Semester THIS, you jerkbags!

I don't even know what that means, but it sounded cool.

So anyway, my semester is over! Hurray! It's a bittersweet thing, really. I enjoy school a lot, especially a semester like this, which has netted me a few new friends and a girlfriend (w00t). Also, good grades and excellent learning experience! OK, so only two good grades so far, but I expect 3 more excellent grades to be posted shortly. If I get a B, I will not be happy. :|

No, sir. Not at all happy. We'll see, though. I mean, my group WAS almost 30 minutes late to our presentation for class, but the prof didn't seem mad about it, so I'm thinking not much was taken off, especially since our presentation was so full of win as to be overflowing. I mean, seriously, they're going to have to call Stanley Steemer to get all the win out of the carpet, it's so saturated. Gross.

What did you just call me?

So my Spanish friend was talking to me in Spanish, and since I -- like any good American -- don't know Spanish, I was using the translator that comes in Dashboard to make sure it said what I thought it said before replying.

...Anyway. She said: "Espero que tuviste un buen dia, Ben", which I thought (correctly) to mean "I hope you had a good day, Ben".

However! When I plugged it into my translator, this is what it said: "I hope you had good day, Horseradish tree". ...Exsqueeze me? Horseradish tree? You must be joking, I thought to myself. So I typed "Ben" into the Spanish side, and, lo and behold, it translates to "Horseradish tree".

The following is a fun progression:

Ben --> "Horseradish tree"
Horseradish tree --> "árbol del rábano picante"
árbol del rábano picante --> "tree of the sharp radish"
tree of the sharp radish --> "árbol del rábano sostenido"
árbol del rábano sostenido --> "tree of the maintained radish"
tree of the maintained radish --> "árbol del rábano mantenido"

And from there it's pretty much the same thing. I just thought it was funny. I just don't see how the hell "Ben" means "Horseradish tree". Can someone please explain the etymology of that, please? Thanks.

I wonder what the stars look like from over there....

Lately I've been getting very restless.

I've been doing what I'm doing now for too long, and it's starting to weigh on me. Work, school, work, school, work school...repeat ad nauseam. I've been in school -- on and off -- for well, about 6 years. I've got two more to go. Don't get me wrong, I love school! Learning is really, really fun, and I enjoy it immensely. Work: well, I've been doing that for about 6 years too. Same damn thing every time I go in.

That's, like, 26% of my life so far that I've spent in school (well, college) and working the same job. The college has been pretty much the same as well -- UNCC feels a lot like CPCC did, with a few notable upgrades. Anyway, that's too long to have been doing the same thing.

Actually, it's just too long to be doing it in the same place.

Which is why I've been thinking lately about studying abroad next year. Somewhere in the UK, most likely Glasgow, Scotland. It would be such a welcome change! I could get out on my own a little, have some freedom, meet new people, see new things, have a new experience. It's the kind of thing you get to do once in a lifetime, and it'll probably be a life-changing experience, which itself requires a bit life-change. But I really think it'd be worth it. It would be extremely awesome, immersing myself in a new culture (but thankfully not a new language!) for 9 months.

And really, this place is starting to bug me. I've been in the same general area my entire life, and I need a change of scenery. Also, my mom is bugging me. I love her, but living with her absolutely infuriating sometimes.

Yeah...I need to get away for a while. Unwind. It'll be nice to not work for that long. I've been working ever since I've been in college, and it too is taking its toll.

Well, I'll think on it some. But I really want to do it.

Because paying $1.62 for a bottle of water isn't interesting enough.

I decided to cut a tiny slit in the side of my bottle of water to make drinking it more interesting.

Why, you might ask? Well, I was bored.

Clear and concise.

That was the mantra of my Technical Writing professor a couple of years ago. An admirable sentiment, really, but only in very limited situations. Lord knows I'm certainly not clear and concise, and nor, thankfully, are writers (authors, anyway; I'm sure actual technical writers are pretty clear and concise). If Stephen King were clear and concise, he'd have one novel out, and it would consist of one word: "Boo!". Beethoven's 9th would be about 30 seconds long, and progressive rock would not exist.

