Wednesday, April 18. 2007
Today(April 18) is National Day of Silence
Today is the National Day of Silence.. Take a moment to reflect on the silence in your life if the person this message belongs to was or had been suddenly and violently ripped from your life as a victim of a hate crime because somebody disagreed with how and who this person loved.
Think about it...
www.dayofsilence.org
Feel free to leave a comment about how your life would be different.
Thursday, September 21. 2006
Culture
Have some interesting questions from class that I figured I'd share with you and see what your answers were...
P.S: I know I haven't updated in awhile.. I'll try to change that.
1. How would you define culture?
2. What is something that is important to you in your culture? What is the importance?
3. What are the attitudes or beliefs that are most characteristic of your culture?
4. Have you ever lived in another culture? How long? What was that like?
5. Do you think the media presents people from other cultures in a positive or negative manner? Can you give examples?
Saturday, January 7. 2006
Stupid Plot Device..
This is out of left field but regardless..
Why is it that in all Star Trek TV show's/movies that the transporters go offline at some key juncture in the storyline and their unable to accomplish something? It's usually when there are aliens taking over the ship or they are trying to rescue some person or thing from utter destruction.
What I don't understand is why they don't double time it down to the shuttle bay where there are probably 2 to 6 shuttles with independent transporters just sitting there collecting dust.
Everytime they use this plot device I get disgusted, it just doesn't make sense. That's what I get for watching 5 days of Voyager on DVD.
What's your most frustrating or overly cliche plot device in a movie or TV show?
Wednesday, December 14. 2005
Answers but only more questions
What city/place did I grow up and live in till 7th grade?
I was born and grew up in Hammond, Indiana. Went to Morton Elementry and Scott Middle School before moving to Vandalia, MI in 7th grade.
What type of cars do I like? What was my first car?
What type of cars do I like? What was my first car?
Most people got this one right. I like big cars, preferably 70's or earlier with the big fins. I do love my suburban, but the gas mileage isn't rational for today. If I was a millionaire...
What are my favorite foods?
What are my favorite foods?
A Cheeseburger, with Bacon. Stuffed Italian Shells. Macaroni and Cheese. Outback Special(12oz Sirloin), Baked Potato - loaded, Aussie Cheese Fries.
What comedians do I like?
What comedians do I like?
George Carlin, Lewis Black, Jon Stewart, Robin Williams, Bill Cosby
What are my views on dating?
Dating is great as long as your ready, and are doing it for the right reasons. 'The right reasons' you might ask? That's a muuuch longer story.
What are my favorite colors?
What are my favorite colors?
Dark Evergreen, Dark Rich Purple, the color of blue LED's, and Black.
How old am i?
How old am i?
I am 27.
Do you know my middle name? What is it?
Do you know my middle name? What is it?
My middle name is Dean. Not really fond of it, Haven't really met a Dean(name not title) that I've liked.
What month am I born in?
What month am I born in?
May
How many siblings do I have? Where do he/she/they live?
How many siblings do I have? Where do he/she/they live?
I have two younger sisters(1980, 1983), Julie and Jodie. Both live in Vandalia, MI at my parents former house on the lake.
What are my views on controversial issues? Gun control, abortion, civil rights?
What are my views on controversial issues? Gun control, abortion, civil rights?
Lot of people think I'm very liberal, I'm actualy pretty moderate. I'm very big on personal responsibility, keeping traditions, and respecting the rights of an individual.
I'm Ok with people owning guns, I'm not a fan of guns but that's my personal preference; However, I don't think people need semi-automatic or automatic weapons to defend themselves or to hunt. I believe there should be a federal licensing process that is very similar to drivers licenses that a person must go through before they can own or fire a weapon. Not that people have to register their weapons(not sure about that idea) but that they must show that they can operate them responsibly.
As far as abortion/pregnancy/children... A women's right to an abortion is something I don't think I should have a say in. I'd have to say my opinion on the issue is completely influenced by the women in my life. However I do wish that we could somehow also license people who want to have children. Too many people don't understand the responsibilities of being a parent, and are unprepared for the raising of that child. Unprepared parent(s) have the potential to do great amounts of emotional and psychological damage to their children; I think society would be a better place if we focused on making sure people could be the best parents possible and be ready to be a parent.
I fear our civil rights are being eroded by a well meaning but misguided group of people. I don't think enough people exercise enough critical thinking on both sides of the political spectrum. The nations laws and the Constitution can not be created or altered based on the religion of a group(even the majority) of people. If we do that we do not live in a democracy we live in a theocracy and at that point we are so very far from what has made this country great. We need to base our laws, Constitution, and judgments on what is logically and morally right, and you can't do that based on any piece of ancient literature.
How religious am I?
How religious am I?
I'm not specifically religious. I believe in a greater power, I'm not sure what it/that is. I see a lot of good things in the different faiths that people in my life have but I also see a lot of bad things that organized religion has caused. I was raised half Lutheran, half Methodist.. The messages in both churches varied widely based on what person was preaching it. When I have kids I will endeavor to find a church that I respect and can help me teach my kids some of the important moral lessons I think come from faith and love.
