Beyond the Moongate

I Just Realized I Didn't Write Anything Here In 2011

2012-01-23T23:01:00.001-08:00

Must've been a good year.

2012-01-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

You know that feeling when everyone is online except that one person you really want to talk to? It's just all around unpleasant.

Not because it's important, but because it's comfortable. It just feels as if there is something missing, a lack of presence regardless of whether they're within walking distance or a great many miles away.

I guess inanity offsets insanity?

Changing Roles

2010-11-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

The comedian, as a person and a group, has gone under much evolution. Being a stand-up comedian is a fairly recent phenomena, where someone gets up to entertain the audience. Originally, a true comedy was a story or play or production, traditionally about the underdog saving the day and getting the girl--this contrasted with tragedies, epic poems, and lyrical poems. But as technology evolved, we had such acts as the 3 Stooges, or Abbot and Costello, entertainers that would do acts and skits and generally amuse those who watched.

We still have this, but there's more to it now. Branching from the traditional comedies came the comedian, someone who was meant to be funny and point us towards the absurd. "Do you see that over there? That's ridiculous!" For what purpose would you want to do something like this? To evoke laughter, of course! But it doesn't end there.

Lets take a look at the deceased George Carlin, (almost un)arguably one of the greatest comedians of all time. He started off with one of his buddies, and started a small radio comedy act called Burns and Carlin. They did imitation sorts of comedy, imitating famous recognizable people and highlighting the ridiculousness of it all. They were shirt-and-tie straight-edge types. People were comfortable with that, and they'd have their laughs. But the 60's was a time of change, a time of experimentation for a lot of people. Comedians started to get edgier, challenging certain ideas, using less clean language, stuff like that. In one of his acts, Carlin is quoted as saying, "Welcome to my job. What is my job? I think up goofy shit, and I report it to you." He later came up with the famous 7 Words bit, which led to a supreme court ruling about indecency, but kept pushing the envelope. It's no longer just about the slapstick and the absurd, but it develops insights to the human condition and some very intelligent social commentary.

So what is the job of the comedian today? To wade through the bullshit and make you think. Look, for example, at John Stewart. In the Daily Show, he often does the usual pointing out the absurdity, but not in little things but in big, important things. Politics, world news, nothing is safe. And yet he doesn't make us just laugh, but makes us more informed and observant of the world around us. Things are pointed out to us that make us think, "Wow, that's fucked up."

The spark of sanity left in todays world seems to only be held at the people who have people laugh at them every day. And it seems like a sad day that those who pay attention to comedy are also the most well informed people in the world. The mainstream laugh them off as kooky nutjobs that are just there for the laughs, but in essence they are so much more. They are entertainers at heart, but they have important messages to bear.

Right now they are our last bastion of truth in the world. Nobody else is willing to step up.

ikite iru

2010-09-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

demo, mada hitori.

go dono kurai kakaru no?

Flip it

2010-08-24T23:32:00.001-07:00

Image shamelessly stolen from the internet.

It's ok, don't worry.

2010-06-22T03:17:00.000-07:00

I betcha I could make this list longer.

Always

2010-06-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

"i just wanted to make sure you knew"

Things I have been up to

2010-06-17T03:05:00.000-07:00

-Mabinogi

-Listening to excessive amounts of Steve Martin and George Carlin

-Taking a class - Psych 311

-Hanging out when I can

-Tech support

-Watering the garden

-Taking care of things around the house

-Waiting, hoping, dreaming, agonizing, analyzing... mostly the waiting and hoping though. For that chance to fill empty arms.

...I really did dream. It wasn't long enough.

Will There Be Cake?

2010-06-17T03:02:00.000-07:00

Portal 2 in 2011 is exciting. Although there's much to be asked about it, I guess Valve can't spoil everything for us. Trailers

Cleaning Up

2010-06-17T02:30:00.000-07:00

The side bar just seems to cluttered. I'm removing some things from it, but not without immortalizing them... well, immortal as long as the internet thrives.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing our true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd is to risk loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try at all is to risk failure.
But to risk we must,
Because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The man, the woman, who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
- unknown

"Lets give credit where it's due and admit that Scotch Tape was a really great idea." -George Carlin

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and its always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." -Hermann Göring

"Love is giving someone the power to hurt you terribly... and hoping they don't. And we never trust anyone as easily as we did the first time." -Three Panel Soul

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. . . And in knowing that you know nothing, that makes you the smartest of all." -Socrates

A single word can be a powerful thing, but speaking without words is the most powerful language of all. Actions speak louder than words... sometimes to be heard you need to shut up.

Boredom

2010-03-09T11:39:00.001-08:00

Here are some things I did 'cause I was bored:

Gentlemen. (Don't get it? Google it.)

Ceiling cat! (It was at work and only had tape, so not the greatest... pattern from TubbyPaws)

know...

2010-02-02T22:33:00.000-08:00

What is this I don't even

I don't know anything anymore

2010-01-24T02:52:00.000-08:00

I'll just leave this here. Sorry.

Snowballs

2010-01-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

"There's one other thing with snow. Even when you're fifteen or sixteen and you just want to get laid and snowballs no longer hold the slightest interest for you--or even for that matter if you're never going to see sixty again--when it snows you've always got to make one snowball. Only one, but you gotta.

"Just to see if it's good packing."

-George Carlin, from his sortabiography Last Words

Fixedsys

2010-01-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

Hmm... it appears that fixedsys is not a font supported by Google Chrome. If you're browsing through and see that the ASCII Temjin there on the right looks like a pile of garbage, well... that's why. It SHOULD look like the thing above.

Frozen

2009-12-02T01:26:00.000-08:00

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Hopes and dreams

2009-11-21T03:48:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I dream. Not often, but on occasion I do. Generally if it's vivid enough, I'll remember it when I wake up.

In some of these dreams, everything seems to go all to plan, or extremely in my favor. I'm flying, I find a stack of money in a gutter somewhere, I'm surrounded by my favorite people, that kind of thing. Then I wake up, just so reality can go, "haha, just kidding!"

In some other dreams, I am terrified. Things are happening that are beyond my control... I am falling, something dear to me is lost or destroyed, or something else gut-wrenching occurs. Then I wake up, just so reality can go, "haha, just kidding!"

Sometimes, I don't dream. "Life," they call it. Things happen to go to plan or in my favor, and other things happen that terrify me and are beyond my control. Sometimes I ask, "am I dreaming?" And hope that I don't wake up. Sometimes I ask, "am I dreaming?" And hope that I do wake up.

I hope someone comes up to me and says, "haha, just kidding!" Please don't tell me it really happened...

11:11

2009-10-28T00:45:00.001-07:00

"It's 11:11, make a wish."

I make a wish.

The time turns to 11:12.

I reset a clock to 11:11.

I wish again for the same thing.

I keep doing this.

It hasn't worked yet.

Wishes don't provide instant results.

It would be nice if they did.

But I will keep wishing.

At the moment it seems futile.

But it will come true someday.

Even if I must do it myself.

Sometimes we cannot wait for our fate.

Sometimes we must shape it ourselves.

Even so, we cling to superstition.

I want to tell you what I wished for.

But if I told you it might not come true.

But you probably already know what it is.

I'm sure you made a wish, too.

I wonder if you made the same one as I.

You don't have to tell me though.

I think I know too.

And I'm glad.

Sometimes I feel like...

2009-10-21T01:04:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I feel like this:

Other times I feel like this:

On occasion I feel like this:

Sometimes I even feel like this:

But a lot of the time, I just feel like this:

I dunno who made all of these images. If you did, you're probably awesome.

Stay

2009-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

I will stay here, by your side, 'till the world ends.

Which happens to be server maintenance at the moment.

But when the world returns, so will I. You?

Analogy

2009-10-12T03:00:00.001-07:00

Life is like playing a piano that's on fire. Sometimes you have a great composition, and sometimes you just slam your head on the keys... but before you can churn out very many notes, you realize that the piano is on fire, and you frantically start to play more notes. Strings get warped and break, the fire gets hot, and the integrity of the piano is weakening by the second. And try as you might you won't be able to play any more notes.

Because you set the fucking piano on fire.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this

2009-10-12T02:53:00.001-07:00

Guilty.

Comic's title: "On Loneliness". Props to 3PS.

Burden

2009-08-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but one of my friends decided to throw her life into my hands.

I didn't know her well, really. She was in my health class sophomore year, she found me on facebook, chatted a bit. And we hung out on Wednesday, had an ok time.

Then tonight she IM's me and asks me if 33 pain killers "is enough."

It's apparent I'm the only one she told. She tried to OD on them. I told her to purge them, call 911, but she wouldn't do it. What choice did I have? I called 911 on her behalf and tried to get the paramedics the best directions I could... I barely even knew where she lived, but I guess I got them there fine. I was asked to drive to the scene if I could, so I did. The paramedics got there before me and told me she would be fine. A relief I guess.

What if I wasn't there? What if I just ignored her? What if I didn't call the paramedics? What if it was just a cry for help? In 3 of 4 of those cases... she could have died.

It's too much to bear. To have someone put their life in my hands. I just hope I did the right thing.

Starry Night

2009-07-27T01:25:00.000-07:00

When I came home tonight, I looked up at the sky. Everything used to look so clear--I could see the stars very clearly and vividly. Now, I look again, expecting that vision. It is the same sky, yet it is alien, obscured, blurred. My eyesight is losing its edge.

On my own, I'll never be able to see the same sky I did when I was younger. With the help of glasses, I'm sure I'd be able to enjoy it like I once did. But even then, it's different, the light bending in different ways. It also seems further away, as if I must view my own sky through a window.

What does the night sky symbolize? Darkness, mystery, excitement, dreams... many things. One could interpret it as a symbol, that life is no longer exciting, no longer has that same edge that my vision once had...

Or you could take it that my eyesight is just going to shit. Your call :P

...

2009-07-18T02:49:00.001-07:00

Why?

Lucky

2009-05-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

"Got my family, and I've got all my friends-
I've been lucky in my life.
And I've got no money but, there's no need to give up-
I've been lucky in my life.
As I live my life with a smile on my face,
Will I be lucky in my life?
Even when I'm feelin' down, is ok 'cause I know,
I could be lucky in my life."

I wish Eiffel 65 would come back... oh wait, they reformed under the name Bloom 06. Intriguing.

Reversal

2009-04-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

You know how they have weird names for groups of animals, such as a school of fish, gaggle of geese, mob of kangaroos, murder of crows, business of ferrets, etc.

Well, they call a large group of baboons a congress. Sometimes I wonder if they got that backwards.

You have been deleted.

2009-01-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

You

But what has been seen cannot be unseen.

know

And what has been done cannot be undone.

who

Life goes on.

you

Move on.

are.

