Holiday - Things to ponder: Q and Think.

Hey if your bored this Christmas season ponder over this article and the ensuing questions. Questions of Christmas, religion and pretty much just life. I'll try to follow up this post with my own thoughts in the new year for the things I need to get off my chest and am passionate about.

But really I just think it's important for everyone to think over this sort of stuff especially in this sort of season when we're celebrating life and love:
QandThink#1

Ricky Gervais Takes Your Questions


Q#2: Other than response to this article, what is one specific person/place/thing that you "love" in this season and what is one thing that you crave about this season?

Merry New Holidays

RE: QA#5

On the topic I realize recently it's more important to thank people for taking the time to think of you than the actual gift.

I suck at gifts. I am good at giving my time freely. I don't know if I will give any gifts this year, maybe, but there's so many people, and I really do love them all so much (really not meaning to be cliche) so I don't know I really want to just be with people and hope that is good enough. If it is not, please tell me and I will enter a gifting relationship with you. *<:)

I think the best gift I ever received legit was a invitation to and then participation of my first actually "happy" new years with good friends in the middle of highschool.

...but if you are talking about only "stuff" um, I guess a old school tablehockey set from my aunt. Not air-hockey, but the old use your fingers to flick and twist the five dudes attached to rails, table hockey. For some reason it just brought me a lot of joy. First gift I ever got that I actually wanted a lot and did not have to ask for I guess.

The favorite present I have given someone is, well I usually only give during secret santas. But I did have many gifts from the drama China trip a few of us went on a few years back. I really put some serious thought into who would enjoy what. I never really got to give them to the people they were for; even though some people I feel I can't give the presents to anymore present day (I miss those people... yup...). So! I guess the best gift I ever gave was a gift I was never really able to give.

Also: Christmas Lights
Cliche and cheezy I know. but good, I think.


BY THE WAY: Christmas season car rides are the best.

Re: Q&A 5 Christmas

I'm going to have to keep this brief, what with the impending doom of finals, research papers, and general malaise of December weather.

I really don't think it's any harder to buy for guys than it is for girls. And I don't think it's any harder to buy for girls than it is for for guys. It's completely independent and based on the person themselves. Some people are more thoughtful on this sort of thing. They know what they want, or could at least imagine something that would be useful to them. Other people are much less adept at identifying anything that they need. Still others don't need anything because the minute they think of something they need, they rush out and buy it for themselves.

I think it'd be foolish of me to think it's safe to fill the Internet in on what I'm getting people for Christmas. Especially since I know that the majority of people I would be actually getting gifts for are probably aware of this site or at the least could become aware of it in the next sixteen days. However, I will say that I've really only managed to come up with three ideas, all of which I've executed. Two of which were very small. One of which was larger, but I definitely pawned the expenses off to my parents. Give and take relationship, that is. I give the gift of giving.

My favourite gifts I've received are probably, for sentimentality's sake, things I've got from my grandparents. Everyone knows that sometimes grandparents can come up with some duds for gifts, but even then, you can recognize the thoughtfulness that went into it. But more than every once in a while, grandparents find a way to come up with something that makes you really understand what a good gift is. Whether it's paying attention to the things they know you love, or passing on something to you of theirs, you feel like they always put more into the gift than you can tell.

I can't honestly think of the best gift I've given. I like to think that I'm capable of the dramatic, grand gesture--delivering the impossible. But I'm not. My dad is good at that. I'm really not even creative enough to begin thinking of great gifts. I really feel like the best gifts, though, are the ones you come across for people that you're not thinking about at the time. Of course, it's so much harder to do this around Christmas when shopping is on the brain. But those moments in August when you spot something that you know should absolutely belong to that one specific person. And then you wait.

I'm adding a picture of Christmas. And I think you should too.

Yeah, I did. So what?

