Boy Meets World Meets Sebastian

It has been quite some time since I last posted to my blog. Many great things have happened since then, and many not so great things have happened since then. I am in the process of chasing my dream which is to become a counselor/therapist. I figured why not continue to chronicle the random thoughts and ideas that come from this chase. As such, I've decided to continue this neat blog thing.

I don't believe I have mentioned this before, but I love Boy Meets World. The show is from the 90s, but I didn't discover it until the early 2000s. Because of this, I still consider it a part of my childhood. When I got to college a year or two ago, I developed such nostalgia for the show that I ended up buying all seven seasons on DVD. It is truly a delight. I've recently rewatched the entire series and noticed a few things. This is why my next few posts are going to be Boy Meets World themed. I am sure that is not going to be a problem...for some people at least.

It is very hard to find an appropriate starting place for such a lovely TV show, but I figured why not start with something I just noticed: Topanga as a real character. I am going to be so bold as to say that Topanga Lawrence, Cory's love interest throughout the entire series, does not become a real character for the show until the fourth season despite the fact that she is present since season 1. Why is this? It is because of a combination of character changes and a bigger focus on the character later on in the show. This change and bigger focus happens during season 4 of the show.

While Topanga is present during seasons 1-3, she doesn't stick out as a character in my opinion. She is at her most lively during season 1 starting with the kiss she gives to Cory. However, as time goes on, she loses what made Topanga so unique. I believe she sort of mellowed out and became normal over time. Eventually, she becomes Cory's love interest and seemingly just becomes another love interest character. Everything that comes from her character happens to further Cory's character. He says that he loves her first. Cory does everything for this relationship, and this is most evident when he runs away to Topanga when she leaves for Disney World near the end of season 3. My point here is that not only is she not a unique character by season 3, but Topanga just makes the relationship between Cory and her generic by that point as well.

But then Season 4 happens. In that season, Topanga cuts her hair and, in the process, becomes an actual unique character on the show. I often wonder why someone as beautiful and awesome as Topanga ends up with Cory, but this is because she is just as neurotic and somewhat crazy as he is. Season 4 shows this. In this season, we see that she is a very human character who cares about family and lies to Cory to hide the fact that she's not ready for a "physical" relationship. I think the best part about the season is when she shows that she becomes part of the relationship by running away to Cory. When her parents move to Pittsburgh, she runs away to Philadelphia because of how much she cares for that weird guy. In my opinion, I believe this is the moment where Topanga becomes a legitimate character, and it is the moment where Topanga and Cory's relationship becomes the most memorable. Realistic or not, I suppose Season 4-7 are the reason why I desire to have a relationship that is as strong and wacky as theirs is.

I suppose not everyone would agree with this. If you are reading this and think I am an idiot, please feel free to let me know. Season 4 is also a great season for Eric, Cory's brother. I plan on blogging about that in the near future as well so stick around if you want some good reading.

Superman Examined

Every so often, Hollywood decides that the world needs another Superman movie. They announce that something is in the works, the public gets a little excited, and then everyone hypes a movie they know very little about. In the end, the result is an okay movie that doesn’t do anything except update the originals with graphics and attempt to make Superman appeal to the public. I am here to argue that Hollywood fails in the latter.

Let me just say that I think Superman is neat. Depending on the era he was written in, he could fly, shoot lasers, use x-ray vision, and ignore bullets to the face. He was pretty awesome to me when I was younger. I loved the first two Superman movies with Christopher Reeves. Supes 3 and 4 were a tad bit unnecessary. Furthermore, I believe that Man of Steel and Superman Returns attempted to create something new for Superman. They attempted to some degree, but they failed to another degree. These movies did not fail because of horrible stories, terrible acting, or bad CGI. These movies failed because Hollywood does not understand the truth about Superman. While he is an important addition to the DC Universe, Superman can never have a truly good movie made about him because he is, for a lack of a better word, boring.

Superman has all of these powers, a fantastic backstory, strong morals, and reasons to fight. But this Kryptonian is boring for two reasons. In any Hollywood movie, you need to give the main character an edge. This character has to be good but with some flaws. This description does not match Superman. If you give him flaws, he ceases to be Superman, and starts being a generic superhero. In a way this can be attributed to early writers who wanted to make him as awesome as possible. But this character simply isn’t appealing anymore. The other reason Supes is boring is because everybody needs a weakness, and this weakness has to be legitimate. Some characters have multiple weaknesses, and this is good as long as it doesn’t make their character seem like a helpless loser. Superman has only one weakness: Kryptonite. Unfortunately, this one weakness is used repeatedly in the same way and turns him into a helpless loser. Think about it this way: When you take Bruce Wayne’s money away, he can still do Batman stuff. But when you toss some Kryptonite at Superman, he weakens. He stops being Superman. His morals mean nothing because what use are they if you have no powers to enforce them. By having Superman be weakened by Kryptonite and making him almost too perfect, you make Superman into a character that no one can really root for because we always know he wins in the end.

On the other hand, maybe this isn’t all the writers’ fault. Perhaps the people to blame are the viewer’s themselves. I am going to posit the belief that the reason Superman seems so boring is because we cannot identify with him. Everyone loves Batman (as indicated by his movies), Iron Man is pretty cool, and Spider-Man is clearly a favorite to many. What do all of these characters have in common? They are all human. More importantly, all of these characters are flawed humans that viewers can identify with. In the comics, Iron Man had a drinking problem, but he still did great things. Batman has parental issues but this does not stop him from scaring criminals. Spider-Man let his Uncle die by accident, but he still fights the good fight. I argue that these superheroes (and others) are favorites because they are humans that viewers can identify with. Viewers love watching these heroes because they represent that even though humanity has problems and flaws, they still have the capacity for good. Viewers can’t see this in Superman movies because Superman is too perfect. He’s a space alien with one weakness to Kryptonite. People can’t identify with a space alien, and they will never be able to be as perfect as he is. In the end, we find his movies boring because there is nothing that connects us to him.

And this is why I’ll be rooting for Batman in any Superman vs Batman movie. But this is just me. Let me know if you think I’m wrong or super wrong. 

If You Could Have a Theme Song...

So I haven’t really updated my blog all summer. It’s been a wacky summer, and I just haven’t gotten around to it. Luckily, I am back with my random thoughts concerning cheesecake, superheroes, and lists.

Have you ever wanted to walk in a room and have a song announce your presence? Have you ever wanted to make mundane tasks like brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, or doing the dishes? I know I have. This is why I believe life would be much cooler if I had a theme song. Just like certain baseball players, pro wrestlers, and late night talk show hosts, I want something that says “Sebastian has arrived, motherhuggers.” Not just that, but I want a theme song that plays when I start doing boring tasks to enhance those tasks. Doing boring math homework? How about we incorporate the theme song from the Elder Scrolls while you Fus Roh Do those complex equations? Balancing your checkbook? Enhance this task while Kid Rock’s “Cowboy” plays for you. If these songs don’t tickle your fancy, there are a plethora of others that you could use as your theme. Or you could create your own.

