Flaws

I was always a swimmer; I just always had a natural knack for swimming. I started swimming shortly after I could walk, and never took a swimming lesion. My parents tried to pull me out of the pool and the ocean, but I always just loved being in the water. I started surfing, and swimming in high school. I started swimming as a senior in high school and excelled. I always wondered if everyone has a gift that is also their tragic flaw. If you get to be really good at something you lose your fear, and become sloppy. For example when surfers get really good they will surf under any conditions. During these extreme conditions one slip up could mean your life. If you get overconfident you could end up dead. Often when I am paddling out into the ocean I wonder if this is it?


Cool web site on NJ surfing http://localswell.com/

What is a Guido/ Guidette?

Guidos and Guidettes are basically people of Italian heritage( or want to be Italian heritage), who have extremely large egos. They live in the greater New York New Jersey area. These people usually possess an orange tan all times of the year. Guidos usually spike their hair and regularly attend the gym. Guidos wear Armani exchange clothing and usually have their collar popped. Guidettes usually wear 11 pounds of make up with white lip gloss. Guidettes also color their hair to a bleached blonde with a black underneath. These people can usually be found walking around on the board walk in the summer time. At night they go to the techno clubs which dot the shoreline, and dance. The pictures kind of say it all

Guidos + Gudiettes

Livestock

Growing up amongst small farmers in central New Jersey, I was never exposed to large amounts of livestock. I went home with a friend of mine who had swine, and cattle. He said it wasn’t a large operation but, I thought it was quite large. I was taught how to feed the cattle using the tractor, and a feed cart. It was really cool to see all of the animals. I also saw swine. When you see the way that they eat they really are pigs! I never realized how sacred these animals are of humans. In the case of pigs if you have food they aren’t as afraid. That was the first large farm I had been to. If other people from New Jersey had seen the farm they would not have left their car in fear of the smell or getting dirty.

Carnival all the time

I love the summer time, and one of the best things about the summer time is being able to ride carnival rides. Everyone knows these rides. These are the rides that you have a large possibility of being killed on. Some of these rides have been in operation for over 50 years, and they still provide enjoyment for thrill seekers today. Most places in the country you have to wait for a carnival to come around to enjoy these rides, but on the Jersey Shore there is a carnival all the time. The board walk contains a carnival like atmosphere all times of the year. Anytime you want to ride the rickety rides they are there! From roller coasters to favorites like the Tilt A Whirl. This plethora of lights, games of chance, and food may feel like a carnival to anyone else, to me it just feels like home.

Christmas

I love the Christmas season all of the stores are filled with presents. Towns are decorated for the season. There are tons of people out shopping looking for gifts for their loved ones. The hustle and bustle is seen in malls and town squares. The gifts that people are looking for gifts that are not from the heart. My favorite gifts are those that had some thought put into them. I know that when I get older I will be the dad with hand print ash trays, and a collage of hand made pictures on the wall gifts from my children. I feel that the most important gift for Christmas is the companionship of loved ones. Every year on Christmas Eve I always see people in diners eating alone with no family. On Christmas day where do the lonely and broken hearted go; the people who have outlived their friends and family, I hope I never become one of these people.

Ouija Evil

Yes I truly believe that Ouija boards are truly evil and are not something to be messed around with. My mother always told me to stay away from Ouija boards because they channel and trap evil sprits. I never really believed this so I got curious and used one. The sprit that we contacted said he was evil didn’t want to talk to us and didn’t want to leave. This freaked me and my friends out. The sprit finally went to good bye after a while. Everyone I was playing with could feel the evil presents in the room in till the pointer went to good bye. I thought that this is was an isolated incidence, but after talking to my friends who had similar experiences I realized that it was truly real. I recently visited a website with different stories of the Ouija board which really scared me. There are stories of boards returning to their owners over and over again. The creepiest story is this one. From the website http://www.greatdreams.com/ouija.htm.


“Once upon a time, about 40 years ago, my sister and I decided to play with my new Ouija Board while our husbands were out fishing. We must have asked about 100 questions...all details about the fishing trip. When the men got home, all the answers were right. So, after dinner, the four of sat down with the board again. We asked if there was a spirit there. The Planchette went to Yes! We asked if it was a good spirit. The Planchette went to No! Our hair stood on end and we dropped the board instantly. The next day I took it outside to burn it and it wouldn't burn. So, we took it to the church and threw it in the poor box, thinking we were done with it. Not so! The Following week, someone brought us another one. I was a little freaked out, so we took that one even farther and threw it away. Just a couple days later, someone else gave us a new board for a gift. I knew giving away wouldn't help, so I hid it in the dark closet under a lot of stuff, but I always felt the evil spirit around anyway. I can't say it's the same evil spirit, but it followed me to church and made me sick, it followed me everywhere and I always got sick so I started staying home because I didn't like being that sick. By the time I knew how to fight the spirit, I had been at home for 4 years. I had to call on the name of Jesus to get rid of the spirit. I had to do it over and over and over. It wasn't attached to the board anymore. He lived with us. He destroyed my life for 4 years. Don't be fooled. The Ouija Board is NOT just a game.”