I haven't written anything in a while.

2008-12-28T02:04:00.001-08:00

A Typical Atypical post

2008-10-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

I was gonna make a new post about how I'm disgruntled with some people not mentioning that they're in a relationship after they seem to have shown an obvious interest... but I decided that it was trivial and chuckleheaded.

So instead, I am posting a picture of a cat. I figured it would be a lot more amusing and would pay off some debts. Cats are the currency of the internets, you know.

A quick note about time

2008-09-19T00:53:00.001-07:00

Remember, time is a system of measurement that we invented to describe the interaction with objects between each other between certain coordinates of a 4th dimension. The second, which is a SI unit, was created by us to standardize this concept. So, just to upset the status quo on time, I've decided to start using a new system, and I got my watch upgraded to reflect this change. Right now, the time is...

...the best time ever.

Also, I finally figured out how to transfer images from my phone to the computer. Bluetooth ftw!

Starving College Student Fund part deux

2008-08-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hello. You may remember how last year we put ourselves out into the world and asked the kind people of the world if they would donate to the cause of starving college students, namely the one named Matt. We had a great turnout last year, but I think we can do so much better this year. I sincerely thank all zero people who sent donations of food, ramen, or whatever they had on their shelves to feed the people who sometimes don't have time to run down to the store and grab some food themselves. This year, if we all get together, I think we CAN make a difference, and have at least ONE person donate to our cause.

You may send all donations to our new address of operations:

Matthew Klug
1025 NE B Street
Pullman, WA 99163

Our base of operations may have changed, but our position has not. Please open your heart and contribute to the cause!

(Or, like last year, just take it as an opportunity to find my mailing address.)

Interesting Occurrence at Work Today

2008-08-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

Coworker: "Dude, did that girl just give you her number?"
Me: "Yep."

:D

Villain

2008-08-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

The term "Villain" originally meant "farmer." However, through the ages, this phrase has been corrupted to the term "evil-doer." But still, the original definition still stands, a villain is a farmer. Just because some farmer dude tied a woman to the train tracks doesn't make all farmers do this, but of course, the human race's superior social intellect totally redefined this word... one use in mass presentation leads to one misuse in another mass presentation, which equates to mass misuse.

So, in what frame of mind would an evil-doer refer to his or herself as a villain, or a supervillain? I guess it all has to do with whatever work he or she thinks they are doing. A farmer is neccessary in cultivating crops and they perform a vital function in keeping society functioning. Maybe the villains believe they too are neccessary--Perhaps they think of themselves as social farmers, trying to weed out what they deem to be corrupt in the world, in other people, in themselves.

Or maybe they just misuse the phrase as well.

By the way, using the original definition, wouldn't a supervillain be, like, Superman if he were a farmer? Or maybe the CEO of a mass farming corporation.

The Hindenburger

2008-07-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

To commemorate this 100th post, I introduce to you...

The Hindenburger.

"This fiery burger is sure to leave your mouth gaping. One large flame-broiled patty is put onto a toasted zeppelin-shaped bun and topped with pepperjack cheese, habeneros, our special Hindenburger sauce, and topped off with a jalapeno-stuffed olive. Our signature sauce contains ketchup, brown mustard, horseradish, garlic, tobasco, and a drop of capsacin extract--In other words, this will have you crashing within 34 seconds and have you yelling, "Oh the humanity!" This is sure to be a meal of infamy."

Me and my friends had been tossing this idea around for some time now, and we decided to put it into action. Our goal: Make one really spicy burger, with a description worthy of history and our insane craving for edible fire--The most epicly spicy burger imaginable. A week before, we found on the internet some very intense stuff: One million Scoville units in liquid form.

It was so epic that we just had to get it. And besides, this stuff is no joke. This is extract from a Capcasin pepper, in a rather concentrated form and it is explicit in the fact that it is an additive ONLY, and not a sauce. On the label, there are warnings, cautions, even a whole big paragraph that says that the company is not responsible if something unfortunate were to happen. To demonstrate how potent it is, we put one drop at a time into a gallon (or 3.78 L) of Generi-juice. A guage of spicyness is supposed to be measured by one drop in a million drops of sugar water, so I'm pretty sure a gallon sufficed. Lets go about this scientifically:

For the most part, the first drop made it pleasantly spicy. The second drop caused the drink to have about as much bite as, say, Tim's Jalapeno chips. And a 3rd, well, that was getting up to spicy levels comparable to Shin Ramyun. Only 3 drops and it was beginning to be too hot to drink already. Excellent!

Now, we had to put it into use. We got a loaf of french bread and cut it in half for one large bun. We then proceeded to form a large patty that would fit the bun. Then we needed toppings- Onion, Pepperjack Cheese, habaneros, and our special spicy concoction. Problem: How do you put a small drop of concentrated fire evenly across a burger? Solution: Make a sauce!

As you can see, it consists of ketchup, bbq sauce, brown mustard, horseradish, tobasco sauce, garlic, and the capsacin extract. After this, we got the hamburgers cooking, the bun all toasty, the ingredients prepared and our nerves ready. Assembled, this is the final product:

And now we feast.

While eating this, we went through a LOT of milk. Milk is a good way to reduce the burn from the enzymes because of the sugars (lactose). Between the 4 of us, we had 3 liters of milk (approximately .75 gallons) and about 6 bananas. This had to be the most intense food that I've ever eaten. And I think all of our intestines agree.

Here are some other fun pics from the endeavor. Enjoy! (Also, my camera sucks. Sorry >_>)

Lightning

2008-07-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Thunder. Lightning. Power in its purest form. To many, it brings forth inspiration and imagination. To some, it strikes fear in their hearts. And to an unlucky few, it actually strikes. With a blinding flash and an echoing boom, it is truly a magnificent event, a demonstration of nature's raw power. Since we've existed, man has ventured to create and control this power, but none have come as close as the clouds above our head.

And then, in an instant, it is gone. It is a wonder, but the most beautiful and magnificent things can vanish in an instant... And we are left with the bleak gray sky, waiting for the next one to come along.

Never Gonna Hear the End

2008-06-13T21:53:00.001-07:00

Now that the internet has created the Rickroll, is it still appropriate to play "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley while Hanging out with your friends? With your girlfriend? While making out? Making love? On a first date? On any date? While proposing? At the wedding? On the radio? In your car? On your iPod? In a baseball stadium? At a LAN party? At any party? As a personal theme song? While working out? While waking up? While falling asleep? While singing it to yourself? While thinking it to yourself? The list goes on.

Music Boxes

2008-06-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

The music box seems to have become a lost art. In this day and age we don't need them per se; computers and music players seem to fulfill the general populace's music needs. But I like them. I think that the melodies they produce are rich and beautiful. But because they're such antiquities, I can't just order a box that plays the music I want it to, since it seems that nobody is able to craft them anymore. And those places that do have them online are expensive, aren't simple looking, don't have room for custom songs, etc.

There are four songs that I'd personally like to get as music boxes: "Fragments of Dreams" from the game Chrono Cross, "Far Off Promise" from the game Chrono Trigger, "Illium" from the anime Elfen Lied, and "Davy Jones" from Pirates of the Carribean. As much as I'd like them in actual, tangible music box form, it probably won't happen.

Let's hope all of those people into steampunk will revive interest in this archaic music style.

A Plethora of Opportunities

2008-06-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Life has offered many choices, many opportunities waiting to be discovered. No two people have the same ones, and I am no exception. But what most people don't tell you is that sometimes there's a time limit, or one opportunity will shut off another, without your knowing. So here I am, the product of my choices.

I have tried to not burn my bridges, so to speak, when it comes to leaving a good impression. I like it when people like me, and I wanna keep it that way. There are some things that I've had to put behind me though, even as much as it hurt or sucked to do. All in the interest of keeping my options open and maximize my chances for success in the future.

But sometimes, there are those chances that have slipped me by. I really wish I could go back and change things, but I am only left with the regrets of my past. That's a hard thing to say, because it is not good to regret one's actions, but... there are some things that I'll still beat myself up over.

Observations

2008-06-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a few observations I've made throughout my lifetime thus far:

-"Fit as a fiddle" seems like an odd phrase. Does that mean the person is not broken and the strings are all there and in tune? If you've played violin, you know that it could break easily and a number of problems can arise. I think a more appropriate phrase would be "Fit as a fiddler," since they seem to be more active than a fragile piece of wood.

-Let's say I'm hanging out with my atheist friend, and as we part way, he says "Bye." Now, "Bye" is a short way of saying "Goodbye," which is a corruption of "God bye," which in turn was a short way of saying "God be with you" in the middle ages. In that case, when my friend says "Bye," is he undermining his own beliefs (or lack thereof)?

-Japanese culture has a superiority complex. Don't believe me? Here's an example: The kanji/word 和 (wa) means "harmony" or "the way" in it's literal translation. But it also is a way that Japanese describe themselves. 和食 (washoku) for example is generally translated as "Japanese cooking," but is most literally translated as "harmonious meal." There are probably several other things like this. Don't get me wrong, I love Japanese culture, but things like this bother me in any culture.

-Speaking of kanji, the Chinese intellectuals who invented this writing system had a sense of humor, but were also somewhat sexist. 男 ("man") is made up of two kanji, rice field (田) and power (力), showing that they were the strong workers. 女 ("woman") is supposed to be a person with a large belly, aka a pregnant woman. Then, as other words came into play, they thought it would be funny to make the word "cheap" as 安, which is supposed to appear as a woman under a roof, either signifying a woman staying at home, or a whorehouse. You be the judge.

-Germans were quite sneaky with hiding weapons. Medics, in particular, had those soft flat hats that you could expand and put on your head. What they did with these was install razor blades in the back of the hat on the top for an emergency situation. If an enemy got too close, they could grab the front of their hat, swing it down in front of them, and give the opponent quite a painful slash to the face or chest. Not necessarily deadly, but possibly enough to get someone out of a tricky situation.

-Scientifically, white is the presence of all color (more correctly reflection of all color) and black is the presence of no color (more correctly black is the absorbtion of all color). But to an artist, white is the presence of no color and the presence of all color on their canvas would make some weird brown color. To a hippie, tie-dye isn't just every color, but a way of life.

-What color is a mirror? You'd probably say silver. But whatever you put in front of it, that color would be reflected back without fail. As stated above, white is the reflection of all color. Therefore, one could argue that it is white. It may appear silver around the edges, the absolute reflection of everything would constitute a loss of a color of its own. Thus, one could argue that a mirror has no color. So I ask again, what color is a mirror? The answer is enigmatic.

