A Star is Born

"I'll never watch an awards show again, unless that delightful Billy Crystal's involved!"
-- Bart Simpson, The Front

So it was a magical night here in Los Angeles and the stars came out to shine. Unfortunately, only those from New Zealand could find somthing to cheer about. Yes, it was the 76th annual Academy Awards! All in all it was a memorable evening, for the cast of Lord of the Rings, and in the end I felt compelled to do a little spiel on the night as a whole. So without further ado, here are some comments on the evening's events.

1. I realized that I really don't like films amassing lots of Oscars, primarily for two reasons. Reason the first: it removes all the suspense from the show. There's always that anticipation of who's going to win an award, and in the case of tonight, by the end it became "Gee, who's gonna win this one?" The second reason is that it really detracts from the other great films of the year. To say some movies only received one, two, or zero Oscars compared to the 11 won by another really does it a disservice.

2. Outfit of the night: Ben Stiller's 70's attire paves way to the new, retro Oscar ceremonies to come.

3. Quote of the night: "We're so thankful that 'Lord of the Rings' did not qualify in this category," Denise Robert, producer of "The Barbarian Invasions", winner of the Best Foreign Film Award.

4. Lesson of the night: A bicycle and a vacuum cleaner are just musical instruments lying around the house! Think of the other musical instrument opportunities waiting to be explored! Some ideas include - toasters, sewing machines, shovels, and antiques!

4. Is it me or does Howard Shore the real Harry Potter?


5. Second Best Performance of the Night: The Mitch and Mickey reunion performance of 'Kiss at the End of the Rainbow' to recreate the scene in A Mighty Wind. Not only were the actors there performing it, but they did it in character and even gave us the tensioned kiss at the end. Wonderful!

6. Best Performance of the Night: Jack Black and Will Ferrell's performance that should have won best original song. You had to have seen it to enjoy it, that's all I can say...

And much like the really Oscars, I will leave you in an anticlimactic fashion once all the hype is....

Are you a Rhinoceros?

As I was eating dinner in front of the TV, (because the kitchen table is covered with dirty dishes, trash and other random crap), I started browsing for the proper channel to fit my mood. My mood was chicken sandwich, so that meant a sports game of some kind or a comedy/musical/farce movie. Lo and behold, whom should I come across but the one Gene Wilder! Knowing comedy was about to ensue I casually watched as I munched away at dinner. I had caught the middle of something and didn't quite know what was going on, but since I was in a chicken sandwich mood and because it was Gene Wilder, I didn’t care and stayed to let my curiosity have its way.

I soon picked up that this movie had been adapted from a play; most movies that have most of its action take place on one claustrophobic set are usually adapted from plays with the same constraint. These types of movies are usually entertaining, and much like The Seven Year Itch, wonderfully explore the comical aspects of neurotic individuals. These types of characters are bounded by their buildings and we are allowed to watch them as they fester up and delve deeper into a state of hysteria.

Needless to say, I was enjoying myself as I continued to eat. Finally, after a commercial break the station told me what I was watching. I was watching the 1974 movie Rhinoceros. It’s a rather unusual story, adapted from Eugène Ionesco’s play of the same name, where people give into the peer pressure of becoming a rhinoceros. That’s right, you cave in and become a rhinoceros! It’ll really makes you think next time you go to the zoo. The purpose is supposed to teach the lesson of non-conformity within society, by having Gene Wilder become the only remaining human left after the rest of society turns into rhinos. I like a man who can incorporate a moral into a story of rhino-transformation. It has sort of an extreme stance, but it definitely gets its message across; however Gene Wilder did look a little psychotic at the end when he decided to fight against the rhinos.

I finished my dinner, had something to drink and enjoyed the rest of the movie. Definitely look into it if you’re interested, as it was a good match for my evening mood. I really should do this more often. There really isn’t anything better than a chicken sandwich mood….. except perhaps a burrito mood, but that’s open to debate.

Top 5 Engineering Punchlines of the Day

Here are the Top 5 Engineering Punchlines to the query, "Did you hear about the rock climbing Temperature?"



5. Everyone's been complaining about rising Temperatures!


4. It's climb is just starting to heat up!


3. It prefers large Temperature gradients!


2. It's a scalar!


1. Neither have I!




(The Top 5 Engineering Punchlines of the Day were inspired by today's Heat Transfer lecture)

When it's late in the evening, And the music's seeping through.

