karate didn't last long either. I peed my pants in kindergarten because I was too afraid to ask the teacher if I could go to the bathroom. My second grade report card said that I was getting so much better and that I found a friend to sit with on the steps during recess. I think the reason hockey lasted was because I got to wear a helmet or something...I don't know. Mom, if you can think of other embarrassing examples, feel free to share them.
Two of the kids aren't even as bad as I was. One is worse. So what's the point of this blog? I don't know. I was never told I had a disability, nor was I given any meds. Were I born in the metro area 15 years later, I would have been. It is frustrating working with these kids. Not so much because they frustrate me, but because their families do. One of the kids is allowed to play video games all his non-school and non-sleeping hours. One of the kid's parents monitors every single thing he does. Non of these kids have any friends. They aren't forced to do anything outside of their comfort zones.
Anyway, this blog comes after a frustrating two hour workday. The kid wouldn't shut off the computer, then he went nuts, spitting and breaking everything. I went home and my boss is now working.
My mom said that she was worried that my teachers would think I was abused. I went to one day of basketball, cried and went home. I remember the first day of swimming lessons. I cried and went home. Karate didn't last long either. I peed my pants in kindergarten because I was too afraid to ask the teacher if I could go to the bathroom. My second grade report card said that I was getting so much better and that I found a friend to sit with on the steps during recess. I think the reason hockey lasted was because I got to wear a helmet or something...I don't know. Mom, if you can think of other embarrassing examples, feel free to share them.
Two of the kids aren't even as bad as I was. One is worse. So what's the point of this blog? I don't know. I was never told I had a disability, nor was I given any meds. Were I born in the metro area 15 years later, I would have been. It is frustrating working with these kids. Not so much because they frustrate me, but because their families do. One of the kids is allowed to play video games all his non-school and non-sleeping hours. One of the kid's parents monitors every single thing he does. Non of these kids have any friends. They aren't forced to do anything outside of their comfort zones.
Anyway, this blog comes after a frustrating two hour workday. The kid wouldn't shut off the computer, then he went nuts, spitting and breaking everything. I went home and my boss is now working.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Boys and Reading
According to the Strib, boys don't read as much as girls.
The article focused on teachers trying to get boys to read more. Read it and let me know what your opinions are if you have any. I found it interesting for several reasons. One, I never read any books as a kid. I hated reading, to some extent I still do. But somehow I am able to read things at a normal level if not better. I don't know how this happened. It seems, at least for me, that learning and being able to read were very separated from the desire to read.
Another reason I found this interesting is that the Strib actually published an article about differences between boys and girls in school. It seems to me that our culture tends to tell us that gender plays no role in things such as this. Then the Strib went even further and sort of suggested that by incorporating sports etc. that it can encourage them to read. It's like something pulled straight out of the 50's!
Here are my theories, and you better leave yours.
I think boys in general are less interested in stories. It doesn't matter if it's about baseball, girls, bugs or guts. They just don't care about stories. Women like stories. There are lots of emotions in stories. Boys typically don't want anything to do with emotions.
Boys are adventurous. They like learning, it's just that a lot of what they want to learn about has nothing to do with whatever reading assignment they have in their bag.
If you gave a boys a bunch of chemicals, materials and an instruction manual on how to build a simple bomb, they without a doubt would (after their intuition failed) pick up the manual, read it, and then blow up some small animal that they learned how to trap from their boy scouts field manual.
So, to end this crappy blog, I will offer public school teachers my advice on how to get kids to read. Give them a constructive assignment that forces them to use their brain and somehow obtain relevant knowledge in order to proceed.
Or....tell them that they don't have to read, but if they don't they will grow up and most likely make much less than their reading counterparts. They will then wish they could read but won't have the motivation to learn. So, they better just learn to read now because if they don't they will be held back a year and all the older and bigger kids will think they are losers and probably kick the crap out of them at recess...while of course taunting them for being so stupid. Then they will be stupid, beat up, and on the road to poverty.
