Certified Fiber Sourcing

First week of school. Wow, it sure flew by. I suppose that's a good thing though, so long as I'm absorbing all the information and truly learning the coursework. As mentioned before, I'm taking 15 credit hours, and surprisingly it doesn't really feel like it just yet. I'm sure it will here within a couple weeks. I will say this though, I'm tired of math. lol I've just let myself get exhausted studying a couple of specific questions, and I know now, that I won't do that again.

Tutoring is going well thus far, I have six people that I tutor twice a week, so it's not too busy...yet. I'm told that after the first test in the lower maths (what I primarily tutor), my schedule will fill up completely. I want that, and I don't want that at the same time. I like not having any real homework, because I'm able to study while getting paid for it, but I also like how much faster the time seems to go when I'm actively tutoring as well.

I'm anxious to see how Calc shapes up as well simply because the teacher, Dr. Chakhad is pretty awesome, and very laid back when he's not teaching, but during the short 50 minute class, he's so frantic and moves quickly because it's just so short. Honestly, the last few classes feels like I sit down, start writing for 50 minutes just to copy down what he's writing, and then get up and go to lunch. Again, this is where I'm worried about my retention of the material. I'm also in the middle of trying to get a study group started with a few folks from class, so that I can learn from them as well as hopefully provide some insight on what they don't understand.

In other news, I'm still single, but at this point, I simply don't have the energy to chase a girl after school and tutoring. I'm just mentally exhausted. I take flak from my father about coming home and not studying. I apparently can't stress to him enough that I've studied while at school and that when I come home, I'm not looking for anything mentally straining. I'm hoping that as the semester wears on, my mental stamina will rise, and I will be able to study virtually continuously. I recognize how lame that sounds, but I'm here to learn above all else. I want to earn my degree, and I want to be on with the next phase of my life. That being said, I'll enjoy the current experience as much as it can be enjoyed.

I've been working on an exercise/workout session where you're supposed to be able to do 100 pushups in six weeks. Me? I'm not there yet. I'm on week 4 and exhausted. on my last set tonight, I  fell 15 short of where I was supposed to be. I waited 30 seconds, and then pumped them out. I feel like maybe I'll wait a couple of days, and then re-do today's workout. I really want to be able to accomplish this, if for nothing else, than to just be in better physical shape.

That's all I've got for now, so go forth and enjoy you week my friends.

Tonight's blog was (not) sponsored by This is my City covered by Timothy Victor.

Stickshifts and Safetybelts

"Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America." Dwight D. Eisenhower.

No I don't plan on making my blog political let alone make this post politically charged. It's just not me. That said, the quote seems to ring true all the same.

I've been terrible at updating this blog again. I blame it on my fascination with a series on Netflix. Scratch that, two series on Netflix. One was The Riches that starred Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver, and the other, which I'm still into is called Skins. It's a British drama sitcom. If you like semi-perverse and moderately sexually charged coming of age stories, then this is your program haha.

I think I'll cover the last few days as briefly as possible.

Went to a clam bake with Dad and Janet. Addictive clams, terrible lobster.

Went to church and Texas Roadhouse today as part of Janet's birthday. Happy Birthday Janet. :D

Alysha Salt, a friend who was in my grade, was remembered this weekend for the 23rd, in which six years ago, she was in a terrible traffic accident that took her life. Miss you buddy.

I went to training and orientation for the tutor job I have.

School and tutoring begin tomorrow, the 23rd. Here goes nothing.

Class schedule consists of 15 credits; Calculus I, Computer Information Systems (basic computer literacy lol), Intro to computer science (it's a c++ programing course), and Trigonometry. Should be a busy semester.

I would like to see more pictures of my nephew. We'll see if the dad feels so inclined to post em.

 I think that's all I got for now. I'll try to update about my first day and such. I don't think I actually have any students to tutor until Tuesday.

This blog tonight is brought to you by "Sleeping In" by the Postal Service on their album Give up.

Lift me up higher now!

Wow so much has happened since my last blog post. Wait, not really. But there definitely is enough to report on, so here I go.

