Alright, time for a quick little rant:
A very common form of cursing in this day and age is taking the names of deities in vain. In America, this is commonly done in the form of God or Jesus Christ. Many people are of the opinion that this is not a form of swearing at all (likely due to the shift towards atheism in our mainstream culture). This has never sat right with me and here is why:
If you don't believe that taking the Lord's name in vain is swearing, then you don't believe in the commandments.
If you don't believe in the commandments, you don't believe in God anyway.
If you don't believe in God, then what is the point of using his name for cursing?
This paradox really bugs me. If it's not swearing to you, then why say it? No one has ever has ever given me what I felt was a satisfactory answer. And that pretty much bugs me.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Manufacturing
I've been really bored in my manufacturing class throughout the first few weeks that I've had it. Even what should have been interesting, a tour of a manufacturing plant just west of town, wasn't. Granted it was not interesting because the only person in the company who knew we were coming forgot so we wasted 45 minutes of the hour we had available since people had classes they needed to get to. So we got to see one machine that was not running. It was an impressive looking machine, but it would have been more impressive to actually see it do what it was supposed to do.
Anyway, I'm really not sure what I supposed to get out of this class. So far not much, because there's not much information to worry about. He lectures most class periods, but there is no test or assignment that actually has to do with the information he lectures about. It seems it's supposed to be building up to the big team project he has planned, but even the plan for that is horribly vague. I just really don't know what I am supposed to do.
Anyway, I'm really not sure what I supposed to get out of this class. So far not much, because there's not much information to worry about. He lectures most class periods, but there is no test or assignment that actually has to do with the information he lectures about. It seems it's supposed to be building up to the big team project he has planned, but even the plan for that is horribly vague. I just really don't know what I am supposed to do.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Day
Today Barrack Obama is sworn in as our new president. I can't help but ask one crucial question:
What is the big deal?
I can understand that people had their issues with Bush. He wasn't perfect. But he did what I'm sure he felt was the best he could with the cards he was dealt. Look at Iraq objectively. Any conflict on a global scale, the US is going to be criticized for it. Either we poked our noses in where it didn't belong (Vietnam, Iraq) or we didn't stop something that we could've stopped (Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and various other African conflicts). From what I can see, Bush felt Iraq would turn into the latter, when in reality it became the former. But with the war in Iraq we tend to forget one crucial thing: the President of the United States does not have absolute power. If the majority of Congress wanted to prevent the troops from originally entering Iraq, they could have. So why does the President get all the blame when it goes wrong?
Also, Bush was definitely not the ideal man for the job. But in each election, he was vastly superior to the alternatives. Gore and Kerry would not have done any better in Bush's stead. If the Democrats really wanted to get rid of Bush in 2004, they should've picked someone better. And all you have to look at is the Inconvient Bullcrap of Al Gore to see what kind of job he would have done.
Next, there is no reason to assume things will get better under Obama. It's a coin toss really. There is no evidence or reasoning to suggest how that man will do in the position of President. Without the administrative experience, it could go either way. It could turn out fantastic and a few years down the road I could end up being proud of having Obama as a president. I genuinely hope that it does. However, it could also go downhill from here and only get worse. Granted, odds are it will get worse before it can get better, but will that really be the doing of the President? Everything is based on his wonderous speeches. But right now, that's all they are. Words. Nothing more. It is time for Obama to prove that he can walk the walk as well as talk the talk because even though the country is expecting great things from him, this faith is based on his words alone.
I'm not naive enough to think that by next year he will have proven himself. But if there has not been significant progress towards the kind of change that our country needs by the next election (4 years), I seriously urge voters to reconsider their faith in that man.
Anyway, that's my inauguration day rant. I know few people actually read this, but I welcome comments, critiques, corrections, etc. Please be civil if you do.
What is the big deal?
I can understand that people had their issues with Bush. He wasn't perfect. But he did what I'm sure he felt was the best he could with the cards he was dealt. Look at Iraq objectively. Any conflict on a global scale, the US is going to be criticized for it. Either we poked our noses in where it didn't belong (Vietnam, Iraq) or we didn't stop something that we could've stopped (Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and various other African conflicts). From what I can see, Bush felt Iraq would turn into the latter, when in reality it became the former. But with the war in Iraq we tend to forget one crucial thing: the President of the United States does not have absolute power. If the majority of Congress wanted to prevent the troops from originally entering Iraq, they could have. So why does the President get all the blame when it goes wrong?
