So, the time to go do my oral arrived. I plodded along down the epically long history department corridor to find A303 and Mr. Hamon. He was there. Bugger. I got to pick 3 questions to do (well, 1 to do, 2 to disregard). I picked terrible ones: Indians viewed by the Europeans; Economics of Nouvelle Espagne or something about French and English regards to Indians between 1755 and 1765. Naturally I went for the vaguest one. I prepared, and got vague. He seemed to nod in all the right places. It was all good. He told me at the end that “découvert” was the past participle of “découvrir” not “découvrit”, and during he told me how to say “Chrétien” – with a hard K sound, not a Sch sound. Now you know. But yes, a few questions at the end threw me, but aside from that, all went fine, and he was like “a priori, je dirais 15 ou 16″, which out of 20 is pretty awesome! Yay me!

More to read below. Especially if you want to understand what this is about.

Hello world.

For my final project in the course, Search in the Age of Google, I created a self portrait of my google identity (meaning the results of searching my own name, Camilo Rayo on google). This contrasts to my real identity, as my google identity differs- I’m not the only Camilo Rayo. Other Camilo Rayo’s have other attributes, interests, ages, locations, etc. However, the fascinating part is, maybe, to a stranger, we’re all the same Camilo Rayo. How would a stranger know that the Camilo Rayo who is interested in photography is not located in Columbia? How would a stranger know that the Camilo Rayo who’s a bro is not the same Camilo Rayo who wrote the song _Layers? They really wouldn’t. I’m posting this post to address that issue. Here’s my to you, stranger.

Dear Stranger Who’s Googled My Name,

As of yet the internet is not aware of the imploding nature of it’s shortcomings: lack of intelligence. It is not aware also because it does not have a sense of self; it cannot be self aware. It does know, however, that there is a Camilo Rayo out there. Unfortunately for the FBI, the notion that it can categorize to the extent of isolating identities is currently untrue. Wishful, yet untrue. Hope so, maybe. As the internet ages, vines of wire and pods of data continue to grow, and my online identity grows with it.

This is an identity both lacking and overflowing. It lacks distinction- Camilo Rayo is in Columbia. Camilo Rayo has never been to Columbia. Camilo Rayo is a scorpio born in August, the month of Leo and Virgo. Camilo Rayo is five-foot three-inches. Camilo Rayo is five-foot eleven-inches. Without intelligence, the internet cannot reconcile these screaming contrasts. How can I be living somewhere I’ve never been? How can I have two birthdays? How can I be so tall when I’m so short?

The internet is raping identities blind. Identities that have no choice but to wait to be found in some defenseless state. Like a 1980’s-born fat ugly virgin teenagers’ false memory of driving 1950’s Cadillacs, smoking cigarettes and laughing with giggling curvaceous blonde girls in passenger seats, riding with the top down, the only victim of this loud violence is truth.

This letter is addressed to you for a reason. You’re my point. I’m your silver plate dream of an identity you know nothing about. My online portrait is who you think I am. I cannot juggle the weights of both of these. My heads going to explode, my soul stretched far enough to rip in your five. Maybe I just don’t remember living in Columbia. I could have forgotten that once upon a time I was published and proud of it. I didn’t even know that I have curly hair and play music, or that I glued stickers all over my friends face to get into some newspaper across the country. Too much life means I can’t recall ever having you or anyone with me under palm trees in blue jeans and a green striped shirt.

I know my next step: taking my identity into my own hands, where it belongs. I learned photoshop from a gypsy in Spain who pushed parakeets and misfortune cards, and using a picture of myself, I’ll put it all together. All those details that make up who I am. The blue eyed body in Columbia who attends anti-homosexuality protests at SUNY Purchase with a camera living in San Francisco working in Oakland and is a zombie going to prom. The writer who must know Japanese, who must know Kenneth Cole, who must like rock music, dancing, who must play chess with almost-famous musicians, who must do these things because Google tells me someone named Camilo Rayo does.

