2012

I'm going to just say right now that I think this is a load of smelly crap. Everyone says that the world is going to end in 2012 because the Mayan calender ends. I have actually joined a facebook group that is called 'In 2013 I will watch 2012 and laugh.' I really think it is quite ridiculous that everyone is making such a big deal out of this whole 2012 thing. Honestly? If I had been making a calender for that long I would get pissed off and quit making it too! I mean really people! Besides, I don't ever recall it saying in the Bible that the Mayans dictated when the world would end. People let's face facts. If your Christian then you believe in God and that he created the world and that he is what we live by. NOT THE FREAKING MAYAN CALENDER! If your not Christian...well more power to you to believe the world is ending. I'll see you in 2013

Mommy, where do babies come from?

This is an age old question that has baffled parents for decades. What do you tell your child when they ask this? It is the same switch in parents heads that makes them not want to talk about sex. They assume that the school system will teach there wandering teenagers all they need to know. There is an old saying that goes a little something like this: "When you assume you make an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'." And this saying has rang true many times in my life. The fact of the matter is there is no real 'sex ed' in schools anymore. I'm a strong believer in abstinence. It's a personal choice that I believe in. Yes, we should teach abstinence to teenagers because some of them will abstain. But some of them won't! We have to get out there and teach kids about safe sex. My high school nurse always told us, "I'd rather you not have sex at all, but if you are going to use two types of protection: condoms and birth control." It was this simple little sentence that would get my classmates minds rolling. They would practice safe sex and be a lot happier. However, it was a very small percentage of students that were really close to the nurse. Therefore most of the kids in my high school had sex unprotected. We had quite a few pregnancies and I'm sure there were many STDs. Yet, all the blame can not be lied on the schools. Parents have an obligation to talk to there kids. My mom and I have always been close and we have always been able to talk about everything under the sun. My mom has always told me that she would support my decision to have sex if I wanted to have it before I was married (even though I won't). All she asks of me is that I talk to her so that I can go on birth control. Between the parents and the schools we could get a lot done to stop pregnancies at a young age and make for a healthier tomorrow.

May I see your ID please?

So can you count how many times you have been asked for your ID? I can count on both of my hands. It's not just an age issue either. It's an identity issue. First, let's address age. When you go to the movies to see an 'R' rated movie you are supposed to be ID to make sure that you 17 years of age or older. The same principle applies when you buy video games. Mature games are rated mature because they are not intended for people under the age of 17 or 18. I have watched friends of mine walk into video stores and buy mature rated games and the store clerks will not give a second thought to whether or not they are 18. On the other hand, when you buy cigarettes or alcohol you are almost always asked to show an ID. Why is this? Is it because the laws on selling to minors in the substance field are more strict than those in the fields of video games and movies? Now, you may argue that a kid is not going to make a stupid decision because of a video game or movie because it does not influence there health or mind like substance does. This may be the case to some but to to some kids their minds are very impressionable. Fact of the matter is that if they are under 17 parents should be making the decisions on whether or not their child is mature enough to know the difference between what is lawful and acceptable and what is not. Sadly, I have been asked for my school ID to get onto the city buses than i have been asked for my drivers licence on mature purchases.

The other side of the coin is identity problems. When you pay with a credit or debit car at any facility you are supposed to have your card signed. The cashier/clerk is supposed to check the back of your card for the signature. If your card is not signed they are supposed to ask you for your ID plain and simple. It is really not a hard thing to do. I purposefully do NOT sign the back of my card so that the cashier/clerk will ask for identification. This way, if my card is ever stolen, it will not be able to be used. Some people even have 'ask for ID' embedded in there card. They pay extra money so that people will ask for ID. Yet, they still don't. I simply don't understand why it is so hard to say "may I see your ID please?" and check the age.

The Presidential 'oops'

So recently the president went over to Japan. This is not an uncommon task for a president. However, most presidents tend to shake hands with everyone they meet. It is a long standing tradition that shows respect but doesn't make the president look weak or beneath the other leaders. Now, I must say that my opinion is a little different. I'm not disagreeing with a good firm handshake. I think a good firm handshake can say a lot about a person. However, there is nothing wrong with taking other countries traditions into consideration when visiting them. Upon visiting Japan the president engaged in a very deep bow to the emperor.

