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Friday, September 23, 2011

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

Chronic complainers.

Now, I know this may come off as hypocritical, after all, I am about to complain about people who complain, but hear me out.

I believe it's healthy to complain once and a while, and we all know a good vent is definitely necessary sometimes. I'm talking about the people who ALWAYS complain about EVERYTHING.

See, there's really 3 types of people:
The Optimist: sees the glass half full.
The Pessimist: sees the glass half empty.
The Chronic Complainer: sees a glass that is slightly chipped holding water that isn't cold enough, probably because its tap water when I asked for bottled water and wait! There's a smudge the rim too, which means the glass wasn't cleaned properly and now I'll probably end up with some kind of virus and -

STOP. Please, just stop. 

As I'm sure most of you internet savvy readers are aware, there's actually a website (probably more than one) designed specifically for this last type of person:

www.whitewhine.com 

Anyway, I just want you frequent whiners to STOP IT! I know it's difficult, but please keep your moaning and groaning to a minimum - I'm sorry that you had to wait in line for 20 minutes at Starbucks and that your incredibly advanced and expensive smartphone is taking FOREVER to load the internet, but I don't see this as something that should ruin your day. 

You're alive, you're not starving or homeless or whoring yourself out for money (well, at least I hope you aren't) so stop complaining about little things that won't even matter in a day (or hour). Go watch Hoarders or Intervention or one of those other A&E shows that make you feel better about your life and stop complaining. :)

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Murder Runs in the Family

So, while researching my family lineage, I found an article detailing the massacre of a mother and children carried out by a psychotic father. It dates back more than 100 years, but I found it fascinating, and the people murdered (and those who survived) are most likely distant relatives of mine (after all, our last name is fairly uncommon). I'd like to think this somewhat explains my fascination with serial killers and the grotesque, but let's face it - this is WAY out there.

The following account of the massacre is from the Portland Gazette of July 14, 1806, and was reprinted across the nation.

HORRID MURDER.
AUGUSTA (KENNEBECK) July 11.
At an early hour on Wednesday morning last, the inhabitants of this town were alarmed with the dreadful information, that Capt. James Purinton, of this place, in cold blood, had murdered his wife, six children, and himself. His oldest son, with a slight wound, escaped, and his second daughter was found desperately wounded, and probably supposed dead by the father.

Between the hours of 2 and 3 a near neighbour, Mr. Dean Wyman, was awakened by the lad who escaped, with an incoherent account of the horrid scene from which he had just fled; he, with a Mr. Ballard, another neighbour, instantly repaired to the fatal spot, and here, after having lighted a candle, a scene was presented which beggars all description. — In the outer room lay prostrate on his face, and weltering in his gore, the perpetrator of the dreadful deed — his throat cut in the most shocking manner, and the bloody razor lying on the table by his side — In an adjoining bed room lay Mrs. Purinton in her bed, her head almost severed from the body; and near her on the floor, a little daughter about ten years old, who probably hearing the cries of her mother, ran to her relief from the apartment in which she slept, and was murdered by her side — In another apartment was found the two oldest and the youngest daughters, the first, aged 19, dreadfully butchered; the second desperately wounded, reclining with her head on the body of the dead infant 18 months old, and in a state of horror and almost total insensibility — In the room with the father, lay in bed with their throats cut, the two youngest sons, the one 8, the other 6 years old — And in another room was found on the hearth, most dreadfully mangled, the second son, aged 12; he had fallen with his trowsers under one arm, with which he had attempted to escape — On the breastwork over the fire-place was the distinct impression of a bloody hand, where the unhappy victim probably supported himself before he fell. The whole house seemed covered with blood, and near the body of the murdered laid the deadly axe.

From the surviving daughter we have no account of this transaction; her dangerous situation prevents any communication, and but faint hopes are entertained for her recovery — From the son, aged 17, we learn the following — That he was awaked by the piercing cries of his mother, and involuntarily shrieking himself, he leapt from his bed and ran towards the door of his apartment; he was met by his father with an axe in his hand (the moon shone bright) who struck him, but being so near each other, the axe passed over his shoulder and one corner of it entered his back, making a slight wound; his father then struck at him once or twice and missed him; at this moment his younger brother, who slept in the same bed with him, jumped from it, and attempted to get out at the door; to prevent this the father attacked him which gave the eldest an opportunity to escape.

