Work Stuff
My week of training is over, and unfortunately I got a lot to do this week so it's back to overtime schedule. No more getting home at 4 and playing Starcraft for hours.
Tomorrow is a big "design review" for the project I'm working on. I remember when we had a design review for ECE Senior Design, where we had to meet with the head professor and our TA for like 15 minutes to explain what we were doing. It was kind of a big thing at the time, but wasn't that bad, especially cause our TA was somewhat of a putz and didn't really seem to care if we were making progress and stuff.
Well, this time the design review is 6 hours long and there will probably be at least 20 people participating or so. Including the big cheeses, the 3-star "Top Secret" guys who call the shots. And I think the program director will care if we are making progress or not.
When people ask me where I work and what I do, I'm not sure what to say. Most people haven't heard of Northrop Grumman unless they are interested in military technology or they watch CNBC a lot. And the title "Systems Engineer" is kind of vague too.
Well, in case anyone who reads my blog is interested, I will shed a little light on my company and what I do. If you aren't interested, skip this entry.
First of all, the government does not design and build a lot of its own defense equipment. When you watch the news, almost all of the major integrated weapons systems and technology are actually built by the private sector.
This is where defense contractors come into play. Say the government wants a new fleet of short range fighter jets to stock its aircraft carriers. They announce a request for these jets, listing the specifications that the finished product must meet - things like top speed, fuel capacity, or minimum landing/takeoff distance.
Given these requirements, the defense contractors research the project and come up with competing proposals, detailing things like the costs and time needed to complete. The government looks at proposals from the various contractors, and awards the contract to the one with the best proposal.
The major companies we're talking about here, other than NG, are players like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, or General Dynamics. To give you an example of how the industry works, Raytheon owns the contract for the Patriot Missile System (I think Lockheed is a subcontractor that makes the actual missile), which a lot of people who remember the first Gulf War know about. Every time the government needs more Patriot Missile Systems, it goes to Raytheon and asks them to build more at a set price. In some cases, the military will take over a contract, in which case it takes all the design material and program information so it can manage and manufacture the product itself.
Northrop Grumman is composed of several individual sectors, such as Integrated Systems (builds fighter planes, bombers, etc), Information Technology (handles websites, network infrastructure for the White House and other gov't organizations), and the sector I work for, Electronic Systems.
So, at Rolling Meadows and our headquarters in Baltimore, we don't actually build the B-2 Bomber or aircraft carriers that Northrop is known for. But, we do work on some of the most critical systems that the military needs in the modern age.
For example, a big thing right now is Infra-red Countermeasures (IRCM). You may have heard in the news about the growing threat of heat-seeking Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) being used by terrorists and enemies to shoot down our aircraft, aimed at military jets and now at commercial airliners as well. Traditionally, the method of defeating these missiles is to physically launch decoy flares from your plane, hoping that the heat from those flares will attract the missile away from yourself. Unfortunately, the newer generation of heat-seeking SAMs are smart enough to ignore the flares and hit the target anyways. The idea of IRCM is to use IR technology to generate a heat image projected away from the jet, which works better to confuse and defeat the so-called "smart missiles". Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems is currently the only provider of an effective and working design of IRCM, which has been used in recent military campaigns and is being used on aircraft in Iraq right now.
As for me, I'm just a peon among over 100,000 employees spread across the country. Officially, I'm an entry-level engineer that works mostly in EE applications. I have 2-star (Secret) clearance but currently I'm not doing any classified work.
Typical day? There isn't a good answer I can give to that question. Basically, I work on projects with other engineers. The fundamental definition of an engineer is someone who is given a set of requirements and "engineers" solutions to meet them. Throughout the course of the large-scale projects we work on at this company, there are literally hundreds or thousands of requirements to meet. This translate to a pretty wide range of jobs and things that need to be done.
Most of the time, I'm at my desk working on my computer. I use the common programs like Microsoft Excel and Word a lot, but also drawing programs like Visio, a requirements managment tool called SLATE, and my training last week was for LabWindows, which uses a lot of C language programming.
I've spent some time in the lab too, which was actually pretty similar to lab in college. Running tests, taking measurements, plotting stuff on oscilloscopes, talking about sports, and then doing writeups afterwards. Typically, I like being in lab more than being at my desk because I get to work with some pretty cool and advanced stuff.
When I'm not at my desk or in lab, it usually means I'm at a meeting. I have come to hate meetings, but a lot of times they are necessary in order to get things accomplished. The thing that sucks is that I usually don't really have to be present, cause they don't need any real input from me, but I still gotta be there in person. Then they always seem to drag on for way longer than planned. Plan on burning at least 2 hours per meeting is what I've learned.
The worst meetings are the "first thing in the morning" conference calls with the east coast, cause those foos are an hour ahead and that means I gotta wake up and come in an hour early. Of course, half the time I get there on time, and the meeting doesn't start until like 40 minutes later when everyone else arrives. The thing to remember is, there's a difference between "7 o'clock" and "7 o'clock sharp".
So, do I like my job? I don't know how to answer that one either. I guess I could say that it's pretty close to what I expected, which is good. I don't jump out of bed every morning and race to work out of sheer excitement, but I don't ever dread going to the job either.
There are a lot of positive things I could say about this job. Of course the salary and benefits are nice, for someone coming straight out of school. At least it's pretty standard for engineering positions.
Another big thing is that most of the people I work with are pretty nice. Engineers tend to be pretty down to earth, and while they all like to complain about being underappreciated, I think deep down they are happy with what they're doing. Compared to the business world, say a consulting or sales position, this environment is much less cutthroat in a corporate sense.
In a way, it's good to be challenged by stress and people around you, and I think I will eventually want to experience work in a business-type field. But in the long term, it probably takes its toll on you as a person. I don't want to end up being a heartless CEO who has billions of dollars and grand achievements, but is a failure as a family man and lacks moral standards.
The actual work is a positive as well. You find probably more cutting-edge technology in the defense industry than in commercial industries. And I like the fact that I'm not entirely focused on hardware or software, signal processing or power engineering, but I get a taste of a wide range of topics across the broad scope of electrical engineering.
There's a few negatives I could think of. I said earlier that the people were nice, which is true, but at times it would be nice if there were more younger people, and if there were more non-engineers around. I don't care that there's no hot girls here, cause it seems kind of lame to be meeting chicks at your job, and I got a woman already anyways. But if I had a choice, I probably wouldn't ever hang out with any of the people I work with. Not that I'm Mr. Cool or whatever, but most of these engineers are even nerdier than me. Hard to believe, but I'm serious.
It's ok though, cause I don't really need to socialize with the people I work with. I like hanging with my old circle of friends plenty enough.
The other drawback to being an engineer is the limited opportunities. Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I don't think there's much in the way of career advancement for most engineers. You get raises and promotions, but in the end, you're always working for the higher-ups. That's fine for a lot of people, I guess, but I do expect out of myself in life that by the time I retire, I will have reached the level of the "higher-ups" I'm talking about.
With an ordinary bachelor's degree at this giant corporation, that's pretty unlikely to happen spontaneously. So I don't think I can be too content and comfortable too stay where I am. At least in a few years, I'll most likely pursue an MBA or Masters in Engineering. And at some point, I will have to take the initiative to move on and shoot for higher goals. But that's in the future.
Overall, I would say that I'm happy with where I am right now. I do feel lucky to have this job especially in light of the poor economic conditions. When people ask me how the job is, I usually say "it's ok" or talk about how busy I am, but when I think about it, I really do like it.
For more information, go to northropgrumman.com and read the FAQ.
Monday, March 31, 2003
BASEBALL
Last night was a greatly anticipated event for me. Even though I had been talking about it for weeks, it didn't really hit me that baseball season was starting until the first pitch of the game.
During the national anthem, they had 3 Navy fighter jets fly over the field, which was cool. I couldn't see what kind they were, but they looked like Boeing F/A-18 Hornets. Too bad they couldn't score any Northrop B-2 Stealth Bombers or Grumman F-14's, those are way cooler.
Anyways, before the first half-inning was over, my boys were a combined negative 2, thanks to Troy Glaus' fielding error and A-Rod's GIDP. Not a great start to the Dudlings' year, but it's a long season.
So a couple innings later, A-rod comes up to bat again and this time, launched a monster shot deep into the left field seats. That got the juices flowing in me real quick. The only bad thing was how he did a little happy trot and winked at the dugout on the way around the bases. That's the first time I've seen him be cocky in a game. Not that he hasn't earned the right to be cocky, but hopefully he doesn't turn into an punk and start playing like crap this year. Then again, I like Bonds even with how he's an ass and watches his homers and stuff.
Tonight, more fun on the diamond: two of the best active pitchers alive, Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux get the call for my team. Too bad they are like a combined 800 years old. But it don't matter, they're oldies but goodies. As long as their arms don't fall off I'll be happy.
Last night was a greatly anticipated event for me. Even though I had been talking about it for weeks, it didn't really hit me that baseball season was starting until the first pitch of the game.
During the national anthem, they had 3 Navy fighter jets fly over the field, which was cool. I couldn't see what kind they were, but they looked like Boeing F/A-18 Hornets. Too bad they couldn't score any Northrop B-2 Stealth Bombers or Grumman F-14's, those are way cooler.
Anyways, before the first half-inning was over, my boys were a combined negative 2, thanks to Troy Glaus' fielding error and A-Rod's GIDP. Not a great start to the Dudlings' year, but it's a long season.
So a couple innings later, A-rod comes up to bat again and this time, launched a monster shot deep into the left field seats. That got the juices flowing in me real quick. The only bad thing was how he did a little happy trot and winked at the dugout on the way around the bases. That's the first time I've seen him be cocky in a game. Not that he hasn't earned the right to be cocky, but hopefully he doesn't turn into an punk and start playing like crap this year. Then again, I like Bonds even with how he's an ass and watches his homers and stuff.
Tonight, more fun on the diamond: two of the best active pitchers alive, Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux get the call for my team. Too bad they are like a combined 800 years old. But it don't matter, they're oldies but goodies. As long as their arms don't fall off I'll be happy.
Sunday, March 30, 2003
Boiling Point
I just saw this MTV show "Boiling Point" where they go around and do annoying stuff to people, and see how long they last before they lose it. If the people last long enough without cracking, they give them $100.
Then there's "Punk'd" which is basically like Candid Camera with celebrities, hosted by Ashton Kutcher and that dude from BET's Hits, which did a lot of that same kind of stuff. And I remember last year there was a similar show hosted by Method Man and Redman where they did practical jokes on Ludacris and other people. I forgot the name though.
Anyways, what does that say about the state of our society and culture that there's so many of these kinds of shows? Can't be good, can it? I gotta admit, they're pretty addicting. I kind of feel guilty watching and feeling entertained. Like this Monday I am making sure to watch Punk'd cause Jessica Alba is in it.
It's funny but then I wonder if it's just good fun or if it is actually harmful to people that there's so much of this practical joke mentality. There's this episode of Jackass I remember when they put a fake baby wrapped in blankets on top of a car. Then, they would start to drive away while people around freaked out and tried to save the baby. It was funny, but basically came down to taking advantage of other people's genuine care and kindness to strangers.
Should we really be making fun of those who try to help? Is it ok to be wasting these good people's time and effort? Do these kinds of pranks desensitize the public awareness or willingness to help someone else? These are questions I ponder.
Usually at the end of each episode, when the people find out it was a candid camera kind of thing, they react positively and laugh at themselves. Everyone loves being on TV. Or like in "Boiling Point", I'm sure the $100 doesn't hurt. I guess you could say "all's well that ends well".
Well, I'm probably overanalyzing this thing like I do for everything else. I just get a weird feeling from watching this stuff too much. I don't know if it's guilt or annoyance or what, but something doesn't feel right.
Currently playing on my Winamp: Linkin Park - Numb
The last track of is in my opinion the best on the Meteora CD. Which, by the way is growing on me after a listening to it a few more times. I also recommend "Easier To Run" if anyone is interested in downloading songs from the album.
BASEBALL IN A FEW HOURS
I just saw this MTV show "Boiling Point" where they go around and do annoying stuff to people, and see how long they last before they lose it. If the people last long enough without cracking, they give them $100.
Then there's "Punk'd" which is basically like Candid Camera with celebrities, hosted by Ashton Kutcher and that dude from BET's Hits, which did a lot of that same kind of stuff. And I remember last year there was a similar show hosted by Method Man and Redman where they did practical jokes on Ludacris and other people. I forgot the name though.
Anyways, what does that say about the state of our society and culture that there's so many of these kinds of shows? Can't be good, can it? I gotta admit, they're pretty addicting. I kind of feel guilty watching and feeling entertained. Like this Monday I am making sure to watch Punk'd cause Jessica Alba is in it.
It's funny but then I wonder if it's just good fun or if it is actually harmful to people that there's so much of this practical joke mentality. There's this episode of Jackass I remember when they put a fake baby wrapped in blankets on top of a car. Then, they would start to drive away while people around freaked out and tried to save the baby. It was funny, but basically came down to taking advantage of other people's genuine care and kindness to strangers.
Should we really be making fun of those who try to help? Is it ok to be wasting these good people's time and effort? Do these kinds of pranks desensitize the public awareness or willingness to help someone else? These are questions I ponder.
Usually at the end of each episode, when the people find out it was a candid camera kind of thing, they react positively and laugh at themselves. Everyone loves being on TV. Or like in "Boiling Point", I'm sure the $100 doesn't hurt. I guess you could say "all's well that ends well".
Well, I'm probably overanalyzing this thing like I do for everything else. I just get a weird feeling from watching this stuff too much. I don't know if it's guilt or annoyance or what, but something doesn't feel right.
Currently playing on my Winamp: Linkin Park - Numb
The last track of is in my opinion the best on the Meteora CD. Which, by the way is growing on me after a listening to it a few more times. I also recommend "Easier To Run" if anyone is interested in downloading songs from the album.
BASEBALL IN A FEW HOURS
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Thursday
Went to Los Burrito Tapatios and had a Giant Grilled Steak. It was excellent, but even better was talking baseball and Dudo League fantasy with Chras and Lil' Nuts. 3 DAYS UNTIL FIRST PITCH OF 2003
Played more craft today. Vira you are free to join us any time. Just head to the 509. All others are welcome too for that matter.
The Linkin Park CD is a little disappointing so far but I had high expectations so maybe that's why. I think they are the exact opposite of Brian McKnight. Like with Brian McKnight, it seems like his relationships were always so happy and perfect, that he'd love the girl forever even years after they broke up. But with Linkin Park, every song is so angry and bitter. Those guys must have had some messed up girlfriends and dysfunctional relationships for real.
So I think I need to balance out my listening of Linkin Park with some Brian McKnight, so I don't end up hating all women and swearing off relationships.
Went to Los Burrito Tapatios and had a Giant Grilled Steak. It was excellent, but even better was talking baseball and Dudo League fantasy with Chras and Lil' Nuts. 3 DAYS UNTIL FIRST PITCH OF 2003
Played more craft today. Vira you are free to join us any time. Just head to the 509. All others are welcome too for that matter.
The Linkin Park CD is a little disappointing so far but I had high expectations so maybe that's why. I think they are the exact opposite of Brian McKnight. Like with Brian McKnight, it seems like his relationships were always so happy and perfect, that he'd love the girl forever even years after they broke up. But with Linkin Park, every song is so angry and bitter. Those guys must have had some messed up girlfriends and dysfunctional relationships for real.
So I think I need to balance out my listening of Linkin Park with some Brian McKnight, so I don't end up hating all women and swearing off relationships.
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Wednesday
Got off work at about 3, home by 4. YAY
Picked up the Linkin Park CD. Watched a little of the DVD "Making of Meteora". So far, not impressed with the CD but it could grow on me.
Worked out.
Got a 1-topping large pizza at the 'Hut. Ate by myself at home. Finished about half.
Played craft. Sucked mostly. Need more reps.
Forgot to buy roast beef, couldn't make lunch. Guess I'll have to buy my lunch tomorrow.
>:-O
Baseball in 4 days.
:-D
Currently playing on my Winamp: Linkin Park - Session
There's these noises in this song that are exactly like the ones my speakers make when my computer freezes or has too much stuff running in addititon to music. It causes mad confusion.
Got off work at about 3, home by 4. YAY
Picked up the Linkin Park CD. Watched a little of the DVD "Making of Meteora". So far, not impressed with the CD but it could grow on me.
Worked out.
Got a 1-topping large pizza at the 'Hut. Ate by myself at home. Finished about half.
Played craft. Sucked mostly. Need more reps.
Forgot to buy roast beef, couldn't make lunch. Guess I'll have to buy my lunch tomorrow.
>:-O
Baseball in 4 days.
:-D
Currently playing on my Winamp: Linkin Park - Session
There's these noises in this song that are exactly like the ones my speakers make when my computer freezes or has too much stuff running in addititon to music. It causes mad confusion.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Tuesday
After work, I met my sis at Woodfield and I bought some black pants. I can't wait till I get to show them off. haha
Then we went to IKEA where I scoped out some desks, dressers, and cookware. Didn't buy anything, but I will be back many times in the next couple months, this I know.
After that, we decided to eat at Pappadeaux in Oakbrook. For some reason, I always get lost at around the I-88/I-294/Rt. 83 area, and today, my sister was the one who got lost. She was all the way to O'Hare before she could exit and turn around. I know there has to be a way to get to Rt. 83 South from 88 East, but I can never find it.
The war stuff is really starting to wear on me. I support the cause, but it doesn't mean I like it. It bothers me when we talk as if victory is guaranteed. Nothing is guaranteed, as much as our arrogant buddy Donald Rumsfeld likes to act it is. I hope God is watching over our troops and guiding their actions as they move forward in this war.
One thing was cool about today's war coverage though, when they talked about the "e-bomb". Basically the same idea as EMP Shockwave in Starcraft; doesn't kill people but fries electronics. Well, in craft it drains energy, but still.
Currently playing on my Winamp: Missy Elliot - Gossip Folk
For the past couple months I totally hated this song, then I saw the video. That little Asian girl is awesome, I think if I have a daughter she will be ghetto just like that. I know I'm not really serious when I say this, but it makes me wanna have kids right now.
After work, I met my sis at Woodfield and I bought some black pants. I can't wait till I get to show them off. haha
Then we went to IKEA where I scoped out some desks, dressers, and cookware. Didn't buy anything, but I will be back many times in the next couple months, this I know.
After that, we decided to eat at Pappadeaux in Oakbrook. For some reason, I always get lost at around the I-88/I-294/Rt. 83 area, and today, my sister was the one who got lost. She was all the way to O'Hare before she could exit and turn around. I know there has to be a way to get to Rt. 83 South from 88 East, but I can never find it.
The war stuff is really starting to wear on me. I support the cause, but it doesn't mean I like it. It bothers me when we talk as if victory is guaranteed. Nothing is guaranteed, as much as our arrogant buddy Donald Rumsfeld likes to act it is. I hope God is watching over our troops and guiding their actions as they move forward in this war.
One thing was cool about today's war coverage though, when they talked about the "e-bomb". Basically the same idea as EMP Shockwave in Starcraft; doesn't kill people but fries electronics. Well, in craft it drains energy, but still.
Currently playing on my Winamp: Missy Elliot - Gossip Folk
For the past couple months I totally hated this song, then I saw the video. That little Asian girl is awesome, I think if I have a daughter she will be ghetto just like that. I know I'm not really serious when I say this, but it makes me wanna have kids right now.
Monday, March 24, 2003
Monday Thoughts
I'm taking a training class for work this week, which among other things means no OT for me. Today I got off at about 4 o'clock which was a very very nice change of pace. It's a sweet feeling to be home at around 5, look at the clock and think that normally I'd still be working. Even better is the warm weather to go along with the shorter work hours.
Being in the training class reminds me of school. That feeling of sitting in lecture, trying not to doze off, checking the clock every 30 seconds, mind wandering off to thoughts of Starcraft and fantasy baseball. Ahhh... the simple joys of life. Even better that I don't have to worry about taking a final exam for this stuff.
***
The weekend in review:
Friday - Watched "Dreamcatchers". It pretty much sucked, all of us left the theater with stunned looks on our faces at how disappointing the movie was. I think Greg's was the worst, it was very close to the fabled "stomach-punch" look. We really should've just left after the AniMatrix preview, which was pretty cool. I didn't understand the story, but the effects were pretty impressive. Plus there was a cute Asian girl in it. Animated, but still good.
Saturday - Worked, then watched the Illini lose a miserable game. As far as I'm concerned, the 2003 NCAA tournament is over and the baseball season can't start soon enough. Better luck next year, for Dee and the boys.
Afternoon, tried to take a nap but only slept for about 30 mins before my sister and Olivia came home and started blasting their Josh Groban CD. Then we went to Popeye's for dinner (Popeye's Chicken is the SHIZNIT), and then we watched "A View From The Top".
If you haven't heard of it, Gwyneth Paltrow plays a small town girl aspiring to be an awesome flight attendant. From the commercials, it looked like it was gonna be one of those mindless comedies that I love, but actually a lot of it was romantic stuff. Still had some funny parts, though. Especially this "fight scene" where a loaf of bread is used creatively. If any of you are interested, check this, pick the first one ("Catfight"), and about 1 minute into the clip is what I'm talking about. About 10 minutes after the scene happened, I look to my left and my sister was still laughing hysterically. Funny, but maybe not that funny.
Sunday - WASHED MY CAR... It looks so purty now. The only bad thing about washing your car is that you notice all the little swirl marks, light scratches, and chips in the paint from flying rocks on the highway. But I don't care, finally the layer of salt is gone. I swear, when my car is shiny and waxed, it runs much faster and I am much happier.
***
I didn't watch much of the Oscars, but I did catch Michael Moore's speech. I wonder what his goal was, I'm sure a short 30 second outburst in accepting an Academy Award isn't going to change anyone's opinion. If you were pro-Bush before, you are probably still pro-Bush, despite his convincing and persuasive arguments. If I was anti-war though, I would be at least a little embarrassed by how unprofessional my comrade carried himself. By the way, it's been 3 years - can we get over the election thing already?
Even with that incident, I still have respect for Moore; after all, "Roger and Me" was and will always be a great piece, and I do want to catch "Bowling For Columbine" eventually. People who have been reading my blog lately probably think I'm some extreme conservative, but I am not. I think Republicans and Democrats both suck, and I have both conservative and liberal views on different issues. Maybe in future blogs I will share more.
As for Adrien Brody, I won't criticize him, except I must say his use of "Cut it out, guys, seriously" worked pretty well, surprising considering that he was onstage at the Oscars, not on the playground in 3rd grade. I was impressed.
I'm taking a training class for work this week, which among other things means no OT for me. Today I got off at about 4 o'clock which was a very very nice change of pace. It's a sweet feeling to be home at around 5, look at the clock and think that normally I'd still be working. Even better is the warm weather to go along with the shorter work hours.
Being in the training class reminds me of school. That feeling of sitting in lecture, trying not to doze off, checking the clock every 30 seconds, mind wandering off to thoughts of Starcraft and fantasy baseball. Ahhh... the simple joys of life. Even better that I don't have to worry about taking a final exam for this stuff.
***
The weekend in review:
Friday - Watched "Dreamcatchers". It pretty much sucked, all of us left the theater with stunned looks on our faces at how disappointing the movie was. I think Greg's was the worst, it was very close to the fabled "stomach-punch" look. We really should've just left after the AniMatrix preview, which was pretty cool. I didn't understand the story, but the effects were pretty impressive. Plus there was a cute Asian girl in it. Animated, but still good.
Saturday - Worked, then watched the Illini lose a miserable game. As far as I'm concerned, the 2003 NCAA tournament is over and the baseball season can't start soon enough. Better luck next year, for Dee and the boys.
Afternoon, tried to take a nap but only slept for about 30 mins before my sister and Olivia came home and started blasting their Josh Groban CD. Then we went to Popeye's for dinner (Popeye's Chicken is the SHIZNIT), and then we watched "A View From The Top".
If you haven't heard of it, Gwyneth Paltrow plays a small town girl aspiring to be an awesome flight attendant. From the commercials, it looked like it was gonna be one of those mindless comedies that I love, but actually a lot of it was romantic stuff. Still had some funny parts, though. Especially this "fight scene" where a loaf of bread is used creatively. If any of you are interested, check this, pick the first one ("Catfight"), and about 1 minute into the clip is what I'm talking about. About 10 minutes after the scene happened, I look to my left and my sister was still laughing hysterically. Funny, but maybe not that funny.
Sunday - WASHED MY CAR... It looks so purty now. The only bad thing about washing your car is that you notice all the little swirl marks, light scratches, and chips in the paint from flying rocks on the highway. But I don't care, finally the layer of salt is gone. I swear, when my car is shiny and waxed, it runs much faster and I am much happier.
***
I didn't watch much of the Oscars, but I did catch Michael Moore's speech. I wonder what his goal was, I'm sure a short 30 second outburst in accepting an Academy Award isn't going to change anyone's opinion. If you were pro-Bush before, you are probably still pro-Bush, despite his convincing and persuasive arguments. If I was anti-war though, I would be at least a little embarrassed by how unprofessional my comrade carried himself. By the way, it's been 3 years - can we get over the election thing already?
Even with that incident, I still have respect for Moore; after all, "Roger and Me" was and will always be a great piece, and I do want to catch "Bowling For Columbine" eventually. People who have been reading my blog lately probably think I'm some extreme conservative, but I am not. I think Republicans and Democrats both suck, and I have both conservative and liberal views on different issues. Maybe in future blogs I will share more.
As for Adrien Brody, I won't criticize him, except I must say his use of "Cut it out, guys, seriously" worked pretty well, surprising considering that he was onstage at the Oscars, not on the playground in 3rd grade. I was impressed.
Sunday, March 23, 2003
The following is something I wrote over 2 years ago. It was originally posted on my Students UIUC .plan, and like many of my blogs, it's really long. I can't tell if my writing skills have improved in the past couple years, but some of my opinions have changed. But anyways, if you have the time and patience, read on:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*An Essay on Britney Spears*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm sure everyone reading this knows who Britney Spears is, and no
doubt most of you have your opinions about her. If you didn't know, I'm
personally a pretty big fan of hers, but I've noticed in the past year or
so that the vast majority of people I know have a negative view of her and
her music. Many of you have not hesitated at all to let me know your
distaste for her, and basically give me hell for being a fan. This is why
I am writing this little essay, as a way for me to maybe shed a little
light on why I am a fan, and perhaps get you all off my back. Read on,
and who knows, maybe by the end you will have a slightly different take on
Britney and her music.
I wish I knew exactly why people don't like Britney, but I've
never been able to pinpoint a clear answer. But, from talking with many
different people on the subject, I've noticed that a lot of the same
reasons keep popping up. Here's a list of as many examples as I can name,
and what I think of them:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She doesn't write her own songs"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, big deal. Does that mean that it's not real music? Does
it mean that no one can enjoy listening to her CD at all? I don't think
so. First of all, it's pop music. About as deep as her songs ever get
is like, having a crush on a guy or something. Not very deep at all,
I'll be the first to admit that. Plain and simple, her music isn't
intended to stimulate the mind or set off some sort of artistic
revelation, it's there for easy listening, for people to just relax and
enjoy it for what it is.
But since everyone likes to harp on this one fact, I really have
to question why this is such a huge thing. Do the same people who like
to criticize Britney for not writing her own songs listen only to artists
who do their own writing? If so, then good for you. But I really doubt
that's the case. There are countless singers out there, past and
present, who have succeeded while relying on the writing of others, such
as Elvis Presley, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Michael Jackson, Boyz II
Men, or Madonna. I've never heard any of these artists criticized nearly
as heavily for this crime of not writing all of their own music. Let's
not even mention the hip-hop industry and how much it depends on sampled
beats and tunes. So why is it that people single out Britney, and to a
similar extent, the Backstreet Boys or N Sync, for having other people
write songs for them? It doesn't seem like a really good reason for
people to dislike her so intensely as I've seen.
Think about it another way: what if someone is really talented
at writing songs, but has the worst voice or is too ugly to be a singer?
(More on the looks-factor later) Would it be better just to ditch
his/her songs, or is it better if the writer passes on his work to
someone else who is better suited to perform and spread the music to a
wide audience? To me, there's nothing wrong with Britney Spears singing
songs written someone else, for example, Max Martin, of the famous
Swedish production crew, especially when that writer not only agrees to
let her use his songs but has good reason to want her to do so, given
that he gets credit for his writing as well as a well deserved chunk of
the profits.
Of course, I still do respect the artists out there who are
talented enough not only to write their own music but also to sing it
themselves. Even more respect goes to those that can play their own
instruments and perform live. But this is not to say that I don't
believe it's possible to enjoy different kinds of music in different
ways. Nobody cares that dance music is usually little more than a
collection mindless beats, or that there's no words in Beethoven's
symphonies. Sure, there's not much to her songs, but I enjoy them
because I think they are generally pretty catchy tunes. The fact that
she didn't write them herself shouldn't play a significant part in
whether or not people can or can't like the music itself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She got implants at such a young age"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We don't even know whether or not that's true. There aren't
many established facts on the subject, and she has flat out denied
publicly of having any sort of surgery that people accuse her of doing.
The rumor basically started because somewhere between the time she
released her first single to where she is now, people were saying that
her chest got bigger. This would be between the ages of 16 and 19.
It's not completely impossible that the growth was part of a normal
stage of puberty. I'm no expert, but it seems like if there was a
time her body would decide to grow, that's about the age it would
happen. It's really none of our business to begin with, and what we
really have is only a lot of speculation and rumors. What does any of
this have to do with her music anyways? It's really just another
example of the public's tabloid mentality, we have to pry into the
private lives of celebrities and pass judgment. Maybe she did have an
operation, maybe she didn't. I will say that if she did admit to
getting implants, I would lose some respect. I completely agree that
it's bad for any girl, young or old to do such a drastic thing to
change her own body. But it just seems flat out wrong that people are
basing their whole opinion of her on these rumors alone. In any case,
none of this is relevant to her music. It's definitely not a reason
in itself to not listen to her songs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Christina Aguilera has a better voice"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good for Christina. Personally I don't like her at all, no
matter how good her voice is. But just because someone else has a
better voice, doesn't mean I can't be a fan of Britney. Keep in mind
that both girls are in the teen pop music category; they aren't opera
singers or even adult divas like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion.
Also, let's face it, if it weren't for Britney's success, there would
be no Christina as you know her today. Look into the history of
Christina's career, she was around for years before Britney, and
given plenty of opportunities to become a star, for example a chance
to sing the title song of Disney's Mulan soundtrack, "Reflection."
But practically nobody ever heard of her until Britney's arrival broke
open the market for teen female pop singers. Now, a couple years
later, we've seen many trying to duplicate Britney's success but few
achieving nearly as much as she as. Not only Christina Aguilera, but
Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, Vitamin C, Dream, and countless other new
similar artists owe a lot to Britney for reestablishing the market and
opening the door for them to the pop industry. Whether the pop
explosion is a good thing or bad thing is another debate, but give
Britney due credit for being the first, and in my opinion, the best in
her genre among many copycats.
So maybe you wonder why I like Britney but I don't like
Christina, they seem like such similar singers. To me, it's pretty
obvious, but if you don't really pay attention to how each of them carry
themselves, let me just say that the two are worlds apart. Britney
manages to maintain some degree of professionalism and stage presence
while not completely losing the charm and cuteness of a teenage girl.
Meanwhile, Christina almost always comes off as a whiny, ditzy, immature
girl. The kind of girl that is used to getting attention from everyone,
that is too good for you and doesn't hesitate to let you know it. It's
really a major turnoff when you think about it. I'm really getting off
topic here though, if anyone wants to hear more of my thoughts about
Christina let me know, maybe I'll write another thing about it.
Anyways, Britney may not have an exceptionally good voice, but
it's not bad either. She can sing better than me, and most people I know.
More importantly, though, she has a recognizable voice; when you hear one of
her songs you can totally tell it's her. She may not have the singing
talent of Celine Dion, or even Christina, but there's a certain Britney
style in her singing that has its charm. I really can't imagine anyone
else singing "You Drive Me Crazy" or "Lucky," and to me that's a sign
of a good artist. Just like when you hear any Smashing Pumpkins,
Nirvana, DMX, Mariah Carey, or 2Pac song, you should be able to
immediately pick up their unmistakable style. Especially in the teen
pop genre, it's less important to be born with an awesome voice than to
be able to put your personal spin on the songs you sing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She's only popular because of her looks"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's not completely true. I'll admit that she wouldn't be
where she was if she was ugly, but she also wouldn't be here if her
songs sucked. I guess it's still a matter of opinion, but I've liked
almost all of her songs, and both of her albums are pretty good. If
they weren't, I wouldn't be a fan. Honestly.
But appearance is definitely a major factor in her success,
there's no denying that. It's not really her fault, though. Consider
the most successful and popular female singers today, how many of them
are unattractive? I don't think I can really name one. It might not be
right, but the public still expects performers, especially female ones,
to have some sex appeal. It's true that Britney is significantly
younger, than, for example, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Madonna, Toni
Braxton, Jennifer Lopez, or Mariah Carey, but she also appeals to a
generally younger audience. If I was 40 and a Britney fan, that would
be a problem then, but I'm only 1 or 2 years older than her. The vast
majority of those who buy her CDs are around our age or younger. She
might not be the best role model for younger girls, but she's not the
worst. Britney's public image isn't nearly as suggestive or overtly
sexual as Madonna, Mariah, or even Christina Aguilera. Her videos are
generally more subtle, and while I know she's probably crossed the line
with some of her live TV performances, it's not all that extreme as a
lot of people make it out to be. Performers have always straddled the
border of what's publicly accepted and what's beyond. Elvis was
censored for shaking his legs on TV in the '60s, and look where we are
today. It would be easy to stick to conservative, cookie cutter live
acts, but her producers have chosen to push the limits and keep her on
the leading edge of style and image. Yes, I agree that some of her
performances, such as the 2000 MTV VMAs, went too far, but I still don't
think that is reason enough to completely hate her or her music.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She's so fake"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is kind of true, when you watch her on TV, like the Hawaii
special, or Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards, that she's often overly
enthusiastic about thanking her fans or whatever. It could be considered
fakeness to some extent. But I think, from watching or reading her
interviews, and how she acts, that she is genuinely thankful and
appreciative for her fans. I don't know whether everyone has heard
about how she was recorded using foul language backstage before a concert
in Brazil, but if you ever get a chance to hear it, pay attention to
what she was so worked up about in the first place. A big reason was
because she thought the producers were going to play a recorded intro
(vamp) for the audience, but didn't, and she was angry because they
were just letting the fans wait out there with no explanation. That, to
me, shows that she at least cares about whether her fans are being
entertained at her shows.