Kelly's garage project? A large pain of sorts. No matter, we (my father, a friend of his named Bruce, and me) worked on that garage for about a day and a half. We were just trying to install an automatic garage opener. In order to do this though, we have to raise the studs. Why? Because they weren't set at the normal height to begin with. The garage was small to begin with, but to lower the studs, doesn't make any sense at all. So, we punched out the ceiling, and raised the studs which were holding the garage tracks. That only took WAY too long. Then we have to saw the bottom part of the garage door off so that it closes without getting stuck shut. Finally, it's time to mount the actually header unit and support bar. Wait, another problem. Where the header unit has to go, there isn't a horizontal stud, and there really isn't a good place to mount it either. So, we have to fabricate it. Header unit installed, and lift assembly installed on the door. But it's all crooked, the door not the header unit. So, we have to separate everything, fix the tracks, fix the door, reassemble the bottom of the garage door, sand down part of the garage floor where it meets the garage door, and reassemble everything back into place. After that though, the job went pretty smooth. What a ridiculous and unnecessarily difficult project.

In other news, I met and stopped seeing a girl. She was a lot of fun to talk to, but the romantic spark wasn't there. I've still got the other girl but she's a bit of a handful to manage. Yes, I did just say, I'm having a hard time managing a woman. But what I tried to imply, was that getting the relationship to work, requires a lot of work.

Today I got up early(ish) and went to the college and took the math placement test. I scored well enough to get into Calc I and I plan on taking that class in the fall, despite being on the waiting list currently, and school starting in about one week. As for my fall schedule, it's going to be about 15 credits, with me taking a computer science course, two math (trig and calc), a computer information systems course and if I'm lucky, I'll get into this digital photography course.

Today's song of the day: Taking Back Sunday - Falling for you.

Cry some moreeee! - TF2 Heavy

Got up at a reasonable time today, and with my sister Kelly in tow, went to Ft. Collins. We visited Sephora as planned, and I ventured over to Ultimate Electronics to check out what they had.  I'm saddened by the fact that the 3D TV's weren't really all they were cracked up to be. I guess it just confirms the cynic in me was right; 3D is just a fad.

Also, while I was exploring the Ultimate Electronics store, I re-discovered just how awesome the Bose Companion 3 computer speaker systems are. The problem? They cost $250. It's hard to justify that price tag, unless all your music was 192kb/s quality. This includes having to subscribe to Pandora One which does stream at that required rate. If you're streaming at only 128kb/s you don't fully utilize the audio system, which is the whole reason I would purchase it. Maybe I can get both for christmas. Pandora One for a year, and the speakers.Unlikely, but one can hope.


Tonight, I was SUPPOSED to have a date with the first girl, and she postponed because of some family/veteran issue. Normally I would totally understand, but because she's been off the grid for the past few days, I can't help but be naturally biased in thinking that her excuse is bs. I'm trying to be an optimistic person, and failing. Ah well. Tomorrow I'll know enough to see if it's worth staying around, or if I'm done with her.

Instead of the date, I went and helped my father prepare Kelly's garage for the project that we're doing tomorrow. I'll write more about it with my next blog, but I must say that I think I'm going to get the asbestos sickness. I couldn't breath for a long while, and even a few hours after the work, when I blow my nose it's cancer colored.

Have a good night peeps.

Tonight's post song support:  Reliant K - I must have done something right

You wanna call down the thunder?

So today just FLEW by. I attribute this to the fact that I stayed up talking to somebody new until 0430. Was it a good idea? Probably not. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely.

I finished the final episode of Nip/Tuck recently. I've gotta say, I think I only watched that show because it was so bad, it was good. There were a few times that I was yelling at my screen (I watch it using netflix on my computer) and screaming about how absolutely retarded all these people were. All in all, still gave it three stars.

I have been learning more about grilling and thus far, I'm not a pro, but I'm becoming relatively constant at not burning it or having it come out like crap. I kind of want to learn about marinades and cooking chicken to perfection, which I'm fairly certain is impossible unless you're baking. Grilling? Impossible.