"Only in the state of pure confusion can no confusion exist. If confusion is ubiquitous, then there's no confusion about the state of confusion; it's the one thing you can't be confused about."
-- me spewing philosophical BS


Apparently the quizzes below have been a huge success with everyone. It's so nice to know that more than two people read my weblog!

Well, I was going to write about the recent rain in LA but because it is late and because I've procrastinated my work, I'll postpone that discussion until tomorrow. Instead I will briefly comment on how recently I've been more philosophical. I noticed this earlier in the week with my ethics paper and it has been accentuated recently with some conversations I've had with people. I think my procrastination is leading me up to a 'crunch time' and so my mind's defense mechanism is to start BSing. Therefore, it's more of a natural reaction to an unsteady environment rather than a forced thing. In essence, do I control my BS or does my BS control me? Have a field-day Becca!

Anyway, off to sleep!

More Procrastination....

I know I've always asked the question: I wonder what book and what country I am? Turns out I'm The Lord of the Rings in Portuguese!!!

You're The Fellowship of the Ring!

by J.R.R. Tolkien

Facing great adversity, you have decided that your only choice is to
unite with your friends and neighbors. You have been subject to a ton of squabbling and
ultimately decided that someone humble is your best candidate for a dangerous mission.
You're quite good with languages and convinced that not all who wander are lost. If you
see anyone in black robes on horseback, just run. That's just common sense.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

You're Brazil!

You're athletic, charming, and probably a good dancer.
 Unfortunatley, you don't really mind chopping down the rain forest, and you probably
consider homeless people expendable in certain circumstances.  Of course, your
personality is so diverse that it's hard to track down exactly what you're like.  You
definitely like Pele, the World Cup, and shouting "gooooal" at the
top of your lungs.
Take
the Country Quiz at the href="http://bluepyramid.org">Blue Pyramid

And Now For A Serious Moment...

Hello, my name is Chris Burzlaff and I have a problem.

That's right you've heard it here first folks, I have some serious issues going on. Issues that the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York claims, "...can lead to feelings of guilt, inadequacy, depression and self-doubt among students." Yes, I suffer from Procrastination.

Apparently, what I've always considered as "working well under pressure" turns out to be a serious problem leading me down a steady spiral towards the bottom rung of society. The outcome of my procrastinating may impede my success on both the academic level and in the business realm. I may soon never achieve any more personal successes because of these tendencies! Fortunately I was blessed with the random insight of the harmful effects of procrastination and surfed the web for more on the subject.

According to the various websites I've contacted on the subject, there are several reasons that students like myself procrastinate. These reasons include: Poor Time Management, Difficulty Concentrating, Fear and Anxiety, Negative Beliefs, Finding the Task Boring, Unrealistic Expectations and Perfectionism. All of these can be found at the University at Buffalo's Student Counseling Webpage. I'd like to state that some of these reasons are not reliant upon students so much as they are on teachers. Poor Time Management and Unrealistic Expectations can sometimes be traced back to the person presenting the task, which usually is done out of careless regard of the students other conflicts. I'm not going to start a paper that's due in a week when I have another due in three days. Sometimes teachers and employers expect too much from us and we end up procrastinating on assignments by force rather than out of habit. I would, however, like to say that Finding the Task Boring is a clever excuse for putting off work, though I don't think many teachers would be impressed by the candor of the statement.

So if we do it, for whatever the reason, how can we prevent a recurrence of this behavior? The University at Buffalo suggests more discipline and regime in your lifestyle to overcome your anxieties of work and achieve reasonably set goals for yourself. Unfortunately, this does nothing for the "quick-fix, one-hour photo, instant oatmeal society..." we live in. (The Simpson's Episode #1F05: Bart's Inner Child). For these types there are several means of curing yourself, without having to interact with the society you try to avoid in the first place with your procrastination. For just $50 you can join the End Procrastination Now family! Or for you skeptics, learn how to cure yourself through hypnosis! Remember, you DO have a problem and now you can fix it and raise your morale!

Isn't it ironic that looking at websites to prevent me from procrastinating have in fact aided in my effort to indeed procrastinate from my classwork. You know what this means? I am more powerful than the internet! I have found its fallacies and have conquered over it!

Alright, my sarcasm detector is going off the charts so I better leave it be and perhaps change my ways for the better........... tomorrow.


(Note: When doing proper research it is important to select websites of a high academic and prestigious quality to ensure the same quality in the report. Since this is not an academic report, I can hardly see the harm in choosing websites with hardly any credulous material.)