P.S. I know it's tough to free up time for any sort of activity over here during what is exam time for many of you. That being said, I will do my best to get something up here either during my four day break between my last exams (which is really a two day break--thank you, research paper). However, if I don't, I'll try my best to put one up on either the night of the 18th, morning of the 19th, or night of the 19th. Depending on how much drunk the night of the 18th is. Of course, if enough people want me to, I can always try cranking one out whilst shmammered.

Q&A#5

I love Christmas. I love the sparkling lights, the warmth from the fire place, the comfort of family and giving presents to those who are close to me (and being done exams... let's not forget about that most glorious part).

I'm calling it quits for tonight for studying and as I was packing up my things, I was thinking about things I want to buy for people for Christmas. I like to come up with my own ideas and something that is creative, but it gets so hard sometimes (ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE BUYING FOR GUYS... I have 7 to buy for!)

This leads me to my question (s):

What are you giving for Christmas, what has/have been your favourite present(s) received (in case anyone thinks I'm all materialistic, I'd like to exclude the birth of Jesus... that's just a give in) and what has been your most favourite present you have given someone?

My mom and I have a tradition where we watch Charlie Brown Christmas every year. That being said...

Re: Q&A #3

1. Brooke Fraser-Flags
You may know her from Hillsong fame (apparently shes a popstar in newzealand as well) but shes done some pretty cool solo work.
I think what I enjoyed about this album the most was how she seemed to grow since her last album. She noticeably mixes things up and takes a few risks on this one which in my opinion worked out really well. To give a bit of background to that thought - her last album was something girls around the age of 15 would love. I think shes really come out of that box with flags which is very cool to see and is much appreciated.
I particularly like the writing on this newest one. Its pretty thoughtful.

2. Jonsi - Go
This album is super fun. Its epic, awe inspiring, orchestral, upbeat... The guy is from Sigur Ros. If your familiar with that band at all you'll have a loose idea of what to expect. I like this album more than anything I've listened to of there's though.
It really has to be heard. GO Do it.

3. Future of Forestry

I've been listening to two EPs by this band under the names Travel I and Travel II. Both are fantastic and seem to go together and grow upon the previous nicely.
I really like the sound. As I think about it, its hard to describe but at the same time seems so clear to me. From what I've read, hes a Christian guy, and it does come out in the music. Not in a nauseating, overt way (in my opinion) but in a 'oh! that's neat to hear that' kinda way. Get my drift? Again I like the writing and the images he uses. There's also some cool instruments and sounds happening that you don't hear all to often.


*A few songs from each are up on mediafire

Re: Q&A #3

So i'm actually going to post in here for once...

I couldn't tell you which are my absolute favourite albums, so I'll just share a few of the ones that have been getting me through my work over the past few weeks.

1. Florence and the Machine - Lungs

I had a few songs by her before, but only fairly recently got the whole album. I like.

Fav songs:

- Drumming

- Howl

- Dog Days Are Over

2. Foy Vance - Hope

I've had this album for years, but you know when you re-discover an old album in your collection and listening to it just makes you feel all warm and content and reminiscent? Well that's this album for me. He's been a favourite since I first heard him.

Fav songs:

- Be With Me

- First of July

- Gabriel and the Vegabond

- Indiscriminate Acts of Kindness

- If Only You Could See Yourself Like I See

... basically just the whole thing.

3. James Blunt - Some Kind of Trouble

Don't even laugh, guys.... it's so UPBEAT!

Fav songs:

- Stay the Night

- I'll Be Your Man

Others that I want to include but won't in order to keep it shortish:

- Marc Broussard - Carenco

- Meiko - Meiko

- Joshua Radin - The Rock and the Tide

Re: Q&A 3

I had a hard time doing this because I don't listen to albums, but rather just songs in general that I like. I'm not expecting any of you to like this or even bother to listen to this given the fact that you all know my taste in music and have all voiced your opinions before. Here it is anyways:

Songs:
Back to December
Mine
Mean
Enchanted
Never Grow Up
Innocent
Sparks Fly

RE: Q&A Number 3

All right, so I think I've finally got this thing figured out. And by "this thing" I mean the whole mediafire, file-sharing set up. So let's see if this worked.

