The ALL-PURPOSE Journal Thread

[Jamastiene]

for generic "thought to self" type journal entries.

I just came up with this idea. I haven't had time to make up any rules, so I guess just DU rules would apply. If you just want to enter something into your journal, but you don't want to start a new thread, per se, and you don't necessarily want to add your extra thoughts to a reply to someone in another thread, this thread would be a cool place to do it. Plus it would make a great catch-all thread for journal updates for people who just want to read what others have to say.

So the idea is to just post something here and click "Add To My Journal" to give you the feel of an old fashioned diary or journal.

Enjoy.

[Pithlet]

1. Journal threads are a good idea.

We should have them regularly. When I first started my journal, I searched archives for posts to include, and realized that I need to post more. All the posts were either replies that would look weird out of context, or for whatever reason just wouldn't look right.

[Pithlet]

2. Very cool ad.

http://www.bravia-advert.com/commercial/braviaextcommhigh.html

[Jamastiene]

4. I noticed that too.

It's why I put this thread up. It would be great if we could keep this going or start new ones every now and again just to keep discussions discussions and make journal entries more appealing. Glad you like the idea. Thanks for replying. I have had a dry spell lately on my posts. :hi:

[file83]

41. Isn't that what the DU Lounge is for?

[Jamastiene]

3. Wow! Today was a long, monotonous, tedious, and utterly obnoxious day.

This is a LOOOOOOOONG rant, but I need to get it out of my system somehow.

Physics class was especially tedious today. I didn't think it was ever going to end.

The teacher was doing a problem on the board to show us how he wants us to do that certain type of problem. He is like that. He wants everything done his way. He wants us to do algebra one tedious, monotonous step at the time even if we can do it better our own way.

Doing it his way causes a lot of us make more simple mistakes than if we were allowed to just do it how we were originally taught. I was taught by a great math teacher who wanted us to enjoy math. She taught us tricks that took my undying hatred of math and turned it into a love of math. And I get it right doing it her way. I like her way, because it saves me a lot of time and unneeded effort and it makes math seem like a wonderful, tittilating puzzle. It makes me want to do math until I drop.

But the physics teacher wants us to do the algebra his way. I am trying to learn his long tedious way and not fall asleep while he talks in the most contrived monotone voice I have ever heard in my life. I'd rather watch the most boring "Cable In The Classroom" in the world than go to his class. Another student told me today that he would rather take a beating that lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes than come to physics class. I agreed with him. It has reached that point.

I hope this jerk physics teacher is proud of himself for abusing students this way. Several second year students are in this class for their second and third times. Never mind the fact that they have passed every other class they need to get their degree. And they can give you the answers to physics problems so quick it will make your head spin. They didn't fail this class because they can't get the right answer. They failed before because they did not have the stamina to do physics the way this teacher wants it done. He takes points off if you do it your way instead of his way. Even simple addition has to be written out long hand with the units (as in pounds, degrees, or meters per second squared) each and every time it is written down. What a fucking prima donna.

Why did today hit me like a ton of bricks? I can tell you that it wasn't his normal exacting lecture today. It was a Hitleresque exercise in BULLSHIT torture.

The question involved the mass of a vehicle and the mass of passengers. Each passenger was to weigh 5.00 slugs. There were two questions and one of the two questions wanted us to find out what the acceleration would be with 6 passengers in the vehicle. So, naturally, instead of writing the given information about mass as M subscript p (meaning mass per passenger), the teacher decided to make us write M subscript 1 = 5.00 slugs, M subsript 2 = 5.00 slugs and so on and so forth until we ended up on M subscript 6.

My wrist was already hurting from his extra bullshit from earlier then I had to write the same damn thing over and over and over again not once but twice. I almost exploded from the frustration. He's wasting my fucking time here and I have to write the same damn thing over and over again because he wants it done his fucking way. I'm not even bitching about how long that extra BS took. Sure as the world, when it was time to finally do the problem, he started writing F = m subscript c (for the mass of the car) + m subscript 1 + m subscript 2 + m subscript 3 plus m subscript fucking 4 and on and on.

I thought to myself, damn, I just wrote this and now I have to write it a-fucking-gain!!! I mean why not name the passenger mass as M subscript p (for passenger) then multiply by 6 for crying out loud? The equation we were going to use to get the final answer was F=ma. How fucking complicated does that jerk really want to make a simple physics question? That is what he does. He takes the simple problems and makes them look way more complicated and makes them incredibly tedious and monotonous to do. Never mind how he flies through the complicated problems and how many pages upon pages of paper we waste taking tedious boring notes in his class.

He has made me totally hate science, which didn't seem possible until I ended up with this guy. It's an advanced engineering class for crying out loud. Helloooo!!! I think we can grasp the concept of multiplication. Damn, it was such a simple problem. To think, I could be enjoying this class. I'm going to pop a blood vessel in my head and fucking die. I mean it. My head is going to explode. This semester has been hell while dealing with this guy.

Every Tuesday and Thursday I come home with a splitting headache when I could come home excited about physics. I could be eager to figure out a bunch of trivial answers to questions I make up myself just for fun and really enjoy physics as I think it should be. Instead, I'm sitting here with my blood pressure at the boiling point ( 212 degrees Fahrenheit, god knows I don't want to forget to type out the fucking units to go along with that data) and my head is still throbbing as it has been ever since his class ended 6 fucking hours ago.

I hate it when teachers act like prima donnas. He is the only physics teacher for 100 miles around and he knows we are stuck with him. He is also the dean of students too. So, it's not like we have any resources to get something done about him. Even the other faculty is afraid of him. Not to mention how bad his attitude sucks. He will ask if we have questions and then if we ask he will say he doesn't feel like doing that problem.