I’m lost to it now. This device, this quicksand that lives under our bricks and mortars and threatens to swallow it all whole, I don’t know what to believe anymore. First life, second life, third. Search in my room or search online. Owner of my identity or ruled by the fact it is out of my hands now.

I’m inspired by dopeheads and wackos alike; fiends crazy enough to persuade, steal, and even pillage the homes of small children in the name of comfort. First there’s the pope, who throughout history has managed to inspire enough hope in people to do selfless things such as send their children off to impending death. Then there’s Genghis Khan, responsible for igniting enough rage in the east to almost swallow in one gulp the entirety of continents, just because the man wanted what he wanted: Khanada. And last but not least, my mom, whose choice of bathroom colors shoved a eureka moment into my brain while showering drunk after an entire delirious summer night of creating our strategy to invade Iraq, giving much glee to our former president.

The only run ins I had we’re with kind mormons who offered me spears and firewood covered in strange English letters, which I took out to the woods over here by SUNY Purchase. Surprisingly enough, they freaked at the sight of my custom of building bonfires, but the kindle worked well. Their biggest shock, however, came at the sight of the boars head I brought out to roast. I had been saving it for a bit, but apparently this was not the right occasion to bring it out on. You gotta know who you’re catering to in this world, but sometimes everyone’s a stranger.

I’ve grown a lot over the past few years. Essentially, but not so much physically. I’ve adapted new talents, gone to new countries, and developed the ability to conquer time-space. I now know how to exist in two places at once, to be two different ages, to have different interest. Next time, bet on me, instead of any of those split personality types. Because I’m not crazy.

Thanks,

Camilo Rayo.

Shook magazine issue 7, winter 09/10 is now out. Full details HERE.

They say this:

With our FUNK FACTORY special covering some of the baddest bands on the planet (Dap-Kings, Breakestra, Whitefield Brothers, Lefties Soul Connection, Cookin’ On 3 Burners & Malcolm Catto of the Heliocentrics) and our focus on PLANET MU, whether we’re cold lampin’ with the original funki dred JAZZIE B or sweating to the tropical rhythms of GWO KA and TUMBELE in Martinique and Guadeloupe, SHOOK #07 goes deep in the science of rhythm. The launch of HOMEGROWN, the first major exhibition of UK hip-hop, is our excuse to go back in time with London Posse, Demon Boyz and many more. We get the DATA REDUCTION from ZOMBY and gOnj@$ufi. MAX ROMEO tells us how he almost burned down the offices of Island Records, HUDSON MOHAWKE talks about making tracks for Rihanna, while Stefan Lakatos remembers learning to play the trimba from MOONDOG. For all you jazz heads, CARL CRAIG, MARCUS BELGRAVE and WENDELL HARRISON give us the rub on the resurrected TRIBE RECORDS project; we get a dose of Ancestral Soul from BODDHI SATTVA; Guilty Simpson, Black Milk, Dilated Peoples, Planet Asia and more salute HEX MURDA; we smoke Cohibas in Cuba with GILLES PETERSON and blaze blunts in LA with GASLAMP KILLER, SAMIYAM, HOUSESHOES & RHETTMATIC. Plus TERENCE BLANCHARD explains all about his difficult choices post-Katrina. Elsewhere, we feature FELA! THE MUSICAL, we surprise NNEKA, find out all about the CANDY MACHINE, travel the world with DREPH, celebrate the release of STILL BILL and raise a toast to 30 years of VAGUE. So shut yourself away this Christmas with a copy of SHOOK and a bottle of brandy, and be a soul adventurer, travelling to places and spaces far and wide in the musical omniverse.

Shook on Twitter

Sometimes I can’t get a full grasp on how my brain’s working; it seems to ramble on without me having any control where it goes. Here’s some bands that fit that mood: where you’re not quite sure if you’re certain about the possible direction your life might take. Their lyrics are abstract, fluid, incomplete, whatever you wanna call it. Or at least they’re equivocal and open to a ridiculous amount of interpretation (they’re vague and mysterious. Go redundancy).