During this dreadful conflict, not a word was uttered. From the appearance of the wounds generally, it seems to been the design of Purinton to dissever the heads from the bodies, excepting the two youngest, whose throats it is supposed were cut with a razor. The oldest daughter and second son had several wounds, the probable consequence of their resistance.

We have no evidence to lead us satisfactorily to the motives for this barborous and unnatural deed. Capt. Purinton was 46 years of age, and had lately removed from Bowdoinham to this town — an independent farmer, with a handsome estate, of steady, correct, and industrious habits, and of a good character and fair reputation, and strongly attached to his family. He had been heard lately to say, that he felt much distressed at the unpromising appearance of his farm; that he should be destitute of bread for his family, and hay for his cattle, and dreaded the consequences. The Sunday before his death, it is said, he wrote to his brother and informed him that on the reception of the letter he should be dead, and requesting him to take charge of his family. In the letter was a death's head marked out, and it was sealed with black. — It was found on Monday by his wife, and gave her the greatest alarm and uneasiness. This her husband perceiving, and learning the cause, he attempted to console her by assurances that he had no intention of committing suicide, but that he had a presentiment of his approaching death. Capt. Purinton was a warm believer in the doctrine of universal salvation, though it is not said of him, that he was a bigoted maniac or a religious enthusiast — his whole conduct the day preceding, and during the last and bloody scene of his life, seems marked with the utmost coolness and deliberation. Towards the close of that day he ground the fatal axe, and when the family retired to bed he was left reading the bible. The jury of inquest have brought him in guilty of wilful murder on his wife and six children, and that as a felon he did kill and murder himself — We do not recollect, that the annals of Massachusetts can furnish a transaction so distressing.

The ways of Providence are dark and mysterious! yet God is just! and man, weak man, must tremble and adore!

After the Coroner's Inquest had executed its office, the selectmen took charge of the dead. Their remains in eight coffins were conveyed to the Meeting-house.

Mrs. Purinton and her children were placed in the body of the house; Capt. Purinton in the porch.

Their funeral took place yesterday afternoon, attended by an immense concourse of people.

The public services at the Meeting-house were solemn and pertinent — commenced by a Funeral Anthem — Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Stone — Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Taylor — a Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Merritt.
The bodies of Mrs. Purinton and her children were interred in the common burying ground; Capt. Purinton in the highway adjoining the same, and the bloody axe and razor buried with him.

They were attended to their graves by a numerous and respectable procession, which was arranged by John Davis, Reuel Williams, and H. W. Fuller, esq'rs. appointed and acting as marshals on the occasion.

The procession moved over the bridge and through the principal streets, to the place of interment in the order following order. Senior Marshal — The Coroner and Inquest — Rev. Mr. Haskel, Rev. Mr. Stone — The Corpse of Mrs. Purinton and her six children, according to their ages, supported by bearers attended by pall-holders, followed by the surviving son — Other relations — Selectmen — Clergy — Sheriff of the county — Judges of Courts — Military officers — Magistrates — Citizens. — Marshals — A cart bearing the body of captain Purinton, closed the procession.

The church service was performed at the grave over the body of Mrs. Purinton and children, by the Rev. Mr. Haskel, in a very solemn and impressive manner. The procession then returned to the meeting-house, where the solemnities of the day were closed by another and an appropriate prayer by the Rev. Mr. Gillet.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Back in the Day

Lately, I've been reminiscing about my childhood and how much unsupervised freedom I had outside the house. I would argue that most people my age would agree that "back in our early years," we were allowed to roam the neighborhood and streets without our parents neurotically breathing down our necks. Generations before us had even more independence and leniency from their caregivers. 

With statistics like this at our disposal, how can we NOT worry?
After quite a bit of musing, I realized that we will never live in a world like that again. When I (eventually) become a parent, I know that I would be extremely apprehensive to let my kid frolic around without supervision, and the thought of this depresses me. 

According to the Gallup Poll, Americans perceive increased crime compared to previous years, even though crime statistics have proven an overall decrease in crime rates in the last decades (not a substantial decrease, but enough to merit a mention). So why, with crime on the decline, are parents becoming more and more overprotective of their children?

I've got a theory.

When our parents and their parents before them were kids, accessibility to news and media was limited. They didn't have smart phones with the internet at their fingertips or cable television with multiple news outlets reporting national headlines 24/7. People hitchhiked with strangers without a second thought; nowadays, you wouldn't think twice about getting in a car with a random person - they could kidnap you, drug you, abuse you or even KILL you! Ah! 