WTF? Why did I end up with this jerk? How can my luck be that bad? Not only did I end up with the same asshole english teacher who put me through a bunch of extra bullshit last semester, I ended up with this jerk this semester too.

All his bullshit on this one simple, little problem took 30 fucking minutes. I was so busy trying not to fall asleep while he talked in monotone each time he wrote and said M subscript this and that I forgot what the original question was. And to think, I thought I was going to love physics. I have been sorely mistaken all this time. What a bunch of extra tedious monotonous work to do just to get a simple answer that should have taken less than 2 fucking minutes.

And what kills me is that most of my teachers are so great that I look forward to going to their classes. They do their jobs and go the extra mile, like heroes in my book, to make sure we are learning what we need to learn without all that torture we had to put up with in high school. I mean our taxes fucking pay them. Most of them get it and try to make sure we learn as much as possible without wasting our time like that. Having teachers like the two jerks I have this semester makes me appreciate the good teachers all that much better.

To all the good teachers that students love, and you probably know who you are, I salute you for being good to your students. You are heroes in my book. You make me eager to learn all I can and be the best I can in life. You are responsible for educating even the slackest of students despite their efforts to fight it. You turn them around and make them better, smarter people than they were before they met you. You make technology advance at the level it has been for the last 100 years or so. You are responsible for every great invention we have, whether they be treatments for cancer or cool electronic gadgets that make life fun to live. You are heroes in my book.

As for the teachers who thrive on making students quit, (like my english teacher who was so proud of himself last semster because he started with 23 students in our class and ended up making 17 students quit college) I salute you too. Only this time I have only one finger up and you get to see the back of my hand while I wave it at you, assholes. If I had it my way, you'd be fired, yesterday. You are the reason people don't finish college. You are the reason many people miss out on a great education. You are the reason Americans fall behind on international test scores. You are the reason poverty flourishes while educations suffers. You are the reason good teachers cannot make any headway when it comes to making education better. You are the reason George fucking piece of shit Bush is president. You are bullshit personified.

IMHO, I can't wait until this god-forsaken, wretched, horrid semester is over just to get away from teachers who get off on torturing students needlessly. Getting a good education absolutely should not be about enduring torture. Robbing a student of the vim, vigor, and enthusiasm they could have had learning about physics should be a fucking felony.

[Jamastiene]

5. Wow, the power of the Lounge!

I had a really crappy day. I came here feeling all gloomy and grumbly. After about an hour on DU, I'm feeling much much better. This place is better'n therapy. You people are the greatest. I love you, Lounge Lizards. You are all such wonderful people. I wish I knew more of you. :hug: :loveya: :pals:

[Jamastiene]

9. New day, short day, good day, so far.

I only had two classes today. Lucky for me, the english teacher was still weak from his cold and couldn't give us too much grief. He did give us homework though. It's not bad this time. Maybe I am mellowing him out just a little. I'm certainly trying. He seems at least a little workable. Maybe not. That girl that sits next to me was out today. I missed hearing her mutter under her breathe, "I hate him" several times per 50 minute class period. It has become one of those things that I remember and laugh about every time I think back on it. A lot of people were not there today. They probably got that weird cold that has been going around.

It started in the daycare system here as most bad colds do. It worked it's way through the school system and then to the parents. Who do ya think it hit next? Yep, those of us who are around parents, not kids, end up catching these horrid germs. I know I am not supposed to go into details too much, so I'll try to keep this clean even though this thread is buried 50 pages down and practically hidden by now. If parents would wash their hands after wiping the two trails of stuff out from under the rugrats' noses, the rest of us could quit buying Theraflu every year. ;)

What else? Oh yeah, I am through with my physics homework. It all worked out all right as far as I can tell. Of course, the paper I turn in will come back smothered in red marks taking off a half a point here and half a point there. I don't even know what my grade is in that class. I'm over halfway through the semester and the way this guy grades us is by using some funky point system from Mars. I had a 6 on some homework once. It was the highest we could get on that one so it translated to a 100. I am not sure about the rest. I don't feel like calculating down to the brazillionth degree to find out what my grade is. I would be willing to bet whatever my grade is, it will end in a .4 and he will round down. He's like that. You can set your watch by his antics. I'll let it be a surprise at the end of the semester.

I don't care about the 4.0 GPA any more. I've given up on it. I can't jump through that many hoops for these two OC nazi acting prima donna physics and english teachers, who have broke me from caring about my grade or school at all. I just want to get through it. I don't care if I go further after the two years is up. I don't care about anything any more. I hate school now, thanks to the bullshit finally drowning me.

I'm off to play some games on Pogo now. I still have tons of homework, but a girl's gotta have her fun too.

[Jamastiene]

18. You can just call me Hoover.

I suck so much at Pogo's Pebble Beach 3 Hole golf. Too bad they don't have a bowling game. I could go suck at that too.

[Jamastiene]

25. Yep, I still suck at golf on Pogo today.

It's a little better, but I still suck. If I ever get under par or even at par, I'll announce it here.

[Jamastiene]

26. Okay, I'm jealous.

Call Me Wesley's Journal rocks. :yourock:

I must do something, anything, to mine before I have to stop and go do homework. Who knows? Maybe I can get the hang of this newfangled version of HTML. I used to make decent looking (to me) web pages. Maybe I'll make some graphics and change the background. Must go now. First, I'll try out some different backgrounds to see if I can make it look all trippy without hurting anyone's eyes. If you visit during this time and it does hurt your eyes, please let me know. I like some really funky designs I made up a few years ago, but never used anywhere.

