Doesn’t scream absence of any messed shit

Its how I used to be all fun with all the games I used to play

Morning coffee and light cigarettes

Twilight car rides and midnight bets

Showing off our reckless manners

Cheap shooting all those banners

Not a care in the world

This is my immaturity

Sinking back into me for a perfect fit

Ill wear it loud

Ill scream it proud

This is what could have been all along

Streaming through the traffic lights

Raging with desire tonight

Just to find the now

In all of us

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."

--George Bernard Shaw

I wish you didn't exist.

But then I wouldn't be here.

Actually, that thought seems pretty pleasant.

I'll forever hate you and then maybe one day, I'll disappear.

Last night I went out for dinner with some friends. We didn't make it to Lowenbrau because it was closed for a private function. Then we ended up at 'Beer Garden' which was actually Bavarian Bier Cafe (another branch of Lowenbrau). As usual, I'm so in love with the sauerkraut. But I'm not going to York Street for food anymore because the menu isn't as extensive as the one they have at Lowenbrau in The Rocks. I was looking forward to pork loins, but because of the limited menu, I settled for Numberger sausages. For some reason, I was so distracted by the waitress' boobs (which were testing the limits and durability of the buttons on her blouse) that I said Nuremburger. And I swear she blinked and I could see this speech bubble appear over her head that said "Oh great... another Asian that can't pronounce properly". Well, you should have restrained those boobs before they sprung out and tapped a rhythm on my head.

But I must say that the beer in that particular branch tasted waaaayyyyyy better than the ones in Lowenbrau. I don't know if it's because they changed the kegs before they served us or they put something extra in it... I was kinda scared of getting drunk so I stopped at 2 drinks. Seriously I was not in a good mood, and I was secretly praying that A was around to balance out the feelings of animosity. Someone was just being a piss ass and terrorising her other half. Anyhoos...that's over with for the moment.

So... on the agenda today... my hair is growing out (yes, I have to mention my hair at least once a week) and I know it's not THAT long yet, but I've decided I'm tired of straight hair, and therefore I'm going to get a hair straightening iron to curl and flip my hair. I'm still chuckling at the irony of it... hair straightener for curling hair. I read all the reviews on curlers and straighteners, and I've decided against curling irons. Mainly because I think I will burn my scalp or my fingers. Besides having hair a tad bit too short for the curling iron (it will place it horrendously close to my scalp), I also have the coordination of a 3 year old. Hence the bruises on my knees. I should try and make that a fashion statement, wearing bruises of various colours on my knees. I think it's more high fashion than Bai Ling trying to wear message band-aids  on her knees.

Okay okay, I WILL leave the house. The weather really sucks for leaving the house though. Oh shut up just fucking leave the house already. A will be checking out her CSI glasses this morning and she has a packed day. So I should get a move on with my day as well. It's not fair that she's still in bed while I'm out and about and doing things BY MYSELF! Time difference is not an excuse.

The Foodie asked me out for dinner today with some of her friends. I'm not sure if she'd remembered, but honestly, I can't be bothered and I'm just over this whole asking-people-out-and-then-coming-up-with-some-lame-O-excuse-for-a-raincheck. Last time I checked it wasn't raining. So if you don't want to go out, just say so, and don't say stuff like oh you have to study or your dog has conniptions, or whatever... This bitch is officially OVER being put off like that. I come out from someone's poonani too you know.

And from this day on, I am officially not available to anyone who wants to chuck rubbishy tanties...I have no time for you. And I'm too old for this. Go chuck your tanties and get your panties in a twist with someone else, like your girlfriend for example. She'd be patient enough, because she has no choice (in A's voice mimicking a certain someone). A is the only person I will tolerate chucking a tantrum and even then, only on special occassions. The only creature on this planet I allow to be the shits with me is the DOG. And that's only because she's cute and only because we have no way of understanding each other.

You, you know who you are. Don't get too big for your britches because you might just fall over.

Anyhoos... over it. Over it.

I miss A, and Crappy Girl and my other unnameable friends who are not so spastic. Even if they are spastic, it's in a ha-ha spastic way, not a too-big-for-your-britches way. I seriously had to hold myself back from whacking people. Some people just deserved to be whacked and I don't blame the whacker.

I just had to rant.

