The Coolest Photo.

You guys know I love winter. And what better than an eerie photo of downtown Minneapolis in the middle of winter?



*Loves it*

Prayer Dilemma.

There is a Christian dilemma I'd like to put before you. If you can, please help me understand.

• Christian prays for X to happen, and it happens. Christian praises God.
• Christian prays for X to happen, and it does not happen. Christian says, "No one knows the mind of God."
• Christian prays for X NOT to happen, and it happens. Christians says "God works in mysterious ways.
• Christian prays for Gay Marriage not to happen, and it happens. Christian says, "AMERICA IS DOOMED!!! The end of the world is near!"

Help me out here. Why is it that when God doesn't answer their other prayers they embrace humility and accept that they don't understand anything, yet when Barack Obama gets into office or gay marriage passes they say the end of the world is coming? If there were a God, wouldn't he have more power over Barack Obama and Gay Marriage than you finding a close parking space in the Wal-Mart parking lot? Wouldn't the prayers over national sovereignties be at the top of God's prayer list?

So if God really exits, and he really is listening to everyone's prayers...could it be possible that this is his answer? Is it really a terrible assertion that maybe, just maybe, God DID answer their prayers?

The notion of a God is utterly insane to me. But, to those who do believe in God, why don't you take a step back and seriously ask yourself this question. Why don't you truly ponder that if there be a God, he is in control and has allowed this to happen for a reason.

But then again, that would mean they'd have to love their neighbor as themselves. That would mean that the enemy they've created ("the left", "the liberals", "the homosexuals", "everyone-else-that-doesn't-think-like-me") are actually real people. That would mean they'd have to pray for them just like they pray for their children. That would mean they'd have to serve others like they serve yourselves.

I'm amazed at the amount of money and energy the Christian community has spent trying to work against gay rights, democrats and liberals. I wonder how different a country America would be if all that time and devotion had went to solving real problems--homelessness, poverty, starvation, destroyed families, dilapidated school systems, gang wars...think of the millions of commercials that have been aired (at $1,000s per pop) trying to get people to vote to take away Americans' rights. How many families would that have fed? How many children would that have put through college? How many lives could have been turned in a new direction?

Perhaps Christians deserve the answer they got. Perhaps they need to realize that holding signs such as "Fags Go to Hell" will not turn people towards their God. Maybe they need a wake-up call. And hopefully this wave of political change will be that call.

"Unnecessary" Quotations.

I "love" the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotations. It just makes me laugh. It also makes me realize how huge of a dork I am!



Yeah, that one girl...the one who slipped and broke her face...yeah, she doesn't count. "ZERO" Accidents!

Graduation.

Probably the worst idea I have ever had was to play Tee Ball with my sister. The reason why? She was the tee.

Think about that for a second.

I broke her wrist in seven places. Strangely enough, it really had not occurred to either of us that our little game could even remotely be dangerous. It's funny now that I am pursuing a degree in Logistics (read: difficult) and this weekend I will be going to watch my sister graduate with her Master's degree in Education. Obviously, we have come a long way since the times we thought bashing baseball bats on our wrists seemed apropos.

Genuine Hospitality.

A chunky, bearded-man with a scowl stands at the register counter. His nametag reads "Chaz".

Me: Hi! How are you doing today?
Chaz: ...
Me: ...
Chaz: ... *staring right into my eyes* ...
Me: Well, alright great to hear! May I have a bagel, egg and cheese please?
Chaz: ...
Me: Umm...
Chaz: ...
Me: Err...Bagel, egg and cheese...please?
Chaz: ...Do you mean...an egg and cheese bagel?

A Two-Year Old Post.

So I was going through my old blog and I found this from two years ago...it made me laugh, so I thought I'd share it :-)

---

Do you ever have a moment so magical the time just flies by? Do you ever have such a grand time that you are consumed with the moment? Are you ever so filled with joy and excitement for what you are doing that you never want it to end? Yeah, I'm not talking about that. Today, I'm talking about the absolute worst two hours of my life, where I literally was counting the seconds until it was over.

