For those of you who have heard my relatively unchallenged remarks about this nightmare of a state where I live, I make no apology.
None.
If my readers in this pan-shaped house of horrors north of Texas don't like it, too bad.
I will not be returning to this state after graduation. EVER.
Oklahoma is a barren state. Corrupt politicians, half-baked efforts on roads, poor educational quality (even at OU and OSU), a flagship college football in Norman whose athletes don't do anything but cheat, cheat, and cheat some more...the list goes forward.
No apology.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Belated congratulations.
To my readers in the Gainesville, FL, USA, region: I stand and stood with you in your support of the 'Gators of the University of Florida as they stomped that horsecrap from Norman, Oklahomo. You can't spell FOUL without OU. "And" Tim Tebow, as Bob Costas would have styled his words about SF 49er/KC Chief Hall of Famer Joe Montana in Super Bowl XXIII, "belongs on the very short list of" people who can divide by zero. (YouTube keyword: Super Bowl XXIII Ad, look for the one about seven minutes long) As for that fat pig Sam Bradford, he can read all about David and Goliath all he wants, but OU will NEVER win ANY GAME for the OU Criminals/Sooners as long as 100 years have not yet passed from today. At anything. (Sorry.) Anyway, congrats, Gators. OU SUCKS.
Speaking of the Super Bowl: In a previous post before Super Bowl XLIII, I noted that I would not seriously pick one team over the other. Congratulations, Pittsburgh Steeler fans. It's nice to see that the Dallas Cryboys (especially T.O.) aren't tied for the lead in Vince Lombardi Trophies. Cardinals fans, I know how it feels to lose. It sucks. But just you wait. Your time will come. Could it come against Belicheat, Tom Fraidy, and the New England Cheatriots in South Florida for SB XLIV? You'll get the podium really soon, I'm sure.
God bless America. Signing off.
Speaking of the Super Bowl: In a previous post before Super Bowl XLIII, I noted that I would not seriously pick one team over the other. Congratulations, Pittsburgh Steeler fans. It's nice to see that the Dallas Cryboys (especially T.O.) aren't tied for the lead in Vince Lombardi Trophies. Cardinals fans, I know how it feels to lose. It sucks. But just you wait. Your time will come. Could it come against Belicheat, Tom Fraidy, and the New England Cheatriots in South Florida for SB XLIV? You'll get the podium really soon, I'm sure.
God bless America. Signing off.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Autism Legislation
Are you kidding me?
http://www.kokh.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.ok/2f652791-www.okcfox.com.shtml
A state legislator from Tishomingo wants to require that autism treatment and diagnosis is covered by health insurance. You have to be kidding me. These children need to learn what it really is like in the real world, rather than have speech-language pathologists (and maybe state legislators), their parents, and special-education teachers baby them and coddle them from cradle to grave. Grow up. This is ridiculous. (This rationale comes supplementary to the rationale by state Republicans.) I am a registered Republican AND a college student AND an aspiring undergraduate researcher in mathematics; as we say in the business, the Dems' logic is fuzzy and not even suitable for a computational or theoretical standpoint. Allowing this to pass is like trying to prove that two plus two is any integer that isn't four: IT WON'T WORK. Have we changed from the Sooner State to the Special-Ed State?
http://www.kokh.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.ok/2f652791-www.okcfox.com.shtml
A state legislator from Tishomingo wants to require that autism treatment and diagnosis is covered by health insurance. You have to be kidding me. These children need to learn what it really is like in the real world, rather than have speech-language pathologists (and maybe state legislators), their parents, and special-education teachers baby them and coddle them from cradle to grave. Grow up. This is ridiculous. (This rationale comes supplementary to the rationale by state Republicans.) I am a registered Republican AND a college student AND an aspiring undergraduate researcher in mathematics; as we say in the business, the Dems' logic is fuzzy and not even suitable for a computational or theoretical standpoint. Allowing this to pass is like trying to prove that two plus two is any integer that isn't four: IT WON'T WORK. Have we changed from the Sooner State to the Special-Ed State?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
No Name Tonight 1
Here I am, another long, unforgiving Saturday evening. Is it?
They say that college learning goes "beyond the books," and trust me, it does. You don't learn about humanitarianism in a book, nor do you learn from said source about the value of a dollar. Not even if you are a business major of any sort. Those are life lessons.