All is good now. After this, I will take a shower and all will be forgotten, and I will be wiser and listen to my gut instincts the next time. LIKE STAYING HOME FOR EXAMPLE!

If my mood is good enough I will put up some pictures. I don't know. This isn't a promise.

Yous have a good weekend.

Yesterday i logged on to what i now call "Evil relationship fight causing facebook" to find pictures taken two weeks ago of a party my b/f was at.  One of the pictures show him holding a bottle of booze to his crotch area pretending that it was his "third leg" if you get my drift and some girl was squating down pretending to lick it.   Do i have rights to be upset DAMN STRAIGHT I DO!!!   He told me that there was a story to go along with it and that the girl was our friends little sister that he's known for like 8 years.....I DONT CARE WHO IT IS...that is so innapropriate and disrespectful to me at the same time! 

and no...that is not the only "immature" thing about him....FUCKING TEXT MESSAGES...i am beginning to think that this was the WORSE invention EVER.  Ok to text a friend that your gonna be late or even him texting me in the morning on his 15 minute break to tell me that he loves me .. FINE  but to hold EVERY conversation via text is rediculous! there are times where i go 4 days w/o hearing his voice because all he does is text me. 

There is so much more than this.....but then i sit there and think at how much he HAS improved.  He doesn't party as much as he use to (but when he does he acts like hes 18) and he's at my house more often (but not early enough to get to know my kids---we've been dating over a year and i think he's seen them 5 times???)  I am just so irrate i dunno what to do.  How do i get someone to mature...i mean i realize that girls mature faster than boys but give me a fucking break here!

**i did forget to mention that that evening i sent him an email (since he wouldn't answer my phone calls) telling him that we needed to talk and that if he wanted to continue on with this relationship he needed to cancel any and all plans and be at my house at 830 (last night)...well FYI he did show up to my house yesterday at 715 AM!!! 15 minutes before i had to leave...he hadn't even read the email yet...he drove straight from work in waconia (he works at 4am and got off early) to my house in shakopee to see me....and yes he was at my house at 7 last night**

Again, Barack Obama has been the bigger man. Just like on so many other occasions, including last Friday's debates, Barack Obama went out of his way to be a gracious opponent of the testy, agitated, and openly hostile, John McCain.

Barack Obama and John McCain were back in the Senate on Wednesday for the bailout legislation and the "political tension was clear," the New York Times reports. "Obama walked to the Republican side of the aisle to greet Senator John McCain, who offered a chilly look and a brief return handshake."

CQ has details:

Let the record reflect that Barack Obama made the approach to John McCain tonight.As the two shared the Senate floor tonight for the first time since they won their party nominations, Obama stood chatting with Democrats on his side of the aisle, and McCain stood on the Republican side of the aisle.

So Obama crossed over into enemy territory.

He walked over to where McCain was chatting with Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida and Independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut. And he stretched out his arm and offered his hand to McCain.

McCain shook it, but with a "go away" look that no one could miss. He tried his best not to even look at Obama.

Finally, with a tight smile, McCain managed a greeting: "Good to see you."

Obama got the message. He shook hands with Martinez and Lieberman -- both of whom greeted him more warmly -- and quickly beat a retreat back to the Democratic side.

I want a statesman for a President. I don't want a cowboy or a "maverick" or a grump or a stubborn mule or a gambling addict or a shoot-from-the-hip-and-deal-with-the-consequences later or a liar or an admitted cheater or a hypocrite or an out-of touch millionaire or a guy who calls me "my friend" when he doesn't give a crap about me. I want an intelligent statesman, I want a measured, thoughtful, wise, pondering, well-read, well-rounded, diverse, in-touch, diplomatic, well-spoken, meaningful, soul-searching, serious, tactful, gracious, mannered, sophisticated, self-challenging President. I want Barack Obama in the White House in January 2009.

When liberals make public pronouncements to demonstrate their intellectually based morals and their superiority to “religious", closed-minded idiots, one of their favor tactics is to present themselves as intelligent, reasoning, scientific, tolerant, inclusive, open-minded people who think all people are entitled to the same freedoms.  They also would have us believe that the only way to solve any problem is through calm negotiation and well thought out reasoning.

