So close and just one point too far...

So I got invited to the very classy and prestigious Honors Reception at Northern Michigan University. You've probably never heard of it, so that should tell you how classy and prestigious it was- invitation only.

I'm not a big fan of this sort of thing normally. Awards ceremonies and banquets are not my bag, baby. Probably because I hate to dress up. Probably because, as outgoing as I can seem, I'm actually a pretty shy introvert in social settings. And since the e-mail (um, wait, I meant invitation) wasn't very clear about who could come (actually, the e-ma-doggone it I did it again-invitation wasn't very clear about many things, and so I ended up telling the lady at the front table my name, even though I didn't need to and so then I looked like an idiot), I was there by myself. And all the other smart kids. And their parents. And faculty.

So it was slightly awkward, but I ended up being saved by a guy I used to work with at the RTC, whose wife received one of the 'Outstanding Graduating Graduate Students' (or O.G.G.S.) awards. We chatted, caught up, and had a great time. I'm really glad I went- I got to see an old friend, there was good food, and I got a booklet. With my name on the back. Along with like 200 other students. Fortunately, the name 'Jason Parks' is one of those highly memorable names that sticks out in a crowd.

Apparently (see, this would have been good to know in the e...invitation) tonight was about the BIG dogs. THE smart kids. You know, the ones that get good grades AND are boy/girl scouts AND part of big brothers/big sisters AND volunteer at the homeless shelter AND get published in national research journals AND rescued your cat AND...you get the idea. They're smart. Smart and involved. Which, being involved in and of itself is smart, because if you want to get awards in college, you have to be involved in stuff. So that's why it's smart. It's like smart-A. You have to be smart and smart-A.

I knew going into this that I wasn't going to be one of those guys. I don't do extra stuff outside of school, for the most part. If I'm not working or in class, I'm usually at home, studying/chilling/spending time with my kids. Obviously, that's not extra-curricularer enough for the heads of state (by the way- what in the world does provost mean? Such a weird word...). It is a little frustrating though. I mean- sure, there are people that are volunteering, helping out the less fortunate, making the world a better place.

Sadly, it seems that taking care of your children is not viewed as anything extraordinarily great in this country. Because there is no pay attached to it, it's not considered work- I mean, people acknowledge that it's a form of work, and that it's difficult. But to get recognition? You have to be out there making money to get recognition. And kids just aren't money makers. Unless you ignore child labor laws. Even then, they don't work hard enough to justify what you're paying them. Um, ah, that's...well, that's just what I've heard. On...um, on the internet. Yeah, that's it. The internet.

Anyhow, I'm getting off track. I didn't mean to bitch and moan. Well, maybe a little bit- but not about the stuff that I just got done bitching and moaning about. So I apologize to those of you who have low Bitching and Moaning Forbearance (B.A.M.F.), because it's time for...

B.A.M.F. 2

The thing I'm blogging about is that, while the main honorees were not my cup of tea, they did honor a group of students that I could have been a part of-students that are graduating with a 4.0 GPA. Tonight, Northern Michigan University honored four students. Four.

There could have been five.

See, I currently have a 3.98. I don't say that in order to brag- it's just a fact. My grade point average is 3.98. And I have worked hard for the last three years to get to that point. Around the time I officially started the social work program, I really wanted to be able to have a 4.0 for graduation.

Last semester, one of my teachers had some health problems. As a result, our final exam ended up being a take-home exam- with the caveat that we couldn't treat it as a take-home exam. That is, we had to sit down and take it in the ordinary one hour/forty minute block that we would have had if we had taken it during exam week. And we weren't supposed to use our books- only withdrawals from the memory bank.

Well, proudly, I adhered to the requests of my teacher. I sat down with this exam, wrestled with it for an hour and forty minutes, and put it away. I don't say this to puff myself up as a pillar of integrity (Lord knows I'm the last person that would qualify for that honor)- that's just how I did it. I felt it was the right thing to do. And you know what? I wasn't as prepared as I wanted to be, which is completely on my shoulders. I ended up getting a 74 out of 100. C grade. Average.

Because that 74 was not a 75, I missed getting an 'A' by one point. One. measly. point. And you know what? I was okay with it. I was okay with it because I knew that I had done the right thing. I had respected my teachers wishes, and not sacrificed my honor for a grade. It also allowed me to be free from the pressure of having to maintain a perfect GPA. So I don't regret it.

But....I have to admit, it was a little difficult, sitting there listening to the provosty lady gush about these four students who had 4.0's, and how they had to wade through all sorts of different areas of studies- not just their specific area, to conquer the 4.0 pinnacle, and how hard they worked, and blah blah blah....and I cringed just a little bit inside, knowing that I was one point away from being up there- one point away from being one of those hallowed few.

And so I thought about the merits of this educational system. I thought about how we measure people not by what is unseen, but what is seen. I thought about students working so hard to impress others with the splendor of their accomplishments. I thought about how I was just like each and every one of those people that got to stand in front of the room in recognition...except for one point. And I felt sad.

See, my intention is not to discredit the students who were honored at Northern Michigan University tonight- they have worked hard, they have stretched themselves, and they deserve to be recognized for what they have achieved. And my intention is not even really to bring recognition to myself (although, admittedly that is a very latent outcome of this blog. If you wish to heap more recognition on me, I would be more than happy to take it).

But what about those whose finest hours are behind the scenes? What about others who missed out on a perfect GPA because of a 'fit' of consciousness? Or life happening? Or those who aren't actively involved on campus- because they are actively involved in the lives of their children? Have they not also achieved great things? Maybe not the sorts of things that can be measured on a scale, or on a plaque, or a press release- but great things nonetheless.

I believe that throughout our lives, many of us will do amazing things that no one will ever know about. Are we okay with that? Can we live with the idea that we aren't going to be walking on the red carpet? That there will be no certificates or ceremonies for us? Am I okay with walking away from an Honors Reception, .02 points away from being a member of an elite academic group in my school, because I knew it was the right thing to do?

Obviously, there is a part of me that does wish that things were just a little bit different. Just one point- and then the questions start. 'If I could have recalled just a little bit more information'...but come on. That's ludicrous. That past is the past, and it's pointless to live in it. I may not have a piece of paper that says '4.0' on it. But I feel that I have something far, far more valuable in hand- a sense of myself, and who I am, and a realization of how I should relate to my fellow human beings. And that, friends, is an honor that will have an impact from tonight to all the tonights beyond.