-In our base 10 number system, the square of any number will have all of their digits add up to 1, 4, 7, or 9 if you keep adding them until they reach a single digit. (For example, 7^2 = 49, 4 + 9 = 13, 1 + 3 = 4; 15^2 = 225, 2 + 2 + 5 = 9) It actually repeats itself in a pattern every 9th square, as follows: 1, 4, 9, 7, 7, 9, 4, 1, 9. So in our system of 10's, there is a system of 9's. (A practical use for this would be a quick way to rule out non-square numbers, for when their digits add up to 2, 3, 5, 6, or 8). If you're wondering why it might go every 9th, then it would be because nothing would add up to zero besides zero itself.

-The argument that .99999.... = 1 is to the mathematical community as the argument of evolution vs. creationism to the biblical community. The reasoning against is such that they are two separate numbers, and the age old calculation of x = .999..., multiplying each side by 10 and subtracting x is flawed and rife with errors. However, the reasoning for is that .999... and 1 are not distinct, meaning there is no other value between these two numbers, and with some simple calculus, you can show that they are technically the same with this equation:
However, the against side would again argue that this means it is merely approaching 1, rather than actually being 1. This just means mathematicians have something to bicker over.

Well, that was fun. Hope you learned something. Maybe I'll do this again sometime.

Comforting, or Scary?

2008-05-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

So I just realized today while sitting on my bed that no matter where I am in my room, I'm within 5 feet of some sort of non-projectile weapon. Not all of them are really much of a threat, but imposing nonetheless. On my guitar stands, I've got my naginata displayed in a way that everyone can see it, and I could get it out easily. On my desk, I've got a double headed flail. By my bed, I have a hidden blade thingie. By my door, I have a machete that was found in my grandfather's garage. On my shelf, there's an Alaskan Ulu knife. In my other room, I have both a rapier and the battle broom in my closet.

So if anything, it's safe to say that I could scare the crap out of any thief in the house or drunken frat boys in the yard.

Quick Question

2008-05-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

Why had I never heard the term "Superdelegate" at all before these primaries? I mean, nothing in our history classes or civics or social studies or American History ever talked about them... why are they so important now and not then?

Bleh, politics...

Am I Invisible?

2008-04-29T02:20:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am. On numerous occasions, I have been just lying on my bed, and when people come in to talk with my roommate, they're like "Where's Matt?" Oblivious, of course, of me staring at them from my bed in the corner of my room. I'm not disguised at all, but am I really not that noticeable?

The other night I was at Applebee's with some friends. I ordered a burger with a side salad. I got the burger but no salad, so when I spoke up, I got some apologies and eventually a salad. Then, when desert came around, I wanted to try the chocolate mousse dessert shooter, but they didn't bring it out. I speak up again, and the waiter has an "oh yeah!" moment and brings it out. I didn't get charged for either case, they must have felt bad.

I dunno, lately it seems that I've been either in someone else's shadow or out of sight. I don't really have much explanation as to why my words sometimes fall on deaf ears. I mean, sometimes I can't seem to add my input into conversations and whatnot, but to be completely ignored or forgotten about really just kinda sucks.

RIP Megaman

2008-04-14T01:12:00.001-07:00

This is the Megaman we put on our door. 9 pages of 8 bit goodness.

Alright, I like living in the dorms because there are a lot of awesome people. But at the same time, there are the drunks and the dicks. They've been jabbing at me and my roommate's door all year, defacing the whiteboard, putting up really amazingly stupid things on there, drawing penises, but they hadn't touched the Megaman since we put it up.

But last night someone finally tore it down. And I'm pissed.

Through the eyes of a child

2008-03-13T00:30:00.001-07:00

Sometimes we all must wonder about ourselves. About how we think now, how we think we'll think in the future, and what we've thought in the past. But some people forget that they were children once. And these people seem to have forgotten why children sometimes act strangely, do weird things, act outside of societal norms because, well, they don't know them.

A child doesn't truly know what's right or wrong, so they act according to their curiosity. Only after they take action do they learn "right" and "wrong." Now, there are 2 types of stimulus here--The action itself either causes a positive or negative reaction thus influencing whether the child will do it again, and a stimulus outside of the action (such as a parent) who punishes or rewards the action. After doing this for some time they learn and act accordingly. But intermittently, there's a stage where the mind of a young being is wild and may see things in ways we don't after our minds have matured.

For example: In my childhood I was apparently a screamer. I didn't stop crying until I was the age of 2, when I apparently 'clicked' and entered my curiosity stage. This of course meant preschool. Now honestly, I don't really remember these years much, only brief flashes. But I do remember copying down and repeating things I saw and heard, drawing (scribbling), writing (scribbling), singing oldies, and the like (scribbling more). Now apparently the educators thought I was "special." You guys that know me today know that I wasn't in special ed and I don't have any major disorders, but back then, apparently my mind was very different, very jumbled, especially while expressed through drawing.

In early pre-school we had a project where we drew on something with markers and they'd be made into plates. Now, I might be wrong, but I THINK I was trying to write the alphabet out and give it to my mom as a present. She saved it, and for some reason, decided to show it to me today. Now here's what I'm pretty sure I saw through my mind at the time:

Here's what I drew, faithfully recreated because I don't have a camera on me:

Yep. Waaaaay different. I don't even know what some of those are trying to be, but I suppose it made sense at one point. (And believe me, I sketched this out with my tablet, and if I had a camera, it would look damn close to this).

Now, at the time, I didn't know this was wrong. But then again, they hadn't formally taught us how to write letters yet, so I was clearly jumping the gun... however, the educators didn't seem to recognize this as an alphabet of any kind, or any earth speak, and instead referred me to a special preschool of sorts. Whoops >_>

Anyways, I guess what I'm getting at is that through the eyes of a child, the world is much different. It's larger, it's colorful, and it's all at your fingertips. Most people have "grown out" of this phase of thinking and can't seem to think simple anymore. True, it's not easy in this day and age, since we have a lot to do, a lot to think about, a lot to worry about. And when it comes to children, well, they aren't very fluent communicators, but they try the best they can. Some are just bad at it. But its troubling that some adults can't listen to children. We know that we want the children to conform to societal standards, but they forget that there's a path to do it. There's no way to just make someone behave the way you want to instantly, there has to be a nourishing path that allows for creative growth and learning. It just seems that we really are impatient sometimes.

You may find something from a long time ago that was one of your accomplishments. Nowadays you may think "Wow, I really sucked at that." But when you were young, I bet you thought it was the greatest thing that ever happened, ever. And you must also remember that it was you who did it. If we could fully remember our early childhoods, you might have a lot of insight on what you were and how you came to be.

Hmm...

That Which Changes

2008-02-25T00:15:00.000-08:00

Life one year ago is so much different than it was now. Just looking back on it, so many things had changed. Think about it... a lot can happen in a little over a year. Things that come to mind are as follows:

A life without parents... Well, I still have parents, but they're not here every day I am. They're not here to ask about my day, nag me to do homework, cook a warm dinner, set rules, set a curfew, do chores, and the list goes on. Now it seems that I broke out of dependence of that. Friends may or may not want to hear every detail of life. I have to somehow motivate myself to do homework. Meals, rules, and curfews, well, they're not standardized. I don't adhere to a regular schedule when it comes right down to it, except for classes and that's it. I have to pave my own path, and then proceed to walk down it.

A life without a job... College has been important to me for almost my entire life, and this first year I went without having a job. At this time last year, I had two at the same time. Don't get my wrong, they were a good experience, but so short lived it seems. Before that I just had volunteer experience, and right now, I have nothing except homework and the thought to fill out the computer lab job application again. It makes me wonder, is college truly preparing me for the workplace? A balance must be struck between work and school I think, so I need a job. Hopefully I'll get one next school year, but for now, I guess I'll enjoy sitting around and not having pocket change.

A life without dating... I can't say I haven't tried, but then again, I haven't been persistent. I've had one person I could call a significant other in the past. It felt nice, to feel love in that way. Then again, the way things were, it was taxing on time and money. I've never been the most popular guy; I usually find my niche and stay there. People don't jump at the opportunity to ask me out, find me the hottest, all that jazz. I don't know what it's like to jump from one relationship to the next, but I guess that's alright. Being dedicated to one person for a long time felt right to me, but now I don't have anyone like that, anyone to dedicate my time to. I'd love to share with someone, but that time will eventually come, and I must be patient and wait for it. The search for the perfect person is not plausible... I only hope that I find someone that I can love for her and her for me. Only with time will I know.

The first item here is a more permanent change. My parents won't play as vital of a role as they used to, but that doesn't make them any less important. Without them I wouldn't have made it this far. However, the other two items are bound to change at a moments notice. Life happens quickly. The things that I know will stay constant is friends. Although I don't have as many as a lot of people, they'll be very important, and they're something that I refuse to live without. People to talk to, people to trust, people to have fun with, to go through the good and bad times. Sometimes I wish I could do more for these people, but the best I can say is that I'll be here. I'll wait up for them, talk to them, but most importantly listen--It's the least a friend for life can do.

I don't really know what I wanted to accomplish with this post, so I'll leave it at that.

Been doing some art 2

2008-02-18T17:49:00.001-08:00

So remember when I did the vector art a few months back? Well, I colored part of it. Go me >_>

Why now and not like half a year ago? Because this weekend was really boring.

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day. Hope you've got better luck than I do. >_>

I feel...

2008-02-07T21:13:00.001-08:00

I feel talkative, but I have little to say.
I feel artistic, but I lack inspiration.
I feel depressed, but I don't know why.

I feel like doing something today,
But if my mood is any indication,
I'm not letting myself try...

And the train keeps rolling

2008-01-29T23:28:00.000-08:00

Today was my grandfather's funeral. This entailed 2 things: 1. We had to look nice, and 2. We had to get home. Looking nice involved getting a haircut. Long story short, I feel lightheaded, and comparatively bald. It's not that bad, and I kept getting told by little old ladies that I looked handsome, but personally I would still have liked it to be longer. As for getting home, well, we took the Q200 out of the little airport in town. The airport is tiny. So tiny in fact that it seems almost like a mom and pop operation... hell, there's even a cat at the airport. Still, they flew into Sea-Tac on a little charter plane... and to be honest, its impossible to get on a plane and not have a crying baby on board.

Anyways...

