So it appears I can blog via Opera on my phone, though in a somewhat limited fashion at this moment.
My dear Watson and I went on an amazing journey, starting last Sunday. To celebrate her last day of retail Hell, we had decided to go camping. What was originally to be a simple trip out into familiar territory became a 3 day trek as freemen, going wherever our whims took us and taking what travel brought us. We went to Bear Mountain, but the trail was closed so we slept in the car. It rained anyway.
The next day Watson awoke bright eyed while I was tough to start. Turns out it was barely 6am at the time. We decided against mountain hiking, perhaps influenced by our late night and early start, and headed out for coffee and a hot breakfast.
On the way we encountered a Revolutionary War battle site, something dearest enjoys very much, so we went there. We met a very friendly turkey while enjoying the view of the Hudson. The gas prices were horrible, so we stopped in Jersey to make someone fill up the tank. (Ha ha ha.) How they mandate by law attendants fill the tanks while being 30c cheaper I do not know.
We decided on another whim to try camping again, and went to Beaver Lake (or something like that). The camp was so froufrou! There was a well maintained outhouse near our site with plumbing and showers! Also, we got to park the car at our campsite! A beautiful lake full of lifeguards and sandy beaches awaited us, and then we cooked hotdogs on a fire pit with a grill. I've got to practice starting fires. Wet wood is horribly difficult. We slept so well that night.
This adventure gave us so much more than memories. It gave us confidence, experience, and most importantly, bonding. We worked as a team. We spoke from our hearts. We never got tired of each other. I learned we should bring lighter fluid and mouthwash.
I'm a little sick from a jaw infection caused by my wisdom tooth. Oh, and Frankenputer (my computer made of many parts) is dead, hence my need to post via mobile. Fried hard drive. Do motherboards sometimes fry HDs? This is number 3. There will not be any high quality art updates at this moment. Apologies. At least I didn't lose anything this time. I may post cell pictures if I can figure out how.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Survival of the Richest
Humanity comes from a long line of predator prey behavior within its own kind.
Primates are brutal. I watched the manipulative and abhorrent behavior of baboons (not directly related to us) as they used others' young as collateral and I was disgusted. "Humanity doesn't accept such behavior. It is counter productive. Only by working together and helping each other adapt do we truly become great as a species."
I was wrong.
There's actually still plenty of predator prey behavior within mankind. Scammers scam. Commercials lie. Banks put college kids in 10-30 years of indentured servitude (except for the rich ones, who pay off their loans so quickly they pretty much only pay what was owed). The banks... Oh the banks. They are the ultimate predator, preying on the weak with their smiles and promises.
A system that makes the unfortunate pay more and the fortunate pay less is broken. It works out for the banks and for those who make our laws (rich people), but it doesn't work out for the average recent college graduate, who may wish to start a business or invent some new lifesaving medicine but can't all because they owe the banks money. I figured since I was going to a state university that I was so smart and fiscally responsible. I thought that having a degree would make employers clamor over me (like I was promised over and over again). I thought it MATTERED. My very smart sister-in-law never got a chance to complete college, much to her dismay, and so 2005 on she was working. She's worked herself up to a position where she's in charge of others and making a reasonable wage. She paid off her year's worth of private college debt and is free.
She is working right now. I am not. Employers quickly pass me up for someone with "experience", even within my own field of study. No one equates my degree with $30,000 worth of experience, which is an entire year's worth of salary in my field. I am an indentured servant to a bank and I cannot declare bankruptcy as it is government loans, unlike those who were tricked by private credit card companies. I was tricked just as horribly, but I have no way out. Banks are like baboons, holding our youth hostage for their own benefit.
I don't pray, but right now I'm just going to make a general plea. Please publish me. Buy my work. I am a talented and extremely passionate mad genius who has big ideas for this mad mad world.
The American Dream does not apply to the poor, only the lucky.
Fortunately for the rich, most of the poor still believe in the fallacy, because we all still have the right to protest, and we would if only the lies didn't run so deep.
When I finally make it, I'm going to help others (perhaps like that 20 under 20 guy). Hell, I help people now and I have nothing. I am a beautiful human being with big beautiful dreams, and no amount of debt will stop me.
Primates are brutal. I watched the manipulative and abhorrent behavior of baboons (not directly related to us) as they used others' young as collateral and I was disgusted. "Humanity doesn't accept such behavior. It is counter productive. Only by working together and helping each other adapt do we truly become great as a species."