PIC: Nightcrawler- http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Nightcrawler-x-men-58093_1024_768.jpg

Geshundeit!

(Oh boy. Here we go). I was talking to my mom today, and the health care bill came up. It's like one of those big alien ships in Independence Day- you can try and go about your life like normal, but eventually this thing is going to come up, and it's going to blast the crap out of your infrastructure with beams of green energy. And it's impervious to mankind and it's weapons because it has superior technology- hence the city-sized flying saucers. Oh wait...I'm sorry. I completely stopped talking about the health care bill and started actually talking about Independence Day. That's what I get for trying to use a simile.

Your mileage may vary, but in the circles I run with, this bill has been polarizing to say the least. People love it...or hate it. They raise the roof...or cry that the sky is falling. Only I, and I alone, stand in the middle, with arms outstretched to each sid....who am I kidding. I'm not the only one in the middle, and I am shooting spitballs at the people that don't agree with me.

There is so much to say, so many places to take a blog like this- but I'm going to focus on one aspect that, in my opinion, has doomed the chances of civilized debate before it even got started-Gemeinschaft. And gesellschaft.

Geme-who? Gesel-what? Ah ha! Here is where I break out my mad vocab skills and wow and impress you. I'm like the David Blaine of big words! But with a little less charisma than David. And certainly less facial hair.


Gemeinschaft, according to dictionary.com, basically is a German word that refers to a society where there is a "strong sense of common identity". Gesellschaft (also a German word) is, as you might have guessed (or maybe you didn't), a society that is characterized by impersonal relationships and formal organizations. Vocab lesson over. Want to impress your friends? Break out these words in casual conversation. Want to really impress your friends? Wait until they've had a couple drinks, then break out these words in casual conversation.

How does this pertain to health care? Well, these two concepts become deeply ingrained in us, depending on where we are born. Is all about the group- or is it all about me? All for one? Or one for all? Well, America rocks gesellschaft the way many Asian countries sport gemeinschaft.

All the talk I see is about what the bill is going to do, how much it's going to cost, and who is going to benefit/get the shaft. And not that those are bad things to talk about- they are certainly relevant. However, in order to be a little more relevant and less like white noise, I'm trying to look at a different angle- why we care about certain parts of the health care bill more than others.

Like I said, I was talking to my mom today, who told me that she had talked to her doctor (against the new legislation BTW), who said that if my dad (I apologize if this is starting to feel a little bit like Clueless) needed angioplasty, that the government would decide whether or not to give the procedure to my dad, based on different factors. The idea of rationing care freaks many people out, and that makes sense. Nobody wants to be the person that is told that they have to die or endure a chronically debilitating disease because the government won't front the cash. But I have some thoughts on this, and thusly I shall jump in here and hold on, like that leech in Stand By Me.

You didn't think I would do it, did you? You thought, "No way he finds a pic. And even if he finds a pic, no way he would go there. He just wouldn't. IT'S SO WRONG!!!". Well, guess what friends? I did and I did. What up now, dawg?

Let me preface this by saying I'm not advocating for this. I'm not saying this is right, and you are wrong. I'm the guy that lights the other side of the street. Come to a fork in the road? Pick your side- and I'll pick the other. If you still believe that every situation is black and white, then hopefully you get a little uncomfortable when you read my stuff. Because I want you to be uncomfortable with that idea. It's preposterous to think that every situation is either/or, yes/no, truth/lie. There's more behind-the-scene stuff going on than Wizard of Oz.

See, the idea of universal health care is foreign to our capitalist, business-like approach we have to health care (and life, in general). We believe very strongly in the market, and have faith that the market is always right- even if it has to crash in order to get itself there. A sense of rugged individualism is mixed with an intense distrust of government. Our health care system is constantly evolving, pushing the envelope, tackling new frontiers- regardless of the benefit of those actions. We're Americans, damnit! We want it all- because it's our destiny. It is what it is. And if you aren't on the train? Just try not to get run over.

(I'm really trying to A) keep this simple, and B) stay on topic- it's really hard though! I have Systems Theory running through my brain. AAAAHHHH!!!)

So when someone comes along and presents us an idea that is foreign to this concept (getting what we want, individualism, resignation of medical status), well of course that's going to piss us off- because that just isn't how it is! Or is it?

Think about the gazelle. No, not her, you pervert- the gazelle. Lions eat gazelles. But they usually don't get to take down a nice, healthy, young gazelle- they generally get the sick, old, or lame gazelles. Because that's what they can catch. This principle does not just apply to gazelles in nature- I probably picked them because of a subconscious desire to link to a pick of this hottie.

Now I'm not saying that we should cart the sick/old/lame out to an island to die. What I am saying is that there is a scarcity of resources. We don't have access to everything all the time, because things eventually run out. Animals know this- if a food source runs out (or a habitat is destroyed) then they have to move on- or die.

To cultures that are raised with a more group-focused approach, this is probably not as controversial to think about, because the self exists for the sake of the group. The old gazelle runs when he's being chased- I mean after all, he wants to live- but he doesn't trip the stud buck so that he can get ahead of him.

But in America, we have a difficult time coming to terms with the idea that there are real-life limits. That there are only a certain amount of resources. We don't want to hear that.

You know what though? There is good news.

This is America! If you have money, you can have what you want! I admit my ignorance to the exact wording in the policy, but I can't imagine that there aren't going to be private insurance companies or hospitals out there that wouldn't gladly take your money for whatever procedure that you need.

To sum, you can look at the arguments against the health care bill and see very clearly that there is a lot of ideology behind them. I'm not saying the ideology is wrong...or right. It just is. I hope I didn't paint a scary, worst-case scenario. If I did, blame my mom. I just laid down the bread crumbs. It's up to each of us to follow the path on our own and make up our own mind. We can't blindly follow the politicians or television talking heads.

Pics- David Blaine- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/DavidBlaineSeptember.jpg/424px-DavidBlaineSeptember.jpg
Stand by me- http://standbymemovie.webs.com/Stand-By-Me-stand-by-me-5093175-852-480.jpg

All it's cracked up to be.