About the fact that she has uses words that make mothers blush,
let me just say that as long as she's not spouting curses on stage, on
Nickelodeon, or in her songs, it really isn't a big deal. Not that it's
ok, but it's nothing you don't hear every day. I've always known people
who curse a whole lot worse, even since elementary school. Why is it
okay for actors/actresses, football players, or rappers and rock stars to
swear freely whenever and wherever they want, but when it's suddenly
discovered that Britney has a potty mouth in private, it's a big issue?
She's still only a teenage girl, remember, cut her some slack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She lip-syncs"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This one is hard to deny. Like anyone else, I think it would be
better if she sang live at her performances, but the fact that she
doesn't is at least somewhat understandable. First of all, it's not easy
to be dancing all over a stage while at the same time maintaining enough
breath to sing the song. Also, her performances aren't exactly meant to
showcase her voice, again, it's pop music, not something else. The
bottom line is entertainment, of course it's better if she can sing live,
but if doing so will take away the quality of the overall show, maybe it's
not worth it. And plenty of other artists also lip sync for the same
reason, the most recent example I can think of is Jennifer Lopez at the
AMAs and SNL. I say it shouldn't really matter that much, it's still
possible to enjoy her live performance for what it's worth. If not, it
still shouldn't affect how anyone feels about her recorded music anyways.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Her song lyrics are so corny"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I personally don't pay all that much attention to the words,
seeing as how it's teen pop music, but I guess I kind of like the songs
and their theme anyways. It seems like so many songs nowadays are about
how all guys are scrubs and bugaboos or whatnot. Then I get tired of
hearing every rap song brag about how expensive their cars are, how many
hoes they have, or how many cops they shot. Or alternative bands saying
over and over that life sucks this and that. I guess for music to be
considered cool today, it has to fall into one of those categories. That,
and the artist has to have multiple legal issues, drug problems, etc.
It's kind of soothing to listen to a CD that isn't about life's worst
troubles, it's refreshing for an artist not to be fighting censors
constantly or to be in and out of rehab all the time. So what if I can't
completely relate to all her songs about the pain of breaking up, or
having a big crush on someone? Like any of us know about cruising around
Long Beach in a Benz with a bottle of Tanqueray and a hoe on each side. I
think songs about a young girl in love are cute actually. Not that I
would listen to them all day, but there are times when it's nice to just
chill and enjoy a lighthearted song that's not too deep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So those are pretty much the main reasons I can think of that
people give when they try to criticize Britney or convince me that I
shouldn't be a fan. I don't feel like any of those are reason enough to
not like her or her music. It's okay if you still don't like her; but I
hope it would just be a matter of personal preference or opinion, and not
just because it's uncool to like her music or something like that.
Obviously, since I'm a fan, I really do enjoy listening to her music,
seeing her perform, watching her videos and stuff. I don't think she's
perfect, and it's not like I want to marry her either. I do think she's
pretty good looking, and I like her style and how she sings and stuff.
But for me, being a fan isn't really based completely on whether or not
she's cute, or whether she has a good voice, or a good personality. I
think it's a combination, the entire package that's appealing. Her
overall style, professionalism, and stage presence is really admirable
for a girl still in her teens. And she handles the pressure being in
the spotlight about as well anyone could expect of her; imagine living a
life where everyone is prying into your private life and spreading nasty
rumors about you. It can't be easy, maybe instead of trying to examine
and judge each and every aspect of her life, we should be a little more
sympathetic.
My personal theory on the whole thing is that the real reason
people have such strong negative reactions to Britney is a lot more
complex, maybe a combination of some of the things I mentioned above.
I think for many girls, they might be kind of jealous of her because it
seems like she has it all- good looks, a life of fame, and the attention
of almost every guy on earth. Then this jealously exaggerates all of
those other reasons I listed, possibly explaining why people focus on
those things more for her than for other artists who are guilty of the
same things. For guys who like to rip on Britney, I think a large part
is trying to act all hard and stuff, since it's so "uncool" to like that
kind of music. Also they don't want to admit that they think she's hot,
for fear of being made fun of. All I have to say is, if you don't
think Britney Spears is attractive, you must be really flaming blind or
something. Sorry, but since I really do like her songs and her look and
her style and everything, I at least admit it and take whatever hits that
come my way. The lamest thing is if you like a certain kind of music
but you keep denying it because you are afraid what other people will
think. I'm not saying these things apply to every single person who
doesn't like Britney, maybe it really is just a matter of opinion and
not liking that type of music. But whenever people spit all these bogus
reasons at me that are just so weak, I have to believe it's something
deeper that they won't admit.
In any case, whether you choose to listen to her music is your
own choice, it's not like I won't be friends with you just because you
aren't a fan. Some of my best friends rip on her all the time, that's
kind of what made me decide to write this thing in the first place. But
if you wanna hang out with me regularly, be prepared to hear some Britney,
that's just a warning beforehand. It's not that bad, really. Really,
just trust me. As long as you have an open mind and can tolerate a
little sappy music, I'll be happy.
~~~~~~~
J.C.
2/20/01
~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*An Essay on Britney Spears*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm sure everyone reading this knows who Britney Spears is, and no
doubt most of you have your opinions about her. If you didn't know, I'm
personally a pretty big fan of hers, but I've noticed in the past year or
so that the vast majority of people I know have a negative view of her and
her music. Many of you have not hesitated at all to let me know your
distaste for her, and basically give me hell for being a fan. This is why
I am writing this little essay, as a way for me to maybe shed a little
light on why I am a fan, and perhaps get you all off my back. Read on,
and who knows, maybe by the end you will have a slightly different take on
Britney and her music.
I wish I knew exactly why people don't like Britney, but I've
never been able to pinpoint a clear answer. But, from talking with many
different people on the subject, I've noticed that a lot of the same
reasons keep popping up. Here's a list of as many examples as I can name,
and what I think of them:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She doesn't write her own songs"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, big deal. Does that mean that it's not real music? Does
it mean that no one can enjoy listening to her CD at all? I don't think
so. First of all, it's pop music. About as deep as her songs ever get
is like, having a crush on a guy or something. Not very deep at all,
I'll be the first to admit that. Plain and simple, her music isn't
intended to stimulate the mind or set off some sort of artistic
revelation, it's there for easy listening, for people to just relax and
enjoy it for what it is.
But since everyone likes to harp on this one fact, I really have
to question why this is such a huge thing. Do the same people who like
to criticize Britney for not writing her own songs listen only to artists
who do their own writing? If so, then good for you. But I really doubt
that's the case. There are countless singers out there, past and
present, who have succeeded while relying on the writing of others, such
as Elvis Presley, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Michael Jackson, Boyz II
Men, or Madonna. I've never heard any of these artists criticized nearly
as heavily for this crime of not writing all of their own music. Let's
not even mention the hip-hop industry and how much it depends on sampled
beats and tunes. So why is it that people single out Britney, and to a
similar extent, the Backstreet Boys or N Sync, for having other people
write songs for them? It doesn't seem like a really good reason for
people to dislike her so intensely as I've seen.
Think about it another way: what if someone is really talented
at writing songs, but has the worst voice or is too ugly to be a singer?
(More on the looks-factor later) Would it be better just to ditch
his/her songs, or is it better if the writer passes on his work to
someone else who is better suited to perform and spread the music to a
wide audience? To me, there's nothing wrong with Britney Spears singing
songs written someone else, for example, Max Martin, of the famous
Swedish production crew, especially when that writer not only agrees to
let her use his songs but has good reason to want her to do so, given
that he gets credit for his writing as well as a well deserved chunk of
the profits.
Of course, I still do respect the artists out there who are
talented enough not only to write their own music but also to sing it
themselves. Even more respect goes to those that can play their own
instruments and perform live. But this is not to say that I don't
believe it's possible to enjoy different kinds of music in different
ways. Nobody cares that dance music is usually little more than a
collection mindless beats, or that there's no words in Beethoven's
symphonies. Sure, there's not much to her songs, but I enjoy them
because I think they are generally pretty catchy tunes. The fact that
she didn't write them herself shouldn't play a significant part in
whether or not people can or can't like the music itself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She got implants at such a young age"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We don't even know whether or not that's true. There aren't
many established facts on the subject, and she has flat out denied
publicly of having any sort of surgery that people accuse her of doing.
The rumor basically started because somewhere between the time she
released her first single to where she is now, people were saying that
her chest got bigger. This would be between the ages of 16 and 19.
It's not completely impossible that the growth was part of a normal
stage of puberty. I'm no expert, but it seems like if there was a
time her body would decide to grow, that's about the age it would
happen. It's really none of our business to begin with, and what we
really have is only a lot of speculation and rumors. What does any of
this have to do with her music anyways? It's really just another
example of the public's tabloid mentality, we have to pry into the
private lives of celebrities and pass judgment. Maybe she did have an
operation, maybe she didn't. I will say that if she did admit to
getting implants, I would lose some respect. I completely agree that
it's bad for any girl, young or old to do such a drastic thing to
change her own body. But it just seems flat out wrong that people are
basing their whole opinion of her on these rumors alone. In any case,
none of this is relevant to her music. It's definitely not a reason
in itself to not listen to her songs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Christina Aguilera has a better voice"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good for Christina. Personally I don't like her at all, no
matter how good her voice is. But just because someone else has a
better voice, doesn't mean I can't be a fan of Britney. Keep in mind
that both girls are in the teen pop music category; they aren't opera
singers or even adult divas like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion.
Also, let's face it, if it weren't for Britney's success, there would
be no Christina as you know her today. Look into the history of
Christina's career, she was around for years before Britney, and
given plenty of opportunities to become a star, for example a chance
to sing the title song of Disney's Mulan soundtrack, "Reflection."
But practically nobody ever heard of her until Britney's arrival broke
open the market for teen female pop singers. Now, a couple years
later, we've seen many trying to duplicate Britney's success but few
achieving nearly as much as she as. Not only Christina Aguilera, but
Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, Vitamin C, Dream, and countless other new
similar artists owe a lot to Britney for reestablishing the market and
opening the door for them to the pop industry. Whether the pop
explosion is a good thing or bad thing is another debate, but give
Britney due credit for being the first, and in my opinion, the best in
her genre among many copycats.
So maybe you wonder why I like Britney but I don't like
Christina, they seem like such similar singers. To me, it's pretty
obvious, but if you don't really pay attention to how each of them carry
themselves, let me just say that the two are worlds apart. Britney
manages to maintain some degree of professionalism and stage presence
while not completely losing the charm and cuteness of a teenage girl.
Meanwhile, Christina almost always comes off as a whiny, ditzy, immature
girl. The kind of girl that is used to getting attention from everyone,
that is too good for you and doesn't hesitate to let you know it. It's
really a major turnoff when you think about it. I'm really getting off
topic here though, if anyone wants to hear more of my thoughts about
Christina let me know, maybe I'll write another thing about it.
Anyways, Britney may not have an exceptionally good voice, but
it's not bad either. She can sing better than me, and most people I know.
More importantly, though, she has a recognizable voice; when you hear one of
her songs you can totally tell it's her. She may not have the singing
talent of Celine Dion, or even Christina, but there's a certain Britney
style in her singing that has its charm. I really can't imagine anyone
else singing "You Drive Me Crazy" or "Lucky," and to me that's a sign
of a good artist. Just like when you hear any Smashing Pumpkins,
Nirvana, DMX, Mariah Carey, or 2Pac song, you should be able to
immediately pick up their unmistakable style. Especially in the teen
pop genre, it's less important to be born with an awesome voice than to
be able to put your personal spin on the songs you sing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She's only popular because of her looks"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's not completely true. I'll admit that she wouldn't be
where she was if she was ugly, but she also wouldn't be here if her
songs sucked. I guess it's still a matter of opinion, but I've liked
almost all of her songs, and both of her albums are pretty good. If
they weren't, I wouldn't be a fan. Honestly.
But appearance is definitely a major factor in her success,
there's no denying that. It's not really her fault, though. Consider
the most successful and popular female singers today, how many of them
are unattractive? I don't think I can really name one. It might not be
right, but the public still expects performers, especially female ones,
to have some sex appeal. It's true that Britney is significantly
younger, than, for example, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Madonna, Toni
Braxton, Jennifer Lopez, or Mariah Carey, but she also appeals to a
generally younger audience. If I was 40 and a Britney fan, that would
be a problem then, but I'm only 1 or 2 years older than her. The vast
majority of those who buy her CDs are around our age or younger. She
might not be the best role model for younger girls, but she's not the
worst. Britney's public image isn't nearly as suggestive or overtly
sexual as Madonna, Mariah, or even Christina Aguilera. Her videos are
generally more subtle, and while I know she's probably crossed the line
with some of her live TV performances, it's not all that extreme as a
lot of people make it out to be. Performers have always straddled the
border of what's publicly accepted and what's beyond. Elvis was
censored for shaking his legs on TV in the '60s, and look where we are
today. It would be easy to stick to conservative, cookie cutter live
acts, but her producers have chosen to push the limits and keep her on
the leading edge of style and image. Yes, I agree that some of her
performances, such as the 2000 MTV VMAs, went too far, but I still don't
think that is reason enough to completely hate her or her music.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She's so fake"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is kind of true, when you watch her on TV, like the Hawaii
special, or Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards, that she's often overly
enthusiastic about thanking her fans or whatever. It could be considered
fakeness to some extent. But I think, from watching or reading her
interviews, and how she acts, that she is genuinely thankful and
appreciative for her fans. I don't know whether everyone has heard
about how she was recorded using foul language backstage before a concert
in Brazil, but if you ever get a chance to hear it, pay attention to
what she was so worked up about in the first place. A big reason was
because she thought the producers were going to play a recorded intro
(vamp) for the audience, but didn't, and she was angry because they
were just letting the fans wait out there with no explanation. That, to
me, shows that she at least cares about whether her fans are being
entertained at her shows.
About the fact that she has uses words that make mothers blush,
let me just say that as long as she's not spouting curses on stage, on
Nickelodeon, or in her songs, it really isn't a big deal. Not that it's
ok, but it's nothing you don't hear every day. I've always known people
who curse a whole lot worse, even since elementary school. Why is it
okay for actors/actresses, football players, or rappers and rock stars to
swear freely whenever and wherever they want, but when it's suddenly
discovered that Britney has a potty mouth in private, it's a big issue?
She's still only a teenage girl, remember, cut her some slack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She lip-syncs"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This one is hard to deny. Like anyone else, I think it would be
better if she sang live at her performances, but the fact that she
doesn't is at least somewhat understandable. First of all, it's not easy
to be dancing all over a stage while at the same time maintaining enough
breath to sing the song. Also, her performances aren't exactly meant to
showcase her voice, again, it's pop music, not something else. The
bottom line is entertainment, of course it's better if she can sing live,
but if doing so will take away the quality of the overall show, maybe it's
not worth it. And plenty of other artists also lip sync for the same
reason, the most recent example I can think of is Jennifer Lopez at the
AMAs and SNL. I say it shouldn't really matter that much, it's still
possible to enjoy her live performance for what it's worth. If not, it
still shouldn't affect how anyone feels about her recorded music anyways.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Her song lyrics are so corny"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I personally don't pay all that much attention to the words,
seeing as how it's teen pop music, but I guess I kind of like the songs
and their theme anyways. It seems like so many songs nowadays are about
how all guys are scrubs and bugaboos or whatnot. Then I get tired of
hearing every rap song brag about how expensive their cars are, how many
hoes they have, or how many cops they shot. Or alternative bands saying
over and over that life sucks this and that. I guess for music to be
considered cool today, it has to fall into one of those categories. That,
and the artist has to have multiple legal issues, drug problems, etc.
It's kind of soothing to listen to a CD that isn't about life's worst
troubles, it's refreshing for an artist not to be fighting censors
constantly or to be in and out of rehab all the time. So what if I can't
completely relate to all her songs about the pain of breaking up, or
having a big crush on someone? Like any of us know about cruising around
Long Beach in a Benz with a bottle of Tanqueray and a hoe on each side. I
think songs about a young girl in love are cute actually. Not that I
would listen to them all day, but there are times when it's nice to just
chill and enjoy a lighthearted song that's not too deep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So those are pretty much the main reasons I can think of that
people give when they try to criticize Britney or convince me that I
shouldn't be a fan. I don't feel like any of those are reason enough to
not like her or her music. It's okay if you still don't like her; but I
hope it would just be a matter of personal preference or opinion, and not
just because it's uncool to like her music or something like that.
Obviously, since I'm a fan, I really do enjoy listening to her music,
seeing her perform, watching her videos and stuff. I don't think she's
perfect, and it's not like I want to marry her either. I do think she's
pretty good looking, and I like her style and how she sings and stuff.