[Jamastiene]

27. testing

:tinfoilhat:

[Jamastiene]

29. It's not right yet.

This background won't do. It's WAAAAAY too busy. Must try something less colorful.
This should be interesting.

[Jamastiene]

30. Well, it's getting slightly better, but my eyes are hurting still.

I wish I could find colors to make this thing look good with the funky pictures I chose as backgrounds. Any suggestions?

[hfojvt]

48. Slugs? Slugs? Do people really use slugs in industry?

I'd like to slug that prof, and the horse he rode in on. Plus I would skip his fugging class. I bet he does not allow that though. Little secret, I skipped a good portion of my classes in college. I only went to math recitations, not math lectures. Sometimes you had to goto class to find out when the midterm is. Once they announced that, I was outta there.
Cutting class never seemed to hurt my grade either.
I did not skip all of them though. Some of the teachers were better at presenting things, especially in my junior and senior years. I only had a couple teachers who were anal retentive about having things done their way. I still think it is BS.

[TheBaldyMan]

58. in defence of physicists

they aren't mathematicians, I remember when I transferred from Mathematics to Astrophysics it turned out that my level of maths was more developed than some of the Physics graduates that were teaching.

Embarrassing for them and awkward for me.

[Jamastiene]

76. You can say that again.

I actually asked the physics teacher why he counted off on a test when I combined the left and right side of a problem to multiply by two. He said it was because most people wouldn't understand that level of math. Oh well, I will just have to grit my teeth and write out simple little steps that I normally do in my head. That's the worst part of it; having to write something that simple down over and over again. It does seem that if I use the same exact equation for 5 problems in a row, he wouldn't count off if I don't go through the tedious steps of each and every time.

He is loosening up some, according to other students who are taking this same class for the second or third time, but it's still a boring tedious way to do mathematics. It's not rocket science. He keeps referring to NASA and how not writing the units down midway through the problem could cost billions of dollars. I live in a small rural town in the south ( in the US ). NASA is NEVER moving here. Period. It will never happen. I do not know what he is worried about. It looks like having the right answer should be enough, but alas, I still failed a test even though ever single answer was right, all because I skipped the easier steps in algebra. No wonder so many people hate algebra. I am glad that my original algebra teacher taught us what is really happening when we do those steps and my precalculus algebra teacher made us memorize the perfect squares and the quadratic formula. Now, having to write it out longhand seems redundant to me. I just can get with the flow of taking an hour to do a 5 minute problem.

Thanks for sharing your insight into this problem. Maybe the level of maths is the problem. The teacher did tell me he wanted me to write out each and every step even though I had the answer right.

[RevolutionaryActs]

6. This is totally off subject.. but anyway.

I'm not sure if I should use my journal to showcase "smart" posts or not. Right now I'm going with "or not". :P

[Jamastiene]

7. I can't find any of my smart posts.

I might not have too many. I just post what comes to mind, drivel and all. :P

How have you been doing lately? I haven't seen you in forever.

[RevolutionaryActs]

8. I remember one smart(ish) thread I started.

I can't decide if I want to add it or not. :shrug:

At the moment it's just stupid stuff in my journal. Ah well. ;)


I've been doing good! Just busy. It's nice to see ya. :pals:

[LaraMN]

10. Yay! What a great idea.

You are a smahhht girl!

[LaraMN]

11. Dear Journal, today I realized that deep down, I have a burning crush on

***message abducted by Scientological alien beings***

[Jamastiene]

12. LOL.

:rofl: Sorry, I couldn't resist. Love your journal entry. I can see that happening too, especially if Tom Cruise gets anywhere near it.

[gmoney]

21. Damn those aliens...

:loveya: LaraMN :loveya:

[Call Me Wesley]

13. I added a Chihuahua!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

[xultar]

14. I'll see you a Chihuahua and add 1 human and 3 Chihuahua Santas

[Jamastiene]

17. Quadruple awwwwwww! n/t

[xultar]

15. The Chihuahua is sweet though!

[Jamastiene]

16. Awwwwwwww!

You know how much of a sucker I am for animals. It's so cute. Awwwwww. :D

[TahitiNut]

32. A Frito Ray-Bandito?

:rofl:

[xultar]

19. I think everyone should use the Random Journal button on their journal

cuz I use it because I wanna see what's going on. I think at least @ the beginning it would be nice.

[Katherine Brengle]

22. I've been doing that--to see as many as possible--

I stick to a pretty short list of forums, so it is easy to miss things, and the random button helps that!

[mdmc]

23. I'm updating to include the random button on mine now.

Lets give it a shot.

[xultar]

20. Kick

[Clintmax]

24. To All My Early Morning Crew Members:

I'd like to include a link to all my crew members Journals in my BlogRoll in MY journal! I've added links to the members who've created Journals so far! If you do not see your Name in my blogroll, that means that you haven't created a journal yet. Let me know when you do, and I'll add a link to it at once! :bounce:

Clint

[LaraMN]

28. What journal is complete without Hot Vampiress Love?

[gmoney]

36. Lara, I think you need to just do a photo blog...

This is so cool, and I know there's more where this came from...

:loveya:

[Jamastiene]

31. I will have to finish tweaking my Journal later.

At least I made it quit pulsating on the screen. At first the funky green was clashing with the funky pink. Also the author hover color is red. I need to change that.

For now, I must get sleep. I'm nodding and screwing shit up too much to continue tonight. Still have some homework to do and two papers to finish tomorrow. Maybe I will have time sometime this week or this weekend to work on it some more. It needs help. I need a good color for the links. White doesn't exactly look right considering the messages are already white. Will work on it again when I can. Good night, DU.

[Jamastiene]

57. Waaaaaay too much homework.

I have two or three tests coming up this week. I have actually lost count, because I heard the word test so much this week. I have 2 major projects due as well. I guess I will have to tweak my journal later. I sure am tired. I haven't rested at all this weekend. I am doing homework right now. I am spending Saturday night doing English homework. That isn't all I have to do this weekend either. I have homework in every class except one. That one is one of the ones I have a test in Tuesay morning.

The electronics project is coming along nicely now. At first, the lighted rocker switch threw me. The wiring diagram on it could have been way clearer than it was. That wasn't what cost me so much time Friday afternoon though. The transformer popped. After that, I go nothing on the secondary. It was bad. Oh well, Radio Shack gets some money. I have a deadline to build this power supply and need a transformer. What else could I have done? :shrug: In any case, I still have to write the paper for the project and finish soldering the rest of the parts. I am so proud of this project so far. It is the first time ever that I have worked on a project involving any type of power tools that I didn't try to perfect it and make a major boo boo in the process. The case looks professionally done, if I may say so myself. There are no visible rough edges or holes in the case and the parts fit rather nicely.

I tried to make sure that the power coming in was not readily acessible to anyone using the power supply. I sent the power in from the 110VAC to the back and bottom of the case. I put the power switch on the right hand side, even though being a lefty made me want to put it on the left side. I put the OCPD, the fuse, in the back on the left hand side. In the front, there is one SPDT for choosing between 5 volts DC or 12 volts DC. There are two banana jacks for each DC voltage source. It looks nice considering I made it. Usually I really screw stuff up.

I should be finished with this thing by the deadline Wednesday barring a catastophe. I know my luck though. This english homework is already sinking me. That english teacher of mine is nuts. He said that Netscape owns the internet and that it was invented by colleges, not the DoD. Every source I have read so far says the DoD started the whole thing as an answer to Russia's Sputnik. As usual, he only trusts sources that HE "trusts" which means if a republican or a corporation doesn't say it, it must be a lie. I hate living in a red state that is so full of the most hardcore repukes around. If I can manage to finish this degree program with halfway decent grades, though, maybe I can move one day. Not soon enough though.

[tigereye]

92. according to my husband the software guy

it was the DOD. I forget the acronym at the moment.

[Sugar Smack]

33. Kick for a GREAT idea!!!

:D :toast: :bounce:

[Sugar Smack]

34. Portfolio Covers 3/20/06

[no name no slogan]

37. Damn, you are talented

AND beautiful, to boot! :loveya: :*

[Cobalt Violet]

40. Nice work.

:thumbsup: :kick:

[Sugar Smack]

51. I REALLY like your journal, Cobalt Violet.

Your artwork and photographs are great!! :D :applause:

[Zomby Woof]

35. ZombyKick

:hi:

[madinmaryland]

38. Dear Journal, Donald Rumsfeld was....

:evilgrin:

[flamingyouth]

39. Skillful Versus Unskillful

Rather than dividing thoughts into classes like "good" and "bad,"
Buddhist thinkers prefer to regard them as "skillful" versus
"unskillful." An unskillful thought is one connected with greed,
hatred, or delusion. These are thoughts that the mind most easily
builds into obsessions. They are unskillful in the sense that they
lead you away from the goal of Liberation. Skillful thoughts, on the
other hand, are those connected with generosity, compassion, and
wisdom. They are skillful in the sense that they may be used as
specific remedies for unskillful thoughts, and thus can assist you
toward Liberation. --Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain
English

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/1_308/dailydharma/1982-1.html

[flamingyouth]

42. Cool picture

www.algieabrams.com

[Sugar Smack]

43. Random Artwork from my Portfolio 3/23/06

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

44. I really love your style Sugar

:hug:

[Sugar Smack]

45. Baby!! How are you doing, hon?

Thank you for the compliment!:toast: :bounce: :hug:

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

46. busy day work

looking at pretty art is always a nice break! :bounce:

yourself?

[Sugar Smack]

49. Gawd, it started out awful. Perfectly wretched. Bad news everywhere.

But the more I peek into DU, the bigger my smile.

:D :pals:

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

53. my week has been pretty shitty too

many family problems to deal with...even on top of the break in, oy.

:hug::hug::loveya::hug::hug:

[no name no slogan]

47. That's EXACTLY what I needed

I'm having a crappy day. I really needed to see something friendly like this :*

[Sugar Smack]

50. You too, huh? I'm so sorry.

And I'm CALLING YOU tonight, come hell or high water.

:* :*

[no name no slogan]

52. check your PMs baby

My phone wasn't working. We'll definitely talk in a few hours. :loveya:

[Richardo]

54. Always enjoy the SS sketch book

Thanks for sharing those! :hi:

[Sugar Smack]

62. "Beagles UP!"

Thank you, Richardo. You are pure gold in my book. :D :hi: :loveya: :hug:

[Sugar Smack]

55. My Work 3/26/06

[izzybeans]

56. Journals?

They're such a sign of self-obsession. I would never ever attempt to accidentally leave my journal out for someone to read it. <link to my journal on the upper right hand corner...oops> I mean these are my private thoughts. I would hate for someone too...

[flamingyouth]

59. In memory of Jeremy

Killed yesterday in Seattle. RIP.

[Maestro]

118. I'm so sorry.

Was he friend or family?

[Sugar Smack]

60. Paris Windows 3/26/06

[Sugar Smack]

61. Food Folio Sketchbook 3/26/2006

[flamingyouth]

63. "I don't want to be missed. I'd rather be celebrated"

In all the years he was sick, Jack Slater had plenty of time to wonder why.
He could have gotten stuck on the question, first as he was waiting for the liver transplant, and later as he was living with the results.