So, since I live in no-wheresville, my internet is pretty slow. Since it's pretty slow, I didn't get to put up as many songs as I'd have liked, but there comes a certain point where you just say "that's good enough," and walk away.

And since pictures are nice, here you go.Just to reiterate, these songs are from Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City (Stay or Leave, So Damn Lucky, Lie in Our Graves), and Dave Matthews Band: Live at Piedmont Park (One Sweet World, Grey Street, Melissa). They should all be up on the mediafire account.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Re: Q&A #3

I always find this fun, so let's have at it!

My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Ever since MCR came out with "The Black Parade", I've been a fan of their music. I've always seemed to love concept albums and with "Danger Days", they've found that niche again. If you're up for it, you can read the concept for yourself here. It's just good old rock and roll with that party feel all wrapped up inside of it. I'm loving the whole thing, but a few worth listening to are (other than the two singles already released):

Bulletproof Heart

Party Poison

Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back

S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W

The Kids from Yesterday

Next:

The Barenaked Ladies - Stunt

A bit of an older album, but I've been listening to it more and more lately. Just gotta love the 'naked ladies! (no pun intended). Few notable songs:

One Week

It's All Been Done

Never Is Enough

Who Needs Sleep?

That's all for now. They are up on mediafire

Q&A#4

"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
-Albert Einstein

I believe this is true of Christianity.

Discuss?

Re: Q3

Wintersleep - Welcome to the Night Sky
(Good for chilling)

Umm not really new, and you may have it. but just been listening to random recently.

This Blew My Mind

Okay, so it just impressed me.

Refraction from Jesse Zanzinger on Vimeo.

Let it load and then watch it in HD. Pretty spiffy. That is all.

Re: Q&A 3 Albums

I promised I'd answer my own question once I had a little bit of time freed up, and I suppose that time is now. Or, rather, I suppose that if now isn't that time, then I should be doing some homework. But I don't really want to cross that bridge just yet.

For me, currently, music usually comes in waves. I'll really like something for a few weeks/months, and then it'll fade out as it's replaced by something new. The downside to constantly looking for new material. But then sometimes I get caught in a riptide as a really good album or song comes back from the past to carry me off to music-induced-euphoria (that's a link that showed up when I Googled "euphoria"; check it out). But on to the stuff I'm really digging right now (without throwing you into the deep end of my musical tastes, I'll try and move there slowly while still attempting to expand your horizons).

Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager



A very unearthly feeling for another album titled Man on the Moon. It's really a great musical journey from the perspective of things really sucking and deciding to blow past them. In other words, when you feel like you're going one-on-one with the world and figure, somehow, that you might still win. Love the album artwork, too. Because even though it's kind of overdone, it really feels like it fits.
Top Songs:
Scott Mescudi Vs. The World
Don't Play This Song (ft. Mary J. Blige)
Mr. Rager
These Worries (ft. Mary J. Blige)
GHOST!
All Along

For Emma, Forever Ago



Everyone has already heard my bit on the Bon Iver album, but it's really good. I love the hollow sound, or whatever it is you want to call it. Everything about the way that it was recorded gives it that whole "recorded in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere during a period of isolation and hermit living" feeling. Like the fact that it TOTALLY WAS.
Top Songs:
Skinny Love
The Wolves (Act I and II)
Blindsided
Re:Stacks
Creature Fear

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy



Saved it for last, because it's just crazy-good. I don't know how to explain it. If anyone heard 808s & Heartbreak, that was the cut-down, simple, and clean Kanye West. Then this is the glorious, exaggerated, complete Kanye West. Everything is symphonic, in a brilliant way. I just wish I could get that inventive sometimes, y'know? Seriously, every song has a five star rating on my iTunes. Anyway, here's my favourites off the album.
Top Songs:
Dark Fantasy
All Of The Lights (ft. everyone ever)
Runaway (ft. Pusha T.)
Blame Game (ft. John Legend)
Lost In The World (ft. Bon Iver)


All of those songs will be up on mediafire. I know I already had the Bon Iver ones there, but just in case. Also, I know that some of you may be hesitant to download stuff by Kanye West or KiD CuDi, but trust me, I'm not wrong.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dq2ejt14j0729

Q&A 3

First off, I'll apologize for the long hiatus.