Also, Bush was definitely not the ideal man for the job. But in each election, he was vastly superior to the alternatives. Gore and Kerry would not have done any better in Bush's stead. If the Democrats really wanted to get rid of Bush in 2004, they should've picked someone better. And all you have to look at is the Inconvient Bullcrap of Al Gore to see what kind of job he would have done.
Next, there is no reason to assume things will get better under Obama. It's a coin toss really. There is no evidence or reasoning to suggest how that man will do in the position of President. Without the administrative experience, it could go either way. It could turn out fantastic and a few years down the road I could end up being proud of having Obama as a president. I genuinely hope that it does. However, it could also go downhill from here and only get worse. Granted, odds are it will get worse before it can get better, but will that really be the doing of the President? Everything is based on his wonderous speeches. But right now, that's all they are. Words. Nothing more. It is time for Obama to prove that he can walk the walk as well as talk the talk because even though the country is expecting great things from him, this faith is based on his words alone.
I'm not naive enough to think that by next year he will have proven himself. But if there has not been significant progress towards the kind of change that our country needs by the next election (4 years), I seriously urge voters to reconsider their faith in that man.
Anyway, that's my inauguration day rant. I know few people actually read this, but I welcome comments, critiques, corrections, etc. Please be civil if you do.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Working....
...is something I usually feel like I should be doing these days. I dunno quite how to explain the feeling. I mean, it's not like the "I'm procrastinating this and should really just get to it"* type of feeling, but more of a wanting to do something truly productive. This feeling is somewhat relieved when I work in Solid Edge on my engineering design class. I really enjoy this because it's a type of busy work that I can actually use for something at some point in my life. I dunno, I feel like I should really be working on something else but I just don't know what. If only I could put my finger on it.
On another note, it is extremely cold in my parents house in Clearfield when compared to my apartment in Logan. Although I'm sure a lot of people agree that even though it is pretty cold outside in Logan, those apartments are ridiculously hot. Not even kidding.
Anyway, that's all for now!
nar out
*This is not to say I don't have homework that HAS been procrastinated. I could name physics and differential equations homework as examples right now. The physics is online so I actually have to do that by midnight Sunday night, so I should really get to work on it.
On another note, it is extremely cold in my parents house in Clearfield when compared to my apartment in Logan. Although I'm sure a lot of people agree that even though it is pretty cold outside in Logan, those apartments are ridiculously hot. Not even kidding.
Anyway, that's all for now!
nar out
*This is not to say I don't have homework that HAS been procrastinated. I could name physics and differential equations homework as examples right now. The physics is online so I actually have to do that by midnight Sunday night, so I should really get to work on it.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Lack of Alarm Clock
When I got back up to Logan after Christmas break, I found out I left my alarm clock back home in Clearfield. Thus I have been in need of an alternative form of waking myself up. I've tried my phone and my DS. The 2nd day of using my phone, it somehow fell underneath my bed and thus failed to wake me up. I decided to avoid that happening and tried the DS. 1st attempt at that failed because the DS isn't loud enough. I've since plugged it in to my computer speakers through the headphone jack. That has worked until this morning, when the alarm went off. I heard it and knew it was going off, but since it was not the piercing sound I am used to from an alarm so it was not registering in my mind. It was however, registering in Cody's mind and it was his shout at me that got my attention to reality and that my alarm was going off. So it seems I need to make a trip back to Clearfield, just to get back my stupid alarm clock.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
It's a Brand New Day
Today is Saturday on the first weekend since the semester started. This semester is going to be a lot different from the first one. Namely, I get up earlier and it appears I will have fewer easy As in comparison. I have space between my classes now, except on Thursdays when I will head straight from my Design class to Honors Inquiry, both of which will likely bore me before too long.