What kind of foods don’t I like?
What kind of foods don’t I like?
I'm not a fan of anything containing mustard, mayo, mostly or only vegetables, and lots of spices. I don't like fruit in my jello. I don't eat the crust on my pie. I mix my veggies in my mashed potatoes. I don't like sauces on my sandwiches or burgers.
What are my fears?
What are my fears?
I have lots, some of them are; Not having friends. Not having people trust to confide in me. Not having a job. Being broke. Having health problems. That society isn't going to reverse it's downward trend. That traditions keep disappearing(Christmas holiday season starts the day after Halloween, if not before.)
What are some of my faults?
What are some of my faults?
I have lots of these too. I'm too hard on people, I give them too much grief and instead of it being friendly prodding I go to far and it becomes cruel. I'm very very stubborn, and hate being wrong. I don't have the ability to articulate ideas or feelings in public but can do it online. I don't have good conversation skills. I don't often let people know what I'm really feeling for fear of them not understanding.
What don’t I like?
What don’t I like?
Bad drivers. People who can't/won't/don't try to change their maladaptive behaviors. People who don't accept responsibility for themselves. People who don't understand their responsibility to do things for the the good of society. Not being a mind reader. Having mild IBS. Fake acting people. Angry, misogynistic rap music.
What do I like that isn’t already listed?
What do I like that isn’t already listed?
Boats. Water. Owning my own home. Having friends over for movies. Cooking for friends. Late night's sitting around talking about random topics with friends. War movies set in space, any form of Sci-Fi space battle. Lightning and Thunder.
Wow, now that's i answered all those I want to know what other questions you have. Please leave a your comments and a new question in the comment section.
Sunday, October 16. 2005
Melancholy....
"There is melancholy in the wind and sorrow in the grass" - Charles Kuralt.
Melancholy (noun):
1. Sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom
2. Pensive reflection or contemplation.
I often view at lot of things in life as cyclical with the goal to find a comfortable place in the middle. This view applies to almost everything I can think of currently; Politics, Religion, People, Emotions, etc.
Picture if you will a sphere. A round silver ball, about the size of a beach ball, floating above the water moving in a straight line at a pretty good clip. The ball represents you as your mental state, and the movement is your progression thru life. The person’s point of homeostasis (equilibrium) is at a point right above the water just humming along on your path. Life is made up of the sphere’s travel along the path as it’s pulled down into the water(sadness, drama, bitterness, tragedy) and as it goes sailing into the air(happiness, excitement, dreaming, Joy).
The dangers are that people who are depressed, or down to much of their lives spend time under water. Underwater the balls’ progression is slowed by the waters resistance as it moves along the path. The deeper the water the harder it is to get out, and the darker it is the less likely you are to find your way back up towards the sky.
The other danger is that you spend too much of your time in the air. The higher you go the less you seem connected to the events and people in your lives. The higher you go the faster you go, less resistance, less gravity. You lose connections to the people in your life who aren’t moving with you.
My other belief is that it’s within your own power to control where you are on the rise and fall along the path. You can’t control where you are on the path but you can control your altitude along the path. Some people will need help to counter the high highs and the low low’s but your in control of asking for or utilizing the help given. People who alternate between the highs and low’s rapidly(bi-polar) tend to cause a lot of waves and ultimately damage their connections to their friends who are also on the path.
Where is Phopp’s sphere?
I’m currently plugging along on my path like a fully loaded tanker. Sitting low in the water, pushing a lot of water but not taking on any more. Unfortunately the waves I’m pushing out are keeping others from getting close or helping me out by lifting the load.
A combination of things are weighting me down:
Not being as productive as I think I should be at work. Not that we aren’t getting things done but a large part of my job is managing things and keeping them from being Chaotic. We’re doing better then the barely controlled chaos we used to be and we’ve started to make progress. I’m just worried that there are a lot of things I need to be more of a manager/boss then a friend/boss.
I have the feeling that I’m being used by some of my friends and people I know. I know it’s going to sound bad but it’s a fact. For all I do for people, I do expect something in return. Whether that’s physically, financially, or mentally doing something for someone. I don’t expect anything in the same magnitude as I put in or give out, but I do expect at a bare minimum of acknowledgement, however; in some cases I expect more. I am not 100% selfless; I don’t get enough joy out of everything in my life to be 100% selfless.
I question my interactions with other people. Why do I give some people a hard time, and am I being unfair? Does my personality grate people a lot? What do people really think and are they telling me about it or are they bitching about me to other people? I would much rather have people who have a problem with me, something I do, something I said to tell me about it. Either anonymously thru this blog, I promise not to look up IP addresses, or in person. I need to know so if I can I can repair it or I can stop the interaction, I don’t like flying blind in the dark.
Where is your sphere?
Where are you on your path, and why?