The End.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Amazon.com book reviewer of the year.
Mike A., if you haven't seen the blog of Jon Swift, I highly recommend it. Even though I don't know you so well I think for some reason you would like it. Colleen, maybe a little, Laura, not so much. Mom, I have no idea. And if you weren't mentioned, I'm sorry, maybe you should leave a comment once a month so I can better tailor my blogs to a specific audience.
Anyway, I stumbled onto this blogger site. And he has a blog dedicated to all his Amazon.com book comments (above link). He said he compiled them after Amazon started deleting them. I have actually been laughing out loud reading this, I never do that. Couple examples:
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
I think it's illegal to read this, January 19, 2006
I have not actually read this book and I believe, in fact, that it is illegal to read it, or soon will be.
Fight Back : Tackling Terrorism, Liddy Style by G. Gordon Liddy
2 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
Rational, commonsense ideas, February 17, 2006
I have not actually read this book but I'm sure Mr. Liddy has some rational, commonsense ideas for fighting terrorism. For example, one thing terrorists want to do is to instill fear and Mr. Liddy is an expert at that. To get over his fears he once cooked and ate a rat, climbed a tree in a thunderstorm and held his hand over an open flame until it burned his flesh. If all Americans followed Mr. Liddy's lead and did these simple things that anyone can do at home I don't think we would have to worry about terrorism anymore.
Anyway, I stumbled onto this blogger site. And he has a blog dedicated to all his Amazon.com book comments (above link). He said he compiled them after Amazon started deleting them. I have actually been laughing out loud reading this, I never do that. Couple examples:
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
I think it's illegal to read this, January 19, 2006
I have not actually read this book and I believe, in fact, that it is illegal to read it, or soon will be.
Fight Back : Tackling Terrorism, Liddy Style by G. Gordon Liddy
2 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
Rational, commonsense ideas, February 17, 2006
I have not actually read this book but I'm sure Mr. Liddy has some rational, commonsense ideas for fighting terrorism. For example, one thing terrorists want to do is to instill fear and Mr. Liddy is an expert at that. To get over his fears he once cooked and ate a rat, climbed a tree in a thunderstorm and held his hand over an open flame until it burned his flesh. If all Americans followed Mr. Liddy's lead and did these simple things that anyone can do at home I don't think we would have to worry about terrorism anymore.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
English teaching in Japan
My lessons were really nothing like this (warning, it's even awkward watching it by yourself).
Bad Case Of Diarrhea - Watch more free videos
Bad Case Of Diarrhea - Watch more free videos
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Enjoy your job
No doubt, some of you are reading this as you suffer through work...or maybe even the dreaded job search. It's important to remember that no matter how difficult it seems, life could always be worse.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Drums
I really like the drums. I can't play them but I wish I could. They are my favorite instrument. For this reason, bands like Tool are amongst my favorites even though I don't like much else about them. They have an awesome drummer. And what else could be cooler than taking an otherwise crappy song, adding drums to it, and making it cool?
Fortunately for my brain, I haven't been forced by some radio somewhere to hear this song over and over again. I didn't even realize the first time I heard it that Soulja Boy was some form of ebonics or something for Soldier Boy. I thought it had something to do with Soul and maybe Ja Rule. Who knows. Anyway. Turn it up and enjoy.
PS, I always kind of feel like an internet letdown when I see a youtube video that has been seen 6 million times before I've seen it. Oh well.
Fortunately for my brain, I haven't been forced by some radio somewhere to hear this song over and over again. I didn't even realize the first time I heard it that Soulja Boy was some form of ebonics or something for Soldier Boy. I thought it had something to do with Soul and maybe Ja Rule. Who knows. Anyway. Turn it up and enjoy.
PS, I always kind of feel like an internet letdown when I see a youtube video that has been seen 6 million times before I've seen it. Oh well.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Howler monkeys
I was scrolling through my old blogs from my Central America trip and I read about how howler monkeys were my new fav animal. I have told people this before but I of course can't reproduce the sound they make. They are soooo cool. I can't imagine what I would have thought had I heard them while I was alone and didn't know what they were. Turn up the sound and enjoy!
PS, this video is from Tikal, a place that I visited...that's cool I guess
PS, this video is from Tikal, a place that I visited...that's cool I guess
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Accidental racism
Lopez spills beans on baby
Now to me, just by the definition, there is no such thing as accidental racism. I just thought this headline was hilarious and I can't think of a better way of describing it.
Now to me, just by the definition, there is no such thing as accidental racism. I just thought this headline was hilarious and I can't think of a better way of describing it.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
We don't need no water
As of Tuesday, 18 of 23 wildfires in Southern California were completely under control, and the remainder were at least 70 percent contained, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fires are blamed for 14 deaths and charred more than 508,000 acres, destroying about 1,600 homes.
Instead of trying to control the fires...why don't they just let them burn? It seems like it is just a matter of time before all dead wood just burns, so why hold out until it all happens at once? And Buckweed? What is that? Sounds pretty useless. It just seems so weird that California has basically been on fire as long as I can remember. Maybe if they would stop using all this energy on preventing it, and at the same time harness all this potential energy...then they would have more energy *thank you* and thus less energy shortage problems.
And we put in zillions of dollars into anti-terrorist stuff securing this securing that etc. But an 8 year old kid can do all this damage, and by accident to. He should get a medal, I mean really, just think of all the damage he could do with just a little bad intent.
And out of curiosity, does anyone know if there are any other regions in the world that just happen to be perpetually burning (and no sarcasm)? Maybe some day I'll google it.
Last fire blog ever, promise.
Mark
The fires are blamed for 14 deaths and charred more than 508,000 acres, destroying about 1,600 homes.
Instead of trying to control the fires...why don't they just let them burn? It seems like it is just a matter of time before all dead wood just burns, so why hold out until it all happens at once? And Buckweed? What is that? Sounds pretty useless. It just seems so weird that California has basically been on fire as long as I can remember. Maybe if they would stop using all this energy on preventing it, and at the same time harness all this potential energy...then they would have more energy *thank you* and thus less energy shortage problems.
And we put in zillions of dollars into anti-terrorist stuff securing this securing that etc. But an 8 year old kid can do all this damage, and by accident to. He should get a medal, I mean really, just think of all the damage he could do with just a little bad intent.
And out of curiosity, does anyone know if there are any other regions in the world that just happen to be perpetually burning (and no sarcasm)? Maybe some day I'll google it.
Last fire blog ever, promise.
Mark
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Dating Services
I will be honest, I only thought of one of my friends when I saw this. I won't say who she is. I will only say...Colleen, if you ever find yourself on a date with one of these guys...just call me.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Politics in sports
Sorry that I always have to rip on the Strib. Well, actually this is more ripping on the UofM and I guess the Strib for bothering to publish it....then on me for bothering to blog about it. And since I am at Century now I can't access the story because I can't remember my password/username. Why do they make people log in to read the story? That is dumb. You have to become a member...but don't worry, it's free!!!! Well what's the point of that? I imagine it has something to do with the Patriot Act. Anyway, on to what inspired this in the first place.
U won't reconsider sports ban over 'Fighting Sioux'
A University of Minnesota policy discouraging the school's athletic teams from competing against the University of North Dakota in any sport except hockey will stand. Updated Oct. 10, 2007
So what they are saying is that the UofM, a DivI school, will not compete in any sports against ND, a DivII school, except for it's hockey program which is in DivI.
In similar news, my former HS has recently declared that it's football team will under no circumstances compete against ANY teams from the NFL, nor will it play against the Jr High powder puff team.
There should be a separation of sport and state. And what is so offensive about the Fighting Sioux? Is it because of the Sioux, fighting, or both? Well I will read the story tonight and maybe update/edit this post.