Don’t be fooled it is not a game. It is very serious if you still don’t believe me check out other stories on that web site http://www.greatdreams.com/ouija.htm

Litter

I have noticed a trend of people littering. Multiple times while driving on the road I see drivers or passengers toss unwanted garbage from their windows. The amount of times I have seen this happen in the Midwest greatly eclipses the amount of times I have seen it in New Jersey. I’m not sure why people in the Midwest litter from their cars more often. It may just be that I see it a lot because I am in the right place at the right time. I decided to post this commercial because it is one that really stuck to me, and made me think about the impact that littering has on the environment. It also addresses the question how do the American Indians feel. This is a slice of the cultural pie that is not widely herd from in the United States.

The Sweetest Thing

I don’t know if everyone has their favorite sweeteners other than sugar, but me and my family do. This is partially because my mom works in the healthcare industry. This is something that everyone should be concerned about because some sweeteners have a reputation for causing cancer. My favorite sweetener is Sacrin it is sweeter than sugar with no calories, and has never had any relation with cancer. It was discovered by accident by a scientist that ate a sandwich without washing his hands. Sacrin is also included in my favorite diet drink TAB, and Sweet N Low. Unfortunately I have not seen it available in the Midwest. It is different than other diet drinks because most other diet sodas are sweetened with Aspertain a sweetener that can cause cancer. Plus TAB has a unique taste.

For Those Who Think Young

Sometime I think about my favorite commercials. Well there is not that many I can remember, but there is one in particular commercial that sticks out in my mind. It is one of the commercials from Super Bowl Sunday. This commercial I am describing is a commercial starring Brittney Spears . It is the Pepsi commercial from 2002. This shows Brittney Spears drinking Pepsi throughout the different decades. The 50’s 60’s 70’s 80’s then the new generation!! I don’t know why I like it so much and what drew me too it, but I just think it is cool. Coke is still better.



I like this one by Coke too.

PIZZA <3

Pizza in the Midwest is horrible. People in the Midwest might disagree with me, but that’s because they haven’t had true New Jersey style pizza. The pizza in the Midwest is created like a loaf of bread then you dump a can of Prego tomato sauce on it sprinkle some cheese and call it pizza. The sauce is terrible Prego does not make sauce like a pizza parlor does. I really miss the pizza from New Jersey. If people from the Midwest tasted it they would never eat at Papa John’s again.

Music

I have been slacking a little bit in the music department. I have been recently obsessed with a couple of songs this week. They aren’t really recent, but they just stuck to me. Maybe because I haven’t heard them in awhile? These videos are good, but you can never be better then Elvis the king of rock and roll. I don’t compare every song I listen to to Elvis, but I haven’t expressed how much I like the king of rock and roll.







Yes its because of 13 going on 30




The King (my favorite Elvis song)

Ghettos

I really love entertaining the fact of helping people who are in ghettos, but do they want to be helped. It is hard to help people in ghettos because it is unclear of a place to start. If you start with unban renewal it forces the true poor people out the neighborhood and into other areas for the city. If you start after school programs the usually fail. Out of a school of 2,000 students you might have a track team with 12 people and a band of 6 people. The way to start with a ghetto is to eliminate the dependence that the community has on illegal drugs. If you eliminate that dependence they the community can start healing itself. Then the programs that are being implemented will start to flourish. Drugs and drug trafficking can ruin families, communities, and schools. Without a strong base in a community you cannot build effective programs. because drugs are such a problem little can be done to help these suffering communities.

Free Parking

In Monopoly when you land on free parking you get money. How does free parking constitute getting paid? The concept of free parking is that it should be just a spot for you to land on the board with out having to pay rent on it. Instead when you land on free parking you hop out of your car and find drug money lying on the ground? It just doesn’t make sense. Another fun fact Monopoly the game that everyone knows and loves was based off of the streets of New Jersey’s Atlantic City. Park Place is actually a casino called Bally’s Park Place.

