584

Alright, I'm going to need a bunch of input over the next week or so. I have a paper due and I don't know when or what the topic is yet. Well, I know that it's due next week, but I don't know if it's Tuesday or Thursday. Anyway, it has to be 5 pages, double-spaced and all of that goodness. If someone hands me a topic, I can write 5 pages easy. But such is not the case.

I have to talk about morals, ethics, and such. I could ramble on about how you can't have free will and fate. Or I could write about the many, many bonds between morality and religion, and how both evolved. That's right, I used 'evolved' and 'religion' in the same sentence.

Now, I usually don't like talking about religion, politics, or anything controversial. But I have to put my ideas somewhere.

Religion is the basis for the most basic of morals. In christianity, just read the ten commandments. Every religion or teaching out there has some interpretation of these laws. Even so, people who do not believe in God, or any supreme being, are still very capable of being decent human beings, if not better. Are all religious people good? No. Are all atheists evil? No. I have met people from both sides of that issue, and I can honestly say that not one group as a whole is good or evil.

Are morals programmed into our genetics? Is our process of determining right from wrong embedded into our DNA? If so, does that mean our manner of choosing also originates from our DNA? And if that is true, are we merely puppets acting out a part written by our parents, their grandparents, and so on? If the choices we make are based on chemical reactions within our brain, then we really don't have free will. But before we get to that last part, let's analyze some of the previous questions.

Where do morals come from? Some might argue that we pick them up as we mature from an infant to a toddler. Others might say that we are constantly changing our perception of what is acceptable and what is not, even if we are middle-aged. But, if a child is given the most basic of necessities (milk, water, food, and a diaper change), what will that child amount to as an individual in society? Will he understand that killing is unacceptable? Will he know to scratch someone's back if that person scratches his? How much will he understand?

Yes, I am interested in getting answers to these questions. I'd like to think that I have an unnatural ability to place myself in someone else's shoes and understand why they think a certain way, or why they do certain things. With the answers, I'll be able to know people better than they know themselves.

{Added on around 12:31AM}

Oh, if you want some insight on why I switched majors out of Electrical Engineering, here is a testimonial from another who got out of engineering.

583

I can't believe this.

Yesterday was Monday, September 26th, and the high here in Austin was 107 degrees. In late September! I hate this weather so much. That's why I want to move to the northeast. Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for there.

I took my Unit 4 test, but not before I muttered many a dirty word at a crappy computer. I did the work on my computer and burned it on a CD-RW. I don't have any floppy disks, because come on, who does? So I get to the lab and I prepare to load up my work when I discover something shocking. These lab computers, in the Electrical Engineering building, don't have CD drives. What the hell? Even the Spanish lab has CD drives. I hate EE.

Then I went to Spanish, where the prof decided to mention his love for Monica Bellucci. Then, in Spanish, he asked random people what celebrity they were in love with. Guess who got called on first! Me! So, because I didn't think of anyone right off the bat, I just gave up and said Monica Bellucci also. What made it so uncomfortable was that the two cute chics who sit in front of me turned around to watch me answer. Very awkward. But then I realized something.

Do I have a thing for any celebrities? I mean, is there one out there that just blows me away? I'm probably not remembering someone, but I can't think of an answer. Jessica Alba is the flavor of the week, although it is a good flavor. Jennifer Aniston is just a bit overrated. Angelina Jolie is too crazy.

Crap. Now I know.

Elisha Cuthbert. She was so awesome in "The Girl Next Door."

Who am I forgetting?

Either way, I'm tired. I'm going to bed.

{Added on around 1:12AM}

OMG, how could I forget!?

Eva Longoria.

Oh, and she has some tough competition. Elizabeth Hurley.

582

Alright, I'll confess. I've been rather lazy about posting. There are more days in between updates and substance is wearing thin.

I just don't know what to talk about anymore. I could talk about my new fear. Now, when I'm walking on a sidewalk, I'm always paranoid about cars going past me. I just keep walking, but each sound makes me feel more tense.

My EE class is self-paced. I'm behind. Yea, that figures. I procrastinate, and then I don't want to catch up. So, I'm going to take my Unit 4 test tomorrow morning. The TA wants me to finish Unit 5 by Wednesday. I don't know if that'll happen, but I'll try. Trying is worth something, right?

I updated my links section. All links are current and what-not.

Do I want to get philosophical? Do I want to be border-line offensive? I don't know.

I guess, some days, I just don't see the point.

581

So I'm off on the blues for the links. I'll fix it tomorrow. I'm going to sleep. Bah!

580

Ugh, what a terrible day.

I woke up early to go to my French Horn lessons. I got out to the bus stop, and waited. Waited some more. 20 minutes went by. The bus I take runs every 15 minutes. So, I jump on a much slower bus and just try to make it on campus.

[Warning: You may not want to read the following paragraphs. The content may be graphic and disturbing. If you wish to read it, highlight the text.]

Well, there was an accident further up ahead on the bus route. It bothered me a bit. From what I could tell, it had just happened when I stepped out of the door. Oh, I just found the story. But the reason it bothered me was that an ambulance wasn't there. The person was still laying on the road. Only a blue tarp prevented everyone from seeing his identity. You could see the bent bicycle and the person's backpack. Seeing a motionless figure on the road kind of freaked me out.

My dad works for the Physical Evidence Department. He does all of the stuff you see on CSI, if you watch that show. He deals with death everyday. And it weirds me out that this is what he sees.

Now, I considered myself to be desensitized. The only emotion I ever show is anger. And that takes a bit. But actually seeing death outside of natural causes just turned my body cold. I've never felt that before.

When I hear about high school students having heat stroke or a heart attack, I worry about my own life. Seeing obituaries for 18 - 20 year olds scares me. This kid was 17. I was a senior in high school when I was 17. I didn't think about death or anything.

In the past two nights, I have had dreams where a family member or a friend has died. And in both of those dreams, I reacted with anger.

I didn't make it to campus. I just decided to come home and relax. I had to clear my thoughts.

579

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!

I watched Nip/Tuck. I watched Rhona Mitra make out with Kelly Carlson. Best episode ever!

Slept in today. I spent most of the day just working on homework. In fact, I'm still working on it.

I guess I've been rather boring lately. Not much is going on I guess. School is going alright, but I still hate EE 316. EE classes are the children of the Devil. Oh crap, I just remembered that I have a quiz tomorrow in Spanish. Oh, I should probably shave.

I've got nothing else.

578

Yea! Got my question in on AOTS. Sweet.

Yea! No class tomorrow. Sweet.

Crap! I have homework to do.

577

Well, this weekend has been interesting.

Let me start by saying that AXE is the best. Shower gel, body sprays, they are all awesome. There are plenty of products that promise the same effects, but only AXE is legit. 'Touch' and 'Phoenix' are definitely my favorites.

Also, Apple has some great people working the counter at their stores. I went to get my Shuffle fixed or replaced, whatever they could do, and the guy was real nice about the whole thing. If they would have had one in stock, he would have switched mine out with a new one. So awesome. But they didn't have one, so he filled out some online form and I can just send it to Apple directly.

I haven't had a soda since I left Dallas. That's going to be a month pretty soon.

I'm still working on my surprise. It might take me a bit longer than I expected.

Hmm. Now that I think about it, I don't have much to say. I guess I'm really tired. My eyes are doing weird things. Can't really focus.

576

Is this a headline you want to read?

{Added on around 11:08PM}

Well, it looks like I'm gonna have some basketball to play tomorrow! Awesome. Ryan said there's a 90% chance, so I just gotta hope.

I felt terrible today. I don't know if I slept on my elbow or I just ate something bad. I went to my French Horn lessons and then went home. I'm hoping to feel tons better tomorrow. But I do hate that I missed CS 349. I really like that class. The prof in there is hilarious. And he gets real passionate about each topic.

Well, tomorrow is the deadline for completing Unit 3 in EE 316. I hope I get it done in class. I might wake up early and study beforehand so I can ensure meeting the deadline. Then it's off to Spanish, where I have to come up with 4 questions that ask someone about their worst date. What really sucks is that I might have to answer those questions.

Wow. TCU beat Oklahoma, lost to SMU, and beat Utah. Weird.

Otherwise, I don't have much else. My parents are coming down tomorrow night. That should be good times. Oh, and I'll have a surprise for all of the people I've linked to on the right. I don't know when I'll unveil it, but soon.

575

New blog search feature from Google.

I put a new picture up on the moblog. It's a picture of the apartments I want to live in. They're so nice.

I'm tired. I have lessons tomorrow morning. I'm going to bed.

574

Ugh. Today sucked.

The book I needed at the library was checked out. I had to reset my password for my account at the CS computer labs. My CS 337 prof went over, so I missed my usual bus. I didn't get home until 5:05PM.

While I was walking from the bus stop to my door, I took some pictures of the damage that drunk driver left. You can find it on my moblog. I also saw some people playing basketball at the apartments' court. So, I changed and headed over there. I recognized one of the guys. He whips my bro and I everytime. Well, he had 2 friends with him. They were good too. Way better than me. I didn't want to walk away with my tail between my legs, so I played a game of 21 with them.

I know when I'm beat. I know when someone is just better than me. These guys were in a class of their own. I'm not there yet. I missed all 3 of my shots, but I had a steal and a decent defensive play. But wow. They were all 4 or 5 inches taller than me, had about 60 pounds on me, and 2 of them might have been quicker than me. Amazing really.

I went back home and told my bro about how these guys were good. He played it off as though he would have been good out there too. Nope. He must still be under the impression that he's the best player in the world. He's not. Not even in the apartment complex. Not even in this apartment.

He's quite the sore loser. In fact, the last time I won, I walked away with that elbow scrape. The pic is in my moblog also. There's still a big scar. The last time we played, I walked off the court because he threw an elbow. So, I just play half-ass offense and defense while he goes after his own rebound and tries to muscle in a shot. Whatever. If it means that much to him...

Given my size, I'm not a physical player. I have to rely on finesse and quickness. If an opponent wants to win by playing dirty, I'll let them. I'll get out of the way. I like my games nice and clean. I don't have to resort to elbows and slaps to win.

And honestly, I'm not nearly as competitive as my bro. I don't care if I lose. If I shoot terrible, I'm going to accept it. I might get frustrated, but I won't act that way. If I have a good game, I'll smile. But I'm not going to do victory dances.

I guess it all boils down to having control over your emotions and attitude. I wish everyone could have that kind of control.

573

I'm bored.

572

Well, Brandon wanted an interesting post. I'm guessing he was wishing for one pretty hard because I just had a crazy experience.

My bro, my sis-in-law, and I all heard a car's brakes and then a loud noise. So, we wanted to see what was up. We couldn't all go, because my nephew was asleep. So it was just my sis-in-law and myself. We walked across the street, and wow. Somehow, a car drove off the road, up a hill, and into an apartment complex. Now that I think about it, I wish I had my phone with me. I'll take a picture tomorrow.

Well anyway, we got to the truck and the guy who was driving was standing outside. Some other people approached him before us. He started talking and then he decided that it was best for him to run. He got about 75 feet away when people started saying, "Oh, someone should go after him!"

Well, guess that someone was me. So, I chased him down. I kept up with him until he started walking. That's when I walked, so that way I wouldn't burn all of my energy should I need to run again. He slowed down and looked behind him. He saw me. Crap. So he started running again. So I started chasing again. Right about 2 seconds later, a cop car pulled up through the alley and I pointed him towards the guy. The guy jumped a fence, but so did the officer.

They caught him. The police officer asked us to get in the back of his squad car so we could identify the suspect. Let me tell you, it sucks back there! The seats are hard and the A/C doesn't get back there!

We got back to the scene and fortunately someone saw the entire thing. So, they didn't need our information. Some chics came up to us. They talked about "Yea! You're fast! Great job!" But I'm a humble person. (My sis-in-law said that one looked like a hooker, and the other looked like a hippie. I think the 'hooker' one was kind of decent though. That's saying alot.)