As for me, I’m thinking that something Daft Punk mixed with Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” would be a pretty awesome combination that would make a fantastic theme. However, since such as combination does not exist…yet, I’m going to have to say that my theme would be Chayanne’s “Torero.” Yes, the song is in Spanish (We listened to the song my sophomore year in high school, so I know most of the lyrics), but I feel this is the song that I want to announce my presence.

However, this is just me. What song do you want to claim as yours?

But What Does NCORE Mean?

I’ve spent the past couple days explaining what I did at NCORE and what I did in New Orleans. I’ve claimed to learn quite a bit. But what does this mean for my life and for everyone in general? I can say I learned a lot, but unless I can apply this stuff to real life, it means very little. So here are some things that I am taking away from the experience.

First, I am now more aware of the privilege that I have been afforded being a white male in this white-dominated, patriarchal society. One thing we discussed at NCORE was social identity. I have come to identify as a white male. I am still trying to understand what this means, but I know that I am given a great deal of privilege just by being a white male. I know that I am treated better because of this, and I know that I am given more opportunities because of this. Just knowing this means nothing, though. I have to help make others aware of this, and I have to work so that other races and ethnicities can be given the opportunities that I have been given. I’m talking about an even playing field where the same amount of work by two people, regardless of their backgrounds, will earn them the same reward. My point here is that I’ve given privilege without working for it. I certainly do feel bad about this, but I’m not going to sit here just feeling guilty. I’m going to go out and make sure this unequal system becomes fairer.

Second, I’ve developed more of an understanding of what my social identity is. From what I can gather, I’m a lower-to-middle class, 20 year old, nerdy, heterosexual, white, male first generation college student from the Midwest. To be honest, I only know what some of those things mean to me. Some are more cogent to me than others. I am completely unaware of what my ethnicity is. I want to say I am “American” but what exactly does that mean? This has made me realize that I am still on a journey of self-understanding. I’m thinking I’m going to be learning about myself for years to come. What does this mean for other people? I think this means that others could be developing their identities like I am. Furthermore, someone may identify as something that others do not see them as. So I may call someone African-American, but they could identify as something else. The point here is that I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I should let others introduce their identities to me. In addition, certain identities come with drawbacks or advantages due to society and history. It is important for us to fix this because no one should feel like their identity is a curse.

Finally, I’ve learned that society has a long way to go to achieve racial and ethnic harmony. At the moment, there is so much inequality, prejudice, and unpreparedness in relation to race and ethnicity. Our country, and others to some extent, has a lot of work to do if racial equality is ever to be achieved. I realize that we have made some great strides in the past, but we still have work to do. The existence of hate groups as well as the Fisher court case proves that we still need to work. I feel like we are at a place where we can move forward, we can stay where we are at, or we can regress. All are likely options, but they only one we should pursue is going forward. Think about it, do you really want future generations to see ours as a hateful one? Do you really want your children to grow up in a prejudiced society? We have to keep pushing and trying so that the world of tomorrow is a better one.

After all, it would make Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and various other civil rights activists proud of us. 

What I Learned from New Orleans

You all probably know what I learned from the NCORE conference while I was in New Orleans, but I am sure you are wondering what New Orleans taught me about race, ethnicity, and diversity. You wouldn’t think it, but I learned just as much about those topics as I did during all the presentations at NCORE.

For probably the first time in my life, I felt like a minority. I was in a city filled with people who looked nothing like me, came from different backgrounds, engaged in different cultures, and who had been in the city longer than I have. I was only in New Orleans for a couple of days, but I can only imagine what life would be like if I lived there permanently. Still, this experience put me in the shoes of a minority, if only temporarily, and I felt out of place. I am guessing that minorities in this country today must be feeling some of that. I can use this feeling in the future as a peer mentor or a therapist. It has helped me to feel more empathetic towards other races, and I think this is a good thing.

Another thing I learned from New Orleans is that not every city in the United States is the same. I previously thought that a lot of the bigger cities were the same. My only experience with large cities came from my time in Florida and seeing cities like Atlanta, Chicago, and Des Moines. New Orleans is clearly like none of those cities. I’m guessing this mostly has something to do with the location and history of the city. The streets are different from any other city I’ve been through. There are large crowds that sweep throughout the city, and street performers are aplenty. How does this relate to diversity? It shows that cities themselves are diverse. It shows that I have had this preconceived notion about what makes a city in my head, and that notion has been busted. This tells me that I should keep an open mind towards things like this.

Most importantly, New Orleans taught me that I should never go into a situation with stupid stereotypes in my head. Basically, I went to the city believing that it was still majorly devastated after Hurricane Katrina. I believed that gangs ran around the city, and I was going to get robbed while I was there. I had all that in my head, and I am sorry to say that I ran with a stereotype that I heard most often. I am happy to say that stereotype was busted. I know that there may be some gangs in the city and some areas are still in need of repair years later, but all of this was not as extreme as it was in my head. Part of this is general ignorance while the other part is the media making a bad situation sound even worse. I’m glad that the team leaders for my college sent us on a tour of the city, so I could eliminate my preconceived notions. This makes me think about what other cities and people I have preconceived notions about.

So New Orleans helped to enhance my learning about NCORE. But what does this all mean? How am I going to apply this knowledge to the real world? If you want to know the answer to that, you will have to read my final blog post on the subject tomorrow.

Actual NCORE, Part 2

So here we are. Part two of my NCORE experience. This starts on the Friday of the conference week. The keynote speaker of the morning was a wonderful lady by the name of Joy Harjo. She is a Mvskok/Creek tribal member who has made a living with poetry and jazz. She talked about how New Orleans was once home to Native-Americans, and she played a fantastic song with other musicians on stage. It was wonderful. It has also contributed to my knowledge and awareness of Native-American affairs which, if you recall my previous entries, I am very passionate about. Another session I attended that day was an interactive session where we were able to write poetry that related to our social identities. I may not have said this before, but I really like poetry. This session taught me about a new way of writing poetry in addition to allowing me to think more critically about my identity.

Saturday was much of the same except the presenters kept thanking us for coming despite the fact that it was Saturday, and we could have partied hard the night before. I ended up learning about the history of Asian-Americans in the United States which happens to cross over with the history of Hispanics and African-Americans. Did you know that Jay-Z has Asian heritage? Later on Saturday I decided to attend a session about African-Americans because I had not gone to one since the conference started. I ended up learning about HBCUs (Historically black colleges and universities), and how they help students of color better than Ivy league schools. The session taught me a good deal of information and let me know more about diversity. I was happy by Saturday night.