But early on, Mr. Slater came to a conclusion.

"The answer is there is no answer," he wrote in The Seattle Times. "Just suffering and, if you are lucky, meaningful work, good friends, a few opportunities to love, and time to plant tomatoes."

Mr. Slater, a teacher, actor, writer, artist and Ballard resident who led Times readers through the story of his liver transplant in a series called "Life on the Waiting List," died Friday, a year and a half after the operation. He was 59.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002888250_slaterobit25m.html

[flamingyouth]

64. The Smiley-Face Water Tower

OK, just noticed that my journal is getting a little bit gloomy, what with all the death and sadness of the past couple of days. Here's a nice non sequitur.

[flamingyouth]

65. Vigil.

[Sugar Smack]

66. kick!

:-)

[flamingyouth]

67. “Where there was anger… let there now be peace.”

Hundreds gather Tuesday for a service commemorating the victims of Saturday's shootings. The service, conducted by the Church Council of Greater Seattle, was outside the Capitol Hill house where the shootings occurred.

[Sugar Smack]

68. I'm really enjoying your journal, flamingyouth.

:hi: :yourock: :pals:

[flamingyouth]

71. Thank you!

I'm enjoying yours too! Your artwork is really amazing! :pals: :yourock:

[progmom]

103. me too

and yours too, ss. you two have two of the best out there.

[Sugar Smack]

69. Silver Coast Wine Label Designs 3/30/06

[RevolutionaryActs]

70. Dear Journal, you need some lyrics.

So I submit Elegantly Wasted By INXS.



Look at all that shines
Baby's down on the world and she knows it
If your spirits running
Why don't we make it rain like we used to
We run
We hide
We wait and we want
The good life
Aw sure
You're right
This ain't, the good life
Ah, Elegantly wasted
Ah, Elegantly wasted

Look at all the crimes
Baby's down on the world cause she owns it
Making up her life
Nothing more nothing less makes it voodoo

We run
We hide
We wait and we want
The good life
Aw sure
You're right
This ain't, the good life

Ah, Elegantly wasted
Ah, Elegantly wasted

Well look at all that shines
Baby's down on the world and she knows it
If your spirits fine
Why don't we make it rain like we used to
We run
We hide
We want
The good life
Aw sure
You're right
This ain't, the good life

Ah, Elegantly wasted you could be right,
you could be certain
you could be right
Ah, Elegantly wasted
Ah, Elegantly wasted you could be right,
you could be certain
you could be right
Ah, Elegantly wasted feels like feels like

Elegantly wasted you could be right,
Elegantly wasted you could be certain
Elegantly wasted you could be right
feels right, feels right

[jane_pippin]

72. .

http://www.chevyapprentice.com/view.php?country=us&uniqueid=9f1b20e8-118e-1029-98eb-0013724ff5a7

[flamingyouth]

73. Young painter makes a big debut (she’s 14)

Alicia Crowley was delighted to hear that her paintings were to be featured in a solo exhibit at a real gallery. She didn't say, "It's about time," even though she has been painting all her life.

"The wait was worth it," she said. "I've had a chance to develop. This is my first show, and it's also a retrospective."

She's 14.

The exhibit at Arthead Gallery in Wallingford opens Sunday with a reception for the artist, from 5 to 8 p.m., and continues through April.

Gallery owner William Wikstrom said the exhibit's not a stunt.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/visualart/265036_crowley31.html

[Sugar Smack]

74. On The Menu for Today:

[Jamastiene]

75. Wow, I had a busy week.

I managed to finish my project. I had to build a 5 volt power supply for one of my electronics classes. I love that class. Too bad I had so much other crap to do that I couldn't take my time on it and really get to enjoy building it. I can't wait to get through with the "required" shit classes like english, the social/behavioral electives, and physics. I can't help it. That's just how I feel about that. Anyhow, my project still turned out halfway decent. I wasn't really satisfied with it because I didn't have a lot of time to perfect it. I only had a couple of solder joints that weren't shiny, but I didn't get to shrink wrap every joint like I wanted to. Don't know my grade yet. Aced one test, blew another (physics again.) I'll be lucky if I pass that one. Forget the 4.0 GPA now. It's all but gone. It's only a matter of weeks, before my winning streak in the grades area is over.

I am really tired tonight. I keep falling asleep. Not enough sleep this week. Slept two nights on the couch. Just didn't have any energy left to haul my sorry ass to bed, I guess. I might sleep on the couch again tonight. Who knows? If Letterman is raking Bush/Cheney/and the rest of the idiots in his administration across the coals tonight, I will probably fall asleep again on the couch right after the top ten list. I enjoy those. Sitting through that senile Letterman to get to the good parts (the top ten list and the Bush/Cheney put downs) is an exercise in grandpa-sitting. I'm tellin' ya, the man is getting senile. He repeats the same words over and over again most of the time now. Even he knocks his own show. He knows he sucks half the time, but ya gotta love ol' Dave Letterman. He's a character, an annoying one, but nonetheless, he is a character.

I feel like I am barely alive. This pollen is so high right now. I can't breathe. It really sucks. My aunt is suffering even worse. And on top of it, the new benadryl is out for allergies and I can't afford it right now. Monday, I'll have to stop by and get some of that for my aunt. I may take some too, depending on how much homework I have. I know I have to get the english and math done this weekend.