Milestones are such wonderful parts of parenting...and such heart breakers too.

Delaney is starting to put her clothes on by herself. It's cute and precious beyond all get-out to see her putting her pants on by herself, repeating that age-old wisdom taught to her by daddy- that the tag goes by the butt (obviously for pants...it's counter productive to teach her to put her shirt on in such a way that the shirt tag goes by her butt. Jeez guys, give me a little credit.). Today she put her shirt on backwards, and she needed some help putting her pants on (forgot to unbutton the pants). Nailed the socks though. So it's a work in progress...but it's so special to behold.

And yet...there is this tiny bit of sadness, knowing that my daughter is now one step further from depending on me for everything, and one step closer towards independence. That she'll always be daddy's little girl...but not to the same degree. It's like when a college gives someone an honorary doctorate. You have that same designation...but it's not the same. Because you're not really a doctor. Daddy's little girl is going to be a beautiful young woman before I know it.

This past week we've let her go outside and play with her friends- without us being out there with her. She has to stay within visual of the window...but we've been giving her some freedom to go outside without us. This is scary stuff, for many reasons. The scariest part of all is that these are natural parts of life. This is the way that it's meant to be. I think children always need their parents on some level...but it's never going to be the same. Once you move on, you can't go back. It's growth- and being a parent is so hard, because you have to balance your own inclination towards shelter and protection with the reality that this little child needs to be able to spread their wings. Even if it means that they walk around like a fashion disaster.

Capitalism of Earth....RISE

Okay, so just one night after I blogged about not wanting to blog about things so close to their point of origin because I was afraid of letting my emotions get in the way, I am reneging on my word and blogging about something just because I am experiencing emotion about it. If you're just tuning in to my blog for the first time, you probably missed the part where I established my penchant for hypocrisy. So this isn't anything new. It's how I roll.

Also, this blog pertains to Heroclix. If you don't care at all about Heroclix, you may want to stop reading. Or, you may want to continue reading, because you were just so intrigued by the introductory paragraph. Or maybe the first paragraph was kind of 'blah', but you made it this far, and figured 'well, I can't get that time back- might as well keep pressing on'. Whatever the case, I'm not responsible for what happens from here.

First of all, let me give you some history.

Yes, that is a creepy man groping Bruce Wayne's tombstone like 50 Cent in da club. It isn't called 'The Blackest Night' for nothing.

I suppose technically, I should warn you at this point that there are spoilers...potentially.But I feel like in life, theoretically there could always be spoilers. Shouldn't everything have a spoiler alert? I mean, anytime you are getting information that you didn't already have before- spoiler!. Take the health care bill, for example. My teacher didn't say "Oh, spoiler alert- the health care bill passed" before she told us that the health care bill passed. She just told us. Thanks a lot teacher. Thanks a lot.

Back to the Blackest Night story. Rather then sum it up for you, I'm going to hyperlink it here. And pretty much everywhere in this whole paragraph. It's not that I don't want to take the time to break it down for you- it's just that ever since I found out how to hyperlink, I have been able to share information much more efficiently. I don't have to waste time digesting it and then trying to figure out how I'm going to relate it to you- I just take the hard work that others have done, and link to it. It saves me all the work and they get the free pub. So anyways, just click anywhere on this paragraph (but here) and you will magically be able to read all about the Blackest Night story, or to be able to ignore it but at least acknowledge that I provided you with the information that you then rejected out of your own free will.

Anyways, this whole thing is masterminded by this dude Nekron, who is kind of like this bad ass C or D list Green Lantern villain. Well, up until January of 2010, when he officially became the baddest mofo in the DCU.


Moving on (and I'm painfully aware that I could be studying right now) to Heroclix, my favorite game in the whole wide world. It's based on comic books. I gushed about it here. I make it make sense here.

The game was pretty much dead for all of 2009, then this company came in and bought Wizkids, and presto! Heroclix is back again. And I fell in love with NECA/Wizkids. I loved them for bringing the game back to life, and for releasing Hammer of Thor. I loved that their sculpts were great, and that they did previews on Facebook, and that they sent figures to stores as a way of saying thanks. I loved that they decided to do a Blackest Night starter, and that they were able to score a Watchmen Heroclix set (completely with non-naked Dr. Manhattan colossal!). If NECA/Wizkids was a girl, and we were really good friends, I was just about to ask her out because I thought she was the woman of my dreams.

And then today happened. And that selfish whore took my heart and ripped it out of my chest.

Which, I suppose, is completely appropriate.

I guess that it's inevitable in a capitalist society that this sort of thing would happen. You try to have allegiance to a company, which sometimes teeters on the edge of blind loyalty and love, but the company only has allegiance to money and the making of money. So eventually, they will do something that makes you mad because it makes them money. I found out today that NECA/Wizkids did that to me.

They released some pictures of two key characters from the Blackest Night story arc- Black Hand and Nekron. Ordinarily this would be cause for a celebratory blog. But instead, NECA/Wizkids decided to pierce my heart with that big scythe thingy.

Hmmmm....good thing I have an extra couple hundred dollars laying around. Oh wait. I DON'T.

Well, at least Nekron's herald, the Black Hand, isn't a chase figure. Oh wait. HE IS.

I missed out on the World's Finest fiasco. I came back to Heroclix on the coattails of chase Supermen. I was willing to overlook the crap that was Secret Invasion sculpts. I was willing to overlook those slight blemishes for the game I love. And NECA/Wizkids was faithful to me. For a while.

But to take two of the key pieces, from one of my favorite story arcs on comicdom (definitely the one I am most financially invested in) and take two of the key players in that story, and make them chase pieces- which will each individually go for more than I am paying for my 10-booster brick of the set- and then possibly (because Black Hand is #56 in the set and Nekron is #59) have two more chase pieces in this set on top of that!!!! I don't even dare to imagine what #57 and #58 are. Because that horrible imagining will most likely manifest as reality, and then I will rue the day that NECA/Wizkids glanced my way.

I honestly thought that we were past all that capitalist crap. I felt like this new company cared. And maybe they do. Maybe there will be redemption in the wings. Maybe if I complain long enough and loud enough, they will send me free chase figures to shut me up. But until then- NECA/Wizkids, you're sleeping on the couch.