Many people scoffed at President Obama for his actions. I may not be his biggest fan but I do respect him for this action. The bow shown in the picture above is honorable especially to elders in Japan. He gained a lot of respect from elders in Japan that day. Instead of laughing at the president I think we should all take a lesson from him.

cat's vs dogs

Since coming to college and living in apartments I've run into the 'no dogs' rule quite often. I'm honestly trying to make heads or tails of it. I can fully understand why apartment owners don't want dogs of big breeds or nasty temperament; it's simply a liability issue. Understandably, apartments also tend to charge pet deposits and monthly fees. Granted cats use liter boxes; ergo they don't mess all over the property. Also most people claim that cats are 'small' and they 'don't make noise'. Well to be completely honest I have seen some cat's that are fatter than a small dog. Then, you have some breed's of dog that are smaller than most 'normal' sized cats. There should be no reason that landlords can't simply put a size limit on pets. If using the bathroom is an issue then they can enforce 'baggy' rules. The apartment that I currently live in has camera's all over the place and I can't imagine that one would be able to get away with letting there animal mess all over the property. On the other hand, with a cat, they use liter boxes. Now that may seem all well and fine until the owner doesn't clean the litter box and the smell of fecal matter leaks into the hallways. As a matter of fact, my apartment complex is currently having problems with tenants throwing there 'nasty cat litter' down the trash chutes. The other issue most people will claim is that dogs bark. Well I am here to tell you what people cats meow. Some times cats meow very loudly and obnoxiously. Whereas some dogs do not bark or can be taught when not to bark. If a dog is brought up in an apartment and learns the sounds it will not bark all that much if at all. Personally, i have nothing against cats and I have considered adopting one. My sole problem is that I LOVE dogs and for no reason I'm not allowed to have them in my apartment.

How can we fix this matter? Simple. As a landlord, sit down and look at the difference between cats and dogs and the problems that come along with both. Develop standards that tenants must abide by when dealing with there animals 'restroom' habits. Also develop different deposits that the tenants must be aware of relating to damages that there specific animal could cause to the room. Set breed limits. It is not a big deal to sit down and come up with a plan. Landlords simply need to take the time to do it.

Music expresses what words can't (part 2)

In November I lost a friend of mine from high school to suicide. I've never really been able to express how I felt about any of it except when I cried. I heard this song by Toby Keith and I started crying. This was exactly how I felt about not only losing Gunnar but another friend named Zack and even a good friend of the family (my piano teacher) Rosemary. It seems to be a reoccurring trend that my music is the sole opportunity I have to express myself. People think it's stupid that I put my Ipod on shuffle just to skip half the songs so that I can find what I'm looking for. What they don't understand is that it's just my way of expression. Music is what I use to express my mood and my feelings. Music is my mood and my life. It's what helps keep my head above water when I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of depression. When there is no one else around music is that shoulder you can cry on. I guess in short, music is my vice.

Music expresses what words can't

Adoption

Adopt by definition means to take by choice into a relationship. Most people always think of having there own children and that is it. That's fine that people want to have children of there own flesh and blood. It's perfectly understandable. I want to have my own kids too. However, I also want to adopt. I think it's essential that families at least TALK about adoption at least once in there lifetime. Kids that need to be adopted were someone else's flesh and blood. For whatever reason, they now need someone to love them.

Another form of adoption that some people view as less serious is animal adoption. I'm an avid animal lover so they are pretty high on my list. A very common misconception is that only dogs and cats go to animal shelters. Well, that is not true. All kinds of small animals, even turtles, get taken to shelters. Some shelters are actually dedicated only to small animals (no dogs or cats). The first dog I got actually found me. Some family decided they didn't want her anymore and they dumped her. She found me and eleven happy years later she is still running and carrying on just like she is a pup. I know some people want breeds so they go to breeders. I'M NOT SAYING DON'T! I got my next dog from a breeder. My grandparents got both of theres from breeders. However I'm getting ready to adopt a couple new pets from shelters. I'm just saying give adoption a chance! Whether your looking to adopt a child or a pet. They all need a loving home.

One more thing before you quit reading. Just because a child isn't a little kid or an animal isn't a baby doesn't mean they don't need homes. Don't just adopt infants, toddlers, and younger kids. Don't just adopt kittens and puppies. The older ones need homes too. Just because a kid is 16 doesn't mean that he/she doesn't want a family anymore. Just because a dog is 15 does not by any means mean that the dog wants to spend the rest of its life in a cage or in foster care. Explore all your options and give somebody somewhere a second chance.

"Yoga is Lame"

I have heard this on a number of occasions and there is even a king of the hill episode that makes fun of yoga and the people who do it. I think the problem is that people have stereo-typed yoga so much that people thing it's some freakish exercise that only lunatics do. The fact of the matter is that yoga is great exercise. Not only that, it is great for your health, your bone structure, and your posture. It's been proven that people with various physical problems, such as back problems, will take a yoga course or do some yoga on there own and will feel tremendously better. Granted after one session you will not be superman by any means but you will notice and amazing difference. Just by learning to control your breathing you can gain inner peace and feel so much more relaxed. Yoga is a great way to cope with the stress of school, sports, or even the most hectic of jobs. I'm not trying to throw you a sales pitch here and go spend thousands, hundreds, or even ten dollars on yoga supplies. If you have an internet connection or even a library card you can watch videos or read articles about different yoga poses that you can do in your own time. Simply put on some relaxing, calming music and close your eyes. Focus on your breathing and drift away to another place. I've just given you the key to the gate...now walk through the gateway and start living a better, happier, healthier and more energetic lifestyle.