December 10^th:

• 8:30 to 9: Coffee + Computer
• 9 to 9:30: Breakfast (Eggs + Bacon)
• 9:30 to 10:30: Blog Post*
• 10:30 to 11:30: Facebook
• 11:30 to 1: Schoolwork*
• 1 to 1:30: Lunch (Campbell’s Chunky Soup + Corn Bread + V8)
• 1:30 to 3:30: Schoolwork*
• 3:30 to 5:30: Work on my website
• 5:30 to 7: Blog Post*
• 7 to 8: Computer + TV
• 8 to 8:30: Dinner (Shepherd’s Pie + Corn + Peas)
• 8:30 to 11:30: Computer + TV + Food (Baby Carrots with Ranch dressing + Turkey and Cheese Sandwich + Corn Bread + PB&J + Kashi Granola Bar + Coca-Cola)

Procrastination: 6 hours of schoolwork (Blog Posts and the posts on this blog, which counts as schoolwork) and all items on my procrastination list. I’m satisfied. By comparing with the grades I gave myself the past days, I say that today is a 8/10.

Bed Time: 11:30! More than perfect! 15/10

Wake Up Time: I did put an alarm but it took me half an hour to get. Still good though. 8/10

Diet: I started to get hungry around 10PM. I thought that if I was to eat something then carrots with a little dressing would be acceptable. But once I started, I just couldn’t stop myself. This is going to sound stupid, but it’s really like an addiction. What’s really unfortunate is that there was a period when I was extremely careful about what I ate and when I exercised a lot, so I was able to lose 30 pounds. I still exercise, but I’m not as careful about what I eat. I guess it started off because I realized that losing weight is an extremely long and hard journey. So if you believe that you’ll reach your goal in a long time then pushing it back by one day doesn’t seem like such a big deal. But all these exceptions add up and I’m now gaining weight. I weighed myself today and I’m at 187.5 pounds. That’s the worse it’s been in a long time. Granted I used the scale at my mom’s house and I weighed myself after lunch, but nonetheless, I can’t continue like this. I’ve had self-confidence and depression problems all my life because I never liked the way I looked. In fact, I really can’t remember the last time I was happy with myself physically. I think I owe it to myself to be careful about what I eat. I’ve worked extremely hard in the gym to get where I am today and I shouldn’t be throwing it all away. I think it’s also extremely important for my state of mind, self-confidence and overall happiness that I keep on this path to a healthier life and hopefully a physique I’m happy with. I think one of my problems is that my objectives have been too vague. Therefore, I commit to losing 17.5 pounds by April 1^st. I chose 17.5 pounds because I’d like to weigh 170 pounds and by April 1^st, because there a pool on the roof of my building and I’d like to make the most of it. I didn’t go once this summer, because I’m not comfortable with the way I look. But I still think that I need to break this goal down into smaller pieces to make sure I stay motivated. Basically, I have 3.5 months to lose 17.5 pounds, which makes 5 pounds per month. This means that my first objective is to weigh 182.5 pounds on January 11^th. 5 pounds per month is not an easy goal, but I do believe that I can succeed. To see if I’m on schedule, I’ll weigh myself in two weeks, on December 25^th (odd coincidence). I commit to this. Instead of seeing binging as pushing my goal back by one day, I need to see not binging as getting closer to my goal by one day.

It’ll have to be a short blog today, as I am (just for a change) absolutely knackered.

Today, alongside other travails, I travelled to Cambridge, there watched my sister perform in an experimental student play, went for a meal, and then travelled back to Lyndhurst. All in all, about 7 hours; not including the delayed departure (flat tyre) that pushed the whole proceedings back by another 3.

Whatever. The fact is I’m tired, and it’s only principle and bloody mindedness that’s forcing my fingers into typing this.