WOW! you look good

Throughout my childhood I was obese. I was always the funny fat kid that no one ever wanted to date. I was made fun of brutally throughout grammar school and middle school. I was called every derogatory name for fat people you could think of Pig, Chair crusher, Crisco Kid, blob, Butterball, Tubby, and Matty the Fatty. This went on in till high school when I stared to loose weight. In total I lost 75 pounds mostly in one years time. I now see people from middle school, high school, and grammar school that don’t recognize me. The conversation usually stars with me reintroducing myself, and the person responding with “Oh wow you look good”. My brother recently had a deployment party all of his friends from high school were there, and not a single one recognized me. It was a weird blast from the past to see all of those people again. Because I was fat when I was a child I never want to be fat again. I now exercise regularly, and I really do enjoy it! It is amazing how much simple name calling can effect a persons life.

1 pound of fat... I think it kind of looks like mashed up canned peaches.

CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

When the population leaves so do the businesses. In the winter time the New Jersey Shoreline turn into a ghost town. The crowds leave the roads, the beaches and, their summer houses. I always look forward to the time in mid October when the businesses start displaying their closed for the season signs. This is an indicator that the true locals have their towns back for the winter. These winter time ghost towns also are depressing to the people who live there. Looking at the boarded up stores and the blinking yellow traffic lights you could never image this area being prosperous during the summer months. The thoughts of summer seem so distant by mid February that you wish the tourists, and business would come back and give you something once again to complain about. Like clockwork every year it happens, memorial day weekend the lights turn on, and everyone is back for another round of summer.

You Must Go Right To Go Left

Driving is tough work especially in the most densely populated state in the country. There are very few left turn lanes. A frequent sight is a sign that says all turns meaning if you want to turn left or make a u turn you must take the jug handle. These jug handles are great; they keep traffic moving in the left lane at all times because you cannot make a left. One of my favorite inventions to help move traffic along is the traffic circle. The traffic circle was originally invented by a French architect in 1877. The circle is quite easy to maneuver where each and every driver can get off where they please, without waiting at a traffic light. They are quite fun to drive if you are familiar with the rules of the road. They can be a death trap for confused drivers, or drivers that don’t obey the yield signs.

The 80's

Last weekend I watched 13 going on 30 despite the fact that it was extremely girly I liked it. The 1980’s was not a time period I was stuck in (like the 50’s), but just one that I like. The 1980’s was a time of economic prosperity, the camcorder ,tapes, The Goonies, and aerobics. The movie made me think about if my life now was the life that I planned to live when I was thirteen. To tell you the truth I can’t remember much from when I was thirteen, but I think so. It also made me realize that you should look back at life and not regret anything. Every event whether it has been good or bad, it has helped me at one time or another.

PLAY SPEAK N SPELL -----> http://www.speaknspell.co.uk/speaknspell.html

Living In the Past

Ever since I can remember the era of the 1950’s has been a big part of my life. Even though the cold war was over ,I loved it so much that my life revolved around the 1950’s I listened to records, had thoughts of going to sock hops with my friends, drive in movies, roller rinks all stuff that young people did not do anymore. I stopped using the computer, and preferred using a type writer. I cooked jiffy pop on the stove, instead of microwaving popcorn. I did not play video games, I played sports and surfed. One day I realized that I could not be living my life in the past, and had to live in today’s times. I started to play catch up to learn about what I missed in the 90’s and early 2000’s. This helped to shape who I am today, if you learn about the past it is easier to advance into the future.

Wawa not just a convenience store it’s a way of life.

Wawa is basically just a convenience store, but to those who live where there are Wawas they are a way of life. Wawa is the Indian word for goose I was told this by an employee. Wawa originated in a town called Wawa, Pennsylvania it was started by dairy producers that were upset about the price their milk was being sold for. The stores took off, and are found throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. These stores sell more than just milk their stock includes fresh made sandwiches, a deli, make your own milkshakes, and a host of other Groceries. These stores are open 24 hours, and they provide a place to hangout, gas, and food. Most people can relate pieces of their lives around these stores breakups, reuniting best friends, and fights include various events centered around these stores.
One more cool thing is order your sandwich with a touch screen computer!!!

Thank you for traveling the New Jersey Turnpike that will be $30.00 please.

Tolls are they worth it? In New Jersey you are required to pay tolls on the major roadways. I it is not worth it. It puts unnecessary emissions from cars in the air while lines and lines of cars lay idle waiting to pay their toll of one dollar, fifty cents, or 25 cents. Cars aren’t allowed to lay idle anywhere else accept when waiting in line to pay their toll. Recently the two major highways put in a system called Easy Pass this is a hi-speed toll mechanism which allows toll to be paid through your bank account at speeds up to 65 mph. This will a multimillion dollar item which caused one of the major roads to go bankrupt, and merge with the other. An argument can be that the tolls have been up for over 50 years and don’t require much money to keep them maintained. This is not true drains on the toll system include their employees. These people replace malfunctioning machines or make change and give receipts these people get paid salary, and get full benefits because they are state workers. These toll plazas tend to back up traffic, and are open even in the worst weather (Hurricanes and Snow storms). Outdated government establishments like these are draining tax money to keep them functioning.



A slow day on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Manifest Destiny?

So if you are wondering what in the heck a person from New Jersey is doing going to school in the heart land Read this. I ended up in Iowa by reading an article in Time magazine which ranked the Agronomy programs in the country. Iowa State was number one this idea of being a part of number one was attractive to me, so I applied to Iowa state, and a host of other colleges on the east coast. I was accepted to all of the schools I applied to , and choose Iowa State University. When I first came to visit Iowa State University, I thought it was really cool. Everyone was extremely nice, there was tons of open space and farmland, and everything was different from home. These things I loved, and attracted me to Iowa. If I had gone to school on the east coast I would be missing out on an awesome experience. Studying at Iowa State University has really been a great experience, and looking back I can’t see myself getting an education anywhere else. The people I have met and the things I have experienced are worth more than just receiving an education. I have also learned not to take things at home for granted.

MIDWEST

I really don’t like people who wish themselves out of the Midwest saying that they wished they lived in New York City or in Southern California. They base where they want to live on television shows or a quick two week visits. These particular Midwesterners are over looking their own unique culture. The vast farm land the lack of diversity and small towns are all things that are unique to America’s heartland. I have never been to a place with such freedom as the Midwest very few police offices, and vast spaces where you can ride ATV’s and shoot clay birds. The people of the Midwest have to take a step back and truly realize how unique their culture really is before wishing they were a part of something else that they truly don’t understand.


*** By the way you don’t surf if you went surfing once in Florida on vacation!!!!!!!!

Energy can be created and destroyed

A woman flips a switch the light burns bright. A man starts his car with a rumble and hum. A child opens the refrigerator and pulls out a cool drink. These people on a daily basis use electricity and gasoline not even to think twice about where it comes from. All of these people have one thing in common they all use energy in their everyday lives. This is a time when there is a threat; this threat is that the energy that we use today may not be available tomorrow. This doubt in our society has triggered what we all know as the green revolution. At the fore front of this revolution have been the scientists who are looking into the odd and the unorthodox ways of harnessing the resources of mother earth. Some of the ways that scientists are thinking of doing this is by harnessing our wind and cropland. This is so important to the human race as a population. It is so easy for people to forget where their energy comes from. It is all harvested from the earth in one way or another. This is a topic that all people must have knowledge in to insure that resources aren’t wasted. This understanding will also help people further advance the green revolution.

The Obese In The Air

Big day flying back to Iowa form New Jersey. I hop on the plane and take my seat in my row on a small two seated airplane. I was almost ecstatic to find that there looked like there would be no one seated next to me. While having a pre-celebration party with myself a large woman gets on the plane. I figured there are other empty seats, but I knew that destiny brought her toward me. Her enormous rolls brushed ever seat as she walked by. I had already accepted the fact that she was headed straight for my seat. She sat down next to me and I immediately put the arm rest down to harness her blubber. The poor arm rest was no match for the small whale. Her blubber spilled over and under the arm rest. I was disgusted. I came to the conclusion that is that the obese should either not fly or buy 2 seats because that lady had some extreme flab.

These childern will need an extra seat one day.

Thank you for being a friend.

If I was a golden girl which one would I be? This is not a thought that would normally cross the mind of a 19 year old male but, it did. I never watched the golden girls growing up in till my cousin started obsessing over the reruns then I was forced to watch them. I determined that I would be Betty White a sweet caring old woman whit a heart of gold. While I show no resemblance to Betty White I still think I would be her only because our personalities are similar. My cousin who is a 16 year old male I determined would be Bea Arthur not only because of he looks like her but because her acts exactly like her on the show Golden Girls. He is extremely sarcastic and has a remark about everything. His remarks aren’t really funny but resemble that of a woman going through menopause (that’s a little extreme, but kind of like that).

So as a tribute to Betty White and Bea Arthur here is a little video.

Records a thing of the present

Records there is a secret underground of record stores handlers and producers. Records when the name is mentioned people think the 1950’s or some outdated time period. Have records ever truly left us or have they just been forgotten. Over the years records have had a lot of criticism for being too big and easily scratched. All though it is true that they do take up mass amounts of space, the voce and sound quality is superior to any other type of recording media including digital. Tapes CD’s and digital music have an unnatural quality to the and never sound as crisp or clean. So I challenge you to take a new favorite song weather a be and oldie or a new hit, play it on digital and play it on record you will hear the difference , and it will amaze you. So how much do records cost? The old ones can be picked up from anywhere from $.50 to 1.00, and if you are paying more than that you are being taken. The new records cost as much as a CD, and most come with free music downloads. There new records are available at hot topic stores virgin record stores or your local record store. Make sure you try it out!! I currently own over 1000 records from the 50’s till 2008.

where have all my socks gone???

