Werrrlll....
It's summer time. Yes. I believe so. There was a fire today over in by the light house, so that about marks the time as summer time. The time of things catching on fire. And since it's summer time and things are catching on fire, that means I'll have a lot less to do. Specifically in the first month or so since my real job doesn't begin until June. And since I'll have a lot less to do, I've decided to step up and begin posting more regularly on my blog.
Or playing an obscene amount of video games.
Or reading a butt* load of books. (Approx. 126 gallons.)
Or doing any number of stupid things that I always find time to do other than posting. So maybe the amount of posts I throw out there will increase and maybe it won't. Who can say? I mean, surely I could say definitively whether or not the number of posts per annum will increase, but I'm not going to. Primarily because I, like most males, struggle with commitment.
Today the good ship Bounty came into the little salt run that separates Anastasia Island from the rest of St. Augustine. It was the same ship used in the film Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando back in 1962. Needless to say, this caused something of an uproar in town since nothing particularly interesting was going on anywhere else. Also because the vast majority of tourists in this town were old enough to appreciate the film back in '62. Most of them were old enough to appreciate leopard skin loin cloths and flint-tipped arrows, too, but I digress. I had a horrible time trying to ride my bike over to the office of the registrar at Flagler College on the main land because the side walk over the bridge was loaded with tourists trying to take pictures of this big, old boat that wasn't really doing anything.
Admittedly, she was pretty. And certainly more interesting than that bogus pirate ship they putter around the inter-coastal that doesn't even have working rigging and is as ugly as sin and is usually filled with half-drunk, middle-aged partiers who thought it'd make them feel young again to go carousing on a pirate-themed floating bar. I try to point out to people that St. Augustine never really had much of a pirate presence since our forts were never sacked, but no one listens. It's enough that the city was around at the same time pirates were and you don't have to leave the states to get here. Curse you Johnny Depp. You've ruined my city.
Anyway, I got over the bridge which was swamped with Brando fans and while I was at the registrar's office I managed to get an official transcript request form submitted that will send a copy of my grades from this last year at Flagler College in St. Augustine to Covenant, where I hope to return next semester. It's so strange, seeing how long and how hard I've held on to the hope that I will graduate from Covenant and seeing that, although I've done just about everything I can to screw it up, it looks like I'm going to make it. Astonishing, really.
I've noticed some things about the two different colleges, Flagler and Covenant, that strike me as very interesting. See, they're both private schools, they're both dry campuses, they both have dorms segregated by gender, and they're both respectable colleges with a highly trained faculty. However, Flagler is definitely not a Christian institution whereas Covenant definitely is. I remember in the first few weeks I spent at Covenant I could feel how God was present. The place was thrumming with spiritual energy. By that I don't mean, like, feng shui or anything. I mean that the student body was charged with a desire to know about Jesus and to be like him. It was awesome. I loved every second of it.
Flagler is a spiritual wasteland. I never once felt that I was going to be ridiculed for my beliefs, but I knew right away when I first opened my mouth about being a Christian that I was pretty much alone. Being a Christian is not trendy. It hasn't been since the 1950's, in my opinion, and even then what was trendy wasn't really true Christianity and it was only in America. If I had been a buddhist or said I ascribed to Hindu beliefs, I would have been welcomed with open arms as some kind of theological Fonzie. Karma and zen are so totally in right now. Heck, if I'd told people I was Muslim they would have loved me. Muslim faith is super cool right now because it's, like, so anti-establishment, you know? There are Christian groups on Flagler's campus, but even the Christians I met were really tight-lipped about their faith and I think it was because they didn't want anyone to think they weren't cool.
Donald Miller wrote about this kind of trendy faith in his book Blue Like Jazz. He knows what I'm talking about. It's truly miserable to watch these kids talk about faith and belief as if it were an accessory to accentuate their own personal brand of cool. Even so, though, a lot of the people I met were wonderful, beautiful people.
Something I noticed when I went to Flagler was that the popular kids in my classes knew my name by the end of the first week. I couldn't believe it. I don't wanna say that popular people at Covenant are stuck up, but... well, they're kinda stuck up. At least in comparison to Flagler they are. A lot. I remember when I was rooming with Alex a lot of the kids he hung out with were considered popular and they would stop by the room during open dorms to see him every now and then. If you asked any of them what their friend Alex's roommate's name was, I doubt they could give you an answer. They couldn't care less about who I was because I wasn't popular. So it was nice to have the popular kids noticing me even though I had nothing to offer them in the way of popularity. My favorite people that I met were in my Theater course, which is hardly a surprise. I sincerely adored each and every one of them, all for various reasons, and a more fun group of kids I haven't met in a long time.