This video is proof of what I have always held to be true.  Tolerance and inclusion are only for those who think as they think.  They abhor anyone who has an opinion that differs from their own.  They are tolerant of all religions EXCEPT those that would call them to answer to a higher power or that would declare that their are absolute truths regarding issues of morality.  They support freedom of speech if it is speech that they agree with.  They say morality can’t be legislated, but that is what they seek do by silencing their opposition.

Well I can say that I'm not rooting for Keneley. My hope lies in the other three (Korto, Leann, and Jerrel). I don't know who's my favorite. I like all three equally. Well that's all for now.

Do you think I need a closing? You know something catchy. I was thinking Cheers! but I don't know. Any suggestions????

Age doesn't matter is something that teenagers would like you to believe. They would tell you they are fit to be adults and ought to be allowed to drink beer, get tattoos, have sex and all the other adult things they are told not to do. The problem is that teenagers do not understand that their brains are not fully developed and that their decision-making skills have not matured to the level of adults. They may feel they are adults because their bodies have matured, but the brain has yet to catch up with the body. In a real sense teens need parents to think for them in certain situations and set boundaries that will protect and encourage them to do what's right.

As you become an adult age becomes less of an issue, but that does not mean it is still a non-factor. People would like you to believe that younger is better, but experience is better than youth. When you apply for a job they want to know what experience you have in your field. Generally speaking older people have more experience because they have lived for more years than a younger person.

Experience is also important because history teaches us many lessons. It's been said that our current life is a product of all of previous experience and that's pretty remarkable if you think about it. Younger people often close their ears to advice from their parents and grandparents, but that is foolish. Older people know what mistakes they made in the past and what mistakes you will make if you're not careful. They know it because they lived it and if you haven't lived life you can't know it all.

When kids are growing up age is very important because it defines what grade someone is in and where they are in their development. As adults age, the concept of age groups develop. Age groups span a 5- to 10- year period or different phases of life such as college, single, married, divorced, widowed and senior citizen. As you get older you begin to understand that not everyone is an adult because some adults still act like children in big bodies. Also some people stop growing at different points and get stuck in their development.

So when someone says that age doesn't matter I usually think it's a teenage girl who is saying she should be allowed to date her 26-year-old boyfriend. Age does matter because it defines how much time a person has lived to acquire experience. We may think we know it all, but as time goes by our perspective becomes more clear and hopefully we begin to understand that as teenagers we didn't know it all and we needed parents who knew more than we did.

Immaturity is simply irritating. Don't we all hate it when people do stupid things with their life? It is such a waste of everything. It's like having something really precious but then you choose to put it in the mud and let it sulk and stink. What a waste.

I particularly hate it when people just don't shut up and say things that are not just worthless but also destructive. I'm like "Could you please be more conscious of your words? If you don't have something good/encouraging to say, better shut up and please, grow up!"

It's really disappointing to see all-grown up people acting immaturely. I believe that with mature age comes bigger responsibilities and included in those is being aware that what we say has effects on others. Seniority has great influence and our every move is being emulated by the kids. I wouldn't be surprised if one day, everybody would be immature, non-considering and selfish people who don't contribute anything to the good values of the world. What a shame. This is sad. =(

I hate it too when people lie. It just nonsense. This is another reason why the world is chaotic. Liars manipulate situations and destroy essence and thus, making a sulkier environment. It is a really big shame. Immature! My message to them? Liars, you are marked! Tsktsktsk.

Grrrr. Maybe I'm just really angry at the moment. Forgive me for being harsh and unforgiving. Didn't mean to involve other people, it's just really disappointing. I don't want to be this immature person that I am today. I hope that everybody would realize the value of at least responsibility and prove that smart people can initiate good change and good values. It will be a great honor be known as the person or group of persons who treasure this, won't it?. We know what's right and what's wrong. Doing the right thing definitely won't hurt.

Life is beautiful! Let's not waste it by being immature. =)

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong" ( 1 Cor. 16.13 KJV).

The title of the book by Gary Cross says it all:

MEN TO BOYS: The Making of Modern Immaturity by Gary Cross

Even the Columbia University book reviews asked the right question when they asked, "How did we go from Cary Grant to Hugh Grant?" In Men to Boys the author Gary Cross offers a disturbing picture of manhood in America at the turn of the 21st century.