Along with attending sessions, our college’s NCORE team had discussion sessions after each day. Our discussions ranged from undocumented immigrants to the appropriate usage of the “N-Word” and everywhere in between. All of our discussions divided the group, but it was interesting to listen to everyone’s opinions. However, listening to everyone really drained a lot out of me. Our group was incredibly diverse, so to listen to how racial issues affected their life really caused me to change the way I think about the world. I will talk more about that on Friday though.

The point here is that NCORE taught me a lot.

Actual NCORE, Part 1

I suppose you are all wondering what I exactly did at the NCORE conference in New Orleans. Well, I will tell you, but I did so much that I’m going to have to break up my explanation into two parts.

The first NCORE related thing I did in the city was go to the NCORE student scholar ceremony at Tulane University. That’s right; this awesome blogger was awarded a scholarship because the heads thought that I was a great representative for diversity. Honestly, I have no idea why they gave it to me, but you should never look a gift horse in the mouth, right? I met some pretty great people at the ceremony, and I can now add this to my resume which will help me with graduate school. Life is fantastic.

The next day was when the sessions at NCORE started. One of the sessions I attended revolved around the idea of post-racialism in today’s society. The main point here is that there are a lot of people who say we are getting close to ending racism because of some political and social achievements. However, to say this you are ignoring all other aspects of society. I thought this was a great presentation which also served as a way to prepare me for the rest of the conference. The other session I attended that day revolved around presenting the inequality in society in terms of statistics and numbers. I am a fan of statistics, so to see the inequality in number form really put it into perspective. The first day was great, but little did I know that everything would build upon that greatness.

On the second day, I stumbled upon a session that introduced me to the Fisher court case that is currently being decided in the U.S. Supreme Court. This session was presented by OiYan Poon who is not only a very beautiful lady (I kind of have a crush on her), but she is also very passionate about her work. She gave a keynote speech the previous day that informed me of some of the issues that the Asian American community has encountered. During her other presentation she related the Fisher court case to Asian Americans. I’m not one to insert my political beliefs into a blog that no one reads, but I think that the loss of affirmative action in colleges would be a bad idea. Colleges need to allow for a certain amount of diversity because it benefits no one to be around people who only look like them. I became aware of the Fisher court case at NCORE, and I am going to keep up with the news on it because I feel it will be important for colleges and possibly our entire nation.

So I learned a great deal in the first two days. The discussions our group had after each day helped as well (but that’s for tomorrow). Like I said before, each day built upon the lessons and experiences of the previous day, and the final two days were huge in my eyes. 

The Five Days of NCORE

So I’m sure that everyone is wondering what I have been up to lately. I can assure you that I was not eating cheesecake. Okay, maybe I was eating cheesecake, but I was also doing important things. Last week I went to New Orleans, so that I could represent Iowa State at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity. It was a fantastic week with great speakers, good food, a lot of learning, and a lot of humidity. If you have been paying attention to this blog (which I know you have), you will have noticed that a while ago I went to South Dakota, and after the experience, I blogged for five days about my experience. This is exactly what I’m going to for the next five days. I will blog about NCORE, New Orleans, my experience in New Orleans, and what I learned overall. It shall be exciting.

So what should I say about New Orleans? It’s a great city with a lot of culture and a plethora of history. I mostly stayed in the touristy part of the city, but I did manage to get a look at the residential areas, and the areas that were affected most by Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane may have affected the city eight years ago, but it is still a part of the city. Businesses and people in the city explained how the hurricane had affected them and how they did their best to recover from it. I have a lot of respect for the city for staying strong even when things were tough.

I have to say that the touristy part of the city is widely different from any city I have ever seen. I can see the French roots, and the modernity as well. I had seen New Orleans in movies and TV before, but nothing compares to seeing it in person. At times, the city felt like a maze I could get lost in, and if I had gotten lost in it, that would have been fine with me. The crowd of people was a little too much for me, but I guess that’s what a city like this normally brings. This city has a lot in it, and I am saddened that I could only spend six days exploring it.

And wouldn’t you know it; they decided to put a conference on race and ethnicity in this city for an entire week as well. I believe that being accepted for my college’s NCORE program while it was in New Orleans was a blessing. I feel that this city was a great match because of the diversity and racial issues in the city. But this is something that should be talked about in the coming days. So, for now, I suggest you all learn more about the city. Not just the French or Spanish history, but the native-american history as well. It is all very rich.

Also, Bubba Gumps is a fantastic eatery. 

Changing Reality

So I was thinking about Back to the Future the other day when I realized that time travel is weird. For the sake of this entire post, we are going to ignore the “smarties” like Stephen Hawking and assume time travel is possible. If you travel to the future, you’re going to be depressed because you might find out that what you want might not be want you get. And if you go to the past, you’ll try to change a few things and end up turning the United States into a dictatorship by accident (insert current events joke here). Of course, when you really REALLY think about traveling to the past, a horrifying thought occurs.

As Doc brown explains in this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OPkqY9doGE, because old Biff went to the past, gave young Biff the almanac, and had young Biff kill George McFly, Marty is now in an alternate timeline. The point here is that something was changed in the past and it affected the present which created a parallel universe. When you think about it though, how big do the changes have to be before a parallel universe is created?  If you travel into the past, would you have to kill a historic figure or would you just have to scratch up someone’s car in order to change the timeline? My point here is that just by going into the past, you change the future. You were not there previously, and you are now. Someone saw you, a camera captured your image, or you left footprints somewhere. While you didn’t create a history making change, it is possible you changed a tiny bit of the past which influenced the present somehow.

This all brings me to my terrifying point. By going into the past, you insure that you are never returning to your original home. You can’t return to the same present you left if you accidentally (or purposely) created an alternate universe. You are effectively leaving your friends, family, pets, acquaintances, enemies, and adoring fans. That timeline is still continuing, so everyone you ever knew will most likely worry about where you’ve gone. They will never find you which will tear them apart, and it is all YOUR FAULT.

As for the new timeline that you so stupidly created, the people in it will potentially be unrecognizable from the people you used to live with. They will have memories and experiences that you might not remember. It would be like living with aliens.

The take home message here is if you’re going to time travel, make sure you hate the people you’re around first. 

Heroes and Villains Revisited

I feel it’s time to revisit our fine discussion concerning superpowers. As I mentioned before, there are a great deal of super powers one could have. You could have super strength, laser vision, meat vision, or even the power of flight (just make sure not to use capes). Furthermore, you could also choose between being evil with puppy kicking and candy snatching or being good with old lady saving and robbery foiling. Yes, I realize that just “good and evil” is not really how life works, but we are talking about super powers here. This argument cannot advance if we are talking about antiheroes and other gray areas.

