The rumors are true! Thursday, November 13th 2008... Thats right. Christmas music on the radio. I fired up the radio (thats right.. fired up) on my way to pick up Josh from school when I heard it with my own ears! Today (from what I can tell) will be marked on our calendars as the first day the annual tradition of Christmas songs in November has started here in "Upstate" New York for the year 2008!
Speaking of calendars, maybe we should have a calendar here on Great Minds... its a thought...
What are your thoughts on Christmas music in November? Leave a comment.
Today is Election Day! You have the right, privilege, responsibility, and freedom to vote, and it was paid for with American blood. Don't take it for granted.
Lately I have been going over various firearms laws for New York State, and various other states, and am becoming more frustrated as I read them. As most of you know, the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States says that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." I am finding that State laws restrict which Americans can "bear arms". According to New York State Law, "No person may carry, possess or transport a handgun in or through the state unless he has a valid New York license. New York does not issue licenses to non-residents nor does it recognize licenses issued by other states." More specifically a US citizen who is also a resident of the State of Nebraska [for example], and holds a concealed carry license to posses and cary a handgun and/or revolver, can not cary or possess a handgun or revolver in the State of New York [for example]. Now, the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States says that "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States..." So, if the Constitution grants citizens of the United States the right to keep and bear arms, and it also prohibits states from infringing on the rights guaranteed to United States citizens, how can "State A" not allow a licensed handgun owner from "State B" to "bear arms" in "State A"? The Constitution does not limit the arms that the people may keep and bear. I would really appreciate feedback on this post. Thank you. ~Jim
Up to this point, my writing style has been more of a journal type setting. I have decided to change my writing style to a more topical setting. This is a matter of personal preference, and I think I will be able to put forth my thoughts more thoroughly in this way. The Great Minds team is free to write in whatever style they wish, about whatever they wish, and are in no way obligated to change anything based on my decision. Hopefully the readers will be seeing a change toward more structure and professionalism in the layout and interface of this site as we acquire the means to make such change possible. As always, thank you for visiting Great Minds, and make sure to tell your friends about us. (hopefully we will be making some banners available in the near future for that purpose.)
-I believe that the Bible is God’s Inspired, Infallible, Eternal, Authoritative, Complete, and Sufficient Word. The 66 books of the Old and New Testament canon are Inerrant in the original Hebrew and Greek Manuscripts and are the believer’s final authority concerning faith and practice. (Matt. 24:35, II Tim. 3:16-17, I Pet. 1:23-25) -I believe in the One Triune God, Eternal, Self-Existent in the persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; one in essence, but distinct in person and function. I believe that the three persons of the Godhead are Co-equal, possessing all the attributes of God. (I John 5:7) -I believe in God the Father, who is an Infinite and Perfect Spirit, the Source and Support of all things. He is Perfect, He defines Perfection. -I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s son, Triune, and Co-Existent in the trinity, who became 100% human by His virgin birth, but remained 100% God. He came to Earth as an infant, was crucified as a man, and arose from death three days later, that to as many as God has given Him, He may give to them eternal life. (John 17:2) I believe that there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. (I Tim. 2:5) -I believe in the Holy Spirit, Triune, and Co-Existent in the trinity, who ministers to the saints, convicts, regenerates, indwells, sanctifies, illuminates, and gifts. I believe the Holy Spirit has given gifts to Christians to serve in and through the local church. I believe that of the gifts mentioned in the Bible, sign gifts (miracles, tongues and their interpretation, and prophecy) were temporary and given to the church in its infancy before the completion of the canon of scripture. In this belief, I reject the modern Charismatic movement. -I believe in the six literal days of creation. (Gen. 1:5,8,13,19,23,31) The universe was created in six literal 24hour day/night cycles, and that on the seventh [24hour] day God rested from the work that He had done. (Gen. 2:2) I reject all forms of evolution, theistic or natural. I believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, and lived in a perfect spiritual state, but died spiritually when he rebelled, and is living in a totally depraved state, at enmity with God. -I believe in God’s sovereign Grace, and particular redemption. I believe that He chose His elect before the foundation of the world. (Eph. 1:4) I believe that there is not one who seeks after God. (Rom. 3:11) I believe salvation is final, that it can not be lost. (John 10:28-29) -I believe in the existence of Angels, spirit beings created by God for His glory and purpose. They are created beings, more powerful than humans, but not all-powerful. -I believe in Satan who was Lucifer, the highest angel and his following, angelic beings who rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven. They constantly oppose God, and God’s people. (Isa. 14:12-13) -I believe in the place of eternal punishment and separation from God, designed for Satan and his followers, called hell. (Ps. 9:17) Those people who are not God’s children will spend eternity in hell. I believe in heaven, God’s dwelling, where His elect will spend eternity in fellowship with Him. -I believe in the spiritual unity of the body of Christ, the church, of which Christ is the head. God has ordained the church, which is comprised of all believers, for the equipping of the saints unto the furtherance of the gospel. They are to observe the two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (Matt. 28:19, I Cor. 11:23-26)
I guess I might as well update you on my vehicular situation. As it turns out, the Grand Prix....well...didn't work. Car salesman 1 told me that the battery was dead the first time I went in, and he told me he would charge it for me...I went in the next day and Car salesman 2 told me that it didn't even start...
So, I was pretty bummed. But we (my dad and I) decided to hit another used car lot on the way home. We stopped in and I asked the guy if he had anything for $2,000. He looked around the lot, pointed to a blue '96 Isuzu Rodeo, and said "I can bring that down for ya." List price was $2,899. KBB price is $2,499. And I got it for $2,000. It's an SUV, which I really wanted. It's only a 4 cylinder, so it gets around 20 mpg. And it's a manual, which is something else that I wanted. And I got it for the exact price I was looking to spend.
