Texas Two step

I read an interesting article today and it made me chuckle. It seems that as a species we are becoming more and more technoloigically proficient. Let me give you an example, does anyone write any papers for class? If so please stand up. Good. Now, of those people who still write papers: who goes to a physical library to gather research? If you use the internet, sit down. Now when putting the paper together, do you draft it in a notebook or on a writing tablet or do you write on your computer? If you write with your computer sit down. When you want to say something to a friend, do you email them? If so, please sit down. Anyone still standing? Didn't think so. Now ask yourself this question: Does Pope Benedict XVI have an email address? If you said yes sit down. If you said no read the question again and say yes. (benedictxvi@vatican.va)

So tomorrow I will be heading back to Htown for a glorious 2 week spring break. Yes, I realize it is somewhat late, but at least I get it. On Saturday will be the First day of the NFL draft and on Monday I am sure I will have some thoughts on the Texan's draft. But that is all till then. I will see yall next from Htown.

Why Do I like these?

You Are Incredibly Logical

(You got 88% of the questions right) Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

Hmm. Logical thinking skills. No wonder I will probably try to incorporate that at the internship.

Another one

Your Linguistic Profile:

40% General American English

25% Dixie

15% Upper Midwestern

15% Yankee

5% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

This does not surprise me. It really doesn't. Thanks for another of these quizzes Mr. Math!

Emerging From the Wind

Yeah, so it appears the long winter is finally over. I have hung up my winter jacket and have returned to lighter jackets and sweatshirts. I am hoping to move to t shirts soon.

On another note, I am not a little over a week away from finishing my second semester. It is a weird feeling becuase I still have three papers and a presentation to give, but I am close enough to the end to smell it. I can almost taste the Goode Company I will be eating and the Shiner I will be drinking.

I would also like to wish my Buddy WD good luck as he starts his teaching stint in Uzbekistan. He is a member of the Peace Corp and will be there a good two years. Next time you hear someone deign the Peace Corp, remember it takes some cajones to go there and do that kind of work. You can read some of his interesting comments and stories by selecting his name Working Definition on the Blog list. It is usually a pretty good read.

I would also like to recomend some of the other links. One of them is about the Adventures of a young teacher just getting her feet wet in the jungles of Connecticut. After spending 4 years there, I was ready to leave, but she seems to love it, so she surges forward. She has a very amsuing sense of humor and it comes through in the posts. This is a read you should not miss.

Of course when it comes to graphic design or computer programming there is only one man in the business, I would trust my designs to. And that of course is Mac Man. This guy has a very cretive imagination and designs with a very creative eye. While he does not technically have a Blog, his site has some amaziugn stuff that you have to see to believe. Check out Mac Man and learn about his love for PC computers!(Actually he hates PCs and loves Apple, hence his name).

There is another couple of Blog links I have. Both of them are not updated frequently but when they are, are always interesting. The first one is by a buddy of mine from College. He is a Math major and in grad school learning. He has some interesting opinions, so check his out at Revenge of the Mathmaticians. The last one, is a persom i have never met, but she commented here, and I felt only right to advertise her site. thoughts. Check out Back Off, or my Clarinet Will Shoot.

You Cannot Have it Both Ways

So I have been cruising around the internet and it is interesting how people try to walk down the same street in both directions. What I mean is they take a central issue and then attempt to make comments that a person should do something when they are not, then chastise a person when they are doing that particular activity.

Let me give you an example, there are many people in the United States(and in the world) that think that the US acts far too much like the world's policeman. They think that it is not in the best interest of the Global Community for the US to put money and other resources into other countries. They say that this is "Americploitation" and this is a bad thing. These people further elaborate that the US must stop "sticking its nose" in other countries and to take a step back from the high profile spot they have occupied since the fall of the Soviet Union.

However, these same people say that the US must do more to help the people who are in trouble. For example: the people rocked by the Typhon last year, people being discriminated against , and other types of similar situations. These people shout at the top of their lungs that the US has a duty to help better the lives of people across the world and they should be doing something about it. Or as another example the treatment of female babies in China, or to extrapolate the treatment of women in general in some places in the world.

Yet you cannot have it both ways. You cannot say that the US should stay out of the business of other countries while getting involved to help the people that need help. This kind of thinking is illogical and not well thought out. It is the type of thinking which is not based of solid thinking.

If you want the US to help people, you have to be willing to understand that it involves going in and sticking our nose in another country's business. If you are unwilling to understand that, perhaps you do not really understand global issues. But the fact is you cannot have it both ways

The Eyes of Texas

So it has been a week since I picked a place to do my internship and I am still happy over it. From what I am hearing a fair amount of people are still looking for a site. All I can say is good luck to you! If you are reading this and have not found your site yet(and need to) remember, that a lot of places dont choose their people on "match day". Also you are in grad school, you have great credentials. Besides, Big Tex is pulling for you, what more could you possibly ask for?!

So I spent the last two weekends getting out and meeting a bunch of new people. 2 weeks ago I went to the home of a friend's friend and sampled many different wines. It was a fun evening that was only improved by the people who atteneded. Though I only knew about 3 people there i met several more. Though it would have been hard to have been better, it couold have been if a couple people had shown up. You know who you are, so I will not name names!!!

The next day I headed out to a neighborhood bar where a friend of mine had thrown a "party". This was fun as I got a chance to see a bunch of classmates in a non acdemic enviornment. This is always fun becuase people alwyas act in a certain way when at school, but have a tendency to become a little more relaxed in a non academic enviornment. I ended up speaking with a few people and had a great time. Thanks for the invite and the party. Yall know who you are!

This last friday I went to the house of a friend's friend. This friend was a person who took a class with me my sophomore spring and I kept in touch. We ended up hanging out, talking, playing a little X-Box and some cards. A good time was had by all in attendence and will likely be a reconveing soon.

Last Saturday I was sitting here working on a paper when a friend of mine called me. She asked me to help her with a project for her interviewing class. She said that after helping her, we could go next door to the movie theatre next to her apartment. I am not a man of stone, how could i refuse that offer? So I went to her apartment and helped her out with her project. Then we departed to see Million Dollar Baby. Let me say that I rarely see movies in the theatre, since they tend to be very dissapointing, but this one was really pretty good. It is more then a mere boxing movie and with the events of the day(The death of Pope John Paul II), was an interesting food for thought flick. If you have not seen the movie, be prepared becuase it can get really sad and depressing. Several of the people there wiped away a few tears, including my friend. I am not tryign to scare you away from seeing it, it is an excellent movie, just be warned it can get really really sad at times.

So for the last couple weekends Big Tex and the EYES OF TEXAS have been exploring Chicago.

Update NOTE: After posting this I realized that most of yall would not get that reference. The Eyes of Texas is the fight song for the University of Texas- Austin