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Sunday, 08 February 2009

  • Timed Writing Practice

    I have decided that the only way to update on Xanga- to actually commit to letting those who only have contact with me through this site how I am doing and what is new with me- is to commit to writing only a specified amount of time before cutting it off and leaving another post until another time slot opens. I therefore, I have 10 minutes to write starting....now:

    Junior Year: AAAARGH- Busy. Very busy. Sometimes good busy, sometimes bad busy, but always very busy. The hardest part of high school at this point, I have decided, is balancing time between preparing for after high school by looking at life after the due date of the next major essay or project or test and preparing for after high school by doing very well and focusing solely on the next major essay or project or test. That is very difficult for me, because I tend to avoid making difficult decisions, and seeing as how one is looming in the next nine months for me, I will have to be trusting God, and seeking Him and His will first, instead of just avoiding the issue of

    COLLEGE

    Hm...Pretty much everyone reading this post has some semblance of what that word implies to a sixteen or seventeen year old kid nowadays, and so I won't expound on that topic any further.

    Cello? Should I talk about Cello? This Wednesday is the Orchestra's chamber-groups' concert, so I have until then to figure out all the quirks in Schumann's Klavier Quintet. Thankfully I don't have to figure out all of the quirks in Schumann himself in that little time.

    Oh dear...three minutes left? What to say...

    In Youth and Government, a mock judicial program I am involved in through the YMCA and my school, we have just finished and submitted the Appellate Briefs. We have until late March to prepare for the oral arguments.

    Enough about me. How about the weather? I don't know how it is everywhere, but it feels as if God gave us the respite of spring two months early this year. It is fantastic to be able to go outside without a coat in early February.

    To those of you who are disappointed in the ten minutes of self-centered blather telling you all about me instead of a more interesting topic: I am sorry. To those of you who find me interesting: aww...thanks. But my time is up, so next post look forward to reading something more interesting.

Saturday, 15 November 2008

  • Currently
    Something Under the Bed Is Drooling
    By Bill Watterson
    see related

    Here is an absolutely fabulous instruction manual that came with my birthday present seven years ago that I wanted to share with you all on Xanga:

    INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOT WHEELS® SUPER DELUXE GARAGE VERSION 2.2

    1. To open box, cut tape holding flaps together. To open tri-sturdy plastic packaging within box. cut packaging open. To open individual di-sturdy plastic baggies within tri-sturdy plastic packaging, cut baggies open. To open cellophane packaging within each individual di-sturdy plastic baggies, cut cellophane packaging open. DO NOT attempt to rip open bags with fingers or teeth or any other body part, as it may cause damage that Hot Wheels® is not held liable for in any way. CAUTION- knives, scissors, box-cutters, and other tools used to open packaging are sharp. They can cause bodily harm. It is therefore recommended that before touching these tools you wear sturdy leather gloves and be accompanied by a licensed paramedic throughout the completion of this step. Hemophiliacs and other persons whose blood is similarly affected should skip this step and ask someone else to complete this step instead, as Hot Wheels® is NOT held liable for in any way for injuries even partially due to this condition. If mental and/or emotional trauma has resulted in the past from the use of knives, scissors, box-cutters, or other tools used to open packaging, ask someone else to complete this step instead.

    (HOT WHEELS® IS NOT LIABLE TO ANY INJURIES THAT MAY OCCUR IN THE PROCESS OF ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE STEP ONE. IF YOU ARE AT ALL UNSURE AS TO THE SAFETY OF ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE STEP ONE, DON’T ATTEMPT IT. FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, CALL THE LAW OFFICES OF J.M. STARK TOLL-FREE AT 800-287-9567, OR E-MAIL THEM AT notliable@jmstark.net. UNTIL RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS FROM A PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYED BY THE OFFICES OF J. M. STARK, DO NOT TOUCH ANY SAID SHARP TOOLS, BUT RATHER REMAIN SAFE.)

     

    2. After opening the all of the packaging, and disposing of it an entirely safe manner in the proper (as designated by state and municipal governments) disposal containers, arrange each of the 64,152 individual parts, each labeled by a letter of the Cyrillic alphabet, then a letter of the Greek alphabet, then two digits, each from 1 to 9, (as read from right to left, of course) in a spiraling circular pattern, each row of the spiraling circle at least one inch from the row above, according to the following pattern:

         Parts whose first letter is the first Cyrillic vowel should be first, continuing on in alphabetical order of  the first letter, provided it is a Cyrillic vowel, arranged within by reverse alphabetical order according to their second letters (those of the Greek alphabet), afterwards cycling numerically, with all parts whose second letter is a prime number at the far left of the circle in order of the prime number’s magnitude (then arranged within according to the magnitude of the first digit: first digits of smaller magnitude should be to the right of those with a larger magnitude), followed by all other parts whose first letter is the first Cyrillic vowel and whose second letter is the last in the Greek alphabet, in order of the magnitude of the two digits combined as one number, with those parts having two digit numbers of greater magnitude to the right of those having a lesser magnitude. This pattern continues in until the 10 Cyrillic vowels have run out, at which point there will still be pieces whose beginning is one of the 23 other Cyrillic letters left over. Pieces whose label starts with one of these letters should come second, with the order being determined by placing those whose first letter comes later in the Cyrillic alphabet to the left of those whose first letter comes sooner, within having the cycle to alphabetical order according to their second letters (those of the Greek alphabet), but shifting the alphabetical order eleven places to the right (the ‘first’ letter thus being λ, instead of α), within having those whose sum of digits equals 14 coming first, pieces with smaller second digits coming after pieces with larger ones, then afterwards having the pieces be arranged with those parts having two digit numbers of greater magnitude to the left of those having a lesser magnitude; remember to read the letters and digits from right to left, with the ‘first’ letter being farthest to the right, and the ‘second’ letter being to the left of the first.

    NOTE: The estimated layout space needed for step two is approximately 1.043 X 108 square feet. For special discounts on hourly rates for renting out warehouse space, call 800-287-9523 and mention “the garage”.

    (HOT WHEELS® IS NOT LIABLE TO ANY MENTAL OR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA THAT MAY OCCUR IN THE PROCESS OF ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE STEP TWO. IF YOU ARE AT ALL UNSURE AS TO THE SAFETY OF ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE STEP THREE, DON’T ATTEMPT IT. FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, CALL THE LAW OFFICES OF J.M. STARK TOLL-FREE AT 800-287-9567, OR E-MAIL THEM AT notliable@jmstark.net. UNTIL RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS FROM A PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYED BY THE LAW OFFICES OF J.M. STARK, REMAIN CALM AND SAFE AND BREATHE AT A NORMAL RATE.)

     

    3. Step 3 contains diagrams and instructions for how each of the pieces fit with its neighboring piece, but is too long to be printed out as an efficient instruction manual- to see step 3 in its entirety, simply log on to www.hotwheelsfriendlyhelpservice.com and, after inserting the product code in the “instruction manual box”, install the complete the 82 GB download. For the instruction manual on 467 CD-ROMS, simply mail us your address, your proof of purchase, a $650.00 check made payable to “Hot Wheels Extortion”.  Also include the address of the store where you bought the product from,  why you decided on that particular store, how you got to that particular store, and a 500 word essay on whether or not you were content with the method of transportation that you used to go to the store.

    (HOT WHEELS® IS NOT LIABLE TO ANY MENTAL OR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA THAT MAY OCCUR IN THE PROCESS OF ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE STEP THREE, NOR IS IT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OCCURING TO PERSONAL PROPERTY (SUCH AS COMPUTERS) OR INNOCENT BYSTANDERS. IF YOU ARE AT ALL UNSURE AS TO THE SAFETY OF ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE STEP THREE, DON’T ATTEMPT IT. FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, CALL THE LAW OFFICES OF J.M. STARK TOLL-FREE AT 800-287-9567, OR E-MAIL THEM AT notliable@jmstark.net. UNTIL RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS FROM A PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYED BY THE LAW OFFICES OF J.M. STARK, REMAIN CALM AND SAFE, BREATHE AT A NORMAL RATE, AND REFRAIN FROMPERSONAL CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE TENDENCY TO BE OPTOMISTIC AND “LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE”.)

     

    STORAGE NOTES: Store this product at a temperature no lower than 47.36 °F and no higher than 48.19 °F. If the product is stored at a temperature lower than this range for longer than 17 minutes, the plastic will shatter instantaneously. If the product is stored at a temperature higher than this ranger for longer than 23 minutes, the plastic will melt into a highly toxic liquid. If this occurs please call 800-287-9544 and mention “Hot Wheels Clean Up and Containment” before calling anyone else.

     

    MANUFACTURED IN CHINA BY THE PEOPLE’S GOVERNMENT’S “WORK ABROAD” PROGRAM.

    The paint in this product may or may not contain small traces of lead and or irradiated copper. Use at your own risk.

     

     OK- Actually, this is a satire that I hacked out in the past two hours for English class- it was originally formatted with tiny font as a real manual would, and looked all professional as a parody should, but it wouldn't copy and paste correctly into xanga, grr.....so just pretend, alright?

    :)

    Joe

Monday, 06 October 2008

  • Currently Reading
    Ender's Game
    By Orson Scott Card
    see related

    Despite the thunderous parade of comments which cascaded into the comment box for my last post, after which I could just retire from Xanga, beloved by my friends and adored by my audience, stricken with awe at my wit, I have decided to update again, and will commence with a poem I just composed a few minutes when looking at this, which now resides on my desktop:

    sword3

    Taken from the depths of the earth,

    Impure, raw, full of sediment and clay,

    Burned and melted in a fiery bellow,

    Till all the unneeded parts fall away,

    Extracted and cooled in water so pure,

    Taken out new, good and whole, of one way,

    Heated again, put through the flames,

    Removed flaming orange, no longer dull gray,

    Pounded and beaten into the right shape,

    There are still some rough edges, need to melt those away,

    There that’s much better, though still not as fine,

    As it will be with more grace, more love and more time.