U won't reconsider sports ban over 'Fighting Sioux'
A University of Minnesota policy discouraging the school's athletic teams from competing against the University of North Dakota in any sport except hockey will stand. Updated Oct. 10, 2007
So what they are saying is that the UofM, a DivI school, will not compete in any sports against ND, a DivII school, except for it's hockey program which is in DivI.
In similar news, my former HS has recently declared that it's football team will under no circumstances compete against ANY teams from the NFL, nor will it play against the Jr High powder puff team.
There should be a separation of sport and state. And what is so offensive about the Fighting Sioux? Is it because of the Sioux, fighting, or both? Well I will read the story tonight and maybe update/edit this post.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
What do you look forward to?
I was recently, ok, 20 minutes ago, pondering what I look forward to. I look forward to a lot of things. Unfortunately, all these things are 5 years down the road. That is depressing. It probably explains why I can't seem to drag myself out of bed at 10:30am on a Thursday. I decided it is time I get some things in my life that I look forward to each day. I figured I would ask my two blog readers what they look forward to everyday. So what do you look forward to everyday? And don't say "Mark's next depressing blog." Ok, ready, go!
Friday, September 07, 2007
My tuition
Relatively speaking, my tuition is pretty cheap. Two days ago, in my prosthetics class we had a guest speaker. She inspired this blog. My frustration may have partially stemmed from the fact that I just wanted to do my work and not have to listen to her. But as she spoke, I began to disagree with everything she said more and more.
Committees. They wanted us to join committees. Apparently, the more members of our little orthotics/prosthetics club that are on these committees, the more leverage we have. The example was that if we have a problem with parking we should join the parking committee to lobby for more parking or something. I don't know nor do I care about parking. Really...walking from the back of the parking lot to your classroom isn't the biggest problem in school. Unfortunately they do not seem to have a committee with the purpose of eliminating pointless committees.
The tutoring center came next. Every kid knows they have a tutoring center. It's advertised all over the place. Why do they need to take the time to go around to each class explaining all the benefits of it. If you need help and are unaware that there is a tutoring center, then you have problems. And why is it even necessary to have a tutoring center in the first place. Why not eliminate the whole thing, eliminate the lady's job who told me about it and lower my tuition by $2. Maybe I wrote about this before, but there is a scholarship here for kids who did poorly in HS. Eliminate this. Stop letting kids into college with a 1.7 HS GPA and I would have to assume that the tutoring center would just disappear on its own. Ironically enough, there is no tutor for prosthetics...well there are tutors I guess, I call them classmates. Why she had to give her spiel in this class is even more befuddling.
Am I calling every person that's ever used the tutoring center an idiot? No. The option is there so if you need it then take it and you are smarter for doing so. But I think by forcing kids to use their text books, outside materials, form study groups and (ahhhhhghgh) go to class, they would only be strengthening their academic abilities.
I have used the tutoring center before. I can't say it was my last resort. I used it as a freshman at UMD for math because I didn't go to class. I also used it for my writing class. I just had them proofread my papers (journalism majors are good for something I guess). I used it once here for chem. Basically the only reason I ever used it was because it was easier to go there and have someone explain it than to read the book.
And yes, there is a diversity committee. I am thinking that by joining I will be increasing my chances at one of the diversity scholarships. The problem is that I am too lazy.
Committees. They wanted us to join committees. Apparently, the more members of our little orthotics/prosthetics club that are on these committees, the more leverage we have. The example was that if we have a problem with parking we should join the parking committee to lobby for more parking or something. I don't know nor do I care about parking. Really...walking from the back of the parking lot to your classroom isn't the biggest problem in school. Unfortunately they do not seem to have a committee with the purpose of eliminating pointless committees.
The tutoring center came next. Every kid knows they have a tutoring center. It's advertised all over the place. Why do they need to take the time to go around to each class explaining all the benefits of it. If you need help and are unaware that there is a tutoring center, then you have problems. And why is it even necessary to have a tutoring center in the first place. Why not eliminate the whole thing, eliminate the lady's job who told me about it and lower my tuition by $2. Maybe I wrote about this before, but there is a scholarship here for kids who did poorly in HS. Eliminate this. Stop letting kids into college with a 1.7 HS GPA and I would have to assume that the tutoring center would just disappear on its own. Ironically enough, there is no tutor for prosthetics...well there are tutors I guess, I call them classmates. Why she had to give her spiel in this class is even more befuddling.