Today, I had my first Comparative Studies class. God was I in for torture. The class is called "Love in World Literature" and we turned in our first assignment, which was a paper on the meanings and manifestations of love (assigned via e-mail since we did not have class last week). Talk about a 9th grade orientation project. I have never in my life considered getting up and leaving a class because I thought I was actually losing knowledge. God was it a waste of time. For nearly two hours we went around the room and everyone chimed in on what they felt love was. I felt like I was in Self-loathers Anonymous. Everyone was like, "Love is a feeling" to which others would literally reply, "That's so deep." I had no idea I had signed up for a special ed circus of hippies, feminists and socialists discussing the "immense power" of four letter words. One girl literally said, "I am a Women's Studies Major, and I think love and girl should be interchangeable words, since love comes from the mother..." Can someone somehow hurt me so I have a medical excuse to NOT to attend this class?

The most mind-stabbing part of the session was when the Professor was discussing the semantics of the "profound statement" that "God is love". Some kid who is studying international studies (read: future Starbucks Barista), was like, "I consider love to be a prayer", to which the Professor squealed with delight at the inspiring revelation. They continued on for five minutes with a conversation similar to this:

"So, prayer is love?"
"Yes, and God is love."
"So then, would that mean that...prayer is God?"
"No, Prayer is communion with God, since a person who loves God will pray."
"I see! So those who love God will pray, since prayer is love and God is love?"
"Ah yes! However, love is an action, and God is a thing. Hence why prayer is not God."
"So then, love is both an action and a thing--but that would mean prayer is both a love and thing!"
"Ah, very true! So prayer is love, God is love, but love are both! Wonderful!"

FIVE FUCKING MINUTES OF THAT SPEWED DRIVEL. I cannot believe I have ten more weeks of this. I seriously have never been less challenged in my life. I think I'd find more challenge in old copy of Highlights Magazine. (Remember that shit? THE BEST). And, since I always sit in the front row, it's not like I could pull out some homework and just ignore the silly words that were being exchanged. "Love is the fuel to propel the world", that is a literal quote. We talked about it for ten minutes.

*pulls hair out in utmost agony*

Excuses, Excuses!

Ok, so major fail on the "I promise to write a story by the end of the week" resolution...argh...

I'm just incredibly busy, so I guess I can write about that instead. :-P

I'm still cranking out a full-time, 35-hour per week work schedule at the restaurant. I'm a full-time student taking 4 classes. Today I ran a 5k and next Saturday I'm running a half-marathon. In addition to all of this, I'm pledging with a fraternity this quarter--which is a TON of work. I'm not upset by it, it's actually rather fun, but the time commitment is immense.

On top of all that, I'm still practicing piano an hour a day (I've been playing for 16 years, this is like clockwork to me). I've interviewed with a ton of companies and I have been selected for a fantastic internship in Minneapolis over the summer. I was selected to be a part of OSU's "Dean's Leadership Conference" next week, which is kind of big deal and requires a bit of work as well. To make the workload even worse, I'm the VP social for the pledge class, meaning that I plan our largest social event with over 100 people showing up. Fun.

So I'm stressed. And I never have time for this blog anymore. But I miss it! Maybe over the summer you'll get more love from me? I'll periodically update (as I have been), and hopefully in the next few days I'll find time to write a story...sigh...

I miss being able to sleep. :-(

Madison, Wisconsin.

I found this incredible photo of Madison on Wikipedia. I seriously think Madison, Wisconsin is one of the most unique cities in the United States. Wedged between two enormous lakes, Madison is a densly populated yet very-small city that seems to balance an eclectic amount of culture within a conservative farming state (even if they went for Obama!). The people there are so diverse, and the University is one of the highest performers in the amount of research in this country. (UW-Madison is my second pick for grad school). State Street is a long pedestrian-only street packed with restaurants, shops and bars. It's so strange to me that a metro area with around half-a-million people can still function so well and be so peculiar!