Why won't you stop for the damn ambulance?

The law says that you have to stop for emergency vehicles. This is cops, fire trucks, first responders, ambulances, etc etc. It is generally understood that some of Indiana's best hospitals are right here in the beautiful city of Indianapolis. It is also known that one of the better, if not best, hospitals is also part of campus; IU-med is located literally across the street from the campus center and stretches across a good part of the city. IU-med and/or Clarion also has several branches throughout central Indiana. Most kids know this going into this college that we are right here on campus.

Allow me to break away from that for a second and speak for a moment about time management. This is something most college kids does not have or know how to utilize. Most college kids are late more than three times within there first semester of college; I have found this out from experience and observation not solid fact). Thus, college students are always rushing around here at IUPUI trying to find parking (which is a whole other issue) and then get to class only 5 minuets late instead of 8.

With all that said I want to just address something I saw today. I was on my way back to class out here pretty close to the IT building. An ambulance comes screaming down the road not ONLY lights flashing and sirens going but it was honking and making all kinds of noise to try and get through. I just happened to be 40 minuets early to class because I wanted a seat but it doesn't matter. I would have stopped the car and stayed put if I was 40 minuets late. However students, faculty, staff, or just plain stupid people kept whizzing through there green light. they did not care that this ambulance was making all kinds of noise trying to get through with someone who have very possibly been in a critical condition. They had the green light so they kept going. Finally some people had the sense enough to stop but this was not before I was screaming at the steering wheel because people would not stop. I don't know what's wrong with people but we are supposed to stop for emergency vehicles for a reason. Thirty more seconds to wait for this vehicle to go buy is not going to save your ass if your late or almost late. Just leave your place earlier and you won't have to worry about it.

The Twilight Saga *DUN DUN DUN*

Could there be any more hype about this freaking saga? I think that it has gotten quite ridiculous. If you go to hot-topic or even hot-topic's webpage then you can see that Bella's clothing is for sale. Obviously it is not her actual clothes but it is an exact replica so that we can all look like her. Everyone is choosing some side or the other and now we have added 'team Bella' into the mix of it all. This has everyone swooning over these movie stars that nobody knew existed before Twilight itself came out. I just think that it has all gone to extremes. I like the storyline of the book/movie and the accuracy in which Stephanie Meyer writes. I am by now means a 'Tweenie' or whatever you want to call it. I'm not the person who needs to see the new movie NOW I CAN'T WAIT OMG! It upsets me that I can't say "yeah I'm going to go see new moon" without someone making some snooty comment. The fact of the matter is that I love the action and the CGI. I happen to think that Stephanie Meyer is a great writer that knows what she is writing about. It is very apparent that she did a lot of research before she started writing about vampires and werewolves. I have always been intrigued by the Pagan religion. I personally am a Christian but I know people who are Pagans and believe in the werewolves and vampires. I guess what I'm saying is that Stephanie Meyer is an amazing author who deserves more praise for the work she did in making her books accurate and well written than she actually gets.

Parody...If only it were real!

Ok so make sure you watch this video before you read the blog!!! And make sure you watch it all the way to the end!!!

Ok so when I saw this video on youtube it completely jumped out at me. Being a new media student and a total game nerd and dork and geek and (enter your stereotype here) I loved this video. It really has nothing to do with Brittany Spears womanizer except a part here and there. This video was so entertaining to me because this is every nerds dream is to find some girl or guy that will love how nerdy or dorky or totally crazy they are. To me, it just seemed perfect for a new media class where most of us will draw or create or game, etc etc.

John Wilkes Booth Conspiracy

On the evening of April 14, 1865, while attending a special performance of the comedy, "Our American Cousin," President Abraham Lincoln was shot. Accompanying him at Ford's Theater that night were his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, a twenty-eight year-old officer named Major Henry R. Rathbone, and Rathbone's fiancee, Clara Harris. After the play was in progress, a figure with a drawn derringer pistol stepped into the presidential box, aimed, and fired. The president slumped forward.

The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, dropped the pistol and waved a dagger. Rathbone lunged at him, and though slashed in the arm, forced the killer to the railing. Booth leapt from the balcony and caught the spur of his left boot on a flag draped over the rail, and shattered a bone in his leg on landing. Though injured, he rushed out the back door, and disappeared into the night on horseback.