Am I calling every person that's ever used the tutoring center an idiot? No. The option is there so if you need it then take it and you are smarter for doing so. But I think by forcing kids to use their text books, outside materials, form study groups and (ahhhhhghgh) go to class, they would only be strengthening their academic abilities.
I have used the tutoring center before. I can't say it was my last resort. I used it as a freshman at UMD for math because I didn't go to class. I also used it for my writing class. I just had them proofread my papers (journalism majors are good for something I guess). I used it once here for chem. Basically the only reason I ever used it was because it was easier to go there and have someone explain it than to read the book.
And yes, there is a diversity committee. I am thinking that by joining I will be increasing my chances at one of the diversity scholarships. The problem is that I am too lazy.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Colo. school bans tag on its playground
Thu Aug 30, 7:44 AM ET
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - An elementary school has banned tag on its playground after some children complained they were harassed or chased against their will.
"It causes a lot of conflict on the playground," said Cindy Fesgen, assistant principal of the Discovery Canyon Campus school.
Running games are still allowed as long as students don't chase each other, she said.
Fesgen said two parents complained to her about the ban but most parents and children didn't object.
In 2005, two elementary schools in the nearby Falcon School District did away with tag and similar games in favor of alternatives with less physical contact. School officials said the move encouraged more students to play games and helped reduce playground squabbles.
These things just baffle and to be honest kind of anger me. Here are a few more headlines/links from googling "school bans."
School Bans Talking at Lunch
School bans pigs stories
School Bans Hugging
Catholic School Bans Pro-life Speaker
School bans 'wrong race' hairstyle
School bans Christmas,but OK with Halloween
High school bans blogging
Va. middle school bans touching
School bans girl's 'virgin' ring
School bans Mother's Day cards
School Bans Sack Lunches, Baked Goods
Plano school bans Christmas Colors
L.I. School Bans Deaf Boy's 'Helper' Dog
Ok, that's all I have the patience to look up. I can see a kid complaining from something tag related. If someone is picking on you I guess it is natural and acceptable to complain. But I have a problem with parents complaining to teachers about tag related problems as well as schools solving these problems by banning tag. If someone were getting picked on during math class would it make sense to just ban math? Of course not. Although it might sound harsh to some, sometimes parents just need to tell their kids to get over it. Getting picked on or whatever is part of being in elementary, middle and high school (life in general I guess). Learning to handle it when they're young will just make it easier to handle when they are an adult and there is no authority figure to turn to...because it will still happen. If you start whining about it it will just get worse.
Well, there are tons of pages that came up. In short they mostly deal with T-shirts, ipods, anything related to Christianity, Harry Potter, myspace and more than a few dealing with what kind of food kids can bring in.
I remember my dad talking about how when he was a kid everyone played with knives at recess.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - An elementary school has banned tag on its playground after some children complained they were harassed or chased against their will.
"It causes a lot of conflict on the playground," said Cindy Fesgen, assistant principal of the Discovery Canyon Campus school.
Running games are still allowed as long as students don't chase each other, she said.
Fesgen said two parents complained to her about the ban but most parents and children didn't object.
In 2005, two elementary schools in the nearby Falcon School District did away with tag and similar games in favor of alternatives with less physical contact. School officials said the move encouraged more students to play games and helped reduce playground squabbles.
These things just baffle and to be honest kind of anger me. Here are a few more headlines/links from googling "school bans."