Cross does not blame the young or glorify the past. He finds that men of the "Greatest Generation" might have embraced their role as providers but were confused by the contradictions and expectations of modern fatherhood. Their uncertainty gave birth to the Beats and men who indulged in childhood hobbies and boyish sports. Rather than fashion a new manhood, baby-boomers held onto their youth and, when that was gone, embraced Viagra. Without mature role models to emulate or rebel against, Generation X turned to cynicism and sensual intensity, and the media fed on this longing, transforming a life stage into a highly desirable lifestyle.

The author argues that this new man-boy phenomenon has "... [under-minded] both [the] conservative ideals of male maturity and the liberal values of community and responsibility..."

We are seeing  what America thinks of men on television shows—where Dad is pictured as a harmless idiot who must be guided by either his wiser children or more sophisticated feminist wife—we’ve become more than a little confused.

Now, how does that bother me?  It bothers me as a father of a son because I don’t want my boy to think that those role models in this present evil age represent what a man really is. Further, as a minister and a historian, I know that  when peoples face tough times, there must arise strong men to point them to the way out.  In a word, the continuation of a civilized society always hangs—humanly speaking—on strong men who will stand in the gap.  The honor of our women, the nurture of our children, and the desperate need to seriously address the problems that face us all call for a right view of manhood.

So where do we go to find these men?  We start by laying down the truth about what true manhood is and we begin teaching it and living it and modeling it for our sons and daughters.  And you knew I was going to say this—we turn to see what God has to say.

For the Lord, indeed, has shown us in His Word what true manhood is all about.

There are four passages that I want to go to today—certainly not an exhaustive study of the subject—but these four passages contain four clear calls to certain aspects of true Biblical manhood which are essential for us to get right.

1 Corinthians 16.3—What Does ‘Quit Ye’ Mean?

Now, in the first place, I want to ask you to turn to 1 Cor. 16.13.  At the very end of the Apostle Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul, like a great general, gives a series of quick little charges to seal his more detailed concerns in the letter.  Verse 16 is given to the leaders of the church and I want to read again the King James Version of that verse:

 “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men.”

Now that sounds archaic to us.  What does it mean to “quit ye like men?”

I read, then, the NIV:

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”

Paul is calling the leaders of the church to do something in the face of the problems of their day.  He uses the Greek word, andrizesthe which is the only occurrence of that word in the Bible.  It literally means, “Be a man.”  I had a friend who in situations like that would say, “Son, stand up on your hind legs and act like a man!”  That is the meaning.  So, the King James in saying “Quit ye like men” that is “Take a stand like a man, like the strong model of a man which God intended” is the idea here.

Now the context is the church—the context is the community.  These leaders had to act like men and stand in the gap.  Manhood is not measured by titles or appearances, true Biblical manhood is measured by a man laying hold of the God-given prerogatives of male headship and applying the wisdom of God’s Word at the exact time when it is most needed.

So, this is a call to be a man of faith in the community.  God is saying to us that Biblical manhood requires us to “Quit ye like men in the church and in the community.”

In Proverbs 31, a chapter most noted for its treatment of the virtuous women and most preached on days like Mother’s Day, there is mention of something that interests us at this point in verse 23.  That verse says:

 “Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.”

This is showing not only that a godly woman will influence a godly man, but in doing so shows us the model of a man:  it’s a man taking his stand in the community.

Our nation, our city, our church always needs men who will sit in the gates, take leadership, pick up the slack, get involved and “be a man” in the community.

Too often, men have backed off in the church and said, “I’m too busy with other things, let the women do it.”  And many a man has said this and women, thankfully, have stood in the gaps, like Deborah’s of old, to do what no man would do.  But, according to the Bible this is a sign of judgment on a society.  Biblical manhood requires us to be there, to take the lead, to stand in the gap.  A real man is a man who is working in his church, advancing the Gospel of Christ in every relationship he has, standing up for the Lord at his work and bringing the Gospel to bear in all of his pursuits. 

Quit ye like a man, God is saying in this passage, and stand up for the faith.  Be courageous, be strong, don’t waver on your faith in Christ.  

Now there is a second aspect of Biblical manhood and a second call to it.  I lead you to the first Epistle of St. Peter.

1 Peter 3.7—Quit Ye Like Men with Women

There the Apostle Peter, having called women to their right roles, calls men to theirs.