Today it's a bit of a more superficial kind of thing. Of course, knowing how much we all like our music, it'll probably digress into something a lot more than that. My question for everyone is this: What are your favourite albums right now? Not individual songs. Not individual artists. Not three songs by the same artist.

And in an effort to get this going, I'm expecting all of you to post your favourite song from each album onto the Mediafire account. Because sharing is sparing me the effort of finding it myself.

So let's go. Bonus marks for in depth analysis as to why they're your favourites.

In honor of what was one of the best months of music, for me. As well as iTunes releasing The Beatles stuff. Which really was a bigger deal than it should have been. But at the same time is a bigger deal than we made it. Let's face it, the world's going digital.

And finally, all of you should join Twitter. I know, I know, "Twitter is just a whole mess of self-indulgence and idiocy." But it's really not idiotic. And besides, you all wrote/write on blogs for the whole world to see. How much more goddamn self-indulgent can we be? This much!

RE: Q&A2 AND a question!

Since high school and even since first year university, I feel the biggest changes that have been made are through my feelings, thoughts and interactions towards other people. Specifically, I have come to realize that not everyone is like me, thinks like me or has the same moral compass as me. This used to frustrate me so much in the past to the point where I would want to throw a pillow at them (I was going to say punch them, but that's just too mean). I couldn't understand how people got mad and held grudges over the stupidest things that weren't even a big deal (Yes, I know I do that too). I think that in the way I learned and experienced this the most is when people didn't understand MY views and didn't respect why I didn't want to do different things. For the life of me, I can't really remember any concrete examples where this was pretty significant, but I do remember girls having problems with me not really wanting to dance with other boys at a club/bar (they had boyfriends too). In other words, I guess I could say that I missed our little "TD bubble". I felt as though I didn't fundamentally click on the same level due to having different religious/moral backgrounds. It definitely made me miss and appreciate you guys that much more and made me realize who my true friends were or who I wanted my close friends to be or at least who I could confide in.

After many talks with people in my "venting" sessions, I slowly began to realize more and more that my frustration wasn't exactly directed at them as a person, but was due to not understanding how in the world some people could be so stupid and think so irrationally. Now when I am in a situation and catch myself thinking how dumb (in my opinion) some people are in the way they react, I simply tell myself that they are not like me and this is what makes the world go round.

Since you guys touched on the faith aspect, I guess I have to do that too. I feel as though my faith has remained the same, although it was challenged many of times. School really kicked my butt the first few years which made me upset and really mad at God. I didn't quite understand why all of my hard work wasn't paying off but funny thing is, as I was thinking about writing this earlier today, I dawned on me to a certain extent why I was having such hard times. I know I'm not strong at the physiology stuff, but instead have a strength in the psychology/directly helping and influencing people. It's as if the pathways were being paved for me or as if I was being molded into a helping-people-person, for lack of better words.

I also came to a point in first year where I visited Redeemer and saw how other people were acting and how they "appeared" so into God and everything. It really made me question things and wonder if I'm even worthy of God. Yes, I believed, but they just seemed so into it and I felt like I would never get to that point. I then heard that people do put on a front, so it made me a little more comfortable so I am back where I was originally. I still feel as though I'm on a God smorgasbord where there are certain things I do (i.e. drink alcohol and yes, occasionally too much... not very often though) and it's hard for me to want to stop (okay... that totally made me sound like an alcoholic but I didn't mean it like that). I know that in a blink of an eye, life can be taken away from me and where would I be then? Do we need to take the Bible so literally? Christianity does boggle my mind with it's complexities and it's blind faith which leads me to question it, but there's always something that makes me hold on to it. Without faith, I am a mess and I need that stability to keep me grounded.