School Bans Talking at Lunch
School bans pigs stories
School Bans Hugging
Catholic School Bans Pro-life Speaker
School bans 'wrong race' hairstyle
School bans Christmas,but OK with Halloween
High school bans blogging
Va. middle school bans touching
School bans girl's 'virgin' ring
School bans Mother's Day cards
School Bans Sack Lunches, Baked Goods
Plano school bans Christmas Colors
L.I. School Bans Deaf Boy's 'Helper' Dog
Ok, that's all I have the patience to look up. I can see a kid complaining from something tag related. If someone is picking on you I guess it is natural and acceptable to complain. But I have a problem with parents complaining to teachers about tag related problems as well as schools solving these problems by banning tag. If someone were getting picked on during math class would it make sense to just ban math? Of course not. Although it might sound harsh to some, sometimes parents just need to tell their kids to get over it. Getting picked on or whatever is part of being in elementary, middle and high school (life in general I guess). Learning to handle it when they're young will just make it easier to handle when they are an adult and there is no authority figure to turn to...because it will still happen. If you start whining about it it will just get worse.
Well, there are tons of pages that came up. In short they mostly deal with T-shirts, ipods, anything related to Christianity, Harry Potter, myspace and more than a few dealing with what kind of food kids can bring in.
I remember my dad talking about how when he was a kid everyone played with knives at recess.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Post Peru Post
I just read an old portion of my blog from back when I was in Japan. I enjoyed the memories. Because of that I now feel obligated to write about my Peru trip. Well, I am going to give the headlines and hope I will still know what happened when I read this in 2 years. So Future Mark, I hope you understand this, and if you don't...I'm sorry. And for others who may be interested...you can ask me someday if you want.
Protest in Huanaco
Protest in Pucallpa
8 Hour bus ride to Huaraz with horrible movies blaring.
Bingo on the bus
Cool hostels...one for 3 bucks. The last person before me signed in months before I did.
Ice climbing, hiking, rock climbing.
Nasty bug bites
Spending a week in central Lima...booooring.
Pucallpa...
Playing with all these kids.
Learning espanol...or trying
The police closing down all the streets so cars can race on the main street.
Going to the races only to see nothing but dust for two hours and going home.
Some nice old lady convincing me to hang out with her son.
Hanging out with her son and 10 or so of his super gay friends and listening to them talk about fashion and asking me if I were OK being there.
Motocross and heat
Volleyball
Catching the cell phone thief after he took pics of himself with my cam phone.
Kids using my Ipod and messing with every possible option that it has.
Me getting pissed about it.
Lobo suffering in the heat.
Protest in Huanaco
Protest in Pucallpa
8 Hour bus ride to Huaraz with horrible movies blaring.
Bingo on the bus
Cool hostels...one for 3 bucks. The last person before me signed in months before I did.
Ice climbing, hiking, rock climbing.
Nasty bug bites
Spending a week in central Lima...booooring.
Pucallpa...
Playing with all these kids.
Learning espanol...or trying
The police closing down all the streets so cars can race on the main street.
Going to the races only to see nothing but dust for two hours and going home.
Some nice old lady convincing me to hang out with her son.
Hanging out with her son and 10 or so of his super gay friends and listening to them talk about fashion and asking me if I were OK being there.
Motocross and heat
Volleyball
Catching the cell phone thief after he took pics of himself with my cam phone.
Kids using my Ipod and messing with every possible option that it has.
Me getting pissed about it.
Lobo suffering in the heat.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Back from Peru
I am back from Peru. It was awesome. I start school on Monday which means classes from 7:30 to 5 with a break from 9-1 and plenty of time to blog about nothing. During my time in Peru I had all these things I needed to get out of me. Of course I can't remember any of them now. A few I can think of are
Airlines. I think I complain about these after every trip, but I'm not sure. I know I spend hours thinking about complaining about them.
Legalism.
Stupid warnings/additional info on consumer products. I see one as I type this. From the DVD main menu "Subtitles (for the hearing impaired)"
Airlines. I think I complain about these after every trip, but I'm not sure. I know I spend hours thinking about complaining about them.
Legalism.
Stupid warnings/additional info on consumer products. I see one as I type this. From the DVD main menu "Subtitles (for the hearing impaired)"
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Thoughts
These are just a few random thoughts that ran through my head today:
It is amazing how much coverage is given to Paris Hilton by the TV news. I just turned on the TV for a couple secs and was watching Nancy Grace. I don't normally watch her and I only really know of her name because people always make fun of her. To sum up the few seconds of what I saw:
Paris Hilton went to court
Her hair didn't look very good
They reported on how simple her clothes were
And they said she looked sad
I went to Applebees with my fam in the late evening. The sun was setting and shining in the eyes of everyone facing that direction. It was at an angle so that it came through the window one booth over. Everyone asked the waiter if he could shut the shades in the appropriate booth, he then did so. I just find it odd that no one simply asks the people sitting one booth over if they can just shut the shades. My mother, being the caring person she is, wanted to shut our shade because the light was shining in the eyes of the people behind me. I decided it would be a good idea not to because I think they should ask us...or the waiter. I'm just mean like that. The waiter has plenty of other things to do. Simply flagging him down is more work than just asking the other patrons. Yet people often take this route anyway. This may or may not be a cultural thing, but I find it odd either way.
While this is a very simple example I think it sums up the habits of a lot of people in general. People often go way out of their way to get someone else to take care of a problem. In this case it may be very simple and may just seem like the polite thing to do (and maybe it is). But I think often times it just creates more conflict (although it wouldn't apply in the above example). For instance, if the person in the neighboring apartment unit is watching TV at a volume that is keeping you up and you are fed up enough to do something about it then calling security may seem like a reasonable and normal approach. They will probably turn it down as I am sure they are unaware that they are being obnoxious. But then they are just going to view you as that person that called security for such a simple thing. It is one of those things that seems like the best course of action because you don't have to talk to the perps. Obviously (at least I hope) you wouldn't know the person watching TV too loud if you call security. If you go ask them to turn down the TV, well you now have the opportunity to meet your neighbors. I think this kind of behavior is something that a lot of people do, yet when they are on the receiving end, then they are wondering why the person just didn't say something. Although I can't recall a specific experience, the length of this blog tells me that there are a few stored in my memory somewhere.
Anyway, in case you skipped the body of this blog or my examples confuse you, in short it says that you should try and take care of simple inconveniences directly and that people should stop caring about Paris Hilton's clothes. And FYI, I think girls are more attractive when they wear simple clothes.
Oh, and I went to visit my relatives today and found out that my little cousin has been sleeping outside in random places in the woods since April 1st. I think that's awesome. He just finished 7th grade. We (cousin, dad, mom and myself) spent about 15 minutes trying to catch one of his chickens that has been on the loose for two days. Hilarity ensued. Oh how I love the Stillwater countryside.
It is amazing how much coverage is given to Paris Hilton by the TV news. I just turned on the TV for a couple secs and was watching Nancy Grace. I don't normally watch her and I only really know of her name because people always make fun of her. To sum up the few seconds of what I saw:
Paris Hilton went to court
Her hair didn't look very good
They reported on how simple her clothes were
And they said she looked sad
I went to Applebees with my fam in the late evening. The sun was setting and shining in the eyes of everyone facing that direction. It was at an angle so that it came through the window one booth over. Everyone asked the waiter if he could shut the shades in the appropriate booth, he then did so. I just find it odd that no one simply asks the people sitting one booth over if they can just shut the shades. My mother, being the caring person she is, wanted to shut our shade because the light was shining in the eyes of the people behind me. I decided it would be a good idea not to because I think they should ask us...or the waiter. I'm just mean like that. The waiter has plenty of other things to do. Simply flagging him down is more work than just asking the other patrons. Yet people often take this route anyway. This may or may not be a cultural thing, but I find it odd either way.