Knowing that there is good and evil, a lot of people want to be a hero. But what does that truly entail? You stop crime, save the day, get the keys to the city, and win the girl. Sounds like fun, but there is way more to it than that. And it’s depressing when you think about it. Yes, you stop crime, but you also create more crime. Villains and small time criminals will rise up just to get the opportunity to fight you. If you saw some self-righteous person in weird looking pajamas stopping crime, wouldn’t you want to stop him/her? I definitely would want to punch that person. Movies like The Dark Knight and others make it a point to say that the criminals are a result of the hero (like Joker), and in other cases, the hero accidentally creates his nemesis (look at the Spiderman comics).

Also, do you really save the day if more criminals are rising up to fight you? You save the town one day only for another dumb villain to create a crazy weather harnessing scheme the next. If you are a true hero, then you would never rest because Gotham is a shithole where crime happens 24/7. You better hope that one of your powers is super no-sleep because you are going to be getting very little of it. Finally, does winning the girl (or guy) really matter if you can’t spend any time with her/him, or if he/she is dead? You aren’t going to have any time to spend with your significant other because of all the aforementioned crime you have to fight. And when you are with the one you love, you’re going to have to worry about all the villains using her/him to get to you. You could say that they won’t know about your secret identity, but that’s a silly thought. If you keep disappearing to fight crime, someone is bound to notice and tell everyone that the do-gooder protecting the city is you. After that, you are pretty much screwed for privacy. The life of a superhero sounds terrible.

On the other hand, there is the life of a super villain which is much better. As a villain, you don’t have to answer calls for help, you can take whatever you want, and you probably have a team of henchmen at your disposal. You could even argue that you have an evil league of evil on your side. There may be a Justice League and an Avengers team and other such teams, but think about how hard they are to form. Thor lives in a parallel dimension (or something, it’s not really clear). Aquaman lives under the sea. And Superman travels throughout the universe. Getting the heroes together requires a lot of work. If you want to get villains together, all you have to do is offer free pizza and say that you want to destroy Spiderman; you are guaranteed to form an alliance then.

As for taking what you want, it would be incredibly easy. If you have powers, then you could use those to steal the money, jewels, or parts for your doomsday device. If you aren’t stupid and don’t go off telling everyone about your plans, then the heroes will never find out about your plans. You can get away with almost any crime if you want. It may be your decision to destroy the heroes because they are your nemesis. That is your choice too. Of course, you don’t have to do it yourself. You could always hire henchmen/henchwomen to do your bidding. They could steal the goods for you and fight the heroes for you. If you were smart, then you would tell the henchmen about the weaknesses of the heroes. You could kill them without having to fight them. Although, it wouldn’t be a problem killing the heroes in the first place since all you have to do is wait for other criminals to attack the hero and weaken him/her. It’s only a matter of time before the hero is too weak to stop you. Then it’s just a matter of breaking into Wayne Manor and breaking the bat. 

The Urge to Purge

So I was looking through the Internets searching for some cheesecake recipes when I stumbled across a trailer for the movie Purge. Take a look at it.

Crazy, right? From what I gather, for one night out of the year, crime is perfectly legal. I plan on seeing this movie. But I don’t want to see this movie because of the plot or the actors, I want see this movie because of the implications of the policy of allowing crime for one night of the year. Could a society allow this to happen? How depraved does a society have to be to let people kill for one night a year? Is this a government thing (apparently so according to the movie)? What would other countries think about America instituting such a policy? I realize that the movie requires the suspension of disbelief, but it brought up this weird premise, and we must consider it.

Also, think about the people in this society. Their behavior has to change, right? They have to be nice and such for 364 days out of the year out of fear that if they did anything wrong, someone will put them on their “kill list.” Angered someone at work? You are going to be hunted. Accidentally insult someone? You might be hunted. Cut someone off on the highway? That person will follow you home, take note of your address, and hunt you down on crime-free night. It’s ridiculous. Crime may be at an all-time low because of fear of retribution. Unemployment is low because if you don’t hire someone, they will kill you. Or unemployment is low because there are tons of dead people which opens up the job market. This may be utopia, but it’s a utopia with a dark secret.

Other questions that pop up are how can you truly trust your friends? If all crime is legal, then you have to truly trust your friends in order to know they won’t try to kill or steal from you or rape you or do other horrible crimes. One final question is how are businesses still around? I hope the movie addresses what crimes are legal, but if all crime is truly legal, then that means robbery, embezzlement, and other white collar crimes can happen without consequence. If that’s the case, what’s to stop CEOs, business people, and normal citizens from stealing from companies and businesses? The movie argues that it is peoples’ natural tendency to commit crimes, but if that were the case, then shouldn't all companies fail. How can unemployment be low if companies cease to exist? I really want the movie to answer these questions, but I know that a two hour movie can only do so much. I plan on seeing it, and I hope it’s a great experience.

Still, one of the aspects of the movie is that cities shut down during “the purge.” This includes emergency services. However, I believe that during all of this Walmart is still open. 

Strange Questions and Adequate Answers

So I figure with my many blog posts, you are probably wondering who is this dashing, young man that I have come to love. Well, allow me to answer your questions. Consider this an FAQ for my blog. Here are some questions that may allow you to understand the true essence of my being?

1. How old are you? 20
2. Who is/was your favorite comedian? George Carlin
3. Who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman? Batman, hands down. Superman can get weakened by Kryptonite which would put him on Batman’s level.
4. Have you ever killed someone? Nice try, chief of police.
5. When can I get your new album? I haven’t released one yet. Why would you ask that?
6. Are you crazy? Only a little.
7. What is your favorite food? Paella and egg salad sandwiches.
8. Can I have your autograph? If you see me, just ask for one.
9. What is your Twitter handle? @agentniles
10. What’s your favorite color? Red.
11. What is your search engine of choice? Google
12. Who was your favorite president? I am rather fond of Woodrow Wilson.
13. Do you think anyone actually cares about these answers? Everyone cares. These answers are important because they allow society to function?
14. How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie roll center of a Tootsie roll pop? 226.
15. Have you ever been in love? Yes. It was a pleasant feeling.
16. Why would you stop at 16 questions? That’s a bit weird, isn't it? Absolutely.

Those are some answers to your questions. Do you have any more for me?

Reasons Why I'm Banned from Disney World

We've all done some stupid things at amusement parks before, right? Here are a list of ten reasons why the owners of Disney World don't want me coming back.