It was raining. As to be expected when something like this was happening. Since I'm obviously part of the immediate family, we got to have a graveside service, which was short and sweet. When the pastor asked us if we wanted to say anything, the only person to really talk was my aunt, who said "He was a great guy..." We were all pretty choked up, so there wasn't much else to be said. Then the full service happened a little later. We heard of his life, and a bunch of people went up to tell a story or two, talk for a bit, and that was it. I wanted to say something last, but I didn't get that chance, so I think I'll say it now:

Grandpa... you were awesome. All of the times we visited throughout the years, the holidays, special events, whatever, you seemed to always be there. Just full of stories and full of energy. Visiting your house was always great fun because there was always some sort of exploring to do, playing with bells, playing on the pool table, playing with the organs, all of that fun stuff. And the handshake of death that everyone dreaded was a sport between you and me, to see who could outgrip the other... "One of these days you're going to get me," he would always say. Just always there and full of energy. All of my memories of you were happy ones... except one. The last time I saw him was on New Years Day. We were chatting, bringing him mail, the usual, until mom left the room. He looked at me straight in the eye and said, "Matt, this is heck. This really is heck and I don't like it one bit." It was hard at that point not to burst into tears, because that really took me back. I know you were suffering, but it's over now. I hope you rest in peace.

Finishing the above paragraph brought me to tears. Today was the first time since I heard the news of his passing that I actually cried. Something that I couldn't bring myself to do, but I cried.

After the service, we went to his house for a bit, and started looking at some of the old stuff that he had. We set some things aside that were important memories of him and such. There's still a lot of work to do there I guess, so there will probably be much time clearing it out.

Then, before you know it, I'm back at school. Life goes on.

The Blind Healer

2008-01-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

To be the blind healer. An extraordinary gift this man has: he can cure the blind, but he himself is blind, too. Ironically, its not that he hasn't tried to cure his blindness, but is unable to do so.

Sometimes I wonder why that is.

R.I.P. Grampa

2008-01-25T00:55:00.000-08:00

On January 23, 2008 at 5:30am, my grandfather passed away.

From the Tacoma News Tribune:

"

Walter R. Tiedtke 10-20-1924 to 1-23-2008 Longtime Lakewood resident Walt Tiedtke, 83, passed away peacefully at home Wednesday morning. Walt was born on a farm near Bowdon, ND to Walter and Anna Tiedtke and grew up in Sykeston, ND. He attended Jamestown College in ND before being drafted into the Army in 1943. He proudly served his country in Western Europe at XIXth Corps Headquarters. After the war he joined his family who had relocated to Tacoma. He attended College of Puget Sound, and during a summer break took a "temporary" job as an accounting clerk at the Baker owned Tribune Publishing Company. He never left. In 1950 he married the love of his life, Shirley Morgan, and they shared a wonderful life together. They were members of the Interlaaken Dance Club, The Elks, and the Daffodilians. Walt retired as treasurer of the Tacoma News Tribune after 34 years of service in 1980. In retirement, Walt and Shirley traveled extensively making many friends worldwide, but always returning home to Lakewood and their loving family. In later years Walt wrote his memoirs, researched a complete genealogy, and tended his beautiful gardens. He made the greatest turkey and dressing at Christmas. We will miss that the most. Walt was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved Shirley, and his sister Lois L. Parson. Left to cherish his memory are daughters, Christy McDaniel (Tom), Lakewood, Lynne Klug (Brian), Puyallup; devoted grandsons, Jason and Matthew Klug, both of Pullman, who spent countless hours trying to help grandpa improve his computer skills; special grandson, Michael McDaniel (Candy), Everett,, little ones Tony and Desiree McDaniel who delighted in the fact that great grandpa Walt didn't like broccoli; dear brother-in-law, Eugene D. Morgan, Sr. (JoAnne), Tacoma; and many nieces, nephews, and life-long friends. Memorial service will be held Tuesday, Jan. 29th at 11am in the Evergreen Chapel at New Tacoma Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to The Salvation Army. We love you dad. Bye-O!

"

He lived for over 83 years. A fulfilling life he must have had. But, so long that I live, so shall he; his memory shall live on.

Snow

2008-01-20T00:58:00.000-08:00

Snow. The embodiment of love and hate. The fantasy that the winter season gives to us, in the form of a double-edged blade. To some it brings joy, and to some it brings grief. Snow gives us the power to play, create, and forget our troubles, but it has the power to hurt, destroy, and remind us of our pasts.

But ultimately, it melts... Is the fantasy over, or are we liberated from our struggles? Like snowflakes, our answers are similar yet unique.

Questions

2008-01-20T00:55:00.000-08:00

How can you know you're ready for anything? And how can you know when anything can strike? And if anything happens, are you brave enough to stand up to the challenge?

We can't all be Superman.

2008-01-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

"You may have the best intentions, but you cannot save the world." -My mother, 2006

This was a time in my life where I had my hands in everything- School, work, scouts, and a relationship. I had an Eagle project to work on, a job to go to, and a girlfriend to attend to, and... I just couldn't handle it all at once. I tried, oh I tried. But I had broken down. I found my mother for consolation, and she spoke those profound words. In a nutshell, it means you can't do everything at once. Set priorities, and put some things aside that must be put aside, even if they seem more important than the other thing you need to do. But don't stress yourself out or wear yourself down, or you may have a similar breakdown.

I know a lot of my friends are having a hard time with a number of things lately. Just hang in there.

Can't shake this feeling

2007-12-23T00:41:00.000-08:00

Worst part is I don't really know what this feeling is. =/

Things have just been all wrong lately. I'm home, its almost Christmas, and my finals went well at school. But there's something pulling at me... or some things.

My grandfather is dying.
I can't get a hold of some friends.
My get-together on Friday was almost a disaster. Almost.
I'm not sure how much my family members will like the gifts I got for them.
Freeway traffic in rush hour really stressed me out.
Visiting the home of my ex made me feel uneasy.
I have a longing for a girlfriend, but no one I could really ask that of.
I'm a bastard for ending the above sentence with a preposition.
I'm not really doing anything useful while I'm at home not doing anything.
I have a dentist appointment soon, and they'll probably yell at me for drinking soda.
Its really hard to add humor to a serious post.
Spies keep sapping my sentry.

I guess the most distressing thing is my grandfather. But I already went into detail on that, so I won't go into it... but its just so distressing to see one of my favorite people struggling to even sit up in bed because he's become so weak. My friends are important to me, and its always a bummer when you can't see them. And although I have means of transportation, I have to share the car with my brother, and it seems I've been using it a lot more than he has; but when he's using it, I'm just here at home, not doing anything important.

I feel like screaming, crying, wearing myself out, and sleeping my troubles away, but none of that will help anything. The most I can really ask for is support. Just to be told that everything will be alright, or acknowledging that I'm liked and loved means the world to me.

An Untidy Commentary on the U.S. Elections

2007-11-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

I have no major news outlet to rant to, so I am going to be a bit off-beat for this entry. Here is what I have to say about our elections. (Please bear with me if you can--this is a heavily opinionated article and if I'm lucky I may piss some people off).

Before I start, let me get this out of the way: Lets not have a repeat of this last two terms, shall we?

I'll start off by addressing the "popular" candidates by taking a look at the major info source for the average person: The news. The news media loves politics. It just eats it up and shows you what the highest bidder wants you to see. Seriously... The coverage of all of the presidential campaigning going on is ridiculous. And for several reasons. For one, the major news networks like to force feed us bullshit. They praise the unpopular candidates, of whom consequently become the popular ones; then they continue by manipulating the words of the ones that make sense, denouncing them and twisting their words to an opposite meaning. This is disturbing, to say the least. The news providers are supposed to be our unbiased source for the happenings of the world, but as of late seem to come up with half-truths and lies. Another thing is that not all candidates are given equal time. The media has placed its bets on Clinton and Gulliani. Those seem to be the only two to get any coverage, and what the news outlets spew out is that those two are the best thing since sliced bread, and that other candidates eat babies in comparison.

But the thing most unnerving is how campaigning here in America works. Or, should I rather say, when. It seems as if it is a perpetual machine that never shuts off. When was the last time you turned on the TV or news and didn't hear about the next elections? These people start to race for a spot as soon as the last election ends. The campaign trail is just like a 24 hour restaurant, except a 4 year one. And some of these people's heads are just too far up their own asses to notice how utterly ridiculous this is, and yet they don't give a shit (no pun intended... well, maybe). Look at Australia--They only allow 6 weeks of campaigning before their elections. Britain? They get 2 months to run for Parliament. It is disturbing how long we let our politicians campaign, and how much of our money and time is wasted because of it. The sheer amount of time we delegate to these people perpetuate the flip-flopping, the lies, the corruption, the bribes, the manipulation, the mudslinging, the blood feuds, etc., when it all needs to just...stop.

What I'd like to say is this: The elections are still a year away. People should not be worrying and warring over the candidates yet. But inevitably, you are. So heed my words, and read them carefully:

Do NOT vote on party loyalties. Do NOT just blindly cast a vote to anyone you know nothing about. RESEARCH these people. EDUCATE YOURSELVES.

People cannot seem to break away from the mass media for their election news and candidate updates. So, I urge everyone to go out and do research on the up and running people we've got here. I'm sure you can find a lot of spreadsheets and comparisons if you can wade through the BS. Read news on the internet, read editorials, read blogs, and research. I want educated people to vote for the candidates. I know there's still going to be corruption and manipulation and crap like that, so that will be a bit out of a lot of people's control. But if enough people speak up and support who they really believe in, there's not much the manipulators can do without exposing themselves as frauds.

I'm not trying to force people to change their opinions and conform to mine, but I want everyone to see who they think is the most fitting person out there. Want to know my opinions? I think the best people in this race are Libertarian (running under Republican) Ron Paul, and Democrat Dennis Kucinich. These two people seem to make the most sense (with Obama being a runner up in my book). Everyone else just seems to be bat-shit crazy. Do you know why I like these guys? Do your research and you might find out. Your findings may shock you. (Protip: "Hackers" who are "manipulating the polls" are a myth. The only "hackers" are the people paid to rig voting machines).

This is the first year I am legally able to vote in a presidential election. I want to make it count. And seeing the state of our country, I want to vote for the right person for the job. And I hope that the masses can get this message and select the ones who will help the sad state of our country, economy, and reputation. And I hope to the Flying Spaghetti Monster that 9/11 Rudy is not a forerunner. That man makes me die a little inside.

On another note, I had a chat with my mom during Thanksgiving. Politics came up, and she said she wanted to vote for Hilliary for this reason: "[She] is the only chance in my lifetime to see a woman president." And I had told her of my support for Ron Paul, which she questioned by saying, "Would you really throw your vote away for this person?" That kinda hurt. She had never heard of him and asked me for his views on things, which I responded to the best of my abilities. As much as I love my mother, I just hope she looks into it more seriously by the time elections roll around.

Spread this message: Educate yourselves.

Grampa

2007-11-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

My grandfather was, at one point, a cheerful man. He's been there, all my life, living in his little abode in Lakewood. "Grampa" we used to call him. We grew older, and were able to have more serious conversations, hearing about his war stories, his memoirs, his wife (our grandmother). But I fear, he may not be around for much longer.

