Saturday, January 13, 2007

A Poetic Start to a Fun Semester and Year

But often, in the world's most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life:
A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
In tracking out our true, original course;
A longing to inquire
Into the mystery of this heart which beats
So wild, deep within us—to know
Whence our lives come and where they go.
- Matthew Arnold, "The Buried Life"

Greetings All! It’s been a while since I posted last. Don’t worry, this time it’s not my fault. Well, party it’s my fault, but it’s really been situational circumstances that have kept me from posting AND visiting your sites. So, I apologize for my absence.

Noodle Pushing
As some of you know, this week has been the first week of the new semester—new classes, new professors, new schedule, pretty much new everything. This has made for quite a challenging week. I quickly discovered that getting my mind into the swing of the new semester after having had such a relaxing break was like pushing a wet noodle up a hill. It just didn’t want to do it. But, with time, I’m sure I’ll be back to my old studious self. I just worry about the consequences my mental absence may cause. It’s not like I can just check out for the first week of classes and expect to do well for the rest of the semester. The first week is extremely important. It’s the week you learn your professor’s teaching habits, their expectations, and their goals for the class. If you miss that information, it takes a while to get in step with the rest of the class and your grades typically reflect that. So, needless to say (but I feel like saying it anyway ^_^), I have been trying as hard as I can to get my mind back into a studying mood. It’s beginning to cooperate.

Deflabification
I have come to accept a fact about myself: I’m getting flabby. So, with that fact out in the open, I have embarked on a campaign of rigorous workout with the intention of deflabifying myself. Well, it’s not that rigorous, it’s just the most rigorous workout plan I’ve ever tried. 5 times a week I will go to the gym and ride a stationary bike for at least half an hour. It won’t be an easy ride, if I’m not huffing by the end of it, I didn’t do a good job. Then I do a couple machines to work out the upper portion of my body. All in all, the whole thing takes about 45 minutes. Then, I go back to my dorm room and do as many sit-ups as I can stomach (pun alert!). I’ve made it a week now and I plan to keep going. I have heard that it takes about 3 weeks to form a habit of this sort (a workout routine) and so between now and my birthday in a month, I will follow that plan strictly. The goal is ultimately to get rid of excess flab around the stomach and butt areas, and to generally get into better shape. So far it’s working. After only a week of workouts I’m already seeing results. My stomach is not as large as it was at the beginning of the week. It’s not much of a change, but it’s enough of one to give me encouragement. And, I have had more energy as of late. This is a good thing since I haven’t been getting a whole lot of sleep lately. But, that’s my fault ^_^. So, here’s to my deflabification!

Commentary on the State of the War and the Nation
Did any of you catch President Bush’s address to the nation on Wednesday night? I did. I wasn’t too surprised by his plan, but I can’t say that I agree with it. I know the President has been looking for ways to increase support of his war in Iraq, but this latest decision wasn’t the best way to accomplish that. In fact, his decision to send 21,500 more troops to help out in Iraq only worked to lessen his support even more.

I have supported the President throughout most of the war. At the time I believed it was right for us to go into Iraq. I believed it was right for Saddam to be overthrown. I believed it was right for the U.S. to help build a new government in Iraq. But I don’t believe it is right for us to send even more troops over there. In my opinion, which may be seen as naïve I’m sure, the war in Iraq has run its course. We have accomplished virtually nothing we went over there to do. Yes, the overthrow of Saddam was a priority, but the real reasons we went over there were to find these fictitious weapons of mass destruction, which were never found, and to defeat the terrorists that Iraq was supposedly harboring, but we haven’t defeated them. We did diminish their numbers though. Simple fact is, about all we’ve accomplished in Iraq is the overthrow of Saddam and the establishment of a new government. Now it is time to begin leaving.

At this point I see the U.S. as acting like an overprotective parent. We’re so in love with this new government that we’ve given birth to that we don’t want to let it go. We want to try and solve all its problems, fight off the terrorists for it, make it into what we want it to be. But, there is a time in every child’s life that he must leave home and expand his horizons. Independence is important in the growth of a child, and it is equally as important in the growth of a nation. We’ve done everything we can for the young Iraqi government. We need to back off, we need to begin leaving and giving it more control of its own country. Let it start fighting off its own terrorists. Let it establish its own ways of doing democracy. It’ll be better at it than we are. I’m not saying that the U.S. can’t do democracy, I’m just making a cultural statement here. Iraq is the eastern world. Iraqis view things from an eastern mindset, a mindset that western Americans don’t understand. We’re trying to run things the way a western democratic state should be run, but Iraq is not a western democratic state. It has its own problems and difficulties to solve and unless we let the Iraqis solve those problems on their own we will only be hurting them, not helping them.

It’s time for us to start pulling out of Iraq. Let our troops come home!

Belief
In his latest CD, John Mayer plays a song entitled “Belief” which, I think, offers a pretty good explanation for the problems we’re encountering in our war on terror. Please read these lyrics and let me know if you agree. I look forward to your response on this topic.