I did wash today aka laundry, and I came back missing another sock. Normally I don’t mind washing my clothes when everything goes ok. Like when all of my clothes are there! I wanted answers to this phenomenon so I turned to a source of information Google. I didn’t find much on the missing sock phenomenon so I turned to YouTube I typed in the work sock monster which seemed to be the perpetrator in many cases I had seen on Google. I looked and I found two valid explanations of where exactly socks go, or what happens to them.





or it could happen like this



I am still not sure??

New music for today I love this song when I first heard it in 2003 I knew it would be one of my favorites forever.

Things this song reminds me of
· Disneyland
· New Jersey
· 2003
· The Beach
· My Brothers Friends


The song is San Dimas high school football rules by The Ataris







Extra bonus The hero dies in this one by The Ataris

New Jersey

I love New Jersey, it is a awesome place to live and grow up. Growing up on the New Jersey coastline has made a different impact on the way my life is seen by the outsiders. The Iowans these are people who don’t understand what it is like to live in New Jersey on the coast. Iowa is pretty much the furthest thing from living on the Jersey Shore. Everything that is done in Iowa is different from the Jersey Shore. This is good as well as bad. The good is that there is nothing here to remind me of home so it’s hard to get home sick. The bad is that no one understands what it is like. This makes things very hard to explain. So I took a list off of a web site it might help you so take a look.

You know you’re from the Jersey shore when…

you wear flip-flops til it snows...and sometimes still even then
you know what a BENNY is and you hate them all with a passion
you refuse to pay for parking at the boardwalk and so you drive around for a minimum of fifteen minutes to find a residential spotyou know that
point is not something you do with your finger...its a place you spend 80% of your time
you know the two greatest inventions are Fins and Surf Taco
You have consumed at least 20 lbs. of Rita's itlaian ice in your lifetime
but you know strollo's is better
Midnight Madness sale is like Christmas!!
there are no shoes you'd rather wear than uggs...end of story
you do NOT under ANY circumstances pump your own gas
you have had at least one instance of partial nudity at the beach...whether intentional or unintentional
you never say "down the shore" unless you're trying to explain to a benny where you're from
you revel in the secrecy of b*****d beach (name hidden to protect its bennylessness)
you do not say new joisey..in fact you know that no one from joisey does...or anyone for that matter
you don't laugh when you tell people you're from jersey and they say "o what exit har har har"
you know you're the only people on earth who don't have an accent
the smell of the ocean is better than any other scent in the world!
you sleep on sandy sheets...all year round
you given a benny the wrong directions at least once:-)
you truly believe in your heart that we have a parallel culture to orange county, CA...and it is so true
you know you're hair looks its best after being in the ocean
at least one of your friends genuinely does surf
you know that you can't make a left anywhere and that the jughandle is a way of life...so is wawa
you know that you live in the greatest place on earth when your sitting in the snow...looking at the ocean
you know that pork roll is more precious than gold and have never been more scandalized than when you found out that other people have never even heard of it..let alone consumed it

I Cant Believe Its Not Better

I went food shopping on black Friday and what a pleasure. I mean really no lines at the supermarket, because everyone was either stuck on the highway on raiding the mall. While walking through the supermarket looking at some of the different products I went to get some butter to make some toast or grilled cheese with. I looked at the selection I was puzzled I wasn’t sure whether to choose butter or margarine. A flurry of thoughts ran through my mind calories, fat , and a family history of heart disease. So I decided to research it this is what I found. The making of margarine is a multi-step process. Margarine is man made by using different kinds of oil such as cotton seed, corn oil, coconut oil, soybeans or other vegetable sources. The oil is extracted from the seed by a machine that presses the oil out of it. To get more oil from the seed sometime it is heated to 350 degrees and even some processes use a solvent. The mixture is then heated again to get rid of the solvent. To make it more appealing in color it requires a further chemical process. In order to make the oil solid it takes a process called hydrogenation. This is where Hydrogen is pumped into the oil which changes its molecules to make it solid. The more they hydrogenate it the more solid it becomes. (Not a very appetizing process in my opinion). Butter is a natural substance made from cream. First the cream is aged in a cool temperature to be sure that the fat has a crystal type structure. This takes 12-15 hours. It is then placed into a churn, which mixes the cream until butter granules form. Here you end up with butter fat and butter cream. The butter cream is poured off and you are left with butter. Then the butter is salted (for taste and to keep it fresh) and then packaged. (A much more natural process in my opinion). The calorie content is quite different while margarine can range anywhere from 0-50 calories per pack, butter can be 100- 250 calories per pack.