PICS: Black Hand (comics)- http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/5600000/Blackest-Night-Bruce-Wayne-dc-comics-5688328-700-1059.jpg
Nekron (comics)- http://afghanant.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/blackest-night-5.jpg
Nekron and Black Hand (heroclix)- www.hcrealms.com
Other picture- http://www.anti-everything.info/aefiles/bn_titan_2.jpg

Mmmmmm....sound bites

Normally, I try to stay away from posting about the current breaking news. I do this for a couple reasons. First of all, in the ADHD informationNOW culture that we live in, another blog about another current news blip or trend is just going to be white noise. And I feel that I'm a good writer...but I'm not sure if I'm good enough to stand out from the crowd. Another reason is that I hate posting responses to sensitive issues too close to the initial exposure. Emotion can cloud judgment, and for me, I like to be able to process things, look at multiple issues and multiple sides of things, before just jumping in. Too many people are quick to speak and quick to judge without really looking at something holistically.

Unfortunately, that's hard to do sometimes. Take the events of this week- Health care reform in the U.S.A.! Depending on who you talk to, there is rejoicing/rioting in the streets as people are overjoyed/furious at this historic/tragic event.

I'm going to be honest- I dropped the ball as a citizen. I could have been more informed than I am- I should be more informed than I am. But I'm not. Who to blame? Well, me, I guess. I suppose I could blame the "here we are now, entertain us" mindset that I have been brought up in, courtesy of capitalist America. I could blame God. I could blame HCRealms.com. I could blame Focus Factor or Facebook. But the fact is that I did not do the research that I could have.

And then I get to class on Monday, and my teacher talks about health care passing. WOW. That's crazy! And people are fired up on both sides of the issue...although maybe the opponents were a little more fired up. So now I have to try and figure out what this bill really is (and isn't).

I'm not going to get into depth on the bill itself- I think it is the responsibility of us all to actually look at the bill and see what it says, instead of listening to our favorite radio talk show hosts or political television analysts or blogger and hearing what they think the policy says- we need to do our homework, do our research, and find out for ourselves.

We live in such a sound bite culture- all we know is what we are told in short bursts- routinely misinformed out of context, yet these are the snippets of information that we hold on to, and flaunt to others as our "wisdom" and our "knowledge".

You can take any quote, out of context, and make it say something completely different than what it actually meant. Maybe not any quote- but a good chunk of them. I'm not even talking about lying (which also happens)- I'm talking about taking a legit phrase that was actually said, twisting it and manipulating it, until it says what you want it to say and not what it was meant to say.

Anyways, I'm encouraging everyone- especially those who are completely up in arms about this health care bill- to check it out for what it is, not for what you are told it is. If you already joined one of those Facebook groups- it's not to late to check out the bill, and if you decide you're for/against it, you can always just de-request the group and join it's antonym across the way. But you owe it to yourself and your fellow citizens to know what the heck you are talking about.

Ah nuts. I was hoping to get into some frenzy-stirring commentary about socialism, communism, capitalism, and any other ism I could get my teeth into- but I'm running out of steam friends. I won't get to this tomorrow- Wednesday will be busy busy BUSY. I do have more thoughts on this issue. I want to share those thoughts with you, and hear your thoughts about my thoughts and your thoughts about your thoughts. Share your ideas with me- like a sharing co-op of ideas. And we'll both be the better for it.

Of course, if this guy was able to become a professor...maybe school isn't that important after all...

Less than 5 weeks of school. Lord give me strength.

PIC: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3qlXpxPULC43xh3QFGcBtTDA_ZYavxjume-gx6R8pPXq4nWGP4lFwt3kY1T6ZYAT3Fsh6NrKBLmtUzfOBd5_u_8P3JZDdUsr84uBdJl-XeB2XD9slmqoftRcH4Y7qb7nmEsxxYYJdpAb/s400/frosty+hinckle.jpg

Do you believe in I.Q.?

COME ON!!! You think that I'm not going to be a good NFL quarterback because I scored below average on a Wonderlic test??? There are WAY more reasons to think that I will flop in the NFL than just my ability to correctly answer 50 questions in a 12 minute time span!!!

I was reading an article today on ESPN.com about Tim Tebow and his Wonderlic test score. For those who don't know, it's a test that the NFL administers to potential draftees in order to measure an individual's learning and problem-solving abilities. Tebow scored 22 out of 50.

The article was, in a word, ridiculous. On one hand, it seemed like they were trying to make Tebow look like an idiot (even though Jimmy Clausen, another potential draftee, scored a 23). On the other hand, they showed scores of Hall of Fame QB's like Dan Marino (15) and Jim Kelly (15), and a potential Hall of Famer in Donovan McNabb (14), while other non-notable QB's scored much higher.

What did I learn from reading this article (besides how to subtly apply bias)? This Wonderlic test does nothing to show anything to do with football. That's what I'm thinking. Really, all it does is show the dangers inherent to relying on standardized tests. More on that in a bit.

Well, if you pay attention to sports at all, you know that Tim Tebow is a lightning rod of controversy. This is in part due to the hype that has been given to him by the media (particularly ESPN), the success he's had both as part of the Florida Gators and as an individual, and his outspokenness about his religious beliefs.

Anyways, after reading the article, I got sucked in to reading the user comments. Note to readers- try to avoid reading user comments on ESPN.com. You have to filter through 100's of posted comments to try to find a nugget of rational thought, and that thought is quickly washed away in a sea of hostile flame. Seriously, who thought it would be a good idea to have a forum of sports fans of different loyalties left to themselves? It reminds me sometimes of Lord of the Flies or the Condemned- it's like a social experiment to see how far humanity will fall when left to our own devices.

Tebow articles in general remind me of that old hockey adage- I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. With Tebow, it's like I went to a religious discussion and football talk broke out. So on this discussion forum, people were going back and forth on the topic of religion, and how people that believe in God are idiots, and how God is like Santa Claus for adults...you know the drill.

Somehow, some way, I was able to locate some champagne in the swill- a couple articles dealing with links between I.Q. and religiosity. And I read them. You can read them too! Just remember, you can't believe everything you read.