Recently I ordered a $50 product online. This morning I received my package, and when I opened it, discovered a $260 product. I was charged for the product that I ordered, and received a product that is worth over five times more. I am ashamed to admit that the first thought in my mind was "Sweet! I'm not going to get a deal like that anywhere!" And legally (so I'm told) I could have kept this package. But when I really considered the scenario, I couldn't justify keeping it. It just wasn't right. So, I called the company, and found out that my order had been accidentally switched with someone else's order. So, someone bought a $260 product, and received a $50 product. When I heard that, I felt even worse about the fact that I had even considered keeping the package. Anyways, the situation was straightened out, and I sent the package back. Long story short, they are sending me a "combo" package worth twice what I am paying, since they goofed up my order, and since I was honest. I am grateful to God for helping me in this situation. In and of myself, I probably would have kept the package. And I probably would have gotten away with it. But that definitely doesn't make it right. ~Jim
Why do we procrastinate? Why do we put off what should be done now? Why do we sacrifice a clear conscience with procrastination?
Procrastination, or time on credit is... SERIOUS!
Why am I going on and on about procrastination? Because I procrastinate all the time. Take my school work for example.. I am way behind because of procrastination. Today I just did 1/7th of an entire History school year... in 10 hours. Do the Math, thats a school year of History in a week. I did this while keeping my grades above a 90% except on one test.. I got an 88%. Sure, I had an energy drink.. powdered.. the healthy kind that I never get... I rarely drink energy drinks... and now I know what speed reading feels like... but look at what I missed out on. If I would have done this along time ago, I'd be done with school right now. Yes, I realize you have to have a certain amount of hours in a school year, but I'm behind... so I can go as fast as i want right now with nothing to worry about. Believe me.. I have the hours. Did I sacrifice? yeah.. I didn't spend time messing around with pictures or photoshop... but let me tell you my friend, it was worth it. You have no idea how good I feel right now. I know that I have done everything that I could do today, and it is paying off. I'm so happy.. I want to sacrifice again tomorrow.. and Monday.. and the next day and the next... until I'm DONE with school.
Why do we procrastinate in terms of spending time with God? Why do we put off time with God right now? Why do we sacrifice real joy for selfish procrastination? Procrastination is serious.
Like getting lots of work done, and the joy it gives you when you know you did everything you were supposed to.. even greater is the joy you get spending time with your heavenly father. After spending quality time with God, and being right with Him.. I often ask myself.. "What have missed out on!". The Lord has blessed me today. He has given me the intense energy to get loads of school done. He has given me the joy of knowing I got my work done. He has given me the true joy in being right with Him and walking in His path for me. Did I sacrifice? From a worldly standpoint, you bet I did. I didn't get stuff done that I WANTED to get done. I didn't get ME time. I was totally pre-occupied the whole day. I'm not watching TV with my family right now.. I'm missing one of my favorite shows. Is it worth it? You better believe it! In light of eternity, it was no sacrifice.
So, here's a challenge. If you want true joy.... live your life for God and He will bless you. Depressed? Give God the throne of your life.
"An estimated 9.1 million Americans were victims of violent crimes every year. A murder is reported to the police every 27 minutes, a robbery every 59 seconds and an aggravated assault every 31 seconds..."
I bought the Ground and Guns DVD set, and love it. It is four discs covering gun disarming and how to survive ground attacks. It teaches you how to handle grapplers and anyone else who might threaten you. Moni Azik is my DVD instructor. Moni Azik was asked to improve the Israeli army's existing hand-to-hand combat system, using his extensive knowledge of reality based Jiu Jitsu and competitive Judo, specifically for the use of their special forces. He has over 30 years of combat experience, and is an excellent teacher. I would highly recommend any of the Krav Maga training DVDs. ~Jim
Because of the accident, I've been looking fto buy a car. I found a '94 Grand Prix on craigslist (side note, craigslist is amazing) it's in good condition and it's only $1,688. On the way to look at it the other day I found a Bronco, same year. The outside is very good condition, minor rust on one of the fenders and the rear bumper is sagging a little. The interior is mint condition. And just so you know, I love SUV's. I called the guy about it and he gave me more info, it only has 106,000 miles, it's got a viper alarm system, and some other cool stuff that I won't take the time to list. But he was asking $3,995.
So then I was faced with the delema, do I buy a really cool vehicle...or an ok vehichle...well, to make a short story even shorter, I'm planning on getting the Grand Prix...even thought I want the Bronco. I believe (in my situation) saving money is my best choice.
There is a blessing or a curs (you pick) to having a blog like this. There are a few authors here who all have different points of view, we all see things differently, and all of us have different "posting moods". Obviously this gives the readers allot of verity. Wether or not you like that, is your problem.
I tend to stay more on the shallow, less interactive for the mind, less though provoking, more about a good laugh or "here's a simple useless tidbit" side of the fence. I'm not necessarily proud of this, so weather or not you enjoy this post, I hope it at least will get you thinking.