I wish I could take more math classes. I like the math classes with this current teacher. It's not his fault the class is too short for us to be able to finish a test in a decent amount of time. I do hate vectors in physics but it's not so bad in trig class because I don't get points taken off for bullshit, i.e. shortcuts I take on the way to the answer. In other words, if I don't write down a few tedious algebra steps like finishing the square or multiplying both sides by two the long way and I just do that part in my head, I don't get points taken off. In physics class, I do and boy do I. That guy needs medication. Those points have added up to make me fail at least one test in physics even though I had all the answers right. That just sucked the enthusiasm I could have had for that subject right out of me. Just because I don't do it his fucking way, I fail a test with the answers all correct. He's such a prick. I'm still pissed about that.

North Carolina now has the lottery. I haven't had a chance to play yet as I am short on money right now. I can't go playing the lottery when I need to pay bills. When I have a dollar extra though, I will try to win some money. Who knows? Maybe I'll win the $100,000 scratch off. I think the Powerball is supposed to enter into the picture later. For now, though, it's just scratch off tickets from what I have heard. Has anyone else in North Carolina played yet? I wonder about my fellow DU NCers. Hellooo-elllo-ellloo, are you out there, out there, out there, ere, ere, ere? (that was my lame attempt at typing an echo, in case you were wondering.)

Oh well, I'm off to play a couple of computer games and do some joy reading in the Lounge. I call it joy reading, because it is reading I enjoy doing as opposed to the BS chapter reading in physics and english for school. They sure can suck the fun out of a fun subject if they want to. I should love physics class, but that ain't happening this time around. :shrug:

[flamingyouth]

77. Spring break at the University of Washington

[izzybeans]

78. Dear journal, I have ignored you for a few days. I am just

writing to tell you that it is not you. It is me. Give me time. I just need time.

[billyskank]

79. I will be back on the 10th April!

I am flying off to Germany for a week, and I will have no internet access while I am there! Take care y'all, and see you later! :hi:

[In_The_Wind]

80. Let there be spaces in our togetherness.

[flamingyouth]

81. Japanese gardener left legacy of perfection

William Shinichi Yorozu was known to drive to the top of Snoqualmie Pass to find the perfect boulder for a Japanese-garden project. In the garden, he often would move a boulder several times until he got it in just the right place, burying one-third of it to make it look natural.

His skillful, hardworking and fastidious approach made him one of Seattle's most respected Japanese gardeners. He was general contractor for the Japanese Garden in Washington Park and helped build Pioneer Square's Waterfall Garden Park. He was a founding member of the Seattle Japanese Gardeners Association.

He died last Monday (March 27) at 92. He and his wife, Yae Akai Yorozu, would have celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary next Saturday. He also is survived by his four children, two of whom run the T. Yorozu Gardening Co. that their father founded.

Those who knew Mr. Yorozu said he was a soft-spoken patriarch who earned respect with his generosity and kindness.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002906848_yorozuobit03m.html

[flamingyouth]

82. Seattle in 100 Edible Hours

Four days in the Seattle area isn't nearly enough. I escaped the relentless rain in San Francisco - to my delight Seattle welcomed me with blue skies, a lively downtown, and young people everywhere doing exciting things. Thanks to the efforts of the IACP coordinators I've had a chance to cover quite a lot of ground - a trip to the Woodinville wine country, visits to a host of local food-related entrepreneurs, and a handful of interesting conference sessions. Coming to you from a hotspot on the groundfloor of the Seattle convention Center, here are a few of the highlights in blurbs and pics:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001385.html

[progmom]

83. ...

It took me 34 years to realize this. Or maybe it's more accurate to say it took me that long to accept it, and to stop rationalizing.

And now that I'm out, and have accepted this part of myself, it's like a giant weight has been lifted.

[sundog]

84. ...

:hug:

[RandomKoolzip]

85. !!!

:applause:

[Call Me Wesley]

87. I'm so glad you start to accept it.

A good friend of mine took 35 years to accept it, to stop rationalizing against it. His escape was always to fall in love with the recent girlfriend of his best friend, later even with his wife, all from a safe and totally platonic distance (sounds funny, but it was somewhat the most secure way since there was no chance for it IRL, but it played somewhat well and securing on his mind.) Oh, and there were a lot of family issues, deep catholic ones, unfortunately.

But he came out, and his life got changed to the better. No more self-betraying, since this isn't chosen at all.

:hug:

[arwalden]

88. ~

:hug: Hi!

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

93. heres to you

:hug:

[CanuckAmok]

94. Are you saying you're Ellen DeGeneres?

How strange....

[progmom]

95. yeah, CA, that's EXACTLY what I'm saying

You're so smart. :hug:

[swimboy]

96. I just discovered your magazine cover.

:hug: I'm at work but holding back a couple of tears. It took me a long time to work it out too. But it truly was the right and important truth for my life and the important people came along with me on the trip.

Congratulations on accepting it and getting out from under that giant weight!

:loveya:

[progmom]

97. thank you, swimboy...

:hug:

Your friendship means so much.

[Magrittes Pipe]

86. One time I found something in RandomKoolzip's shower.

It was grey and matted, and smelled of cat pee. So I ate it. I'd never eaten anything grey and matted that smelled like cat pee before; and I like to think I have an adventurous palate.

As I chewed, I was reminded of my grandmother. The way she ground meat fresh, and never cleaned her meat grinder. The way she always had mothballs everywhere. The way her shoes looked like vole coffins, because there were dead voles inside.

And I dreamed that perhaps the matter between my teeth might have fallen from RandomKoolzip's navel, his ears, or his genitals. I wondered what may have been had it not fallen -- had it hopes? Fears? Did it know what it meant to be grey and matted, to smell of cat pee?