But for me, being a fan isn't really based completely on whether or not
she's cute, or whether she has a good voice, or a good personality. I
think it's a combination, the entire package that's appealing. Her
overall style, professionalism, and stage presence is really admirable
for a girl still in her teens. And she handles the pressure being in
the spotlight about as well anyone could expect of her; imagine living a
life where everyone is prying into your private life and spreading nasty
rumors about you. It can't be easy, maybe instead of trying to examine
and judge each and every aspect of her life, we should be a little more
sympathetic.
My personal theory on the whole thing is that the real reason
people have such strong negative reactions to Britney is a lot more
complex, maybe a combination of some of the things I mentioned above.
I think for many girls, they might be kind of jealous of her because it
seems like she has it all- good looks, a life of fame, and the attention
of almost every guy on earth. Then this jealously exaggerates all of
those other reasons I listed, possibly explaining why people focus on
those things more for her than for other artists who are guilty of the
same things. For guys who like to rip on Britney, I think a large part
is trying to act all hard and stuff, since it's so "uncool" to like that
kind of music. Also they don't want to admit that they think she's hot,
for fear of being made fun of. All I have to say is, if you don't
think Britney Spears is attractive, you must be really flaming blind or
something. Sorry, but since I really do like her songs and her look and
her style and everything, I at least admit it and take whatever hits that
come my way. The lamest thing is if you like a certain kind of music
but you keep denying it because you are afraid what other people will
think. I'm not saying these things apply to every single person who
doesn't like Britney, maybe it really is just a matter of opinion and
not liking that type of music. But whenever people spit all these bogus
reasons at me that are just so weak, I have to believe it's something
deeper that they won't admit.
In any case, whether you choose to listen to her music is your
own choice, it's not like I won't be friends with you just because you
aren't a fan. Some of my best friends rip on her all the time, that's
kind of what made me decide to write this thing in the first place. But
if you wanna hang out with me regularly, be prepared to hear some Britney,
that's just a warning beforehand. It's not that bad, really. Really,
just trust me. As long as you have an open mind and can tolerate a
little sappy music, I'll be happy.
~~~~~~~
J.C.
2/20/01
~~~~~~~
Saturday, March 22, 2003
Affirmative Action
Reading Rich's xanga page reminded me of the political blog I wrote a while back on Affirmative Action. I never posted it, because it's about as long as my Iraq Political Blog and I get tired myself just from skimming through it. So I'll write a shorter (but still long) "abridged" version here.
I believe that we do need some extent of affirmative action in this country, but I also feel that it is already being enforced too much right now. The reason we need it is because by human nature, the majority always tends to discriminate against the minority. Without affirmative action, there is little to no incentive for the establishment to change, and incorporate minorities.
So if we use the concept correctly, it would hopefully work to balance out some of the inequalities due to racism and prejudice. But if we use too much, it puts unqualified people in the wrong positions and hurts our country as a whole.
Now, I think most of us who have been through college have witnessed some form of affirmative action at one point or another. In the college admissions process alone, there are many opportunities available to "underrepresented minorities" that are not out there for the rest. In scholarships, in applying for TA positions, student government boards, pretty much anything, affirmative action is already quite present. This is something I can attest to and if you don't know what I'm talking about, you could ask me to share with you some specific stories.
Colleges can deny all they want that affirmative action hurts anyone, but here's a question I have for them: if there was one spot open in the U of I Engineering school, and two applicants with the exact same credentials (GPA, test scores, etc) were being considered, would they choose the White Male or Black Female? If you were Mr. White Male and you got rejected for no other reason than not being a part of an "underrepresented minority", would you agree that affirmative action doesn't hurt anyone?
The thing is, we want there to be equal opportunity for everyone to succeed, which does not necessarily always translate a uniform distribution of demographics in all aspects of society. Currently, colleges and most employers already drool over any underrepresented minority applicants who have decent credentials. I'm pretty confident in saying that there is no lack of opportunity for these people to succeed.
Unfortunately in many cases, there is an excess of affirmative action that ends up taking away jobs or opportunities from people who have earned them, and giving them to those less deserving. An analogy I would think of is the NFL. What if GMs were forced to draft more Asians to balance out the league, like each team needs at least 5 Chinese guys? If this were to happen, the quality of competition in the league would be greatly diminished, not to mention it's pretty insulting to the 5 token Chinks on each team, wouldn't you say? No, the NFL drafts people based purely on skill and qualifications, the way it should be.
But let's put this in more serious terms. If you were having triple bypass surgery, would you want a surgeon who was the best in his/her field, or one that got through medical school being helped along because he/she was an underrepresented minority? Or, would you rather be driving on a bridge designed by Black, White, Pink, or Yellow engineers? The reality is, you definitely wouldn't want race to matter at all, you would always want the one who is best qualified for his/her job.
I have another question to pose, that might end up getting me flamed. But I have to ask, do white people choose to discriminate against Black people, Hispanic people, Native Americans, and women, more than they discriminate against Asians or Jews? The reason I ask is because most of the first-generation Asians came here with little more than a few bucks in their pocket. Many of them were not particularly well-educated, nor did they speak good English.
But for some reason, you see that there is a disproportionately large amount of Asians in top universities and high class jobs today. I'm quite sure that opportunities were not equal for my own mom and dad when they immigrated here, but they still managed to achieve a respectable amount of success. Whether they opened a restaurant or started a dry cleaning shop, Asians have ended up being among the tops in per-capita income and enjoy a relatively high standard of living in this country.
Without going any further and making people sick with my AZN pride (no forks in the house chopsticks only...), the point I'm trying to make is that I think opportunities have been there for minorities to succeed, and they are more present today than ever. And that's all you can really ask for, is an opportunity, a decent shot at making it in life.
So if there's already opportunity for all of us, any of the cries for more affirmative action is a counterproductive cause. I think it's to the point right now where people point to the lack of affirmative action as a convenient excuse for failure. Maybe if the whiners would transfer the energy they spend complaining about lack of affirmative action and focus their efforts on working hard, saving money for education, etc., we wouldn't need it to begin with. That's the attitude we should all have, to work hard and take care of your own biznass before pointing fingers elsewhere. It would definitely solve a lot of problems, I must say.
Reading Rich's xanga page reminded me of the political blog I wrote a while back on Affirmative Action. I never posted it, because it's about as long as my Iraq Political Blog and I get tired myself just from skimming through it. So I'll write a shorter (but still long) "abridged" version here.
I believe that we do need some extent of affirmative action in this country, but I also feel that it is already being enforced too much right now. The reason we need it is because by human nature, the majority always tends to discriminate against the minority. Without affirmative action, there is little to no incentive for the establishment to change, and incorporate minorities.
So if we use the concept correctly, it would hopefully work to balance out some of the inequalities due to racism and prejudice. But if we use too much, it puts unqualified people in the wrong positions and hurts our country as a whole.
Now, I think most of us who have been through college have witnessed some form of affirmative action at one point or another. In the college admissions process alone, there are many opportunities available to "underrepresented minorities" that are not out there for the rest. In scholarships, in applying for TA positions, student government boards, pretty much anything, affirmative action is already quite present. This is something I can attest to and if you don't know what I'm talking about, you could ask me to share with you some specific stories.
Colleges can deny all they want that affirmative action hurts anyone, but here's a question I have for them: if there was one spot open in the U of I Engineering school, and two applicants with the exact same credentials (GPA, test scores, etc) were being considered, would they choose the White Male or Black Female? If you were Mr. White Male and you got rejected for no other reason than not being a part of an "underrepresented minority", would you agree that affirmative action doesn't hurt anyone?
The thing is, we want there to be equal opportunity for everyone to succeed, which does not necessarily always translate a uniform distribution of demographics in all aspects of society. Currently, colleges and most employers already drool over any underrepresented minority applicants who have decent credentials. I'm pretty confident in saying that there is no lack of opportunity for these people to succeed.
Unfortunately in many cases, there is an excess of affirmative action that ends up taking away jobs or opportunities from people who have earned them, and giving them to those less deserving. An analogy I would think of is the NFL. What if GMs were forced to draft more Asians to balance out the league, like each team needs at least 5 Chinese guys? If this were to happen, the quality of competition in the league would be greatly diminished, not to mention it's pretty insulting to the 5 token Chinks on each team, wouldn't you say? No, the NFL drafts people based purely on skill and qualifications, the way it should be.
But let's put this in more serious terms. If you were having triple bypass surgery, would you want a surgeon who was the best in his/her field, or one that got through medical school being helped along because he/she was an underrepresented minority? Or, would you rather be driving on a bridge designed by Black, White, Pink, or Yellow engineers? The reality is, you definitely wouldn't want race to matter at all, you would always want the one who is best qualified for his/her job.
I have another question to pose, that might end up getting me flamed. But I have to ask, do white people choose to discriminate against Black people, Hispanic people, Native Americans, and women, more than they discriminate against Asians or Jews? The reason I ask is because most of the first-generation Asians came here with little more than a few bucks in their pocket. Many of them were not particularly well-educated, nor did they speak good English.
But for some reason, you see that there is a disproportionately large amount of Asians in top universities and high class jobs today. I'm quite sure that opportunities were not equal for my own mom and dad when they immigrated here, but they still managed to achieve a respectable amount of success. Whether they opened a restaurant or started a dry cleaning shop, Asians have ended up being among the tops in per-capita income and enjoy a relatively high standard of living in this country.
Without going any further and making people sick with my AZN pride (no forks in the house chopsticks only...), the point I'm trying to make is that I think opportunities have been there for minorities to succeed, and they are more present today than ever. And that's all you can really ask for, is an opportunity, a decent shot at making it in life.
So if there's already opportunity for all of us, any of the cries for more affirmative action is a counterproductive cause. I think it's to the point right now where people point to the lack of affirmative action as a convenient excuse for failure. Maybe if the whiners would transfer the energy they spend complaining about lack of affirmative action and focus their efforts on working hard, saving money for education, etc., we wouldn't need it to begin with. That's the attitude we should all have, to work hard and take care of your own biznass before pointing fingers elsewhere. It would definitely solve a lot of problems, I must say.
Thursday, March 20, 2003
More Randomness
- I'm tired of talking about Iraq. Everything has been argued to death by now and whether or not you agree with the war, can we at least pull together and make our troops feel supported and appreciated?
- Illini win and my bracket is still alive... too bad I took SIU going to the Elite Eight, otherwise I would be in good position in the pool. My Final Four: Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan State, Louisville. With Illini over Louisville in the final.
- A big day is coming soon... March 24th. If anyone is wondering what gift to get me for when I turn 23 and 1/6th years old, something I've been eyeing is the Toshiba e750 Pocket PC. I have been meaning to get into the world of PDAs for a while now, but haven't been able to pull the trigger as of yet. At Christmas, I almost bought myself the e740, but then there were rumors of the 750 coming out in 1st Quarter 2003 with a bigger, better screen and more memory, so I held out. And now this bad boy is finally released:
Call me a nerd if you will, but I don't care cause that's what I am, and chicks dig it. In junior high, my calculator watch was my best friend. In high school, it was the TI-85 (remember ZShell?). Then I had to go through college without a true nerdy gadget, I got by with an MP3 player and lots 'o' Starcraft. Now, it's finally time for me to return to nerd-dom.
- I didn't get to wash my car last weekend when it was nice out, but I will not be foiled again this weekend. Maybe I will even wash my old baby, the Maxima, cause my sis is gonna be back for Spring Break.
- It feels really weird not having a Spring Break for once. Not that it was ever a big thing for me, the only place I remember going on break was Vegas a couple years back. But I get kind of bitter because it reminds me that only one year ago at this time, I was playing euchre and video games all the time, going to Lake Clinton, playing softball, having barbeques, chilling on the Quad, shooting pool, lifting and playing scrub tennis at IMPE in the mornings, taking 6 hour naps at noon, tossing garbage bags off my balcony (3-TWELVE!!), playing quarters and taps, with some occasional studying thrown in. I almost even miss the times spent in ECE Senior Design Lab.... well not really. But even though there's no Spring Break for me anymore, my job is still cool in that we get 2 weeks off for Christmas/New Years. So I'm not gonna complain too much.
- So far I have 5 vacation days. I'm thinking about whether to save them up more, or just go ahead and take a week off one of these days. Or I guess I could maybe use only a couple days and go somewhere on an extended weekend. Like 4 days in Florida sounds pretty good right about now.
- I just realized that I'm writing a lot about stuff that would cost me some mad cash. I should really be saving my checks for a down payment on a house.
Well actually, right now property value is way too high for me... and certain experts warn of a real estate bubble that is ready to burst any time. Not that I necessarily trust the so-called "experts", but it really could be that housing prices are lagging the economy and stock market because of the low interest rates. Everyone says a house is the best investment, which is not untrue, but I think I'm gonna hold off on looking for my own place for at least a year or so. A lot of people think property value never falls, but that's not a fact. Not to mention the costs of owning a home, such as taxes and utilities.
Anyways, I'm not really ready to be taking care of a house, buying furniture, etc. But back to what I was saying - I should probably be saving my money as much as possible. Easier said than done, but we'll see.
- Yet another example of why most celebrities need to shut the flux up: Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks lead singer) tells a foreign crowd last week that she is "ashamed" that President Bush is from Texas. She comes home to America, and people are pissed, ready to boycott her album, so she immediately apologizes and retracts what she said.
Here's the thing - I'm not against free speech, and while she could have been more respectful about it, it's certainly her right to criticize our President. But if you're gonna say something you believe, have the guts to stand by it. Don't try to please the anti-war crowd one minute and then pander to the pro-Bush side the next.
Moral of the story: Celebrities, even more so than politicians, love to be popular and need to feel important, so they act accordingly. Like I've said before, they're much better off just singing and acting. Our President and his advisors, meanwhile, have been doing their job, acting in what they believe is the best interest of this country and its people. Despite resistance from the shortsighted public, who opposes war against Iraq at all costs, Bush has risked his popularity and stuck his neck out, standing by his beliefs all along. And for that, I must say we all need to give him props.
- I'm tired of talking about Iraq. Everything has been argued to death by now and whether or not you agree with the war, can we at least pull together and make our troops feel supported and appreciated?
- Illini win and my bracket is still alive... too bad I took SIU going to the Elite Eight, otherwise I would be in good position in the pool. My Final Four: Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan State, Louisville. With Illini over Louisville in the final.
- A big day is coming soon... March 24th. If anyone is wondering what gift to get me for when I turn 23 and 1/6th years old, something I've been eyeing is the Toshiba e750 Pocket PC. I have been meaning to get into the world of PDAs for a while now, but haven't been able to pull the trigger as of yet. At Christmas, I almost bought myself the e740, but then there were rumors of the 750 coming out in 1st Quarter 2003 with a bigger, better screen and more memory, so I held out. And now this bad boy is finally released:
Call me a nerd if you will, but I don't care cause that's what I am, and chicks dig it. In junior high, my calculator watch was my best friend. In high school, it was the TI-85 (remember ZShell?). Then I had to go through college without a true nerdy gadget, I got by with an MP3 player and lots 'o' Starcraft. Now, it's finally time for me to return to nerd-dom.
- I didn't get to wash my car last weekend when it was nice out, but I will not be foiled again this weekend. Maybe I will even wash my old baby, the Maxima, cause my sis is gonna be back for Spring Break.
- It feels really weird not having a Spring Break for once. Not that it was ever a big thing for me, the only place I remember going on break was Vegas a couple years back. But I get kind of bitter because it reminds me that only one year ago at this time, I was playing euchre and video games all the time, going to Lake Clinton, playing softball, having barbeques, chilling on the Quad, shooting pool, lifting and playing scrub tennis at IMPE in the mornings, taking 6 hour naps at noon, tossing garbage bags off my balcony (3-TWELVE!!), playing quarters and taps, with some occasional studying thrown in. I almost even miss the times spent in ECE Senior Design Lab.... well not really. But even though there's no Spring Break for me anymore, my job is still cool in that we get 2 weeks off for Christmas/New Years. So I'm not gonna complain too much.
- So far I have 5 vacation days. I'm thinking about whether to save them up more, or just go ahead and take a week off one of these days. Or I guess I could maybe use only a couple days and go somewhere on an extended weekend. Like 4 days in Florida sounds pretty good right about now.
- I just realized that I'm writing a lot about stuff that would cost me some mad cash. I should really be saving my checks for a down payment on a house.
Well actually, right now property value is way too high for me... and certain experts warn of a real estate bubble that is ready to burst any time. Not that I necessarily trust the so-called "experts", but it really could be that housing prices are lagging the economy and stock market because of the low interest rates. Everyone says a house is the best investment, which is not untrue, but I think I'm gonna hold off on looking for my own place for at least a year or so. A lot of people think property value never falls, but that's not a fact. Not to mention the costs of owning a home, such as taxes and utilities.
Anyways, I'm not really ready to be taking care of a house, buying furniture, etc. But back to what I was saying - I should probably be saving my money as much as possible. Easier said than done, but we'll see.
- Yet another example of why most celebrities need to shut the flux up: Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks lead singer) tells a foreign crowd last week that she is "ashamed" that President Bush is from Texas. She comes home to America, and people are pissed, ready to boycott her album, so she immediately apologizes and retracts what she said.
Here's the thing - I'm not against free speech, and while she could have been more respectful about it, it's certainly her right to criticize our President. But if you're gonna say something you believe, have the guts to stand by it. Don't try to please the anti-war crowd one minute and then pander to the pro-Bush side the next.