Suffice it to say that while these schools have a lot in common, I was struck by how different the students were. As for the faculty, well, I've got some pretty serious reasons to come back to Covenant. Flagler has some great professors, but the way they teach, and the respect they show for their students, is nothing I'm willing to subject myself to again. In one class particularly I learned plenty, but it was entirely thanks to my own work and no thanks at all to the professor who would spend all the class time allotted to him by droning on and on about his own papers and interpretations of the texts without asking a single student what their opinion on the topic was. His tests were all essays on the things he believed the texts showed, never asking us to use an original thought. I was shocked that he was teaching at all, but apparently he's a very well-respected authority on his subject so filling young minds with his dogma is considered acceptable by the institution. Also, he didn't give us a student evaluation sheet at the end of the class. He must have tenure or something. If I had gotten the chance to let him know what I really thought, I would have let him have it.
In addition to that, two of my three professors this semester swore like sailors in class. I thought it was rude and extremely unprofessional, but I certainly wasn't going to say so out loud since the rest of the students usually laughed and goaded the professor on, telling him to swear even more. The one professor I had who refused to swear and also warned students that swearing would not be tolerated in his class was either a Christian, Mormon or Jehova's Witness, judging by his constant references to the bible. It figures that one professor who dares to teach his class in a professional manner would ascribe to a Christian-based faith. I can't wait to return to Covenant.
That's about all I feel like writing about today.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
In response to "Ten Things I Want to Tell Teenage Girls" by Kate Conner
I recently read a blog post by a woman named Kate Conner titled "Ten Things I Want to Tell Teenage Girls." It was all about how as a girl you are unique and special and beautiful. All true. I completely agree. However, it got me thinking about what teenage boys need to hear. As it turns out, they need to hear very different things. I call this "Ten Things I Want to Tell Teenage Boys". And yes, I'm speaking from personal experience.
1] Shut. Your. Stupid. Mouths. I promise that when I say this I say it with all the love and brotherly affection blah blah blah just shut up. A sure sign that you don't know what the hell you are talking about is when you will not stop talking. No one believes you when you brag about how tough you are or how how good you are at Call of Duty because everyone knows you're showing off. So just keep quiet. Please. You'll have more friends that way.
2] Girls are a waste of time. Don't believe the crap they sell in movies these days. If someone marries their high school sweet heart, it's a rare exception to the rule and you are not the exception. All you'll get from dating in high school is drama and stress and a slimmer wallet. Also, while you're a teenager, DO NOT make friends with a girl whom you think is attractive. EVER. Everrrrrr. This is probably the one rule all boys know they should follow but refuse to follow because, well, because chicks are hot. Be strong, brothers. Be strong.
3] Spend money on the right things. If you spend your money on only the right things, you'll have more money to keep spending on the right things. If you spend money on the wrong things, your whole life will be a miserable failure. No I'm not exaggerating. So save your money. Buy a sweet ride. Get an awesome phone. Have a nice wardrobe. DO NOT buy alcohol, drugs, or anything for a girl because in all three instances you're paying for something that will probably get you killed.
4] Don't talk tough, be tough. Little dogs bark the loudest. Don't be a little dog. Be a big dog. Or better yet, be a bear. You don't need to work out and be jacked to be tough. Toughness is a state of mind. If a big guy starts picking on you and you're only 100 pounds dripping wet, fight the temptation to start yapping. Instead, knock that sucker out. Pick up something heavy and hit him with it. Kick him in the balls. Bite his ear off. Whatever. You'll probably take a serious beating, but do it anyway. Never be afraid to stand up for yourself or the things you believe in. Don't begin with violence, though. The way to be a true badass is to perfect the art of reaction. Don't be the guy who starts a fight, be the guy who finishes it.
5] Watch a couple episodes of 16 and Pregnant. You know where I'm going with this. If you're gonna be "sexually active" in high school, wear a condom. I'm 22 and a virgin and I don't feel like I've missed a thing so my advice is to wait until you're married, but I know that doesn't fly with most people. So if you're going to do it, be smart. I don't care if she says she's on the pill or you're some kind of "pull out ninja", don't be an idiot. Wear one every single time.You can never be too safe. If she gets pregnant, your life will never be the same. Assuming you have a life at all after her father is done with you.
6] Show some respect. You want doors to open in your life? You want people to listen to you and take you seriously? Then you have got to be respectful. This means no hypocrisy, no bullying, no shooting your mouth off, and it means you had better listen to your elders and betters for damn sure. Every time I got myself into trouble it was because I wouldn't listen to people who knew better than me. You think you're so smart and you know so much more about your situation than anyone else but you're dead wrong. Respect your parents, respect your teachers and respect your employer and they'll be there for you when you need help and trust me, you'll need help. And always be respectful of women even when they don't respect themselves.
7] Try to pay for everything yourself. If you can't pay for it yourself, try to do without it. Also, avoid borrowing money. That just leads to headaches and broken fingers, depending on who you borrow from. There's a sense of pride involved when you pay your own way and I guarantee you'll feel it. You can hold your head up higher knowing you don't owe anyone any money. However, you must never, ever allow yourself to dwell on a debt. If someone borrows money from you, only lend it if you're comfortable with not getting any of that money back. No one likes a loan shark and if you become one, a bitter life is sure to follow.
8] Seize the day. Don't let a day go by where you regret not getting something done. If you've got a big homework assignment you know is due next week, get a little work done on it every day. Don't think you're going to have to spend a whole Saturday working on it, because then you'll put it off until Sunday. Just a little work each day gives you plenty of time to enjoy yourself without the building stress of knowing you accomplished nothing. If you need to talk to someone, don't wait until you run into them again. Go out of your way to find them and have that talk. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing now.
9] Go to church. Maybe you're not a Christian and maybe you've got moral issues with Christianity, but that isn't going to stop me from telling you that if I wasn't going to church every Sunday when I was in highschool, I'd be dead by now. I know that what a teenage guy needs more than anything else is the belief that there is always someone you can turn to who will always have your back, no matter what. For me, that guy was Jesus and the boys I hung with at church. The best friends I ever made were the ones who shared my faith in Christ. I've got a list of numbers in my phone and if I need to, I can call any one of them and there'll be a guy coming to help me out and all those numbers belong to people from church. So if you've got issues with the church and you won't give Christ a chance in your life, I pity you. But if you're willing to give it a shot, go now. Don't wait until you think you're cleaned up enough to show up at church, just go. I promise you that everyone who goes to church is just as screwed up and crazy as you are and that among that group of crazy screw ups you'll find yourself a crew of boys that you can conquer anything with.
10] Stop scratching your junk in public. Seriously. I nut-punch punks who do that in front of me. Don't get nut-punched. Just stop it.
1] Shut. Your. Stupid. Mouths. I promise that when I say this I say it with all the love and brotherly affection blah blah blah just shut up. A sure sign that you don't know what the hell you are talking about is when you will not stop talking. No one believes you when you brag about how tough you are or how how good you are at Call of Duty because everyone knows you're showing off. So just keep quiet. Please. You'll have more friends that way.
2] Girls are a waste of time. Don't believe the crap they sell in movies these days. If someone marries their high school sweet heart, it's a rare exception to the rule and you are not the exception. All you'll get from dating in high school is drama and stress and a slimmer wallet. Also, while you're a teenager, DO NOT make friends with a girl whom you think is attractive. EVER. Everrrrrr. This is probably the one rule all boys know they should follow but refuse to follow because, well, because chicks are hot. Be strong, brothers. Be strong.
3] Spend money on the right things. If you spend your money on only the right things, you'll have more money to keep spending on the right things. If you spend money on the wrong things, your whole life will be a miserable failure. No I'm not exaggerating. So save your money. Buy a sweet ride. Get an awesome phone. Have a nice wardrobe. DO NOT buy alcohol, drugs, or anything for a girl because in all three instances you're paying for something that will probably get you killed.
4] Don't talk tough, be tough. Little dogs bark the loudest. Don't be a little dog. Be a big dog. Or better yet, be a bear. You don't need to work out and be jacked to be tough. Toughness is a state of mind. If a big guy starts picking on you and you're only 100 pounds dripping wet, fight the temptation to start yapping. Instead, knock that sucker out. Pick up something heavy and hit him with it. Kick him in the balls. Bite his ear off. Whatever. You'll probably take a serious beating, but do it anyway. Never be afraid to stand up for yourself or the things you believe in. Don't begin with violence, though. The way to be a true badass is to perfect the art of reaction. Don't be the guy who starts a fight, be the guy who finishes it.