I have some brothers and sisters in the Lord that I look up to a great deal. Their life style is far more reserved for the things of God than most any of my friends. To put it plainly, they put most Christians to shame. As I observe these few people, I see a joy in their lives that isn't common even among Christians, and a testimony that pleases God in the good or bad times alike. The life they live is an inspiration to me on what it means to live for God. Just one problem. Even though I see the joy in their lives, I just cant seem to let go of things that I probably should, simply because these things give me "joy" or they make me feel happy. No matter how many times I tell myself that I would be even happier if I gave my life FULLY to God.. I just don't seem to get it. More like, I don't have the discipline to give up these things. Take TV for instance. There are some new shows that have been coming out that I really enjoy. There is no way I want to ditch TV and miss out on what happens next. I find myself saying "maybe after this season"... yeah no. Did I mention I'm a procrastinator? So while I'm content (not really) to have shallow happiness from worldly pleasures, I'll continue to miss out on real joy. The joy that comes with a close relationship with God. I'm sure I'm not the only one out here that realizes this. Its about time that all of us wake up and get a grip. Want to experience true joy no matter what happens in life? Get to know God. "Glorify God always, in ALL ways", and He will give you true joy. Make sure you post any thoughts or comments you might have. Leave a comment.
I was in a car accident last Friday on my way to school. I hydroplaned into a car that was stalled on the side of the road. Because of the weather conditions (and perhaps the fact that I was driving too fast), the impact speed was around 70mph. Both cars were totaled. I walked away from that accident without a scratch. If there had been anyone in the other car, I seriously believe that they would have been in critical condition. I know that the thought came into my mind, why did this have to happen to me. But at church today, my pastor made an interesting comment to me. He said, "ask yourself why you're still alive." This wasn't an "accident" as we say. God had a plan in this. This situation has given me new appreciation for circumstances that I find myself in. God has a plan for everything, we just need to trust Him.
As you all probably know, the fourth generation iPod Nano came out this week. I own a second generation Nano, and love it. I did not like the third generation version. It just wasn't a Nano. I am very pleased to see that the Nano is back to its beautiful self, and loaded with new features. First, it comes in nine different colors. They also kept the bigger screen from the third generation version. And the biggest, bestest feature yet? The Nano now has the tilt feature. So you can view pictures in portrait and landscape, watch wide screen movies, play games that use the tilt feature as a controller, use Cover-flow, etc. You can also shake to shuffle. If you are feeling random, just give your iPod a little shake, and a different song starts playing. I don't yet own one, but will be purchasing one soon. When I do, I will probably hit this topic again, not just from a spectator/fan point of view, but from a "I have one and love it" point of view. Thank you Apple for bringing back the Nano. I don't mind change, but drastic change, like going from a beautiful, sleek, fits-perfectly-in-my-hand rectangle to a little square thingy...that I couldn't handle. ~Jim
Seven years ago our nation was attacked on our soil. It was a brutal display of unconventional warfare against military personnel and civilians alike. It was an act of war. Unfortunately it seems that a lot of people only remember this day one day a year. As most of my readers probably know, I am planning on joining the military. A lot of people have asked me why, and there are a lot of answers I could give. A lot of people just wouldn't understand some of the reasons. People don't always understand convictions. I have always flirted with the idea of joining the military, and some of my closer friends who have spent a lot of time with me can attest to the fact that my plans have changed more than a few times concerning the branch, or the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). But the military has always been a plan. The events on September 11 sealed it for me. God willing, I WILL join. I want to know I am doing everything I can do to make sure that something like that never happens here again. My heart goes out to the families of the 9-11 victims, and the families of fallen and wounded soldiers who are sacrificing so much for this cause. People tell me that right now we are fighting the wrong war. That this war has nothing to do with 9-11. Well, last I checked, we are fighting the GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR. And there are just as many terrorists in Iraq as there are in "Palestine", Iran, and Afghanistan. If the fight is in Iraq, so be it. If its in the Persian Gulf, so be it. If it is in Afghanistan, so be it. As long as we can keep it out of America. You can call me what ever you want to call me because of this conviction. I think I would call myself a plain old patriotic American. I realize this post is not as light-hearted as some of my previous posts, but I hope I have clearly set down my convictions and planted my flag. May God protect our police and fire personnel and our soldiers, and may God bless America.
Below is a chart that shows the favored web browser among... well, the people who voted. You won't be able to see the whole thing, unless you click and drag it about a half inch. Sorry.
For a long time now, I and many other people all around the world have been suffering from the evil and horrifying "Dial-up of death" syndrome. This is particularly hard for somewhat of a "technology interested freak" as myself. People RELY on me for new info and tips in the world of computers! (thats what I tell myself).... that and the fact that I don't like the slowness factor.. even if people never asked me anything again.. or just kept giving me out dated computers to fix.. I still would have a dastardly hard time. The reason I don't post on this blog as much as I should is the fault of DIAL-UP!!! I have put my pain into a short poem.
Good times with friends all end it's true Dial-up wants it all to be through. The sunrise goes away, but why? 'Cause dial-up hates the pretty sky.
the things that make us free and glad and cheery and happy and joyously mad Have all been shunned by dial-up Your face has been shunned by dial-up.
Got a web page to look up lighting fast? Dial-up wants the speed thing last. And if your in the "I think I can live with dial-up.. it's not that bad" sect Just wait till you see the message "reconnect?"
I know that rhythm was kinda lame, But dial-up put me behind my game. If dial-up was gone, gas prices would be right, no one would be hungry and mosquitos wouldn't bite.
no one would be in a dark prison cell, And you wouldn't need that nasty hair jell. The days will be grand when dial-up is dead And everyone's using high speed internet instead.
If any of you can come up with a short poem about the terror of dial-up, email it to me and I will post it.
How could the dial-up crises be fixed? We need to bring ideas to Washington so they can act NOW! Its so simple! I have a small list of ideas.