Bloody mindedness is a valuable tool, and it’s a pity that so few who possess it have the faculties to make it worthwhile; too often those without have genius beyond measure (but are too weak willed to enforce any thoughts) and those with have… well, aside from a surplus of ego and a sense of entitlement, very little.

Principle is a different matter.

Principle. It’s one of those words that can be used to justify anything. “Off with his head!” – “all he did was take your sandwich” – “ah, but it’s the Principle of the thing”; “All immigrants need to get out and now” – but Nick, without the steady flow of immigration not only would our country and culture not be as we varied, advanced and enriched as it is today, but vital institutions such as the NHS and public transport would simply cease to exist” – “You just don’t understand, it’s the Principle!”; “I’m gonna smack that fuckers head in!” – “mate, he just looked at you” – “nah mate, it’s the fuckin principle!” (I admit that last one’s less likely to be heard verbatim, but you get the idea).

In reality, Principle is a double edged blade. It’s true, a good hard hit of Principles might well put an end to a great deal of the corruption, apathy and hypocrisy that’s currently so apparent on pretty much every level of todays society, but is that unique to todays? It’s a cliche now really: “What we need are good old fashioned principles”. What would those be exactly? Are we talking wartime principles? (villifying and dehumanizing a fundamentally human enemy, with propoganda given precedent over more unbiased ’subversive’ yet factual news) – Victorian principles? (Enslave and repress the rest of the world for being stupid and beneath us, and as long as the daft plebs agree to live by our rules afterwards we’ll throw them scraps from the table on a regular basis. Silly darkies.) – The olde principles of knights of yore? (Women, Children, Commoners… basically, it’s well within my rights to do ANYTHING I want to you all because God, in his infinite wisdom, had me born higher in the chain than every one of you. Now shut up and bend over. You too darky.) – I mean come on! In Dickensian Britain women sold their babies and themselves for GIN (not an exaggeration; gin addiction was a huge problem at the time), to decide today that a few years ago everything and everyone was somehow hardwired with a perfect moral and ethical code that ensured an idyllic, happy and peacable society is ridiculous. I firmly believe that never in our history have we had it so good (overall at any rate), recession or no.

Going further, principles can too often be solely divisive in their effect. To stick to your principles steadfastly while your opponent does the same… well, aside from killing each other I don’t really see any method of conflict resolution, do you? This is evidenced by so much of our history. I mean compromise to some degree is sort of vital for any society that involves more than one citizen, surely?

Life is not, never has been, and never will be Black and White. Principles are excellent starting points and excellent guidelines, but that’s all they are. They should be developed and edited throughout a lifetime; not chosen and written in stone, expected to be adhered to devoutly. Compromise. Reality. Grey patches. That’s life.

Refusing to repair a relationship or a conflict ‘on principle’ simply means that when push comes to shove everyone concerned has that much more misery, is that bit less fulfilled, and misses out on that many more opportunities for life, for love and for spiritual prosperity.

When it comes to principle I stand very much with Falstaff:

“The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have sav’d my life.”

As usual, the Bard says it best.

-Brice out.

Working the Info Desk at the Bookstore: Book Requests

Graph by: tziva via Graph Jam Builder

Two Versions of Disputed Contract

By Brian Madigan LL.B.

There were actually two separate versions of a contract between Rogers and Aliant, one in English and the other in French.

The CRTC ruled in favour of Aliant several years ago, applying the rules of English grammar. A comma made all the difference when it came to deciding when a contract could be terminated.

Basically, the notice clause and the time period ran together. Could you terminate on one year’s notice at anytime, or would you have to wait for the first five year period to expire?

However, the case was appealed. In fact, there were two versions of the same contract, one in English and one in French.

The CRTC examined the French version of the contract because the commission had approved the rates and regulations in both English and French in 2000:

“The Commission considers that, between the two versions, it is appropriate to prefer the French language version as it has only one possible interpretation, and that interpretation is consistent with one of the two possible interpretations of the English language version.”