So I'm here in my dorm tonight writing, getting over my third round of bronchitis since October (is this ominous?) with yet another round of antibiotics. Yet I'm still smiling. I face the 99.999% probability of yet another Valentine's Day, another Saturday night, another February, with no date; seemingly worse (and you'll see why I said "seemingly"), God has given me a powerful story to share, yet without an ear to listen. Yet I'm still smiling. I face criticism on a daily, almost hourly basis during my waking hours, for being "too smart," "too willing to take a risk that might not work" (see my post on the 2008 Putnam Exam), "too green," "too" this or that. Yet what do I do? I remember a valuable piece of advice a neighbor near whom I once lived in the Oklahoma City area only a month before moving to Weatherford, OK, that he gave me when a promising research operation that was just God and I was about to bust:
People might think you're out of your mind, but so be it. You have a job to do, and all you need do is push forward with your dreams. (By the way, the previous quotes that I used aren't real quotes; the first quotes I noted wouldn't be my words.)
I will start my third attempt to do research during extracurricular time sometime this semester. You would think that after two failed research attempts, I would have quit. You would have thought me to be somewhat out of my mind to even try again. But it goes back to the cowboy mindset: When a horse knocks you off in the middle of a pasture, get back up in the saddle.
So why am I mentioning all these seemingly unconnected things in the same writing? They do indeed tie together because no matter how badly things can be, they can always be a great deal worse.
I close tonight's post with a quote I found, interestingly enough, in a telephone directory for west-central Oklahoma. This came from the 31st US President, Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933): "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Enjoy your Saturday (or Sunday, wherever in the world my readers may be).
P. S.: I am not offering a pick for Super Bowl XLIII, as the two teams I picked in April of last year to make Sunday's game both missed the playoffs: "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys (9-7 for the third of the last four seasons), for the NFC; and the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10 or 5-11; Jags fans, please post corrections, as I lost count about week 3) for the AFC. I predicted the Cowboys to go all the way to the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation for a record sixth Super Bowl trophy. Whether you cheer for the "Steel Curtain" (Pittsburgh), or the newcomers from Arizona(/St. Louis/Chicago), or whether you don't care at all as I don't, please be grateful for what you have, as we are all struggling right now through a tough economic typhoon. Have a great Super Sunday. God bless you.
They say that college learning goes "beyond the books," and trust me, it does. You don't learn about humanitarianism in a book, nor do you learn from said source about the value of a dollar. Not even if you are a business major of any sort. Those are life lessons.
So I'm here in my dorm tonight writing, getting over my third round of bronchitis since October (is this ominous?) with yet another round of antibiotics. Yet I'm still smiling. I face the 99.999% probability of yet another Valentine's Day, another Saturday night, another February, with no date; seemingly worse (and you'll see why I said "seemingly"), God has given me a powerful story to share, yet without an ear to listen. Yet I'm still smiling. I face criticism on a daily, almost hourly basis during my waking hours, for being "too smart," "too willing to take a risk that might not work" (see my post on the 2008 Putnam Exam), "too green," "too" this or that. Yet what do I do? I remember a valuable piece of advice a neighbor near whom I once lived in the Oklahoma City area only a month before moving to Weatherford, OK, that he gave me when a promising research operation that was just God and I was about to bust:
People might think you're out of your mind, but so be it. You have a job to do, and all you need do is push forward with your dreams. (By the way, the previous quotes that I used aren't real quotes; the first quotes I noted wouldn't be my words.)
I will start my third attempt to do research during extracurricular time sometime this semester. You would think that after two failed research attempts, I would have quit. You would have thought me to be somewhat out of my mind to even try again. But it goes back to the cowboy mindset: When a horse knocks you off in the middle of a pasture, get back up in the saddle.
So why am I mentioning all these seemingly unconnected things in the same writing? They do indeed tie together because no matter how badly things can be, they can always be a great deal worse.
I close tonight's post with a quote I found, interestingly enough, in a telephone directory for west-central Oklahoma. This came from the 31st US President, Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933): "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Enjoy your Saturday (or Sunday, wherever in the world my readers may be).
P. S.: I am not offering a pick for Super Bowl XLIII, as the two teams I picked in April of last year to make Sunday's game both missed the playoffs: "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys (9-7 for the third of the last four seasons), for the NFC; and the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10 or 5-11; Jags fans, please post corrections, as I lost count about week 3) for the AFC. I predicted the Cowboys to go all the way to the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation for a record sixth Super Bowl trophy. Whether you cheer for the "Steel Curtain" (Pittsburgh), or the newcomers from Arizona(/St. Louis/Chicago), or whether you don't care at all as I don't, please be grateful for what you have, as we are all struggling right now through a tough economic typhoon. Have a great Super Sunday. God bless you.
Monday, January 26, 2009
What I'm Not, But What I Am
Tonight, as the bulk of the ice storm rolls through the 46th US State of Oklahoma, I would like to re-affirm things I'm not (in a few words), followed by what I am.
1. A hero. Why? I haven't done anything extraordinary. I try to be a role model; that's more
important to me. I don't smoke, drink, party, or do drugs--or really anything stupid.