A doctor in the audience immediately went upstairs to the box. The bullet had entered through Lincoln's left ear and lodged behind his right eye. He was paralyzed and barely breathing. He was carried across Tenth Street, to a boarding-house opposite the theater, but the doctors' best efforts failed. Nine hours later, at 7:22 AM on April 15th, Lincoln died. (Cited from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alrintr.html)

Now that you have a little bit of background on the shooting of Abe Lincoln, allow me to fill you in on what most everyone else believes. After booth shot Lincoln he fled, naturally. He was chased and chased and was finally 'cornered' in a barn. The authorities burned the barn down and killed Booth, later finding his burnt body. John Wilkes Booth died in that fire in that barn...WRONG!

Some select people believe that the body found in the barn was not that of John Wilkes Booth. They believe that he actually fled from that barn unscathed, or at least alive. He made his way to Granbury Texas and assumed the name of John St. Helen. John loved to go to the theatre where he would not only watch but quote Shakespere. Conspirators believe that he now haunts that theatre NOT violently but peacefully. He has his own seat reserved up in the balcony where no one ever sits because that is his seat and its well known.

The question is did John Wilkes Booth die in the burning barn? Or, did John go on to live under the alias of 'John St. Helen'? I'm a conspirator...are you?

Farmers Market Vs. Superstore

Most people shop at super stores not only for their convenience but also for there prices. The problem is when you go to a super store you are buying mostly processed foods. Your canned fruits are usually soaking in a sugary syrup and most of your vegetables are canned. Granted some people buy the 'fresh' fruits and vegetables in the produce sections of the stores. However, these fruits and vegetables are probably not near as fresh as one might think. Then you have people who are under the illusion that frozen foods are fresh. they tend to believe that it has been frozen 'at the peak of freshness' and there for is just as good as if you would have picked it off the vine. This, however is not the case. In addition, most people who think they are saving their hard earned money by going to a super store are usually wrong. The fact is that people go to the store and they load their carts up with all the food they think they will need. They are not stopping to decide what they might eat int he week or two weeks to come and they are definitely not stopping to think about whether or not it is healthy for them.

Farmers markets, on the other hand, have produce that is always fresh. During the warmer seasons most farmers markets are held outdoors. That is one of the most beautiful things about farmers markets. When you go to one, you are outdoors breathing in crisp fresh air and all the lighting at the farmers market is natural sun-made light. Farmers markets do, however, go inside during the colder months. Farmers markets don't just offer a variety of fresh produce, they also provide homemade soaps, lotions, baskets, etc. They will all camp out and bring there variety of products or jams and then possibly bring there pets. Some will cook pies and others will grow flowers. The great thing about a farmers market is that it makes you slow down. It makes you take time out of your busy day and notice the beauty in the world. You have to think ahead to the next week and say 'what do I want to eat?' This will help you eat more healthy and not waste money on tons of food that you don't even need. If people would just slow down, they would realize that the farmers market it is truly the way to go.

Parents

The last time I checked parents were supposed to raise there kids. Parents, from the day they become parents, have a gene that kicks in that tells them what to do. Some parents just absolutely quit caring about there kids. They care enough that it isn't abuse or anything but the truth is they aren't really paying attention to what their kids are doing. In the town that I grew up in kids got anything they wanted and were always going out and drinking and carrying on. These kids were well underage but no one seemed to care. Cops never seemed to bust parties and if they did certain kids would get off with out any repercussions. Sometimes cops would just let the kids go, and other times they would just give them a slap on the wrists. Parents all either seem to be blind or just don't care. Well I'll tell you what, kids are dying. Drunk drivers are slaughtering innocent drivers and young children while they walk away with barely a scratch and a DUI.

There was a senior in MY class that was an all around good guy. He would talk to anybody and would be the guy that helped you pick up your stuff if you dropped it in the hall. He had lots of plans with the rest of his life. He was going to go to a local college to get some of his general education credits down before he went to Florida to go to Full Sail to study something he loved. A few days before graduation he went to a party. I'm sure that his parents had no idea or they simply didn't care (which I find hard to believe that his parents didn't care). Well there was drinking at the party and he eventually wondered off. I'm being loose with the details because there are no concrete details. To this day nobody knows what happened. long story short, something happens and he died days before graduation.

Now here is your instance of parents not caring or paying attention. A 16 year old guy from my high school was having a hard time with life. He was arguing with his parents yet that was the extent that his friends new. Suddenly he went missing. None of his friends had any idea that he was depressed or anything because he never talked about it. All they knew is that he was arguing with his parents but who doesn't half the time? Well they found him on November 4; he had hung himself from a tree on his grandparents property with a chain. He's gone. Now his parents have to live with that and I for one feel horrible for them. I miss them both. I just wish that parents would know where there kids are.