So, on appeal Rogers was successful. The French version was clear, the English version was not. Therefore, the CRTC assumed that the intent of the contract was clear as between the parties and utilized the French version to determine the result.

Afrique Occidentale - Sénégal – Dakar – Retour des pêcheurs

Ok, I’m here. I made it. I’m a LEED AP. Now what?

I like to break things down into 3’s when I feel a bit lost. So here’s my 3 big goals for the future regarding the use of this new credential:

1. Get smarter: I am not under the illusion that my studying days are over. They are only just beginning. Maintaining my credentials will require ongoing education (and quite a bit of money) in order to prove my continued worth as a leader in the sustainable building field. The GBCI’s Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP) requires me to complete a confusing number of hours over a vaguely defined spread of LEED-related issues. I’ll need to clarify and post about this to understand it better. Check back later.

2. Get experienced: I am located in Italy, which is not a country seething with LEED projects. There are a few, however, and I have made some steps towards familiarizing myself with other LEED Italia professionals. I am even listed as a LEED AP on the Green Building Council of Italy’s website. While LEED Italy is still in its infancy, I am also trying to learn a bit about Casa Clima and Itaca – two of the other rating schemes used here in Italy.

3. Get recognized: For me, this means growing our new business to the point where we have a comfortable client base and a good reputation for quality architectural designs. I’d like to use my LEED AP credential as a tool for initiating conversations that would otherwise be overlooked in this somewhat traditional and rural setting (rural Reggio Emilia, Italy).

For now, I think these are reasonable (but general) goals. Over the next few months, I hope to post about more specific ways to achieve them.

You get your test back, and you can’t believe you got that one question wrong. You ask you prof, “Isn’t my answer correct?” and you show your prof the highlighted textbook passage that proves your case. Your prof says, “Yes, your answer is correct, but it’s not the best answer.” Your silent response: WTF??

The “best” answer: the bane of conscientious students. How are you supposed to judge what’s best and what’s merely right? What does it even mean for one correct answer to be better than another correct answer? For all of you who have fallen victim to the best, I offer this taxonomy of the less-than-best.

• The uninterestingly true answer. Any halfway decent exam question is trying to get at some halfway interesting scientific point. If you read an answer to which your first reaction is, “Duh,” keep looking for better answers. Look for the most interesting (and by interesting, I mean most relevant to other scientific concepts and explanations) answers. Hint: interestingness is occasionally positively correlated with wordiness. Example: Oxygen is (a) a substance, (b) an element, or (c) a highly electronegative element.
• The partially true answer. If an answer gets at only part of what’s interesting about some concept, expect other answers also to be correct — and then look for an answer that reads, “All of the above,” or, “A, C, and D are true.” Example: Ribosomes are (a) made of amino acids, (b) made of carbohydrates, (c) made of RNA, or (d) made of amino acids and RNA.
• The accidentally true answer. Deserts (a) tend to have high biodiversity, (b) can be found at high latitude, (c) have very low precipitation, or (d) have intermediate to high precipitation. Clearly (c) is correct. But the Antarctic polar desert is also a desert, so (b) is also technically correct. Will your prof remember that there’s a desert at 90 degrees south? It depends on what sort of class it is, but I guarantee that the prof remembers that deserts have low precipitation. So choose (b) at your own risk. You might get the points or not, but at least you’ll know deep down that you got it right.

The main thing to keep in mind is that you must read all of the choices before choosing one. Don’t despair of having to read the prof’s mind, because you don’t have to. Simply remember that scientists are less concerned with true and false than they are with more interesting and less interesting.