They lead to some interesting thoughts. And I'm not saying that I disagree with the conclusions (that atheists/agnostics tend to score higher than people of religious persuasion). Rather, I have some food for thoughts. Or is it foods for thought? Maybe I'll just stick with food for thought. Or I could charge you a penny for my thoughts.

- First of all, what kind of intelligence is being measured? Tests are designed to measure a certain attribute or quality. When I take a test in my Social Welfare policy test, my teacher is forming that test with certain facts/questions/lines of thinking in her mind that she wants me to know. As a test taker, my responsibility is to focus on learning those things so that I can score well enough on the test to get a good grade. This is not necessarily an indication of how much I know about social welfare policy, or even how much I know about anything- it is a measure of how much I know about how much the person who designed the test thought I should know.

Standardized tests measure a certain type of intelligence, and that type of intelligence has sort of become (really, this makes so much sense that I hesitate to even type it) the standard. We acknowledge the genius of others- Beethoven, Michelangelo, Slash- but it seems to be always in the context of their field only. Because their intelligence does not fall within the boundaries of what we are taught to perceive as intelligence, we often fail to think of it in those terms.

Does this picture suggest intelligence to you?

- Secondly, there is the issue of causality to consider. We can't determine (in this case) if the chicken comes first, or the egg. Maybe some people are drawn to atheism because of the things that they have learned throughout their educational careers. Or maybe they press on to learn more about those things because their belief system is already in place. It's interesting to see both sides- you read about people that converted from Christianity to atheism because of (blank). Then you read about people that were atheists and then became Christians because of (blank). What I'm saying is that we can try to imply quantitatively and objectively all we want- but there is a subjective element to human behavior that we cannot necessarily measure with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale.

It reminds me of a discussion board I was on where there was a high school kid who was an atheist, and a fellow atheist said something like 'see, even the high school kid gets it'. And I said 'it's no stretch for that to happen in a godless environment like public schools'. I didn't say that as a knock or slight to the young man- but it's no different than people in medieval England having Catholic beliefs. Or someone having U-M graduates for parents growing up rooting for the Wolverines. As the great warrior-poets Project 86 said so eloquently, "Who I am, who I'll be, has been decided for me". So much of who we are is shaped by forces beyond our control. And that leads me to my next point...

- A third factor, which cannot be necessarily accounted for, is how each individual person and their environment interact. Of course there are predictable patterns in many situations. But the beauty of human behavior is that there are just as many inpredictabilities, due to the complex interaction between nature and nurture. That means that the biological capabilities to learn are not necessarily represented in an I.Q. score- because our learning is affected by so many other factors than our own personal ceilings.

Atheists have higher I.Q. scores than Christians. What does that mean? I don't know. All I really know is that it is much more complex than "People that believe in God/don't believe in God are idiots".

As for Mr. Tebow, I wish him the best in his future endeavors. He seems to hold fast to his convictions in an environment that tries to engulf young men into thinking they are bigger than life. Is he flawed? Of course he is- he's human. But as long as he is remaining true to himself, and trying to be who he is, I believe that he should be worthy of our respect, not our scorn.

PICS:
Tebow- http://16thandhighland.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/teblow2.jpg
Slash- http://www.wilsdomain.com/wp-content-photos/images/Slash-Saul-Hudson.jpg

Goodbye spring break.

Well, it's here. Friday. Spring break is over. I've managed to keep true to my word, blogging once per day during spring break. And I found out that I really write much better when I have some inspiration. It's weird. Last week (or two weeks ago, everything is sort of lumping together in my mind) I wrote like 6 days in a row, and it was like butter. BAM BAM BAM everything coming to me so easily. This week? It was a little more tough. I think I had some stuff that was pretty good...but I had to work at it.

This week flew by so fast! Next week, back to the old grindstone. Half way through the last semester of undergrad. It's been real. I'll see you.....sometime soon? Definitely won't be until I have some inspiration. God bless, see you on the flip side!

For those who want their entertainment to be a little bit more

I just got reading Identity Crisis. It's a comic book. I'm 30 years old. Maybe that's not how I should start off a blog post.

Identity Crisis is (in my opinion) one of those transcendent pieces of pop-culture art. Often times, we indulge in the entertainment industry because we want to get away from the "real world". But other times, I want my entertainment to make me think. While I'm all about being swept away to Middle Earth, I also like to be taken to El Paso, Texas or Alexandria, Virginia. I don't just want my main characters to use light sabres- I want them to wrestle with whether or not they should have an abortion.

It's true that movies like 'Glory Road' or 'Remember the Titans' take serious liberties and straddle the line between art and life (for example, if you read about the actual team 'Remember the Titans' is based on, you'd think that the movie wasn't based on a true story at all). But still- these movies deal with aspects of our humanity in a way that empowers us to look past our shortcomings. They help us to see the potential that mankind has and to aspire to that level of greatness.

I feel the same way about other forms of entertainment- music, real books, and yes, comic books.

For me, I'm definitely much more into music that makes me think- I've never been a huge fan of pop music (at least lyrically, but I'll admit that I'm very easy to seduce with a catchy hook and a bumpin' chorus). It's one of the reasons I like Project 86 so much- their lyrics aren't just rehashed cliche's- they make you put your thinking cap on, while simultaneously making you violently move your body in such a way that your thinking cap will probably go flying off of your head.

Books? Well, at this point in my life I don't get much chance to read for entertainment, which is one of the reasons (my love of super hero culture being the biggie) that I gravitate towards comics books. At 30 years old. And no, I do not (nor have I ever) lived in my parent's basement. Probably because we didn't have a basement.

I love the intermingling of the word and of the visual in comic books. I love the fact that there are a finite number of characters, which means that I can become more attached to them than I could with a movie character. Aragorn is amazing...but you get him for, what, three books? I can read about Green Lantern over. And over. And over. I love the evolution of the characters. I love the diversity of the stories.

And while there will always be a place in my heart for shape shifting alien races infiltrating super hero teams in order to take over the world, or power rings that reanimate the dead in order to feed off of the living...I'm finding that more and more, I gravitate towards stories that make me think. For me, comics can be perfect mix of entertainment and contemplation. It's not too dense (thanks to the speech bubbles). The artwork not only soothes my ADHD tendencies, but can also convey parts of the story that the words don't always tell. Comic books are like a ninja of the mind. You think you're reading this goofy story and then all of a sudden BAM you've been Jackie Chan'd across the face with the dangers of big government.