Madison was designed by the legendary Urban Planner John Nolen. The man seemed to be everywhere in his life, and I can't think of a single planning class I have taken where his name has not come up.


Anyway, enjoy the photo.

Resolution.

Remember how I used to write short stories? Well it's been awhile. And today, I resolve to write and post a new one...within a week!

However, I still have plenty on the right side bar if you ever want to read them. They're funny (usually).

CHICKEN TETRAZINI!!!

This made my weekend.

*Screams at the World*

The Columbus DMV is out of control. Is there a citizen group against them? Seriously. My car was towed yesterday. What did I do? I parked on my street on Monday. There were NO signs saying the street needed to be clear. The entire block was filled. I go to my car on Tuesday--and it's gone. Water pipe repair. How much did it cost me...?

$273!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to scream. Well, I actually did. I got out of the office and pulled a HULK SMASH kind of scream. I did nothing wrong. I parked on my street where I have lived for two years. I would have seen the signs if they were there because I even checked to make sure my tires were close to the curb. I am a Logistics and Transportation major minoring in City & Regional Planning--I am obsessed with transportation, and I am frickin' paranoid as hell about getting my car towed so I ALWAYS look for these kind of signs.

What's most frustrating is that I biked to my friends house that night. Yes it was cold and I could have driven, but I am one of those crazy liberals who likes to work out and not harm my environment every time I want to move location. Had I driven my car I would not have had this happen because I would have come back and the signs would have been there. (Or the street would have been full and I would have gone somewhere else, or I would have noticed an empty block and thought maybe I shouldn't park here). I feel like I was penalized for 'going green'. I decided to bike and I had to pay $273 for it.

So, what am I supposed to do? Run to my car every 6 hours and make sure there aren't signs posted 4 hours prior til they tow the street? I am so angry. I didn't have this money. I am a student, I pay my own tuition and buy my own textbooks. $273 for NOTHING.

Angry. Angry. ANGRY.

Seriously, anyone know of a citizen group against the DMV? They are completely out of control! A few months ago my sticker fell off my car. I was registered, but my birthday is in December. It's cold in December. The new sticker didn't stay on my plate. I requested a new one, and while waiting for it I could a ticket for $40. I repealed it, and they never got back to me. I got a letter, eventually, saying I now owed $80. I fought and fought and fought, but they said there was nothing they could do. So I paid $80 even though my car was registered, even though I had already informed them of my sticker falling off. WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?!?!? Park my car in a ditch? Hide it in a cave?

About 6 months ago they gave me a ticket for not showing my permit--but it was there. It was hanging in my mirror as it ALWAYS has. I e-mailed them, gave them my permit #, showed them when I bought the permit and when it expired...and they still upheld the ticket! In fact, the $30 doubled while I was waiting to hear back from them! That turned into $60!!!

In ALL three cases I did nothing wrong. I showed my permit yet they missed it (no lie, it was really there, I even took a picture), I was a legal registered driver yet they ticketed me because their stickers are defective and I parked my car in a normal parking zone yet I got towed. It all adds up to over $400--WHEN I DID NOTHING WRONG.

I am so angry. I am not exaggerating--if there isn't a group about it already, I'm starting it. Right now. Citizens Against DMV Abuse! They are making criminals out of legal, law-abiding citizens. They do it to all of us and it simply isn't fair, it isn't right and goddamnit as an American citizen I will not stand for it!

Because I'm The Biggest Dork EVER.

So I thought it'd be fun to play around with the US Census Bureau's Excel spreadsheets they make available to the public. I made some Excel Functions that showed which parts of the country are growing fastest, which are on the decline and which are in the top ten. Surprisingly, Wilmington and Raleigh in North Carolina are growing* at a very fast rate, while San Francisco, although still growing, has seen less growth than St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Anyway, I have no idea how to load this spreadsheet onto this blog. (Anyone have a clue?) There are over 14,000 cells, so I don't want to try and copy/paste the whole thing on here...that would be cruel. And torturous. I just want to make it available to anyone who is curious about growth levels throughout the country.