Personal Opinion (butter is better)

• Butter although high in fat does not contain the chemicals in margarine


• Butter has stood the test of time.


• The body sees margarine as a foreign non-edible substance.


• People don’t like chemicals in their food and are confused about margarine.


• As people learn more about the potential for cancer causing materials in margarine sales will probably decline further.


• Locally most people prefer the timeless taste of butter over the synthetic taste of margarine.

If i had 1....356 million dollars.

I wrote this in respoce to the Last new Jersey Lottery winner. What would happen if I won 356 million dollars, and how would I feel, and a little philosophy.

My brown eyes are slowly moving from right to left, scanning the new landscape in front of me, committing each new tree and rock to memory. My white tennis shoes step carefully down the stairs as I exit the shiny new Boeing 737. As I set foot on the tarmac my mind wonders what will be in store for me this week. This has been my third year traveling. City to city…country to country. Nothing surprises me anymore. I’ve been all over this big blue-green sphere we call the globe. New York. LA. Sandusky. Chicago. Beijing. London. Paris. Madrid. Saigon. Baghdad. Port Royal. After a while, one city bleeds into another. New York could be in Taiwan. London could be in Russia. Sometimes even I lose track of where I am. Where was I this week? Somewhere in the Western Hemisphere? Ah yes! St. Croix. The Caribbean. I have been here before as with most of the world. My curse began about 4 years ago. It was 2007 and I was just a normal average everyday college student. I lived in a shoe-box, washed my own clothes, ate most of my meals from the McDonalds dollar menu, and I drove around a 1983 Pontiac Tempest. Those were the good old days. Before complication, before money. I relive that day over and over in my mind. I can smell the dirty socks on the passenger seat in my nostrils even now. It’s the memories that torture me. I pulled up to the Wawa and even now I can feel the sun on face my as I climbed out of the driver seat. I went in looking to get a sweet tea and a bag of Lays. I came out with 356 million dollars. I know what you’re thinking. I could use 356 million dollars. You want mine? Take it; but finish this story before you make up your mind. I can still feel the grease from the potato chips on my fingers. The grease made the quarter hard to hold onto. It kept sliding out of my hands as I scratched the ticket. I remember sitting on the worn upholstery gasping for breath. The quarter fell to the ground and made a soft thud that made my ears ring. The ticket cost me two dollars. My economics teacher would have told me that the opportunity cost for the ticket was about equal to a bag of jelly beans. Here I am in paradise. Alone. Sure I have my own private jet. My own entourage but no friends. I own 12 houses in 12 different countries and I don’t have a home. I own 2 major sports teams, a cruise line, I have more cars then Jay Leno. I know because that’s the only reason I bought them. I own half of the island of Fiji and it kills me. You are thinking to yourself, “How selfish can someone be?” or “What more can this guy want?” I want a house. A couple of kids maybe. A lawn, white picket fence, but most of all I want someone who likes me for me, not for my money. So if you want my curse you can have it. But I warn you that wherever you run to; your troubles can catch you. Wherever you live; you will long to be back home. No matter how much money you have you will yearn for it to be the way it used to be. The more things you own the less life you experience

looking back

The records warp
Time goes by
Things people write are forgotten
Pages yellow
Names fade
Paint flakes
As time fades away
Wonder who when were
Out of business since when
The people reply since then
People change as time waists away
Tubes burn out
Lights fade
All scars of time
Nothing lasts forever

I wrote this poem and it is a constent reminder of the toll that thime takes on everyone and everything.

You Drink You Drive You Spill RIP

This post was inspired by a few of my friends that recently died of driving drunk, hit a tree and died. I did some reaserch, and gave some of my reasons why you shoulden't drive drunk. and the impact that DD's can have on saving lives.