Comics have a history of addressing social issues through unconventional means. The X-men provide a social commentary on many things, such as racism and diversity. A generation of young boys learned their morals from Superman. Spider-man taught us much about having responsibility for power at various levels.

With all that said, here is a list of 5 comics (all of them conveniently in graphic novel form, so I don't feel like such a geek- I mean, they're not comics, they're novels, right?) that I feel tackle deeper issues than keeping our convenience stores safe from masked shoplifters.

I suppose I should probably notify you of potential spoiler alerts. SPOILERS. There, you've been notified.

1) Kingdom Come (1996)- The first graphic novel that I ever read, and one that definitely planted the seed so to speak. Obviously the first thing that will jump out at you is the artwork. I really like Alex Ross' work- it feels more like a series of paintings than a comic book (and really, this statement shows my ignorance of art, because he probably does paint them). Read about the plot here.

It largely involves the implications of the actions of the superhero community, although it's not a stretch to apply some of the principles to our own reality. For example, should due process apply to all people? Or should certain offenders be "dealt with"? And what would be the far reaching influences of affording that sort of life/death power outside of the boundaries of the legal system?

2) Watchmen (1986)- I'm not even going to post a Wikipedia link to this one. If you haven't read it, or don't know what it's about, then you need to go out and get a copy. NOW. I'm not saying it's the best book you'll ever read, but I think that it has had enough of an impact to at least try it for yourself. You can buy your own copy here, unless you want to buy it/borrow it from somewhere else that I didn't link to.

Golly, what doesn't this book deal with? It deals with the accountability (or lack thereof) of political power. You get some interesting thoughts on extremism, nihilism and quantum physics. There is rape and redemption. Cold war tension. You confront the morality of sacrificing few for the good of the many. There are just so many nuggets in this book- and that is not even getting into how the book itself, as an art form, is constructed. Is it dark? Yes. Does it make you think? Yes. Is it awesome? See for yourself.

3) V for Vendetta (1982)- I would actually suggest reading about this here instead of actually reading it. Not that the book itself is bad- it was just hard to follow. There were so many characters, and the artwork made it really difficult to distinguish large chunks of the action. Probably about midway through, I gave up on trying to follow anyone except V and Evey.

Again, though, there are interesting thoughts and ideas presented here. I don't think it's any coincidence that Alan Moore has two works on this list (although to be fair, this is pretty much the extent of these types of graphic novels that I've read).

Anarchism. Fascism. Xenophobia. Totalitarianism. These are just a few of the big words that you will confront on the pages of V for Vendetta.

4) Identity Crisis (2004)- I should probably point out here that I did not make a "Top 5 list". I just wrote these down in random order. If this was a ranking list, this would be higher. I love this book- the art, the story, the way it's delivered- you actually feel like this is a real life community, and everybody is interconnected in some way.

This story brings to the forefront (again) whether certain actions are acceptable to maintain the greater good. It makes you ask 'how far would I go to protect my family'? It shows how a group of superheroes answers this question, and how these superheroes wrestle with the implications of their actions.

5) Red Son Superman (2003)- This is actually the most different book on this list (and honestly the rightful #5 in an arbitrary rankings system), because it doesn't deal as much with morality in a vacuum- it deals with how our environment plays an influential role in the shaping of our morals.

While I didn't necessarily get into this story (to be fair, I've only read it once), I have to admit that the idea of Superman being raised in Soviet Russia is very, very intriguing. Think about it- how different would you be if any one aspect of your life were changed? What if you were born in a different city? What if you had both parents (or only one parent)? What if you were born just up the road from a Jewish synagogue and not a church? What if you were born in a different country, a different time period? No siblings? Rich- or poor?

I would highly recommend any of these, because I am a big advocate of exposing yourself to different cultures, different lines of thinking- if we are too homogonous, we don't grow. You have to step outside of your safety net, and what makes you comfortable, and stretch yourself in order to truly reach the heights that you were made to reach. And if you get color pictures and speech bubbles along the way? Well, that's just a bonus.

Detroit sports

Lord, please deliver me into the hands of a winner. And by winner, I mean a team that is not based in Michigan.

I have a confession (which is ironic, because I'm planning on writing about confession later on this week)- I am cursed. Somehow, some way, there has been a curse placed on me. I don't know how, or why- it just is. Perhaps my shoes are too tight. Maybe my head isn't screwed on quite right. But I think that the most likely reason of all is that I am a loser.

What is my curse? I am doomed to root for sports teams that fail.

The title of this blog is Detroit sports, but it's not just about Detroit sports- it's pretty much every sporting endeavor that I can think of. Detroit sports just symbolize the ineptitude of my rooting experience.

The last time I was able to successful focus my positive energy towards a winning cause in a significant game was when Chris Osgood was kissed by Lady Luck at the end of Game 6 of the 2008 Stanley Cup finals. Little did I know that I was headed for two years of heartache and disappointment. Let's recap:

Summer 2008- The Pistons lose another Eastern Conference Championship series, this time to the Boston Celtics. Rasheed Wallace mails it in. Shortly afterwards they fire Flip Saunders and hire Michael Curry. Meanwhile, the Red Wings sign Marian Hossa, effectively sealing their 2009 Stanley Cup demise. What else...oh yeah, the Tigers, who were the chic pick to win the world series, fall apart. Dontrell Willis' arm goes AWOL and the team goes 74-88. AND they trade Pudge Rodriguez. To the Yankees.

Nooooooooooo!!!! Don't trade Pudge to the Yankees!!! They're the enemy! And we Detroiters gotta stick together and never defect to the enemy, no matter what happens. Solidarity, brothers!

Fall 2008- Detroit Lions=0-16. Need I say more? Yes I do- Michigan Wolverines=3-9. What else- oh yeah, they lost to Toledo. At home.

The University of Michigan concedes the point. (Dammit).

I think that this is a good time to remind you, the reader, that it is extremely painful for me to rehash all of these events, and if you are in any way responsible, you can go ahead and release me from this state of torture. I'm glad you had fun, but this is a mans life we're talking about here! What kind of sick person would do this to somebody????