Lately he hasn't been eating. He's been weak and unable to do much. He'd been going to one doctor that kept giving him a clean bill of health. But we knew better, and today he went to a different doctor for a procedure to scope his stomach. The result: he has advanced stomach and esophageal cancer.

All this time he's been going to some quack telling him he's alright... and now we know that he has something much bigger... there's no cure... and no telling how much time there is left.

Tomorrow is thanksgiving. We will see him then, but I don't know if I'll ever see the same grandfather ever again.

I'm troubled.

One week break--time for interblags!

2007-11-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

Ah... so nice to be home after 12 weeks of school. Honestly, I haven't had much time to do much anything besides programming, other homework, and being with friends. So, I think I'll just update to the approximately 2 of you that read this blog as to what is happening and all that.

It's a Thanksgiving break. Its nice to have a whole week off, as opposed to only 2 days, but hey, some is better than none. But when no one else seems to be back at home, well, that's no fun. It's only 3 weeks until most places would have a Christmas vacation, so if they're not in driving range, I don't really blame them. We're 5 hours away, but still, with gas prices going through the roof, even that is pushing it. Still, we managed to make it home (And we were lucky, too, we missed snow in the mountain passes by like a day). It makes me appreciate how comfortable my bed is, how quiet it can be after 10pm, and how its like to have real home-cooked food. Then again, a lot of my stuff is still over at college, but hey, I can still keep myself occupied for a week.

So, out of all of the classes at college, my favorite class is Programming. Likewise, it is also the most tedious. From the beginning, our instructor threw us in the deep end, and expected us to swim. We started off doing simple calculator things, and now we're doing more complex computations, disguised as things such as Hangman and Battleship. Its loads of fun and loads of work. Seriously, a lot of my projects have come down to the wire and were really cutting it close to the deadline. As for a rundown of the other classes:
-Gened is alright, but our TA grades papers like we were supposed to be English majors. Bleh.
-Math is calculus. I don't really need to explain.
-Psychology is awesome, but relies heavily on tests. I'm doing alright.
-Logic is boring. But hey, I aced the last test, so I'm pretty happy about that.

And I've signed up for next semester classes, but I'll post those later.

Other side of things: Friends. I've actually made more friends than I expected in my first semester. Most of them live in my building and/or share classes with me, which is always convenient, and it kinda gives me more places to go. And getting with these friends has also prompted me to tag along with them to the rec center. Since I was in need of some exercise in the first place, there's a lot more motivation to do it in a group of people you know and (in some cases >_>) trust.

Anyway, things have been great, and I'm quite well adjusted to college life.

On another note, its nice not having to write with high standards and purpose. I'm tired of my Gened papers. ù_ú

I just lost the game

2007-10-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

Actually, I didn't. Played a game of Texas Hold 'em Poker with my dad and his college buddies tonight. And I totally won. Too bad we weren't playing for anything, else I would have made bank. >_>

So apparently I'm better at poker than I thought. Woot. But taking a look at the pessemistic side of things, it'll probably never happen again.

Also, I just lost the game.

Necromancer vs. Shotgun

2007-09-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

One raises the dead, the other razes them.

Hehe Pun.

On a somewhat unrelated note, there were missionaries on campus today handing out those mini psalm booklets... BIBLE FIGHT!

3 Star day

2007-09-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Horoscope for Sagittarius, 9/12/07:

"Your friends rely on you to brighten up their lives. Little do they know that it's mutual."

Damn you tobacco

2007-09-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

And now it is that time where I get to rant about things that irritate me. And in case you didn't read the title, it has to do with smoking.

I swear, by the time I am done with this semester, I will get lung cancer, due to the extreme exposure to secondhand smoke I've encountered. I mean, no matter what time of day, or which class I'm going to, I just have to get caught behind the guy that is smoking. And it irritates me that people don't just go do it somewhere out of the main walking areas, but instead smoke right in the middle of a large croud. And its not like they're smoking cheap cigarettes either, these are heavy, thick, and strong enough to give me a headache. Its only been a month but I already can't stand the habit that these people have seemed to pick up.

It seems this is the period of their lives that people fresh out of the house don't have parental rules to conform to. What do they do as a first step? They smoke. Like you wouldn't believe. Its alarming how frequently they do it, and they don't realize it but they're addicted.

This is a big generalization, but as far as I'm concerned, people who smoke have shown me that they are week minded, hate their money, don't care about their body, and act as a people repellent. And it doesn't make it any better when they smoke illegally close to a building. When I can smell it coming through my dorm room window, I become quite irate.

Worst of all, it smells bad.

Please.... just go smoke somewhere else. Not near me. Not near my window.

Stop worrying about me

2007-09-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Seriously... driving me nuts.

I can't escape the drama

2007-09-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Why? Why can't people get off of my back for stupid things?

Example: I say maybe a few times to invitations to do things, then later decline, and suddenly I'm indecisive and antisocial?

Give me a damn break. I don't have to do everything I'm asked to... besides, I'm introverted, its in my nature to not do things sometimes.

I guess introverts and extroverts clash.

Free-flowing post.

2007-09-02T02:02:00.000-07:00

I have nothing better to do right now, and I felt like blogging. So what you are about to read is the product of me trying to make a blog up late. There's no real aim to this, except get my thoughts onto something tangible to reflect upon. Maybe learn something about myself, or let you all know something about me. Who knows what'll happen...

And so I sit here, in my chair. It's 2am on Saturday ni... Sunday morning, and I am by myself. My roommate is off with his girlfriend at their dorm room doing who knows what, so I have the room to myself. Not that I'm going to spread out in it or anything, but I'm not sure if its a good thing that I have privacy, or a bad thing that I'm alone.

The first two weeks of college have been great, but lets face it, I haven't made a slew of new friends yet. I like all of my teachers, and its a shame that not all of them are going to get to know everyone well. My gened teacher is a crack-up, math teacher normal (thank hod) (yes, hod), my CptS teacher is nice, my psych teacher is charismatic, and my logic teacher is boring as paint drying. But when it comes to my peers, well, we get nice stadium seating each session, so there isn't really much to do but take notes and listen to the professor. My best analogy is that the classrooms are like movie theaters--You're all there to see the main attraction, not to chat it up with the person next to you. As strange as it may seem, I think with more people it may be harder to find friends. Call me crazy, but that's how I see it.

But its not like I haven't made any friends at all. My neighbors to the right of me are friendly, sociable, its all good. We have breakfast at the same place, since it's during the break between classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I've met a few people here and there, but I don't expect to really make friends too quickly. I guess when it comes down to it, I'm shy. Not antisocial (heh, I have a shirt that says that), but the average passerby doesn't seem to take notice of me. Except once today, I think I got hit on by some girls in a car, but I would guess its because a) I was wearing a football jersey for the game earlier today, and b) I look like a football player. Seriously, no one seems to take interest in me unless I initiate the conversation. And I'll let you know, I am horrible at that.

I guess I'm not really good with people I don't know. Get me a room full of people I know and I can keep a conversation going. Get me a room full of people I don't know and I will be extremely quiet. I think I'm the kind of person that hopes to get sought out. I don't wish to be the seeker, I sucked at that game... but I was quite good at hiding. Hmm...

Last night I went for a walk around campus. a Loooooong walk. I just went out along the sidewalk, blankly staring ahead, at the sky, at the sidewalk. I found some bleachers for one of the practice football fields and sat down, and I thought. I can't remember what I thought about, but what I do remember was how different everything felt. I am governing myself now--yet, what is it that is nagging at me? I eventually got back up and started walking again. Something was nagging, something was bothering me, and I couldn't figure out what. But what I did figure out was something along these lines, cryptic to even myself:

What I want most I cannot have.

This could be a lot of things, I suppose. Another friend, a cat in my dorm room, something... something... What is it that I want most?

My mind drives me crazy sometimes. It is logical, yet it cannot come to a conclusion. It hesitates for simple results, and goes through a long process for just a little solution. I find myself contemplating, making things more complicated than they should be. So for a decision for that which I want most, my mind goes nuts. Material or intangible? Something valuable or something meaningful? And I just don't know. I become indecisive, and I know that someday this will be my downfall.

I think I've tortured you all enough with my random thoughts at this late hour. I'll let you go now.

But one final random note: I miss having a cat. :/

Starving college student fund

2007-08-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hello. I would like to tell you a story. My name is Matt, and I am a college student. Every year, millions of college students face a crisis: starvation. This is primarily due to lack of money.

But there is hope. The best way to solve a problem is send help in advance. If you have a spare packet of Ramen laying around, or possibly a can of beef stew or maybe even some roast beef hash, then remember this: Think of the starving college students!

You may send all donations to:

Matthew Klug
412 Gannon Hall
Pullman, WA 99163

Your donation will go a long way to ensure that this college student in particular will not starve.

And for those of you that are dense, this is the mailing address for my dorm room. Send me postcards. :P (Or food >_>)

...And so it begins

2007-08-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

This is my new little home away from home. I'm at WSU now, in Gannon hall (Nintendo nerds, rejoice!). This is my little workspace, complete with desk, desktop, laptop, stuffed cat, robot army, and bed. Guitar, dresser, and posters are not pictured, but they're still there.

In any case, my first round of classes has started, and I think this will be a good semester. My gened teacher is cool, my math teacher is normal (thank god) and mt CptS teacher is also awesome. Tomorrow, I will see other classes of (hopefully) awesome.

Tabemono wo madazukai shinai de

2007-08-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

"Don't Waste Food."

If any of you have every seen the show "okane ga nai" (which you probably haven't unless you were in Pruden Sensei's class or watched 90's Japanese soap operas), you might know what I am getting at.

Okay, here's the deal. I'm at college now, and as part of my dorm room agreement, we have a meal plan. We get a certain amount of cash on our card to spend for the year on our foodstuffs in the dining halls. And we get a student discount, which is pretty nice... however, the standard plan is the 2 meal plan, which gives you $890 for food. Its not bad- you can get a really nice meal for $5 if you plan correctly, with some extra food to take back for later consumption.

But what some people don't realize is that this money is precious. It is going to run out quickly. Assuming you eat 2 meals a day at $5 a meal, that's about $300 a month. It'll run out before the semester is over. And yes, you can get some foods for very cheap, and it is possible to last probably the whole year on less than a thousand dollars, but you'd have to be very meager on food consumption.

Here's the thing. When we put our trays in the tray return, we put them on little shelves. I've usually been packing up leftovers and taking them to my room. But I see lots of uneaten food on these plates; untouched chicken, ribs, fruit, cookies, you name it. Some people just don't realize that they could save that food and have another meal without having to go to a dining hall.... but no, some people are just wasteful. Makes me wonder how sad of a state some people really are in. And I just ended that sentence with a preposition.