So you can e-mail me if you want the spreadsheet and I'll reply with it, or someone can instruct me on how to make it available for download. Either way, I had fun :-).

Random Facts:

*Growth is defined as the change in population from the Census in 2000 to the projections of the Census Bureau in 2008.

-Columbus and Minneapolis share very similar growth (about 10%).
-Orlando has about 20% growth. (yikes!)
-Las Vegas was at the top of growth of any major metropolitan--over 27%!
- In 8 years, the Detroit Metro area did not see any growth. The decline of the total area was over 111,000 which is enormous...but by percentage, since the metro area has over 4.5 million people, the change is not that large.
- Denver's Metro has 800,000 less people than Minneapolis/St. Paul!
- Palm Coast, Florida has the highest percentage of growth in people--over 45%!
- Youngstown, Ohio had the 6th largest number of population loss. And this is not by percentage--this is by total loss. They lost 37,000 people! Dayton ranked 8th with a loss of 11,000 people.
- Dallas, Texas has the largest growth by population number--they increased their population by 1,138,000 million people in just 8 years!

Ok. That was fun. And probably a waste of time. :-P

Actual Christian Comments from Online Forums.

And people wonder why I think Christianity is a breeding ground for continued stupidity?

(Via Joe.My.God reader Mike)

What I Want to See.

If there is a single emotion that I have buried in me about this country, it is anger.

The United States is in many ways the greatest place in the world. Consider for a moment the myriad of incredible features to this country: our massive and enormous infrastructure, our powerful military, our stable economy (when compared to third world countries) and our high-quality of life. All of us are well fed, have a great shot at education, have the ability to receive medical treatment if needed and overall the majority of Americans have very little to fear. We are not facing suicide bombers in our capital city. We are not running from ethnic genocide. The American way of life is one hardly of true trouble, misery or despair.

Before ranting about the horrors of The United States, I must admit that our lot in life is rather plentiful. I do not dismiss that. However, complacency only leads to decay, and in no way should any citizen of a country settle for a Government that is less than desirable.

The high-quality of life in this country has seemed to bring about a strange circumstance among Americans that makes them completely blind to the true horrors of this world. Starvation claims millions of Africans' lives each year, yet this country is so removed from this truth that when a steak is slightly overcooked citizens scream, rant, complain and refuse to accept such a violation of their rights. Have we lost our minds?

Our indifference to the terrors of the world is alone appalling, but our continued lack of concern for our own people is even more troubling. Why is it that conservatives loathe the mere idea of everyone being cared for? Why is the simple assertion of a medical plan that protects everyone somehow evil and un-American?

Look at our poor, for example. The poor in The United States already have to deal with the battle of attaining and maintaining a job, which, as many Americans are currently learning, is not an easy task by any means. But in their search they begin with fewer resources and less prospects. On top of having a small command of resources in order to yearn towards upward social mobility, the American response is not one of compassion or encouragement, but rather one of condescension. "You just need to work harder", "You can't help those who won't help themselves", "If only the poor weren't so lazy"...how many of these statements have you heard from Americans? I would be lying if I said I haven't indulged in the same kind of myopic judging. Yet there is a certain cruelty to these kind of statements: we expect--no, demand--that the poor work harder and better manage their finances, and we respond with scathing judgements of their allocations of resources. Yet, how often have we said nothing as the rich spend frivolously? We hold that the poor have sounder financial judgement than those who have the opportunity to learn how to best manage their money. Where is the accountability for the rich? Why do we not even bat an eye when they spend $26 million on a home yet won't drop a single dollar bill into the hat of a homeless bum?

I'm not an anti-capitalist and I supremely support the system that rewards those who work hard. Yet in this country we spend more money on putting black people into prison than we do on putting them into college--and that is utterly shameful. This country does nothing to help its lowliest citizens yet we judge them scathingly because they do not act how we would act. Is that Capitalism? One that locks black and brown people up for smoking dope yet lets white nefarious criminals who rob millions out of people continue to walk the streets?

