Archive for June, 2007
another funny. »
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007
Reading this made took me back. It’s like reading your own thoughts. Only funnier and more clearly understood. Thanks C-dog.
vidrain vol. 3 »
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007
I watched this and laughed my ass off. I figured I’d pass it on. Any takers for seeing this one??
jejune »
Monday, June 25th, 2007
I don’t know if anyone’s said something similar already. I don’t keep up on things of this nature. But I’ve learned something in my short existence:
change is sudden; maturity is gradual.
Maturity is typically defined by being full grown or fully developed. This is a very broad definition applied to an even broader concept. What’s to say someone is fully developed? Physiological growth and psychological growth are almost mutually exclusive.
In early stages of life, physical and mental growth happens along a relatively common time line. A child walks, on average, at thirteen months, are using vowel and consonant sounds by one year, and able to use a toilet by thirty months. But once instinctual and habitual activities are firmly within a child’s grasp their development forks sharply. The development of the mind doesn’t necessarily proceed at the same rate as the body. The pace of each is determined largely by environmental factors. How, with no scientific basis, do I know this? People around me.
Maturity, in my mind is characterized by the ability to approach a problem with reason. A mature person should be able to interact with others that have conflicting views without discomfort or aggression. A mature person may not know their faults, but accepts that they exist. A mature person keeps an open mind to opposition while articulating his or her beliefs. A mature person is sociable and polite with concern for others. A mature person realizes a need to be selfish in some situations, but strives to avoid it when unnecessary. A mature person can see past the day to day routine in favor of a bigger picture of who he or she wants to be in the future.
I’m not mature. This is pretty evident upon meeting me, but I believe i do have a leg up on most of the people my age. I can say this for many reasons, but it mostly derives from my acceptance that I’m not the only one on this planet. That’s a concept that most admit to having, but in practice have trouble adapting to. It takes the right set of factors for someone to develop to that level.
Things cannot be handed to you upon request. The value of the dollar can not be an abstract figure of speech. Along those lines, money is not something to be flaunted. Respect for others must be inherent. A general knowledge of the greater society is almost necessary. You can not be brought up to believe you are better than the masses; because you’re not.
A pitfall of many is conversation. To have a general knowledge of many things is better than to have a great knowledge of one thing. To limit your own conversation to a small set of items makes you less interesting and leaves you less interested. This will immediately leave you out of many situations. To have passion about a small number of things is unavoidable and ideal. Without passion there is no reason for living and without it you will not be able to grow in important areas.
Another is prestige through consumerism. This is extremely common around me and one of the most despicable of human traits. The ability to impress with monetary value is something that’s passed on from the wealthy and striven for by the poor. It is a worthless enterprise, but a popular one. In the same line of thought, to have money and to claim otherwise is deceptive and immediately renders you untrustworthy while you may think it’s a way to relate.
The third reason persons my age are, by nature, immature is the lack of common generosity. The compassion is fading and thus personal growth is stunted. Everyone needs someone at different points throughout their journey. Too many expect things to be owed to them. They are selfish and unreliable until they are in need of assistance. Animosity grows and, as a result, they are left with shallow relationships of little value.
So why are so many who are physically mature so far behind psychologically? In my opinion it’s a child’s parents giving them the impression they are precious. They are; every child is important, but to instill this belief at an early age is dangerous. The habits and beliefs developed at a young age have a way of staying strong throughout their lives. Money becomes more valuable than social interaction and thus a certain level of depth is forfeited.
When it comes to maturity I have much to learn, but I’ve gone through changes. I’ve made the transition from high school moron to floundering employee. I’ve had many relationships that had incredible effects on me. I’ve moved into a new state away from most of the friends I had. I’ve blacked out and stolen a car. I’ve had internal bleeding and cheated death by about a quarter inch. These have all had a profound and sudden impact, but the maturity that grew from them came with time.
There are people close to me who are at the point of physical maturity who have the social maturity of a kid in seventh grade. There are people around me who have had many more experiences than I have who still act like a freshman in college. There are others who have barely left their bubble and yet have more depth than I may ever have. Of course I’m annoyed when associating with someone who’s a social adolescent, in the same way that they would be by a child crying in the supermarket after being denied Zebra Cakes. There is a sliding scale.
So why do we claim a man can go to war at eighteen, drive a car at sixteen, yet not drink until twenty-one? Because it’s easy. It’s easy to say someone at a certain age is ready for these things. It may be based on gross generalities, but as an alternative to intuitive testing it’s extremely attractive. Until they can find a way to quickly and efficiently determine mental maturity there will be those with responsibilities they are not ready or willing to accept.