1. I tried to take over the castle and rule over the park with an iron fist. People had problems with this.
2. Jasmine doesn’t like it when you hit on her repeatedly
3. No one likes it when you get into drunken fist fights with Mickey
4. Letting all the animals in the Animal Kingdom go free is a bad idea
5. Surfing down Splash Mountain is frowned upon.
6. Derailing the Epcot train is considered “bad”
7. There are many issues with Mickey’s slave ownership of Pluto, but it was a bad idea to bring this up in a park full of children.
8. Reprograming the “It’s a small world” ride to have all the puppets attack the visitors is a bit harsh
9. Upon reflection, it was inappropriate to steal a Goofy costume and do mean things to Donald
10. Turning Disney World into a real life West World may have caused a few inexcusable deaths.

So those are my reasons. Why have you been banned from a popular tourist destination?

Reservation Reflections

As has been evident, a lot of stuff happened during my week in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. I interacted with teenagers, got beaten up by little children, and got advice from a pretty smart man. I learned a lot from my brief time on the reservation. And from what I've learned I would like to share three things that I feel people should take away from what happened.

First, there is a difference between what you hear or what you learn and what actually happens. In the weeks leading up to my trip to Eagle Butte, I spent my time learning about the reservation and issues that plague reservations. I figured that I had learned enough to prepare myself for what I was about to encounter. As was evident, I was wrong. I came into the situation with expectations, beliefs, and stereotypes that were pretty much crushed before the first day ended. By the end of the week, I realized that almost everything I had learned did not actually prepare for me for the whole experience. I believe that knowing this will help everyone not only in terms of Native American affairs, but in terms of the world. You may think you know something about a culture, or you may come into a certain community believing one thing, but until you have experience a culture or a community in person, you have a lot to learn. I enjoyed my experience, but it would have been helpful to know this so I could have prepared myself for it.

The second thing people should take away from this is the power of empathy and diversity. I described my experience with Larry Fiddler and how he noted that I could never truly understand the Lakota experience because I wasn't Lakota. This is where empathy comes in to play. I may never be Lakota, but I should still try to understand the issues that concern reservations and the people that live on them. If anyone ever wishes to change the world for the better, then they need a healthy amount of empathy. You cannot change the world if you do not understand how the world is affected by certain issues. Diversity is important because it is clear that the people who live on the Cheyenne River Reservation are different than the people who live in Ames, Iowa or Tampa, Florida. I’m not saying they are vastly different, but I am saying they have had different experiences than I have had, and they come from a different culture than I did. Understanding that they are different in this way will allow you to better interact with them. They respond to issues differently than most people. They interpret community different than other cultures do. If we are to help them or the Project, we must know that we are stepping into a different culture in the process even if it doesn’t seem evident from the start.

The final thing people should take away from this is that my generation and future generations have the power to help others and change the world. Larry Fiddler noted this in his talk. Future generations have the power to fix past mistakes and create a better world. Because we have that power, it is our responsibility to act on it. We have the opportunity to be defined by our actions and not the mistakes that our ancestors made. I want to move the world in the right direction. Who’s with me?

Meeting Larry

During my week in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, I heard a couple people talk about their experience on the reservation or with the Project. I loved listening to everyone talk. I learned a lot, and I plan on using the information I learned in the future. While everyone was great, one person stood out in terms of what that person had to say. That person was Larry Fiddler.

Larry Fiddler is a Lakota man who works at Habitat for Humanity in Eagle Butte. If you ever find yourself there, say hello to him. He is a very friendly man who was great to talk to about life and stuff. On the final day of my stay in Eagle Butte, Larry came to the Project and talked to us about his experiences and gave some pretty good advice. In terms of his experiences, I don’t know everything about his life. He and the group I was with did not have enough time to listen to him recount all of his life experiences, but what he did tell us was emotional and interesting. Larry has gone through a lot in his time on Earth. He has experienced hardship, happiness, enlightenment, and grief. And hearing him tell us all of this just gave me an enormous amount of respect for him. What’s more is that his experience has provided me with more information about past life on the reservation along with current life on the reservation. I understand that his story is only one story and does not represent everyone. Still, his experiences highlight some of the trouble that has occurred under the reservation system and with the policies that the government enforced in the past.

Larry also gave everyone some great advice. One thing that he said was that everyone should follow their heart. I heard this in the past, but no one said it quite like Larry. He noted that logic and the mind are great, but they influence our lives a little too much. We should follow our heart more often because it will lead us to great things. This advice really spoke to me. I am a guy who has been operating with a logical mind in all aspects of my life. After utilizing his advice though, I believe logic and my mind can be utilized in some areas, but in the rest, I should just follow my heart. I have been doing this for the past week, and I have never felt better. This reexamination of my life has brought welcome change. Overall, all of the advice that Larry gave was great. It was not great because of who said it. It was great because I needed to hear it, and it had wide applications to life in general.

Listening and talking to Larry has taught me some important lessons. Larry mentioned that he was proud of our generation (I’m talking about 20ish year olds here) because we were more accepting of others, and we were trying to fix the errors made in the past. This is important to remember because if our generation has the opportunity to make the world a better place, we should take that opportunity to do so. Historical mistakes can be bettered, and I want to help do that. Another important lesson, as Larry mentioned, was that we can try to understand that issues of the reservation and the issues that Larry’s generation went through, but not being Lakota or another form of Indian hinders that. He is right. I am not from a reservation, so I will never understand what it is like to grow up on one. But this is where empathy comes in to play. I will never have those experiences, but I must still try to understand them. It is by knowing of these issues and how they affect people that I, and my generation, will help not only Native Americans but also the world. 

B-Ball on the Reservation

Today I find myself reflecting on the time I spent with the teenagers on the Cheyenne River Reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Yesterday I mentioned how I came in with expectations that the children would behave a certain way. I thought similar things about the teenagers, and once again, I was wrong. The Lakota teenagers are just like any other teenagers; aggressive, mean, and with high school mentalities. Being around the teenagers felt like being back in high school, and I was not a big fan of high school. Still, I felt by the end of my time in Eagle Butte, some of the teens were more accepting of the group I was with and me. It would have helped to have stayed there longer, but Spring Break only lasts so long.

The first thing I should note about the teenagers was that they loved basketball. Throughout the entire time I was there, the teenagers came to the Project teen center mainly for basketball. There were a few kids who just wanted to play on the computers or play board games, but the others went to the gym to hang out and play basketball. Even when other events were scheduled, such as a college night or a spaghetti dinner, they were more likely to go to the gym and play there. You can’t really blame them. Basketball is a fun game. Still, trying to pull the teens away from the game was a challenge. When we offered them a spaghetti dinner with some yummy snacks along with it, they wanted to keep playing basketball. It was only after some coaxing did they go enjoy some cupcakes and whatnot. On the other hand, their love of basketball is what allowed our group to bond with them. In our group, there were some serious b-ball players which allowed for a couple bonds to form with the teens.

