Thought Struggle

TLC sucks

posted by Russell @ 8:47 AM Comments : 4

Falling Water

Bly and I hiked two short trails in Dupont State Forest just outside of Greenville, SC on our way back from Asheville, NC. The pictured waterfall is called "Triple Falls" and it's really HUGE (the picture only shows the upper third of it)!

Bly had training for work and we stayed in a hotel the first night and then at our friend Ron's house on Friday night even though Ron was out of town. He's awesome like that -- letting us stay there while he's away. He does have a co-worker staying with him for a short time while he looks for a new place to live, but I'll write more about that in a minute. Bly and I walked around downtown Asheville Friday afternoon; seeing all the crazy hippies, looking at all the crazy merchandise, and actually buying some stuff. We got a copper garden fairy for my mom who babysat the WonderPug while we were gone. We also got some pottery and "sex flashcards," the latter being very funny. Later that night we headed back into town to eat at Tupelo Honey, a scrumtrilesent local restaurant (gorgonzola and bacon omlette for me, veggie plate for Bly). There is a little median park in the middle of a three way intersection right outside of Tupelo Honey and it was filthy with hippies Friday night. We parked a few blocks away and when we got closer we could hear drumming. Lots of drumming. There was a gigantic drum circle banging away. I remember seeing smaller drum circles several times in downtown Athens . Asheville's version put those to shame. There was barely any room to walk on the sidewalks or in the small park -- the place was crawling with drumming hippies, dancing hippies, and square, gawking onlookers. It was interesting.

The Roomate. We got to Ron's Friday afternoon and decided that no one was home because it was during business hours (we assumed roomate was at work) even though there was a car in the driveway. We got back later that night and the car was still there. No signs of anyone inside. We were there for approximately a half-hour when we finally heard a door open upstairs and someone moving about. The guy never came down or said a word to us, though. We were watching TV in the living room, so there's no way he didn't hear us down there. The entire time we were there, we never saw this guy. I thought maybe he was sick and didn't want to come down, but Bly pointed out that one would still peak down and say, "Hey, I'm so-and-so, I'm a little sick so I'll be in my room." Then she started laughing and said, "What if it's actually Ron." The image of our friend in his own house hiding upstairs and never coming down was hilarious. It was all very surreal, though. What odd behavior. If Ron didn't tell him we were coming, shouldn't he check out who's downstairs? If he knew we were coming, what sort of socially phobic barn was he raised in that he didn't say "hi" at some point? Weird I tell ya, weird.

I'll post more waterfall pictures soon.

posted by Russell @ 9:24 AM Comments : 4

The Merry-Go-Round will never look the same

To roughly quote Will Christopher Baer's Kiss Me, Judas: That's the problem with America, there's too much room to f***.

"Basically, his colon was ruptured, along with his lower organs in that region, and he bled out," Sortland said.

The braided tail was just too much to resist.

I wonder what Hell is for this guy.

posted by Russell @ 10:26 AM Comments : 6

DHMO Strikes Again!

OROVILLE, Calif. - A judge raised the possibility that four fraternity members could be charged with torture in the death of a 21-year-old pledge, comparing the alleged hazing death to the torture of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers.

Butte County Superior Court Judge Robert Glusman said Friday that a summary of facts in the legal motions filed by attorneys appeared to support that charge, which would carry a potential life sentence.

"U.S. soldiers were charged with torturing Iraqi prisoners for doing far less than what happened in that basement," Glusman said.

The four members of the now-defunct Chi Tau house at Chico State University are currently charged with involuntary manslaughter and hazing, which carry a maximum of four years in prison if convicted.

They are accused of forcing Matthew Carrington, 21, to drink large amounts of water while performing calisthenics in the frigid basement as part of initiation rite on Feb. 2. Carrington collapsed and died of heart failure due to water intoxication.

The whole article.

posted by Russell @ 8:19 PM Comments : 0

Jittery

I have prelims (written comprehensive exams) tomorrow from 8:30am until 5pm. I have an hour break for lunch. I have studied and now it's a waiting game. I'm not too stressed out about passing -- I think I will and I feel ready. I'm stressed about sitting here waiting for the beginning of the test. I want to go ahead and get it over with.

So, depending on your particular worldview and what that allows, wish me luck, pray for me, audit me from afar, send me some good juju, rub your red-string bracelet, send some nice thoughts my way -- whatever it is you crazy kids do.

Prelims 05, Shuck and Jive.

posted by Russell @ 5:02 PM Comments : 1

Enter the Matrix

Ok, this has nothing to do with Neo and his quest to destroy the Matrix. This "NEO" is a personality test that is actually based in empirical science, unlike those Myers-Briggs Type Indicators surveys all you kids are crazy about. This one is based on the Five Factor Model of personality; factors shown to be consistent time and again in the US and in different cultures. Actually, four are almost always consistent and the fifth is usually found, too. I won't go into the statistics of how they find each factor. The factors are composed of "facets" of personality that have more predictive validity than the five overarching factors. So, you'll get the five factors** (e.g., openess, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) and the 30 facet scores if you take this:

IPIP-NEO

There is a short form inventory and a full length inventory. I took both and they both agreed overall, with only a few facet scores changing between each one.

It takes a while, but it's pretty cool. This isn't the original NEO-PI as created by Costa and McCrae, but it gets at the same five factors (the factors of the Five Factor Model, or OCEAN). Many believe that Costa and McCrae's NEO is the best inventory for measuring personality traits, but this is similar and available online!

**Note: those factors may seem pretty self explanatory, but some might mean something a little different than what you think they mean. It is helpful to read the write-up supplied when you finish the inventory.

posted by Russell @ 5:41 PM Comments : 5

PSA

This is an important public service announcement. I thought I'd warn everyone about this since it is a little known danger. I came across this information while researching the controversy of thimerosal and autism. While thimerosal has not yet been shown to cause or contribute to increases in autism, the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) are well known and proven.

Taken from DHMO:

What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO?

Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.

Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.

Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.

DHMO is a major component of acid rain.

Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.

Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.

Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.

Should I be concerned about Dihydrogen Monoxide?

Yes, you should be concerned about DHMO! Although the U.S. Government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) do not classify Dihydrogen Monoxide as a toxic or carcinogenic substance (as it does with better known chemicals such as hydrochloric acid and saccharine), DHMO is a constituent of many known toxic substances, diseases and disease-causing agents, environmental hazards and can even be lethal to humans in quantities as small as a thimbleful.

Research conducted by award-winning U.S. scientist Nathan Zohner concluded that roughly 86 percent of the population supports a ban on dihydrogen monoxide. Although his results are preliminary, Zohner believes people need to pay closer attention to the information presented to them regarding Dihydrogen Monoxide. He adds that if more people knew the truth about DHMO then studies like the one he conducted would not be necessary.

A similar study conducted by U.S. researchers Patrick K. McCluskey and Matthew Kulick also found that nearly 90 percent of the citizens participating in their study were willing to sign a petition to support an outright ban on the use of Dihydrogen Monoxide in the United States.

This is serious, people. DHMO is a dangerous substance. I, for one, have never really been warned about the myriads of dangers DHMO -- I heard fleeting warnings here and there, but I had no idea the extent to which DHMO can destroy! There is even talk of an EPA cover-up. Scary stuff, people. Visit DHMO.org for more important information!

posted by Russell @ 4:30 PM Comments : 7