Our connection to media has made us painfully aware of all the horrors of the world and monsters that roam the streets just looking for unsuspecting victims. These horrors and monsters have always been here, but in the last few decades they have made headlines and convinced us that it's not safe out there. Boo.

The news and media have made us more paranoid, and perhaps rightfully so, but are Americans overly suspicious? Has the media taken away our chances of ever allowing our children to walk the streets alone without fear of some god-awful thing happening to them?

Monday, August 22, 2011

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

I've always had two tried-and-true methods to get myself through hard times - listening to music and writing. So, not surprisingly, I turned to writing about the termination of my most recent romance, or, in Facebook lingo, I went from being "in a relationship" to "single."

Ouch, right?

I've gone through my share of break ups, some good, some not so good. My big break up happened during the summer before I started college. I knew it was my big break up because of how it made me feel - completely crushed. I spent 2 weeks afterwards locked in my room with seasons 1-4 of Desperate Housewives; walking and breathing barely felt possible, let alone the effort of trying to function like a normal human being.

This pain eventually subsided and I returned to being me again (yay!).

Fast forward three years. After taking another chance with my high school sweetheart, the break up train came around yet again. This time, however, it was different. Even though it hurt to see the relationship dissolve, I knew it was for the best. I knew he wasn't right for me. As much as I wanted him to be The One (or something close to it), there had always been evidence that he wasn't. I knew the sooner that I accepted this, the better off I'd be. Still, I resisted. I thought he brought something to my life that was otherwise missing. I thought he held the key to me and who I ultimately was. In breaking up with him, I thought I was no longer special.

I was wrong.

Somewhere amidst all the self-pity and moping, I realized that he didn't hold the key to what made me great. Even with my puffy eyes and broken heart, I was still pretty magnificent. I just had some healing to do and some stuff to figure out - like why I thought I needed him to make me feel whole and happy.

The truth of the matter is, I ultimately chose me over a relationship that wasn't working anymore. Because of this break up, we both now have time to honestly look at ourselves and decide what kind of people we really want to be (and be with). We both have a chance to learn from past mistakes and make sure not to repeat them in our next relationships.

While our relationship wasn't perfect (and let's face it, most aren't), I have no regrets or feelings of loss; our time together taught me a lot about myself, love and relationships, and has given me valuable lessons for my future endeavors. So while the pain is still fresh and my wounds will take a while to heal, I know I made the right choice for me.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

The Test of Willpower

Last week, while browsing Netflix for something informative to watch, I came upon a documentary called Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. In a nutshell, it illustrates the health benefits of juicing through the journey of an over-weight man who has decided to do a 60-day juice fast to kick-start his new healthy life.


After watching this film, I was inspired to see what a juice regimen could do for me. Now, I definitely wasn't going to drink only fruit and vegetable juice for SIXTY days, but I decided I'd try it out for 5. So I bought a inexpensive juicer, made a trip to Trader Joe's for some fruits and veggies, and began my fast on Monday.

ALL of this goes into ONE 8oz cup of juice
Although the machine is a bit of a pain to clean, it is actually fun preparing the fruits and slicing the vegetables and ultimately feeding them through the chute. Also, I LOVE the color of the juice and pulp, so bright and vibrant!


The first day was great, I felt healthy, refreshed and motivated that I could easily keep going through Friday.

Heh.

Yesterday was the hardest day. You start to miss salty, crunchy, chewy foods and the temptation to cheat is almost irresistible - especially when your coworker (who sits directly across from you) brings in a giant box of danishes and pastries. Ahhhh. But, I have willpower. Woo!

Today, the same coworker brought pastries again, along with a variety of muffins and donuts. YUM. My my is salivating as I type. The only thing keeping me from leaping up and sinking my teeth into the flaky frosted goodness of "vacation" breakfast is my colorful glass of juice....One more day....

I must say, I've enjoyed the energy I've gotten through doing this (although you're sluggish and tired for the 2nd and 3rd days) and I would definitely consider doing it again. It's a great test of willpower. If you're up for it, I challenge you to give it a try - 5 days, just juice.....GO!

For more information on juicing and the documentary, visit http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Thoughts After the New GRE

After 4 full weeks of intensive studying, I took the revised GRE yesterday. The 4 hours went by quickly, and by the end I was thankful that I was done.