Another (more negative) thing that should be noted about the teenagers was how life on the reservation seemed to affect them. I am in no position to judge how life is on the reservation because I do not live there. But I have read up on the issues plaguing reservations, and I heard a great deal of information about the Eagle Butte reservation from people who worked there and live on it. From what I gather, it isn’t too tough, but there are still issues. One issue concerned education. From what I heard, the educational system isn’t too horrible, but it also does not seem to be doing its job. The teens were not enthused with any sort of educational talk by our group. It was easy to tell that they were a bit unhappy with college night. A possible reason for this lack of interest is because no one pushes them to be interested. It is hard to want to succeed if no one tells you that success is an option. One good thing is that it didn’t seem like all of the teens hated the idea of higher education. Perhaps it would be better to talk to all of the teens of the reservation before making a giant assumption. Still the various issues associated with the reservation make it sound like a tough place for teens to be.

Overall, I think the Project is doing a pretty good job with helping the teens. The Project could definitely improve in various ways. They have a pretty awesome library which I’m hoping will be put in use soon. They also have a dance studio. The Project rents out the space for various groups, but it could also be used to get some of the teens interested in dance or other non-basketball sports. The Project also had an art room. I feel if they let teens use that room more often, some of the teens might discover other talents that they have. Furthermore, I feel that the Project could offer other services as well to better benefit the teenagers. Tutoring, counseling, educational planning, financial planning, and hobby identification are all things that could find a place at the Project. The Project was under-staffed, but I am hoping that with more people aware of this, there will be more people to help with future endeavors. There is so much potential for what the Project could do with teens, and I am hoping that it meets that potential. This is one reason I want to go back and help. I want to help the Project meet the potential it has. These teenagers were a joy to be around, and I enjoyed interacting with them and learning about their lives. They deserve an opportunity to have great lives. If I can help offer that opportunity, I will go for it. 

They Said my Head was Weird

Before I left on my trip to the Cheyenne River Reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, I found out that I would be interacting with the children and teenagers that frequent the activities organized by the Cheyenne River Youth Project. Today, I am blogging about my experience with the little kids. To be honest, I came into this whole thing with stereotypes and expectations. I had no idea how the little kids would behave around me. I kind of expected them to behave all proper-like because they came from a Native American reservation. I realize now that that thinking was ridiculous and stereotype reinforcing. I went into this experience believing something that I had no evidence for believing. And I believe this sort of made me ill-prepared for what went down when I interacted with the little kids.

As I came to find out, the little kids I met on the reservation were no different than little Chinese, Russian, German, or American kids. These kids were brutal. Because they did not refrain from speaking their mind, they pretty much said anything about you to your face. They made no attempts to hide that they were bored or that they were hungry or that they disliked what was cooked for them. They pretty much acted like my little sister when she was seven. I’m not saying that I didn't like interacting with these kids. What I am saying is that they tended to act like any other group of kids from 4-12 years of age which made any sort of interaction difficult. Once again, this isn't taking away from my experience. There were a plethora of things I enjoyed about interacting with the little kids.

One thing I enjoyed about working with the kids is that they enjoyed learning or playing games. Each of the days that I was there, some people in our group were teaching some sort of lesson to the little kids. One day the lesson concerned science while another day the lesson concerned around the world topics. The little kids were eager about each day’s lesson which is more than I can say for the teenagers. Another thing I enjoyed about working with the kids is that it brought out the kid in me. I had an enormous amount of fun during those five days. I laughed a lot which I hadn't done in quite a while. The kids were brutal, and they would not hesitate to beat you up if they got the chance, but they were a pleasure to interact with which is part of what made this experience worth it.

I know that when I describe these Lakota children, it sounds a great deal like American children. This is because I didn't get a whole lot out of the children in terms of their culture. This was definitely not the case with the teenagers, but I will get to that tomorrow. What I think this means is that being a kid is (Or should be) a universal thing. Little kids like to have fun, they do not refrain from saying what they are thinking, and they like to explore the unknown. Perhaps the reason I didn’t get a great deal of understanding about their culture form them was because they were not that different from any other group of children. Yes, most of them were Lakota, and they grew up on a reservation, but just because someone is from a different race or ethnicity, that does not necessarily mean they have to be different than you. I guess that’s the important lesson I took away from the children. A different race or ethnicity does not mean drastic differences in other areas of life.  

The Experience in Eagle Butte

Last week, I spent my entire Spring Break in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. What was I doing there? I was helping out the Cheyenne River Youth Project. This project is located on a Lakota Indian reservation, and I went there as part of an alternative spring breaks program at my college. A great deal of stuff happened while I was there, and I’ve decided to blog about it over the next five days.

Overall, I loved my experience there. I learned new things, acquired wise advice, and bonded with some cool people. If I had not gone on the trip, I would have just spent my time at home. This was a more productive use of my time, and it is probably one of the most important things I will ever do in my life (I’m probably exaggerating). I have numerous things to say about my trip, but I guess I should start with where I volunteered.

I volunteered at the Cheyenne River Youth Project in Eagle Butte. This organization was founded 25ish years ago in order to help the youth in Eagle Butte. What many people fail to realize is that the youth on reservations are at risk due to issues such as gang activity, poverty, and educational issues. I did not realize this until a short while ago. All of these issues are important to understand because they affect everyone on a reservation including the young people. I’m not saying every reservation has these issues, but they still exist on some reservations. The Project in Eagle Butte has been designed to provide activities for teenagers and little kids alike in order to prevent nefarious activities from going on in the community. Nobody wants to see wasted potential occur with anyone, and I believe that the project can help to insure that most of the students do healthy activities that will not ruin their chances at a great future.

Other aspects of the Project include the fact that many colleges and high schools visit the area to help as well. This can result in issues that I will get to in another post. The Project has a gym where teenagers can play games (mostly basketball) at night, they recently hosted a “Passion for Fashion” night, and they have libraries and an art room. All of these aspects combine to show the true nature of the Project: to help teenagers feel welcome and encouraging growth. The Project also has an afternoon drop off session for little kids where they can learn, play, and have a small dinner. It was a joy working with the little kids even if they were a little brutal at times. Finally, the Project does try to help the community by offering family services. This service allows those in the community to request items that the Project may or may not carry. The Project has a warehouse that I saw. It is pretty big, but it does not carry everything. Still, families do utilize it and seem relatively happy about it.

I will get to what I learned and what exactly happened in later posts, but overall, I enjoyed the experience. There were some ways in which I felt the Project could have been improved, and there were times when I disagreed with practices or philosophy. However, this should not take away from my experience. It was a great experience. I learned a vast amount of new information, and I would gladly do it again. Hopefully, I can do it again this summer as a volunteer. It would allow me to gain hands on experience working with young adults which is what I want to do as a counselor in the future.

This is my first post of my experience in Eagle Butte. I feel I should also link to the website in case any of the readers want to help as well.  http://www.lakotayouth.org/

The Notebook is a Bad Relationship Model

I am going to submit the theory that movies and television are responsible for the downfall of proper romance. This is a bold claim to make. It is like my bold claim that cheesecake is the most awesomest food ever. And much like my cheesecake claim, it is true. My evidence for this claim is The Notebook, reality TV, and the entire Twilight series. Let’s start with the Notebook, shall we?

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Noah Calhoun might be a psychopath. In the Notebook, he asks Allie out at a carnival. This isn’t so bad, but he asks her out while she is already on a date. He couldn’t wait until some other time when she wasn’t so…busy? What is worse is that he asks her out while she is on the Ferris wheel. He wasn’t in the same cart as her; he was holding on to the wheel while they were in the air. As if this wasn’t enough, he scares her while in the air when he pretends that if she doesn’t answer, he will kill himself. I am a firm believer that no one should use suicide to get the attention of others. It is just an unclassy move. Still, Allie isn’t without fault either. She is married to an okay guy in the movie, but when Noah comes back into her life, she forgets all about that and proceeds to make sexy time with him. This is what experts call incredibly stupid. I realize it was the 1940s and divorce was frowned upon, but no guy (or girl) deserves to be cheated on even if the other guy is Ryan Gosling. This movie is ruining romance because it is giving women unrealistic expectations. No guy should behave like Noah because Noah was a lunatic. And no woman should behave like Allie because Allie was a bit of a jerk.

Reality TV isn’t much better. You have entire shows devoted to the idea of romance. The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Temptation Island, various wedding shows, and others which I cannot list because I don’t bother ruining my life by watching them. Think about the logic behind The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. One man or one woman is manipulating a group of individuals into showing him or her who loves him or her the most. That’s not love. It also seems to promote cheating on others because you’re not really in a relationship. It makes for great television, but it just seems to be promoting terrible ideals for what makes a great relationship.

And finally, we have the fantastic series which is Twilight. I am, of course, being completely sarcastic. While I doubt anyone is truly taking this franchise seriously, I have a feeling that some teenage girls might develop horrible beliefs about relationships by watching Edward and Bella (or even worse, Jacob and Renesmee). Edward pretty much stalks Bella. He watches her at night, and he did it for a while before she found out and encouraged it further. Furthermore, Edward pretty much tells Bella that he is a bloodthirsty monster and would love to do nothing more than kill her and drink her blood. And Bella’s only reply is “sounds cool.” When you think about this, their relationship is a metaphor for abuse in a relationship. Edward constantly threatens Bella and even inflicts emotional abuse upon her, and she’s totally okay with all of this because she loves him. Another horrible aspect of all of this is the stupid love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob. In no way does Bella ever say that she’s going to leave Edward, but she still keeps Jacob around, leading him on in a terrible fashion which results in Edward and Jacob wanting to kill each other. I think that people reading this should understand that abusive relationships are not worth the trouble (AT ALL PEOPLE), and that having guys (or women) fight over you is not something to be proud about at all.

So there you go. My reasons for why television and movies are slowly turning romance into a joke. I can only hope that I’m not the only one who realizes this. There is a difference between love and obsession and recognizing this will prevent people from getting hurt in the future. If you disagree, please feel free to explain why. 

Interview With a Blogpire

So, I have an interview tomorrow for a very prestigious spot. It’s not every day that the Vatican calls you and asks if you are available for an interview. I was going to turn them down because the work schedule was going to conflict with my Norwegian Double Agent spy schedule, but I figured I could do both and still be awesome. Because I have an interview, I figured I would go over the rules of interviews with all of my readers because I want all of you to be just as successful as I am. Here are the rules.

1. Remember to put on pants before the interview. Interviewers are allergic to nakedness.
2. An inability to deny yourself a single slice of cheesecake is NOT a weakness. It is your greatest strength.
3. Calling the interview a “Cotton headed ninny muggings” is probably not a good thing.
4. If you’re going to burp or fart in an interview, you might as well burp or fart to the tune of the National Anthem.
5. Despite how awesome it would be, “Riding a dinosaur” is never an appropriate answer to “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
6. Try not to threaten the interviewer. This will look bad in their evaluation of you.
7. Uggs are not an ideal item of clothing to wear in an interview. Uggs are not an ideal item of clothing to wear anywhere. If you are wearing uggs, you probably will never get an interview anywhere.
8. The only appropriate thing to do while having a phone interview is cooking bacon.
9. Never mention your organ harvesting scam during the interview.
10. This is an interview, not a counseling session. Try not to tell the interview about the time your father missed your big baseball game in the third game. Yes, it was an important game, and your father shouldn’t have missed. It is the reason you started drinking, and you stay up all night wondering why your dad doesn’t love you like he loves your sister Janice. But the interviewer doesn’t need to know this.
11. Taking the interviewer’s seat and saying “I’m you now. I have your life” is not a good way to start the interview.
12. Bro hugs are not a good way to end an interview

So what do you think? Are there any tips I did not put on here? Is it possible that an organ harvesting scam might actually be a good hobby to address in an interview?

The Search For Truth

Ted found the key. It was the key to The Room. He had been searching for this key since he had heard about The Room. Many told him it was a myth. The room could not exist; it was only a fairy tale. But years of searching had led him to the post office, where the key was fabled to exist. Indeed, he had found the key there, but only after slaying the dreaded mail monster of the 12^th dimension.

Ted was weary after his travels, but he wanted to get to the room as soon as possible. He set off three days ago and had just now arrived at the building that housed The Room. Ted entered the building expecting opposition, but all he found was dust and spiders. He headed down towards the basement where the entrance to The Room was. In the basement, he found a wall that was a different color than the other walls. Ted grabbed a bat from the corner of the basement and swung at the wall. As it turns out, the wall was different from the others in that it was also made out of wood, not concrete. He kept swinging until there was an opening in the wall big enough for him to fit through.

The opening led to a dimly lit hallway. Ted followed this hallway. It went downwards and upwards, winded left and right, and went on for miles underground. Normally, Ted would have given up and walked away, but he wanted what was in The Room. He followed the extremely long hall way for twenty more minutes before he came to an area with two elevators.

Ted knew that he had to choose the right elevator. The wrong elevator would take him to a swampy area filled with alligators and Justin Bieber music. He desired to avoid that. Luckily, a wise old man at the post office imparted knowledge to him. He told Ted that the elevator that smelled of cheesecake would lead him to The Room. He sniffed around and immediately detected the delightful aroma of cheesecake. He picked that elevator.