What has gone wrong with this country? Somehow it is a sin to suggest that healthcare be provided for all, we stand by unrepentant as our poor class continues to fall down a nonreturnable path, we hoot and holler when our President begins to draw plans to repair our embarrassingly crumbled infrastructure, our obesity rates are on an unprecedented trajectory while thousands die every minute from starvation...am I the only one who sees this utter epidemic we are possibly facing? When two-thirds of Americans have diabetes because of generations of flagrant obesity, will our healthcare be able to serve all us, insured or uninsured? When our minority groups are egregiously uneducated and our penitentiaries are maxed to capacity, will there still be peace in white suburbia?

These situations are dire and yet we are complacent. Complacent about our Government, complacent about education system, complacent about the way we treat our own citizens. This heralded indifference has me livid. This not-my-problem mentality has me pissed. And you know what? I am ANGRY about it.

You know what I want to see? I want to see people get angry. I want to see people start moving. No matter the cause, even if you're in complete opposition to my opinions, I want to see this shroud of tawdry unconcern thrown aside and people embracing their human dignity. I want to see people mobilized for every cause and issue that is infiltrating this country: global warming, Muslim extremism, whatever the case! I just want to see it, to know its there.

Goddamnit, America, I want to see you angry! Anger is the only way we will get people out of their love seats and onto Main Street. Anger is the only way we will have a strengthened community to go to our Government and demand that there be a change in this country. Our Obama Administration is certainly working towards that change, but we need to uphold our end of the promise too--we cannot continue to sit aside unconcerned as Ohio and the rest of the country funnels more money into prisoning pot smokers than educating our next generation. That is why I am angry.

I am angry because if I'm not aroused and shaking my fist at the man, if I'm not active in fighting for what I believe is the ideal for this country, I'm just one of the Americans who sits on the sidelines and lets fear paralyze them into the corner. I refuse to be that person, and that is why I am fucking angry.

Really?!

Ok, seriously. The application requests are getting out of hand. I avoided Facebook for two days and then this is what I get for it...



Come on!

The (Verbose) Update on Minneapolis.

I'm in Minnesota. It's amazing.

I'm not even really sure where to start on why I like it here so much, but I guess I can begin with biking. This city is designed with bikers in mind. Due to the plethora of bike trails, I have literally gone all over St. Paul, Minneapolis and even the suburbs via my bike. Beyond even the myriad designated biking lanes along the major streets, there are actual highways set up for bikers. I've hopped along the Midtown Greenway which connects to the Kenilworth Trail, Cedar Trail and a few others too, which can literally get you as far west as Lake Minnetonka (Like 10-20 miles I guess), and as east as Wisconsin. Along the Midtown Greenway there are exits and entrances just like a regular car highway. It's awesome! And even better, there are places you can store your bike, take a shower, have a cup of coffee and walk to the Uptown Transit station (which will connect you via buses anyway in the city).

Aside from this perk for bikers, both Minneapolis and St. Paul are very densely populated. Everything is very close together, yet it's not difficult at all to escape downtown and suddenly enter a moment of serenity while walking around a tranquil lake. It's really amazing how one moment you can be fighting busy city traffic and the next you can be sitting in the middle of a park and feel like you own it.

On Monday I hung out with some friends at Bryant Lake Bowl, a restaurant-slash-bar-slash-bowling alley. I impressed them with a competitive bowling score of 76 (ha!) and quickly learned that maybe bowling isn't my sport of choice.

Tuesday my friend from Ohio, James, and I explored the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, which was simply amazing. We then dined at Bombay Bistro, which has the absolute greatest Indian food I could have asked for (almost all vegetarian, too!). We then perused around Uptown, which is Minneapolis' trendy arts district. We argued over if it was better than The Short North, which I sat it is, he says it isn't. Regardless, they have a North Face store, Urban Outfitters, tons and tons of original local restaurants and it seems to go on forever. (Unlike the Short North which is a few blocks of galleries/restaurants).