You are usually given your raw Verbal and Quantitative scores at the end of the test, but since I took the revised GRE on the first day of its distribution, I was only given a range of my scores on the old scoring scale. However, I was pleased to find out that I scored in the 700-800 range in the Quant section! Yay! Again, this will be translated to the new scoring scale, but I will not find out my final scores until early November. Ugh.

I am just relieved that I will not have to be retaking the GRE and have checked off that important part of my graduate school application. :)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Why Do People Love to be Scared?

As a veteran of horror, I've asked myself this question many a time. I started watching cheesy 90s horror movies in my friend's basement in elementary school, and quickly moved on to classics like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Even though I was terrified to fall asleep after watching these movies, I kept going back. To this day, I'm still a horror film fanatic even if I know I will most likely be paranoid and scared after. Why do I, and people like me, do this?


According to David Rudd at the University of Utah, people enjoy feeling scared and seek the feeling out because, deep down, they know they are in no real danger.

"People understand the real risk of these activities is marginal, and because of this underlying awareness, they experience excitement rather than actual fear," Rudd explains. Teenagers and adults and more apt to gauge the actual level of threat that scary stimuli pose to them, and therefore, are able to watch scary movies with no real threat, except maybe the psychological threat of a nightmare or two after the exposure. Because of this, people feel safe watching movies like these.

For me, different horror sub-genres elicit different feelings of excitement or fear for me. For example, even though I'm not inclined to watch gory thillers, they affect my psychological/emotional level the least. However, scary movies involving the paranormal or religious topics scare the buhjesus out of me. No matter the specific horror type, I realize that the likelihood of the events I've watched happening to me is marginal, if not impossible (depending on your beliefs of course). Because of my rationality and lust for thrill, just as when I was a kid, no matter how scared I am after watching a movie, the adrenaline rush I feel during the movie is too exciting to give up.


For more on people's fascination with fright, check out this article:

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Grad School and the New GRE

I can't help thinking that before I know it, the summer is going to be over and the time for taking the GRE and sending out graduate school applications will be upon me. As those of you who are taking the GRE this summer know (or should know), the format of the test will be changing beginning August 1st. Turns out, I scheduled myself on the first, so I will be one of many who will be taking the GRE in its new format. Woo! So the big question is - what are the differences between the new and old versions? Well, thanks to an article from redbus2us.com, I've got the answer:


GRE Verbal Section Old vs New Pattern

New GRE Pattern 2011
Current/Old GRE Pattern
Scores Range130  —170200  — 800
Types of Questions
  • Text completion Questions
  • Sentence Equivalence Questions
  • Reading Comprehension Questions.
  • NO Antonyms
  • NO Analogies
  • Analogies
  • Antonyms
  • Sentence Completions
  • Reading Comprehension
Sample questionsGRE Verbal New Pattern 2011GRE Verbal Old/Current Pattern
Score Increments1 Point increments10 point increments
Sections2 Sections1 section
Question per sectionApproximately 20Exactly 30
Time Allocated30 Minute Per section, total will be 60 Minutes30 Minutes

GRE Quantitative Reasoning Section Old vs New Pattern

New GRE Pattern 2011
Current/Old GRE Pattern
Scores Range130  —170200  — 800
Types of Questions
  • Multiple Choice questions
    - Select One answer Choice
    -Select One or more answer choices
  • Numeric Entry questions
  • Quantitative comparison Questions
  • Quantitative Comparison
  • Problem Solving
  • Data Interpretation
Sample questionsGRE Quant Reasoning 2011GRE Quant Old/Current Pattern
Score Increments1 Point increments10 point increments
Sections2 Sections1 section
Question per sectionApproximately 20Exactly 28
Time Allocated35 Minute Per section, total will be 70  Minutes45 Minutes

GRE Analytical Writing Section Old vs New Pattern


 New GRE Pattern 2011
Current/Old GRE Pattern
Scores Range0—60—6
Types of Questions2 Questions2 Questions
Score Increments0.50.5
SectionsOne SectionNo Section Concept
Question2 Questions or Tasks
- One Analyze and issue task
-One Analyze an Argument Task
2 Questions or Tasks
-One Issue task – Choose from two
-1 Argument task- No choice.
Sample QuestionsAnalytical Writing GRE 2011Analytical Writing GRE Old/Current
Time Allocated
  • 30 Minutes per task
  • Total 60 minutes for two tasks or questions
  • 45 minutes for Issue task
  • 30 minutes for Argument task
  • An unidentified Unscored section is same in both old or current and the new GRE pattern. This section may be included or may not be, it depends…if included, it will not counted towards part of your score
  • An identified Research section is also the same case, it will be at the end of the test in both new and old/current GRE.