Besides this guy?

Winter 2009- The Arizona Cardinals lose a heartbreaker to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is cursed on two levels- my fav QB Kurt Warner losing a Super Bowl that he could have easily won, and the Pittsburgh Steelers winning another Super Bowl. And because I have this really irrational hatred of Pittsburgh sports teams, this event has an exponential multiplier.

Spring 2009- The Michigan State Spartans make a miracle run to the NCAA Championship game. This run promises to restore the devastated Michigan economy, bring back the automotive industry, end violent crime, and virtually eliminate racism. Unfortunately, Tyler Hansborourgh is a selfish jerk and leads North Carolina to a thrashing of the children of hope.

If you look up 'loyalty' in the dictionary, you will find this picture. And the picture will be stabbed right through the heart with a knife.

Summer 2009- First off, let me preface this by saying that 2009 was an absolutely terrible year for me. And the summer of 2009 was a snapshot of that. Where to start? I could start with the Pistons getting swept in the first round- by the Cavs. I could start with the Tigers blowing a three-game lead with only four games to play and then losing an extra-inning playoff game to the Twins. But I think I'll start with the Red Wings losing the Stanley Cup finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins. We lost in Game 7 at home. We had a 3-2 lead. The cup was in our grasp, and we basically handed it off. To the Penguins- of Pittsburgh.

Prepare for the Reckoning. By 'Reckoning', I mean 'Crap Hitting The Fan'.

Fall 2009- The Lions and Wolverines do not need to be talked about. The Tigers getting rid of Palanco and Granderson- that does. Because now, for all intents and purposes, the Tigers' 2010 season is a lost cause. It's like we went into mini-fire sale mode. For all that went wrong in 2009, the Tigers were one game away from making the playoffs. Now? I can't even hope for the lottery, because baseball doesn't do a draft lottery. Honestly, I'm not even sure if baseball has a draft. Plus, Granderson is now a Yankee.

Come on, what do you expect??? I'm a rookie QB playing for an 0-16 team in a city that has a 50% unemployment rate.

Winter 2010- And that brings us up to now. The Pistons are all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention- and honestly I wouldn't want them to make the playoffs, for fear of the embarrassment that would be wrought. Does Detroit really need more negative attention brought to itself? The Red Wings, Stanley Cup finalists the last two years, are struggling to even make the playoffs this year (although I feel a little better about their ability to not suck). The Lions...can we not go there? Only a miracle finish against the Cleveland Browns (and yes, those words should not be used together in the same sentence) kept us from the worst record in the league for two years in a row. Did we really flirt with .500 as recently as 2007? Man I miss those days! Team U.S.A. lost to Canada in the Gold medal game. What's worse, Sidney Crosby scored the game winner. The Saints won the Super Bowl. Not that I'm pro-Colts, I just didn't want New Orleans to win because I don't like the way some of their players carry themselves on the field. They're cocky. They're arrogant. They're poopy heads.

I AM THE STRONGEST MAN ALIVE!!!!

Maybe there is redemption on the other side of this heartbreak. Maybe these trials are really meant to test my inner resolve. Maybe one day I will look back at this dark hour of history and smile knowingly at what intestinal fortitude has been forged in the fires of my pain.

And maybe the Lions will win the Super Bowl someday too.

PICS: Rich Rodriguez- http://genuinelysarcastic.blogspot.com/
Curtis Granderson- http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/WIgRq9YFDxz/Detroit+Tigers+v+Kansas+City+Royals/jChkRup92aJ/Curtis+Granderson
Rasheed Wallace 1- http://www.reclinergm.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/rasheedwallace.jpg
Rasheed Wallace 2- http://www.slamdunkcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/rasheed-wallace-428a.jpg
Rasheed Wallace 3- http://www.lebasketbawl.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Rasheed-Wallace-9.29a.jpg
Jim Tressel- http://www.hornethallway.com/JR_High/Student_webs/2008/siler/images/Tressel_in_grey_sweatervest.jpg
Matthew Stafford- http://s4.hubimg.com/u/2070967_f520.jpg
Chris Osgood- http://www.fm96.com/home/images/ImageLibrary/RealImage/2009/4/c1a99d9d-68e1-4856-be70-f1a475892d0a.jpg
Sidney Crosby- http://media.cleveland.com/olympics_impact/photo/sidney-crosby-hockey-win-022810jpg-26f2f811ba252227_large.jpg
Happy Gilmore- http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3100000/Happy-Gilmore-Screencaps-adam-sandler-3137650-780-438.jpg

Mmmmmmmm.....textbooks!

Snake charming. Sword swallowing. Being a Lions fan. There are things that people do that are reckless and irresponsible. They don't make sense to those of us who are "normal". In fact, their behavior serves to normalize the rest of us. "Well, at least I don't root for the Lions", they say. "You don't want to be that guy", we're told. But these people, they keep trucking on. Obviously they get something out of these dangerous behaviors. I don't get it- I take no pleasure from pain. It's why I'm a fair weather fan- no need to subject yourself willfully to pain when you can sell your soul (so to speak) and cheer for a winner.

I know, I know- I'm kinda jumping all over the place here. What am I even getting at? Well, I am thinking about engaging in some socially deviant behavior. It's certainly not snake charming. Or being a Lions fan. But it's in the same vein. Brace yourself.




Ready?





I'm buying textbooks- for classes that I'm not even in.

Let me repeat that in case you didn't catch it. It might not have even registered, because it's so out in left field.

Everybody that's in college buys textbooks. It's what happens. You learn to cope.

What I'm talking about is so obscene that the Motion Picture Association of America laughed in my face when I asked them about it. PETA wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. I'm now on the ATF radar because of it.

I am planning on buying textbooks that I don't need, for classes that I'm not even in. Allow those words to sink in a little bit.

I went on the NMU bookstore website. I looked up ISBN's for textbooks from other classes. I copied and pasted those ISBN's onto a word document. I plan to pursue those ISBN's on Amazon.com. By pursue, I mean hunting and tracking them until I find them and purchase them.

This might seem slightly more ridiculous in light of my pending graduation in May. I mean, everybody misses college when they leave, right? There is always some reminiscing, or nostalgia- but don't you remedy those things by watching football games or buying those cool transparent window cling stickers? Why buy textbooks- textbooks that you don't even need!!! Wouldn't you be better off just buying something like a suck-cut?