Anyways, I hope you catch my drift: Don't waste food.

Hugs

2007-08-11T23:23:00.001-07:00

A hug can express much more than words ever can.

Clouds

2007-08-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

Clouds. Always there, always changing. Clouds are the embodiment of our hopes, our dreams, our aspirations. They are ever moving, and ever changing, and everyone sees something different when they look to the sky.

But maybe, just maybe, someone will see the same things that I do. I certainly hope so.

And now, the ups of Disneyland

2007-08-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, even after my previous post, Disneyland still managed to be fun. Albeit a tourist trap.

So when we got to the airport, my dad was a bit pissed off at Alaska for overbooking our flight and not guaranteeing us seats. A bit unnerving, especially after we booked the flight over a month ago. But after my dad blew some steam at these people, we made sure we got on the flight. I got assigned a seat next to a surprisingly eloquent 3 year old and her father, making the flight a little more pleasant.

After arriving we had some time to do things on the first day... but it was busy, so we only fit like 3 rides in that afternoon. Then we visited with my dad's cousins, whom he had not seen for like 26 years or something.

The following days, we did several rides, including Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, California Screamin', Indiana Jones, Pirates... pretty much everything besides Toontown, Fantasyland, the Matterhorn, the Submarines (2 hour wait at opening for that one... madness), and all of the crappy kiddy rides. As for performances, we saw the Aladdin show, which was quite impressive, and we saw ASIMO demonstration, that robot that Honda made. All in all, it was pretty tight.

I head home tomorrow.

Stop Taking Our Money

2007-08-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

For the past few days I've been on vacation with my family in Disneyland, falling into a tourist trap of epic proportions. Disneyland: The happiest place on earth, filled with thousands of people, long lines, crying children in strollers, and the occasional happy family. Oh, and did I mention thousands of people?

Well, lets take a step back. How do we get to a destination for a vacation anyways? Pfft, we're too lazy to use cars, so the mainstream population will take the airport. Yes, the most impersonal (and fairly expensive) places in the US now it seems. They check your bags, check you, check your ears, etc. And when it comes right down to it, they take away some items such as liquids (due to 'security' purposes) and other stupid things, then sit you in a terminal for hours at a time, forcing you to purchase those creature comforts. At our expense, of course. The airpoprt has drawn us into its little web, and thats when it starts to drain us of our money, at the airport. Hungry? Buy the McDonalds hamburgers with inflated prices. Thirsty? Hope you have $2 for a bottle of water. Delays, cancellations, and intentional overbooking of flights make it even worse (but that is a whole other conversation.)

Its ridiculous, but it gets worse. The vacation has just barely begun.

The trip through corporate America continues at the hotel. We happened to be staying at the Embassy Suites, but the sad thing is that almost all of the hotels in our area are all owned by the Hilton. So they all have different names, but its all the same. Room, beds, TV with basic cable, and maybe a fridge. For the cost of a month's rent, you can stay in your room for 5 days and still have to pay for food, movies, and internet. That's been the crappiest part about this whole trip, the lack of free internet. Only this computer, owned by my father, is able to access it, because the only internet is wireless. And the account is only tied to one computer. We tried to find a workaround, with no success. So its either share this computer, or pay another $10 a day for other connections.

Well, now that transportation and lodging are out of the way, we can finally get onto the main section. Sure you can't buy happiness, but you can purchase a 4-day ticket to Disneyland, and hey, that's the happiest place on earth. Right? >_>

Well, I'll admit, Disney did an excellent job on designing the entertainment. There are musicians, theatrical performances, and most importantly, rides. All of these are provided with a ticket, and that's all fine and dandy. But you kinda need to have more than a day to traverse Disneyland in its entirety. Lines are extremely long, almost all having over 30 minute wait on a daily basis. But some of the rides are worth the wait, even if you only end up going on like 5 in a day.

But the other half of the park is merchandise and food. Like the airport, all of the prices are inflated, but much worse than the airport. I don't want to have to spend $2.75 for a bottle of coke. At a Target store down the road a 6 pack of soda costs way less than that. Food is horribly overpriced, and all of the souvineers seem to cost a fortune. But the parents will still buy them for their children, because they came here to make them happy.

It seems to me that these multi-billion dollar corporations all have one thing in common: they are really good at taking our money. What would it hurt to bring prices back down to some normal price? Ever since Disneyland became popular (which it pretty much has been since opening) they have made everything more expensive. On one hand, I could say "Hats off to you all for getting me to spend all of my money on you." But, what I'd rather say is this: Please stop.

Corporate America is too wealthy, yet it doesn't get that normal people like us can't keep going there if we can't afford your stuff. Sure, you can. But I can't. I could make you stuff for less.

Then again, what do I care? I got to ride on Space Mountain. Whee!

Been doing some art

2007-08-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

Go me! :P

I'm not much of an artist, but I for some reason had the desire to draw the other day. So I pulled out a Temjin model and a Raiden model and started sketching. Now, if I don't have anything in front of my face, I can't draw things very well, only simple shapes and the like. But if I've got something tangible to look at, I can sketch it with detail. That's just how I roll I guess. >_>

I drew these pretty big, on 24x30" paper. After completing them I took a picture to share with friends... but, it didn't look very good, since my camera sucks and I drew kinda lightly... so instead, I put the photo in Fireworks and ended up tracing every line, 1622 total. x_x

But there you have it. The end result looks pretty cool if you ask me :P (it is a bit disproportioned at times, but lets just leave it as 'abstract' >_>)

I thought about coloring it, but I can't seem to get it right... so I'll just keep them black and white for now. If anyone wants to go nuts with coloring and the like, go right ahead. As long as its in .png format all the vectors should still be there.

Didn't get the job.

2007-08-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

"Hi there,

We here at SCS enjoyed the opportunity to get to know you, and we thank you for your interest in working with us and for participating in our application process. After reviewing all of your information, we feel that you were a qualified candidate but due to a limited number of open positions we are not be able to offer you a position at this time.

We will begin our hiring cycle again in the Fall for the Spring 2008 semester and we encourage you to apply again.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks"

Ah well. Next year perhaps, but... I would have really liked to get a position.

:(

Cyrus Jones

2007-07-24T00:40:00.000-07:00

"Cyrus Jones, 1810 to 1913,
Made his great grandchildren believe you could live to a hundred and three.
A hundred and three is forever when you're just a little kid, so...
Cyrus Jones lived forever."
-Excerpt from Dave Matthews Band's Gravedigger

Traffic

2007-07-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

I loathe the location of the new IT building that the School District felt they had to move us to. It seems so... out of place. Not to mention it is near the urban part of South Hill. The building itself is one thing, but that's a whole different topic... today I am talking about its location, and how much it sucks when it comes to traffic.

The nearest building we're located next to: Costco. Now it seems that on the average day, everyone and their dog is trying to go through this little intersection past Costco, and for being a 2 lane wide road, there is not a lot of room for cars to go by. The end of our office hours coincides with the most popular time to go shopping at Costco. The result? There are too many cars for me to be able to take a left turn to get home. The Traffic is horrendous. Today it was so bad, I opted to go to Fruitland Ave... for those of you that don't know where Fruitland Ave. is, well, I think the part on my end isn't even really considered Puyallup anymore. Still, it seems counter productive, traveling backwards and going in a giant loop to get home. But the funny thing was that this wide, indirect route got me home faster than suffering through the bad traffic.

When I became a driver, I knew I'd have to deal with traffic one way or another, but when you have to go through bad traffic on a daily basis, I can see why it grates on people's nerves. People are in a hurry all the time; they don't really have anywhere they need to be... but they're still in a hurry. Then, there are hundreds of other people in the same kind of hurry that just want to get from point A to point B. In an urban situation, with thousands of cars and many traffic lights, this leads to congestion, congestion makes people angry, etc. And driving with the masses doesn't make driving any easier.

Bottom line, having to deal with it on a daily basis trying to get to work, I can honestly say that traffic sucks.

A Fundamental Flaw with Technology

2007-07-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a fatal flaw nowadays with computers (and some other forms of technology, for that matter). First, we must ask ourselves: What is the purpose of technological advances when it comes to computers? To make better, smaller, and more efficient machines that will improve the ease of use on the end-user. Does this sound correct to you?

Well, as you may have noticed, we have been enhancing our hardware as such. Smaller, faster, more powerful, that's for sure. But, hardware is only part of a computer. it is software that makes them what they really are. And this is where this flaw I see comes in. Software is growing larger too. Everyone is working up, trying to use every possible resource they can.

But ask yourself, Do you really need an internet browser that needs more than 64mb of Ram? Do you need something like Vista, constantly taking up to a gigabyte of ram at any given time? Do you need something to type words onto that takes a lot of resources and processing power?

The people that have created our operating systems are overlooking the basic fact that efficiency is important. They get caught up in using every ounce of power they can squeeze out of our computers, forgetting that people multitask, and that program that's taking up all the memory trying to GET us to multitask isn't helping. I would urge people that make our software to focus on making their product smaller and more efficient, not large and bulky. I'm sure that they can do it with nearly the same result. But it seems that we are still stuck at the same amount of efficiency we were 10 years ago. New hardware makes new software, new software needs more hardware.... a vicious cycle.

Downsize. Everyday-use software needs to downsize.

On another note, XP SP1 > Vista.

Cats

2007-07-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

You know, I've always had a soft spot for cats. I suppose its because I grew up with them. At our old house, we seemed to have dozens of cats that would hang around outside, and the few cats we had would have kittens, and so I became really accustomed to them, and thought they were the best things in the world. But when we moved, we didn't take any of our cats with us. Finally after 2 years and a mouse problem, we finally convinced my mom to get a cat, Ollie. It was actually one of our friend's cats, and since they were moving to England, gave him to us.

We had him until he ran away about 2 and a half years ago, and we haven't really had another cat since. There were neighbor's cats (Koby, Oreo, mocha) and stray cats (Louise, Neko), and Raccoons (they don't count), but its just not the same to not have a cat wandering around, shedding on the couch, sleeping on the same bed, etc. We have a dog that loves cats, but we still haven't got another.

I miss having my own cat.

I seem to be the "cat person" though... I can get a cat to get near me so I can pet it, which for some people, it would take a lot of effort. Hell, when I was visiting WSU a few weeks ago, there was a stray hanging around Stephenson that took a liking to my backpack for a bed, making for a very interesting conversation piece. "Hey, that your cat?" "No, but I wish it was." Fun times. :P

Perhaps, when we finally move out of dorms I can get one. 'Twould be nice.

Sidenav Update

2007-07-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

I put some new things on the side of the web, from thought-provoking quotes to ASCII art. Check it.