So either way, that got my blood pumping. And it was fun. Oh, the guy was drunk too. He's not going to be happy when he realizes what happened. Sucks to be him.

Other than that, my day sucked! I picked up my French Horn, and it's the same one from last semester. That helps a bunch. I don't have a name for it, but soon enough.

I don't think I did much else today. Was boring. but hey, I won the admiration of some chics, so I guess it wasn't a total loss.

571

I just subscribed to the NPR: Tech podcast. So far, so good. Oh wait, now it's sucking. Baleeted!

I've decided that for a week, I'm going to use iTunes to play all of my mp3s. Even while I sleep. I have to hear music as I fall asleep. So, with iTunes taking care of it, I can get the stats I want to know. How many times have I listened to this song? When was the last time? What did I rate it?

Ugh, it's hard to make a new playlist. I want songs that generate a calm, but that's hard to do when your favorite groups are A Perfect Circle, Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, and Audioslave. It's hard to fall asleep when there's harsh tones or powerful singing.

I bought a new book. The Science of Good & Evil. So far, I like it. I've read The Lucifer Principle, and Why We Don't Talk To Each Other Anymore, and this book fits in nicely. The book is represented accurately by the title. It's all about ethics and how they came about, how they evolved, and other things like that.

It's slowly cooling down around Austin. It's 83 degrees downtown right now. It might drop below 80 before the night is over. Oh, on Wednesday when I woke up early, the weather was perfect. I forgot how great mornings are. But, I'm still not going to wake up early for no reason. I love sleeping.

Oh, I was mentioned again on Attack of the Show. That makes 2 times in one week. I hope to become a regular mention eventually. They added me to their myspace account. That makes 4 friends for me! Woo!

And other than that, I've got nothing. I'm going to be on campus for a while tomorrow. I think I'm going to do some after-school stuff, like undergrad research. I don't know yet. I'm not doing anything else with my time.

Alright. I'm going to read some more of my book, write down some ideas for stories, and go to bed.

570

Well, I'm tired as hell right now. I didn't take a nap this afternoon. I really wanted to.

At least I only have one class tomorrow. Afterwards I'm going to see The Transporter 2. It might be good, or it might suck. I'll find out and let you know.

I don't know what's going on.

I'm happy to start a new semester. I just feel like something is missing.

Also, it's time to clean up AIM. I have names on there that I don't talk to, so I'm dumping them. In fact, I don't know why I even sign on. Away message up. But I guess for now I'll just promote people and demote others. You see, my new categories are Friends, Known, and Never On. Some people from the Friends list are being bumped down, while people on Known might get an upgrade.

I also need to update my email list. If I don't have your email and you want me to have it, then click "Email Me" to the right.

You know, Episode 6 is awesome. Even today, it's still greatness.

569

New iPod nano. Pretty sweet. I don't think I'll get one yet, but eventually. I'll probably give the Shuffle to my dad.

There's also going to be a release of iTunes 5. I don't have link for that though.

Oh, and this looks fancy too.

That's all for now.

568

Ugh. Today has sucked pretty bad.

I missed a discussion section. I just forgot about it. I'm going to email the TA tomorrow and let him know. I just spent the past 3 hours working on some homework. This EE 316 class sucks! You take a test over a chapter, and if you miss one question, you have to do all of the questions at the back of the chapter. So, I got every question right, except for 2 parts of 1 question, and I have to do homework over stuff I got right on the test! That's incredibly stupid and it wastes my time! Make me do the problems over what I missed and let's move on! Stupid TA...

Oh, and I have to wake up early tomorrow. I have to get my French Horn and meet up for my lessons. Then I have to drag my horn around campus since all of the lockers are in use. That sucks! A French Horn doesn't weigh a ton, but it wears you out after carrying it for 20 minutes. I think I'm going to skip my 3 - 4 class so I can just get home with it.

Alright. I don't have much else to say. I really just want to go to bed. Maybe do some light reading. I don't know.

567

You know, I wanted to post and all, but then I was distracted. And because I was distracted, I forgot what I was going to write.