Last Christmas, my sister Kelly, bought me a Sephora mens scent package. It's basically 12 of Sephora's most popular colognes in sample sizes and you choose which one you like the best, and redeem it for a full size bottle at no charge. Pretty sweet right? Well, not if you're indecisive like me. I can't tell which out of nearly five colognes I like best. Eff. They all smell good, and they're all pretty timeless. Hrm. I realize this topic is virtually a large waste of time, but it's my life, and maybe that is somehow an accurate representation of my current status. No, I'm not searching for compliments, but I am on the cusp of new things, but not quite there.

Tomorrow is a trip to Ft. Collins, or FoCo as everybody here calls it. Then a date with a girl who I'm losing interest in quickly because she doesn't understand how to reciprocate affection. Who knows. The good news is, I'm not investing too much into it, so no hard feelings if it falls apart.

Have a good week folks.

Verizon 4G LTE? What exactly does that mean?

I've been playing a newly released game recently called Starcraft 2. It's really a fun game. The entire game is visually stimulating. The campaign is addictive, and the multi-player is always a challenge.

There are custom game modes and when playing with friends, it's straight up amazing.

So, that's where most of my day has dissolved to. :X

More to come tomorrow. Hopefully.

It only takes $500 to put hotels on both Baltic and Mediterranean Ave.

I really enjoy the 'fruits' of getting up early for the farmers market.  Ugh, that pun was disgusting. Seriously though, I did enjoy the farmers market this morning. Fresh bread, and fruit accompanied me back home. I'm a sucker for really good bread, so of course I came home with two loaves, one of jalapeno cheddar and one sourdough. I purchased cherries as well simply because this is one of the last weeks that good cherries can still be found.

Not going to lie to you random reader(s) I'm frustrated. Intellectually frustrated. But that hardly defines the situation. I simply have no idea what I want to do for a future career. I've been raised with computers and technology at the forefront of interest, and yet I still know surprisingly little of the computer world. In the Air Force, I worked on long-haul telecommunications that utilized satellites to support communication globally. After three years of that, I transitioned into metropolitan and campus sized computer networks. I enjoyed that to a certain extent, but never getting to control the parts of the job that were important to me, was frustrating. I think it turned me off to the whole experience.

Now, I'm living with the parents for free rent, and will soon reap the benefits of the G.I. Bill to pay for continuous schooling. The problem? They need a declared major, and won't pay for classes that don't count towards that defined major. So, even if college is the place to take a smattering of courses to figure out what excites you, I can't take part in that unless it's over the full time status. Great. So it's like a form of deterrence if you want to explore what you want to do. For now, I'm dual majoring in computer science and math. Why? Because they're the degrees in demand for IT related positions. I'm getting a dual degree in areas of study I'm not even sure I want to continue on in.

Part of me feels as though I'm merely repeating my past mistakes. I got into computers because my brother, Keeton who is two years older than me liked them. Now, I feel like I'm majoring in math because I feel pressure from my father to do so. Oh, and I got a job as a MATH tutor.

Nothing like diving head first into a pool of uncertainty.

I need to stop venting.

Musical inspiration: Yule shoot your eye out by Fall Out Boy on Take this to your grave.

Yay for Saturday!

Lewis Terman's famous study of intellectually gifted children is an example of which type of research design?

Hey again.

Kelly's birthday celebration was pretty fun. We went from Uncle Charlies Bar to Old Chicago. Now, I'm not some stuck up savant when it comes to service and in most cases, I just assume that if a waitress is slow to respond to the table's needs that maybe she's just busy. However, this was not the case at Uncle Charlies. Judas Priest... the place was near empty and she had two large tables to wait on including our table. If she's waiting on two large tables by herself, then she must not be new right? So then why did she take -no exaggeration here- 15 minutes at the cash register to give us bills. I'm not even talking about processing the payments, but just creating the different tickets. Furthermore, once it was down to just our table of 6, she wasn't very responsive. I despise lousy service.