-Super laser powered Z-Rays of highspeedness beamed down to every home in the UNIVERSE!!!
-HSIzone layer. Similar to the ozone layer, only placed directly below the ozone layer, it reflects and multiplies all wifi signals.. EVER! even from back in time or in the future! (not affected by burping cows or SUV's)
-inferpink high speed internet links. Just point your computer at the moon... and instant connection. (on cloudy days or when the moon is not visible.... your cooked)
-Universal Teleportation Hub. Reach your hand through one end of the portal, and plug into an internet connected hub. Plug the other end into your own wifi equipped hub or computer.
If you have anymore brilliant ideas, make sure you tell me about them.
On a side note, Google Chrome has just been added to the list of web browsers. So far, its not available for mac or Linux yet, but it'll get there.
You can check out the official google blog article about it here. It looks pretty snazzy.. if you ask me. Its supposed to be fast too..
So I was at the Washington County Fair yesterday. ( Its like the biggest in New York State) At first things were going a little slow. My smaller siblings were trying to decide what ride they wanted to go on next, etc. But me and my co-blogger/brother did eventually taste freedom. After a lunch of hotdogs (the fair kind), we took off and checked out some booths. I found this one leather booth, and discovered all kinds of cool hand-made leather doodads that I liked, but couldn't afford...anyways, we eventually ended up at the Truck Pull. It was pretty amazing. First we watched the stock semi-trucks, then the modified semi-trucks. Those were pretty flippin' sweet! Then they had the pickup pull. That was by far the best part of the show. My personal favorite was a 1955 GMC Truck. That thing was loud! It was owned by the guys who won the pickup pull, but they won with a different truck. A heavily modified Chevy Silverado. A bright neon yellow and orange beast dubbed 'Bumble Rumble'. I thought the day couldn't possibly get any better. The smell of exhaust, and the black clouds of it, the deafening ROAR of V8s working as hard as they can (you know, the kind of roar you can feel right through you), and the fresh squeezed lemonade was the best I have ever tasted! Can it get any better? I was about to discover that indeed it could! As we were leaving the fair, I caught out of the corner of my eye something absolutely breathtaking. I had to look twice, because I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. There it was, the car that I have been following since its first appearance in the Detroit Auto Show (I believe it was the Detroit Show...) back in 2006. The 2008 Dodge Challenger. All 425 horses! The Hemi 6.1 in all its glory. And it couldn't look better in any other car! So, ladies and gentlemen, last night I got to get under the hood of that beast. Last night I inhaled the smell of new car. Last night I got to touch my dream car! And who knows...some day I might own one. Untill then, my desktop wallpapers will have to do. ~Jim
We went shoe shopping today. teehee. The reason we were shoe shopping was because my shoes were in nasty shape. I have needed new shoes for months, and now that I finally got a job working at the farm... I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY!!! So. I was going to get some two weeks ago, but that didn't happen... finally today we had the chance. This was the biggest outlet mall I have ever been to in my life! It was like a parking lot surrounded by... mall. As soon as I opened the car door, I could hear the sound of music coming from a BOSE outdoor speaker system. The song playing... "Listen to your heart". nice work song picker outer people. I always thought that would be a good song to shoe shop to. Just a little heads up disclaimer thing. Just because I went shoe shopping doesn't mean I'm going to go to the next ladies night out or watch High school musical or something. I despise shopping. I guess its ok when your with the right people, but for the most part.. blaaa. *makes other disgusting sound effects* Anyways, I did manage to finally find some running shoes that I like in the Nike store. Jim also got some spur of the moment shoes. they are ridiculously cute. ...... I just said that to be silly... by the way. They aren't cute. They're kinda cool.. but not cute. I'm going to stop now. I am currently in the back seat of the car in Chicago using my amazing macbook. And suddenly we just went from 75 mph to 3mph... dude. Thats the pits...
At that note.. bye
HERE I posted that we will continue to feed our readers with.... posts. 19 days later there are only two posts... thanks to our new writer Matt. There are a couple of reasons why we didn't in fact post every day. Wifi of happiness was not present at all of our stops along the way. This was a partial shock to me... for some reason I thought that everyone except me had high speed internet. This country needs to get on the ball with technology! I'm talking super satellites that beam sweet highspeed internet to EVERY AREA in the United States for FREE!!!
The other reason for not posting on the blog is the fact that we have been busy having fun. Period. Sorry. Thats bad.
But there is good news! Jim and I have had the opportunity to talk with allot of people and get brand spanking new amazing ideas for posts. Stay tuned.
This week I have made some major adjustments in my life. These adjustments were a necessity because I started a new job, and I started going to school again after sitting out for a semester. Both these new environments are, shall I say, hostile to a Christian lifestyle. I’m not sure hostile is the right word, but they definitely are not places that encourage a Christian lifestyle. The job I’m working is a warehouse, cursing is the norm. I won’t go into everything but, I can safely say, that it’s not the cleanest place…and I’m not talking about dirty floors. The school I’m now attending is a secular school. A huge difference from the small Christian college and highschool I attended previously. The first thing I noticed was the smoking, now, I had expected there to be smoking, but I was blown away by how many people were just sitting around outside destroying their lungs. Another thing that I noticed in both my biology and chemistry class, was evolution. I knew that that evolution was going to be presented as fact going into this school, but I didn’t know how much. Now, all of you reading this that are/have attended a secular institute, you’re probably thinking, who is this guy, people smoking and evolution, what’s the big deal. Well, these are the things that got me thinking. And it was through this thinking that I came up with this analogy.