The internet

Has anyone noticed how reliant our classes are on the internet? Granted most of us spend all the time in the world anyways. We are all always on facebook, myspace, myyearbook, twitter, and on and on and on. However I have become increasingly aware of how much my classes use the internet. Allow be to explain why this baffles me before I go on further. My mom went into the army after high school. Therefore she ended up having me before she went to school. I've watched my mom go to undergrad and more recently graduate school. She went to graduate school in this decade and graduated only 4 years ago. She currently teaches at a community college branch of another college along with her normal work as an IT specialist. All through her classes she always used textbooks and handed in work. Very traditional way of doing things. Now that she's a teacher they more use books and email so still very traditional. Now you have classes that are offered online and of course they are going to use the internet. Well here we sit in an awesome city in a truly state of the art school. In my MATH class I do homework via the internet. I write blogs for this class on the internet and in another class i post in a social networking group in addition to taking all my quizes and test in our schools ONLINE school system. Have we really looked at it? We are completely online. We come to class but do EVERYTHING including handing our homework in! ALL ONLINE. Is this a problem? No, not at all. I'm just simply intrigued.

Getting around campus.

So I love that we have these shuttles on campus that take us from point a to point b. It really is awesome. But the problem is, they are really unreliable. It's not good when you are outside waiting for a shuttle for 15 mins and then the shuttle has to run a whole other route and make you 12 mins late for you next class. The shuttle between the campus center and the IT building makes all of three stops; the campus center, the IT building, and the herron school of art. Bearing traffic, it should take MAYBE 15 minuets to make a loop. They have recently redone the whole idea of the shuttles. So, we shall see if it gets any better. I also wish they went to places off campus. I only live 10 minuets from campus but a shuttle doesn't come anywhere near me. Yes we have the Indy-go bus system but everyone and there mother can get on those buss's and most people don't have enough sense to stay home when they are sick so you get on those busses and its a blob of sickness and then your sick.

One other thing I wish was different with campus was the 'tubes' connect buildings on campus. Granted we have underground tunnels but it taks you forever to figure them out. It's not a big deal to connect the buildings with tubes. It would also be really awesome if those 'tubes' had moving walkways in them to help speed it all up. Hell, lets just make a monorail system that takes us around campus. More efficient and ecofriendly. There you go problem solved.

Parking....The Nightmare

I don't personally drive to school because, well, I don't have a car. However, a lot of the kids I know do drive and they say it's a nightmare. They all try to park at random times during the day and they can never seem to find a space. Most of them would probobly agree that they would resort to this if they could. It's just so frustrating when parking is what makes you late to class every single day. A couple guys and I were sitting on the shuttle talking about the parking situation and one said that IUPUI had over-sold the parking passes by 5,000. No that is not a typo I really said 5,000. It is no wonder people can never find a place to park. There are simply not enough places on campus to park! I really don't know how in the world to fix this problem. If we have THAT many people that need a place to park then maybe its time IUPUI looks into getting some more parking lots potentially off campus and running a shuttle to the lots. However this problem gets solved it has to be done because kids are going to start parking on top of each other.

An Opportunity or a Big Rip Off?

College. It's a huge new chapter in the life of many young adults. Most colleges require that students stay in a dorm room there freshman year. IUPUI is a nice exception to that rule. They have dorms that are for freshman only. They also have campus apartments that are for all the students. You ask most students currently residing in the dorms and they will tell you that they wish they didn't have to move out after freshman year. If you talk to the students staying in the apartments, they think it is the best thing since sliced bread. But what is the truth? The truth is that in the apartments students are paying 700$ or more each month. That is 700$ a student in a quad room with two bathrooms. This is why students are poor! Our establishments are ripping us off! I live off campus in a two bedroom one bath in downtown (roughly three miles from campus) and I pay under 350$ for my part of the rent, utilities and bills such as cable. I hate that I missed out on the experience of living on campus but I simply could not afford that ridiculous rent.

By the way, has anyone thought about how much they spend in chartwells? A person can throw down 7$ a meal easily in there. Look, the point is something needs to change. I understand that IUPUI is a college campus and they have to have money but where are we going to draw the line? We are poor struggling college students and the housing situation and the high prices for food don't help.

Yoshi: Mario's Super

This is the greatest gaming character of all time. When people think of classic gaming they will often rattle off games such as: Pong, Tetris, and Mario. Well I hate to break it to the generations but Yoshi beats all of these games out. The truth of the matter is that Mario wouldn't have survived without Yoshi. Look at a new millennium game: Paper Mario. After you get 'X' amount of crystal stars and you go to a level where you get an egg. Well guess what hatches out of that egg. If you guessed Yoshi you would be not smart but observant. This Yoshi is completely ESSENTIAL. If you don't take this Yoshi with you, you will never beat the game. He gives you a special move that you have to use. The whole point is that Mario is not as great as everyone makes him out to be. He would not even be the 'hero' that everyone knows if he didn't have his prehistoric counterpart.

I Don't...