2. A celebrity, by any stretch. I'm glad that isn't true...
What I am:
1. A faithful Christian who stumbles all the time. Yet also remember that even before I was saved in 2003, my very first memory verse was 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (NASB) It's hard in college because there are so many temptations, but I have found that God is my Shield in times of great trial and triumph. He carried me through the Putnam, good times, and bad times as well. He'll always be there for me, and He can be there for you if you call upon Him.
That's all.
1. A hero. Why? I haven't done anything extraordinary. I try to be a role model; that's more
important to me. I don't smoke, drink, party, or do drugs--or really anything stupid.
2. A celebrity, by any stretch. I'm glad that isn't true...
What I am:
1. A faithful Christian who stumbles all the time. Yet also remember that even before I was saved in 2003, my very first memory verse was 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (NASB) It's hard in college because there are so many temptations, but I have found that God is my Shield in times of great trial and triumph. He carried me through the Putnam, good times, and bad times as well. He'll always be there for me, and He can be there for you if you call upon Him.
That's all.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
From Oklahoma's Wind Energy Capital, Commentary for January 24, 2009.
Good evening, fans; how are you?
Tonight I want to talk about something that is troubling.
As I speak tonight, many are headed to a bar or a nightclub or otherwise for a Saturday night "refresher"--a term I use loosely--before some will decide to face a pastor, a priest, a rabbi, a family member...I could spend ten lines of this blog deciphering as many possible scenarios of which I could think for after the bar or nightclub scene.
Here in Weatherford, you would think that partying is minimal, right? Yes and no.
Partying is minimal because the police are doing a fantastic job (from the heart) of stopping this bologna. Case in point: I read the newspaper for our town as many days as I am able. I sleep better at night knowing that local police are even going so far as to tell partygoers to turn their noise down. (So if you are a police officer reading this blog, thank you. Nobody is perfect, true; however, you're doing all you can to protect the community.)
With that in mind, let's remember one thing: "When the cat goes away, the mice like to play." Thursday night this week around my dormitory was empty, namely in the lobby. Now, I am not going to assume that everyone who wasn't in the dorm that lives there was at a local bar. But I will say that some did go. All over a gas station wall, you can find 8 x 11 advertisements for bars nearby, sometimes as far as 50 miles away. And I will not say that everyone there drank, for this would be an assumption. But I'm usually scared to go within two miles of the place because of what goes on there. I shudder when I think of lives lost from a party that simply proceeded out of hand. It's certainly troubling, and it has been my argument that whenever alcohol is at a party, there will always be someone or something that will set someone off, sometimes to a violent or other type of criminal degree. I know this sounds horrible, but it's true. Alcohol is the debunker of common sense; for this purpose, it would be this in a party situation.
So as you go party tonight--if you do--please. Be responsible. Think of someone who cares for you. What would they say if they never saw you again?
Enjoy your Saturday. (And if you have been partying, I would hope that you have been responsible.)
Tonight I want to talk about something that is troubling.
As I speak tonight, many are headed to a bar or a nightclub or otherwise for a Saturday night "refresher"--a term I use loosely--before some will decide to face a pastor, a priest, a rabbi, a family member...I could spend ten lines of this blog deciphering as many possible scenarios of which I could think for after the bar or nightclub scene.
Here in Weatherford, you would think that partying is minimal, right? Yes and no.
Partying is minimal because the police are doing a fantastic job (from the heart) of stopping this bologna. Case in point: I read the newspaper for our town as many days as I am able. I sleep better at night knowing that local police are even going so far as to tell partygoers to turn their noise down. (So if you are a police officer reading this blog, thank you. Nobody is perfect, true; however, you're doing all you can to protect the community.)
With that in mind, let's remember one thing: "When the cat goes away, the mice like to play." Thursday night this week around my dormitory was empty, namely in the lobby. Now, I am not going to assume that everyone who wasn't in the dorm that lives there was at a local bar. But I will say that some did go. All over a gas station wall, you can find 8 x 11 advertisements for bars nearby, sometimes as far as 50 miles away. And I will not say that everyone there drank, for this would be an assumption. But I'm usually scared to go within two miles of the place because of what goes on there. I shudder when I think of lives lost from a party that simply proceeded out of hand. It's certainly troubling, and it has been my argument that whenever alcohol is at a party, there will always be someone or something that will set someone off, sometimes to a violent or other type of criminal degree. I know this sounds horrible, but it's true. Alcohol is the debunker of common sense; for this purpose, it would be this in a party situation.
So as you go party tonight--if you do--please. Be responsible. Think of someone who cares for you. What would they say if they never saw you again?
Enjoy your Saturday. (And if you have been partying, I would hope that you have been responsible.)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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