Picking the Right Rancher

I hate watermelon Jolly Ranchers--I really truly despise them! At the same time, I absolutely love the blue raspberry ones. One thing I've noticed, however, is that most of the bags are practically filled with watermelon Jolly Ranchers and the the blue raspberry ones are scarce. Not only are they scarce, but they're at the very bottom of the bag. To get to these, I have to dig through all of the gross Jolly Ranchers to get to the kind that I enjoy, and maybe even enjoy the occasional grape or apple Jolly Rancher on my way.

I feel cheesy for saying this, but it reminds me of life. You have do work hard and dig through the crappy times, taking a few halfway decent pick-me-ups on the way before you can get to the part that you love. This might be graduating from high school, graduating college, getting married, having children, or even something as simple as going to the store to get a new bag of Jolly Ranchers.

So next time things aren't going the way you want them to, pop a grape Jolly Rancher in your mouth and keep on truckin'.

Internet Mall Cops--They do exist.

I definitely feel like Paul Blart from the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

The reason for this was because, yesterday, the owner of the website "Bzoink" (previously mentioned in my blog) asked me if I would become a forum moderator. I accepted and now I'm posting around the website with "Forum Moderator" under my icon and it feels like the badges that mall cops wear. I feel all-powerful because I can officially close and delete threads, create sticky threads, and edit and delete people's posts at my own will. Muahahaha, watch out everyone, there's a new forum moderator in town!

This kind of reminds me of then I was in 4th grade and I was on the safety patrol...I did basically nothing, really, but just walking around the car pick up with my bright orange belt, being looked up to by those measly third graders made me feel good about myself.

It's not like being a forum moderator is all that amazing--especially on a website as small and unused as Bzoink, but I still feel pretty special that out of everyone, Andy (the owner) would choose me to do it. I really looked at the job since the previous moderator quit a few months ago, but I really didn't do much but suck up to the owner (who is a pretty cool guy, anyway), obey the site rules, and try to keep other people in line with them and finally it paid off.

Well kind of. It's not like I'm getting paid or anything.

I really don't know what the point of this blog was other than me expressing my excitement at my new found "power" (that really is nothing but a name).

Onto a random change of subject--

My birthday is in about 12 days. I know that 16 isn't really old, but I've been looking back on the past year thinking, "what the heck have I been doing?" Because honestly, I don't know. It's so strange how I felt like I was age 14 forever and then age 15 went by in a blink and suddenly I'm driving, looking at colleges, thinking about jobs, watching people I've been friends with since grade school graduating from high school...A good friend of mine that I've actually been friends with for about ten years just turned 18 a little less than a month ago and it kind of freaks me out. Everything about growing up kind of gives me the willies...The idea of making my own choices and actually having to pay for stuff on my own just makes me want to throw myself on the ground and pound my fists while screaming, "I don't wanna grow up!"

I think I've watched Peter Pan about 20 times since April 12th, wishing that I could be Peter and never grow up, never have responsibilities. But at the same time, I do want to grow up. I want to grow up and get my own house, get my independence, and so on and so forth. It's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time.

Any advice would be greatly accepted (as would birthday presents ;])

Technology Criticism

I'm not sure how this came about in my manic little mind, but I suddenly began thinking about technology. How it's evolved and the different points of view involving it.

I'm not sure where I heard this, but apparently Catholics and some Christians were urging people to turn off their cell phones and computers in order to focus on their relationships with people. I don't honestly understand how this would solve anything. I have family and friends in Florida--Facebook keeps me connected with them. Without my computer and Facebook, I would very rarely get to talk to them. Before I found them on Facebook, I didn't know a thing about them!

I personally believe that we should take technology and embrace it. I see no problem with having online friendships and relationships. One of my favorite websites is called Bzoink.com and on this website, I became good friends with people via the internet! The people on this site no nothing about me but my first name, but I still have a great relationship with them and I'm able to talk to them and laugh with them. Even more helpful is the fact that it is closely monitored by the owner of the website, Andy. He monitors all of the things said and event he personal messages to make sure no one is being harmed or harrassed. If you're not stupid on the internet, you're not going to get hurt unless you're extremely unlucky.

Another thing that I've fallen in love with is the iPhone 3G. I mean, there are some setbacks (not being able to copy and paste, inability to send pictures, etc...) but most of these issues will be worked out with the iPhone 3.0 OS software. I can remember when the RZR, an okay phone that didn't do a whole lot was the thing to have. It was the coolest phone on the market and costed a large price of 350 bucks! I bought my iPhone for 200 and it does pretty much everything. It has a GPS system, internet, mp3, YouTube, endless amounts of free --Anywhere you are for a low price of 30 bucks a month.