“Husbands in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

What is this saying?  Peter is giving God’s call to Biblical manhood in marriage and the Lord is surely saying to us, 

“Quit ye like men with your wives!”

To be a man, according to this passage, is to value marriage.  We should encourage it as an ideal for our boys and young men.  We should model it to them with strong healthy marriages in which men submit to the roles God has given them.

This roles has demands and a rationale and a caution.

The whole of this Scripture is well grounded when we consider the companion passage in Ephesians 5.25: 

“Husbands love your wives just a Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her...” 

We are to die to self and live for our wives.  This requires the study of our wives.  Peter says, Be Considerate.  Consider her needs, consider her value and worth to you before making any decision.  It means to be intentional and thoughtful as we relate to them.  Moreover, we are taught to give respect to her.  There are some men who like to read the admonition to wives to be submissive to their husbands, but who miss this.  God is calling you, man, to respect your wife.  How?  As the weaker vessel.   What does that mean?  Peter is admitting the obvious in nature:  that the female is generally speaking not as strong physically as a male.  Thus, you are to harness your power and strength to nurture her and respect her and protect her, never to intimidate her.  That is a sin.

To do otherwise, according to this passage, is to get disconnected from God.  Your very prayers are hindered if you are not living out God’s call for Biblical manhood in the marriage.

A real man, then, is one who honors marriage, and treats his wife with dignity and honor and respect.  Wimps use brutal strength to batter their will into others, while men of honor love and cherish and nurture others and lead through servant-leadership.

I didn’t come ready to do a wedding today, but it may just be the time for every married man here to recommit to God’s standard for husbands.

 “Quit ye like men” in your marriage.

The third aspect of Biblical manhood and the third call from God’s Word this morning comes from Ephesians 6.4.  The force of the passage is this:

 “Quit ye like men” in your roles as dads.

The passage reads:

 “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

There is a negative and a positive to this verse.

The negative is to caution men against the tendency to provoke or exasperate or frustrate our children.  Men, how do we do that?

One, by requiring our children to do something that we don’t do ourselves.  The man who tells his children to read the Bible and yet never does so himself is provoking his children.  You see, in God’s universe, children find it very difficult and usually impossible to grow beyond the model of their parents.  Words alone without the benefit of example will not do.  Many a child has been accused of being a rebel from the church, when in reality he or she was rebelling against a father—and sometimes a mother—who demanded of them what they might have been committed to publicly, but not privately.

Two, we can provoke or exasperate our little ones by expecting them to do more than they can.  It is good to push.  Growth always comes through resistance.  But, don’t be foolish in pushing children.  Too many dads have been guilty of expecting little children to be adults, or expecting teenagers to move through adolescence in a few months, rather than the several years of transition which God provided.

In Albania, one of the funniest things I saw was a smoking pipe on wheels.  It looked like a pipe at the mouth, but its stem was four or five feet long and the bowl of the pipe had wheels.  Only one person smoked that pipe:  the old grandfather.  And all of the children would gather around to play with the old man.  The Albanians used this to bridge the gap between the old man and the little children.

God’s Word, “do not provoke your children” is something like this.  It is an admonishment to bridge the gap between the fast-paced, ambitious, and strong man who makes things happen and the vulnerable little child.  Be careful, men, lest in your ambition to provide for your family you stop cultivating a strong relationship with them.  

Now the positive is this:  Train your children.  I think this is speaking of the father’s God ordained role to lead his family in home worship, or family worship.  

I recently read a poem  by the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns.  The poem, The Cotter’s Saturday Night, described the scene in the home of the Cotter family on the eve of the Lord’s Day.  Burns painted a word picture of a father after what Burns called “a cheerful supper” calling his family to worship.  The father opened the Bible and read the Word of God to his family and then prayed.

Burns put it like this:

 “The priest-like father reads the sacred page...”

Burns shows in many verses how the father carefully exposes his children over the years on Saturday night to the stories, the characters, and the acts of Almighty God.  Burns said there was nothing that could compare to the power of that scene in forming a godly man or woman and I would add forming a godly nation.

He wrote poetically:

 “Compared with this, how poor religion’s pride,

In all the pomp of method and of art,

When men displayed to congregations wide,

Devotions every grace, except the heart.”

Ah, but it is the heart that is revealed in family worship and it is the duty of every head of household—be ye father or single mother—to gather your household to the Family Altar and break the bread of life to them.