He pressed the “^&” button on the elevator as that was the one that would take him to The Room. The elevator slowly went downwards while Ted thought of what would happen in the room. He was giddy. The elevator eventually stopped, and he left it. He looked ahead and saw a golden door. This was the door that led to The Room.

Ted thought about pondering the greatness of this, but he figured nobody had time for that shit. He opened the door and felt the greatness of The Room be thrown upon him. Ted looked around The Room and felt happier than anyone had ever been. He spotted what he had come to The Room for now. He saw the Ultimate Sphere of Truth.

Ted picked up the Ultimate Sphere of Truth. Immediately he felt every single truth in the entire universe fill his mind. He knew everything. Ted knew the exact weight of 11 school bus drivers. He knew how many aliens lived in the Andromeda Galaxy. He knew how humans came to be in the universe. All of this knowledge made him incredibly happy and humble.

Ted then searched for the ultimate truth. He came to this room for this device for a reason: he wanted the ultimate truth. He searched his mind for this new knowledge. He looked past all the cheesecake recipes and the rules of football for this truth. And he found it. In an instant, he knew the ultimate truth of the universe. What he knew made him cry, laugh, smile, frown, and sigh at the same time. He felt he knew his purpose in life as he discovered the very truth that everyone seeks to know in their lives. He found out that, indeed, he did leave the oven on. 

Ye Olde Postal System

When it comes to sending correspondence, I feel that writing letters is better than typing emails, sending texts, calling someone, or communicating via Facebook. You could chalk this up to an opinion, but this is not subjective. This is completely objective. Writing a handwritten letter is completely better than all other forms of communication, and I shall tell you why.

First, consider the last time you wrote a letter. I will give you a few seconds as you might have to reach deep inside your mind to locate the last time you did so. The part of your mind where you store memories of your favorite cheesecake and how to turn switches. Okay, got it? How long did it take you to write said letter? It depends on how much you had to say along with other factors. The last time I wrote a letter, I took up five pages, and it took me about two hours to write it. It doesn’t take everyone this long, but it does take some time to write everything down. Think about that. If writing a letter takes this long, wouldn’t it follow that you’d have to care a great deal to write a letter to someone? I’d say yes which is why I feel so giddy every time I receive a handwritten letter. An email doesn’t tell you anything about how long it took the sender to type it. A text is sometime you can send in about a minute. But a letter takes some time to write. It lets others know that you care. Unless you wrote a hate letter. Then it lets others know that you hate them.

Second, try to remember the last time you received a handwritten letter? Again, try to dig deep in your mind to find the time. If you’re like me, and you grew up in the digital age, you might never have received a handwritten letter. You can count birthday and Christmas cards, but what about an actual handwritten letter. I have a friend who occasionally corresponds with me via letter, but the digital age has created Facebook which allows me to speak to them faster than a letter. This is why I feel so giddy when I receive a letter. It is a rarity today. I know that when I receive a letter it will be filled with goodies such as salutations, information about the writer, and silly small talk. It is an entire conversation on paper that you get to respond to and send back. On the other side of things, I feel great when I send a handwritten letter. I know that the recipient will feel the exact same way. I am brightening a day, and that makes me feel grand.

Thrice, think about the history of letter sending. It may be hard to remember a time when computers did not exist, but such a time did occur. People utilized a postal system to send letters. Before that, they corresponded by sending messengers with letters to each other. And before that, they traversed mountains and crossed rivers just to tell their friend a silly joke they heard. Letters were pretty important back then. They used them to discuss war strategy, gossip about the king/queen, and talk about the fate of the family farm. Most importantly, they used handwritten letters to express their love. Most of the famous poets of olden times wrote letters to their loved ones and remarked how much they loved their significant others. Writing love letters is the best way to express your love. Texts seem insulting, Facebook avoids confrontation, and email lacks the caring nature of letters. The best way to tell someone that you dig them is in person, but handwritten letters are a close second. Understanding this, do you feel our ancestors would be ashamed of us for using social media and cell phones to tell our loved ones how we feel? Probably, I’m guessing.

So there you have it. Three perfectly good reasons why you should start writing letters to everyone. You can still use technology for business and school reasons, but you should start writing letters to everyone immediately. Unless I am wrong. Are there any reasons why letters aren't better than social media, email, or text?

Creepers Gonna Creep

It has occurred to me that there are a great many number of stalkers in the world. Most do their thing; stalking others from a distance. But there are a few stalkers who stalk improperly. Not many people know this, but there are proper rules for stalking. Since I have yet to find any official source of the rules of stalking, I thought I would inform the general populace of the rules. 

1.      1. Before stalking someone, please identify your reason for stalking. Possible reasons for stalking include:

a.       Love

b.      Hate

c.       Stakeouts (Although if this is the case, you might be undercover instead of stalking)

d.      You plan on replacing this person

e.       You want to know more about this person

f.       You are trying to figure out if this person is stalking you

2.      2. Once you figure your reason for stalking, you have to understand the goal of stalking. The goal of stalking is not to make someone love you. If you want someone to love you, quit stalking and ask the person out for some cheesecake. The goal of stalking isn’t about killing anyone as well. The goal of stalking IS to stalk. The stalker watches from afar and gathers information that they might never use. 

3.      3. The stalker watches from afar. They are never to be seen. The stalkee should only sense that there MIGHT be someone following them. They should never see the stalker and only sense their presence.

4.      4. If a stalker is seen, they are to deny that they are stalking. If the stalkee asks what the stalker is doing, they are to make jokes and lie. This is incredibly difficult to do if the stalkee catches you in their house, so make sure you choose your stalking locations wisely.

5.      5. Choose the time of the stalking wisely. If you stalk during the day, you can see your stalkee better, and there are other people to serve as distractions. However, if you stalk during the day, it is easier for the stalkee to see you. If you stalk at night, the stalkee has less of a chance of seeing you. However, if you stalk at night, there is an easier chance for the stalkee to get scared.

6.      6. The stalker should never hurt the stalkee. This includes physically, mentally, or emotionally. The reason stalkers should never be seen is because it may cause emotional or mental issues for the stalkee. 

7.      7. The stalker should never hurt the friends of the stalkee. This includes family and romantic partners. This would cause the stalkee undue mental or emotional issues which are prohibited by rule 6. 

8.      8. Stalking follows the three strike rule. If a stalkee sees you following them three times, they will call an authority. 

9 .    9. If an authority is involved, stalking should cease immediately. Eliminate any evidence that you were stalking (a good stalker never leaves evidence anyways). It may also be a good time to admit that you may have a problem. 

What do you think? Are there any other rules to stalking that I forgot? Do any of these rules make you believe that you are a stalker or maybe are being stalked by someone?