...It is just a game

Today I watched in shock as my Sooners lost to CU. It is just a game though, it doesn't really matter; I couldn't do anything to control the outcome so why do I care. I was just sitting, watching other people do things.

OLD POST from MySpace which has become a full page billboard destroying it purpose!

well, i find it hard to believe that someone noticed my blog. i really was trying to relieve a bit of stress. but now, looking back, reflecting who has time to think about someone else today. sure we have a lot of noble ambitions; we say that we want something, or we want to do something, but who has time to fulfill their wants and be there/ be considerate of others. i think about what i want in life, what are my goals, dreams, hopes, secret desires, and then i compare them with what i have and what i have accomplished. i don't even know what 'relaxed' means anymore, i run around trying 'to accomplish something' so that i run around and accomplish something else.
i am so sick of people complaining about their life. do people really believe that they are so afflicted? why do they complain about their job? do they really believe that their contribution to a company is worth what they are being paid? in general no! are the hours really that terrible? are the co-workers so annoying? (are you annoying to your co-workers...did you ever wonder?) is the work really that difficult? students complain about tough classes...hello...that is why i am in school, i came here to learn. challenging classes stretch the mind. you aren't in high school anymore, the problems you should face in life don't have a solutions manual! "the professors are boring or up tight or (much worse than what anyone could think)" well, have you ever wondered what they do outside of class? do they do research? have a family? people complain about their car, "the paint is coming off" or "the thing rattles" or "the door squeeks" or "my leather seats are cracking" ...go without a car a few days, see how long you last? why complain? because you are selfish, and you have never looked at the world from someone else's point of view. you have never been able to walk in someone else's shoes. "your heart goes out" to those who overcome trials, but what would you do if you went blind, lost a loved one or were diagnosed with cancer? who would you become? would you overcome your trials or would they overcome you?
i would like to think i would overcome, but i would hope with all my heart that i never had to. as for my life right now, i think i would die if i ever left status quo. working from 12 to 8 in the morning screws with your internal clock (albeit, i don't work everyday, but i am sure some people do), after that it is a quick stroll to the engineering classes i am taking, only to realize that i have no earthly idea what is going on, so i say to myself, "isaac, you need to study!" with every intention i had to a quiet place to be alone and study, but on the way someone calls, someone needs help, someone needs me to teach them something. what can i do but go. eating is almost a forgotten pasttime. yesterday, i remember eating some pancakes for breakfast, then it was night and i needed to get in bed so that i could wake up at 1115 to go to work (valuing sleep over food) sleep, wow, people complain when they get 7 hours of sleep or they have to pull an all-nighter two nights a semester, only to be able to sleep peaceful after consuming an ungodly amount of alcohol.

Freindship

I have moved around quite a bit in the years since high school. I have become a bit disillusioned with the meaning of friendship. As I anticipate the next move, expecting to stay there for the longest time since I left my parents' house, I ask myself. How am I supposed to keep up with everyone that I know? What does it mean to be a good friend? How do you make new friends? When do you spend time with your new friends while still spending time with your spouse?
There is a huge world out there, sometimes we get so used to our culture that we forget there are people with totally different ideas, motivations, and concerns. What is considered polite in the US isn't polite in other places. Three things that Americans do to frustrate people of other cultures are:
One, Americans usually only speak English, we are unlearned and singular just because we don't speak all the languages of the world (or even a few of them.) Well, guess what world, the United States is roughly the size of the entire European continent. I could drive twelve hours in every direction from Oklahoma and still find that 99% of the population still speaks English (or some derivative of it.) Because we are in this cocoon, we don't have an opportunity to go to other countries and learn another language. All joking aside, if Texas was a different country, I'm sure I would learn the language they speak there pretty quickly.
Two, people of other cultures don't make casual talk or light talk. A common phrase in English "Let's get together sometime." In reality this is said with the meaning that, yes, you like the person, yes, you want to get together, but no, you have no idea when. Plans aren't plans until they are confirmed with date, time, place, and obligation. However, if you say in another culture, "Let's get together." and you don't in the following few weeks, you have greatly offended them.
Three, acknowledgement. Everyone is important. In the US, a general greeting is fine, you enter a room, and say a general 'Hi!' and you're done. Not so in other places, you should greet every person, sometimes according to age, both when you're coming and when you're going. I think that is a little bit of a hassle, but it is much more polite. Except in circumstances where the setting in not conducive to personal greetings, this rule holds pretty true.
I have quite a bit more to say especially about the things in the opening paragraph, but I have some things to take care of with my family. Anyway, friends, be careful not to offend, and if you think you have been offended, it was most likely a misunderstanding.

Republican or Democrat?