If our the landscape of our nation, on Saturday nights, were to look like the Cotter family in Burn’s poem, we would have revival in this land and many of the problems of our society would melt before the heat of such devotion to Jesus Christ.

Father, that begins today with you.  

 “Quit ye like men” and resolve today to lead your family to the throne of grace in Bible reading and prayer.

Finally, we cannot understand true Biblical manhood unless we consider the very model of man.

1 Tim. 2.5—Quit Ye Like Men Before the Lord

I draw your attention 1 Tim. 2.5.  Here Paul commends his readers to consider the One he calls, “...the Man Christ Jesus” as the only Mediator between God and man.  Here, our Lord who was and is God is at the same time altogether man.  And his humanity is shown as necessary for the redemption of sinful man.

In this, I would have you to consider how the Man Christ Jesus stood up before the apostate Jewish community of that day and declared the truth of the Word of God despite persecution.  When we look at Christ, we are looking at a man like no other.

The Man Christ Jesus, though he did not marry, showed tenderness and gentility as he dealt with the woman caught in adultery, or as he studied the heart of a broken Samaritan woman at the well.

This is the Man Christ Jesus, though he hung from a cruel cross, bravely ministered to his earthly family as he looked out for his mother’s temporal welfare and declared, “Woman, behold thy son, Man behold thy mother.”

This Man Christ Jesus also took infants into his arms and blessed them; this man was loved of little children and took them into his arms when others shunned them.

What man is like unto the Man Christ Jesus? What man would give his life for those who cursed him? What man, though he created the world and all that is in it, would yield Himself up to death by the evil hands of his own creation in order to redeem them from sin and hell?  Show me such a man?  There is no such man except the Man Christ Jesus.

 “Quit ye like men” and yield your life to the Man Christ Jesus.

The bravest man, the most noble man, is the man who recognizes his weakness due to sin and casts himself on the mercy and grace of God in Christ and turns to Him and says, “Oh, Lord save me, even me, a sinner.  I trust in Thee and long now to turn from my sin and follow Thee all of my life.  I will, by your example and your grace,  O Lord, take my stand in this world for Thee and for hearth and home.  I will speak your Name before others.  I will rear my family of the Word of God.

Some of you today need to repent. Some need to confess Christ for the first time.  Some of you need to take a stand and become accountable by becoming a member of this church.  Some of you need to submit anew to God’s standards and let go of the culture’s expectations.

 “Quit ye like men,”—all of you, men and women—and be the People of God in the midst of this old world and it just may be that your light will so shine that others will be moved to glorify God.

And then shall our boys become men.

i mean, unless someone has done something that totally just changed your life for the worse forever, than do you really think that you should waste your energy by getting angry at that person and then try to do everything in your power to make that person's life miserable by giving them the silent treatment, cold shoulder, trying to convince other people to hate on that person, etc. ?
ugh, it's all just so petty.

i know that i used to get really peeved whenever my sibling would criticize me instead of comforting me when i told them about my troubles. after a while, i just kind of realized that maybe this person isnt the right person to go to whenever i am in some sort of conflict. maybe i shouldnt assume that this person is going to tell me everything that i want to hear.

i also think that most of the time, people tend to get extremely offended about the little negative things in life instead of focusing on the "big picture".
yes you have the right to be upset, but there are some instances when it's just not worth grumbling about for days on end. when you are 38years old, are you really going to care that Susie Q. didnt say happy birthday to you on your 20th birthday? (if you are still hung up about that, you need serious help)
the correct answer is: HECK NO

so basically it's all about letting go of your pride/being the bigger man and not letting dumb things get to you because it will seriously just make you an uptight baby who isnt that enjoyable to be around. so the next time Susie Q. doesnt immediately text you back, or tells you that you do look fat in those jeans when you ask for her opinion..instead of cutting off all contact with her and creating a facebook group that is dedicated to torture her, just chill for a bit and then think to yourself: is it really that big of a deal? are you willing to give up your 7year friendship with her over some stupid comment that she didnt even think would be such a problem with you?

umm...i sure hope not...
anyway, i know i am trying to stop being so petty (ugh i cant find another synonym for this word) and i hope you will too. it will seriously make the world a less complicated and more wonderful place to live in.
:)))

Their response proves the point. Someone who is enlightened and mature considers criticism objectively; he/she either accepts the criticism  as true and changes his/her behavior accordingly, or judges the criticism as lacking in merit and dismisses it without a second thought.