5] Watch a couple episodes of 16 and Pregnant. You know where I'm going with this. If you're gonna be "sexually active" in high school, wear a condom. I'm 22 and a virgin and I don't feel like I've missed a thing so my advice is to wait until you're married, but I know that doesn't fly with most people. So if you're going to do it, be smart. I don't care if she says she's on the pill or you're some kind of "pull out ninja", don't be an idiot. Wear one every single time.You can never be too safe. If she gets pregnant, your life will never be the same. Assuming you have a life at all after her father is done with you.
6] Show some respect. You want doors to open in your life? You want people to listen to you and take you seriously? Then you have got to be respectful. This means no hypocrisy, no bullying, no shooting your mouth off, and it means you had better listen to your elders and betters for damn sure. Every time I got myself into trouble it was because I wouldn't listen to people who knew better than me. You think you're so smart and you know so much more about your situation than anyone else but you're dead wrong. Respect your parents, respect your teachers and respect your employer and they'll be there for you when you need help and trust me, you'll need help. And always be respectful of women even when they don't respect themselves.
7] Try to pay for everything yourself. If you can't pay for it yourself, try to do without it. Also, avoid borrowing money. That just leads to headaches and broken fingers, depending on who you borrow from. There's a sense of pride involved when you pay your own way and I guarantee you'll feel it. You can hold your head up higher knowing you don't owe anyone any money. However, you must never, ever allow yourself to dwell on a debt. If someone borrows money from you, only lend it if you're comfortable with not getting any of that money back. No one likes a loan shark and if you become one, a bitter life is sure to follow.
8] Seize the day. Don't let a day go by where you regret not getting something done. If you've got a big homework assignment you know is due next week, get a little work done on it every day. Don't think you're going to have to spend a whole Saturday working on it, because then you'll put it off until Sunday. Just a little work each day gives you plenty of time to enjoy yourself without the building stress of knowing you accomplished nothing. If you need to talk to someone, don't wait until you run into them again. Go out of your way to find them and have that talk. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing now.
9] Go to church. Maybe you're not a Christian and maybe you've got moral issues with Christianity, but that isn't going to stop me from telling you that if I wasn't going to church every Sunday when I was in highschool, I'd be dead by now. I know that what a teenage guy needs more than anything else is the belief that there is always someone you can turn to who will always have your back, no matter what. For me, that guy was Jesus and the boys I hung with at church. The best friends I ever made were the ones who shared my faith in Christ. I've got a list of numbers in my phone and if I need to, I can call any one of them and there'll be a guy coming to help me out and all those numbers belong to people from church. So if you've got issues with the church and you won't give Christ a chance in your life, I pity you. But if you're willing to give it a shot, go now. Don't wait until you think you're cleaned up enough to show up at church, just go. I promise you that everyone who goes to church is just as screwed up and crazy as you are and that among that group of crazy screw ups you'll find yourself a crew of boys that you can conquer anything with.
10] Stop scratching your junk in public. Seriously. I nut-punch punks who do that in front of me. Don't get nut-punched. Just stop it.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Kittens are the Devil
The kitten woke me up at five again this morning. I would shut her out of the room, but she just scratches and mewls until I open the door again. I'm closing her in the guest bedroom from now on and Jack can deal with it. I don't care if she sleeps on his bed, it's me she's waking up every morning for no reason and I mean no reason.
At first I figured it was because she was hungry. A simple solution. I feed her and go back to sleep. Not more than two minutes go by and she's climbing on my face again and sharpening her claws on my mattress. So she's thirsty, logically. I go and check her water, which is usually full, set her in front of it, and go back to bed. She follows right behind me. This has gone on for a month or so now. I've discovered that it's not food and water she wants, necessarily, but she wants me, specifically, to play with her.
I'm beginning to hate this cat.
At first I figured it was because she was hungry. A simple solution. I feed her and go back to sleep. Not more than two minutes go by and she's climbing on my face again and sharpening her claws on my mattress. So she's thirsty, logically. I go and check her water, which is usually full, set her in front of it, and go back to bed. She follows right behind me. This has gone on for a month or so now. I've discovered that it's not food and water she wants, necessarily, but she wants me, specifically, to play with her.
I'm beginning to hate this cat.
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