I don't know where I am
I don't know where I'm going
I don't know where you are
I don't know who they were
I don't know this place
I don't know this time
I don't I don't I don't

I don't know why we're here
Or even how we started
I don't know what to say
Or who can help me out
I don't know what's going on
I don't understand these people
I don't I don't I don't

Nothing seems to fit
Nothing seems to run
Why will no one help me?
I just don't know

I'm lost in all this darkness
I'm lost without a light
"Won't someone save me?"
I scream out at the night
I don't know where he's at
I don't know where he's going
I don't know why I can't remember
I just don't know

Will he come and save me?
I really wish I knew
I fall deeper into darkness
I don't think I'll make it through
I just wish I knew how I got here
But none of it makes sense
All I know is that I don't know
I don't even know my prince

I don't know where I am
I don't know where I'm going
I don't know where you are
I don't know who they were
I don't know this place
I don't know this time
I don't I don't I don't

Will you come save me?
Will your answer be no?
Will you come save me?
Or are you just here for the show?

Will you make me remember what it feels like?
Will you save me from the darkness?
Will you bring me to the light?
will you save me from myself?
Or will I trip and fall?
Will you push me down?
Or help me through this haul?'

So here I stand to see
If I'll ever make it out alive
So there you are to stand
Just checking on the time

Are you going to save me?
I really have no clue
I'll fall deeper into darkness
While I wait for you

I don't know the answer
Or even what you asked
I don't know much at all
That isn't about the past
Will you come and save me?
I really can't be sure
All I know is I'll wait for you
Until I can't wait anymore

Finding my way...

They say the past is best left in the dust
To live it day and night is to stay up through dusk
But what happens when facing the problems doesn’t work
When trying to fight through the pain just makes you bleed the hurt
I’ve been told that running away doesn’t ease the pain
You’ll just keep running and have to live with the shame
But anything is better than where I am now
When did I get here…hell I can’t even remember how
So I guess I’ll try to run away
But in my heart you’re here to stay
Everywhere I turn there you are
My memories shouldn’t be able to reach this far
It seems that I can’t escape the pain anywhere I go
And you seem to just sit there and enjoy the show
I wonder if I’ll ever be happy again
Even though I will always think about you now and then
Every day I fight the good fight
And try to make it through another day without having to cry
I can only hope that one day I’ll stare into his eyes
And to my deepest and complete surprise
I won’t feel the pain anymore
I’ll stare into his eyes and be sure
I’ve found the one who can save me from your memories
And I’ll know that he’s the one to protect me
He’ll love me forever and gives whole new meaning to “forever and ever babe”

Airlines: Are They Safe Yet?

So, I am a big flier. I absolutely love to step on a plane and go see my dad in Florida. For that matter, I will step on a plane ever chance I get. However, in 2000 the hit movie 'Final Destination: Flight 180' hit theatres. Within the opening scenes an entire plane explodes due to unknown reasons. As many watched the thriller/suspense/horror they developed an irrational fear of planes and flying. What most don't know is that the odds of dying in a plane crash are very low. Well guess what, a year later we had a terrorist attack involving none other than: planes. So here we go again with people being terrified not of planes exploding but being hijacked. Okay, so years later people are getting comfortable around planes again. Security is beefed up and the FAA has all of there planes inspected and makes sure everything on the up and up. NO THEY DON'T! Just when we thought it was okay to start flying again all you have to do is pick up the news paper to realize that the FAA is slacking on regulations. Granted these episodes of 'slacking' aren't on the commercial airlines. They are for the rich few who want to use an airplane as a taxi. As said in the USA Today, 249 people died as a result of lax regulations on these 'flying taxis'. So here we are in September 2009 and it isn't the terrorist killing us. It's our own safety patrols.

A fountain for a day

Beautiful isn't it? I love this fountain because of its overall design. It's simplistic yet complicated. It begins to achieve everythign we try to achieve as designers; say as much as you can by saying very little. It lays on campus as an icon of pure elegance which is completely ironic on the IUPUI campus. The reason that it is so ironic is because IUPUI lies in the heart of downtown Indianapolis (insert screeching noises, sirens, horns, yelling, etc. etc.). So for somethign that elegent to be amidst all of the noise just makes you stop and say whoa... The fountain is sleek yet textured, quiet yet you hear the water, and elegant yet simple.

The elegence may be nice but, I can think of so many more things the money could have been spent on. We are such a diverse school! Why can't we let the artists and the engineers and the designers of our respective schools design our elegence? Why not let our own students put our elegence on our campus instead of wasting the money on a fountain that is just there. We could take that money and spend it on research. Donate it to cancer foundations or the study for diabetes. It's not so much bad design, it is bad design choice.

Poor design means I pay more

Do you personally see anything wrong with this image? Well as a designer yeah, you probably see a lot wrong with it. It's simply a designer perspective. However what you don't notice immediately is that there are no prices anywhere on the entire site. I went throughout the site looking for the prices of the various floor plans and they are simply not there. It's a good sales technique because it makes you come into contact with their leasing office. Flaw by design but of course a great money maker.