Trance is formulaic

2007-07-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

And I have proof. I am posting three tracks.

Track 1: "Souvenir of Ultra" by Stargaze

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Track 2: "Circa Forever" by Rapid Eye

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And now here's the scary part: Mixing both of them together in the same song. (Note, I had to sync them and it sounds rather off near the end, but still... freaky)

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Alone

2007-07-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

When I am by myself, I am somber. I'm not sad, I'm not happy--Just alone.

When I am alone with someone, I am awkward. But I am happy because I'm not alone.

When I am with my friends, I am energetic. Being with friends gives me enthusiasm and a sense of fulfillment.

When I am with my family, I am safe. The familiar setting always makes me feel at home.

But...

When my family leaves, I am independent. I must face new challenges on my own.

When my friends leave, and am sad. There is never enough time to be with friends.

When the someone leaves, I am regretful. Did I miss an opportunity, and will I ever have that chance again..?

Once again, I am by myself. I am alone.

And yet...

When I dream, I find salvation, and I am happy.

That someone is there.

My friends are there.

My family is there.

When its over...

I am given motivation. To move on with my life and make with it what I can.

I am given strength. To seek out those who could always have another friend.

I am given courage. To ask a question, any question, no matter how pathetic I sound.

And then I realize...

I am never alone.

Fortune Cookies

2007-07-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

Call me strange, but I've always liked fortune cookies. They're delicious, and you can get them for pretty cheap. And I know that people associate them with Chinese food, but they're really just some American bastardization of the Asian cultures... regardless, they have little "fortunes" that tell you something that will happen in the future. Chances are, most people just add "In bed" to the end of the message, have a laugh, and then toss it.

But I'm going to open it up for debate, with a simple question:

Do fortune cookies work?

You're probably thinking, "that's stupid, you're stupid," etc. Well, I'm being serious. Do they or don't they work?

Lets start with the argument from the "no" side. Fortune cookies are cheaply manufactured, and each has a little piece of paper inside with some words, sometimes suggested lotto numbers, sometimes a kanji that tries to teach you some Chinese, the works. But, there are so many fortunes out there, that they can't really all work. Not to mention that they're so vague at some points that they would work regardless of what it said. Hell, my favorite one I've ever received is "You will have an opportunity." If that fortune didn't come true, then I'd probably be dead.

Now, the "yes" side of this argument is going to try to make you think. Maybe they do work. But how? Lets just blow away the notion that all of the pieces of paper are mystical, because I don't think the companies have hired a Chinese seer to predict the future. So, that leaves 3 possible scenarios that I can think of.

Scenario 1 is coincidence. Perhaps seeing the fortune makes someone more aware of their surroundings. I got one today that said "Listen to your friends in the coming days to find the answers you seek." Perhaps I will, without noticing, ask someone if they have some new info, or they want something or something like that. They're even sneaky too--When I was shuffling though school papers before I graduated, a fortune fell out of the giant stack I created, and it read "You will soon be in many gatherings and parties." Ha. That was coincidental gold right there.

Scenario 2 is where someone goes out and makes the fortune happen. "You will go on a short sea voyage" tells that person that they're going to the beach and that's that. Its the power of suggestion that initiated it.

Scenario 3 is much more... bizzare. For reference, I am going to use this page, specifically starting about halfway down. Now, it has been tested that someone can alter results just by using thought, manipulation of a number generator just by thinking that you want more 0's than 1's, and the like. Numerous tests have been conducted on this, and they all show the same phenomena: Thinking or focusing on one thing makes it much more likely to happen. By your thoughts alone, you can change the odds. Now, say you get something like "Your efforts in a critical area will soon be rewarded." Now, if you focus on this thought and have a bunch of other people do the same, then you might just get lucky at work, or in a game, or just what seems like pure chance. There are also studies much like this, having to do with the power of prayer. The collective will of the masses and greatly influence things in a way that shouldn't be possible. They conducted a test on several infertile women. One group had people praying for them, and one didn't. The thing is, most of the women that were backed up by prayer somehow overcame the odds of infertility, while the other was most unsuccessful. So if you focus your energy and mindpower on this fortune, will that make your fortune more likely to be true? Maybe.

What do you think? Do my ideas make sense, or can I now officially be called a crackpot? Regardless, I would guess that this wouldn't stop people from still reading their fortunes like "'You must explore new possibilities with friends.' In bed."

:P

4th of july

2007-07-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

I found out that for the 4th of July, we are going to go work on the cabin for a little bit, and then head home for the evening. I dunno if I even want to deal with the traffic that day, but... I'll be staying home.

I'm not planning on spending much money on fireworks, but I think I will be content if I can have a large-scale tank war. You know, those little tanks that you light up. Strap some firecrackers to them and you can see if a tank gets blown up or not. Pretty fun actually :P

If you want to hang out on the evening of the 4th at my place, then let me know. And if you want to, bring tanks and firecrackers and other quality booby traps. >_>

Maybe some roman candles too.

Anyways, lemmie know if you wanna have fun with fireworks.

Alive

2007-07-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

That's the name of this thing I'm having over in Pullman right now. It's a pre-registration/orientation of the Washington State University campus. We get to meet fellow freshmen, get familiar with our campus, and sign up for classes. It only lasts for three days, but they try to cram as much crap into that as they possibly can. The first day I got a t-shirt, a name tag, and a roommate. Then we met our counselors, did some ice-breakers, had dinner, had a welcome thing, and then finally 2 workshops. It started at only 4pm, so that's a lot of stuff to cram in 5 hours. Although, most people had to take a math placement exam (but I was exempt *yay*).

Today was day 2 of 3. First thing on the list was writing placement, and once again, I was exempt. Instead I sat in front of our temporary dorm room and started reading "Fabric of the Cosmos." It's a pretty heavy read, and I was easily distracted by a stray cat that decided my backpack was a comfortable bed. And by people that kept asking me if that was my cat. (Cats are actually good conversation starters if there's one in the vicinity...) Anyways, around 10 we went to more workshops, did some schedule planning, met with an adviser in our field of interest, went to a few more seminars, and went to a BBQ (which, ironically, had fried chicken. And no barbecues.) Also got to hang out with random people, do group activities, make new friends, play some frisbee, survive the heat... You get the picture.

After one of the seminars, we went into our little groups and had a reflective conversation. The seminar itself was a bunch of students doing serious acting, addressing some of the hardships that freshmen might and do face. Things like class workload, acceptance, loneliness, drinking, even things about race and sexual orientation. But, we all had to sit down and talk about something that hit home to each of us. When it came to my turn, I explained how getting friends was not easy, and I wasn't very outgoing, and all of that. And that this was my chance to start fresh, I suppose, since no one knows me, and perhaps thats enough motivation to get me to break out of my shell and get to know people. My counselor later said to me "When you said that... I was shocked. You've been very conversational and outgoing, and I would have never guessed that you would be shy or reserved." And, well, I guess its working. I already made some friends, and I'm trying to be sociable. One of the people I befriended, I found out, is going to be my next-door neighbor in my dorm room. Its crazy. And by being involved and putting myself out there, I'm having a blast, even if some of the events aren't that exciting.

Tomorrow there will be a few more activities. I'll go on (another) tour, I'll get personally advised, and then I will register for my fall classes. Priority registering = good. But there's more. I've got an opportunity to apply for a job in the Student Computing Services. I mean, I haven't even started my college life yet, and yet, I've already got a job opportunity lined up here. And finally I will head home.

You know, college is gonna be fun. I really think that everything will work out okay, so long that I stay on top of things. I'm set on majoring in Computer Science, and if I can, I want to minor in Computer engineering (courses are so similar...) and/or neuroscience. I'm not trying to overstretch my workload, but I'm thinking of taking a bunch of G.E.R. courses to create a foundation for what I want to do.

*insert inspirational message here*

Yeah... I'm gonna go browse the internet now, since this computer lab is finally open.

Reaping the benefits

2007-06-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

So with my graduation money, I bought a few things. First off, I put $200 into savings, to make sure I didn't spend all of my money. IF you know me, then you know that money can burn a hole in my pocket.

Next, I bought myself a PSP. I know, it has a negative stigma, but whatever. There were some games that I really wanted for it (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Every Extend Extra). But I found out just how useless a PSP is without a memory stick. Fortunately, I was able to borrow one for a while from my boss, so that's all good.

Then, I ordered a monitor. Flatscreen, 19", Widescreen, built in speakers. This is a significant upgrade from the 15" monitor I got at a garage sale. :P

As for the rest of the money... dunno yet.

Yearbooks

2007-06-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I dug up my old yearbooks from PHS and started rifling through them. They were nice and all, but missing key elements--signatures were sparse.

My 10th grade year, I had come to PHS out of Ferrucci. For those of you that don't know, I live on the north side of the boundary line, meaning my course was supposed to be Shaw Road -> Kalles -> PHS. However, Ferrucci was closer, and so my path went from Shaw Road -> Ferrucci -> PHS. In that three years that I was "off" I had lost touch with many of my elementary school friends. I pretty much had to start off all over again, and I forgot who I was on good terms with and who I wasn't.

It's sad, last night I only counted 13 signatures. Most of them didn't even have any thought put into them.

My 11th grade year, I was more accustomed to the school. I was in a few more classes I liked, I knew more people, but I was also in Running Start. So in a way, I was more connected, but I had the option of being more distant. I had 5 periods and a bi-weekly night class. Still, it was an overall better year.

In the yearbook from my Junior year, I counted 28 signatures. They had a little more "Umph" to them this time.

This year I had no Running Start classes, and I was connected to more people. This leads to more and more connections, and so I think it was a good year. Being a TA helped too, since it forced me to go around and learn everyone's names. Besides, Calculus was full of people that were my age and level of schooling, so its was nice not having a totally "mixed" class.

This year's yearbook trumps them all. 46 signatures. And to top it off, no blank pages. My previous yearbooks had gaping holes in areas where there should have been inspirational quotes.

There have only been 3 people to sign my yearbook consistently 3 years in a row. First is Dave, the heathen, with epic signatures like "You are Matt. Stop being smart. Makes me look dumb. Here is a cat. *picture of cat* -Dave" Number two is Linda, the corner hog, that always has her bunny of doom and a nice message in the corner, as well as calling me a communist. And finally, Cheyenne, the artist, whose canvas is our yearbooks. There isn't a single person whose yearbook shes signed that is missing a dragon, and I'm almost sure of it. I feel lucky to have gotten a new one each year.

These yearbooks will likely be near and dear to my heart... its not necessarily the contents of the pages, but the people I knew and the memories. Its about remembering who my friends are, and the nice things they have to say. "Amazing," "Crazy," "Smart," "You're so smart you're almost Asian," these are the types of comments I get I suppose, and it puts a smile on my face. There is one, though, that I'd like to share, probably being the most inspirational quote I've gotten in any of my yearbooks.