Moral of the story: Celebrities, even more so than politicians, love to be popular and need to feel important, so they act accordingly. Like I've said before, they're much better off just singing and acting. Our President and his advisors, meanwhile, have been doing their job, acting in what they believe is the best interest of this country and its people. Despite resistance from the shortsighted public, who opposes war against Iraq at all costs, Bush has risked his popularity and stuck his neck out, standing by his beliefs all along. And for that, I must say we all need to give him props.
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
Randomness From Work
- Blogspot and Haloscan (commenting) have been acting pretty unreliable lately. I've had trouble posting blogs, reading blogs, losing comments, disabled comments, slow loading, etc. I'm sorry if any of you have had problems with my page. With all the problems, I think I might have to switch it all over to Xanga eventually. Actually, a better idea would be for me to learn more HTML and web design, find a good hosting service, and start my own independent page. We'll have to see.
- This week could possibly be my last week of OT. Next week I'm doing this training class M-F so I won't be working any extra hours then. After that, I think I'll be able to go back to 40 hour weeks and get everything done.
- I think I have emotional issues, maybe to the point of having a physiological imbalance of chemicals in my brain. This morning on the way to work, I saw a duck crossing Hicks Rd. with his woman. Of course all the traffic stopped for them, and I was like "awwwwww, how cute". Nearly brought a tear to my eye, I'm not even joking. I don't know when I became such a weenie, but it must have been recently that it happened. It wasn't too long ago when I wanted to shoot birds of all kinds for taking their dumps on my car and waking me up in the morning with their stupid chirping.
- I'm psyched to play softball and/or football. Hopefully the weather is warm.
- We're gonna have to wait a couple more days for BASEBALL OPENING DAY 2003 because of the war and cancelling games in Japan, but I'll live. Especially with the BIG DANCE kicking off this Thursday - Illini vs. Western Kentucky, the first step on the road to Anaheim, and hopefully to New Orleans after that.
- As far as I know, March 25th is still the release date of Linkin Park's METEORA. I fully plan on getting this CD when it comes out, it should be a good one. As good as Norah Jones and ZWAN have been for the past couple months, my CD player in my car is long due for some fresh shiznit.
- I'm trying to decide whether or not to start a DVD collection. So far all I got are Crossroads (Britney Spears) and Once Upon A Time In China (Jet Li), both gifts from people. The 8 Mile DVD is tempting with the special features and all, but I know once I start buying, the floodgates will be opened and it will end up being like at least an average $50 drain on my credit card per month. If they come out with a Home Alone 1/2 box set with special features though... it's over. "A lovely cheese pizza, just for me"
- Blogspot and Haloscan (commenting) have been acting pretty unreliable lately. I've had trouble posting blogs, reading blogs, losing comments, disabled comments, slow loading, etc. I'm sorry if any of you have had problems with my page. With all the problems, I think I might have to switch it all over to Xanga eventually. Actually, a better idea would be for me to learn more HTML and web design, find a good hosting service, and start my own independent page. We'll have to see.
- This week could possibly be my last week of OT. Next week I'm doing this training class M-F so I won't be working any extra hours then. After that, I think I'll be able to go back to 40 hour weeks and get everything done.
- I think I have emotional issues, maybe to the point of having a physiological imbalance of chemicals in my brain. This morning on the way to work, I saw a duck crossing Hicks Rd. with his woman. Of course all the traffic stopped for them, and I was like "awwwwww, how cute". Nearly brought a tear to my eye, I'm not even joking. I don't know when I became such a weenie, but it must have been recently that it happened. It wasn't too long ago when I wanted to shoot birds of all kinds for taking their dumps on my car and waking me up in the morning with their stupid chirping.
- I'm psyched to play softball and/or football. Hopefully the weather is warm.
- We're gonna have to wait a couple more days for BASEBALL OPENING DAY 2003 because of the war and cancelling games in Japan, but I'll live. Especially with the BIG DANCE kicking off this Thursday - Illini vs. Western Kentucky, the first step on the road to Anaheim, and hopefully to New Orleans after that.
- As far as I know, March 25th is still the release date of Linkin Park's METEORA. I fully plan on getting this CD when it comes out, it should be a good one. As good as Norah Jones and ZWAN have been for the past couple months, my CD player in my car is long due for some fresh shiznit.
- I'm trying to decide whether or not to start a DVD collection. So far all I got are Crossroads (Britney Spears) and Once Upon A Time In China (Jet Li), both gifts from people. The 8 Mile DVD is tempting with the special features and all, but I know once I start buying, the floodgates will be opened and it will end up being like at least an average $50 drain on my credit card per month. If they come out with a Home Alone 1/2 box set with special features though... it's over. "A lovely cheese pizza, just for me"
Monday, March 17, 2003
Weekend Recap
* Saw 2 movies with the woman. First was "The Hunted", which was basically a suckier version of "Rambo: First Blood". I thought it would be good cause Benicio Del Toro is cool, but unfortunately it didn't stack up to "Usual Suspects". I don't recommend this movie, there's no real plot or character development and the fighting is pretty weak.
The other movie was "Cradle 2 The Grave". I got carded twice for the stupid movie, once at the ticket window and another time by the guy who rips your ticket stub. At least they asked Olivia for ID too so it wasn't like last year's Sox game. As for the movie, it was aight. More entertaining and worth the admission than "The Hunted". Good fight scenes, even though they were pretty much recycled from past movies. DMX is a quality actor, while Jet Li speaks perfect English. (just kidding) You all might be surprised to hear me say this, but I don't think Kelly Hu is all that. She looks too stereotypically Oriental. Although she is better looking than Lucy Liu. Anyways, the one lesson to be learned from this movie: Don't Mess With Taiwan.
* I-L-L.... Went to the UC after work on Saturday for the semifinal game of the Big Ten Tourney. We got pretty good seats at the window, first row of 300 level with a decent view.
Dee Brown is the man. Beating Indiana was nice, but half the fun of being there was booing Tom Coverdale every time he touched the ball. I thought I was the only one who hated him, but I guess I was wrong.
Sunday, watched Illini finish off Ohio State to win the little tournament. Illinois got a #4 seed in what is by far the toughest bracket, which was kind of stupid. It's all good though. Thinking back to the start of the season, this team has really exceeded expectations all the way through and I'm glad we're here. Winning the big tournament would be nice though, really nice. Can't say I totally expect it, but I think at least we can hang with any team in the country. I'm already looking forward to a possible 3rd round matchup with Arizona. Who wants to fly to Anaheim next week? Too bad I probably can't, but it would've been nice. Who knows, maybe something will work out...
* Dudo League Baseball Draft. Yes, Sunday was the day that 12 owners had been waiting for all winter. Unfortunately I didn't really prepare that much for this draft, but it turned out aight. I reunited my old pitching staff of Mussina, Kevin Brown, Greg Maddux, and Roger Clemens. Hey, 3 years ago they were awesome. This year, I just hope they stay healthy and put up serviceable numbers. My core is hitting anyways. I'm counting on repeat big seasons from A-Rod, Soriano, and Bonds. If that happens, my team should be a contender again this year, but of course there's no guarantees in baseball. That's all part of the fun.
* Craft. What weekend would be complete without its share of Starcraft? I feel the skills flowing back to me. Just need some more consistency and I'll be a force again.
Currently playing on my Winamp: Backstreet Boys - More Than That
Gotta love the 'Boys.
* Saw 2 movies with the woman. First was "The Hunted", which was basically a suckier version of "Rambo: First Blood". I thought it would be good cause Benicio Del Toro is cool, but unfortunately it didn't stack up to "Usual Suspects". I don't recommend this movie, there's no real plot or character development and the fighting is pretty weak.
The other movie was "Cradle 2 The Grave". I got carded twice for the stupid movie, once at the ticket window and another time by the guy who rips your ticket stub. At least they asked Olivia for ID too so it wasn't like last year's Sox game. As for the movie, it was aight. More entertaining and worth the admission than "The Hunted". Good fight scenes, even though they were pretty much recycled from past movies. DMX is a quality actor, while Jet Li speaks perfect English. (just kidding) You all might be surprised to hear me say this, but I don't think Kelly Hu is all that. She looks too stereotypically Oriental. Although she is better looking than Lucy Liu. Anyways, the one lesson to be learned from this movie: Don't Mess With Taiwan.
* I-L-L.... Went to the UC after work on Saturday for the semifinal game of the Big Ten Tourney. We got pretty good seats at the window, first row of 300 level with a decent view.
Dee Brown is the man. Beating Indiana was nice, but half the fun of being there was booing Tom Coverdale every time he touched the ball. I thought I was the only one who hated him, but I guess I was wrong.
Sunday, watched Illini finish off Ohio State to win the little tournament. Illinois got a #4 seed in what is by far the toughest bracket, which was kind of stupid. It's all good though. Thinking back to the start of the season, this team has really exceeded expectations all the way through and I'm glad we're here. Winning the big tournament would be nice though, really nice. Can't say I totally expect it, but I think at least we can hang with any team in the country. I'm already looking forward to a possible 3rd round matchup with Arizona. Who wants to fly to Anaheim next week? Too bad I probably can't, but it would've been nice. Who knows, maybe something will work out...
* Dudo League Baseball Draft. Yes, Sunday was the day that 12 owners had been waiting for all winter. Unfortunately I didn't really prepare that much for this draft, but it turned out aight. I reunited my old pitching staff of Mussina, Kevin Brown, Greg Maddux, and Roger Clemens. Hey, 3 years ago they were awesome. This year, I just hope they stay healthy and put up serviceable numbers. My core is hitting anyways. I'm counting on repeat big seasons from A-Rod, Soriano, and Bonds. If that happens, my team should be a contender again this year, but of course there's no guarantees in baseball. That's all part of the fun.
* Craft. What weekend would be complete without its share of Starcraft? I feel the skills flowing back to me. Just need some more consistency and I'll be a force again.
Currently playing on my Winamp: Backstreet Boys - More Than That
Gotta love the 'Boys.
Friday, March 14, 2003
"You know what you need? A little comic strip called 'Love Is...' It's about two naked eight-year olds who are married." - Homer Simpson
Maybe posting that pic will cause some people to consider me flamish, but oh well. I'm quite secure enough in my manhood and heterosexuality to include a "Love is..." thing in my blog, at least as just a one-time deal.
Anyways, you can ask me in private whether or not I think naked kids in a comic is "cute", but I definitely like what that one says. They managed to express something that I totally agree with so well, using only a few words and a cheesy little sketch. Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I probably would have written pages upon pages of unnecessary verbage to try to say the same thing.
I think the idea applies to all relationships, not just between a boyfriend-girlfriend, husband-wife, or naked kid-naked kid. Another nice little saying I like is "I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I'm not".
I mean, everyone has faults, and to some point, it can be reasonably expected of us to change and improve ourselves over time. But what it all really comes down to is, we should all worry less about what you would change about other people, and be more concerned with what you need to change about yourself.
Other than that, all I can say is, life is short so appreciate everything for what it is. For me, I think there is already plenty to love about basically every single person I know, and I want everyone to know that I love you all.
Hugs and Kisses,
Joe
*****
Ok, hopefully that blog wasn't too gay. By the way, if anyone reading this happens to have a copy of my original essay on Britney Spears, could you send it to me? It was originally posted on my students uiuc .plan and I had it saved as a text file on my computer, but that was lost when I botched up formatting my hard drive last time. But I think I sent it as an email attachment to some people. If I can somehow track it down, I wanna re-post it here on this blog.
*****
Currently playing on my Winamp: Ben Folds Five - Brick
For some reason I went back through my collection last week and started listening to this CD again ("Whatever and ever amen"). Not a top 10, but definitely still good. So now my Winamp and my Rio are loaded with Ben Folds Five songs. By the way, I gotta say there's something about this song that is just a bit eerie to me. If you see abortion merely as a one-time act of removing a fetus, and nothing else, you should listen to this song. Really makes you think a little differently about it, that's all I can say.
Thursday, March 13, 2003
Hip-hop
Has anyone heard the Jay-Z remix of Aaliyah's "Miss You"? Apparently it is all the rage on GCI. Well, maybe I'm just grumpy, but I could not imagine a crappier song. It sounds like it took him all of 5 minutes to put that together. Just cause it's a "nice thing to do" don't mean we gotta like the song, you know?
Hip-hop is annoying me. There's a remix of everything - last week I heard a remix of R. Kelly's Ignition Remix. A remix of a remix, what the hell? And pretty much every song is sampled. It's so ridiculous that 2 of the top songs in today's rotation sampled the same beat (Smilez & Southstar "Tell Me", Ja Rule & Ashanti "Mesmerize"). All of the "collabo" business is out of hand too. When was the last time Ja Rule did a song on his own? And who's the next rapper that's gonna do a song with J-Ho? Only a matter of time...
Has anyone heard the Jay-Z remix of Aaliyah's "Miss You"? Apparently it is all the rage on GCI. Well, maybe I'm just grumpy, but I could not imagine a crappier song. It sounds like it took him all of 5 minutes to put that together. Just cause it's a "nice thing to do" don't mean we gotta like the song, you know?
Hip-hop is annoying me. There's a remix of everything - last week I heard a remix of R. Kelly's Ignition Remix. A remix of a remix, what the hell? And pretty much every song is sampled. It's so ridiculous that 2 of the top songs in today's rotation sampled the same beat (Smilez & Southstar "Tell Me", Ja Rule & Ashanti "Mesmerize"). All of the "collabo" business is out of hand too. When was the last time Ja Rule did a song on his own? And who's the next rapper that's gonna do a song with J-Ho? Only a matter of time...
Questions ... to no one in particular
- Is the "white person trying to talk ghetto" joke ever gonna get old? I swear, there's some form of this joke in every movie or every sitcom on TV. It's becoming more prevalent than the Mastercard thing ("priceless"). With that said, I saw a preview for a Chris Rock movie coming out and I will probably end up going to watch that anyways. Gotta love Chris Rock.
- Any good books out there to read? I haven't seriously read a book in a long time, maybe since the Choose Your Own Adventure days. Haven't been to the library or anywhere other than the magazine section at Barnes in a while either. I feel like I should pick up a quality non-fiction or classic fiction book and read it in my free time before I go to sleep every night. Damn, I really am getting old...
- If Gwen Stefani didn't wear so much makeup, would I like her more? I think I would, but I don't know. Must say I'm not a big fan of girls with makeup. A little bit is good sometimes, but moderation is key. And, I think in many cases it borders on false advertising.
- Do news anchors like Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, or Suchin Pak (haha.... ewwww) ever get sick of reporting the same exact story every day? They should probably have the reports memorized by now. "Today, some people died in a suicide bomb in Israel. In other news, France opposes the US stance on Iraq. Meanwhile, inspectors say that Iraq is partly cooperative and partly not cooperative. On the Korean peninsula, the North is pissed at America and they threaten to make nukes. The South wants a peaceful solution. Finally, in sports, Tiger Woods wins the latest golf tournament." I could've turned on CNN a month ago and heard basically the same thing I did this morning. We shouldn't be calling it the "news" anymore, it should be called the "olds". har har har
- If it took 3 years for Brian Cook to get good in college, is he ever gonna be good in the NBA?
- How cool is Bill Self? I hope he stays at Illinois forever, but I don't know if that's gonna happen.
- Is it even possible to survive an early zealot/marine rush when you're zerg? I get lurkers about as fast as I can, while still having a few sunkens behind buildings, but if people decide to team up on you early, you're pretty much porked.
- What is DMX gonna do now that he's officially retiring from hiphop? Oh wait, he hasn't put out any good music since his first 2 CDs. I guess he's probably just gonna continue making movies with Jet Li.
- When is Britney's next album coming out? I'm feeling deprived. Someone told me October, but that's way too far off for me. >:-O
- Are there any good wing places around here? Such as BW3 maybe? I feel like having a nice big plate of wings. My craving for sushi has turned into craving for wings, I think. Hooters is not bad but I miss BW3 in Champaign. One of these Tuesdays I think I'm just gonna drive down there after work by myself and have some. Seriously, I will.
- Is the "white person trying to talk ghetto" joke ever gonna get old? I swear, there's some form of this joke in every movie or every sitcom on TV. It's becoming more prevalent than the Mastercard thing ("priceless"). With that said, I saw a preview for a Chris Rock movie coming out and I will probably end up going to watch that anyways. Gotta love Chris Rock.
- Any good books out there to read? I haven't seriously read a book in a long time, maybe since the Choose Your Own Adventure days. Haven't been to the library or anywhere other than the magazine section at Barnes in a while either. I feel like I should pick up a quality non-fiction or classic fiction book and read it in my free time before I go to sleep every night. Damn, I really am getting old...
- If Gwen Stefani didn't wear so much makeup, would I like her more? I think I would, but I don't know. Must say I'm not a big fan of girls with makeup. A little bit is good sometimes, but moderation is key. And, I think in many cases it borders on false advertising.
- Do news anchors like Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, or Suchin Pak (haha.... ewwww) ever get sick of reporting the same exact story every day? They should probably have the reports memorized by now. "Today, some people died in a suicide bomb in Israel. In other news, France opposes the US stance on Iraq. Meanwhile, inspectors say that Iraq is partly cooperative and partly not cooperative. On the Korean peninsula, the North is pissed at America and they threaten to make nukes. The South wants a peaceful solution. Finally, in sports, Tiger Woods wins the latest golf tournament." I could've turned on CNN a month ago and heard basically the same thing I did this morning. We shouldn't be calling it the "news" anymore, it should be called the "olds". har har har
- If it took 3 years for Brian Cook to get good in college, is he ever gonna be good in the NBA?