Philosophically speaking...

The trouble with ethical essays is that you start thinking philosophically and come up with these great questions with no real answers. Some of the following are questions I'm dealing with now on my report on the ethics of replacing workers with robotic technologies:

Is it ethical to develop technology that will increase work efficiency but in turn will eliminate human jobs?

Should humans have more rights over machines when it comes to jobs?

If eliminating harm to persons is part of your ethic code, which is the lesser harm: exposure to unsafe work environments or financial harm caused by losing a job to a robot?

And regarding to the Simpson's tonight:
Is it possible to end up with a higher IQ than the person who helps you cheat on your IQ test?


Feel free to comment on any of the questions. It'll give me something to think about as I delve into this topic more.

One more thing....

Now there's a new way to tell time.

Just another means of procrastination!

Another fun weekend, Another means of Procrastination

Sometimes I almost feel punished for trying to have fun outside of school. I venture out of the box I've been put into and suddenly I feel myself scrambling for control of my life. Case in point, this weekend. I spent Friday night with Rob's roommate Stella, who came down for the basketball game yesterday, and went dancing with Heidi and Natalie. I didn't get home till almost 1:30 and we all had a wonderful time. Stella spent the night, it being late and her not knowing where her troupe was staying. And so we enjoyed each other's company until she had to leave. After walking her over to the Sports Arena I came back and suddenly my Saturday was gone and I was exhausted. Which leads me to today and all the schoolwork that couldn't be done before now must be crammed into my remaining hours.

Since when did education mean giving up your free time to do extra assignments? Or giving up friends because they're swamped with work? If I have fun one day of the week, I spend the other days making up for it and almost regretting I even attempted doing something I would enjoy. Unfortunately, this is what my semester has turned into. And I know that I'm going to fight it and perpetuate my suffering, because I enjoy being active!

....And my tirade is over.

On a totally unrelated topic, they were filming some sort of movie on campus (as always). What was cool though about this was that they had a whole bunch of classic bicycles and 50's/60's cars, primarily old police cars with the circular siren on top, around for the shooting. They looked so cool and I suddenly was filled with the urge to obscond one of these cars or bicycles even to keep for myself. However, something tells me that if I did do that, I'd end up in the back of a police car rather than in the front.

For you LA drivers, it's officially true, we spend the most time in traffic than anyone else in the nation! This must be why LA drivers are so impatient! Well, at least it gives us time to think..... about how much we hate traffic. At times like these though, I'm thankful for Jazz Radio!

And finally, a little something for you Harry Potter or Greek lovers!


"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life; it goes on."
-- Robert Frost

Feel Like Procrastinating?

Then check out the Starsky & Hutch Website!

If you click on the section labeled "The Goods" you'll find a range of fun activities such as a Pimp Name Generator and a way to upload and "70's" a picture of yourself! I had a lot of fun with this.

Just another thing to do when you're trying to avoid being productive.

It's That Time of the Week Again

"If I get mono from you, then together we'll have bio!" -- me to Amanda

I survived another Wednesday and I am now participating in the single greatest moment of my week: the furthest point from the next Wednesday! It's not that I hate my Wednesdays, because hatred nor disdain plays a role in my mid-week bias. Wednesdays are rather usually a product of my own undoing. It is the result of a week long procrastination for not one but two labs with guaranteed projects and a possible assignment from one of the other classes I have. Wednesdays are just long days, and become even longer when work is procrastinated until the night before or better yet the morning/afternoon of. Today's Wednesday consisted of a 5-minute speech and mini write-up on turbulent jet flow; both of which weren't started until about 11:30 last night. That along with a full 3-hour lab experience this evening has me drained. Someday I think my Wednesdays will redeem themselves for mistreating me so often, but until that day comes, I'm stuck with a new weekly dilemma.

I still haven't even recovered from my weekend. I spent upwards of 7.5 hours driving through California on Monday and woke up early yesterday morning to start on the work I didn't get to do over my 3-day weekend. It's amazing how much cross-country (rather cross-state) driving can take out of you! But it was worth it! I got to see so many wonderful people that I feel blessed knowing. I danced, I sang, I laughed, I stuffed myself with food, I rode the Bart, and I spent a car trip with a contagious friend. Everything a road trip should include.