It certainly does suck...not as much as having to buy textbooks, though. Man, that Intro to Broadcasting textbook killed my budget! As if!

This idea actually came to me from a kid who lives at the group home where I work- he loves textbooks. The school he attends was getting rid of some old ones, and he grabbed like four or five- to add to the three that he already had! He's got a library of textbooks! And since he earned privileges Friday night, that's what we spent the night doing. That's right ladies- I spend Friday nights reading about the phases of matter!

Admittedly, the idea of looking through old (I'm talking circa 1986 old) middle-school textbooks lacks the appeal of playing NHL 2010 on the PS3. But you know what? As I sat there leafing through pages of dated information, I was infected with the bug. The knowledge bug.

Knowledge is power, people! Textbooks are knowledge! Therefore, using simple mathematics (which is really about the only mathematics that I know, at least until I get that sweet new textbook), we can deduce that textbooks are power!

Maybe not Take-Over-The-World-And-Have-A-Harem type of power- you need money to do that. And obviously I spent all of my extra money on those textbooks. But at this stage in my life, I'm in love with learning. God made me human. And I want to learn as much about humanity as possible.

I'm looking at stuff like sociology, human behavior, psychology, anatomy, physiology, infant development, theories of personality, family relationships- my heart starts pounding in my chest...well obviously it's already beating in my chest (at least, I think so- I have to double check that chapter on the circulatory system), but not like this. I don't know how to explain it, but I just wish I could McMatrix everything into my brain and be the smartest man in the world. I can't do that, though, so the next best thing is to buy lots and lots of textbooks. Well, not lots AND lots- because that would be ridiculous, and maybe a little bit masochistic. Maybe just lots.

And I don't feel like it's knowledge for the sake of knowledge, because I plan to utilize this knowledge as much as possible. I want to pass it on- and this blog will definitely be a conduit for that knowledge.

Besides, at least I'm not turning into a sword-swallowing Lions fan....now that would be cause for concern.

PIC: http://www.filmsondisc.com/images/waynes_world.jpg

Baby Cannon Rebirth and other musings

In celebration of the last spring break of my undergraduate life, I am bringing you Blog-a-day. To celebrate blog-a-day, I'm going to blog about why I am blogging so much. What a way to kick off spring break!

This was originally supposed to be done earlier, but then it wasn't.

Wow, I'm on a blogging roll! At this rate, I'm going to obliterate my previous yearly high for blogs...and since I'm planning on blogging DAILY (to the layperson, daily=at the rate of at least once but no more than once) over spring break, I might even get that by my birthday!

What's the big change? After all, I did zero (yes, you read that right, but only because I wrote out the word zero, because a zero looks like a glorified 'o', and you might have thought I was like speaking in code or something.) blogs last semester. This semester, I've already done eight (six last week!).

I wish there was a simple answer, but there isn't. There's not one thing, there's no 'smoking gun' or 'magic bullet'. This is basic systems theory at work. When we try to dumb life down into simple 'cause/effect' relationships, we lose the opportunity to gain wisdom and insight. If we're willing to look at the different parts of the whole, that's when we can really begin to figure things out. When you really understand how interwoven everything is, you realize that there is no "cause"- at least, not how you think of causes.

I realize that events in my life in particular might not be the most thrilling or fascinating- I admit that readily in the beginning. But it's relevant to me, to this blog, and as you read and contemplate, hopefully to you as well . Try to imagine how each of these events might play off of the others, sometimes building together, sometimes contrasting, but each one affecting the others in some way.

I was trying to think of things that changed from last semester to this, and I came up with at least 7 things. There was more, but I figured if I stuck to 7, I'd be less likely to bore you (and more likely to get a book deal). These are some of the factors in my life that are different than last semester. Remember- don't assume that any one factor carried more weight than another (even the first thing on the list).

1) Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I had a one and a half month winter break.

2) After maintaining a 4.0 during my time at NMU, I got my first sub 'A' grade last semester.

3) I have Dr. Cianciolo as a teacher. We call her 'Pish'. Pish teaches policy classes at NMU, and I started my blog the last time I had her as a teacher..

4) I lost my job as a caretaker for my grandmother-in-law (she went to live in an assisted living facility).

5) We have people over less frequently.

6) I got a new assignment at my field placement.

7)Baby Cannon is back together (more on this later).

Originally, I had like a paragraph written up on each of these, but I chose to just make a surface-level list because I wanted to drive home my point a little bit (also, I didn't want to lose you, my precious reader, due to boredom). Some of them, you might be wondering about, like for example 'how did he lose his job in a positive way?'.

Life is just so complex that we really have to look at the pieces of the puzzle to understand the whole. And really, it's way more than even knowing that things fit together- to truly know and understand, we have to figure out why things fit together. That's a task for another time.

The whole point of this is that we can't even begin to understand ourselves, let alone others, if we aren't willing to look at people through this multi-dimensional approach. One thing that really bothers me is when people use themselves and their own life experiences to judge or assume things about other people. You know what? It doesn't matter what you've been through or what you've done- because you aren't that person! At best, you can make some surface comparisons.

So think about all this stuff next time you 'assume' something about somebody else. Because there is much, much more going on in their life than what you can deduce by summarizing the tale of the tape.

Anyways, I promised Baby Cannon, and now I'm going to deliver Baby Cannon.

On February 19th, we announced our return to the music scene at the Dueling Band Show in Marquette. While we didn't win, we did kick butt and take names (especially since we didn't know until the 16th who was all going to be playing with us and because WE ROCK). It's been an interesting couple months. We thought we were done, and for all intents and purposes we were. I guess God wasn't done with us. We practiced on Wednesday, have a new song written (another one on the way) and some studio time coming in March. Are we back? Well, I don't want to get ahead of myself. But yes. Thanks to all our fans, friends, and family that believed in us and proudly bumped 'Simply' in the car while wearing their LE Baby Cannon t-shirt to work.

Thanks for reading, hit me up with comments/questions, and make sure to come back tomorrow for something completely different!

PIC:http://www.utilityfog.info/blog/graphics/baby_cannon.jpg