Is there anyone who ever remembers
Changing their mind from the paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who really recalls
Ever breaking rank at all
For something someone yelled real loud one time?
Oh, everyone believes
In how they think it oughta be
Oh, everyone believes
And they're not going easily

Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching underwater
You never can hit who you're trying for
Some need the exhibition
And some have to know they tried
It's the chemical weapon
For the war that's raging on inside
Oh, everyone believes
From emptiness to everything
Oh, everyone believes
And no one's going quietly

We're never gonna win the world
We're never gonna stop the war
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for

We're never gonna win the world
We're never gonna stop the war
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for

Is there anyone you can remember
Ever surrendering with their life on the line?

We're never gonna win the world
We're never gonna stop the war
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for

We're never gonna win the world
We're never gonna stop the war
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for

What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand?
Belief can, belief can
What puts a folded flag inside his mother's hand?
Belief can, belief can

Well, with that I’ll call my post complete. I’m sorry it’s so long, I really am, but it needed to be. I had a lot to say. I hope you all have a wonderful day and I’ll be around later to comment on your sites! See ya ‘round TheO! Sayonara!

Caesar1280's Anime Ticker

.hack//Legend of the Twilight, Air, Air: The Movie, Akira, The Animatrix, Appleseed, Aquatic Language, Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, Beck, Black Lagoon, Blame!, Blood the Last Vampire, Bokurano, Burst Angel, Castle in the Sky, Cowboy Bebop, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Digimon Tamers: The Runaway Digimon Express, Egao, FLCL, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala, Gankutsuou, Gatekeepers, Genshiken, Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society, Gin-iro no Kami no Agito, Grave of the Fireflies, Grenadier, Haibane Renmei, Hellsing, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance, Hikaru no Go, Howl?s Moving Castle, Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Jyu Oh Sei, Karas: The Prophecy, Last Exile, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Midori?s Days, Milennium Actress, Mushi-shi, My Neighbor Totoro, Naruto, Naruto: The Movie, Nausicaa, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death And Rebirth, Ninja Scroll: The Movie, Other Worlds, Paprika, Perfect Blue, Pet Shop of Horrors, The Place Promised In Our Early Days, Prétear, Princess Mononoke, Read Or Die, Read Or Die: The TV, Samurai Champloo, Samurai Seven, Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal, She and Her Cat, Spirited Away, Steamboy, Tide-Line Blue, Tokyo Babylon, Tokyo Godfathers, Trigun, Voices of a Distant Star, Witch Hunter Robin, Wonderful Days, Wrath of the Ninja, X

Anime I've Seen - .hack//Legend of the Twilight - .hack//Sign - 5 Centimeters per Second - Air - Air: The Movie - Akira - The Animatrix - Appleseed - Aquatic Language - Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror - Baby Blue - Beck - Black Lagoon - Blame! - Blood the Last Vampire - Bokurano - Burst Angel - Castle in the Sky - Cowboy Bebop - Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Digimon Tamers: The Runaway Digimon Express - Doorbell - Egao - FLCL - Fullmetal Alchemist - Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala - Gankutsuou - Gatekeepers - Genius Party - Genshiken - Genshiken OAV - Ghost in the Shell - Ghost in the Shell: Innocence - Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society - Gin-iro no Kami no Agito - The Gokusen - Grave of the Fireflies - Grenadier - Haibane Renmei - Happy Machine - Hellsing - Highlander: The Search for Vengeance - Hikaru no Go - Howl's Moving Castle - Innocent Venus - Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade - Jyu Oh Sei - Karas: The Prophecy - Karas: The Revelation - Last Exile - Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi - Midori?s Days - Milennium Actress - Mushi-shi - My Neighbor Totoro - Naruto - Naruto: The Movie - Nausicaa - Neon Genesis Evangelion - Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death And Rebirth - Ninja Scroll: The Movie - Other Worlds - Ouran High School Host Club - Paprika - Perfect Blue - Pet Shop of Horrors - The Place Promised In Our Early Days - Prétear - Princess Mononoke - Read Or Die - Read Or Die: The TV - Samurai Champloo - Samurai Seven - Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal - Serial Experiments Lain - Shanghai Dragon - She and Her Cat - Spirited Away - Steamboy - Tekkonkinkreet - Tide-Line Blue - Tokyo Babylon - Tokyo Godfathers - Trigun - Trinity Blood - Vampire Hunter D - Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust - Voices of a Distant Star - Witch Hunter Robin - Wolf's Rain - Wonderful Days - Wrath of the Ninja - X Total: 93