Sometimes it feels like I'm living two lives. I live my school life which is entertaining for the most part, but at times, this semester especially, it can be too much. I can feel myself being suffocated by the boundaries and constraints of classwork, projects, presentations, etc.... I have only danced once in LA this entire semester and feel like everything I do is for class. It isn't a terrible life to live, but after this weekend, I've realized it's not the ideal life I want to be living. The other life I'm living is the ideal life for me, but won't allow me to stay for too long. This is the life of road trips, late nights with good friends, spending time at home with family and friends. I guess we all live these lives and try our best to strike a balance between the two. One is practical and resourceful the other is ideal and adventurous. All I know now is that after over a month of practicality, I am so ready for adventures.

But who knows what tomorrow might bring? Perhaps an adventure!

Wednesdays suck, but today felt more like Tuednesday, so not really that bad....

Me: What's that?
Lindsay: It means goddamn you're hot!
Me: No, I meant the equation
Lindsay: Oh....

Do you ever have one of those days that at the end of it, you look back and it seems like those events happened yesterday or two days ago? One of those really long days that seems to equal two short ones? Well I had one of those days today! I literally spent 12 hours straight doing school-related work. By the time I had gotten back from my last class after 8pm, I realized that I hadn't eaten anything all day. In fact I hadn't eaten anything in the past 24 hours! I had been so busy with speeches and presentations and lab assignments that I didn't have time to eat. I felt like I was running late all day and constantly rushing from one activity to the next. Needless to say, I'm exhausted now!

But I made it through the day thanks to my spiffy outfit. I was quite the dapper man, as the quote above might suggest, wearing my khakis, blue-collared dress shirt, yellow tie, and my brother's leather vest leftover from my failed pirate attempt. All topped off with a clean shave and the argyle socks! And for my night class, I wore the matching leather jacket along with the vest to go for that ultra-leather explosion! I honestly think it was the outfit that gave me energy for the day. Sometimes it's nice to use school assignments as a means to dress-up and strut your stuff.

During my lab today, my professor, who's British, made the comment:
"...that the setup is something like you'd build with those Mechano sets as a child."
The entire class became confused and someone asked what a Mechano set is. Apparently it's like our Erector sets. I found one here:

We all laughed at his Britishness. He continued to explain the lab and mentioned that we gage the pitot tube by observing the bubble level. Noticing no reaction in the class he asked, "That is what they call them here isn't it? They're not called something like spirit levels or something, are they?"

Hehehe.... Spirit levels....

He also pronounced aluminum the British way then corrected himself for us. There's just something about the British that I like! Our noble friends across the pond....

Updates! Updates! Updates!

So I spent several hours trying to get the little beer mug at the bottom of each entry, and it wasn't until I got some help from Robert that it finally started working. Ahhh...... And I should be doing my homework. I'm slowly learning more and more about html and trying to spruce up my weblog some more. Unfortunately I have school to worry about so I might have to restrain myself and put the fancy stuff on hold.

As for a few quick updates:

-- I didn't end up going to the party over the weekend like I thought. Apparently the girl I was supposed to go with found another date and I got the shaft. But being the eternal optimist, I can look at this as a reason for me to have gathered pirate clothing to wear some random day!

-- As most of you know, I'm heading up to Berkeley this weekend to spend time with Rob and Co. I'll be accompanied by my good sidekick Merle, I mean Rachel, and hopefully along the way we'll also see Amanda and Natalie. All around it looks to be like a great trip! I'll keep you posted on the details....

-- I'm officially going to be working with kindergarteners for one of my class projects! We'll be helping redesign their playground, which my team and I are looking forward to doing! Nothing says happiness like a kindergarten playground.

Well, except maybe finding a pencil....

Since I like to include a little bit of fun into every post, have a spot o' fun!

With the Golden Globes over and the Academy Awards just around the corner, I've decided that since Americans love Top 10 lists, that I should make my own based on the best movies I saw this past year. I should point out that these were the best films that I saw throughout the past year and not neccesarily the best films made this past year. If that were the case you'd see Mystic River, Lost in Translation, Master and Command, etc.... In a year that brought us Matrix: Revolutions and Daredevil, the decision process was tough but I managed to narrow my choices down to 10. And so without further ado:


10. The Matrix: Reloaded
The Matrix movies got a bad rap this past year, but despite seeing Keanu Reeves' butt, this movies wasn't all that bad. Chock full of faster, more daring fight scenes and more philosophy to make you think a little, this movie teaches us that if we believe we too can restart our dying girlfriend's hearts.