However, if you actually live at the marott this design is well beyond flawed.

As a designer it is hard for me to overlook the basic fact that the design of this website is absolutely horrible. I want to focus on a specific aspect of this site. That is the fact that there are absolutely no rent prices anywhere throughout the entire site. As previously stated this is a great sales technique. However, I reside in the appartment complex known as 'The Marott'. I have ONLY resided here for about a month. When we first moved in we had to pay all kinds of fees and rent and the price was just completely different than our actual base rent. Well over the weekend our rent came due. As it were, rent came due on non-other than labor day weekend. My family was in town and I was busy with them. As such, I let the hours of the leasing office get muddy within my thoughts and could not get a hold of them. It's not that I couldn't pay my rent because they have an overnight box and rent is due by the opening of the lease office on their next bussiness day. The problem was that my roommates nor myself knew our base rent. Long story short our rent was late even though I called as soon as the leasing office opened. We ended up owing fees. All of thsi could have been avoided simply by listing the price of the different models of rooms. As a designer that would have been the first thing I made sure was available to the residents of 'The Marott' is that they had everyway to pay and know how much they are paying for rent. It's not a hard concept nor a hard action to execute. Yet, it seems that people are so greedy for money they don't care how backhandedly they have to get it.

When I originally saw the picture of all of these newspapers the first thing that came into my mind was: design by flaw. All of the newspapers are basically saying the exact same thing only with a different author to put their ‘spin’ on what they are writing. While all of these authors are writing the same thing and printing their own version they are killing trees. I’m not trying to go on my own little environmental kick here but it is a waste of paper, trees, time, and print. It seems to me that we should focus less on who is right and who is wrong and more on improving the fragile world that we live in. It would be better if we combined all of our news papers into one or two collaborative newspapers we could reduce the amount of supplies we use and the clutter on the streets. If we took away these tons and tons and tons of newspaper dispensers we could open up space on the streets.

Have you ever noticed where all of the elders are? They are all in nursing homes or in home care or something of that sort. But, why is that? People argue that elders shouldn’t drive and they should be locked away because they are too much work. Could it be that they are too much work because they lose their quality of life? What would happen if elders could be outside and enjoy life even into their 80s and 90s instead of being locked away? There quality of life will improve and they will live not only longer but happier lives. Well how on earth does an 80 year old woman or man get around in a city like Indianapolis? Well Indy-Go already has a great system in place for people who are elder or disabled. The busses are on air suspension systems that lower and they have ramps etc. etc. The only other problem is that elders can’t stand for THAT long. Well guess what, we condensed a ton of news paper dispensers and opened up all that space. Let’s put in benches and plant trees. Now these elders can get around, enjoy a better quality of life, and we have helped the environment tremendously.

Web Page Re-Design

More or less when I saw the original sight I was confused. We’ve been talking about intuition and mine was sheer confusion. I couldn’t decide whether or not I liked this sight. What I did to deal with this problem was break apart the main points of the sight. When I broke it down I got that instant feeling of ‘yuck’. The sight, moreover, seemed cluttered in a simplistic say and at the same time took advantage of a color scheme that is growing in popularity. For the life of me, I don’t understand why people are in so captivated by the particular color scheme. It is simply a hodgepodge of some of the most opposite colors that are in the spectrum. It wasn’t that the colors displeased the eye in a straining way it was more that they are just colors that shouldn’t be together. The background takes the darker shade of that orange to keep it exactly where it is: in the background. That in itself is fine, yet it seems that they tried to brighten it up and pull other pieces of information out. However, they made everything contrast and be bright. A lot of it is that your eyes can’t figure out where in the world they want to go. The color scheme is so overwhelming that it can confuse a viewer.

Once a person can finally get past the random array of colors they may begin to feel bombarded (that is definitely how I felt). Granted I have seen more cluttered sights in my time, but this one is so overtaken by color that your brain almost can’t handle it. It is completely overwhelming in an artistic sense. It was as though someone was out to show their creativity and just went overboard with it. What sets us apart from the crowd has to stay on the correct side of the line. If we cross that theoretical line then the crowds will dissipate because they can’t handle THAT much creativity. Then, what purpose have we served? Yes, our artwork is out there but no one will look at it. We have to manipulate the so called ‘crowd’. Give things to them in small doses; keep them wanting more. Perhaps the most overlooked principle of design is that of mystery.
The first thing I did when I redesigned the sight was to keep the basic shapes behind all of the information basic. I wanted people to feel comfortable when they looked at the sight; to an extent boos their self confidence by giving them an ever so slight feeling of being smart. Shapes are something we, as the human race, have known since our earliest school days. These basic shapes, subconsciously, allow people to feel comforted because they are involved in something they are very familiar with. This instantly gives them a high level of comfort and makes them want to delve deeper into the sight.