A lesson that I relearned today is that I should never make assumptions before I meet someone. It's not fair to the person and you could be missing out on an opportunity to meet someone great. I have done that a few times and yes, there have been times where my assumptions have been right but today I was reminded that it is easy to be very wrong. There are people in your lives that can add a whole new element and bring you experiences in which enrich your lives. Guys, never let an opportunity of knowing someone pass you by.

One final thing. Gosh, I am a blabber writer. Today I had a guest speaker come in who did some health promotion thing at the White House, sold his company and now is in Ireland, pursuing his bucket list. Something he said stuck with me and it's so simple. Dream big. Don't see problems, but seem them as challenges.

MAYBE this can lead me to a question for you guys. What are some things on your bucket list or at least current dreams you may have?

RE: Q&A2

There is a part of me that wants to give concrete, specific examples to answer this Q & A. I feel like so many of my opinions, feelings, values and beliefs have been challenged and subsequently changed since high school. I think that questioning what you believe is healthy. But to give you examples is to give you the what without the how and I don't know if I can do that.

I just don’t know how to go about starting to answer how my beliefs have changed. Most of my beliefs are shaped by the experiences I have with people. I can tell you that I believe that practicing homosexuality is right/wrong/not even the question to be asking but the reason I have that belief is because of the people I’ve met and the experiences they have related to me. I have a hard time relating to you these experiences in an articulate manner unless you've shared the same experience. Or I could try telling you my experiences and you could tell me your experience and maybe I'll change my beliefs based on your story and the relationship you have with me. I'm not saying my beliefs are all based on feelings. I think lots about why I believe what I believe. But can you separate thinking with your head (objectivity) and thinking with your heart (subjectivity)? I don't think you can. And maybe that’s just where I’ve been challenged the most in University: rationality is not objective. All we believe is based on our biases, our experiences, and our prejudices. I'd even argue that everything we know is based on some belief.

Let me try to give you some references to my thoughts. Out of all my classes, I’ve been most challenged about my beliefs through my English classes. Literary theorist Gadamer argues against being able to objectively criticize art: “Is it not true that when a work of art has seized us it no longer leaves us the freedom to push it away from us once again and to accept or reject it on our own terms?”

I’ve also been reading Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism? written by Jamie Smith who argues that postmodern philosophy does not necessarily always disagree with Christian belief. (As a forewarning, it takes a lot of effort for me to read what he’s trying to say much less paraphrase his beliefs logically). Smith argues that Christianity agrees with Lyotard who argues that truth is a matter of interpretation. Does this mean truth is completely relative? No. There can still be a right interpretation and a wrong interpretation but it’s still an interpretation. In some cases, multiple interpretations are simply offering differing perspectives of the same reality and therefore are all valid. Don’t believe me? If you believe in the Resurrection of Christ, just look at the differing Gospel accounts of it.

I want to get more concrete than this. I don't want to just tell you how my beliefs about truth has changed. I want to tell you about what has changed in what I believe to be true. But I can't. Maybe it’s because if I start telling you about my experiences then it’s personal. It’s easier for me to get emotional or frustrated if you don’t agree because I can’t hear your tone of voice or look you in the eye. It's also easier for you to get emotional or frustrated if you can't hear my tone of voice or look me in the eye.

But back to the experiences point. Getting out of high school is challenging because you meet more people with a lot more ideas. Last year I remember recalling a couple of conversations I had with people during that day and thinking to myself that two years ago I would have never pictured myself helping someone through that. And maybe some of us were struggling with the same things (actually, I know some of us were) and we were just less honest about it then.

That being said, University has its own bubble. Just like our high school had a mould of what a person should believe/feel/think so does University. It might vary more significantly from faculty to faculty, professor to professor, textbook to textbook but each has its own assumptions. I believe it’s important that we evaluate what those assumptions are and the implications of those assumptions as well as how they fit with what we already believe. Maybe that means changing what we believe and maybe that means rejecting what people tell us and maybe we won't know what we believe about that issue until 5, 10, 15 years from now and we've experienced something new.