So yea, Happy Labor Day everyone!

566

There's plenty of news going on. It was just announced that Chief Justice William Rehnquist died earlier tonight. Hurricane Katrina has damaged more than just physical structures, but also mental strength.

On less serious notes, Oklahoma lost their season opener. The Seattle Storm were knocked out of the playoffs (I like basketball. That includes the WNBA, even though I don't watch it. I just keep up with the Storm because they have Sue Bird. Remember, she was the one who said on radio that a DJ could spank her if some conditions were met.) Texas has 3 solid running backs. That 6'3 270-pound Melton is awesome!

But really, I want to focus on the hurricane stuff.

So, refugees are coming from Louisiana. They have already filled up Houston. Dallas is running out of shelters. So now it's up to Austin. As I type this, Erik is volunteering at a shelter. I know, I should probably be doing the same.

But I am worried. You see, my sis-in-law works for the sheriff's department. My dad works for the Dallas Police Department. If things should turn for the worse in Austin or Dallas, both of them will have to work extra hours in possibly unsafe conditions. Considering that my dad just had surgery on his ankle and is still on crutches, this could be bad for him. And considering that my sis-in-law is a petite woman, it could be bad for her.

Austin and Dallas are expecting crime to increase because people get desperate. They do not mean to imply that New Orleans produces a bad crowd. It's just that when someone loses their home, or worse, their family, desperate actions are taken. And while some might condemn them for 'looting' and what-not, they must try to imagine being in the refugees' shoes.

While no one I know has suffered through the hurricane, I still have great sympathy for those who have.

565

Yes, it's 4AM. And no, I haven't had a nap today.

Classes went fine today. I'm thinking about switching my Spanish section. It's from 12 - 1 right now, and I would rather have it from 1 - 2. If I can work my magic, then I'll do it.

I also saw an undergrad advisor today. Not the typical academic advisor. This person is legit. He looked at my classes and such, said that if I take a class or two during the summer, then I should graduate in December. Definitely makes me happy. Damn electrical engineering! Set me back a semester.

Other than that, not much else happened today. Haven't had a soda in a week or so. Haven't had much candy lately either. I love my Reese's Fastbreak. I'm surprised I've gone this long without one.

Oh, the Racetrac, which I love, is being bought out. That sucks!

OK, honestly, I'm friggin' tired. Time for sleep!

564

Eh. I'll update in a sec. I gotta fix my desk.

{Added on around 12:40AM}

Well, I fixed my desk. The drawer that supports my keyboard and mouse wasn't fully extending, so I went in and fixed it. Now I can type freely again.

CS 349 went well. The prof is hilarious. And I actually stayed fully awake during the entire class. I might not have been paying attention, but I was awake. I think I'm going to like this class a bunch. There are only 2 books for the class, and the first is one I'm really interested in. I forgot what the title is.

So, back to my 11 - 4 schedule tomorrow. I'll be able to handle it better since I know where all of the classes are. I spent 10 minutes in one building looking for a room number, only to find out it was right outside the building. At least it's air-conditioned.

I'm going to start looking at a laptop. Preferably one where I don't have to make payments until 2006. If I can get that, I'll be happy. The one negative that everyone brings up about doing a payment system on a computer is that when you're finished paying, the computer will be obsolete or close to it. I don't mind this, because by that time I'll be able to buy a new one and give the old one to my dad or nephew.

I can't wait until I graduate. I want my job! I want my salary! I want to get started on building my life. Apartment, home theater system, awesome clothes, and then a woman. I won't look at buying a home until I'm engaged. If that should ever happen.

Hahaha! I'm a 21-year old senior at UT. I should be able to pick up any freshman I want. I should soooooooooo abuse that fact.

And in case you want to know, it is 12:52AM and the temperature is 84 degrees. Yea, that bites.

OK, if a woman does this and someone uses their camera phone, I don't think that person is going to the police...

Alright, I'm out for tonight. Sleep!

Oh, I just got my first spam comment, so word verification is now on. Sorry if it becomes a hassle. Online ad bots can suck it!