"I will not lie to you--I've always considered you a rival--because of your intelligence--but MOST OF ALL... because there are far too many Matts in this school. But you know what, you're a cool kid. You don't compromise your character and you have a real passion for your interests. You weren't one of my best friends, but to those who did enjoy your company these couple years, I can say with confidence that you were an asset to them. They can't stop the signal. -Matt Lund"

Thank you Matt Lund. And thank you Cheyenne for Dragons. And thank you everyone that helped make High School a better place to be. *hugs for everyone*

Cut short

2007-06-18T23:08:00.000-07:00

Damn. We didn't make it to the top 10 in the Nintendo Short Cuts. And there's quite the mediocre choice left, if you ask me. Most of the entries are from gaming news sites, and some more people think the contest was rigged. There were more videos with more talent that I saw... ah well. I guess people don't like more serious short films in this contest.

Picture unrelated.

A Gratuate is me!

2007-06-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

It's over! With a day full of purple gowns and overcast weather and tassel turning, I became a graduate. The speaker was lame, and the ceremony took forever, but it waived off the last 6 days of school, so I'm not complaining. Fortunately, I was also one of the first ones out of there, so I could pick up my diploma and get to the high ground, in an attempt to not drown in a sea of people that was soon to follow. After finding my family members and taking a brief photo op, it was time to go to the house. Party Time!

It started off with just the people that attended commencement, but after 2 o'clock, it seems that everyone started to flood in. Friends, family friends, relatives, and some people that I didn't know but must have been family friends showed up. Envelopes were handed out and stuff, and I put them in a safe place for later. It was an afternoon of rib eating, game playing, soda drinking, and fun. I tried my hardest to be a good host, but by 11pm when all of my friends were finally gone, I was exhausted.

But remember--Dreams DO come true:

Muahahahahaha. So apparently it DID fly with mom. Anyways, from what I hear, Costco had to fill 500 orders that night. Chances are they were delirious when they were making the cake, so it probably made sense to them... or maybe not. Maybe it just threw them for a curve. Either way, this cake is made of win and awesome.

NEVER FORGET!

Sidequest

2007-06-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

This actually happened.

So as I was heading downstairs to throw away some ripped cargo pants, my mom inquired as to whether I would do her a favor. When I selected yes, she had told me that she had lost her padlock after cleaning up the shed. Since she obviously had to do something else, I was assigned to this task.

I went straight into the shed, looked down, and saw the padlock to my left. I grabbed it and put it on the door. I went back inside to inform her that I had found it and was rewarded with 25 exp.

A bit cliché don't you think? Man, this real life RPG is just like the fake ones.

A question of faith (Not really questions)

2007-06-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

(Please note, I got this in an email, it is not one of my works.)

How much do you believe in Christ? How much do you believe in your Christian church? If you can read through this list, and come out feeling like you haven't been offended, then you are not much of Christian. But first, read this:

___

"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

___

So here it is, the Top ten list of, "How much do you believe... in Christ?"

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10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."

3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

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Please don't take this as hateful. Its just trying to pass a point along.

Thank you.

Cakes for Grads

2007-06-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

My mom asked me today what I wanted my cake for the graduation party to say. She asked, "What do you want your cake to say?"

Well apparently the words "Shark Balloon Umbrella Cat" next to a picture of an analog clock is not an acceptable cake for graduation. Turns out that it will just say something like "Congratulations Matt."

Damn.

I am not Led Zepplin

2007-06-11T18:04:00.001-07:00

Every time I have my guitar out in public, its like people feel that since I have it I must be a professional. (Mind you, this happens with other instruments too, mainly piano). But there are people out there that constantly and consistently ask me if I know how to play certain songs. "Do you know Stairway to Heaven?" "Blackbird?" "Classical Gas?" It's like I'm being barraged by questions that I don't know the answer to. I'm not a freaking professional, guys, I don't know every song in the world.

Which brings me to, what do I know how to play? Not much, when it comes down to it. I know some chord progressions, and I've created some songs that I'm actually quite proud of. I'm a self taught guitarist- I learned by ear. I didn't take a class, I didn't watch instructional videos, and I didn't read tabs; if people want me to play a famous song, it had better be one of my own. If they want to hear a Beatles song, they can find a CD or tape or record, 'cause I probably won't have bothered to learn it.

People listen to the songs I play, and after I'm done, the most common response is this: "I don't recognize that. What's it from?" This, my friends, is failed logic. Chances are I made it, and the statement above tells me that this person only thinks famous people can play guitar. *sigh* That's just how I am. I try not to copy other's works, and I try to keep what I play as original as I can. It can get slow at times, but it keeps me on my toes. This is how I learn the guitar.

If you're really curious, here's one of my songs. I call it "Pink." (I apologize for the bad quality)

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Perhaps I shall post more songs in the future.

Rain

2007-06-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

It's raining. It's significant. In literary elements, rain is symbolism for change, for an event to be altered. And as soon as it has begun, it has ended.

I wonder what will change. And I wonder if I will notice.

Tablet PC

2007-06-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

This, my friends, is awesome. It is the computer I received as a graduation present. Came loaded with Vista (blah) Business, but its alright. Vista fluctuates on speed and memory usage, which is my gripe... but besides that, it is awesome.

You see, this is a convertible tablet notebook. Basically, a versatile laptop with a touch screen. And its really neato too. I got it as a graduation present, and it will probably be able to last me all four years in college. The touchscreen makes it great for drawing things or making graphs, and there are a bunch of tablet features that make it easier. The fact that its a touchscreen can make it MUCH easier to navigate through windows when I don't use a mouse. And there is a fingerprint reader which can store my passwords and stuff. The internet is super fast, with fast memory and processor to boot. And the handwriting recognition is very precise. I even installed Japanese on it, which makes for really easy handwriting and kanji conversion. A bunch of other little handwriting programs also make the whole notebook worth having (like and equation handwritten to type converter).

At first I was torn between getting a gaming focused notebook and a tablet, the gaming one so it wouldn't go out of date, and the tablet as sggested by my friend's dad that they're great for taking notes. And I'm glad that I went with the tablet, because I find it MUCH easier to use than a traditional laptop. The only thing I need to do now is get used to Vista, but that's a different story.

All in all, I love it.

Wiiality - Part Deux

2007-06-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here's the Youtube version. The Nintendo Shortcut group might have my video on there soon, too.

Check it.

How to find the volume of a wine glass

2007-06-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

To find the volume of a wine glass using only calculus, follow these simple steps:
1. Draw the glass, neatly and accurately
2. Turn the drawing horizontal and plot one side on a graph
3. Create data points from this graph
4. Using a calculator, create regression equations
5. Using integrals, use your regression equations to revolve the graph around an axis and find the volume, using either the disk or washer method.
6. Add the results from each section to get the volume of your wine glass.
7. Check your answer with a calculus teacher. You will either receive praise, or an answer such as the following:

Fun stuff.

Wiiality

2007-06-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

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Wiiality is the name of the short film I (and a few friends) filmed for the Nintendo Short Cuts Showcase contest (in case you missed my previous post, here.) I'm going to refrain from posting my video for now, but I'll tease you with a little bit of music. This song was composed my brother, and was made specially for the film. He stayed up through all hours of the night to get it done, and I'm glad for that. The deadline is Wednesday and I sent it out today with express mail, aka next day delivery. It is not cheap.

Hope for the best and wish me luck. Also, enjoy the music. :P I'll eventually post the video for you all to see.

Edit: okay, this link will only work for a week, but here's a smaller version of the video. ~~Link~~ (check 2 posts up). JUST so you know, I don't want it to be really distributed quite yet. I mean, share it with your friends, but DO NOT upload it anywhere else or try to take it as your own, because a) I will get mad, and b) That would be stupid and probably wouldn't work. >_>

Enjoy. (I'll still post it on Youtube later)

$700 down... many thousands more to go

2007-05-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

My family isn't rich. We're not poor either. But putting 2 kids through college is a strain on myself and my parents. Every little bit helps, but... $700 isn't going to get me too far. I shouldn't be complaining, its $700 more than other people have. But, I got 2 scholarships: The Yates Family Scholarship for $500, and the Food Service scholarship for $200. That's the smallest scholarship on there I think... I got awarded 2 scholarships by Washington State University too, adding up to $5000 for my first year, which is nice, but I was just hoping for a little more consideration in the community I guess.

I worked hard towards my grades, and I applied for as many scholarships as I could, 17 to be exact (not counting the college ones). And the depressing thing is that there are a lot of really nice scholarships, but either they go to THE BEST person or they are sent to a specialized area. It makes me wonder... what was I lacking? I'm pretty sure that most of the scholarships were not collaborated on. And I get the feeling that many others were like "well he's done very well, and so has this person... I'm sure he'll get many other scholarships." Maybe in the end it comes down to the fact that we are not considered "needy" when it comes to money.

I'm not sad or anything though, I'll be fine. Its just that I aspired for more.

I guess I'm going to end up paying a lot for my education. My parents can only support me so much. I'll eventually have to take out a student loan and start shelling out.

But I'd also like to congratulate everyone else that got one or more scholarships. Good job.

I hate alarm systems

2007-05-31T21:02:00.001-07:00

It happened last night around 3am. I was having trouble sleeping as it is, when our house alarm all of a sudden went off. Damn that thing is loud. It would blare its alarm, and then say "Living room window back" So we went into our living room... the window was closed. We were trying to figure out what was going on, and we shut off the alarm. The phone rang once, then stopped, which was probably the alarm sending a signal through our phone. Well, we figured out that the window the alarm was referring to was the one in the family room, since I don't think it knew the difference, or cared. Basically one of the window blinds had gotten caught in the alarm's sensors, and it worked for a while until it glitched and set the alarm off. I head back to bed for the time being. But instead of the usual courtesy call by the alarm company, instead we are greeted at the front door by the police and K-9 unit, searching for intruders. *sigh* We told them everything is fine and they went on their merry way.

This is just one of those times that I hate alarm systems. I hate dishonesty, yes, but I LOATHE alarms. They're loud, noisy, and most of the time tend to go off at the WRONG time. They get set off in houses by stupid things like window blinds or bugs, or a car alarm goes off because someone accidentally brushed against it, or a bunch of car alarms go off because some guy's bass is too loud. Its just that we sacrifice time, money, energy, and frustration into car alarms, when the chances of a car getting stolen or a house broken into in this area is not so high.

Sure, its nice that people want to protect us. Or take our money, whatever. Its just that is seems more of a nuisance or hindrance, rather than being much help.