9. Love Actually
A movie about love, actually. I think what pushed this movie into the top 10 was the little kid running through the airport at the end of the movie and the memory of Amanda jumping up and down in her seat with excitement. There's also the scene with Hugh Grant dancing through his house and singing which appeals to me because it's something that I can see myself doing. Plus it has Rowan Atkins being his typical Mr. Bean self.

8. Old School
I couldn't stop laughing at this film. Between Luke Wilson as "the Godfather", Vince Vaughn with his "earmuffs" and Will Ferrell being himself, what more could you ask for? "You're my boy Blue!"

7. Bend it Like Beckam
I have a feeling if I didn't include this film in my top 10, Amanda would come and hurt me. Everyone likes to bend it like Beckam (especially Rachel's bathroom!) and now you can with a British female football movie that not only teaches us about the sport itself but also about the Indian culture that has shattered so many young dreams! I especially enjoyed Keira Knightley's mother who was convinced her daughter is a lesbian! A very fun movie.

6. Big Fish
I don't know if I liked this movie because it was a Burton/Elfman collaboration or because of the story itself. I was very impressed with both Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney in portraying an Alabamian despite both being from the UK. This movie was like several bedtime stories melded into a super bedtime story, and still left something for the audience's imagination.

5. A Mighty Wind
Directed by Christopher Guest, what more can I say? His musical abilities never cease to amaze me! What makes this even more special is the fact that the cast toured America in these roles and put on live shows for people! Needless to say I already own this movie.

4. Finding Nemo
An animated favorite that has brought us back to those glorious "Bill and Ted" days with its wonderful sea turtles! Disney has once again assembled a great cast for an even better script in the best underwater movie since The Little Mermaid. Plus the movie ends with one of my most favorite swing dancing songs ever!

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
I think this movie ranks high on most "Surprise Hit of the Summer" lists. Who would have thought that the most flamboyant pirate in the world could bring us so much joy and adventure? Also it is stock full of nostalgic references to the Disneyland ride and corny lines about "Davy Jones' locker". Great music, great cast, great story, great effects, great movie all-around!

2. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
This was the most difficult choice to make, but I think the third and final LOTR movie was only my second favorite movie of the year. Maybe it had lost a bit of its luster because of all of the hype it had? But that doesn't detract from what an outstanding job Peter Jackson has done in transforming these novels into wonderful films. It's nice to see directors go back to that 3.5 hour long movie epic that tests your bladder's limits. There was a great battle scene with Sloth from The Goonies leading the enemy army! And might I add the Gollum scares me!

That being said, my favorite movie of the year turns out to be:

1. Kill Bill
Quentin Tarantino's kung-fu, samurai film taught us the valuable, cultural lessons that Japanese people are full of blood (and should donate more) and the worldwide knowledge of Charlie Brown. This movie was very Tarantino, with an interesting storytelling method and full of dark humor. Don't hate yourself for laughing at 88 armless and legless gang members crying out in pain. Absolutely wonderful in all aspects!

Some honorable metions include: Seabiscuit, The Italian Job and Peter Pan. Also isn't it funny how Keira Knightley appeared in 3 of these 10 movies? Gives you something to think about, huh?

Well, it's official:

My inner child is six years old!

Look what I can do! I can walk, I can run, I can
read! I like to do stuff, and there's a whole
big world out there to do it in. Just so long
as I can take my blankie and my Mommy and my
three best friends with me, of course.


How Old is Your Inner Child?

NINTENDOMANIA

I'm not quite sure what triggered it, but recently I've been wanting to play those classic Nintendo games!

You know, Super Mario Bros., Zelda, MegaMan, Castlevania, Metroid, etc.

I'm talking about the original ones here, the ones I grew up playing and loving so much, with the cheesy graphics and the even cheesier music and sound effects. I don't know exactly what it is but I can't stop thinking about playing them again. It's really amazing how many memories I have playing video games and how much of an impact they had on my life.

Perhaps it was all sparked when Patrick managed to get our old Nintendo system working. Or maybe it was when Robert and I saw that shirt in the mall while Christmas shopping:



I can't say for sure, but I know that it has been fuelled by watching these videos.

So how have I been coping? Well, I've found several original songs from games online and downloaded them. It's like using the patch, and for now it's only slightly satisfying my cravings. However, I've learned that I can start getting some of these old games for the GameCube. The Zelda Collector's Edition is already available and the MegaMan one will be out by May! Others may join them and soon I will be able to relive my childhood, for the most part.