Nightmare Meets Reality

I surmise some, or much more accurate, majority of the readers wont understand what will I discuss in this article. I wish no one can. For it will ruin all of me. But why write this and be published on the internet? Maybe because I can’t tell this to anyone nor I will tell this. And the only thing that I can do is to write in an abstract to lessen my burden. Of course it is given that we have the prayer, but in this case, and in my case, I think I have to do this like what I have read in a Philippine story about a coiffure that saw the mystery hidden behind the large hat of the well-known Raja – which in his surprise he discovered that the Raja have big ears that rarely knows. And guess what the coiffure did? He told it to the trees instead of saying to someone else just to make ease of his feelings. But in my case, I can’t be satisfied with just shouting at the trees or to something without life. So I chose to share it by blogging. Hope you understand.

It was between midnight to the breaking dawn, and I dont know if Im still awake or not. Oh! How I wish I was asleep that night. I’ve been waiting for someone to come and it did. I don’t know what to do that it’ll be there. I thought it’s just a joke. But it wasn’t.

I went outside and called it. And it’s instant. And without a word, it followed me. Thru the deafening silence only the outside noise breaking it, I led. I can’t believe that it’s true. I smell its odor enter my nose that I wished to spew. I can’t hold back. It’s already here. It’s here. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do with it. Yet I continued. I made a decision not meant to choose.

I hear the sound it produces. That sticky sound like it belongs to a vacuum. I smell the odor I wish not there at that time. I’ve done nothing but let it flow. I let it continue. Till I held it. I wish I hadn’t touch it! Oh how I wish! But I did. It stopped. I spoke, explaining the reason mine was that. I don’t actually understand myself. Maybe, mine responses against the circumstances.

I went outside once more. But now, it’s over. But the nighmare will still be reality. And I can’t undo the things that had happened. Everytime I see sort of things, I remember the nightmare. I know that it can be stopped just from the start. But I know that human can’t stand not to sleep. Especially me that is weak at that time. I lost everything I had. I actually lost my own self. I know. And now I know. That it must be done with the one whom you are sure you can live with the rest of your life. That you can say that nightmares are dreams meant to be dreamed inspired and beautifully.

Dimanche, escapade dans le North Shore. On est parti à 4 avec 3 planches et une jeep. Première escale à Sunset Beach où se déroule en ce moment la O’neill World Cup of Surfing, mais les conditions ne sont pas top et la compétition est suspendue, trop de vent, les vagues ne se sont pas bien définies.

On se dirige ensuite vers Pipeline, quelques surfeurs à l’eau, pas n’importe lesquels, tous meilleurs les uns que les autres, un photographe est là aussi. Deux de mes amis décident de partir à l’eau, moi j’observe d’abord… ! Un est ressorti au bout de 5 minutes après une sacré frayeur, l’autre plus courageux est resté 20 minutes mais n’a pris aucune vague. Le courant est impressionnant, on les a vu dériver de presque 100 metres en moins de 5 minutes…. Je me décide sagement à rester sur la plage !

Puis petite balade sur la plage, on observe les superbes maisons, on s’imagine la vue incroyable, on rêve. Il y a une ambiance spéciale dans cet endroit que j’ai déjà ressenti cet été, quelque chose de magique, hors du temps, je ne peux pas m’empecher de penser à tous les magazines que j’ai lus, toutes les photos que j’ai vues de cette endroit et tout d’un coup on se dit « j’y suis, Pipeline, Sunset Beach », ça me laisse rêveuse. Quels bons moments !

“It is the mark of an instructed mind to rest satisfied with the degree of precision for which the nature of the subject admits, rather than to seek exactness when only an approximation of the truth is possible.”

Aristotle 384-322 BC

Aristotle wasn’t a follower of Jesus.  He lived 300+ years before Jesus was born.  But he was a pretty smart guy.  Since the above quote is a mouthful and wasn’t written with Bible Study in mind, I would like to rephrase it and make a point that will help us in our daily Bible study.

How about:

“Speak where the Bible Speaks and Be Silent where the Bible is Silent.”

Or, “Don’t make the Bible say what it doesn’t say!”