Drinking and driving has many consequences you have to remember not to drink before getting behind the wheel of a car. One of the most important things to remember is that there are things worse then death. Some of which include paralysis, killing a passenger, numerous law suits, and the least critical of them all death. There are ways around the consequences other options include not drinking at all, having a designated driver or getting drunk and calling a cab or taking the bus. Drinking and driving Death can also affect everyone around you. There is a party Saturday night and the host pulls out the liquor. Everyone is drinking and everyone has to drive home before the hosts parents get home. Some of the people might make it home ok that night. This for others could be deadly. To eliminate this risk they should have a designated driver before drinking. A kid and his friend go drinking and have to get back in the car to drive home. The car swerves off the road and hits a tree. The driver does not die but his best friend does. The person driving has to live with the guilt of his best friend dieing for the rest of his life. There can be other legal issues that occur such as the passenger’s family suing the driver for all he owns if his insurance doesn’t cover it.There is also the threat of being thrown in jail lets say that there is a drunk driver that while intoxicated kills a pedestrian. The driver can be charged with vehicular man slaughter and be sentenced from 30 years to life in prison. The threat of paralysis is imminent while driving drunk. A drunk driver can easily rap himself around a telephone pole traffic light or tree. You will be in a wheel chair, and will still have to pay to replace the traffic light or telephone pole. When driving drunk you might also injure the driver of another vehicle. When you drink and drive your not only hurting yourself, you hurt everyone that knows and loves you. You could be hurting people you don’t even know like the person you get into a collision with. Their family and friends will be affected as well. There are also milder consequences like fees fines and the loss of a drivers license, but in some states there are no fines or loss of license. Designated drivers have saved 50,000 lives and spared much more injury. Over 73,000,000 Americans have served as a designated driver or have been driven home by one. There are many positive things that can come from being a designated driver for example you avoid fines, keep your drivers licenses, stay out of jail, and prevent injury and death. Every single injury caused by drunk driving is preventable. There are alterative ways for every situation a person could be in weather it involves a designated driver or taking a bus or a taxi home. Over 20 percent of all the traffic accidents in the United States are cause by drunk drivers The most important thing to know is that the consequences are so great that it’s not even worth the chance of driving home drunk. There have been a lot of deaths prevented by drunk driving campaigns but not nearly as many as could be saved. Have an alterative method rather than driving drunk don’t become another statistic.

I love to surf so let’s face it I now currently reside in Iowa how do I get my surfing fix. The facts are that don’t ever satisfy my craving for the perfect wave. But there are things that help like watching videos. Through video I can re-live my alternate lifestyle. Carving some sweet waves the sand my wetsuit I just love everything about it. People in the Midwest do not understand my obsession because they relate the ocean to a lake….. there is no comparison on real sand no waves you can see the other side. I just love the ocean and surfing.








PS I was surfing this day about 4 miles north of the pier!

The outline 3

I. Every aspect of Al Gore’s trailer for An Inconvenient Truth manipulates the viewer to want to watch the movie that is coming out. Gore uses the audiences emotions at his dispense to prove his point.

II. The use of the audio in the trailer generates a persuasive aspect, and attacks the viewer’s emotions.
A. The use of audio when comparing pictures.
B. The use of background music.
C. The use of the sounds of the disasters

III. Gore’s choices quotes and diction persuade people to go see “An Inconvenient Truth”. His choice quotes and diction are effective because they target the emotions of the audience
A. The Quotes used by news casters
B. The word choice selected.
C. Words that target emotions

IV. The use of the images directly effects the viewer’s emotions.
A. The fast flashing of the images
B. The color of the text
C. The types of images
D. The way images a are presented (before and after)

V. Conclusion

Responce to the poem

White smiling faces
In the courtroom
In the south
Silent voices in the rear
Blacks only
Reads the sign
In center of the country
They huddle around televisions
Around corner stores
Around news stands
Around the coffin
Morning, praying, crying
Who could do this
A young man reduced to a pulp
Scars left on a well spoken black familyAs white faces smile in the south

** I love writing poetry :)

Video Identity

The video is perfect by simple plan. This video screams identity. The particular group of people being described is the suburban Teenagers of America circa 2002. The video displays the typical suburban setting a group of similar looking houses set on the backdrop of high tension wires and a freeway. The video focuses on the single room of the house the teenager’s bedroom. The video shows a variety of different teenage bedrooms through a single window. Showing that although these teenagers are all in a different houses they are all in a similar setting. These bed rooms are lined with posters pictures and awards representing typical teenage bedrooms. All of these teenagers have the same problem their parents want them to be something that they are not. Just like a normal teenager the teenagers in this video are misunderstood by their parents. This video also depicts the arguments between parents and teens, scene that is played out all across America every day. This video describes the group of people trapped in that stage between 12 and 20, and shows how stressful this time in a person’s life can be. This video sends teens the message that they are not alone, and it is not easy being a teenager.

My Phone went for a swim and drown

I went to lake Ada Haden for a canoe trip with the Agronomy learning community on sunday. I was in a canoe with 2 other people so I was thinking that we would not tip. I had my cell phone and it ended up at the bottom of the lake. I was convinced it was lost so I rowed away. Later that day I found it on the botton of the lake. I brought it back to my house to dry it out, today it still does not work. I am not really missing it. I kinda like not having it.