That, apparently, is just how things go.
megatrip »
Saturday, June 23rd, 2007
It was an early start and a long trip home. I don’t usually head to m.k.e. on a Saturday because the nine hours in the car don’t add up well against the ten hours chilling. but this time was different. i booked through megabus. the following is a breakdown of the trip:
5.30a
wake up after a night of drinking at liquor lyle’s and 19 bar yes, a gay bar; how i got there is a different story, but there were free pitchers so i have no complaints. to the cell phone alarm. snooze once. throw on some jeans and a shirt, organize my shit. out through the garage and bike to the rail.
6.10a
rail arrives. head downtown.
6.37a
walk along 5th to the 4th street parking garage. cut through the ramp. get to street level on wrong side of 394 ramps. back through garage. make two wrong turns. exit on correct side of ramps, but not at 3rd ave. try to re-enter. doors locked. find stairs and head up and across 3rd ave to waiting megabus. show driver reservation number. sit. start up the pod.
7.10a
depart and make way to second stop at campus. someone sits next to me. she’s real familiar and i get the impression she went to my high school or something along those lines. i don’t remember her name. so i do what anyone would… ignore completely in order to avoid a hint of stupidity.
The trip is the usual fair. nothing interesting. i nap twice before Menomonie. i read a bit from blackwater. the couple in front of me had a healthy relationship. more on those here. it was annoying. somewhere around osseo, girl next to me has conversation on cell completely in deutsch. odd.
10.10p
bus stops in mauston for fifteen minutes. as the beer from the previous night has thoroughly corroded my insides i spent the majority of the break destroying a Pilot station restroom. get back on the bus to an overwhelming stench of assorted Wendy’s foods.
the trip goes on. girl has another conversation or two in the foreign tongue. couple in front continues to canoodle who the hell uses that word??. i read a bit more in blackwater. i have about a hundred pages left. i’m growing more and more pissed at governmental workings and corporate greed as each page passes probably not a good book for someone as filled with rage as i. catch a couple winks just before madison.
12.35p
arrive in m.k.e. wander over to large construction pile to sit and read a bit. cross to opposite curb. get picked up and head to rock bottom brewery: milwaukee. get buzzer, head to bar, order lager, look out at river and conversate while drinking lager. get table, order classic mac ’n chicken, conversate while waiting for, and then eating, food. then up to the parents’ house to sit around on their new deck, watch the big t.v., and generally sit on my ass for the night.
summary
not a bad trip. it took a little over five and a half hours, which is about an hour longer than i drive it. i would say traffic was light, but i have no fucking clue. the accommodations were bus-ish and by that i mean cramped, mildly uncomfortable, and there was little room to store things. the real kicker though is how much it cost me: $16.50usd. and that’s the round-trip price.
the only major downfall was having to get up at the ballsack of dawn to ride it. after the trip lined up in July, i may greyhound ’cause i can then choose a time to leave that isn’t so fucking early for half and megabus back. that looks like it would cost me $54usd. still not bad considering i don’t have to deal with stupid fucking drivers traffic and gas typically costs me $60 for the trip anyway.
I’d recommend the megabus to anyone looking for cheap alternative routes to milwaukee, chicago or any of the other twelve stops. but, you get what you pay for.
you’re welcome »
Friday, June 22nd, 2007
Some of you and by that of course i mean one of you referenced my random dips into political commentary. They’re annoying. They fit in as well here as a seven-year-old would at a swingers party. so, to avoid pedophilia, I’ve stayed away from the church since my confirmation created a new place to put those ridiculous ramblings. You’re welcome to check it out here or there’s a link on the right apologies for not having added more of those links. i promise I’ll be getting to it. It’s two days old. Don’t expect a ton of stuff on there yet. Setting high expectations is what got things to this point in the first place. And i think we can all agree that changes would have been made.
Now if you want to read my thoughts on the death of our empire and the obliteration of our world by corporate greed, governmental aspirations of grandeur, and ignorant sheeple, you’ll know where to look. One or two may slip in here, and i may start copying the ones I’ve already wasted your time with here onto that one, but I’ll try to keep things straight. Just working out a target audience here people. It takes time. And even then, the best often fail. If you don’t believe me, take a look at copyranter you should take the time to check out more than just that post. it just stuck out as funny to me. and his hilarious commentary on all things shitty in marketing.