I was wrong.
There's actually still plenty of predator prey behavior within mankind. Scammers scam. Commercials lie. Banks put college kids in 10-30 years of indentured servitude (except for the rich ones, who pay off their loans so quickly they pretty much only pay what was owed). The banks... Oh the banks. They are the ultimate predator, preying on the weak with their smiles and promises.
A system that makes the unfortunate pay more and the fortunate pay less is broken. It works out for the banks and for those who make our laws (rich people), but it doesn't work out for the average recent college graduate, who may wish to start a business or invent some new lifesaving medicine but can't all because they owe the banks money. I figured since I was going to a state university that I was so smart and fiscally responsible. I thought that having a degree would make employers clamor over me (like I was promised over and over again). I thought it MATTERED. My very smart sister-in-law never got a chance to complete college, much to her dismay, and so 2005 on she was working. She's worked herself up to a position where she's in charge of others and making a reasonable wage. She paid off her year's worth of private college debt and is free.
She is working right now. I am not. Employers quickly pass me up for someone with "experience", even within my own field of study. No one equates my degree with $30,000 worth of experience, which is an entire year's worth of salary in my field. I am an indentured servant to a bank and I cannot declare bankruptcy as it is government loans, unlike those who were tricked by private credit card companies. I was tricked just as horribly, but I have no way out. Banks are like baboons, holding our youth hostage for their own benefit.
I don't pray, but right now I'm just going to make a general plea. Please publish me. Buy my work. I am a talented and extremely passionate mad genius who has big ideas for this mad mad world.
The American Dream does not apply to the poor, only the lucky.
Fortunately for the rich, most of the poor still believe in the fallacy, because we all still have the right to protest, and we would if only the lies didn't run so deep.
When I finally make it, I'm going to help others (perhaps like that 20 under 20 guy). Hell, I help people now and I have nothing. I am a beautiful human being with big beautiful dreams, and no amount of debt will stop me.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Reconnect!
I was watching a commercial on television this evening. It said: "Travel! Reconnect with your family!"
Some anger welled up within me. I responded: "why are we disconnected in the first place?"
That's a simple question with no easy answer.
I had a pretty interactive family growing up. It seemed that as times got harder we could spend less and less time with each other. We were all just so busy trying to survive.
A good portion of people claim that cellphones are the cause of the family becoming distant and people becoming so anti-social. I didn't get a cellphone until I was an adult, and for me, it actually increased my social capabilities. I remember an age with little use of cellphones when I was a teenager, and we all mostly didn't talk to one another unless we knew each other. We sat in awkward silence, avoiding eye contact while reading a book or something. When around friends, we certainly had plenty of moments where we did our own thing and just enjoyed the presence of one another in silence, so that picture of teens just playing on their phones around each other? Perfectly normal looking to me! Before it was "the cellphone's fault", mind you, it was "all television's fault" or "beware of video games". There was even a time when people warned of the phone call disrupting proper social etiquette.
So, at a time when social media and cellphones connect us more than ever, why has the family drifted apart? Is it really technology's fault we've lost touch with one another? Or is it a generation or two of overworked and underpaid parents having little time for their children?
The loss of the middle class family has a much larger impact than some may realize.
Some anger welled up within me. I responded: "why are we disconnected in the first place?"
That's a simple question with no easy answer.
I had a pretty interactive family growing up. It seemed that as times got harder we could spend less and less time with each other. We were all just so busy trying to survive.
A good portion of people claim that cellphones are the cause of the family becoming distant and people becoming so anti-social. I didn't get a cellphone until I was an adult, and for me, it actually increased my social capabilities. I remember an age with little use of cellphones when I was a teenager, and we all mostly didn't talk to one another unless we knew each other. We sat in awkward silence, avoiding eye contact while reading a book or something. When around friends, we certainly had plenty of moments where we did our own thing and just enjoyed the presence of one another in silence, so that picture of teens just playing on their phones around each other? Perfectly normal looking to me! Before it was "the cellphone's fault", mind you, it was "all television's fault" or "beware of video games". There was even a time when people warned of the phone call disrupting proper social etiquette.
So, at a time when social media and cellphones connect us more than ever, why has the family drifted apart? Is it really technology's fault we've lost touch with one another? Or is it a generation or two of overworked and underpaid parents having little time for their children?
The loss of the middle class family has a much larger impact than some may realize.
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