- How cool is Bill Self? I hope he stays at Illinois forever, but I don't know if that's gonna happen.
- Is it even possible to survive an early zealot/marine rush when you're zerg? I get lurkers about as fast as I can, while still having a few sunkens behind buildings, but if people decide to team up on you early, you're pretty much porked.
- What is DMX gonna do now that he's officially retiring from hiphop? Oh wait, he hasn't put out any good music since his first 2 CDs. I guess he's probably just gonna continue making movies with Jet Li.
- When is Britney's next album coming out? I'm feeling deprived. Someone told me October, but that's way too far off for me. >:-O
- Are there any good wing places around here? Such as BW3 maybe? I feel like having a nice big plate of wings. My craving for sushi has turned into craving for wings, I think. Hooters is not bad but I miss BW3 in Champaign. One of these Tuesdays I think I'm just gonna drive down there after work by myself and have some. Seriously, I will.
Monday, March 10, 2003
Meet The Elder Chens
Fact: When my grandpa was my age, he was a father of 4.
One of my earliest blogs was about how my dad likes to watch Fear Factor. Well, it's still one of his favorite shows. As I write this, he is flipping between Fear Factor and Connie Chung Tonight. When one of the contestants used a curse word and it was bleeped, he laughed for like 5 minutes straight.
*Conversation I just had with my mom while making my lunch*
Mom: So do you get tired when you're at work?
Me: Yeah, sometimes.
Mom: Do you ever sleep?
Me: No, we're not allowed to sleep.
Mom: Wow... that must be tough. Are you allowed to chew gum?
Me: (puzzled but laughing) uhhh... yes
Mom: You should chew gum then.
Me: Okay.
Sometimes I wonder how I turned out to be such a cool person.
Fact: When my grandpa was my age, he was a father of 4.
One of my earliest blogs was about how my dad likes to watch Fear Factor. Well, it's still one of his favorite shows. As I write this, he is flipping between Fear Factor and Connie Chung Tonight. When one of the contestants used a curse word and it was bleeped, he laughed for like 5 minutes straight.
*Conversation I just had with my mom while making my lunch*
Mom: So do you get tired when you're at work?
Me: Yeah, sometimes.
Mom: Do you ever sleep?
Me: No, we're not allowed to sleep.
Mom: Wow... that must be tough. Are you allowed to chew gum?
Me: (puzzled but laughing) uhhh... yes
Mom: You should chew gum then.
Me: Okay.
Sometimes I wonder how I turned out to be such a cool person.
Sunday, March 09, 2003
What I Love About College Basketball
- Senior Night. Seeing the guys on the team who have been around for 4 years say goodbye to the fans is always cool. It doesn't even have to be the big stars like Brian Cook, we love Harrington as well, and even cheer for guys like Jerrance Howard and Blandon Ferguson.
- The fans. College fans are definitely more immature than pro fans. And in my opinion, the less mature, the more entertaining. If you put up a shot in an away game, better make sure you draw iron at all costs. Or else be ready to have the crowd chanting "AIIIIIIR BAAAALL" every time you touch the rock for the rest of the game. My sister went to the game today and she told me that when a Minnesota player that was kind of chubby (Hagen) was shooting free throws, they were taunting him with "Eat a salad" chants. Very typical, I said. It's all part of the game.
- Tournaments. Within reason, any team can upset a much higher ranked team on any given night. And that makes these tournaments so interesting. You start with 65 teams and I'd say at least about 15 of them have a decent chance of winning it all. And "cinderella stories" happen every single year, it's expected. Much nicer than seeing the same exact teams in the NBA playoffs every year and the same teams winning.
- Change. This is the most obvious difference between college and pro ball. I used to think it was not good, because you couldn't get attached to your team and its stars. But now, I think it's great. From year to year, you are guaranteed to have new faces on your team, and even though watching freshman play is kind of frustrating sometimes, watching them develop is half the fun. Then when they actually do well, like Dee Brown, it's always a pleasant surprise. It's also nice that there aren't so many dynasties like the NBA. Pistons, Bulls, Rockets, Bulls, Lakers... nice if your team is up there, but it sucks for the rest of the league.
- Loyalty. Because I went to U of I, I'll always be an Illini fan no matter what. In the pros, you could be a Cubs fan or a Sox fan. And when the Bulls suck, you lose interest. Worse yet, there's the possibility of your team moving away, which I guess in Chicago we haven't really had to deal with, but still. Also, with the exception of the occasional transfer student, there isn't "free agency" or players demanding trades. From the time you recruit a high schooler to the time he graduates or turns pro, he's gonna be on your team and nobody else's. One thing I do wish is that the good players didn't turn pro early so much these days, but I guess you can't help that.
- More team concept. My sis noticed that in college, after every stoppage of play, the guys on the court huddle, while they don't do that in the pros. There seems to be more love between teammates, not as much selfishness and personal ego. It's more fun to watch a team play when they are having fun together, than if it's like Allen Iverson or Vince Carter just taking over and dominating.
There's a lot more I could write, little stuff like the band, the cheerleaders, the announcers, the CBS music... but I'll keep this one short as I can. My readers deserve a break.
- Senior Night. Seeing the guys on the team who have been around for 4 years say goodbye to the fans is always cool. It doesn't even have to be the big stars like Brian Cook, we love Harrington as well, and even cheer for guys like Jerrance Howard and Blandon Ferguson.
- The fans. College fans are definitely more immature than pro fans. And in my opinion, the less mature, the more entertaining. If you put up a shot in an away game, better make sure you draw iron at all costs. Or else be ready to have the crowd chanting "AIIIIIIR BAAAALL" every time you touch the rock for the rest of the game. My sister went to the game today and she told me that when a Minnesota player that was kind of chubby (Hagen) was shooting free throws, they were taunting him with "Eat a salad" chants. Very typical, I said. It's all part of the game.
- Tournaments. Within reason, any team can upset a much higher ranked team on any given night. And that makes these tournaments so interesting. You start with 65 teams and I'd say at least about 15 of them have a decent chance of winning it all. And "cinderella stories" happen every single year, it's expected. Much nicer than seeing the same exact teams in the NBA playoffs every year and the same teams winning.
- Change. This is the most obvious difference between college and pro ball. I used to think it was not good, because you couldn't get attached to your team and its stars. But now, I think it's great. From year to year, you are guaranteed to have new faces on your team, and even though watching freshman play is kind of frustrating sometimes, watching them develop is half the fun. Then when they actually do well, like Dee Brown, it's always a pleasant surprise. It's also nice that there aren't so many dynasties like the NBA. Pistons, Bulls, Rockets, Bulls, Lakers... nice if your team is up there, but it sucks for the rest of the league.
- Loyalty. Because I went to U of I, I'll always be an Illini fan no matter what. In the pros, you could be a Cubs fan or a Sox fan. And when the Bulls suck, you lose interest. Worse yet, there's the possibility of your team moving away, which I guess in Chicago we haven't really had to deal with, but still. Also, with the exception of the occasional transfer student, there isn't "free agency" or players demanding trades. From the time you recruit a high schooler to the time he graduates or turns pro, he's gonna be on your team and nobody else's. One thing I do wish is that the good players didn't turn pro early so much these days, but I guess you can't help that.
- More team concept. My sis noticed that in college, after every stoppage of play, the guys on the court huddle, while they don't do that in the pros. There seems to be more love between teammates, not as much selfishness and personal ego. It's more fun to watch a team play when they are having fun together, than if it's like Allen Iverson or Vince Carter just taking over and dominating.
There's a lot more I could write, little stuff like the band, the cheerleaders, the announcers, the CBS music... but I'll keep this one short as I can. My readers deserve a break.
Thursday, March 06, 2003
All That's Wrong With The People In This Country
Every day I listen to the radio in the morning, and every day I come away more pissed off than ever. Eddie & Jobo are ignorant and stupid, as are Crazy Howard McGee and his crew, Eric & Kathy are incredibly dull and lifeless, and Drex talks about the dumbest teenage crap. Mancow actually says some pretty good things at times, but his listeners that call up are some of the biggest rejects I can imagine.
But for some reason, I still always start out my morning listening to these shows. In the end, I either have to put on a CD or wind up getting to work feeling nice and angry.
This morning, the topic on GCI was "If you don't want to fight in this war, you shouldn't have to", which was the opinion of Crazy Howard. And all these people were calling in to say stuff in support like "Yeah, I joined ROTC cause they paid for my school, but I'm against war and I don't wanna go". The sad and disturbing thing is, they were saying all of this with serious intent.
Tell me that isn't some of the dumbest stuff you've ever heard. You sign up for ROTC, they pay for your school, but when the time comes to serve, all of a sudden you're against war and you don't wanna go. Now, did somebody put a gun to your head and say "We're giving you $20,000, sign here or else"? Or, did you think the US military was some sort of high-level charity organization that likes to give out scholarships for fun?
Here is what I think is wrong with people in this country today (hence the title of this blog). We've all come to expect to be given certain things without having to work or pay for it. There's too many takers, not enough givers. I say "we" because a lot of what I'm writing applies to myself too, and it needs to change.
See, the people here are born into some of the cushiest conditions this planet has ever seen. Okay, so there are still the ghettos, the trailer parks, etc. Yes, some do have it better than others. But for the most part, we all enjoy a degree of freedom, human rights, and a quality of life that is unmatched in history, to an extent which is still considered rare around the world.
We grow up with the luxury of playing video games, watching cartoons on TV, and joining Little League Baseball. We all get to go to school for free from the time we're 5 until we're 18, and in many cases, we're helped along through college and grad school as well. Roads are paved, firefighters and policemen protect us, food is plentiful, and healthcare and medicine is more advanced than ever, while our friendly congressmen and presidential candidates beg for our support. And, with by far the strongest military in the world defending us, we've never in our lifetime had to really worry about being taken over or enslaved by foreign conquerers.
You couldn't say those things about any other civilization, past or present. Even today, millions upon millions of the unfortunate are starving for lack of food, dying for lack of available medical treatment, and/or living under oppressive governments. Let's not even talk about the cruel Egyptian rulers, ancient Chinese dynasties, or the evil Nazi empire of the past. And let's not even compare ourselves to the current extreme situations in Africa, North Korea, Iraq, Bosnia, or Israel, for the moment.
How about we just take a look at the democratic society of Taiwan instead, a relatively rich and advanced country by most standards. ROTC members here complain about having to serve in Iraq? At least they had a choice about it. At least they got to go to school for free because of it. In Taiwan, every last male is required to serve for 2 years in the military once they graduate high school or college. No "sign here please", no "we'll pay for college" - if you were born with a penis, you're going to serve with no questions asked.
Why? Is it just for fun? Give me a break. For over 50 years now, Taiwanese people have been living in the genuine fear of being attacked and taken over by Communist China. If you don't believe me, read some history books. Better yet, take it from me. I lived there for a year in high school, and I've visited plenty of times throughout my life. Let me say this: if it weren't for US political support and the aircraft carrier dispatched to the area, Taiwan would have been toast a long time ago.
Only a few years ago, China test fired some missiles near the outlying islands of Taiwan just for kicks and giggles, and the Taiwanese stock market plunged like a rock. Another time, when I was visiting, there was a citywide power outage in Taipei, and the first reports that came on the radio were speculating on the fear that China was about to attack. Property values and consumer confidence routinely drop in the country as tensions rise. I mean, just take a look at a freaking map and see how tiny the island is compared to the mainland. Trust me, people living in Taiwan have had to, and continue to deal with a significant fear of being attacked.
This kind of feeling is something that too few people in America know about or understand. Many of us have never been outside the country, and when we do leave, it's as a tourist. The result is that we share a distorted fantasy view of the world, as if nothing bad is going on, a attitude based on ignorance of the facts. You don't have to watch Jay Leno interviewing people on the street to know that there are too many stupid people in this country who don't watch the news, don't know what's going on, yet act like they do. Just yesterday on Mancow's show, they went on the street and asked people what they thought of Kim Jong Il, and everyone started talking about Lil'Kim. That's just plain embarrassing for the current state of our society.
If only we all knew how truly lucky we have it here. Right now, as citizens of the United States I can think of only 3 fundamental duties we can offer in return for all the benefits we enjoy - vote, pay taxes, and serve in the military when called upon. Most of us don't even vote, everyone complains about paying taxes, and now, many are reluctant to serve. If you didn't want to serve, why did you sign up and why did you feel right in taking the scholarship? I never signed up for anything, I haven't received a penny from ROTC, but if a draft notice appears tomorrow in my mailbox, I'm there. No ifs, ands, or buts.
The underlying problem with all of this is that too many of us are used to being given things, and too few of us know the meaning of earning, working, or fighting for them - myself included. When this happens, the natural response is to take these things for granted. Such things as liberty, the Bill of Rights, national security, even the availability of fresh food at Jewel. All of these things have come at some cost, when it's easy to believe the myth that they are owed to us as human beings.
The fact is, brave men and women died throughout history for our liberty, and fought so we could have such a thing as the Bill of Rights. Brave men and women still work hard and risk their lives in our military today so that we can have "national security". Unfortunately, our society suffers from a collective ignorance of this fact. And when you don't know or understand the work that goes behind certain things, you don't appreciate it.
Think about it, when we were young, it was funny to destroy other people's property. Yeah, we're bored, so why not go TP someone's house or spray paint graffiti on some random building, for no reason? After all, none of us ever had to clean up TP from a house or pay for a building and its maintenance. But now that we're older, it's not that funny anymore.
Or, I think of back when I took Chinese School every week after church, and they would give us cookies during recess. Me and my friend would take the cookies outside and try to hit the lightpost across the field with them. Perfectly good cookies, now that I think about it, but we literally were just throwing them away because we didn't have to buy them ourselves.
Also consider this fact: statistically, studies have shown that the vast majority of lottery winners spend their entire winnings within a few years. I personally don't know how you can blow millions without at least saving some for the rest of your life, but I guess that's the lottery player's mentality. Does paying $1 for a ticket and watching ping pong balls bounce around on TV constitute "earning" $10 million? Yeah right. You won the lottery, you didn't work for the money, so there's no respect for the cash. Of course you're gonna end up wasting it away.
Compare that to how my grandparents or my dad are. Having witnessed his own mother and father scraping the bottom of the pot of rice as a kid, and having to wonder whether there would be enough for the next meal, my dad would never ever forget the value of food, or of money. To this day, he is one of the thriftiest people I've ever seen, even though by now, through years of hard work, he has made enough money to live comfortably. He tears napkins and tissues in half before using them, because he thinks using an entire napkin is wasting. When we leave the house for as short a time as an hour, he turns down the thermostat to save that little bit of energy cost. And when I think my tube of toothpaste is out, he takes it and somehow squeezes another month's worth of use out of it.
My point being, if we could pry ourselves away from silly reality shows for more than a few seconds, maybe we would be able to see and understand that we are lucky to have the lives we do. We might see that there is actually a real world out there somewhere, and not just on MTV. A real world where "due process of law" is a pipe dream, where fresh meat and vegetables are not necessarily a given, where you might witness your closest friends and family dying before your eyes each day, and you could be the next.
It's because of this lack of awareness that it's become so cool and popular to be anti-war these days. I saw on the local news last night that high schoolers walked out of school to protest the Iraq situation. They were joined by Jesse Jackson and many other protestors who heaped praise on the students for "standing up". There's even people who flew themselves over to Iraq to be human shields, thinking it's some heroic act. They don't realize that our country respects the lives of civilians, and that by these kinds of actions, they are using this very fact against us. Does Saddam care about civilian lives? He's probably laughing hysterically along with the rest of the Muslim world that thinks Americans are stupid, ignorant, and weak. Can you really blame them for thinking that? (By this time, most of the "human shields" have already come back after they realized Saddam only cares about them shielding his palaces - how funny is that?)
Not to mention the peace "leaders" like Dave Matthews and George Clooney speaking out against our government. Seriously, what do celebrities know about the real issues? They live more comfortably and have perhaps a more distorted view of life and this world than anybody. Dave Matthews, yeah he makes good music, but it's painful to listen to him talk about this kind stuff. He's much better off just sticking to his rambling about the joys of sex, and how we should legalize weed.
Now, this blog wasn't meant to be written about Iraq, if you want my thoughts on that, check my entry from 2/21. But while I'm at it, I should mention, it's now been weeks since I wrote that blog. Notice that months have now passed since we first heard the words "one last chance", and still nobody has the balls to disarm Saddam. We're in the same exact place we were before. Yes, I have a good idea: why don't we just wait till it's summer to make the decision? It'll be more fun for our soldiers to wear all their chemical/biological protection gear when it's a pleasant 100+ degree August day in the desert anyways. Let's not forget, that's why it's so dangerous for Saddam to have those kinds of weapons in the first place, because of the environment there.