     

    I am not sure where I am in the process, but the part of the ore is, though not passivity, acceptance of God's will and working it its life. That is what I want to be able to do: know, trust, and love God's will and working in my life.

Wednesday, 17 September 2008

  • Currently Reading
    Six by Lewis box set: The Abolition of Man, The Great Divorce, Mere Christianity, Miracles, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters
    By C. S. Lewis
    see related

    Note to all new readers of this post (which is most likely all readers of this post): this is the edited copy of my classification essay.  My first missed a few key points and was awkward in some places.  Please, let me know what you think!

     

    Deodorant

     

                    When in the course of human events life becomes so ridiculously busy that showers are impossible, man turns to deodorant.  If you have ever taken an AP course, you know that the second week of May leaves no time for hygiene, and thus, by the third week of May, five layers of deodorant have accumulated.  Having these five layers of deodorant covering your underarm can be terribly uncomfortable if you don’t pick the right one, and with the seemingly infinite variety at your local Walgreens, I thought it would be helpful to point out the least effective, and in some cases, downright dangerous, species.  The main three to avoid are roll on, aerosol and dry-stick.

                    Roll on receives extra points for its ingenious design.  The containers are modern art sculptures, with at least one odd curve, if not two, cleverly disguising the lack of actual liquid within.   This tiny store of liquid is its main difficulty, for when it runs out, it leaves you with a semi-dry, gooey plastic surface that congeals and sculpts your hairs into odd shapes.  The most painful scenario occurs when the gummy surface grips your hairs and drags them through the mechanism and out the other side, ripping them out by the root.  Most of the time, however, the deodorant is not gooey, and there is a healthy supply of liquid, enough to coat your pit with a beautifully-perfumed glaze.  Why, there is even enough left over for scented streaks to run like rivers down your ribs to coat your sides.  And you thought you didn’t have time for a shower!

    Aerosol is next in line: unlike the beautifully curved containers of roll on, you are given a SCUBA-tank sized can that, when you are still half-asleep and already have a shirt on, makes it impossible to apply the deodorant anywhere near the target area.  Wrenching your shoulder forward and twisting your wrist towards your body, you press the button, expecting to feel a mist of pleasant-smelling, quick drying liquid that leaves you fresh for your school day, but instead miss, drenching the pits of your favorite tee, thereby undoing the point of its application.  This scenario, the delay of putting on another less-favored shirt, is, however, the least discomforting.  Asthma is another joy induced by aerosol if you are foolish enough to apply it in your closet, which quickly transforms into a fumigation tent.  If you slept with your bedroom door closed and the covers on, your body, to gain some respite, opened its pores in the night.  Provided you can accurately spray the blasted device, these open pores and loosened hair follicles are now filled with a product with a chemical make-up closer to pesticide than freshener: thus, the burning-napalm sensation and ensuing rash.  Sorry, but skin grafts are not included in the warranty.

                    The worst enemy of those merely seeking to start their day pleasantly-scented and refreshed, who simply don’t have time for a shower, is the dry-stick.  Whereas roll on or aerosol won’t be destroyed when you, frantically getting dressed, dash it to the floor, dry stick explodes.  So loosely is it held together that this styrofoamy brick shatters on impact with even the softest surfaces, convincing you that twisting it up a centimeter past the rim is an egregious error.  Attempting to rectify this, you roll it up just slightly, leaving perhaps a millimeter of deodorant peeping over the edge of its container.  All is well, and you happily complete one arm’s work, blissfully unaware of the danger you are in: during the course of its application, the millimeter of dry-stick has been all used up.  Casually switching over to the other arm, you, being in a rush to catch the school bus, quickly scrape the now solely plastic ovular end of the device, which has apparently been sharpened by the manufacturers, against your skin, lacerating it marvelously in the process, and soaking your pit with an entirely different liquid than those mentioned before.

                     I cannot emphasize enough the importance of avoiding these maladies caused by such a seemingly innocuous product as deodorant.  Smelling bad or having slimy sides, inflamed pores, or mangled pits is not a good way to start off any school day, let alone to attend some social function.  Please, for your own sake, find a fine-smelling stick of deodorant moist enough to stay intact upon application, with nicely rounded plastic edges, and begin your school day without irritated or distressed skin, but, rather, refreshed.

     

Saturday, 13 September 2008

  • Currently Reading
    1776
    By David McCullough
    see related

    Dear Fellow Xanga Bloggers,

          I sincerely regret wasting your time with my prior post.  The danger of clicking on the link "New Weblog Entry" when unprepared to say anything, is, I fear, one I overlook all too often.  It is for this reason I crave your indulgence and hope that better posts shall henceforth flow from this keyboard.

         Sincerely,

           Joseph Gerber

                   (The Management)

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    • Name: Joe
    • Gender: Male
    • Member Since: 8/24/2008

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