Ok, think of a baby, the baby has a toy. What happens when you try to take the toy away? The baby holds on to it, he wont let it go, he screams an fights to keep it. Now what happens when you leave the toy alone? Sure the baby might play with it for a while, maybe even hours, but eventually, the baby will lose interest. This is like a Christian. In an all Christian environment, where no one is trying to “take away” the Christian’s faith (ideals, beliefs, etc.) the Christian tends to loose interest. But put that person in a place where that faith is challenged, you have a whole new person. That person will defend his faith to the end (granted that it is a genuine faith). In writing this, I began to think of the various times the church has been persecuted over the years. I believe that what I just mentioned is one of the two main reasons why the church has persisted over the years. The other being that with persecution, any nominal Christians won’t stick around. Another thing to consider with this analogy is the level of the Christian. The Bible talks about the “babies” who can’t handle the heavy theology. This isn’t talking about real babies (although they can’t…for obvious reasons…) it’s talking about new/undeveloped Christians. I think that the undeveloped Christians are the ones who are more likely to “loose interest in the toy” than those who are mature in their faith.
I’m going to leave everyone with this last tidbit. If you are like me, you grew up in a Christian home, went to a Christian school, you never had any non-Christian friends, then get out there. Don’t stay in your little shell. Get involved in something outside of your Christian circle. I’m not telling you to get involved in a sinful activity. I’m suggesting that you get involved with sinful people. But what ever you do! Balance the time you spend in that place. With the time you spend in that place/with that person, spend time in church, spend time with Christian people, and most of all, spend time with God and in His Word. And if you find yourself being overly influenced by the secular people, get out of that situation.
I'm new on here, so, give me a little time to figure out what I'm going to write on here. Let me go ahead and tell you that my posts are going to be diverse. After reading some of my posts you're probably going to wonder what on earth I wrote that for...and if you ask me...I doubt I'll be able to tell you...
Most blog writers take vacation. Vacation isn't a bad thing to do every once in a while. My accomplice Jim and myself will be embarking on a trip to Buffalo (or pretty close to it) and then out to good old Wisconsin. It will be a three week adventure. Unlike most blog writers, we however will not be taking a vacation from our blog duties. To the contrary, we are going to keep our sweet blog action coming your way! All for FREE! Now days, thanks to sweet wifi of happiness that is now available in most hotels, we will be on top of things, and on high speed! Most blog writers at this point would proceed to explain how sad of a life their readers have and how they are actually "wasting" time reading the blog. Not so with us! The readers ROCK almost as much as the blog itself! Who could blame them for getting hooked on our blog? I was going to say "now, everyone who loves our blog, leave a comment" But I decided not to... seeing how our readers are obviously far to busy to leave a comment. This was just a reminder as to the fact that we are in fact different than the average blog.
Another take fromTHIS postfrom Great Minds. I have seen and heard many creepy things in my life time.. stories of people robbing stores with squirt guns, little kids eating animal cracker heads off and throwing the body away, poor souls buying a PC instead of MAC, I've heard people say that they like instant coffee better than fresh ground coffee from whole beans, There is the occasional sighting of guys huddled around a TV watching High School Musical or some other chick flick, but the most common creepy thing I see today, isn't so uncommon. As a matter of fact, this said creepy thing is found in people as young as 4 on up to people as old as 160. (ok... exaggerating) Though the age may have allot to do with the level of creepiness, it is more the ML (Maturity level) that is the real factor. So, what creepy thing am I talking about?
Dating. Dating in and of itself isn't necessarily creepy, but rather who and when and why.
ML= Age + discernment (x) Smartness + logicalness (/) practicality
The formula above doesn't mean anything really.. I just made it up because it looked cool. Never the less, I can in fact use it to point some things that I think are creepy out. I'll do this by using some scenarios.
Bobby (age 11) asks Sally (age 10) to "go out with him". Why does Bobby want to date when he's only 11? I'm not even going to try and answer that question because as smart and brilliant as I am.. its beyond me. I will venture to assume that marriage is not on Bobby's mind. BUT WAIT! You assumer you! What if marriage really IS on Bobby's mind!? BOBBY IS ONLY ELEVEN YEARS OLD!!! THATS ONLY 4,000 SOME ODD DAYS OLD!!! THATS A LITTLE OVER 570 WEEKS OLD!!! HE'S JUST A BABY!!! babies don't get married!
THERE YOU GO AGAIN.. ASSUMING! What if Bobby is really really mature for his age?!?! ... he's eleven. He has other things to think about besides who he's going to merry in 9 years.
This brings me to my second point. If Bobby plays video games non-stop, and wears a tank-top that goes to his knees outside of his dress clothes and talks like a cartoon chipmunk for the next 9 years of his life (A.K.A. 283,824,000 seconds) He needs a girl.
... actually, no he doesn't... I don't even know why I just said that.
CHALLENGE!!! If anyone can give me one (just one) ALL I NEED IS ONE good logical* reason for Bobby to date Sally... I'll send them 2 mac gems cd's filled with over 50 great mac applications and games.. all yours for FREE! I'll even cover shipping and handling!**
*real life believable reasons. Nothing like " Bobs mom told him that if he didn't date Sally, she would feed him cold greasy liver and tofu for the rest of his life". **offer expires 8/31/08
So, until proven otherwise, Its safe to say that dating when your Bobby's age is creepy. Personally... I wouldn't even date until I was AT LEAST 16...
So, lets here it. Why and when in life do you think you should date? Am I a sad mixed up guy?