I know this to be true because I used to be among the chronically clueless. I was wildly immature and unenlightened, but you never would have convinced me of that (and believe me, many tried). Ah, the bulletproof days of youth. *cringes at the thought*

Today, whenever I catch myself judging someone who doesn't "get it," I recall the time when I didn't "get it" either. Those days were not so long ago. Just because I've figured out something does not mean that someone else should have, no matter how old or experienced they may be. We all have our own lessons to learn in our own way and in our own time. All we can do is plant a seed of enlightenment here and there and be on our way.

Great spiritual leaders will always be challenged by mediocre minds.
                                                    Albert Einstein

(drunkenly scribbled in the composition book that sits on my iron coffee table)

Part One : written in the 18-25 age bracket

In less interesting events with no innuendo, we spent homeroom carrying desks down to the library. The kind with attached chairs >.<

And he just said "it won't cause you to to blind, but it could cause irritation". Discussion about pool water, or masturbation? You decide.

And then, in yet another amazing show of bad teaching, Senger managed to do the following:

Get mad at me for not taking note during the video even though I remember any learning/study technique that was even remotely useful. Guess that's *my* listening skills working out, hey?

Get mad at me for not taking notes constantly. Even though, you know, everything she (and the video) has told us in the past two days said key things only, which I wrote down. Nope, you have to write everything she says down. It's *all* important. Yeah. I'd believe that none of it is.

Send a student to return the video, start talking to new students at her desk, and when the student gets back and knocks politely every so often (about 30 seconds, getting shorter), she ignores him. Anderson, the brave soul, then tries to open the door. Halfway she gets mad at him. Then she gets mad at the student because he knocked more than once. Yeah, because he should have to miss reading the hand-out that you won't let us copy or keep or even take home so that you can satisfy some kind of complex.

Still refuse to acknowledge that the reason computer access has been in my IPP for four years so far is that I *require* the thing in order to do any kind of major writing. You know, like effing notes. And I counted. SHE'S NOT USING ALL THE OUTLETS. Yeah, I'm pretty pissed. I make an actual effort to do well, and I get someone who seems to think she owns her students. Think she should be spayed.

AND... she still has the nerve to not allow us iPods, and make us tell her about ourselves. Yeah, because I want some crazy lady knowing about my private life. No thanks. Bring Bowen back from retirement. There's a reason why when I mentioned Social Studies in my letter, I always talked about it having *been* great. You know, because every other teacher actually managed to be normal and let me learn. Some were even awesome. Not here. Not even close. I don't need to hear about Dubai, I know about it. I have friends, and I watch TV. Maybe tell me why I can't use the freaking unused outlet on the wall? That's more relevant to my interests. Honestly.

It's "booze o'clock" on a recent Thursday night on New York's Fire Island—a rolling, inexact hour when 10 vacationing guys decide to kick off their nightly binge. Between tequila shots and pulls of beer, the sun-baked twentysomethings roar on the deck of their rented beach house, sounding the depths of maledom: sexual conquests, mastery of fire ("I'll grill that potato salad") and escape from the monotony of girlfriends and work. "I like starting things," says one guy, as if to sum up his generation. "Then it gets boring."

It's hard to keep that feeling from devolving from mere amusement into schadenfreude or zero-sum gaming.  The following paragraph is misleading, as it dovetails "getting an education" and "starting work" with "finding a partner" and "becoming a father."

In his new book, "Guyland," the State University of New York at Stony Brook professor notes that the traditional markers of manhood—leaving home, getting an education, finding a partner, starting work and becoming a father—have moved downfield as the passage from adolescence to adulthood has evolved from "a transitional moment to a whole new stage of life." In 1960, almost 70 percent of men had reached these milestones by the age of 30. Today, less than a third of males that age can say the same.

Unfortunately, the article continues its preachy trend, centering its argument on the fact that the author's friends acted with revulsion in response to his getting married.  Essentially, the author finds marriage to be the magic bullet for male irresponsibility and prolonged adolescence.  Such a view may have some weight--marriage, after all, carries with it a promise of monogamy and the potential for future child-bearing.  While neither premise may be upheld, imposing such conditions may make it more likely that more men will carry them through than the status quo.  But there are many other reasons as to why men might not marry, or find the idea of marrying at 27 distasteful:  they have a career to pursue, or they feel that they may not want to "put the cart before the horse," i.e. getting married and hoping a sense of responsibility will follow, rather than building responsibility first on its own grounds, and getting married when ready for it, or for love, or for companionship.

The author does characterize the landscape of male visual media, currently in the revered Apatow era, effectively:

The failure to launch is perhaps no surprise given the onslaught of messages that suggest settling down is tantamount to ripping up one's ticket to the party. To turn on television or see a movie is to find a smorgasbord of regressive adventures for the single man of every stripe. Movies like "Pineapple Express," Judd Apatow's latest celebration of beta male bonding; TV shows like HBO's hypermasculine pal party "Entourage," and beer commercials like Miller Lite's "Man Laws" ads make delayed adulthood seem like a lark—roguish, fun and, most of all, normal. Meanwhile, the denizens of Guyland eat this stuff up, with males 16 to 26 constituting the single most coveted consumer group. As evidence, Kimmel points to the litany of "guysploitation" media, including ever frat-tastic magazines such as Maxim and FHM, and Spike TV, "the first network for men."

The article's ultimate failing is in its theme:  that male irresponsibility can be curbed, and should be curbed, by marriage.  It's a bit too reductive--there are plenty of other reasons why men may not get married.

·        Action comes before responsibility.

·        Self-centeredness overpowers ‘us’.

·                   Good intentions explain away lack of results.

·        Taking risks overrides common sense.

·        Others must earn my respect.

·        Popularity is more important than character.

·        Symbols are as good as substance.

·        Sex outweighs fidelity.

·        Parental supervision offends.

·        Wisdom resides in my peers.

They get that way from poor parenting in the weans and tweens. The following point to impending immaturity when present at puberty.

They lack:

o   A good work ethic and strong sense of personal responsibility.

o   Religious beliefs and moral convictions that guide them toward living up to something bigger than themselves.

o   Dependence upon parents for wisdom, guidance, support, back up.

o   Respect for authority and authority figures.

o   A foundation of unconditional respect for all people.

o   Ambitions (underdeveloped) for their own adult life. Not necessarily what they want to do, but expectations and preferably dreams of living in the adult world of responsibility, work, mature fun, family building.

They have:

o   Dreams of becoming a teen instead of an adult. They focus on peers, popularity, fashions, outside-the-family activities, and earlier duplication of older kids.  

o   Respect others only for what they can do for the child.

o   Self-centeredness. Selfishness comes easily to them. Their heart is soft for peers, but hard for most others.

o   A mother that did not nurture the child well in the weans, a father that did not lead well in the tweens, or both.

They exit adolescence with convicted beliefs that values learned in the teens are right and proper for adult life. This happens for one reason: They entered puberty with a mind empty of mature adult, albeit underdeveloped, values into which they expected to grow.  

[More about childhood mental growth appears in posts 268, 239, 223, 208, 197, 193, 192, 187, 178, and 177. Scroll down or search by the number with a dot and space following it.]

I was out surfing WordPress for the reaction to the Sarah Palin presumptive nomination. I couldn't resist leaving a few intelligent comments on liberal blogs. In response, I learned a new word. It was the first time I've ever been called a "God-tard". That has got to be the epitome of a juvenile insult. I don't think this guy is going to make the debate team when he gets to high school.

I thought I wouldn't have to deal with pubescent brains until school starts next week. I was enjoying the break.

Facebook and MySpace block under-13s. It's a shame WordPress doesn't do the same.

So, what I'm saying is:

I'm lucky.  A.'s a beautiful (in all respects) person.  Some people behave disrespectfully about it.  I like to punch.

You call it territorial, I call it knocking out annoying motherfuckers.

I hate it when you always wear that smelly stupid hat.

I hate it when I call and get the answering machine

I hate it when I think of you always, even in my dreams.

I hate it when you talk to everyone and I'm the only exception

I hate it when it comes to you, my brain's so full of questions.

I hate it that you're arrogant and way too hard to please

I hate the way you still make me laugh, especially when you sneeze.

I hate you because you say I'm annoying and beauty is what I lack

I hate you because I miss you terribly and really want you back.