The taste was that of wispy vegetation, like fennel fronds or dill, after spending a fortnight in the August sun. And I was there in the sun with it, seeing the world and the word at once; feeling my presence melt into all around, my feet dancing upon the souls to come before. I chewed and I knew where I was and who I was and what I was and I vomited and the vomit swirled in paisley and danced in Spirograph and the mirror was a whore and I cried for my mother.

Here, I, Hedges, stood alone with God on the precipice of Reason. I, too, was grey and matted. I, too, smelled of cat pee. I, too, had fallen from from RandomKoolzip's navel or ears or genitals, I too was holy.

And I knew. The world was holy, too.

Holy, holy, holy.

[dolo amber]

89. .

[RandomKoolzip]

90. The first post on DU to ever mention "meat grinder" and "spirograph."

Plus you misspelled my name. There's a "Hedges Eats Wang" in between the two consecutive "o's."

Oh, and of course I'm honored.

[flamingyouth]

91. Last writes

Dead men (and women) do tell tales -- in obituaries that are often full of life.

THE BEST TALES of survival are found in the back pages of the newspaper, in the obituaries. This might sound strange because no one gets onto those pages alive. But many of the people who finally land there have had brushes in the past, encounters that might have meant an earlier obit if they hadn't ducked.

I collect these resurrections, stories like the one about the interior decorator who crawled out of the deadliest airplane crash ever, in the Canary Islands, pulling 24 extra years. She died at 95 "after a brief illness." Isn't that good news, when you know her story?

Then there's Shelagh Lea, who died this winter, a sweet English vicar's widow who loved to sing. Her death would not have merited much notice except that her diaries, kept during captivity in World War II, are treasures in London's Imperial War Museum. They are "regarded as some of the most important records of that time," according to the Daily Telegraph.

Lea's scrawled pages elaborate "with restrained but meticulous detail" her experiences as she and her mother tried to flee Singapore while being bombed by the Japanese. Blown into the sea, they clung to a raft for 18 hours, then were hauled out by the enemy and herded through a series of prison camps. Afflictions, she wrote, included "bugs, rats, the trots — life is not such fun. When we go to the lav the mossies bite our bottoms. It is all very ghastly."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-johnson5apr05,0,3209411.story?coll=la-home-commentary

[flamingyouth]

98. Cobain fans from all over come to honor his memory

(Actual Kurt Cobain action figure - no kidding)

Twelve years to the date that he pulled the trigger on the shotgun that put an end to one of the most promising pop music careers ever forged from Seattle, Kurt Cobain and Nirvana still live on in ways that few could have ever imagined.

Wednesday night, the presumed date that Cobain committed suicide, a small and steady stream of fans young and old, from as far as Switzerland and England, gathered outside the house at 171 E. Lake Washington Blvd. where Kurt's body was found three days after the fact on April 8, 1994.

Ejae Dillury from Kent, England, planned a vacation to Seattle just to be there at the park bench where a half-dozen candles burned with incense amid bouquets of roses, tulips, guitar picks and other memorabilia. She had come out to the house a day before with her aunt, who now lives in Seattle.

"I walked up this hill and my legs just collapsed under me," the 21-year-old said of her first feeling upon finding the house. She arrived for Wednesday's vigil at 11 a.m. and planned to stay all night.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/night/archives/102406.asp

[Fenris]

99. I really have no idea how to feel about that.

:think:

[sundog]

100. you're not allowed to feel anything

you're a *light* grey mod

[Fenris]

101. I'm not a Darth Vader mod.

:(

I wish I could feel what you humans call 'emotions.'

[sundog]

102. .

:spray:

[Jamastiene]

107. I'm honored that a thread I started now has information about

other Kurt Cobain fans honoring his memory. Thanks for posting this.

[flamingyouth]

104. My favorite asana recently:

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)
The moon has a rich symbolic significance in yoga mythology. In hatha yoga, for example, the sun and the moon represent the two polar energies of the human body. In fact, the word hatha itself is often divided into its two constituent syllables, "ha" and "tha," which are then esoterically interpreted as signifying the solar and lunar energies respectively.

I’ve been having problems with both my neck and my lower back lately (well, my neck for months, my lower back for not quite so long) so being able to do this has been quite liberating. Emily my teacher is in Europe right now so I’ve missed class this week. It’s not the same practicing at home in my living room with the cats and the bird. :D

[Fenris]

105. I can attest that he came to class complaining of debilitating back pain.

He attended three classes and left. He bought no merchandise and complained about the incense.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

106. A poem from The Necessary Language ....Explicit lyrics.....

Alone


Suddenly, I am alone......

Wasn't it just a moment ago

That you were here, nibbling me, caressing my body, causing me to come?

But suddenly, like a speed boat, you are rocketing off into the future....

And I am left bobbing helplessly in your wake, abandoned...





And the night is so very dark, my darling......

[Jamastiene]

108. This weekend has been way too short.

Last weekend was too short too. DST made it short thought, so what is this weekend's excuse?

I don't have much time to post in the Lounge or in the Journal tonight. I'm remembering Kurt Cobain. Lighting candles and thinking about when the next great band with great music and great attitudes comes along. Hoping it will be at the right time that I can enjoy it again like I did in the 90's.

I hope I win enough money in the lottery that I can pay off this place, build a storm shelter and studio, and put up enough to buy a new car when the current one messes up. Wish I could win enough that I can just play music and write music and live peacefully. I'm so tired of morning schedules and traffic and dealing with the rat race. It wouldn't be bad if I wasn't surrounded my redneck racist repug assholes around this town. Must remember goal and stick this engineering crap out until the bitter bloody end. Must survive and graduate. Perhaps there will be a reward one day. Maybe one day I can say, "Cally-fornia, here I come." Is it possible to leave your heart in San Francisco if you have never been there before? It sure feels that way. Seattle would be a great place in the spring, but San Fran is pulling me for some reason. Either one would be perfect from my guesstimations. One day maybe...