I have lately been constructing in my mind, a...well, I don't know what else to call it. A concept. The Sempiternal Purview. First, I will endeavor to define this sempiternal purview. A purview is a range, or extent. A horizon if you will. For example, the range of one's vision, or the extent of one's understanding or cognizance. It is a boundary that may or may not exist physically. Let me explain: If a person were to stand on a plane, that extended indefinitely in all directions, their would be a limit, or extent to what he could see. There is no physical boundary (outside of the person's ocular capabilities), yet there is a limit to what the person can see. If this person were to be encompassed by a wall, the extent of the person's vision would be reduced. One could also exemplify this concept by substituting cognizance or understanding for vision. The human mind is capable of accumulating vast amounts of knowledge, but there is no human being in existence who knows everything (excluding the third person of the trinity, Jesus Christ, the Son of God) Sempiternal simply refers to a never ending duration. My understanding of this word is that it refers to something that has a beginning but no end. (the word "duration" implies a beginning) The soul is a good example. The soul exists only after conception, and thereafter never ceases to exist. Thus eternity and sempiternity differ in that something that is eternal had no beginning and will never end, and something that is sempiternal had a beginning but will never end. The simplest definition, then, of a Sempiternal Purview is a limitless boundary, though that is not a perfect definition. Picture a road, surrounded by void, so that a person cannot turn to the right or the left, but must remain on the road. On this road, the person is in progression, so that he cannot turn back. This road has many forks, but it is complete from beginning to end, so that no matter which combination of directions the person chooses to take, he will end in the same place. As this person is walking, he comes to a fork. He can turn either right or left. This is his choice to make. He is completely free to chose either way. No matter which way he chooses, he will eventually reach the terminus of his journey. He will eventually come to the end of the road. Now tell me, who made the decision that this person would turn right or left? The one who built the road. This person is confined to the road that he is on. This road has a beginning, and an end, both of which have been predetermined by the builder. But, the person has a seemingly innumerable amount of choices. There are countless combinations of ways this person can get from beginning to end. Ultimately, though, the one who built the road is the one in ultimate control, because no matter which way our person goes, he is confined to the road, and the choices that the builder has given him. I could carry this scenario even deeper. I have given you an example of one person. Now picture billions of people all walking on their own roads, who's paths cross in a truly infinite amount of combinations. This is the Sempiternal Purview. The choices these people have are limitless but they are bound to the road that they are on. It is a limitless boundary. I actually wrote the road illustration quite a while ago, to illustrate God's sovereign grace, and man's free will. But it seemed to fit in so perfectly with my concept of sempiternal purview. I think it illustrates both how God's sovereign grace coincides with man's free will, and a sempiternal purview. I am continuing to refine this concept, and would appreciate feedback. ~Jim
Another insect I have come to despise is the earwig. Not really because of anything they have done...I very simply loath their existence. They are evil little beasts. If you know French, you have hopefully figured out the sub-title by now. If not, don't feel bad, I don't know French either. I found my sub-title in a thesaurus and felt that it nicely described my feelings for the earwig community. Bête Noire: Black Beast, or evil beast. We recently had a large (4'x8') sign in our yard advertising an event. The event since past, it was my duty to remove the large sign. It was made by screwing a sheet of plywood to two acicular 2x4s. Well, I successfully removed the sign from its anchorage, and carried it to our parking lot. When I dropped the sign against the building, a score or more of these little beastly critters emerged. So, I threw the sign down on the ground, and witnessed to my complete dismay, hundreds of earwigs pour from between the sign and the stakes. I had discovered the Northern and Southern Stake Clans. As fast as I could I snatched up the first noxious substance I could find, and proceeded to pour it upon the emerging army of earwigs. I then whipped up a nice concentrated concoction of Water, Malathion, Orthex, Petroleum distillates, and some other ingredients. I then proceeded to marinade the earwigs as well as the surrounding premises. By this time the side of the building and the ground thereabouts was crawling with these loathsome insects. There were hundreds! Everywhere! Needless to say, they're all dead. You may, at this very moment, be accusing me of an un-provoked hostility towards these inferior creatures...well....I'm gonna have to agree with you. And thus ends my account of how I (for the time being) atomized the great earwig menace. ~Jim
I was using a very unstable wi-fi network the other day at the library. Ookey. Thats a full "BRAIN" rating right there. I'm happy to say... I hold the record for the very first full BRAIN here at Great Minds. .. fine, maybe its a "BRAI" and a half. I will get to a full BRAIN before anyone else though.. just so everyone knows.
Ok, I'm going to finish my story deal. It all started on July 17th this year, when I walked into the Argyle Free Library for the first time EVER. I owe some of the credit for checking this library out to my dad first of all, because after all, I heard that the library had wi-fi, so I went to download a PAID FOR movie (thats right... I do NOT illegally download media from the web.. thats bad) for my dads Birthday present. Also my cousin Vicky was over spending the week with us. Going to the library would bring back good memories from back when we all went to a library together in Kansas and Vicky's sister (*ehem*.. won't name any names) tried to get us lost.. I'm thinking. But Vicky ended up saving the day and got us on the right buss home. So I owe some credit to her too. The library with wifi sounded good.. real good. While we were there the first time, I brought my Mac and iPod Touch so that two people could take advantage of the wifi of happiness. While we were there, the network disappeared! So... I calmly and collectively switched networks. It just so happens that I switched to a EMS stations network. Apparently its only online on certain hours. More about that later. It was great. I got my Apple completely updated (yes even iTunes.. my bad) in just 30min! I liked the wifi of happiness so much... even after the 38 min walk back home last time.. in the 93 degree weather... that I decided to ride my bike this time after recalling the amazingness. (our van has engine-atrophy, 2LTd Syndrome (second Law of Thermodynamics) and its EXHAUSTed. aka its pretty much dead.) Fortunately it only took me 11 min to get there by bike. So, I get there.. sit down at the nice big table in the air conditioned room, and join the "Argyle Free Library" network. Then I proceed to look into WordPress, frantically opening webpages on as many tabs as possible to look over when I'm offline at home. (gotta love dial-up) Just as I clicked "Download" on the WordPress page... the network again, just like last time, completely disappeared. I wasn't surprised.. so I switched to plan B. The EMS stations network (00:12:17:4C:09:2F) *grin* I got it.. it looked good, but I found out real fast that this network was not connected to the internet at the moment. I frantically went to plan C. NETGEAR20... another in-range network. It was week, but it worked... sorta. The signal strength was very unstable, and disconnected quite a bit. I never did get to download WordPress. This concludes another episode of "the great search for free/cheap high speed internet" where I dedicate a certain percentage of my life and time, devoted to come up with the dial-up users answer to their most vexing problem... 50kbps. Unless I can talk to the librarian (who happens to be a very nice woman who was born before 1950 I'm thinking.. just to give you an idea about how much she knows about wireless networks. She's a very sweet lady. I'm in no way trying to bash her) into letting me take a look at the network, I think I'm going to have to find another hotspot or alternative. signing out. Ed.
Lots of things are different from back 200 years ago that are actually very convenient and practical. We don't have to sit behind a horse that just might happen to stink some times when going some place, If we want to send dad a happy birthday card, it only takes a couple days instead of weeks or months (or for you cheep shots out there who send virtual cards over the internet it only takes seconds). Some genius came up with the indoor toilet so you don't have to run out to the out house, forget sweeping and stirring up dust... the vacuum cleaner will get that for you. Are you a little warm? turn up the air conditioner. (that is.. if you have one. Maybe the gas heater would have been a better example). Some things are not convenient, though the list is small, there are things that were just better off back then. One thing comes to mind in particular that probably many people don't REALLY think about, though you might hear the occasional complaining. Now, when I say that this thing in particular isn't convenient, I mean it in a different way than one might imagine. Though it IS just as convenient as 200 years ago or maybe even more convenient, its a ridiculous no brainer. So what is this no brainer convenient thing I'm talking about?
Juice. Milk. Honey. Food.
I live right next door to a huge apple orchard, and yet the apple juice that I drink comes from thousands of miles away. The Honey I eat (unless I buy it from someone who has bees) comes from thousands of miles away. Most of the food I eat is from THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY. The milk I drink however is from within a ten mile radius (or something close to that). Thats because I get my milk from Stewarts gas station. They get their milk from local farmers and it TASTS UTTERLY AMAZING! no pun intended. So I get my milk the sensible way... I would venture to guess that most people don't however. Remember the good old days when people wanted apple juice.. they went outside and picked some apples, squeezed the juices out, and walla, fresh apple juice right from out back? (or maybe from the store.. who just happened to buy them from your neighbors). You probly don't remember that, and if you do... wow. Convenient in the area of supply and demand and such. Inconvenient (and stupid) in all other areas. Its true, New York State alone produces enough apples to supply the whole United States with apples, but most companies go to Argentina, China, Chile, or perish the thought.. Mexico.
We have developed a complex and intuitive rating system designed to bring awareness to the reader about the level of depth in a post before even having to read it. I say "Complex" because there are complex guidelines we look at to determine just how deep our posts are. I also say "intuitive" because half the time the rating is based on a spur of the moment feeling. Unlike the popular "5 star rating system" we felt the need to use the power of spelling. Therefore, instead of 5 stars, you will see the word "Brain". Instead of 2 stars, you will see the letters "Br". We feel that this will both strengthen our readers reading abilities, and give them an immediate reliable indication on just how powerful their brain is. Now, before you start to yell out the fact that none of our posts would ever be a full "BRAIN" because we are supposedly not capable of such depth, we have centered our rating around the average "blond". Pardon the term "Blond", but nothing else seemed to suffice. we are in no way "discriminating" to peoples hair color, the term "blond" refers to people with usually self inflicted but in some rare cases, natural cluelessness). Therefor, this rating system would be relevant through the eyes of a clueless person (or so we feel). The rating will go at the top of all my posts including this one.