Most challenges to my beliefs don't come in the classroom but in my interactions with people (not all of who are in University). I went home this past weekend to not do any school and take a break. I come back to school and realize that this past weekend I thought a lot more about life's important issues then I did last week in working non-stop in writing essays for school. We can discuss in my Social Work classes what we believe about poverty but it's only when I meet someone impoverished that I really feel I am beginning to understand the issue at hand. And that's only just one person.

Q&A #2

In the first few years of university, I've noticed there are a couple of things you feel become challenged quite regularly. Of course, what is education if it doesn't make you second-guess your convictions. But seriously, I do think that it's completely normal and even healthy to revamp your opinions.

So my question to you all is: What feelings, opinions, beliefs have you had challenged since you left high school?

For me, I've definitely had to reevaluate the severity (or lack there of) of what some things mean. At the least, I've had to realize the different spectrum of values, etc, that other people have. This wasn't that big of an adjustment for me, as I've always tried to be aware of the fact, but it's still shocking, sometimes. The level of decency you can expect is pretty unpredictable.

Secondly, there's a lot of things I've studied that, admittedly, have put my faith in a potential bind. The thing I really struggle with, though, is that even when I manage to justify these things to myself, I still encounter a lot of flack over them. The evolution thing is a fun punching bag. Of course, I know that as a whole, the Christian community had all of this coming. We honestly don't deserve a proper hearing, since most of us don't really dole them out too often ourselves.

But I'm almost a little sick of being the punching bag. It's too easy to find the kid who can't prove his beliefs and throw them in his face. To be frank, the Christianity deal has the quandary of being almost entirely reliant on the principle of believing in something in spite of being unable to prove it.

But, regardless, I've noticed that there is a completely justified view of Christians as closed-minded. If something jeopardizes the easy explanation of what we believe, we fight it. Be prepared to face the criticisms, work on them yourself, and accept that your rationalized answer will just be shot down anyway. Because that's the life, and if it was easy, there wouldn't really be an element of free will, would there. If someone offered you one thousand dollars or one dollar, is it really an exercise in free will to pick the thousand dollars? Technically, yes; but functionally, no.

Let's have a Vote (Dude, I added pictures!)

Take 2. I need help in making a decision. Like, honestly.

I have to decide by November 12th whether or not I am going to drop a course. I have nooo idea what to do. The first "test" (worth 20%) I passed, but didn't do fantastic on. The second test the other night I feel was probably my worst work produced in university (unless under some shear luck my eenie meanie minie mo for a few questions really paid off... but remember I'm the girl in grade 8 who studied the wrong thing for a science test/teacher said that I'd be fine because it's just true and false/I guessed all of them wrong/he laughed as he was marking my test in front of me. No hard feelings for him though because c'mon... how bad luck is that).

Here's why I want to drop the course. To sum it up, I don't like it. The course is called Physical Activity and Coronary Artery Disease. You think there'd be some mention of physical activity and the direct benefits it has on the heart but noooo. All the physiology crap I tried to leave in first and second year. Not my forte. I'm more of a people motivator course kind of girl. LOVE those courses and I do excel tremendously in those (at least so far... woot woot).

A girl that we all know in 4th year (Tosin) Kinesiology, took the course last year and she said the final is really hard (woot) and advises I do drop it. She is more physiology based than I am, so basically right there that makes me want to pee my pants. The final is on all the lecture material thus far and I find it really hard to understand in class. Also, I should add, I missed 2 night classes in a row (therefore, 6 classes... don't know if that's the same for all schools) from studying for an exam at 9:30 the next morning one week and from being sick the next.