After dropping James off so he could take a nap, I met up with my friend Sean at Chino Latino, an incredible restaurant that serves enormous portions of Mexican and Asian food. The restaurant itself was beautiful! After dining there (for four hours, literally), we explored St. Paul and I'm amazed at how it gets such a bad rap! St. Paul is a beautiful city, and I'm excited to learn more since most of the things I've done have been Minneapolis-based.

Wednesday I hit up the Birchwood Cafe, a great local restaurant that serves vegetarian and vegan food. It was so sweet! It reminded me a lot of North Star Cafe, just far more cheaper. (In a good way. Is it me or is North Star way overpriced?)

After breakfast I did a four-hour bike ride all around town. It was snowing, but luckily it didn't stick so basically the ride was just cold but doable. As previously stated, I did everything via my bike! It was simply fantastic!

That evening I met up with my friend Kevin for dinner at Spill the Wine, which was a beautiful restaurant with delicious food. They even had a great happy hour--$15 bottles of wine! After a great dinner, we headed over to the world-renowned Guthrie Theatre, which was awe-inspiring to say the least. We saw The Gentlemen of Verona and what a perfect performance it was. I absolutely loved it.

The interesting thing about The Guthrie is not only its three theatres, numerous restaurants and countless bars, but actually the massive structure that makes up the building. The architecture is just breath-taking! And to make it more impressive, there is a bridge called "The Bridge to Nowhere" which lets visitors view the St. Anthony Falls. Although I had heard of them, I had no idea what I was in for. I can't even begin to describe what a site it is--simply incredible. I was astounded by the falls!

After dinner we met up with Kevin's boyfriend, Kareem, and had drinks at the Minneapolis Eagle. It was great-- 3-for-1 special! Talk about a cheap night out!

That's been the trip so far. I think the world of this city and I can't wait til I'm packing my bags and moving out here! :-)

Oh, and PS, can we talk about Galactic Pizza, the pizza joint that delivers pizza in waay coolz space gear? Seriously. I couldn't make it up.

Island Casedillas.

Oh, yes. That's how she spelled it alright. I'm cruel, but this video is just HILARIOUS.



Casedillas...bahaha...ok back to my third all-nighter in 5 days...ugh...

My Favorite Atheist Quote.

This quote gets to me every time. Frickin' awesome.

"When I became convinced that the universe is natural, that all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my prison crumbled and fell. The dungeon was flooded with light and all the bolts and bars and manacles became dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf, or a slave. There was for me no master in all the wide world, not even in infinite space. I was free--free to think, to express my thoughts--free to live my own ideal, free to live for myself and those I loved, free to use all my faculties, all my senses, free to spread imagination's wings, free to investigate, to guess and dream and hope, free to judge and determine for myself . . . I was free! I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously faced all worlds."

--Robert G. Ingersoll

Ok, back to studying for the finals. Sorry that the past three months have been rather vacant in the update department. :-/

Morgan Karr Singing "Superhero"

I found this clip a couple of days ago. This guy, Morgan Karr, is frickin' amazing. I don't know if you readers know, I've been playing piano and singing for 16 years now. I play around town from time to time (just e-mail me and ask if you wanna know where...I don't like posting to the world where you can find me. No stalkers, please! :-P).

Anyway, this guy is incredible. I went and downloaded the piano music just because of it :-P

Cleveland: Most Sustainable City in Ohio.

Cleveland won for the most sustainable city in Ohio. Of the 50 named cities, it was a full 14 spots ahead of Columbus, the only other city in Ohio earning a rank. Portland, no surprise, was first; Minneapolis, also no surprise, was seventh. Cleveland ranked 16th, and Columbus 30th.

I usually think of Cleveland's skyline as rather uninspired, especially considering how many offices are empty downtown. However, the photo they caught was rather becoming.



I've always enjoyed visiting Cleveland, but I just could never live there. However, for a weekend trip it's a wonderful trip. Its rich history, fun city layout, beautiful location along the Lake and fantastic local restaurants all contribute for a great getaway from Columbus.