For real though, what is it gonna take before we finally decide to enforce this thing? Say you get pulled over by a cop, he asks you if you have drugs, you say no, and then he searches your car and finds some dope in the trunk. No way any cop's gonna give you a few months to get rid of it, your ass is going to jail. Instead, it's like we should all give Saddam a cookie for reluctantly agreeing to destroy these missiles that he wasn't supposed to have in the first place. What a flocking joke.
What, so France is against war? So France wants inspections to continue? SCREW FRANCE!!! WHAT DO THEY KNOW??? WHY DO WE NEED THEM ANYWAYS?!! (If I could make the font any bigger, I would) The French, they've spent their entire history getting raped by the Germans cause they do nothing but sit around, eating their baguettes and despising Americans for being fat and ugly. The same Americans who saved them in World War II, after they foolishly thought some bunkers they built on their border after WWI would save them from the Nazis. Face the facts: these inspections are not truly working. They are merely giving us an illusion of security, much like those silly Maginot Lines did in the past.
Forgive the tangent. This is becoming one of my longest entries ever, I think. That's saying a lot too.
Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, there's way too much we take for granted here, and way too many ignorant people in this country. All the stupid things being said and done today in the name of avoiding this war only highlights that fact. It's one thing if you are "morally opposed" to war, but to actually join ROTC and not want to report when the time comes to fight is one of the worst things I've ever heard. How selfish of a person and how big of a pussy do you have to be to even have such a thought? I really wonder.
You know what, being an engineer at the nation's 2nd largest defense contractor, I have seen a little bit of how far advanced our military's technology is compared to what's available to the rest of the world. It's ridiculous and not even fair, the kinds of things we have which give us an unbelievable advantage over our enemies. Not that being a soldier is a walk in the park, but look at our casualties from recent conflicts, compare them to the numbers suffered by the other side, and they will tell you as much. If you think it sucks to be a part of our military, how about you try serving in another country and then we'll see what you think.
The more I write, the more I'm getting frustrated with the things I hear. We live in the greatest country in the world right now, and none of us seem to realize it or care. People freely criticize the President while defending Saddam like he's not so bad, as if he's some great guy who just accidentally gassed his own people and didn't mean to use deadly chemical weapons on our soldiers. People praise our men and women in the armed forces in one breath, but refuse to offer themselves in service and "morally oppose" war in the next. They accuse G-dubs of thirsting for Iraqi oil, complain that gas prices are too high, and all the while they're driving around in Hummers and Ford Expeditions that get about 10 miles per gallon.
Am I the only one who sees something gravely wrong with all of this? I really hope I'm not alone. There's a lot of waking up and eye-opening to do for all of us. And if we don't recognize what's happening in this world on our own, one day worse things will be upon us without any further warning. By that time, we'll have no choice but to recognize the cold hard facts of life. Our selfishness and our ignorance will then be our own destruction. All I can do is sincerely pray that we won't let it come down to that day.
Every day I listen to the radio in the morning, and every day I come away more pissed off than ever. Eddie & Jobo are ignorant and stupid, as are Crazy Howard McGee and his crew, Eric & Kathy are incredibly dull and lifeless, and Drex talks about the dumbest teenage crap. Mancow actually says some pretty good things at times, but his listeners that call up are some of the biggest rejects I can imagine.
But for some reason, I still always start out my morning listening to these shows. In the end, I either have to put on a CD or wind up getting to work feeling nice and angry.
This morning, the topic on GCI was "If you don't want to fight in this war, you shouldn't have to", which was the opinion of Crazy Howard. And all these people were calling in to say stuff in support like "Yeah, I joined ROTC cause they paid for my school, but I'm against war and I don't wanna go". The sad and disturbing thing is, they were saying all of this with serious intent.
Tell me that isn't some of the dumbest stuff you've ever heard. You sign up for ROTC, they pay for your school, but when the time comes to serve, all of a sudden you're against war and you don't wanna go. Now, did somebody put a gun to your head and say "We're giving you $20,000, sign here or else"? Or, did you think the US military was some sort of high-level charity organization that likes to give out scholarships for fun?
Here is what I think is wrong with people in this country today (hence the title of this blog). We've all come to expect to be given certain things without having to work or pay for it. There's too many takers, not enough givers. I say "we" because a lot of what I'm writing applies to myself too, and it needs to change.
See, the people here are born into some of the cushiest conditions this planet has ever seen. Okay, so there are still the ghettos, the trailer parks, etc. Yes, some do have it better than others. But for the most part, we all enjoy a degree of freedom, human rights, and a quality of life that is unmatched in history, to an extent which is still considered rare around the world.
We grow up with the luxury of playing video games, watching cartoons on TV, and joining Little League Baseball. We all get to go to school for free from the time we're 5 until we're 18, and in many cases, we're helped along through college and grad school as well. Roads are paved, firefighters and policemen protect us, food is plentiful, and healthcare and medicine is more advanced than ever, while our friendly congressmen and presidential candidates beg for our support. And, with by far the strongest military in the world defending us, we've never in our lifetime had to really worry about being taken over or enslaved by foreign conquerers.
You couldn't say those things about any other civilization, past or present. Even today, millions upon millions of the unfortunate are starving for lack of food, dying for lack of available medical treatment, and/or living under oppressive governments. Let's not even talk about the cruel Egyptian rulers, ancient Chinese dynasties, or the evil Nazi empire of the past. And let's not even compare ourselves to the current extreme situations in Africa, North Korea, Iraq, Bosnia, or Israel, for the moment.
How about we just take a look at the democratic society of Taiwan instead, a relatively rich and advanced country by most standards. ROTC members here complain about having to serve in Iraq? At least they had a choice about it. At least they got to go to school for free because of it. In Taiwan, every last male is required to serve for 2 years in the military once they graduate high school or college. No "sign here please", no "we'll pay for college" - if you were born with a penis, you're going to serve with no questions asked.
Why? Is it just for fun? Give me a break. For over 50 years now, Taiwanese people have been living in the genuine fear of being attacked and taken over by Communist China. If you don't believe me, read some history books. Better yet, take it from me. I lived there for a year in high school, and I've visited plenty of times throughout my life. Let me say this: if it weren't for US political support and the aircraft carrier dispatched to the area, Taiwan would have been toast a long time ago.
Only a few years ago, China test fired some missiles near the outlying islands of Taiwan just for kicks and giggles, and the Taiwanese stock market plunged like a rock. Another time, when I was visiting, there was a citywide power outage in Taipei, and the first reports that came on the radio were speculating on the fear that China was about to attack. Property values and consumer confidence routinely drop in the country as tensions rise. I mean, just take a look at a freaking map and see how tiny the island is compared to the mainland. Trust me, people living in Taiwan have had to, and continue to deal with a significant fear of being attacked.
This kind of feeling is something that too few people in America know about or understand. Many of us have never been outside the country, and when we do leave, it's as a tourist. The result is that we share a distorted fantasy view of the world, as if nothing bad is going on, a attitude based on ignorance of the facts. You don't have to watch Jay Leno interviewing people on the street to know that there are too many stupid people in this country who don't watch the news, don't know what's going on, yet act like they do. Just yesterday on Mancow's show, they went on the street and asked people what they thought of Kim Jong Il, and everyone started talking about Lil'Kim. That's just plain embarrassing for the current state of our society.
If only we all knew how truly lucky we have it here. Right now, as citizens of the United States I can think of only 3 fundamental duties we can offer in return for all the benefits we enjoy - vote, pay taxes, and serve in the military when called upon. Most of us don't even vote, everyone complains about paying taxes, and now, many are reluctant to serve. If you didn't want to serve, why did you sign up and why did you feel right in taking the scholarship? I never signed up for anything, I haven't received a penny from ROTC, but if a draft notice appears tomorrow in my mailbox, I'm there. No ifs, ands, or buts.
The underlying problem with all of this is that too many of us are used to being given things, and too few of us know the meaning of earning, working, or fighting for them - myself included. When this happens, the natural response is to take these things for granted. Such things as liberty, the Bill of Rights, national security, even the availability of fresh food at Jewel. All of these things have come at some cost, when it's easy to believe the myth that they are owed to us as human beings.
The fact is, brave men and women died throughout history for our liberty, and fought so we could have such a thing as the Bill of Rights. Brave men and women still work hard and risk their lives in our military today so that we can have "national security". Unfortunately, our society suffers from a collective ignorance of this fact. And when you don't know or understand the work that goes behind certain things, you don't appreciate it.
Think about it, when we were young, it was funny to destroy other people's property. Yeah, we're bored, so why not go TP someone's house or spray paint graffiti on some random building, for no reason? After all, none of us ever had to clean up TP from a house or pay for a building and its maintenance. But now that we're older, it's not that funny anymore.
Or, I think of back when I took Chinese School every week after church, and they would give us cookies during recess. Me and my friend would take the cookies outside and try to hit the lightpost across the field with them. Perfectly good cookies, now that I think about it, but we literally were just throwing them away because we didn't have to buy them ourselves.
Also consider this fact: statistically, studies have shown that the vast majority of lottery winners spend their entire winnings within a few years. I personally don't know how you can blow millions without at least saving some for the rest of your life, but I guess that's the lottery player's mentality. Does paying $1 for a ticket and watching ping pong balls bounce around on TV constitute "earning" $10 million? Yeah right. You won the lottery, you didn't work for the money, so there's no respect for the cash. Of course you're gonna end up wasting it away.
Compare that to how my grandparents or my dad are. Having witnessed his own mother and father scraping the bottom of the pot of rice as a kid, and having to wonder whether there would be enough for the next meal, my dad would never ever forget the value of food, or of money. To this day, he is one of the thriftiest people I've ever seen, even though by now, through years of hard work, he has made enough money to live comfortably. He tears napkins and tissues in half before using them, because he thinks using an entire napkin is wasting. When we leave the house for as short a time as an hour, he turns down the thermostat to save that little bit of energy cost. And when I think my tube of toothpaste is out, he takes it and somehow squeezes another month's worth of use out of it.
My point being, if we could pry ourselves away from silly reality shows for more than a few seconds, maybe we would be able to see and understand that we are lucky to have the lives we do. We might see that there is actually a real world out there somewhere, and not just on MTV. A real world where "due process of law" is a pipe dream, where fresh meat and vegetables are not necessarily a given, where you might witness your closest friends and family dying before your eyes each day, and you could be the next.
It's because of this lack of awareness that it's become so cool and popular to be anti-war these days. I saw on the local news last night that high schoolers walked out of school to protest the Iraq situation. They were joined by Jesse Jackson and many other protestors who heaped praise on the students for "standing up". There's even people who flew themselves over to Iraq to be human shields, thinking it's some heroic act. They don't realize that our country respects the lives of civilians, and that by these kinds of actions, they are using this very fact against us. Does Saddam care about civilian lives? He's probably laughing hysterically along with the rest of the Muslim world that thinks Americans are stupid, ignorant, and weak. Can you really blame them for thinking that? (By this time, most of the "human shields" have already come back after they realized Saddam only cares about them shielding his palaces - how funny is that?)
Not to mention the peace "leaders" like Dave Matthews and George Clooney speaking out against our government. Seriously, what do celebrities know about the real issues? They live more comfortably and have perhaps a more distorted view of life and this world than anybody. Dave Matthews, yeah he makes good music, but it's painful to listen to him talk about this kind stuff. He's much better off just sticking to his rambling about the joys of sex, and how we should legalize weed.
Now, this blog wasn't meant to be written about Iraq, if you want my thoughts on that, check my entry from 2/21. But while I'm at it, I should mention, it's now been weeks since I wrote that blog. Notice that months have now passed since we first heard the words "one last chance", and still nobody has the balls to disarm Saddam. We're in the same exact place we were before. Yes, I have a good idea: why don't we just wait till it's summer to make the decision? It'll be more fun for our soldiers to wear all their chemical/biological protection gear when it's a pleasant 100+ degree August day in the desert anyways. Let's not forget, that's why it's so dangerous for Saddam to have those kinds of weapons in the first place, because of the environment there.
For real though, what is it gonna take before we finally decide to enforce this thing? Say you get pulled over by a cop, he asks you if you have drugs, you say no, and then he searches your car and finds some dope in the trunk. No way any cop's gonna give you a few months to get rid of it, your ass is going to jail. Instead, it's like we should all give Saddam a cookie for reluctantly agreeing to destroy these missiles that he wasn't supposed to have in the first place. What a flocking joke.
What, so France is against war? So France wants inspections to continue? SCREW FRANCE!!! WHAT DO THEY KNOW??? WHY DO WE NEED THEM ANYWAYS?!! (If I could make the font any bigger, I would) The French, they've spent their entire history getting raped by the Germans cause they do nothing but sit around, eating their baguettes and despising Americans for being fat and ugly. The same Americans who saved them in World War II, after they foolishly thought some bunkers they built on their border after WWI would save them from the Nazis. Face the facts: these inspections are not truly working. They are merely giving us an illusion of security, much like those silly Maginot Lines did in the past.
Forgive the tangent. This is becoming one of my longest entries ever, I think. That's saying a lot too.
Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, there's way too much we take for granted here, and way too many ignorant people in this country. All the stupid things being said and done today in the name of avoiding this war only highlights that fact. It's one thing if you are "morally opposed" to war, but to actually join ROTC and not want to report when the time comes to fight is one of the worst things I've ever heard. How selfish of a person and how big of a pussy do you have to be to even have such a thought? I really wonder.
You know what, being an engineer at the nation's 2nd largest defense contractor, I have seen a little bit of how far advanced our military's technology is compared to what's available to the rest of the world. It's ridiculous and not even fair, the kinds of things we have which give us an unbelievable advantage over our enemies. Not that being a soldier is a walk in the park, but look at our casualties from recent conflicts, compare them to the numbers suffered by the other side, and they will tell you as much. If you think it sucks to be a part of our military, how about you try serving in another country and then we'll see what you think.
The more I write, the more I'm getting frustrated with the things I hear. We live in the greatest country in the world right now, and none of us seem to realize it or care. People freely criticize the President while defending Saddam like he's not so bad, as if he's some great guy who just accidentally gassed his own people and didn't mean to use deadly chemical weapons on our soldiers. People praise our men and women in the armed forces in one breath, but refuse to offer themselves in service and "morally oppose" war in the next. They accuse G-dubs of thirsting for Iraqi oil, complain that gas prices are too high, and all the while they're driving around in Hummers and Ford Expeditions that get about 10 miles per gallon.
Am I the only one who sees something gravely wrong with all of this? I really hope I'm not alone. There's a lot of waking up and eye-opening to do for all of us. And if we don't recognize what's happening in this world on our own, one day worse things will be upon us without any further warning. By that time, we'll have no choice but to recognize the cold hard facts of life. Our selfishness and our ignorance will then be our own destruction. All I can do is sincerely pray that we won't let it come down to that day.
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
So there I was, just about to get out of my car in the NG Rolling Meadows parking lot this morning, when the weather report came on. I usually don't pay attention to the weather reports, but this time I caught the words "100% chance of snow, 4-8 inches this evening".
After that, I couldn't focus all day at work. Just sitting there in my cube and all I had to look forward to is another nightmare commute home. And yes, it took me well over an hour to drive back for the second day in a row. I decided to transfer all my negative thoughts to the following song:
An Ode To Snow
I used to like snow
way back in the day
To me it meant "no school"
and more time to play
My sis would make angels
I would make forts
We'd go sledding in our snow suits
or enjoy other snow sports
But now there's no school
No school bus to take
I still have to show up at work
when before I wouldn't even have been awake
I gotta get up earlier
and shovel my driveway
But by the time I finish
it's past 7:05 -- gay!
Then there's the long commute
in my G35
I still love my baby girl
but she's rear-wheel drive
I try to make it anyways
on a wet road full of salt
while accidents and gapers
bring traffic to a dead halt
Finally I make it to work
and of course I'm quite late
The way back's even more fun
Ooh boy, I can't wait
Now don't get me wrong
I grew up in Chicago
But it's already March
I want the sun, not this snow!
Maybe I should be more positive
and see snow as a blessing
Why am I so angry these days
am I just PMS-ing?
Most likely I'm not
after all, I am a man
Anyways, I'm afraid
this song's gotten out of hand
Most likely by now
You all think I'm some flamer
So I best end it here
before it gets any lamer
After that, I couldn't focus all day at work. Just sitting there in my cube and all I had to look forward to is another nightmare commute home. And yes, it took me well over an hour to drive back for the second day in a row. I decided to transfer all my negative thoughts to the following song:
An Ode To Snow
I used to like snow
way back in the day
To me it meant "no school"
and more time to play
My sis would make angels
I would make forts
We'd go sledding in our snow suits
or enjoy other snow sports
But now there's no school
No school bus to take
I still have to show up at work
when before I wouldn't even have been awake
I gotta get up earlier
and shovel my driveway
But by the time I finish
it's past 7:05 -- gay!
Then there's the long commute
in my G35
I still love my baby girl
but she's rear-wheel drive
I try to make it anyways
on a wet road full of salt
while accidents and gapers
bring traffic to a dead halt
Finally I make it to work
and of course I'm quite late
The way back's even more fun
Ooh boy, I can't wait
Now don't get me wrong
I grew up in Chicago
But it's already March
I want the sun, not this snow!
Maybe I should be more positive
and see snow as a blessing
Why am I so angry these days
am I just PMS-ing?