The next objective was simplistic, yet it takes a lot of thought to accomplish; I tackled the colors. I used dark yet warm colors to make people feel comfortable and welcome. It gave them the opportunity to look around the sight on their at their own free will instead of having their eyes ‘torn’ from place to place by a radical color scheme. I tried to make the background darker than normal, but at the same time not so dark that every color I presented against it would pop in a very bright way straining a person’s eyes. A theory I have is that: the more comfortable a person feels on a website the more apt they are to stay there. I used certain color schemes that were noticeable enough to lead the eye but at the same time not bright enough to force it somewhere. I tried to find a happy medium within those two points for the login box. I wanted people to be able to instantly know where to log in, but at the same time I wanted them to be able to ignore it if they were not there to log into a particular profile.

Now the other thing that ‘bugged’ me about the original sight was how cluttered it seemed. The first panel I thought was pretty good. It was more or less a title and a picture with an explanation of what the sight was in simplest terms. Of course, all of this was followed by the sights on version of a join button which I labeled ‘click me’. The next two panels presented a little bit of a challenge to me. They both seemed cluttered and empty at the same time. I understood what they were trying to do but at the same time they didn’t do a very good job of it. To solve the problem in both of the panels I limited them each to one excerpt of their given topic and added a ‘see more’ button at the bottom the panel. In addition, on the third panel, I added a picture to give it a little more body. Lastly, I decided to keep the buttons along the top for navigation purposes. I examined different ways to remove them but quickly realized they were essential to the navigation of the sight not necessarily on the home page but on other pages on the site.

Musical Stereotype

First of all please view the following link. It is crucial to the blog's topic.
http://yadogg.com/pictures/6-phases-of-work-explained-with-cat-pics/

When I saw this for the first time I laughed and laughed. It really brightened up my day. While I was reading through it I noticed some of the MAJOR musical stero-types coupled with how much people hate their jobs. Please note that I am speaking in the stereotypical forms and they do not represent my actuall feelings towards said type of music.

Phase one uses Jazz music. More or less Jazz music is listened to by people who are laid back, mellow, and overall are relaxed. Also, Jazz music is a good way to relax. First day of work you're feeling awesome and 'wishaw' esque. You are just kind of chilling and loving work and of course loving life.

Phase two uses Pop music. Pop music is up beat and makes you want to dance. It is frequently used when somone needs to feel more up-tempo or work out etc. etc. At work things have gotten VERY busy; sign here, initial there, type this, answer the phone, watch your email. Oh, man it's hectic. You're bouncing off the walls trying to keep up. Are you at work or have you been transposed into a music video for a popular Pop artist?

Phase 3 uses Heavy Metal. Heavy metal is that deep, sometimes dark, and always loud music that makes you want to 'head bang'. You want to thrust your head back and forth and scream along with the music. You've been working now for 6 months. You know how to handle the speed of everythign but man this job has gotten stressful. Time for some headbanging. Maybe something will get in your way and you will slam your head. Wohoo a day off!!(even if it does result in a headache and possible medical bills)!!!

Phase 4 uses Hip-Hop. Hip hop is listened to by stoners. People who lay around and get fat. They wear baggy clothes to make themselves look even fatter OR if they are a skinny whiteboy that wears layers of baggy close to make themselves look fatter. You have the general feeling of 'Oh yeah man...the walls are moving'. You're at work with a bandage on your head. You had a little to much fun with the headbanging. You are having hard time fitting into your cubical. You are convinced it has gotten smaller; the walls are moving...closing in! In all actuality you have just gotten super fat.

Phase 5 uses Gangsta Rap. Gangsta rap is the screwed up hybrid between Hip-Hop and Heavy Metal. You don't go full out headbanging but you are bobbing you're head around and dancing in your chair a little bit. Your at work completely convinced that your cubicle has it out for you. Your doing your little dance when the chair breaks. You have become so freaking fat that you can't even function. Your hair is a mess and you belly is falling out of your shirt. This is completely pathetic but your are almost to your mental breaking point.

Phase 6 are the Voices in Your Head!!! Over another period of time you have lost all of the weight you put on and thensome. You have been pushed past your psycological limit and are listening to the voices in your head. You are twitchy and don't trust anyone. You have moved on from believing your cubical has it out for you to believing your over cheary co-workers are coming for you. You mumble to yourself and type continously on your computer. But today is your lucky day!! Your best friends are here to see you!! You smile and wave to the men in the white suites. You are so ecstatic that you are going on a field trip as they escort you from your cubicle and into the plush van.

A lot of people would look at these stereotypes and laugh. They are extreme but two some degree they are all the ways that people actually look at those types of music. There is no real way to fix a stereotype. People are always going to have their opinions and that is what is great about the lives we live. we are free to believe what we want and how we want.