The common denominator

After a 2-hour study session with a classmate from East Asian Civ, the phrase the kept coming up over and over was:

"I hate this class. I hate this man."

And that pretty much sums up the class.

Click It or Ticket month

Exam [sleep-deprivation] week

All I have to do is hold out until Tuesday morning.

I was up until 4:30 this morning studying for my upcoming exams. Tomorrow is JavaScript and a take-home Criminal Courts, and Tuesday morning is East Asian Civ. And that class is hated by most everyone enrolled in it. Not only does the text cover the most obscure topics one can think of, but the prof likes to discuss everything else besides the text. I think the only reason I enjoyed showing up to the class at 11 in the morning is the sumo wrestler clips shown before the period starts.

Then there's the study guide we were given. Topics to study: Buddhism, Shintoism, World War II, bakafu, etc... Of course, that would be too easy of the prof to slim down the time line. So now he has the class studying bascially the entire book on the premise that, "...you need to learn something from this class." Yeah, I learned something; not to take a class from that prof ever again. There's something to be said from studying, of course. It's a good thing, and I'm not trashing it. But when the test is over something the instructor has failed to insturct upon, then it gets irritating.

And then, tonight, Matt, Joey, Lou, Ben, and I went on an eveing run through south campus. It felt good to run in a group, and run when there's not that many people out, either on the road or in vehicles.

USA PATRIOT Act

If airlines sold paint...

[Buying paint from a hardware store]

Customer: Hi, how much is your interior flat latex paint in Bone White?

Clerk: We have a medium quality, which is $16 a gallan, and premium,
which is $22 a gallon. How many gallons would you like?

Customer: I'll take five gallons of the medium quality, please.

Clerk: That will be $80 plus tax.

[Buying paint from an airline]

Customer: Hi, how much is your paint?

Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends.

Customer: Depends on what?

Clerk: Actually a lot of things.

Customer: How about giving me an average price?

Clerk: Wow, that's too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a gallon, and we have 150 different prices up to $200 a gallon.

Customer: What's the difference in the paint?

Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.

Customer: Well, then, I'd like some of that $9 paint.

Clerk: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. When do you intend to use it?

Customer: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.

Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.

Customer: What? When would I have to paint in order to get the $9 version?

Clerk: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.

Customer: You've got to be kidding!

Clerk: Sir, we don't kid around here. Of course, I'll have to check to see if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to you.

Customer: What do you mean check to see if you can sell it to me? You have shelves full of that stuff; I can see it right there.

Clerk: Just because you can see it doesn't mean that we have it. It may be the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of gallons on any given week. Oh, and by the way, the price just went to $12.

Customer: You mean the price went up while we were talking?

Clerk: Yes, sir. You see, we change prices and rules thousands of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the same thing to happen again, I would suggest that you get on with your purchase. How many gallons do you want?

Customer: I don't know exactly. I think I need five gallons. Maybe I should buy six gallons just to make sure I have enough.

Clerk: Oh, no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy the paint and then don't use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.

Customer: What?

Clerk: That's right. We can sell you enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall, and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will be in violation of our tariffs.

Customer: But what does it mater to your whether I use all the paint? I already paid for it!

Clerk: Sir, there's no point in getting upset; that's just the way it is. We make plans upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and when you don't, it just causes us all kinds of problems.

Customer: What kind of problems? This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if I don't keep painting until after Saturday night!

Clerk: Yes, sir, it will.

Customer: Well, that does it! I'm going somewhere else to buy my paint.

Clerk: That won't do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules.

What would help roads in SC:

1. You should not be allowed to drive if you're over 60 and your eye glasses are thicker than your windshield.
2. If you can't see over the steering wheel, then I know you can't see me in front of your vehicle. Get a telephone book or a smaller car.
   
3. There should be a mandatory vehicle inspection on all vehicles that are registered in SC every two years (coincides with the vehicles registration dates). Stipulations would include:
• No blue smoke. If you're vehicle emits blue smoke (or any smoke, for that matter) at any time (other than a brief amount while starting), it needs to be fixed. In other words, if your car can be used to spray for bugs, then something's wrong.
• You're back window may only have stickers on the outer edging of the window. For example, if you're back window is covered by 546 "State Trooper supporter" stickers, you're going to get a ticket. Ironic, eh?
• No large items on the dashboard. Because when you get in a wreck, you don't want your Maglight as your airbag.
• You need a muffler. No, you're car is not lawn mower, nor should it sound like one under any circumstances. Your car (or truck) may be noisy, but it dosen't need any help. And straight exhaust pipes do not give you any additional thrust; use the curvy type to cut down on the noise.
  
4. Cellphones and driving do not mix. Either hang up or pull over. Or, at least, use a hands-free set-up and put your hands where they should be--on the steering wheel!
5. Books are a definite no-no!
6. Why are you playing your music so loud? Turn it down. I don't need to know you're getting near me from 12 blocks away. And I know you can't hear anything else happening outside.
   
7. Mandatory helmet wear for any motorcycle riders. And for bicyclists under 21.
8. If there's a traffic accident and you want to see what unfortunate things happened to someone else, then pull over and observe to your heart's content. Just don't slam on your brakes simply to see what's happening where the flashing lights are. Chances are you're going to have your own personel front row seat in a few moments.

BBC & NPR

I like the BBC. And NPR Morning Edition. And, thanks to iTunes and podcasts, I can listen to the BBC News Highlights and NPR's Morning Edition whenever I want.

Early-morning productivity

Easter has always marked the beginning of spring for me. No, the vernal equinox doesn't mark it for me. Easter does. And it's always such a colorful day, and not just because of the Easter eggs. I like all of the flowers that are coming into bloom. The air just seems...fresher.

Michele, Joey, and I went to Tommy's for the Easter service. The sermon' s topic, forgivness, seemed to be just perfect for the occasion. Maybe it was just the way it was tied to together. But afterwards, the three of us had a late breakfast at IHOP; conversation topics ranged from university parking to inciting riots to taking vitamins.

When I got back to my room, I just had all this nervous energy from I don't know where. So I ran my tri-city, dual-county circut. After I got back, I finished a good deal of work that needed to get done (including my taxes!), then I settled down and watched some movies.

Today, after struggling to get up on time for my 9AM class (which I got to early!), the professor cancelled it for lack of A/V support. So I found myself awake early (relativly) in the morning with nowhere to be. So I was able to get to the bank and pay the U.S. Government the $4.18 I owed them. I then mailed my tax forms and checked my mail for the package I was expecting, which came today. After that, I walked back to my room and started to procrastinate on the paper due tomorrow, sorta like I'm doing now. I'm going to start having to get up early; it just feels good to get stuff done.

My view of taxes

DanGlen: have you done your taxes yet?
glendine1: yeah
glendine1: i'm gettin some money back
DanGlen: it's like my math problem for the year
glendine1: yeah no kidding

Atomic Iran

Today, much to the dismay of many nations on this planet, Iran annouced that it has enriched uranium-235 using 164 centrifuges. Though the current amount of enruched uranium is much less and not enriched enough to make a nuclear weapon (it's only good for reactors to produce energy), it won't be too long until nuclear weapon grade uranium (>90% enriched; Iran only has about 3.5% enrichment) will be produced.

The International Atomic Engergy Agency (IAEA) states that Iran has has been running centrifuges since March, and to produce weapon-grade material, Iran would need to run thousands of centrifuges for several months.

Read the Wikinews story