Most likely I'm not
after all, I am a man
Anyways, I'm afraid
this song's gotten out of hand
Most likely by now
You all think I'm some flamer
So I best end it here
before it gets any lamer
Monday, March 03, 2003
Grindin'
Construction has begun on IL-53, the highway I take to and from work every day. This is gonna add about 15-20 minutes to the drive each way, increase the wear and tear on my car, and decrease my gas mileage with all the stop and go biznass. >:-o
I'd have to say that right now, the stress in my life is close to an all-time high. It's not even like my job is all that demanding or my supervisors are putting added pressure on me. But working overtime plus the commute takes away my whole week, more or less. I wish I had more time to hang out with friends or just spend alone in peace, but I can't.
The way it is, I come home from work, do a bunch of little things, and before I know it, I'm tired and I need to go to sleep. Eat dinner, wash dishes, make my lunch. Talk to people on IM and maybe write a blog or read other peoples pages. If I feel in the mood to be clean, I'll take a shower. If time permits, I'll play 1 or at most 2 games of Starcraft. Little 15-30 minute things add up and fill up my post-work day to the point where I can't even figure out where my time went at the end of the night.
If I go lift, that's at least an hour right there, plus the time it takes to cook and eat my post-workout Jack's Sausage Pizza. I don't even think about doing anything else on those days.
Kind of stupid, but I'll plan out my week and shoot for doing one task per day. Like this:
Monday - Eat dinner with friend
Tuesday - Stop by Dominicks and buy lunch meat
Wednesday - Bench
Thursday - Fill out rebate forms and pay bills
Friday - Prepare material for teaching Sunday School
On weekends, maybe I'll get to do three or four things:
Saturday - Watch Illini game, change oil/wash car, Barleycorn/Buzz
Sunday - Church, nap, squats, laundry
The sad thing is, I actually feel satisfied and pat myself on the back if I get each of these things done. And I actually feel too tired to do anything else after a grueling session of lunch meat purchasing or rebate form filling out. It's like "dang, I'm so pooped from writing that check and putting the stamp on the envelope. Better call it quits for the day before I get too burned out!"
Notice certain things missing or lacking from the above list:
- Spend time with the girlfriend. Actually, I think she is probably even busier than me. Especially lately, she's had to study for a big wave of exams. No pity for her though - this coming weekend is the beginning of her Spring Break, and she's leaving for Cali on Friday for some playtime. So I won't be hanging out with her then for sure.
- Watch movie. I used to watch at least one movie every week or every other week. But I think the last movie I saw, in either the theater or rented, was 25th Hour. That was around 2 months ago or so. You all know I've been dying to catch "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days", "Kangaroo Jack", and "Maid In Manhattan" but just haven't had the time.
- Only 2 days of lifting per week. That's not enough. >:-o
- On average, about 2 chances to hang out with friends. In college, I basically lived with friends and did stuff with them all day, every day. Now, it takes extra effort to plan something to do, and maybe a special occasion like someone's birthday to make people motivated to get together. Especially tough with friends who don't live around Darien.
- Read up on Spring Training reports for upcoming fantasy baseball draft. March 16th is the big day for kicking off the 5th season of Dudo/Dizudo league baseball, and I am gonna be ill prepared. >:-o
- Watch TV. Seriously, I barely watch any TV anymore, outside of Illini basketball. I miss Sportscenter and Conan the most. The last memory I have of watching a show is the last 40 minutes of the Joe Millionaire finale. Oh wait, actually I watched some of Smallville yesterday. Here comes a tangent. This show facking blows. The only reason I took some time to watch it yesterday is because I happened to land on that channel when flipping around, and also because I hear Kristin Kreuk is all the rage these days. Well, I guess she is an exception to the suckiness of the show. But really, I couldn't care less if Lana and Clark get together. You all know that it's only a matter of time before it happens anyways. Not to mention it ain't gonna last because Clark ends up with Lois Lane when he gets older. To be fair, the acting is alright but the dialogue can't get much cheesier. All the characters have to act so smug and witty with every line they say. I lasted about 25 minutes and 2 commercial breaks into the show before it drove me nuts and I had to turn it off.
It's kind of surprising to myself that I still somehow write a lot of blogs and make time to read and comment on other people's stuff. But there is something relaxing about writing thoughts down. Reading other people's stuff is nice too. Although I hope reading each others' blogs doesn't end up replacing human interaction. For some friends, like Texas man Vic, that's become my main thread of keeping in touch (other than Battle.net of course). Which is kind of sad, considering he updates like once every 2 months or so.
I guess I've been complaining more than usual these days. Well, I hope nobody gets depressed from reading what I write. But a lot of people lately have been telling me that I look tired. See, it's not so much that I'm tired, but that I'm drained. Phyiscally and emotionally both. I haven't had a chance to sleep in for a long time. My relationship with Olivia is basically limited to a phone call once every few nights and maybe a quick lunch on Sundays. I don't have much quiet time alone other than the 40 minutes it takes for me to fall asleep.
Yeah, I don't mean to complain so much. I don't think I am a complaining-type person normally, usually I just go with the flow and I'm happy. And it's not that I'm unhappy, cause I think there's still a lot to be happy about in my life. It just sucks to not have much free time, I guess. I don't even have a wife and kids or a house to take care of, which makes me wonder how much worse it could be if I did.
But right now, I'm really just looking forward to the point when I get off this overtime schedule, and move to a place closer to work. The time could come in as early as a month from now, I think. That will potentially give me 3 extra hours per day, just in subtracting the hour of overtime and 2 hours saved in driving time. 3 hours could be huge, maybe I would be able to do two things instead of one on weekdays. We'll have to see though.
Currently playing on my Winamp: Evanescence - Bring Me To Life
I've been steadily losing interest in hip-hop/R&B stuff for the past year or so. Almost everything I hear is annoying and unoriginal these days (with the exception of R. Kelly's Ignition Remix of course). On the other hand, I'm getting back into so-called "white music". Not the pop-guitar kind of stuff. But this song is great, I like the sound cause it's fresh and original. That plus the Linkin Park song is dominating my playlist. I think I will probably have to get the Linkin Park CD, METEORA, when it comes out March 25th.
Construction has begun on IL-53, the highway I take to and from work every day. This is gonna add about 15-20 minutes to the drive each way, increase the wear and tear on my car, and decrease my gas mileage with all the stop and go biznass. >:-o
I'd have to say that right now, the stress in my life is close to an all-time high. It's not even like my job is all that demanding or my supervisors are putting added pressure on me. But working overtime plus the commute takes away my whole week, more or less. I wish I had more time to hang out with friends or just spend alone in peace, but I can't.
The way it is, I come home from work, do a bunch of little things, and before I know it, I'm tired and I need to go to sleep. Eat dinner, wash dishes, make my lunch. Talk to people on IM and maybe write a blog or read other peoples pages. If I feel in the mood to be clean, I'll take a shower. If time permits, I'll play 1 or at most 2 games of Starcraft. Little 15-30 minute things add up and fill up my post-work day to the point where I can't even figure out where my time went at the end of the night.
If I go lift, that's at least an hour right there, plus the time it takes to cook and eat my post-workout Jack's Sausage Pizza. I don't even think about doing anything else on those days.
Kind of stupid, but I'll plan out my week and shoot for doing one task per day. Like this:
Monday - Eat dinner with friend
Tuesday - Stop by Dominicks and buy lunch meat
Wednesday - Bench
Thursday - Fill out rebate forms and pay bills
Friday - Prepare material for teaching Sunday School
On weekends, maybe I'll get to do three or four things:
Saturday - Watch Illini game, change oil/wash car, Barleycorn/Buzz
Sunday - Church, nap, squats, laundry
The sad thing is, I actually feel satisfied and pat myself on the back if I get each of these things done. And I actually feel too tired to do anything else after a grueling session of lunch meat purchasing or rebate form filling out. It's like "dang, I'm so pooped from writing that check and putting the stamp on the envelope. Better call it quits for the day before I get too burned out!"
Notice certain things missing or lacking from the above list:
- Spend time with the girlfriend. Actually, I think she is probably even busier than me. Especially lately, she's had to study for a big wave of exams. No pity for her though - this coming weekend is the beginning of her Spring Break, and she's leaving for Cali on Friday for some playtime. So I won't be hanging out with her then for sure.
- Watch movie. I used to watch at least one movie every week or every other week. But I think the last movie I saw, in either the theater or rented, was 25th Hour. That was around 2 months ago or so. You all know I've been dying to catch "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days", "Kangaroo Jack", and "Maid In Manhattan" but just haven't had the time.
- Only 2 days of lifting per week. That's not enough. >:-o
- On average, about 2 chances to hang out with friends. In college, I basically lived with friends and did stuff with them all day, every day. Now, it takes extra effort to plan something to do, and maybe a special occasion like someone's birthday to make people motivated to get together. Especially tough with friends who don't live around Darien.
- Read up on Spring Training reports for upcoming fantasy baseball draft. March 16th is the big day for kicking off the 5th season of Dudo/Dizudo league baseball, and I am gonna be ill prepared. >:-o
- Watch TV. Seriously, I barely watch any TV anymore, outside of Illini basketball. I miss Sportscenter and Conan the most. The last memory I have of watching a show is the last 40 minutes of the Joe Millionaire finale. Oh wait, actually I watched some of Smallville yesterday. Here comes a tangent. This show facking blows. The only reason I took some time to watch it yesterday is because I happened to land on that channel when flipping around, and also because I hear Kristin Kreuk is all the rage these days. Well, I guess she is an exception to the suckiness of the show. But really, I couldn't care less if Lana and Clark get together. You all know that it's only a matter of time before it happens anyways. Not to mention it ain't gonna last because Clark ends up with Lois Lane when he gets older. To be fair, the acting is alright but the dialogue can't get much cheesier. All the characters have to act so smug and witty with every line they say. I lasted about 25 minutes and 2 commercial breaks into the show before it drove me nuts and I had to turn it off.
It's kind of surprising to myself that I still somehow write a lot of blogs and make time to read and comment on other people's stuff. But there is something relaxing about writing thoughts down. Reading other people's stuff is nice too. Although I hope reading each others' blogs doesn't end up replacing human interaction. For some friends, like Texas man Vic, that's become my main thread of keeping in touch (other than Battle.net of course). Which is kind of sad, considering he updates like once every 2 months or so.
I guess I've been complaining more than usual these days. Well, I hope nobody gets depressed from reading what I write. But a lot of people lately have been telling me that I look tired. See, it's not so much that I'm tired, but that I'm drained. Phyiscally and emotionally both. I haven't had a chance to sleep in for a long time. My relationship with Olivia is basically limited to a phone call once every few nights and maybe a quick lunch on Sundays. I don't have much quiet time alone other than the 40 minutes it takes for me to fall asleep.
Yeah, I don't mean to complain so much. I don't think I am a complaining-type person normally, usually I just go with the flow and I'm happy. And it's not that I'm unhappy, cause I think there's still a lot to be happy about in my life. It just sucks to not have much free time, I guess. I don't even have a wife and kids or a house to take care of, which makes me wonder how much worse it could be if I did.
But right now, I'm really just looking forward to the point when I get off this overtime schedule, and move to a place closer to work. The time could come in as early as a month from now, I think. That will potentially give me 3 extra hours per day, just in subtracting the hour of overtime and 2 hours saved in driving time. 3 hours could be huge, maybe I would be able to do two things instead of one on weekdays. We'll have to see though.
Currently playing on my Winamp: Evanescence - Bring Me To Life
I've been steadily losing interest in hip-hop/R&B stuff for the past year or so. Almost everything I hear is annoying and unoriginal these days (with the exception of R. Kelly's Ignition Remix of course). On the other hand, I'm getting back into so-called "white music". Not the pop-guitar kind of stuff. But this song is great, I like the sound cause it's fresh and original. That plus the Linkin Park song is dominating my playlist. I think I will probably have to get the Linkin Park CD, METEORA, when it comes out March 25th.
Saturday, March 01, 2003
Roger Powell is pure... nuff said. In honor of the Illini Mucking Fichigan today, here is a list of my top 5 moments in sports. (no contest this time, just the list)
Best Sports Moments
5. Jordan announces comeback (first time) - I was living in Taiwan at the time, missing Chicago, and when the news broke, I couldn't believe it. It totally sucked to see the Bulls losing to the Knicks in the playoffs, and we all knew he had at least a few more seasons in him. Then he came back, and the first time he played at Madison Square Garden he dropped 50-some points on those foos. One day my kids and grandkids will ask me about how awesome Michael Jordan was and I will tell them "he was good, he was very good". Well, at least on the Bulls he was.
4. Marcus Griffin last second shot vs. Wisconsin - This is a interesting story overall, not just the shot itself. One of Dennis's friends found 4 tickets to the game, and he called Dan and me to go. We get there, sit down, then about halfway through the first half, the original owners of the tickets show up and we get kicked out of our seats. So that part sucked, but security took us downstairs to the ticket center, and they let us buy legit tickets and watch the rest of the game. Ok, maybe it wasn't that interesting of a story now that I think about it. Anyways, at the end of the game, we're down 1 with only time for a quick shot. Inbounds to Marcus in the paint, he puts it up and in at the buzzer for sweet sweet victory for the Illini. Me and Dan high five each other and like 20 strangers sitting near us.
3. Bears comeback to beat Cleveland - Down 2 TDs with less than a minute left, I thought the game was over. So did everyone else I was watching it with. Then they scored, recovered a onside kick, and hail mary caught by James Allen to tie. In OT, Mike Brown returned a INT for a TD and the win. Madness ensued at Skylight Court and many blood vessels were shattered in my hand from the high fives. If you are a Bears fan, you should also remember this moment forever too. Also, it was the week after another OT comeback win against the 49ers.
2. John Paxson 3-pt shot vs. Suns, Game 6 of the 93 NBA Finals - You can't be from Chicago and not remember this moment. If you didn't watch it live, at least you must have seen the replays about a million times in the years after. As for me, I remember watching it with my sister and dad. Down 2 with like 15 seconds left, you could cut the tension with a knife. Ball comes in, Horace Grant has it under the basket, kicks it out to Paxson, Bulls by 1 with 3.9 left, me going nuts. Next play, Kevin Johnson drives to the hoop, stuffed by Horace, and Bulls 3-peat. Good stuff.
1. Bo Jackson hits a 3 run jack to clinch the division for the Sox in 93 - I didn't even see this one on TV, I was listening on the radio. But baseball has always been my favorite sport, and the White Sox my favorite team. So even though I was just listening to John Rooney and Ed Farmer call it and didn't see it for myself, I remember being so excited that they were gonna go to the playoffs. Didn't matter that they got owned by the Blue Jays in the playoffs and that the strike screwed us the next year. Nothing can take that moment away from me.
Best Sports Moments
5. Jordan announces comeback (first time) - I was living in Taiwan at the time, missing Chicago, and when the news broke, I couldn't believe it. It totally sucked to see the Bulls losing to the Knicks in the playoffs, and we all knew he had at least a few more seasons in him. Then he came back, and the first time he played at Madison Square Garden he dropped 50-some points on those foos. One day my kids and grandkids will ask me about how awesome Michael Jordan was and I will tell them "he was good, he was very good". Well, at least on the Bulls he was.
4. Marcus Griffin last second shot vs. Wisconsin - This is a interesting story overall, not just the shot itself. One of Dennis's friends found 4 tickets to the game, and he called Dan and me to go. We get there, sit down, then about halfway through the first half, the original owners of the tickets show up and we get kicked out of our seats. So that part sucked, but security took us downstairs to the ticket center, and they let us buy legit tickets and watch the rest of the game. Ok, maybe it wasn't that interesting of a story now that I think about it. Anyways, at the end of the game, we're down 1 with only time for a quick shot. Inbounds to Marcus in the paint, he puts it up and in at the buzzer for sweet sweet victory for the Illini. Me and Dan high five each other and like 20 strangers sitting near us.
3. Bears comeback to beat Cleveland - Down 2 TDs with less than a minute left, I thought the game was over. So did everyone else I was watching it with. Then they scored, recovered a onside kick, and hail mary caught by James Allen to tie. In OT, Mike Brown returned a INT for a TD and the win. Madness ensued at Skylight Court and many blood vessels were shattered in my hand from the high fives. If you are a Bears fan, you should also remember this moment forever too. Also, it was the week after another OT comeback win against the 49ers.
2. John Paxson 3-pt shot vs. Suns, Game 6 of the 93 NBA Finals - You can't be from Chicago and not remember this moment. If you didn't watch it live, at least you must have seen the replays about a million times in the years after. As for me, I remember watching it with my sister and dad. Down 2 with like 15 seconds left, you could cut the tension with a knife. Ball comes in, Horace Grant has it under the basket, kicks it out to Paxson, Bulls by 1 with 3.9 left, me going nuts. Next play, Kevin Johnson drives to the hoop, stuffed by Horace, and Bulls 3-peat. Good stuff.
1. Bo Jackson hits a 3 run jack to clinch the division for the Sox in 93 - I didn't even see this one on TV, I was listening on the radio. But baseball has always been my favorite sport, and the White Sox my favorite team. So even though I was just listening to John Rooney and Ed Farmer call it and didn't see it for myself, I remember being so excited that they were gonna go to the playoffs. Didn't matter that they got owned by the Blue Jays in the playoffs and that the strike screwed us the next year. Nothing can take that moment away from me.
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