Basically, I really don't WANT to take this course. I feel like it'll drop my average a lot, which y'know, is not cool with me. Next year, I'm currently signed up to be in only 4 courses, so I could find some Kin course I'm sure to make up for the one that I'm in right now (hopefully not another physiology course). I'm not completely opposed to the idea of an extra semester/5th year, but part of me does really want to graduate with the people that I know in Kin (but on that note, if I don't graduate with them and just so happens when I'm walking across a stage, I trip and fall... THEN I'll be cool because I don't know many of those kids in the year below me).

My concern is, having canceled courses on my transcript look bad for grad school or the other college-after-university programs. Does anyone know?

I emailed my head Kin lady, who knows me quite well, but she hasn't gotten back to me yet. I know she'll probably be the make/break for me.

Anyways, if you guys could help me out in deciding this one. I feel like it's biggie.

Crap, I'm late. Got to be at my hair dressers in Woodbridge in an hour (I'm in Hamilton) and got to finish packing for Montreal. Why do I keep typing? Note to self: Go to bed earlier to wake up earlier!

Since you guys all add pictures and I want to be cool like you, I decided to come back and edit my post to add awesome things.

Because Marcel the Shell is awesome.

Because Taylor Swift wins.

Because this is one of the cutest things I've seen in my life. Andy, I want one.

Because I REALLY want one right now. It's somewhat of an obsession (I'm a car girl... unfortunately for my bank account, I can't settle for a "shit box" as a first car). I'm thinking after next summer this baby will be miiiiiine (with a little help from a friend who works at Ford and can maybe get me a deal)!

The Triumphant

I want to try something. Every once in a while I want to examine an emotion. A feeling we all get from time to time, and try and really delve into it. In an effort to continue creating the identity of this place, I think I'll start off a little more positive than the level we may be accustomed to writing about.

Unfortunately, I haven't been taking pictures fast enough to keep up with the frantic new pace I'm pushing, so for the time being, a couple of National Geographic wallpapers will have to do. I've started using folders of them that change every five minutes as my desktop, and it's been really cool. I'm probably even going to get a subscription later this year. That is, if they promise not to sue my ass for using these photos.

So without further ado, here's a little piece on triumph.

¹tri·umph

noun \ˈtrī-əm(p)f\

plural tri·umphs\-əm(p)fs, -əm(p)s\

Definition of TRIUMPH

1

: a ceremony attending the entering of Rome by a general who had won a decisive victory over a foreign enemy — compare ovation 1

2

: the joy or exultation of victory or success

3

a : a victory or conquest by or as if by military force b : a notable success triumph>

I can't be alone in feeling like this word is more than just a fancy win. We don't drop the word triumph around a lot, and we're generally accurate with our usage. I can only think of two reasons for that. Either we genuinely respect the word, so we avoid using it when it's uncalled for, or we only think to recall the word from the brink of our vocabulary in rare cases, primarily when other words just won't capture what we mean.



It's a rare thing to truly feel like you've triumphed over something. I think of it as a true exertion of yourself over something else. That race you walked all over. That computer program that wouldn't do that thing you wanted it to do until you booted it. That test that will never be the same since you filled its SCANTRON holes. That dirty joke you just nailed. (Some of those are really thin puns). But in the end, there is no compromise in a triumph, no negotiated middleground. There's just you and what you wanted.



Of course, when I say "There's just you and what you wanted", that's not always the complete truth. Triumph often comes through painful, shocking sacrifice. That being said, to still reach the feeling of triumph after sacrificing more than you could have ever imagined can only mean that what you got was more important than you could ever verbalize.



To be honest, this is a difficult thing to write about. I'm challenged by this, which I think is indicative of how much focus is placed on the losses we face. If I've learned anything in my three years of non-Christian schooling, it's that most traits exist because of their benefit to the species. It's a dangerous tendency, but maybe, when controlled, focusing on our losses can be adaptive. Perhaps when we retain all of the negative, it makes our triumphs all the more salient. Our victories are sweeter when we can really appreciate how much we've had to overcome. And because we appreciate them more, we develop a stronger addiction to that rewarding feeling of triumph.