So, basically, technology should not be considered a bad thing! It's helped us in so many ways, and people who get hurt from it tend to just be...with lack of a better word...idiots. (Or they have extremely bad luck)

2012, Volcanoes, and Black Holes Eating Us

One thing that's been weighing on my mind for quite some time is the Mayan calender, the super volcanic eruption, black holes eating us all, and overall the end of the world. When this topic
appears, I tend to stray away from talking about it.

I'm a huge history fan and I watch the History Channel a lot--However, a couple of days ago I turned it on, but instead of something on the Great Mississippi Flood or WWI, a segment on the carious possible causes of the apocalypse was on. My first thought was, "What the heck? The apocalypse is in the future. Why is this on the History Channel?" However, I then realized that they were discussing various things that happened in the past that led scientists and historians to believe that they could repeat, thus causing the end of the world.

Intrigued, I continued to watch the show. They began to talk about a super volcano in Yellow Stone Park having a major eruption. I'm thinking, "Oh, I'm miles upon miles away from Yellow Stone. Obviously this doesn't apply to me. To those in Yellow Stone and around that area? Sorry about your luck."

After further investigation involving me sitting on my butt watching the program, I found out that an eight foot layer of heavy ash was supposed to completely cover the entirety of the United States in about a week. Getting out of the US would be pretty much impossible before the ash accumulated on top of your house and cars. Soon enough, you would be inhaling the ash, creating a cement block in your lungs.

At this point, I was completely freaked out and decided to switch the TV over to Mythbusters, one of my favorite shows, on Discovery Channel. Lucky for me, they were doing a pretty funny episode.

But anyway, my question is, why is no one preparing for this stuff? Part of me wants to believe that it isn't really that much of a threat, part of me wants to believe that everyone is just turning a blind eye to it (much like myself). There's also the fact that there are so many threats to the earth that we can't prepare for all of them (and plus, we're only ever focusing on the environment, which I sincerely doubt will be the Earth's downfall.)

So I just decided to prepare myself emotionally if something like that did happen--It's really the only thing I can do.

Now, I know I'm going to get a few comments saying, "Just live life to the fullest." I am--I can promise you that I am--But the fear is still there.

Which leads me to another topic. Death. What happens when we die? While I'm a firm believer in Heaven, Hell, the Trinity and the like, there's still that, "What if?" That lingers in the back of my mind. What if I'm not living like the right way to go to heaven? And even before that, what if I die miserably? What if I die before I get to do what I want? What if I die before I visit Ireland? What if I die before I get to tour around in a van with my band?

These "what ifs" nag me from time to time--Especially with this whole, "Mayan calender 2012" thing. Hell, that's the year after I graduate high school! How much would that suck?

"Yeah, I just graduated high school!"
"Oh, that's exciting. Did you hear that a week from now the entire world will be covered in eight feet of ash?"

I keep telling myself that 2012 is the new Y2K which was the new 1998 (which had almost half of the days of the year presumed as "Doomsdays"). And we're still here.

Also, apparently yesterday (April 27th, 2009) was supposed to be the end of the world. That's comforting.

I'll end with a couple quotes--
"This is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." -Winston Churchill

"No man has learned anything rightly until he knows that everyday is doomsday."-Ralph Waldo Emerson





(A quick extra note. I think I believe this apocalypse theory the most:

4,500,000,000 AD

The sun will swell into a red giant star, swallowing Mercury, Venus, Earth, and perhaps Mars. This will be the true end of the world!

)

"Prophecies of doom are nothing new." -Edward Teller

Got my new phone today. The world will end soon.

This iPhone is great other than the fact that you have to buy an application in order to send pictures. Aside from that, the typing pad isn't too difficult to use once you get the hang of it. But yeah, I'm overall very happy with the phone. It's a lot of fun.

Ps Debbie- iPhone's tetris is crizzazzy fo'shizzle.

I really...

want to go back to Florida.



Getting my new phone will be lovely, too.

From the wonderful mind of Douglas Adams

The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question "How can we eat?" the second by the question "Why do we eat?" and the third by the question "Where shall we have lunch?"



If you have yet to read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I definitely recommend that you head to the nearest building of books to get our hands/paws/tentacles on the book. It's definitely worth the read.