Many of the teachings that have divided God’s church originate from someone’s interpretation or opinion of a Bible doctrine that they forced on others.  God has revealed a lot but only a certain amount.  When we go past that revelation and then tell others they are going to Hell for not arriving at our same conclusions, we are in trouble.

For the sake of having a consistent systematic theology, or sometimes to win arguments and debates, we arrive at dubious conclusions.  We often make the Bible be specific about something for our sake, when God has left it vague.

Whether it’s human nature or our western Greek heritage, we like everything neatly organized in lists, charts, and categories.  But sadly, we crave that so much, that we often abuse the Word of God to make things fit.

I am not totally against a systematic view of Scripture.  There is a great benefit in that.  But too often, it comes down to spending a lot of time and focusing on things that God either didn’t say explicity or didn’t say at all.

We need, like Aristotle, to be satisfied with the “degree of precision” of God’s revelation on any given subject, and not try to force some precision for precision’s sake.

I am not saying we should give up short of an exhaustive and comprehensive study to make sure we know what God has revealed, but I suggest caution in our conclusions.

I used that title only because a friend of mine posted a YouTube video of Alice In Chain’s song of the same title, and that’s what I’m listening to as I begin this. Alice In Chains has been playing consistently with me lately. It’s in my car, it’s the first song on one of my website’s playlist, it’s one of the first bands in my iTunes list. The band is prominent with me right now.

But this is where I would prefer to be at the moment: In my ‘comfy clothes,’ lounging at the patio table in our backyard, covered up under a blanket, with my smokes and a cup of either coffee or hot chocolate, writing something or researching something. Just a relaxing, not-a-care-in-the-world moment of contemplation in some form or another. This is not going to be a depressing blog. This is going to be a ‘it is what it is’ kinda blog. One of those times when you realize that nothing in your world is perfect, and while that is the perfectly understood norm for everyone, it still carries a certain burdensome weight.

On that, I’m going to step outside and have a quick smoke, and try to think of my next move here.

It’s within a Scorpio’s ways to be secretive. It’s a protection mechanism, I suppose, on several levels. So in this, my thoughts will likely be very vague. I’ve just got an ‘empty’ feeling inside again. A restless feeling.

It’s not always possible to see what the future holds, but when you do get a glimpse of it, you are given a choice between whether or not you want to change that outcome or if you want to flow with it and instead plan for your survival after it comes to fruition. I’m walking a fine line, slipping off on this side, getting back on steady, and then slipping off on the other side. I’ll be doing this for awhile. My goal is to provide myself cushioning underneath so that if I do have a bad fall, it won’t hurt quite so much. I’ll be able to become steady again soon enough.

It’s kind of a difficult thing to do, to walk around functioning in such an unsteady and uncertain way. It’s distracting. It’s a mood killer. It makes for a heavy, muddy feeling. Am I getting depressing? Eh, it is what it is.

I’m hoping to start college again next year. I miss being in school. I’d like to take at least two classes by the summer semester. Psychology is what I’d like to pursue. I’m not sure exactly in what field or capacity, but I feel like with my nature, it would be a natural fit for me. But first, it’s a matter of getting student loans caught up and then being eligible for financial aid. Not a lot I can do anything with right now, so I bide my time with that as well.

I seem to be ‘biding my time’ with a lot of things. I can’t say that things are bad right now. They’re not. But it’s just this uncertainty of getting things going in certain directions that is the all-consuming feeling of being in a hole for the moment. Everything is good. But stagnant. It’s a waiting game, that my mind doesn’t seem to want to shut up about. If only I could let these ‘obsessions’ go, and live for the moment. Not worry about what the future may or may not hold, regarding several ’situations.’ To stop wishing for time to speed up. That’s proving a difficult thing for me to do right now.

So I play on the internet, I read books, I read blogs, I write blogs, I listen to podcasts, I try to study into my interests, I try to keep my house clean, I stay on top at work, I take care of my kids, I live side by side with my fiance. I just do what it is that I do, and move forward, even if it doesn’t feel like I am.

