Don't Blog That!

Moving in.

Chris — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:05:51 +0000

It’s like playing tetris, except the rows don’t disappear when you fill them up.

Yesterday I managed to do the impossible — I managed to fit everything I had packed into one half of a double-person dorm room.

My roommate, Yifan, moved in on Monday. Tuesday he woke up early and said “See you in five days!” See, his FPOP is apparently taking him somewhere for the duration of the week. More space for me!

On monday I also began to help with EC’s work for Rush. What does this entail?

At first…. moving wood. Lots of wood.

(They got even more after I went off to do something.)

While this part may have been slightly-less-than-fun (though the free freezepops helped), the payoff was well worth the work. Once the wood was moved in, it was time to start construction.

First, I helped assemble platforms for people to stand on, which will be required on the ascent to what one might call a big tower.

Construction of this tower took tons of people until 2:00 AM, but it was pretty fun and very tall. Let me tell you, 24 feet looks very different on the ground than it does vertically.

This is going to be the starting point for a huge roller coaster where the rider is suspended “superman-style” and jaunched over to the sand pits (vollyball court) for a total length of 50-60 feet.

One word: Woah.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

On the open road!

Chris — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 01:48:49 +0000

Or at least as open as route 93 ever gets.

Tomorrow I will be heading out on to the open road. My destination?

That mecca of technology and education known colloquially as MIT.

I don’t have time to say much because I need to finish figuring out where the hell I’m going to put all this stuff…

…and my minifridge…

all the while knowing that I’m going to have to move them out again and into another room.

I also need to finish making my carrot cake I plan to use to buy friends by placing it in the kitchen of Floorpi.

In addition, I need to wake up early, so I should be going to sleep soon.

Goodnight, Dracut — G’mornin, MIT.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Things I dislike, the first.

Chris — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:11:07 +0000

In what may end up a being a recurring feature, I will now describe something I dislike and explain why.

#1: People who are self-righteous about morality.

You know what I hate? Self-righteous Christians.
I also hate self-righteous Muslims and Jews and [Insert religion here].

You know what I hate just as much? Self-righteous atheists.

In general, I hate it when people try and force their own views of morality on someone else.

No person can ever fully understand the situation that another finds themselves in. Without really knowing this, how can anyone preach morality? To open a controversy, what a woman does with her child is her concern, and no one has the right to preach to her of damnation just because they saw her at an abortion clinic. What if, for example, that woman would almost certainly have died during childbirth due to a medical condition? This example may lie towards the extreme end, but the validity of the reasoning is sound.

In addition, nothing gives someone the right to make others believe the same as them. The freedom of ideas is what keeps our society alive and evolving, and morality is just a another idea. Archaic ideas from a two-thousand+ year old book, or more recent ones from a two-year old one; both of them are valid ways to look at the world, and people have the right to believe in them.

That is not to say that people shouldn’t be able to debate morality. I’m probably the last person who would argue against a good debate. But the debate must be respectful.

If one side of the debate decides that the other’s belief system itself isn’t worth being debated against, if one side condemns the other not for its ideas but for its [origin/name], then nothing of value can ever be achieved. Just insisting one’s views are the only correct way because I said so and that’s that, anyways you’re just a god-hating hellbound atheist is detrimental to both society and the people involved. (As a note, substituting “delusional [denomination]” for “hellbound atheist” would be just as bad.)

Then again, this opinion is part of my personal code of morals… Maybe I’m being a bit self-righteous myself.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Just get used to it!

Chris — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:49:39 +0000

It’s an acquired taste.

I used to completely despise metal music. I couldn’t figure out how anyone could like something that was just a cacophony of unrelated sound. The more I listened to it, (either on internet radio or through friends) the more able I was to pick out patterns in the complex (and sometimes overwhelming) music, and even to like some of the songs. In other words: the more I listened, the more I liked — even though I started out with the exact opposite opinion.

I see this same effect in many other areas.

I used to dislike salads. I started to force myself to eat them in order to lose some weight, and to get healthier in general — now, I actually enjoy a good salad for lunch, for dinner… even breakfast, if I need to get rid of leftovers. (I can never figure out why breakfast need have a different composition than dinner. Some people think that’s strange.)

I sincerely hated running. I spent a few months running as part of the cross-country team, and I discovered that it really wasn’t as bad as I originally thought… or, at least, it’s possible to convince myself of that.

Really, I think that anything in life can be adjusted to if you have the right attitude or the right motivation. I you really need to do something, your body, mind, and preferences can take a backseat to the necessity if you force them to.

Nothing is impossible to tolerate. Even the taste of salmon.

(It’s an aquired taste, they say.)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

It’s going to eat me!!

Chris — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 01:26:50 +0000

Tonight I’m tired, I have a headache, and my shoulder popped out and then back in again a little while ago, so this entry will be a bit shorter than normal.

This morning, I slept in late. That’s about it.

This afternoon I went to my cousin Emily’s birthday party. She’s turning 16, so its kinda a big deal.

For this birthday, my cousin’s aunt (but not my aunt) made an amazingly awesome confectionery delight that matched the party’s luau theme:

At this party they also had one of these:

Take heed: this inflatable monstrosity is much less innocent than it seems. Unless you’re careful, it may try to eat you.

This has been a public service announcement.

Also, this is an “after” picture for that amazing cake.

And now… g’night.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh