Random Pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27293185@N02/

Pretentious - Marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction
Ostentatious - intended to attract notice.

more on that as it develops...

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.

- Baz Luhrman's Suncreen

FYI, don't worry, but you can prepare for the future.  Most people just do the worrying and don't do any preparing.  Damn short-sighted, fearful Americans.  This is what boy scouts teach you all about: always be prepared, show no fear.

"To be the best I had to go all-out, reach into myself for every resource I had to meet the challenge.  In the process I determined what my real capacity was and discovered that for much of my life I had just been coasting along."
- Gene Kranz, Failure Is Not An Option

Being lazy makes a lot of other people's lives a lot easier, but it doesn't really make your life easier, does it?

Like the song says @ ~3:15



Alright, how about LMAO instead?

My definition of what makes a good human being is beginning to change.  Somehow I got the idea in my head that people who didn't go to college are to some extent beneath me, or at least that I can't interact with them on the long term.  It wasn't a conscious thought, but it took hearing from several old friends of mine to realize that I had this subconscious decision to avoid people who haven't done the college thing, or who aren't in a standard office/workplace environment.  Some sort of mind block I put up to avoid awkward conversations about what others do for a living.  I've just been so brainwashed to believe that there is no chance of success in the real world without a college education.  And that's definitely not the case.

My oldest friends, Paul and Lauren, both skipped college and went into the military.  I know at least 3 of my best friends from my first grade school went into the military as well, though one or two of those went to college first.

Well, I could go on, but more examples are pointless (though I think going to the rodeo last week also had something to do with this realization).

To sum up: must make friends with more people who haven't gone to college.  They tend to have a much  different perspective on life than I have let myself become used to, and are thus worth my precious time and attentive ear.

I like being my own psychiatrist.  I somehow figured out last night that lust is often mistaken for love, but even more so, idolization is the natural child of ignorance and misinformation.  And idolizing a person or thing is never a good state of mind.  Puts your brain in a real mind-fuck position.  That being said...

Last night I couldn't fall asleep right away.  Made a mistake and looked at some old photographs.  Got all nostalgic and kinda depressed.  No reason to be depressed, seeing as my life is more or less where I want it to be.  But I got nostalgic, couldn't sleep, so I got up to find something to do.  Found my guitar.  Haven't played in a few weeks, so I sit and start strumming.  First few notes I play sound familiar, so I let my fingers continue doing whatever they're doing, and somehow I pick out the first couple lines of "Danny Boy."  I've never played Danny Boy before, but the fact that my fingers went straight to such a great traditional Irish song filled my heart with joy, so I sat there for awhile (on my green couch, next to my green drapes) playing this song, letting it fill me.

Then I went to my computer, and started up conversations with a couple people I don't usually talk to.  That definitely put my mind at ease.  And an interesting topic came up, one that is near and dear to my heart.  Honesty.

I firmly believe that if everyone in the world were just more honest with each other, the world would be a much happier place.  Of course, this would require people to actually be coherent enough to actually speak their minds accurately, which is a bit too much to ask of the world.  However, if there is something on your mind, a deep desire or what have you, you should be able to tell others about it, especially if it directly involves them.

More specifically, if you care about someone, it is absolute cowardice to not tell them as much.  It's selfish as well, as you're hoarding your own emotions.  Emotions should be shared.  Not all the time, of course.  That would be awkward.  That's why we have significant others, for the sharing of emotions.  What some might call, intimacy.

Just remember that when most people think of honesty, they simply think of being truthful.  But honesty is also telling others things that they didn't necessarily ask to know.  Or maybe didn't even want to know.  But it's only when people are dishonest with one another, when they hold back or outright lie, that is when awkward relationships start, when you feel paranoid and confused, because you don't know what someone else is thinking, and they don't know what you're thinking.  Funny thing is, you're probably both thinking the same damn thing.

And since my sentences seem to be getting longer and longer, i'm going to call it a night.

Just remember, if you've got something to say, say it.  Trust that old saying: the truth will set you free.

Wise men can learn much from fools, but fools can learn little from the wise.

Just got back from a long day.  We went to some bars downtown.  At the last one we went to, tables were scarce so we sat down at a long table with 2 guys and 2 girls already there.  One of the guys proceeds to randomly talk to us about I don't even know what.  Well, i was with a group of 4 other NASA guys, and when we told him we work at johnson space center, first of all, he didnt realize that meant NASA, and then he proceeded to try and convince us that our lives suck and we should go make some real money in Sales.  And get hair cuts.  And buy some nice clothes.  (Cuz that's how you make money?)  So we stopped paying attention to him, despite his best efforts at interrupting us.

Several drunken high fives and fist pounds later, at some point I said "awesome" under my breathe, and, well... the dialogue proceeded thusly:
 

<angrily> "What did you say?"

"Awesome."

"What?" (We think he had a hearing problem)

"Awesome.  It's a cool word."

"Oh, yeah.  That's how I live my life!"

"Ahh.  That's a good ideology."

<angrily> "What did you say?"

"That's a good ideology!"

<pauses>

"FUCK YOU!"


Luckily one of his friends was able to translate what I had actually said.  I'm not sure what he thought I said, or how my comment could've been interpreted as somehow insulting.  Of course by this point I was getting tired of this guy, and it's possible my distaste from his douche-baggery could not longer be hidden.  He is in sales after all, he might've been really could at reading people.  Even if he was deaf.  There was also a slight pause in my speech before I said the second ideology comment, where I almost said "Should I use smaller words?", which he may have noticed.