I think one should be clear and concise in one's thoughts, but not necessarily in one's communication. For example, one could sum up the Christian faith in just a couple of words: "Love everyone.", but it would take a lot more than that to get the idea across in its entirety.

If your thoughts are short and sweet, then it's easier to communicate them, I believe. Like now, for instance, my thoughts are muddled and confused, and I couldn't think of how to say what I wanted to write -- which is, incidentally, how I got started on this topic. If people were to consciously try to arrange their thoughts on a given subject into some semblance of order, I think a lot of confusion could be avoided. If people could really get there point across -- I mean really get it into someone else's head, then people would be a lot more empathetic to another person's cause or plight. Obviously some people lack the capacity for empathy and compassion, but I think better communication could really help out a few existing situations and keep some others from existing in the first place.

But I digress. Although, it's not like I really had a main point to begin with.

...Oh yeah, clear and concise. Yeah, that's definitely me. *Ahem*

The cynic in me thinks number 1, but the stomach in me disagrees.

According to my Snapple cap, there are more French restaurants in New York City than there are in Paris.

...Really? That seems so bizarre. I have to wonder if any "American" restaurants exist outside of our own country. I mean, I know there are McDonald's and Taco Bells, etc., abroad; but are there upscale, 5-star American restaurants in Paris? London? Rome?

(...After a bit of research...)

As it turns out, there are several, but not nearly on the same scale. I figure it would be one of two things:

1. We're so desperate for a bit of culture that we siphon as much as we can from anyone we can get our hands on, or
2. We really, really like food. And French food is delicious.

Stephen Crane is my homie

A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"That fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

I think that may be my favorite poem of all time. It's got several things going for it: it's a little cynical; it's a lotta Naturalist; and it's funny as hell. 3 for 3 ain't bad at all. Naturalism is my favorite epoch of American literature, as it contains many of my own views on the world.

To put it simply, Naturalist writers' message was thus: Life sucks, but the forces controlling everything (God) are beyond our comprehension (though we certainly try, and with good reason), so you might as well get used to it, and, if possible, laugh a little. That's why I see humor in everything. Everybody takes everything so damn seriously, and never just stop and laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all.

I often wonder if people just never take take the time to appreciate the inherent humor that is the universe, or if they just don't get the joke. Everyone goes through life setting up the greatest joke ever told, but they never listen hard enough to hear the punchline.

NAACP joins the dogpile (pun intended? You decide.).

The NAACP has spoken up as advocates of Michael Vick, reminding everyone that he deserves a fair trial, without prejudgment, etc., etc. So this is true, I suppose, but telling all of us that we're wrong for judging him (and judging us in the process, I might add)?

Vick could've made it a little harder, don't you think? First he's flipping off fans, then he's caught with weed in the airport, and now he's accused of murdering dogs for sport and monetary gain. Even if he's not guilty (which seems a big stretch to me), he hasn't set himself up as a role model. So why, then, would you come out on his side?

"Georgia NAACP President Edward Dubose thanked Vick for his community service and the money and excitement he has brought to Georgia as a Falcon."

Oh. Right. Seriously though, do you honestly believe that he's innocent, or are you just trying to edge in on the limelight? If the latter, why do you want to associate yourself with this particular fiasco? Michael Vick is a horrible person, whether he murdered the dogs with his own two hands, told someone else to do it, or simply allowed it to happen.

craigslist for pedophiles

So I wake up this morning, make myself a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, and turn on CNN. The story that greets my eyes is that of a self-proclaimed pedophile in southern California who goes around finding events with lots of little girls, and takes pictures of them. He rates these events (1 to 5 adorable little hearts); he gives dates, times, etc.; and then he posts them on his website.

...Creepy.

The strangest part about this scenario is that this is legal. I suppose I can see how taking pictures of a public event would be legal, but surely intent must play some role in this? I was under the impression that to take pictures of children, you had to have parental permission. However, I browsed the CA (and NC) statutes and found no such restrictions.

While this particular pedophile isn't really hurting anyone, posting all this information on his website could lead to some other more aggressive pedophiles tracking down and abusing some of these girls. Could this person be held accountable for the information posted on his website if it leads to a crime? I should hope so.

This sounds like an episode of Law & Order.

Rebirth

I have been reborn into the blogosphere. Neat.