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man stupid and blind in the eyes." --Ender's Game

It's amazing how a school semester can sneak up on you so quickly! Suddenly, I've got full-length reports to write, proposals to draft and presentations to give. Needless to say, I've been kept busy with school and have somewhat neglected the weblog. Yesterday was the acme of my busy week, with a report to turn in, class all day, two 3-hour labs nearly back-to-back and dancing for a couple hours, all on about 4 hours of sleep. But since, I've been in a nice groove. Today I had lunch with my mom and Jan Petrini, who came down to drop off some stuff and to do a little shopping for themselves. Tonight I was able to just hang out, talk with some people online and even do a little reading, as the quote above might imply. I have a feeling that this semester Thursdays are going to be my 'sense of satisfaction' days, because it's the longest distance from a Wednesday.

I believe this weekend I'm going to a party dressed as a pirate. Unfortunately I've been told very little of this event, but I will soon learn more details tomorrow (at least before Saturday). The skinny so far is that I've been invited to accompany someone to this sororiety party being put on by one of my friends. Apparently the theme of the party is Peter Pan and so I seized this opportunity to give my best pirate impression under the given circumstances and short time notice. I thought about having my mom bring down my infamous Men in Tights green tights and matching skirt, but decided that without the matching shoes I would have been at a loss. Besides, I'm going to be a pirate!

"He's not an engineer. He's a Pirate!"
(cue Pirates of the Caribbean music)

Ok, so maybe not like that, but being a pirate for a day is cool nonetheless. I've got my costume all set-up, so all I need now is to know if I'm still going! We'll just have to wait.

For all of you Lord of the Rings fans out there, check out this surprisingly amusing music video!

I have more stuff to post, but that can wait until tomorrow when it isn't so late. Although, I'm only certain that I have one regular reader! Thanks Rachel!

The link from the previous entry was prematurely posted so I hope this is clearer:



Which OS are You?

"And I know what I have to do now. I've got to keep breathing, because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?" -- Cast Away

What is it about the sound of water that makes it so appealing? Think of the ocean, the rain, even sprinklers, they all bring up vived memories and all produce wonderful sounds. I've discovered that one of my favorite of all sounds is that of the ocean; waves crashing down upon the shore, then recoiling and preparing for another round. It's so wonderful to lie at the beach and close your eyes and listen to the waves, almost becoming like them, knowing that life is like the ocean: constantly shaping the shores of the world and constantly renewing itself. It's such a peaceful sound, that's so soothing and pure. Whenever I had trouble falling asleep as a child, I would think of the ocean, and regulate my breathing to imitate its sound. It never failed to ease my mind and put me to sleep. It's the sound of nature taking its course; water has crashed upon our shores for millions of years, rolling in and out for ages, and still does today as it did then. My most recent memory of the beach was when I went late at night. It reminded me of that scene in "Contact" when Jodie Foster is in the alien world and it all seemed like a fascinating dream. It was like that: the sea was like black obsidion and the stars were everywhere shining in their splendor, and all was right in the world. I could have stayed there for hours just admiring the beauty and listening to the constant ebbing and flowing. No matter where you are in the world, the ocean sounds the same, and that's very comforting.

Then there's the sound of rain, and how it trickles down the buildings and pitter-patters through the streets. We get Southern California rain which is probably the tamest of rain (except in acidity) and it is one of the best kinds. For every day that it has rained here this school year, the next day has been gorgeous, with a bright blue sky and mountains visible on the horizon. It washes out all of the sorrows, worries, and wrongs with the world and leaves you with days whose beauty make you realize the joys of being alive. I love listening to how the rain trips by, knowing what joys it will bring. Maybe that's what makes the sound of water so appealing. It's the sound of fears and worries being washed away. It presents us with a renewing quality. It makes us conscious that greater powers here are at work and reminds us why we're here. It is the sound of water cleansing us from our transgressions as it has been doing for millions of years, and we know that like before things will always turn out alright. The rain. The ocean. What else could be more soothing? Like the quote above says, "Who know what the tide could bring?" What will the tide bring you tomorrow?

As for tonight, I'm going to lull myself to sleep thinking of the ocean....

src="http://www.bbspot.com/Images/News_Features/2003/01/os_quiz/windows_98.jpg" width="300" height="90"
border="0" alt="You are Windows 98. You're a bit flaky, but well-liked. You don't have a great memory, but everyone seems to know you. A great person to hang out with and play some games.">
Which OS are You?