Anime I Haven't Completed - .hack//Roots - Ah! My Goddess - Angelic Layer - Avenger - Baccano! - Bamboo Blade - Basilisk - Binchou-tan - Black Cat - Bleach - Blood+ - Boogiepop Phantom - Case Closed - Le Chevalier d'Eon - Chobits - Chrono Crusade - Code Geass - Coyote Ragtime Show - D.Gray-Man - D.N.Angel - DearS - Death Note - Dennou Coil - Desert Punk - Digimon - Dragon Ball Z - Ergo Proxy - Eureka Seven - Excel Saga - Fighting Beauty Wulong - Final Fantasy Unlimited - Flag - Freedom - Full Moon - Gantz - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Gintama - Glass Fleet - Great Teacher Onizuka - Gundam Seed - Gundam Wing - Hayate the Combat Butler - Hellsing OVA - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Ikki Tousen - InuYasha - Jigoku Shojo - Kage Kara Mamoru - Karin - Kino's Journey - Love Hina - Loveless - Lovely Complex - Lucky Star - Makai Senki Disgaea - Marchen Awakens Romance - Meine Liebe - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Mononoke - Monster - Moon Phase - Mr Stain on Junk Alley - Naruto Shippuuden - Negima?! - Negima! - Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion - Nerima Daikon Brothers - NHK ni Youkoso - Night Walker - Ninja Nonsense - Noir - Peacemaker Kurogane - Pokemon - Prince of Tennis - R.G. Veda - Ragnarok - Rec - Red Garden - Robotech - Romeo x Juliet - Rosen Maiden - Rurouni Kenshin - Saikano - Sailor Moon - Samurai Deeper Kyo - Sci-fi Harry - School Rumble - Scrapped Princess - Shin-chan - Shingu - Shion no Oh - Shuffle! - Shrine of the Morning Mist - So Long, Mr. Despair - Solty Rei - Sousei no Aquarion - Speed Grapher - Spice and Wolf - Super Milk Chan - Tales of Phantasia - Tenchi Muyo - Tenjhou Tenge - Texnolyze - The Third - Tsubasa Chronicles - Urusei Yatsura - Venus Versus Virus - Welcome to the N.H.K. - Winter Cicada - X-1999 - Xenosaga - XxxHolic - Yu Yu Hakushou - Yume Tsukai - Zero no Tsukaima - Zipang Total: 116

Manga I've Completed - Cowboy Bebop - FLCL - Manga Messiah - Manga Metamorphosis - Q*Ko-chan - Saiyuki - Shirahime-Syo Total: 7 Manga I Haven't Completed - .hack//Legend of the Twilight - Black Cat - Blame! - Chobits - D.Gray-man - Darkside Blues - Death Note - The Demon Ororon - Desert Coral - Disgaea - Eureka Seven: Gravity Boys and Lifting Girl - Fruits Basket - Getbackers - Hayate the Combat Butler - Kamunagara - Legal Drug - Love Hina - Loveless - Megatokyo - Naruto - Negima - Read Or Die - Rurouni Kenshin - Tactics - Trigun Maximum - XXXHolic Total: 26

Anime I'm Currently Watching
Samurai 7, InuYasha, Samurai Deeper Kyo,
Boogiepop Phantom, and Shrine of the Morning Mist

Manga I'm Currently Reading
Read Or Die, Hayate the Combat Butler, and Megatokyo.hack//Roots, .hack//Sign, 5 cm per Second, Ah! My Goddess, Angelic Layer, Avenger, Basilisk, Binchou-tan, Black Cat, Bleach, Blood+, Boogiepop Phantom, Case Closed, Le Chevalier d'Eon, Chobits, Chrono Crusade, Coyote Ragtime Show, D.Gray-Man, D.N.Angel, DearS, Death Note, Dennou Coil, Desert Punk, Digimon, Dragon Ball Z, Ergo Proxy, Eureka 7, Excel Saga, Fighting Beauty Wulong, Final Fantasy Unlimited, Flag, Full Moon, Gantz, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Gintama, Great Teacher Onizuka, Gundam Seed, Gundam Wing, Hayate the Combat Butler, Hellsing Ultimate, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Innocent Venus, InuYasha, Jigoku Shojo, Kage Kara Mamoru, Karin, Kino?s Journey, Love Hina, Loveless, Lovely Complex, Lucky Star, Makai Senki Disgaea, Marchen Awakens Romance, Meine Liebe, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Mononoke, Monster, Naruto Shippuuden, Negima?!, Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion, Nerima Daikon Brothers, NHK ni Youkoso, Night Walker, Ninja Nonsense, Noir, Ouran High School Host Club, Peacemaker Kurogane, Pokemon, Prince of Tennis, R.G. Veda, Ragnarok, Rec, Red Garden, Robotech, Romeo x Juliet, Rosen Maiden, Rurouni Kenshin, Saikano, Sailor Moon, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Sci-fi Harry, School Rumble, Scrapped Princess, Serial Experiments Lain, Shingu, Shuffle!, Shrine of the Morning Mist, So Long Mr. Despair, Solty Rei, Sousei no Aquarion, Speed Grapher, Super Milk Chan, Tales of Phantasia, Tenchi Muyo, Tenjhou Tenge, Texnolyze, The Third. Trinity Blood, Tsubasa Chronicles, Urusei Yatsura, Welcome to the N.H.K., Winter Cicada, X-1999, Xenosaga, XxxHolic, Yu Yu Hakushou, Yume Tsukai, Zero no Tsukaima, Zipang

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