[SeattleGirl]

109. Here is a thread started by AirmensMom that meant a lot to me

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5000668&mesg_id=5000668

You know, the people I have met on DU are some of the most incredible people I have met. EVAH! Thank you, my darlings! :loveya: :hug: :loveya:

[In_The_Wind]

110. Moments of Zen

Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead.
Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow.
Just be by my side or step aside


If your foot slips in shit causing you to fall down in it, be happy that it wasn't face first.


It's always darkest before dawn.
So if you're going to steal your neighbour's newspaper, that's the time to do it.


Sex is like air.
It's not important unless you aren't getting any.


Don't be irreplaceable.
If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.


No one is listening until you fart.


Always remember you're unique.
Just like everyone else.


Never test the depth of the water with both feet.


It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.


It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.


If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.


Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.


If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.


Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.
Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat & drink beer all day.


If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.


Don't squat with your spurs on.


If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.


If you drink, don't park; accidents cause people.


Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield.


Don't worry, it only seems kinky the first time.


Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes of bad judgment.


The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.


Timing has an awful lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.


Duct tape is like the force.
It has a light side & a dark side, and it holds the universe together.


There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.


We are born naked, wet, and hungry.
Then things get worse..

[indigo32]

111. Indigo Girls Lyrics running through my mind

"Hammer And A Nail"

Clearing webs from the hovel
a blistered hand on the handle of a shovel
I've been digging too deep, I always do.
I see my face on the surface
I look a lot like narcissus
A dark abyss of an emptiness
Standing on the edge of a drowning blue.
I look behind my ears for the green
Even my sweat smells clean
Glare off the white hurts my eyes
Gotta get out of bed get a hammer and a nail
Learn how to use my hands, not just my head
I think myself into jail
Now I know a refuge never grows
From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose
Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose.
I had a lot of good intentions
Sit around for fifty years and then collect a pension,
Started seeing the road to hell and just where it starts.
But my life is more than a vision
The sweetest part is acting after making a decision
I started seeing the whole as a sum of its parts.
My life is part of the global life
I'd found myself becoming more immobile
When I'd think a little girl in the world can't do anything.
A distant nation my community
A street person my responsibility
If I have a care in the world I have a gift to bring.

[flamingyouth]

112. Smith Tower

[flamingyouth]

113. It's latte limbo for B&O Espresso

When B&O Espresso opened its doors on Capitol Hill three decades ago, there was hardly a good cup of coffee to be found in Seattle. People told the owner she was crazy to think she'd make money on lattes and a cookie or two.

Ever since, the cozy restaurant with eggplant-colored walls, velvet couches and sumptuous desserts has catered equally to the desires of iconoclasts, students, engaged couples and ladies who lunch.

Now the venerable coffee shop is in limbo, with a proposal to tear down its one-story building for a mixed-use development with apartments or condos above retail space.

"To me it's a cultural landmark. ... I can't imagine it not being here," said Eleanore Drummond, a Seattle native who manages a nearby strength-training facility.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/266726_b&o14.html

[Sugar Smack]

114. A letter written to my father from Gene Hallbrook:

Gene Hallbrook was a really good friend of my father. He died about 10 years ago and left his artwork as a legacy. He contained so much wit and creativity that his letters were packed with energetic drawings. This is a sample of his spirit:

[flamingyouth]

115. That is very cool

It's reminiscent of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, I think. :thumbsup:

[Sugar Smack]

116. OMG! My father met Lawrence Ferlinghetti!

It was at a dinner in his honor in Chapel Hill. My father gave him an award from the university. You know, Gene Hallbrook kind of reminded me of Ralph Steadman, and years later my dad told me he got his style from him somewhat. The combination of fonts with inked words and painting is really attractive, I think.

Thank you for that.

[flamingyouth]

117. I interviewed him for my college paper

I'm sorry to say it was a bit of a letdown, but I still love his work (he was kind of a jerk to me) - alas. Very cool about your dad giving him an award!

I can see Steadman connection too. :)

[no name no slogan]

120. WOW, your dad DOES know everybody!

I LOVE that letter! How cool is that? VERY cool!

Ferlinghetti is one of my favorite beat writers. My most favorite beat writer is Lew Welch, who wrote "Chicago Poem", which is IMHO one of the greatest post-modern poems ever written. Welch wandered off into the woods in the early 70s and left a suicide note, and they've never found his remains.

VERY cool letter! Thanks for sharing it!

[flamingyouth]

119. The Journey and the Destination

When we are driving, we tend to think of arriving, and we sacrifice
the journey for the sake of the arrival. But life is to be found in
the present moment, not in the future. In fact, we may suffer more
after we arrive at our destination. If we have to talk of a
destination, what about our final destination, the graveyard? We do
not want to go in the direction of death; we want to go in the
direction of life. But where is life? Life can be found only in the
present moment. Therefore, each mile we drive, each step we take, has
to bring us into the present moment. This is the practice of
mindfulness. When we see a red light or a stop sign, we can smile at
it and thank it, because it is a bodhisattva helping us return to the
present moment. The red light is a bell of mindfulness. We may have
thought of it as an enemy, preventing us from achieving our goal. But
now we know the red light is our friend, helping us resist rushing and
calling us to return to the present moment where we can meet with
life, joy, and peace. --Thich Nhat Hanh, Present Moment, Wonderful
Moment

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/1_335/dailydharma/2027-1.html