Hope this helps for those of you studying!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Takes One to Know One

Psychology Today is one of my favorite places to read articles, and today I stumbled upon one about hypocrisy. It's everywhere; I'm a hypocrite, so are you and so is everyone else - why try to hide it? I say, we accept our hypocrisy and learn how to not let it get the best of us. Hope this article gives you some insight: 

You too: Seven rules for honest hypocrisy management

You too: Seven rules for honest hypocrisy management

I'm deeply ambivalent about accusations of hypocrisy. On the one hand, "Yeah, well you do it too" arguments are among the most annoying cheap shots I ever encounter. On the other hand I think embracing one's own hypocrisy is about the most worthwhile and difficult task on the path to ethical behavior.

Accusations of hypocrisy are annoying cheap shots when they're used automatically to turn the tables on any criticism. With some people, there's no receptivity, no reflection, just an automatic "well you do it too," or "well what about the way you do this other bad thing?" or the thoroughly vague, "well, you're not perfect." If the accusation of hypocrisy is simply a defensive formula, it's no more worthy of our attention than "I know you are but what am I?"
In logic and philosophy there's a name for this cheap shot formula. It's called the Tu Quoque (Latin for "you too") fallacy. It takes the form:

Joe says Sam is wrong for doing X.
Joe also does X.
Therefore, Sam can ignore Joe's accusation.

It's called a logical fallacy because the conclusion doesn't follow logically from the premises. Armed with this fallacy with its fancy Latin name, the part of me that finds accusations of hypocrisy to be nothing more than annoying cheap shots could shoot them all down:

"That's all you've got? A tu quoque fallacy? I don't have to listen to you."

But logical fallacies, much as I love and collect them, are not exactly what they appear to be. Fallacy sounds like "false" but what fallacy really means is that the conclusion doesn't necessarily follow from the premises. Fallacy really means "It ain't necessarily so" which is not the same as it is necessarily not so. A fallacy isn't a false conclusion but a weak one. So, much as I'd like to be able swat away any annoying argument by calling it a fallacy, I shouldn't. In fact, doing so is another kind of annoying cheap shot. Occasionally I'll encounter someone who wields fallacies like gag orders. Since you used a Tu Quoque fallacy you're wrong about everything.

Can't really do that with fallacies.

Besides with me, people should get away with some Tu Quoque arguments. See, I've noticed that I have an automatic defensive response that makes me unreceptive to worthy counter-arguments sometimes. If someone does something that offends me, instantly, what flies out of my awareness is any evidence of my having ever done the equivalent.

Perhaps you've noticed the same in you.

Sometimes it takes a whole lot of "Jeremy you've done it too" before I can see my hypocrisy. But then, despite my stubborn resistance, there it is, and I feel sheepish for having been so self-righteous in the name of what turns out to be my double standard.

I collect sayings that remind me not to be so self-righteously hypocritical. I try to use them as mantras:

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

I wouldn't put it past me.

Takes one to know one.

Philosophers find their true perfection, knowing the follies of humankind by introspection.

And yet I also take these with a grain of salt. For example, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Let's be serious. Who is without sin? No one, right? So then should there be no judgment at all in this world? Leave it all to God? Take whatever anyone dishes out and don't say anything critical or you will have violated this virtuous-sounding principle?

Don't judge or you too will be judged? So no judges? No legal system? Should we just all huddle in our glass houses and shut up about the world outside? It's like if you can't do everything nice don't say anything at all.

Absurd.