While this is a very simple example I think it sums up the habits of a lot of people in general. People often go way out of their way to get someone else to take care of a problem. In this case it may be very simple and may just seem like the polite thing to do (and maybe it is). But I think often times it just creates more conflict (although it wouldn't apply in the above example). For instance, if the person in the neighboring apartment unit is watching TV at a volume that is keeping you up and you are fed up enough to do something about it then calling security may seem like a reasonable and normal approach. They will probably turn it down as I am sure they are unaware that they are being obnoxious. But then they are just going to view you as that person that called security for such a simple thing. It is one of those things that seems like the best course of action because you don't have to talk to the perps. Obviously (at least I hope) you wouldn't know the person watching TV too loud if you call security. If you go ask them to turn down the TV, well you now have the opportunity to meet your neighbors. I think this kind of behavior is something that a lot of people do, yet when they are on the receiving end, then they are wondering why the person just didn't say something. Although I can't recall a specific experience, the length of this blog tells me that there are a few stored in my memory somewhere.
Anyway, in case you skipped the body of this blog or my examples confuse you, in short it says that you should try and take care of simple inconveniences directly and that people should stop caring about Paris Hilton's clothes. And FYI, I think girls are more attractive when they wear simple clothes.
Oh, and I went to visit my relatives today and found out that my little cousin has been sleeping outside in random places in the woods since April 1st. I think that's awesome. He just finished 7th grade. We (cousin, dad, mom and myself) spent about 15 minutes trying to catch one of his chickens that has been on the loose for two days. Hilarity ensued. Oh how I love the Stillwater countryside.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
More stupid videos
This one is just weird. Either there is some trickery going on or this kid has way too much time on his hands, or both.
Kung Fu laces WTF - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!
This one is interesting. Catching a thief and then parading him around town. Good idea, but they should have zapped him too.
This one was pretty popular I guess. Because of it's cuteness. However, it isn't really little kids fighting. They are playing. Duh.
Pee Wee Hockey Brawl - Brought to you by Break.com Video Search
And a couple funny ones for Colleen. Note: if I ever find a video that I think is funnier than motomamma I will let you know beforehand. Otherwise expect mostly lame crap like these:
I guess the home shopping network or whatever is live. I hate that channel
Kung Fu laces WTF - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!
This one is interesting. Catching a thief and then parading him around town. Good idea, but they should have zapped him too.
This one was pretty popular I guess. Because of it's cuteness. However, it isn't really little kids fighting. They are playing. Duh.
Pee Wee Hockey Brawl - Brought to you by Break.com Video Search
And a couple funny ones for Colleen. Note: if I ever find a video that I think is funnier than motomamma I will let you know beforehand. Otherwise expect mostly lame crap like these:
I guess the home shopping network or whatever is live. I hate that channel
Friday, May 04, 2007
Awesome!!
Someone else also just discovered that if you google "wiffle ball bounciness" without the parenthesis, I come up at #10.
I hope you like pain!
Colleen, I am only posting this blog because you requested it.
Sometimes children seem really innocent because they look cute. But it is always important to remember that children use their cuteness to get away with evil. Girls do this too.
These next two are both from the same people and to be honest I only kinda laughed the second time on each. Semi-funny, semi-stupid. Oh well.
Mormons
Car insurance
Soccer video
And you all know that I'm obsessed with martial arts and I know that none of you would want to watch martial arts videos. So I thought we could compromise a little. Ninja Auditions:
Sometimes children seem really innocent because they look cute. But it is always important to remember that children use their cuteness to get away with evil. Girls do this too.
These next two are both from the same people and to be honest I only kinda laughed the second time on each. Semi-funny, semi-stupid. Oh well.
Mormons
Car insurance
Soccer video
And you all know that I'm obsessed with martial arts and I know that none of you would want to watch martial arts videos. So I thought we could compromise a little. Ninja Auditions:
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
We haven't even left Nebraska yet!
Fast forward to about the 2 min mark. The Fred Phelps Church or whatever.
This one passed the "did it make me laugh the 2nd time" test. I have no idea why it's so funny. It's so stupid but I was laughing. It's from the whiskey people.
This one passed the "did it make me laugh the 2nd time" test. I have no idea why it's so funny. It's so stupid but I was laughing. It's from the whiskey people.
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