Is there no political party for me? I have high moral standard with a firm belief that homosexuality and abortion are wrong. I don’t want the government to be liberal with handouts such as welfare, Medicaid, incentives, FEMA donations and other subsidies. I don’t want to downsize our military. I don’t think we should let everyone and their dog sue for outrageous settlements. I don’t want free trade with the whole world. I don’t think we should exploit embryonic cells. People worthy of death should be put to death quickly. I don’t want to be a Democrat.
Average people shouldn’t be allowed to buy assault weapons. Yes, the climate is changing, and we should accept that and learn to live in harmony with nature. Big oil and big business shouldn’t be allowed to exploit its workers or the world in general. Bureaucracies should be made extinct. People should act quickly to right something that is wrong. We shouldn’t be afraid of change. Personal privacy should be respected. Inhumane acts such a torture should be severely punished. No one is above the law. I don’t want to be a Republican.
Is there a place for me? I am both a Republican and a Democrat; I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat.

Energy and Global Warming

Ok, do you want to hear something ridiculous? A group of people in California got together to sue six of the biggest car companies in the world! And why you ask? They tried to sue because the cars exhausted and excessive amount of greenhouse gases and generally polluted California. Yes, it is the cars that pollute…NO, NO, NO! I have a better idea, they should sue refiners because they are the real polluter, the cars just use their fuel…NO, NO, NO! They should sue oil companies for taking the petrol out of the ground…NO, NO, NO! Well, who should they sue? The United States government for not regulating toxic gases such as CO2 and ozone? No my friends, it is not the fault of corporations for the destruction of the environment with the toxic gas CO2 (wait, what do plants use to build cell structures and exhaust breathable oxygen?...oh, nevermind) The real culprits are the people of California and of the world. We drive the cars that we bought. The car companies, refiners, and oil companies exist to fulfill the needs of the consumer. They should sue themselves. It is ridiculous lawsuits against some of the best companies of the world that make me want to puke.
You want solutions to the environmental crisis we live in? Here’s a start: You: turn down your air conditioning (you use between 5 and 10 times as much electricity as you do gasoline) Your State: Educate the people and how to be conservative in all areas of life (everything you use from your water to the plastic Wal-Mart bags to your babies night light has an effect on the world) Your federal government: Put a small tax on every gallon of gasoline to fund trains and build more park and rides and replace city parking garages with truly beautiful parks (electric trains are the most efficient ways to travel) No the US is not structured like and other country, we have unique travel needs, but we need to make an effort to be smart when it comes to energy. Hybrids and other vehicles do not solve the massive problem we truly have. Change your life!

Politics

Have you ever really understood politics? Nothing ever seems to get accomplished by those of us talking about politics, but we make a lot of cloudy, blanket statements meant to discredit our opponents. But who can blame us, we are just follwing the lead of the politicians. The statements we make originate with the media; they look for every mis-said recorded word they can find and blare it on the news until we get tired of it. Then if it is for our beliefs, we remember and remind everyone with differing beliefs whenever we can. If it is against our beliefs, we will forget about it until an election comes, and then all our oppenents remeind us how stupid we were; it's "no holds barred."

But who do we elect? Those political leaders we fought so hard for during elections are inefficient at running the country. I often wonder when senators running for the presidency have time to vote and debate in Congress. Have you ever watched c-span, the legislature is empty. What are our politicians doing? They run around to get elected so they can run around again to get re-elected. I mean could you imagine the fallout we would have in the US if the Iraqi legislature did what our legislature does? Get to work!

Although this blog is very short, the thoughts I have about politics and politicians are many. Look forward to my rant in politics regularly.

The Gospel Truth

"It's not the Gospel." said my coworker, limiting his responsibility for the accuracy of his comment. Thoughts ran through my head, "if I have to go look up this information to make sure it is accurate, why did you tell me anything in the first place? Your comments are less than needed because if you are wrong, I may miss what I am looking for being lead to believe a false trail. if you are right I will have wasted my time talking to you when I could have just the right information faster and more reliably from the source" So I move on, having learned a lesson.
But there is another part to the message. Humans. Humans are strange emotional creatures, they need to feel needed. They like to be liked. They want to be helpful for other humans. So I go to the source, find the "gospel" answer, and casually mention to my coworker that he was right, he says, "Yeah, I knew it had to be..." so what has he really contributed? A few points of conversion, a good feeling at having "helped" another human being, and we both move on with our work.
A few days later I am sure he will bring up the topic, ask me how it is going, and we have another short conversation. I have often wondered how non-romantic relationships begin, and now living in a new place, with a new job, I can see that relationships are built on the trivial aide each person gives. Building upon itself until your acquaintance is your friend, and your friend is your best friend. It all starts with not telling the Gospel truth.

People of Earth

After much talk and a common annoyance by the amount of time DW spends writing on a blog, I have come to realize the error of my ways. On a whim I decided that my thoughts should go unsaid no more. People of earth (or the microcosm that reads other people's blogs) I will soon speak my mind on a variety of subjects ranging from my political views to technology to my family. Sadly, I will spare you from the details of my life, birthdays, credit card numbers, bank accounts and such.

Please feel free to pick my brain, psychoanalyze, or just read. I will strive to educate and entertain! Happy reading!