Onward to Old Chicago. Had a pretty fun time there, watched people get toasty and vent about work. I suppose I should have mentioned that everyone who came out was from the hospital that Kelly works at. There were several moments in the night where I had no idea what they were referring to, or who they were referring to. I did learn however, what a "geezer-squeezer" is and how a splash guard works during an ear irrigation. Not quite groundbreaking, but the conversation was comical through most of the night. Kelly is slightly hung-over so, I would say the night was a success.

A couple of posts ago, I referred to "statistically significant" as something of importance. I am a man of facts, of logic, and of concepts. So when I make reference to "statistically significant", I'm usually talking about a set of empirical values, that has an outlier.. In my mind it's a way of identifying a problem or anomaly without getting to technical about it. So, when I referred to the culture shock from Colorado Springs to Cheyenne as such, I just meant that it's requiring more from me than expected to adapt to this city.

As with any city, Cheyenne is not without it's pros and cons. More single women, less stores. More free space, less pragmatic people. What can ya do?

Today's song choice is Moby's "Why does my heart feel so bad?" It's a bit of an oldie but always a goody.

Enjoy your day!

Quartet: Stringed, not vocal.

It's Kelly's Birthday today. So we're going out tonight, and I'm slotted to leave in all of ten minutes. It's unlikely I'll leave on time. Regardless, I have to cut this one short, and I'll post the details of the shenanigans had tonight, tomorrow.

A few things I wanted to address tonight, but can't fully summarize are:

Freedom of the press. I just argued that if a news worthy event happens, it should be written about, even if 99% of the the details aren't known, just letting people know the event happened is a responsibility of the press, and a right of the public. e. g.. A Union Pacific train derailed in Cheyenne, WY. REPORT THAT. Even if you don't know how many people were injured/died, at least report that the train derailed. Don't wait for all the details before publishing, just post the minimal facts.

Video games:. Some really do help build social skills, and could even be linked to an increase in responsibility. Especially competitive or "league" play tournaments.

Dinner tonight consisted of scrambled eggs, and cheesy rice with broccoli. I think I want to eat that same meal, but for breakfast, and not for dinner. Either way, delicious.

Finally, I hope everybody is getting tan this summer, but is also aware of the risks of skin cancer. Even the young bloods, you may be cancer free right now, but in the future, your risk of skin cancer increases based on how many times you've tanned or burned in your youth. So consider it an investment in your future, and protect yourself from getting burned.


Have a good night folks!

What is the forumla for the area of a circle?

I'm motivated enough to start blogging again. I used to utilize Xanga, then LiveJournal, and now after a good long break, BLOGGER!

Recently -I use this term loosely- I moved from Colorado Springs, CO, to Cheyenne, WY. Not a startling distance, but the culture shock is still significant. In fact, I'd say it was statistically significant. More on that later.

I'm a creature of habit stuck in a town that doesn't cater to the limited things that I used to like to do. I'm not using this blog as a way to complain, but just as an attempt to explain my view of life, specifically my life.

I'm 25. It's August 4/5th 2010. And man, it's not where I expected to be, but I'm still making the best of it. I met somebody. Contrary to previous personal preference, I'll talk about all the girls I meet, not just the ones who change my life. Thus far in Cheyenne, meeting women isn't a problem, meeting them twice however seems to be the unconquerable feat. I've gotten several numbers, and given my number out to a few, all to have them not call, or not answer when I call. What gives? If I don't like somebody and they're trying to get my number, I just tell them that they aren't my type. The end. (Usually :x)

However, I did meet a girl lately, and sure enough we've been on a couple of dates. Her and I have a shared disparity for the common sports inclined chap. Our styles of humor differ, but in such a way that we can borrow and build on each others' wit.

As I'm typing this stuff out I'm listening to DragonForce. Normally I don't get into bands whose main premise is speed-rock, but I'll be damned if they aren't distinctively addictive. If you get the chance, check them out. Specifically their Sonic Firestorm and Inhuman Rampage Albums.

That's enough for now. ZIIIIIIPPP COOORRRDDDDD

No, I don't know where that name came up from.

Cheers.