There is one insect that I have come to despise. In fact, as of recently I am guilty of mass insecticide against this particular group of insects. It all started when we were using my brothers mini-van as a pickup truck. These yellow jackets built a nest in the track of the sliding door. They managed to put it where it wouldn't get crushed, but every time I opened the door, there they were. At that point they were merely a nuisance. They have become a great mennace. I learned a trick from an undisclosed source. A light shower of cold water temporarily locks up the muscles in their wings, and they drop like birds...then I step on them. A more concentrated blast from my 3 gallon pump sprayer obliterates the nest and all occupants. Well, I was on a roll. I cleaned every nest--every yellow jacket off of my brothers mini-van/truck. Life was good...for me...the yellow jackets were all dead. About a week later, I was heavily engaged in a water fight. I was standing in my "bunker" (behind the deck) arming myself with water balloons and filling my 3 gallon pump sprayer with cold water, when I was attacked by an angry family member, no doubt, of the clan I utterly raised on my brother's mini-van/truck. This was the Wheelchair Ramp Rail Clan, close relatives of the Sliding Door, Driver's Door, and Tailgate Clans. Well, due to the affects of cold water on yellow jackets, the climax of a water fight was a bad time for retaliation on their part. They picked the wrong day! They picked the wrong fight, with the wrong guy! I was as livid as one can be when his cognitive powers are focused on an acute burning sensation caused by the south end of a north bound yellow jacket! I gave them about 3 gallons of cold water to think about, while I treated my battle wound. Then I took out my revenge! I annihilated the Wheelchair Ramp Rail Clan, and then moved on to the Exterior Recessed Spot Light Clans on the north and south sides of the peak. I atomized every yellow jacket nest I could find on our property. I even took out my revenge on an abandoned mud-dauber wasp nest that formerly belonged to the Top Left Corner Garage Door Clan of mud-daubers, distant relatives of the yellow jackets. To all you wasps out there, and all you hornets, THIS IS WAR!! To all you bees, let your minds be at ease. My fight is not with you. Stay strong. Know that the Human race is working on a cure for CCD! ~Jim
I have lived at my current residence for a little over a year now. Over that time the power has gone out maybe 3 or 4 times. Maybe once because of a storm here. Any other time, it has been because someone was trying to fix something. (That thing with the Christmas lights doesn't count. I only juiced the town 'till the backup kicked on...) One time they actually called up and warned us. "We are working on the lines, and there is a chance you could lose power for 10 or 15 minutes." I think the power was out for almost 30 minutes... Well, I finally figured it out. Our power company here in NY is British. *Cronk voice* Oh yeah, its all coming together now... ~Jim
Well, if they can do it, so can I! If you don't read this post in its entirety, the rest of your life will...um...be....miserable. You will never find your soul mate, and your Australian kangaroo mouse will die of chicken pox. You will also never taste a good pizza ever again. Don't you just love imposed spam death threats? You find them on people's walls, and in comments. A touching story followed by an ultimatum. Spam at least 10 people or you will die next month. Either that or you will totally blow your chances of ever winning the lottery. Or, your girlfriend will dump you. I get these all the time. Worst of all, from people who I thought were my friends... I occasionally read one of these chain messages (AKA spam) out of boredom usually. I get to the end, and its like...Whoa! Was that a threat? *wields sharpy* You want to take this out to the parking lot? Do people actually take these things seriously? If you honestly believe that by not forwarding the message to ten people, some poor little girl's cat will be hit by an 18 wheeler, I seriously feel sorry for you. No wait...I don't. I laugh at you. HAHAHA. You totally deserve any lack of sleep you may bring upon yourself by not forwarding the message. Do you know how many of these I delete every day?!? By all rights I should at least be single, jobless, and living with my parents...oh wait......I am...well, what I am trying to say is, don't spam people. Yeah, that's pretty much it. By the way, if you don't email this post to at least 10 people, you will bald pre-maturely, get head lice and dandruff, and your pet iguana will move to Albuquerque where the air smells like warm root beer and all the towels are oh so fluffy... ~Jim
Ok, just to warn everyone reading this, I guarantee that this will be offensive to a lot of people. (some of my biggest fans will probably hate my guts after they read this) Offensive, not because its crude, or vulgar, or tasteless, but because I am about to criticize and expose a way of thinking--a culture...Ladies and Gentlemen, I am about to let off some steam! (usually I let off steam by working out or something, but that would not accomplish my current goal, so I will indulge in the power of the pen...or...the keyboard)
Here we go. I am going to talk about children with boy/girl friends. By children, I mean...oh...15 and under. ( POW! ) I am also going to talk about young people and young adults who have boy/girl friends for no apparent reason...( BIF! ) By young people and young adults, [you guessed it] I mean anyone older than 15. So I asked some people, "What is the point of having a boy/girl friend?" and the answer I got back was basically to test the water,or even more basically, practice. In fact these people I talked to said that they would not even consider marrying any of their boy/girl friends, x or current. I seriously did all I could to contain myself. ( SMACK! ) The urge to bust out laughing was incredibly intense. ( WHAP! ) So tell me something; WHY ON EARTH DO PEOPLE GET SO HEARTBROKEN and/or ANGRY WHEN THEY GET DUMPED?!?!?( THWAK! ) Ok, I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself. Assuming one is 15 or younger...It is obviously a long shot to even consider marriage. But if marriage is not even in the equation, obviously it is inevitable that sooner or later you're going to break up. (more likely sooner than later) With that in mind, WHY ON EARTH DO PEOPLE GET SO HEARTBROKEN and/or ANGRY WHEN THEY GET DUMPED?!?!? ( THUNK! ) [like my Batman comic exclamations?]I mean, for any age, if marriage is not in the equation, logically, its ridiculous to have a boy/girl friend. HOLY SHENANIGANS BATMAN! IT JUST DOESN'T ADD UP!
So you have a boy/girl friend...so you can get to know them? But you are not planning on spending the rest of your life with them, which means that you will probably either be dumped or dump them in the next week...maybe month...or if you're really delusional, sometime next year...
1+1=39.2987463...
IT DOESN'T ADD UP! In fact, it pretty much, flat out, doubtlessly, and by all accounts, defies logic.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you have to marry the first person you date. I am saying that 1) You shouldn't date anyone you wouldn't consider marrying, and 2) Rather than dating someone to get to know them, get to know them before you date them!
NOTE: This is for all of you people who have had 4.6 billion boy/girl friends, and still haven't learned your lesson...and anyone who has a boy/girl friend simply so you can tell everyone you have a boy/girl friend.
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