So here's where I've settled in my ambivalence about hypocrisy:
  1. Everybody is a hypocrite... It's not just that we're hard-wired for self-defense, and making up excuses for behavior we wouldn't tolerate in others, it's that we're hard-wired, period. My nerves are more attuned to my feelings than to yours, and yours are more attuned to your feelings than to mine. Therefore we will have double standards. And they are a real problem.
  2. ...so try not to be meta-hypocritical. We tend to gloat and sneer when someone else's hypocrisy is exposed, as if hypocrisy were some rare disease. It's meta-hypocritical to say, "I'm not a hypocrite but he is."
  3. And even though we are all hypocrites, we must judge sometimes... Yes we all live in glass houses. And yet sometimes we have to throw a stone at someone who is being hypocritical. I'm hoping for example that what little tax money I pay that goes to the UN helps the UN peace-keeping forces bring down Laurent Gbagbo, the hypocritical deposed president of Ivory Coast.
  4. ...because questions of degree really do matter. "You do it too" arguments tend to gloss over differences of degree. Imagine someone who kills thousands of Americans and argues that it should be acceptable since we allow hunting.
  5. Therefore don't argue from absolute principle... Black and white, all or nothing, zero-tolerance policy and principles invite people to ignore issues of degree.
  6. ...instead, wonder, worry about and study questions of degree...You may think you know where to draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable hypocrisy and other human foibles, but drawing that line is not simple and certainly not as simple as listening to one's gut.
  7. And practice those mantras.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

I'm Not Alone!

I know, 2 posts in one day, how productive of me!

I would have put this in the post below, but it's not related, so it will get it's own title and tags and all that jazz. Anywho, I recently made a trip to my local farmer's market to stock up on some delicious organic food. I bought some oranges, cherry tomatoes, and strawberries. Once I got home, I made sure to wash all the produce and then stored it in the fridge.

Later that night, I went for some of the bright red strawberries for a healthy movie snack. I ate a few, they were DELICIOUS, but, when I bit into my 4th (5th?) one, I saw something crawl out of it that MORTIFIED me - a teeny tiny spider. Eeeek! I immediately spit the remaining mush of a strawberry out and dropped the half eaten one back in the basket. Yuck. Yuck. YUCK. I'm officially too paranoid to eat the rest of my strawberries...is this what I get for eating organic? Well, luckily (unfortunately?), I'm not alone. I found a blog post by a fellow strawberry lover who had the same problem:

The other day I was cutting the tops off strawberries as I grabbed one I happened to look inside it and saw a spider... I thought euuw gross and chucked it in the sink.Ever since then I have been a little freaked out.... Every time I have strawberries I have to cut them up, I was thinking to me self (I am so mental... what are the chances I would ever see another spider in the middle of a strawberry???) just then I cut one open and "There was a spider right in the middle and it was alive!!!"Well, I have decided I am not a mental case.... In all three spiders were found!!! I was taking to my sister and she also had found a spider in the middle of her strawberry!!! I decided to take a picture..... So you could all see what I am taking about!!!!



This is exactly what MY spider looked like! Again. YUCK. I threw out the basket of strawberries I found the spider in, and still have one basket left. Do I dare eat them? 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update: I decided to take my chances and cut up the remaining basket of strawberries. I cut each one directly in half, carefully checked the inside, and then dropped it into a sterile container. I'm happy to report not ONE was infested, and I even ate one of the strawberry halves, but unfortunately (and really pathetically) I didn't enjoy it! I was too caught in the the thought of spiders living in my fruit that I couldn't enjoy the taste! Boo. Hopefully I'll get over it.

Lincoln Lawyer Whaaat?

Even though I'm taking an online class, working full time (part-time at 2 jobs), AND studying for the GRE, I still have to make time for my summer movie list. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the same list I created last year and failed to finish. Boo. To my credit though, I did get a large chunk out of the way last summer considering I had to stay in bed for a week recovering from my tonsils and adenoids removal. Anyway, it's summer again and the list is still quite long (I think there's about 40 movies I still need to see on there).

How'd I create this list, you ask? I found other movie lists, and combined them to form a new list of movies I have yet to see that have been deemed worth while (I'm a HUGE movie person so I've seen the majority of box-office movies). After I got home, I decided to watch The Lincoln Lawyer (Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe). Great movie, I'd definitely recommend it.

 

Although I bet some of you are DYING to know what else is on my list, you'll just have to wait for my reviews once I've seen them. Muahaha!

Friday, June 24, 2011

A Philosophical Quandary

I'm not much of a philosophical thinker, but lately I've been in situations where I've found myself asking: Is it always more appropriate to be reasonable rather than emotionally impulsive?

Socrates thought so. Being an analytical person by nature, I can't help but agree with him - if we let emotion be the primary factor in our decisions, we would find ourselves making more mistakes and being more regretful of past decisions. Taking the time to weigh the pros and cons of decisions and understanding the consequences of each will almost always lessen the probability of a regrettable choice.