Today's music choice Queen dont stop me now
I dont have my phone but I am still having a good time

The Green House

It was pouring rain the worst I had ever seen. New Jersey was in a state of emergency with a coastal flood warning in effect. The rain created a blanket around everything it touched there was zero visibility. Lines of cars were pulled over on all of the roads so many that they resembled a large parking lot. There was one car still driving trying to get anywhere but on that road. That was my car, a 1964 impala with the wipers on full blast which barely did anything to the forever encroaching rain droplets. As I continued my treacherous drive the weather only continued to get worse. Tree branches that reached over the started to break and fall. After a couple of close calls I figured I had to stop somewhere. I pulled down a dirt drive and saw an old farmstead. I pulled underneath an old carport. I was immediately greeted by an old woman dressed in a tattered dress wearing a clear plastic rain bonnet. I explained to her that I did not want to pull over in the road because I didn’t feel comfortable there. She welcomed me into her rickety old house. The house appeared as if it hadn’t been decorated since the mid 60’s.The old woman made me a cup of tea. I asked her if there was anything that I could to repay her for her hospitality. She said that there was work to be done in the green house. I couldn’t believe a house that was in such disrepair would have a working green house. She led me through a corridor and into the tropical paradise. I couldn’t believe the vast variety of plants that this woman had collected. She explained that she had traveled the world and the United States taking cuttings of different plants. She planted everything that she had collected in the green house. The green house was filled with vast different types of plants. Some plants were so thorny and prickly it was unimaginable that they could produce the sweetest most delicious fruits. Shiny leaves dull leaves rough and smooth leaves were on different plants scattered all over the green house. Plants were planted in the ground to resemble a rainforest environment banana trees which touched the glass. Even the littlest signs of life were reaching from under the thickest canopy to usurp the tiniest amount of light. Plants in pots grew on wooden benches and surrounded the outer walls. Some didn’t need soil and grew from other plants or blocks of wood. Spanish moss dangled from everywhere like witches hair. Despite the destructive rain outside the inside of the greenhouse was just as warm and peaceful as a hot summer’s day. The outside was totally separate a world that didn’t even exist.

The Rain

Today was a day to get all of my errands run because I am the peer mentor for the Agronomy department. I had to go all over campus and drop off and pick up different forms. I then decided to seek shelter in the Agronomy building to shelter myself from the rain. I am now in the lab wet but thats ok I don't really mind the rain. I plan on working out later today. I have a lot of reading to catch up on in other classes. The rain makes me feel like sleeping. The rain is the sign of the start of something new. There is motivation that tomorrow will bring new things. On September 11th 7 years ago today the World Trade Center was attacked and fell. Living so close to New York City it had a large inpact on my area. The smoke could be seen from my house almost an hour from ground zero. Trains were filled with Men and Women who resembled snow men in shock. Their Loved ones in a state of confusion no television reception no cell phone service, what had happened to their beloved snowmen. New York City was covered in a layer of dull grey dust. Lines at the ferries, Lines at the trains, Lines at the pay phones. Herds of people crossed the bridges anything to get away from that wreched island. They were considered Lucky. I remember the first day after September 11th that it rained. It was a sign of a new beginging no more grey dust, no more shoes in the street. Tomorow will bring better things.

A red skyed moring gives surfers fair warning

Yesterday I recieved a text message the best waves I have seen in a long time. So i get up and check it out on surfline, and there they were beautiful. Perfect curls, large, and clean these are the type of waves right after a hurricane passes. I stared into the computer screen to the big reminders of home.

If you want to see the waves too

http://www.surfline.com/home/index.cfm

my song for today is

Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin

Reasons why I picked this song

• I love Dance Marthons
• The pier reminds me of home
• I also love the ocean

Reflecting on What Did You Expect

The significance of the photographer saying that she wanted Allison to look as if she was sprinkled with powdered sugar is that Allison is a lesbian. This was a crucial part in Allison’s life you can tell this because she is only a little girl yet she remembers a stranger telling her to conduct herself as if she was sprinkled with powdered sugar. Most girls would identify with what the photographer said and would gladly give the photographer what they wanted. Allison was different she was a lesbian, and did not want to give off that "powdered sugar" look because Allison didn't identify with all the other normal girls. The author also talks about her mom putting on her makeup and, that would make her ready to tackle the world. The author then talks about how that is not how she wanted to live her life. This memory that the author has shows that she is an individual especially for the time period. It also shows that at such a young age she already identifies herself as something different (a lesbian). Later Allison touches on the hotel that she checks into (later in life) and her appearance, and how she is viewed by the people in her surroundings (as stranger and possibly and outcast). She does not like the powered sugar image which is portrayed in the beginning.

so this is what a blog feels like

It has been almost 24 hrs since my first entry it feels no different to have a blog. Maybe 48 hours will change my opinion a little bit more. I really love music so I will put music up almost ever time I post if not everytime I post. The music choice for Today is 11:11 by All American Rejects it just puts me in a good mood and reminds me that you always have a second chance.

welcome

welcome to Matt's. ...... blog stay a while