I had read on another person’s blog, about how one who writes blogs should always strive to talk TO the readers and avoid talking AT them. I hope I managed to talk TO you this time. That’s all I have for now. Thanks for reading, and until next time.

Voici encore un objet trouvé sur le net : Light Wave, une lampe faite de module de 50×50cm qui peuvent s’assembler à volonté pour former une composition plus vaste.

A part les images, on ne sait pas grand chose sur ce projet, hormis qu’il a été développé pour le studio aisslinger

Source : GradientMagazine

Chivalry

By REQUEST, I will begin to express my dearest opinions towards this topic.

A dead, well, dying stereotypical characteristic… It mainly depends on how you interpret what the notion of ‘chivalry’ actually is. It can be seen through a person living in the 18th, 19th or 20th century OR even back in the ancient society.

Ill express these different classifications of the ways people express the attitude, ‘chivalry’ through chronological order of events in history.

But I’ll start with modern day. In this contemporary age, the basic definition of ‘chivalry’ is ‘a courtesy towards women’. In relation, when one opens a door for a woman, it is classified as a characteristic of ‘chivalry’. This is not the case in this day and age. I may not speak for the whole of society as interpretations differ, the minds of every person is unique and so, I cannot clarify a general interpretation of ‘chivalry’, however, I can clarify for you, ‘MY’ interpretation of chivalry.

I believe that idea that to call someone ‘mistress’ is a dying custom and that only very few continue to use it. I also believe that sliding out a chair for a girl is ‘pussy’ and only gives a feeling for ‘awkwanoia’ (conrad’s made up word) between the two. However, I certainly believe that chivalry has developed to become accustomed to today’s traditions. Now, the characteristics of chivalry are to tend to a girl if they request for assistance, to compliment and to even buy a drink for.

I also should not deny the fact that modern feminism has influenced that notion of chivalry.

Sadly, chivalry is a topic too broad to clarify, but that does not mean I cannot compare it to past societies.

In the ancient society, chivalry was to call the women, ‘mistress, provide them with first serves of food, gifts for special events (marriage)’ this information can been gathered from archaeological evidence. In the 18th century, chivalry was to open the door for a woman, bow, hold their hand to walk. In the 19th century, chivalry was to basically to provide them with more equality, to allow them better education, job opportunities.

Ill end with my comment, ‘Chivalry is a characteristic that is influenced throughout the times, it is not uniform and will vary between different cultures, minds, ages and genders. Hence, it is a topic too broad too comprehend as vast amounts of information is required to clarify its notions’. I do not have time to write a book about it, but I will leave it as a definition that is undefinable due to its inability to be uniform.

I repeat, this was a request. From now on, I will only post opinions that will definitely be answered.

Sorry, but there are no pictures as i have no primary resources for this concept.

From, Rawk the World.

‘We will Rawk and Rawk until the whole world hears us’

-Conrad & Vanessa

Things are a little weird, strained, different. But not unfamiliar.

I’ve been here before, and it’s been my fault, and I had a hard lesson to learn.

I’m ready to do it again. Whatever it takes.

At least it’s busy today. The distraction helps for now.

Thanks to those so far who have made my day fun.

Here we go.

Même s’il est un génie incontesté en matière de design, j’ai du mal à comprendre l’engouement soudain pour Verner Panton (peut être un anniversaire ou une célébration dont je ne suis pas au courant). Toujours est-il que les objets dédiés au designer pullulent, et après la chaise miniature Panton en or, c’est une collection complète que propose l’équipe japonaise de Tomorrowland.

Composée d’un tapis, d’un ballon de foot, de tasses et de deux écharpes (en plus des Be@rbrick 100%), j’avoue qu’il faut être un fan inconditionnel de design d’intérieur pour trouver un quelconque intérêt et se ruer dessus. Bon, c’est mon cas, et alors?

Disponible ici, et plus de photos si vous cliquez pour