I realize that not everyone is like me, and there are some people who wear their emotions on their sleeves and some who have quick tempers. My advice to those people - no matter how much emotional involvement you have in a certain situation, or no matter how heated an argument gets, try as hard you can to be respectful and keep your cool. I know that it is easier said than done, and I've been guilty of letting my emotions get the best of me and letting an argument get out of control, but I've noticed that I've felt better with myself when I've kept my cool and stuck to being rational.

Now I'm not saying that every single decision you make needs to be based on reason, because if that were the case people would spend more time deliberating than actually following through with an action (like ordering ice cream, it's not really a life or death decision). Being spontaneous and impulsive once in a while is exciting and might lead you to try things you never thought you would. However, when it comes to important decisions (college, career, relationships, etc) or social conduct, reason should be at the core of your decision making.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

DIY Dream

Finally! I have successfully finished a wood staining and painting project! Woo! It only took me a day (a WHOLE day of painful work) but it definitely paid off. Here's a little tutorial of what I did:

For $60, these solid wood pieces were a steal, but not great on the eyes...
First off, these still had the original stain and varnish on them, so the first step was to strip them off. So, I went and bought some stripper that was recommended to me:

Ohhh yeah! Take it off!!
The disgusting sticky goop that is the remnant of the stripper
You pretty much just slather this stuff all over the furniture, let it sit for 15-20 minutes, and then use a metal or plastic scraper to take it off. I was going for a distressed wood look so I unevenly took it off so the stain wouldn't be uniform. After remove the original stain and finish, you gotta sand down the wood so the surface is smooth and porous so it will take in the stain better. I removed the drawers on both pieces and treated them separately.

Bare and exposed!

Note: Obviously using harmful chemicals in a small, not very ventilated room is a bad idea, but I made sure to wear a mask, keep the windows open, and have a fan running so.....there.
After sanding, it's time to stain the frames and prime the drawers. I used a warm walnut stain and only left it on for a bit so it wouldn't be too dark.

Sooooo preeeeetty!

After the stain and primer (on the drawers) had dried, you can apply your finish. I used Minwax Polyurethane Finish in Semi-Gloss.

They're so white!
I let the frames and drawers dry overnight. In the morning, I put on my custom knobs and placed the drawers in the frame, and voila! My own two-toned MATCHING bedroom furniture! 

Classy, huh?

Knobs from OSH
I know, I'm awesome
And that's it! Hope this helps if you're looking to do your own refinishing project. :) 

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

DIY Nightmare

Summer has arrived, which means it's time for random projects around the apartment! I decided that it was time to revamp my bedroom furniture, and since I've learned how to refurbish wood furniture (well....a recipe box, but still), I decided to go to town on a bookshelf, dresser and nightstand. Bookshelf was a success, but the nightstand.....not so much. For the life of me, I could not unscrew the hinges of the door (I was going for a two-toned look) which forced me to paint the door while it was still on the frame. Bad idea. Now I am waiting for my friend's power drill so I can take the door off and start over. Ugh. On the bright side, at least I'm getting a great upper body workout! Maybe I'll post pictures once I'm satisfied.

This isn't me, but this is how messy it gets!
I also bored after work yesterday and watched a movie from my need-to-watch-summer-movie list - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with Robert Downey Jr. I'm a big fan of RDJ and yet again he did not disappoint, I'm actually surprised I've never seen this movie before!

That's all for now,
CR

Monday, May 23, 2011

Tu Parles Francais?

Since my brother just graduated from USC, my mom decided that we would celebrate by taking a weekend trip to Montreal, Canada. My brother is a HUGE boxing fan, so the fact that there was a fairly important match taking place in Montreal that weekend helped a bit. I struggled to get my papers and homework done before venturing over to our sister land, but I succeeded and was ready for the weekend.

I took French for 4 years back in high school, and I have visited France before, but I haven't spoken French in about 3 years. Now I knew that Montreal was a predominantly French speaking city, but I didn't realize the extent of it until we arrived. Lucky for me, I really didn't forget too much of the language and ended up speaking French for the entire 3 day trip.

My favorite thing about traveling is the architecture, and Montreal has amazing old cathedrals and European style buildings. I probably took around 500 pictures, which I cannot wait to upload and take a look at. Although I'm still recovering from jetlag, I had an amazing trip.

Now back to the real world.


La Notre Dame



Downtown Old Montreal