Good afternoon,
I must not live a very exciting life, because I have run out of topics to blog about. I'll just have to describe my weekend in detail.
Kristine's mom and step-dad came into town this weekend. It was pretty nice to see those guys. They took us out to eat three times in the two days they were here. I like going out to eat, but after 3 huge meals, I'm pretty excited to eat cereal for dinner tonight.
Her step-dad is a super republican, so I always find it entertaining to make little remarks that he doesn't agree with. The best part is he used to always try to talk about these things (to teach me the error of my ways) but he didn't at all this weekend. For example, after the football game yesterday, we were walking back to their car and saw the new Islamic Center. He's one of those super conservatives that thinks if you're not a white, middle class christian, you are a bad person. So I commented on how nice the new center is looking and how excited I am to go inside when the construction is finished. Ha, the look of disgust in his eyes at this comment make me snicker just a little bit.
In other news, the game was ugly. I hear that we are going to drop in the polls. I don't care if we're number two, I just don't want Boise State to even think that they are comparable to us. I just dislike Boise. Play a good team once in a while if you want my respect. Chumps.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Debate
Hi there,
(so I think I've just about run out of ways to say hello.)
I just finished a debate in my Capstone class. It was over a bill that is going before congress soon about the use of antibiotics as growth enhancer in meat animals. My group was on the side in favor of the legislation. The other side was supposed to use scientific reasoning to show that Congress should not pass this law. Well, clearly because there is so much information out there concerning the evolution of bacteria in response to antibiotic resistance, it was clear that the Pro side was in the best shape.
The Con side attempted to counter our arguments about animal rights and the clear evolutionary problems associated with the practice by pointing out how the specific wording of the bill was the main, if not only reason why the bill should fail. This made me realize this is probably the only way a group fighting against science can make a point. I don't know for sure, but I imagine that this type of argument is one of the main types used to fight off environmental regulation in our government. How sad.
If there is a clear evolutionary problem, supported by clear evolutionarily evidence, that can be solved quickly through some easily enforceable laws, why not go for it? The same is true about climate change. I hate that we see the problem, but we cannot solve it because of misinformation and silly, insignificant problems with regulatory practices.
(so I think I've just about run out of ways to say hello.)
I just finished a debate in my Capstone class. It was over a bill that is going before congress soon about the use of antibiotics as growth enhancer in meat animals. My group was on the side in favor of the legislation. The other side was supposed to use scientific reasoning to show that Congress should not pass this law. Well, clearly because there is so much information out there concerning the evolution of bacteria in response to antibiotic resistance, it was clear that the Pro side was in the best shape.
The Con side attempted to counter our arguments about animal rights and the clear evolutionary problems associated with the practice by pointing out how the specific wording of the bill was the main, if not only reason why the bill should fail. This made me realize this is probably the only way a group fighting against science can make a point. I don't know for sure, but I imagine that this type of argument is one of the main types used to fight off environmental regulation in our government. How sad.
If there is a clear evolutionary problem, supported by clear evolutionarily evidence, that can be solved quickly through some easily enforceable laws, why not go for it? The same is true about climate change. I hate that we see the problem, but we cannot solve it because of misinformation and silly, insignificant problems with regulatory practices.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The history of my Fish
howdy y'all
In attempt to better inform the masses about legend that is my life, I suppose I should tell the world about my history with fish. I've always been a fan of fish tanks and the like, so I have owned a few in my day. I've learned a few important things about fish tanks in that time, and these are lessons I feel my fans should learn.
Lesson 1- Keep your tank clean.
I had a beta when I was in junior high. His name was Steven and he was a pretty good fish. He lived in a pretty small bowl with no filter, so his tank got dirty nearly every week. My mother is a very cleanly lady, so this dirty tank did not make her as happy as it did me. One day she told me that I needed to clean it by the end of the day or she was going to give the fish to the neighbors. Thinking she was bluffing, I called shenanigans and didn't clean the bowl. Well, turns out it was no bluff. Steven went to live with a new family.
Lesson 2- Fish tanks are not water dynamite proof.