Nah, we were all pretty certain he was just a highly paranoid bag of douche.

Anyway, I plan on getting several days worth of personal mental entertainment from analyzing this odd man.  Maybe another post or two.

It's strange how my instructors push us.  While we were in boot camp (lots of classes, lots of tests for 8 weeks straight), they never pointed out when we did something right.  It was always a matter of why we didn't do better, or why we were doing slightly worse on this test than the last test.  Constantly pushing us, berating us over every detail, making our working period as difficult as they could.

Only now that it is done do I hear how well we did.  How we stayed resilient, despite their best efforts.  How our little group of four did better on the average than any other group.  How we persevered, and triumphed.

This is the odd nature of instruction.  You can never tell a person you're pushing to the limits that they're doing well.  You run the risk of making them complacent.  And it's not worth it, not when you have a chance to see just how amazing they can be.

But the instructing isn't done.  It's "spring break," a short period between major training periods, when we can relax.  Our instructors are taking this short time to actually compliment us on our efforts thus far.  However, once this reprise is over, it'll be back to the pushing and berating, all for the betterment of us all.  I am up for it.  I hope my fellow classmates are, too.  We must stay strong, for this is a team effort, and we must all one day become Flight Controllers.  For that, you need to be the best.  For it's not just a job.  It's humanity's future.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
****
Pretty entertaining story about a guy who breaks up with a slamming hotty, tries to escape her in the usual ways men escape the memory of past relationships, and ends up running into another slamming hotty in Hawaii as well as his ex and her new crazy rockstar boyfriend.  As I watched this movie, I was reminded of so many odd stories of odd relationships I've been privileged to know about.

Hitch
****
See above.  More relationship stuff.  Why do women put up so many boundaries to falling in love?  Kind of counter productive.

Fun fact: I haven't been by myself for more than an hour in the last 48 hours except for sleep.  I'm not sure if I'm actually having fun or if I'm just lonely.  Probably both are taking a role here.  I miss my girlfriend.  Life is so much better with her around.  Everything just makes more sense.

Anyway, fun philosophy for today:

Don't forget that the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Don't be the first mouse.
 

To be truly rich is to be rich in spirit, and the currency of the heart is the coin we call love.

Nothing can compete with a man's dreams. 

There are no distractions in a dream, for dreams themselves are the greatest distraction. 

Money can only help a man attain his dreams, it may never be allowed to get in the way of them. 
Power can only help bring about the fruition of dreams, though it is never the only way to reach that fruition. 
Love stands the greatest chance of turning a man from his dreams, but love must realize that dreams are ideals, and love is not an ideal.  Love is an enabler, a most precious thing, for it will always bring happiness and invigorate one's spirit.

A man is nothing without his ideals.  He is an empty shell, doomed to lose all things, from honor, to pride, to name and purpose.  And these are things that make a man immortal in history.

A man who gives up dreams gives up his immortality, and thus will only be forgotten in time.

I have a dream.  A dream that will enable many other men to have dreams.

I have love.  It gives me strength to follow this dream.  And I hope my love gives her strength to follow her dreams.  For we are all men.  We are mankind.  We all have dreams.  And dreams are everything.

Don't quite feel like sleep yet.  So I feel like typing something up.  And now I'm bored.  Good night!

Been busy.  Work and such.  And just haven't been feeling really up to writing.  Or taking photos.  Or anything creative.  I'm missing my muse, as well

Well, many movies have come and gone since I last posted, due partly to a proliferation in my collection due to the liquidation of Circuit City.  Hooray for 30% off DVDs!  Let's see:

Aliens
*****
Defined Scifi horror flicks.  The little girl is adorably creepy.

Airplane
*****
Classic one-liner comedy and running gags.
"We have clearance, Clarence."
"Roger, Roger.  What's our vector, Victor?"
Word play is fun.

Naked Gun
****
Leslie Nielsen will always make me laugh.

Star Trek: First Contact
*****
Best of the Star Trek movies, and a legitimately good movie even without the whole cult following.  Don't be ashamed to go rent this one if you're not a Trekkie.  You'll enjoy the action, characters, dialogue, and humor.

Apollo 13 (The first 30 minutes)
****
Cuz all you really need to watch is the first thirty minutes.  Once Tom Hanks says "Houston we have a problem" the rest of the movie is just a bunch of engineers problem solving.  Which is my job, so watching it in my free time is kinda boring.


Matrix Revolutions
***
The plot might suck, but I do remember this movie being much worse when last I watched it.  The action sequences are well done, in my opinion.  I think people just expected way too much from the finale in a trilogy that started with the original Matrix, the god father of modern action sequence special effects.  I dare you to find me a modern action movie that does not use some form of bullet time at some point.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
***
Another Keanu Reeves film?  Hey, I was drunk at the time.  Good drinking game.  And probably Keanu Reeves best acting of his career.  Highly amusing 80's comedy.  Of course, you have to appreciate the 80's on some esoteric or ironic level.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Jade Emperor
*
This movie wouldn't even make a good drinking game.  If you know anything about me, that's just bad.

I shall be judged.  Not on my ability to be curious, or to get things right the first time.  No.  I shall be judged on my ability to wander down the wrong path, and to fail in the slightest.  I shall not be judged on my originality or persistence, but on my lack of coordination and my arrogance.  Knowing more than your superiors shows not intellect but a lack of focus.