One thing I've noticed about college that really sets it apart from high school is that classes here always dive right in. After the first week of all brand new classes in high school, you still had not done a single thing regarding the classes themselves with the possible exception of having gone over the disclosure. Some classes you hadn't gotten that far. Especially seminary. When the school started beginning on Wednesdays for same inane reason, if you had seminary on a B day you wouldn't have actually gone to class by the time the week was over thanks to the first day assembly that they always had. Up here, first day of class you get handed the syllabus and then here we go. I've already learned actually subject material in all my classes, even the ones I've only had once. Not to say I'm enjoying all of them. My manufacturing class was a bore from day one. I so wish that was not a required course for my major otherwise I'd be dropping it faster than..... Ok, I don't really have a dropping analogy. You'll just have to think up your own.
Speaking of my manufacturing class, I'm really annoyed about the book I was required to buy for it. It's called "The Goal" and if it doesn't get here soon I'm not going to have enough time to read it before I'm supposed to have it done by (I have to finish by Friday and the estimated arrival date is not until Tuesday.... at the earliest.... ugh) so I may end up spending Thursday combing the city for a copy and then staying up all night to read it. *sigh* what really annoys me about it was that the book was not on the list of books we would need for the class before Christmas break started. I order all my books online back then so that I would not have the kind of problems I am now of needing a book that has not arrived in the mail yet. What further annoys me is that I paid for the expedited shipping on half.com for this book, hoping that would get it here faster. That cost me $5. I paid normally shipping on amazon.com (about $1.50) for a flash drive for my design class that I ordered the day after I ordered the book. I got the flash drive today. That really pisses me off. It seems my desire to get a better deal price wise by ordering off of half.com might result in costing me even more by having to find for, pay for, and read in far too short a time an additional copy of the book. So much for trying to be thrifty. Oh well I suppose. Not much else I can about it for the time being. Maybe I'll check for Sparknotes, just in case.
EDIT: Sweet, got the book. My roommate came in at 9:30 saying I had a package in the Lundstrum (sp?) center. I have no idea how long it had been there but I least I have it now. I'll have to read about 60 pages a day in order to finish it in time though. If I had known I needed before Christmas break I could have ordered it then and read it during the break which would have been the much preferred option.
EDIT 2: Oh my gosh. Professor just moved it back a week. Great. All that stress for no good reason.
One thing I've noticed about college that really sets it apart from high school is that classes here always dive right in. After the first week of all brand new classes in high school, you still had not done a single thing regarding the classes themselves with the possible exception of having gone over the disclosure. Some classes you hadn't gotten that far. Especially seminary. When the school started beginning on Wednesdays for same inane reason, if you had seminary on a B day you wouldn't have actually gone to class by the time the week was over thanks to the first day assembly that they always had. Up here, first day of class you get handed the syllabus and then here we go. I've already learned actually subject material in all my classes, even the ones I've only had once. Not to say I'm enjoying all of them. My manufacturing class was a bore from day one. I so wish that was not a required course for my major otherwise I'd be dropping it faster than..... Ok, I don't really have a dropping analogy. You'll just have to think up your own.
Speaking of my manufacturing class, I'm really annoyed about the book I was required to buy for it. It's called "The Goal" and if it doesn't get here soon I'm not going to have enough time to read it before I'm supposed to have it done by (I have to finish by Friday and the estimated arrival date is not until Tuesday.... at the earliest.... ugh) so I may end up spending Thursday combing the city for a copy and then staying up all night to read it. *sigh* what really annoys me about it was that the book was not on the list of books we would need for the class before Christmas break started. I order all my books online back then so that I would not have the kind of problems I am now of needing a book that has not arrived in the mail yet. What further annoys me is that I paid for the expedited shipping on half.com for this book, hoping that would get it here faster. That cost me $5. I paid normally shipping on amazon.com (about $1.50) for a flash drive for my design class that I ordered the day after I ordered the book. I got the flash drive today. That really pisses me off. It seems my desire to get a better deal price wise by ordering off of half.com might result in costing me even more by having to find for, pay for, and read in far too short a time an additional copy of the book. So much for trying to be thrifty. Oh well I suppose. Not much else I can about it for the time being. Maybe I'll check for Sparknotes, just in case.
EDIT: Sweet, got the book. My roommate came in at 9:30 saying I had a package in the Lundstrum (sp?) center. I have no idea how long it had been there but I least I have it now. I'll have to read about 60 pages a day in order to finish it in time though. If I had known I needed before Christmas break I could have ordered it then and read it during the break which would have been the much preferred option.
EDIT 2: Oh my gosh. Professor just moved it back a week. Great. All that stress for no good reason.
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