I was a junior in high school when I set up a 10 gallon tank in my room (my room that had just been re-carpeted) Well it was just after July 4th, so my friends and I had a few extra water dynamite. My friends Jose and Justin were at my house playing x-box when we decided that we should use the rest of the water dynamite. Jose told me that he had a tank at home and dropped water dynamite into it all the time and it looked really cool, but didnt hurt the fish at all. In a moment of complete stupidity, I believed this and decided my tank would be a perfect place to try it out. Well, as it turns out, this was simply not true. The tank burst and spilled the smelly water all over the floor. All the fish were killed and my room was a mess. I was in so much trouble. I haven't trusted Jose since.
Lesson 3- PetsMart is full of crap.
I once bought my girlfriend a goldfish fish from Walmart. His name was Buzz and he was awesome. He lived in a one gallon bowl for nearly two years. When he moved to the Big Ocean in the Sky, we decided that we would honor his memory with a funeral. It was a suit and tie affair with pamphlets and nearly 20 mourners in attendance.
Well a few weeks later we bought a 10 gallon tank with all the bells and whistles. We, under direction of the experts at PetsMart, only put one large goldfish in the tank. Her name was Calypso. She only lasted about a week. Because this was such an untimely death, we returned the fish's corpse to PetsMart and demanded a refund. They gave us 5 mollies. Kristine refused to name them because she said she couldn't handle becoming attached to them if they were just going to leave her. Even with all the chemicals and antibiotics PetsMart sold us to help them survive, they all died within two weeks.
Well, after about a year, Kristine decided to try her luck with fish again. This time, we each bought a single goldfish from Walmart. Hers, a orange and white goldfish with brown spots, is named Ginger. Mine, being solid black and looking angry, is named Dwayne (after professional wrestler and actor Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson.) Dwayne and Ginger have been alive for nearly 2 months now. So clearly, PetsMart is full of evil people who want you to fall in love with an aquatic friend only to mourn their passing within a week. I'll never buy a fish from PetsMart again.
In attempt to better inform the masses about legend that is my life, I suppose I should tell the world about my history with fish. I've always been a fan of fish tanks and the like, so I have owned a few in my day. I've learned a few important things about fish tanks in that time, and these are lessons I feel my fans should learn.
Lesson 1- Keep your tank clean.
I had a beta when I was in junior high. His name was Steven and he was a pretty good fish. He lived in a pretty small bowl with no filter, so his tank got dirty nearly every week. My mother is a very cleanly lady, so this dirty tank did not make her as happy as it did me. One day she told me that I needed to clean it by the end of the day or she was going to give the fish to the neighbors. Thinking she was bluffing, I called shenanigans and didn't clean the bowl. Well, turns out it was no bluff. Steven went to live with a new family.
Lesson 2- Fish tanks are not water dynamite proof.
I was a junior in high school when I set up a 10 gallon tank in my room (my room that had just been re-carpeted) Well it was just after July 4th, so my friends and I had a few extra water dynamite. My friends Jose and Justin were at my house playing x-box when we decided that we should use the rest of the water dynamite. Jose told me that he had a tank at home and dropped water dynamite into it all the time and it looked really cool, but didnt hurt the fish at all. In a moment of complete stupidity, I believed this and decided my tank would be a perfect place to try it out. Well, as it turns out, this was simply not true. The tank burst and spilled the smelly water all over the floor. All the fish were killed and my room was a mess. I was in so much trouble. I haven't trusted Jose since.
Lesson 3- PetsMart is full of crap.
I once bought my girlfriend a goldfish fish from Walmart. His name was Buzz and he was awesome. He lived in a one gallon bowl for nearly two years. When he moved to the Big Ocean in the Sky, we decided that we would honor his memory with a funeral. It was a suit and tie affair with pamphlets and nearly 20 mourners in attendance.
Well a few weeks later we bought a 10 gallon tank with all the bells and whistles. We, under direction of the experts at PetsMart, only put one large goldfish in the tank. Her name was Calypso. She only lasted about a week. Because this was such an untimely death, we returned the fish's corpse to PetsMart and demanded a refund. They gave us 5 mollies. Kristine refused to name them because she said she couldn't handle becoming attached to them if they were just going to leave her. Even with all the chemicals and antibiotics PetsMart sold us to help them survive, they all died within two weeks.
Well, after about a year, Kristine decided to try her luck with fish again. This time, we each bought a single goldfish from Walmart. Hers, a orange and white goldfish with brown spots, is named Ginger. Mine, being solid black and looking angry, is named Dwayne (after professional wrestler and actor Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson.) Dwayne and Ginger have been alive for nearly 2 months now. So clearly, PetsMart is full of evil people who want you to fall in love with an aquatic friend only to mourn their passing within a week. I'll never buy a fish from PetsMart again.
Monday, September 19, 2011
World Music
Why hello there neighbor,
I'm taking a class called World Music. It is one of the classes offered to undergraduate students to fill the "non-western civics" requirement of Zoology students. In all honesty, it is known as the easiest class at our beloved university, so it was an easy choice for me.
The class talks about the different styles and textures of music from around the world. It has been relatively interesting so far, but not compared to any science course I have ever taken. We were just tested over Native American music. Even though I speak a little bit of Cherokee, I didn't realize the music worked. Did you know that a large portion (at least of the music I was exposed to for this class) is untranslatable? It is just a string of nifty sounds thrown together.
The best part of the class is the instructor, Dr. Goza. He is a formal orchestral conductor, but I would say he prides himself mainly on his interpretations of the world. He sees the world in a way 180 degrees different from the way the average Joe sees the world. He has a daily rant about the strangest things. Some of these rants include:
We shouldn't have programs to help veterans re-assimilate to society, but instead sing them songs to fight off the evil spirts.
Humanity evolved its ability to create society from the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
If the economy is going down the drain, we should cut science funding and replace it with more art and music funding. That way we spark creativity, which is what will lead us to a new financial plan.
Even though I think he might be crazy, I like that he believes in himself and is confident in who he is as a person. Well done sir.
I'm taking a class called World Music. It is one of the classes offered to undergraduate students to fill the "non-western civics" requirement of Zoology students. In all honesty, it is known as the easiest class at our beloved university, so it was an easy choice for me.
The class talks about the different styles and textures of music from around the world. It has been relatively interesting so far, but not compared to any science course I have ever taken. We were just tested over Native American music. Even though I speak a little bit of Cherokee, I didn't realize the music worked. Did you know that a large portion (at least of the music I was exposed to for this class) is untranslatable? It is just a string of nifty sounds thrown together.
The best part of the class is the instructor, Dr. Goza. He is a formal orchestral conductor, but I would say he prides himself mainly on his interpretations of the world. He sees the world in a way 180 degrees different from the way the average Joe sees the world. He has a daily rant about the strangest things. Some of these rants include:
We shouldn't have programs to help veterans re-assimilate to society, but instead sing them songs to fight off the evil spirts.
Humanity evolved its ability to create society from the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
If the economy is going down the drain, we should cut science funding and replace it with more art and music funding. That way we spark creativity, which is what will lead us to a new financial plan.
Even though I think he might be crazy, I like that he believes in himself and is confident in who he is as a person. Well done sir.
Grad school
Hey there nerds,
I, after several weeks of nervous procrastination, sent out an email to a professor from the University of Kansas about a master's program. I wrote an email to this guy around a month ago, but wanted to wait a while to send it out. I was hoping to get advice from some of the grad students I know here about how to word it and what to say. I had pretty much everyone I know that was willing to read this thing email proof read it.
I used the CV I created for this class, but I'm not very confident in it. Not that the CV was bad or that my experience isn't good, just that I got such a low score on the CV when I turned it in, but didn't know what I needed to change to improve it. I had a friend go over it with me and she had a few pieces of advice, but I still feel that the grader must have seen something else wrong with it that went unseen to us. I'm worried that the Kansas professor will find it too.
Gosh, I tell myself that I'm such a big and tough guy, and I usually believe it. But I've been so nervous all weekend I feel like a 8th grader at the dance. I'll be sure to post if I hear anything back from Kansas.
I, after several weeks of nervous procrastination, sent out an email to a professor from the University of Kansas about a master's program. I wrote an email to this guy around a month ago, but wanted to wait a while to send it out. I was hoping to get advice from some of the grad students I know here about how to word it and what to say. I had pretty much everyone I know that was willing to read this thing email proof read it.
I used the CV I created for this class, but I'm not very confident in it. Not that the CV was bad or that my experience isn't good, just that I got such a low score on the CV when I turned it in, but didn't know what I needed to change to improve it. I had a friend go over it with me and she had a few pieces of advice, but I still feel that the grader must have seen something else wrong with it that went unseen to us. I'm worried that the Kansas professor will find it too.
Gosh, I tell myself that I'm such a big and tough guy, and I usually believe it. But I've been so nervous all weekend I feel like a 8th grader at the dance. I'll be sure to post if I hear anything back from Kansas.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
How about those Sooners!
BOOMER!
Wow! What a game! The OU-FSU game was probably the most exciting OU football game that I have ever watched. The opening drive looked so good. We just pounded the ball, and if I'm not mistaken, Landry was 5/5 passing. At that point, I thought it was going to be a blowout.
But the rest of the first three quarters were much more stressful. The interception thrown into double man coverage was just ugly, and the backup quarterback for FSU had a cannon for an arm. When they scored on the 3rd and ~30, I really started to worry. But my boy pulled it together! Landry just commanded the offense after the start of the 4th quarter.
Funny story, right when FSU scored their touchdown, my girlfriend left the room to take a phone call. While she was gone, OU had that great drive down the field and scored. After that, when Kristine came out of the bedroom to rejoin our watch party, we said that she was bad luck and said she had to finish watching the game from my room. Of course we were kidding, but if she wouldn't have told us to get lost, I probably wouldn't have told her to come back to the living room. I really like winning.
Side note, I was glad to see the FSU player who was carted off of the field was OK. When he was knocked out and his hands were stuck in that strange position, I thought he might be seriously hurt. I'm all for hard-hitting football, but I don't want to see anyone actually hurt that badly.
Wow! What a game! The OU-FSU game was probably the most exciting OU football game that I have ever watched. The opening drive looked so good. We just pounded the ball, and if I'm not mistaken, Landry was 5/5 passing. At that point, I thought it was going to be a blowout.
But the rest of the first three quarters were much more stressful. The interception thrown into double man coverage was just ugly, and the backup quarterback for FSU had a cannon for an arm. When they scored on the 3rd and ~30, I really started to worry. But my boy pulled it together! Landry just commanded the offense after the start of the 4th quarter.
Funny story, right when FSU scored their touchdown, my girlfriend left the room to take a phone call. While she was gone, OU had that great drive down the field and scored. After that, when Kristine came out of the bedroom to rejoin our watch party, we said that she was bad luck and said she had to finish watching the game from my room. Of course we were kidding, but if she wouldn't have told us to get lost, I probably wouldn't have told her to come back to the living room. I really like winning.
Side note, I was glad to see the FSU player who was carted off of the field was OK. When he was knocked out and his hands were stuck in that strange position, I thought he might be seriously hurt. I'm all for hard-hitting football, but I don't want to see anyone actually hurt that badly.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
9-13-11
He there fiction fans,
The following story is absolutly not true. I'm making it up as I go.
So just the other day, I was with some friends at the mall. I hate going shopping, but I needed jeans so I forced my friends to tag along and keep me company. You will never guess who I saw there, Justin Beeber. He I introduced myself and invited him to go to Orange Julies with us. While drinking delicious smoothies, the Beebs started talking about dancing. I took this as a personal challenge. The two of us climbed on the tables in the food court and had a good old fashion dance battle. He was good, but I was better. The whole mall was cheering and dancing along, win suddenly Justin fell off of the table and busted his head open. Almost instinctively, I sprang into action. I used a needle and thread to sew his head up and some native american herbs I had gathered to wake him from his coma. He was lucky I was there of he might have died. He was so grateful that he asked me to star in his next music video. Of course I said no, mainly because that would be lame.
The following story is absolutly not true. I'm making it up as I go.
So just the other day, I was with some friends at the mall. I hate going shopping, but I needed jeans so I forced my friends to tag along and keep me company. You will never guess who I saw there, Justin Beeber. He I introduced myself and invited him to go to Orange Julies with us. While drinking delicious smoothies, the Beebs started talking about dancing. I took this as a personal challenge. The two of us climbed on the tables in the food court and had a good old fashion dance battle. He was good, but I was better. The whole mall was cheering and dancing along, win suddenly Justin fell off of the table and busted his head open. Almost instinctively, I sprang into action. I used a needle and thread to sew his head up and some native american herbs I had gathered to wake him from his coma. He was lucky I was there of he might have died. He was so grateful that he asked me to star in his next music video. Of course I said no, mainly because that would be lame.
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