I'm just spitballing, here. But maybe there's something to it. Or maybe I'm off my rocker.

In other news:
Weather's getting cold
Life is still good
Remembrance Day is coming up
Clocks fall back Sunday

Does everybody have the Mediafire account and password information? And does everyone know how to use it?

Here's some stuff:
The Infanta - The Decemberists
I'm Coming Home - J.Cole
Death and All His Friends - Coldplay
Jet - Paul McCartney & Wings

With a couple more over here.

small rant on our overconnected culture

Hello fellow explorers in community blogging. I actually really love this idea. Just wanted to throw that out there before I make my first contribution.

I've been thinking about community for the past - oh - 8 months. I think ever since the idea of starting this thing called 1BODY. 'Community' was always something that seemed to drive my passion. I always wanted bring people together to be at the forefront. Someone recently gave me some new perspectives on how it comes about as well as how it seems to be perceived in our present day.
In short he said community was the hip thing today. Everyone is connecting here there and everywhere. Our faces are booked and our menial activities marked by the hour. Connecting with people drives a large portion our life(if not all of it).

Another point he said was as much as you may want it, you can't create it. Its a by product of something else. So while it may be a goal, it is only going to happen as a result of another thing. It almost doesn't make sense to say you want to create community. Its always 'created' around something else. I'm still processing these ideas and seeing where I land on them. I wasn't very satisfied with it immediately after the fact. Most probably because I was pretty dead set on creating community.

At this point in time though it has brought me to a place of dissatisfaction. I think I take for granted all the connectivity that is shoved at me today. More often than not I don't cherish the interaction or the opportunity to really share something with someone. It just becomes too easy and overdone. When I think about this I find my mind going to each end of the spectrum. Thinking back to what it possibly was like before the modern world came into being. To when you had to meet with someone face to face. And more often than not that meeting could be made possible because you lived in a close vicinity of one another. Now when I talk about the crazy amount of community and connectivity that is shoved at us today I don't want to limit it to the internet. I think the another major factor in the over abundance is the ability to travel a large distance very quickly. You essentially don't have to do anything within your own immediate (within walking) community. You can always drive that half hour or whatever it is to get somewhere else. This connects us to numerous amounts of communities and groups of people. I think facebook is a huge testament to this. How many "friends" does the average person have?

While this technology has it's obvious advantages and great uses I want to note the problems. The age old metaphor of being spread thin applies I think. Simply put: so many places to go and places to see.

The desire to slow down and in a sense limit where I go and what I do has been on me for a while. I feel like there is some substance to be gained from the 'less is more' mentality.


Do we take the time to pay attention and cherish our interactions? What do you guys think?
Is this a hopeless cause within our culture and age or is there legitimacy in this?

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday morning I was sitting in our basement working on a paper when my housemate and her boyfriend called down to me, "Kathleen, you need to see this."

In the middle of researching, I was reluctant to head up stairs. She said something about blood being on our driveway. Initially, not too concerned. Someone earlier that morning outside our door had mentioned something about someone being "cut by glass." A quick mental sum of the facts, of course there was blood on our driveway. Wait, there was blood on our driveway.

Here's what I saw:
"And there's a bloody handprint on our garbage can." Haha, okay very funny. Have a party, get wasted, scare your neighbours and leave us to clean up the mess. Happy Halloween to us.

But no, it was real blood. Unsure of what to do, we called the police station to be safe. They followed the blood trail to a house nearby. Apparently, a girl had cut her arm and the police had actually already been there to take her to emergency. There was also a bunch of house parties on our street the night before so it wasn't a surprise. So really, not a huge deal.

All we wonder now is why people were hanging out by our side door. Maybe they were so drunk they didn't realize they were at the wrong house. Maybe that's it. Still weird though.

Have a Happy Halloween! Be safe!

Re: QA#1 response

Only about 3% of people in psychiatric institutes are said to have this, which is tiny amount seeing as it's the psychiatric population not the entire population. I assume the form of DID you are referring to is the kind that used to be called MPD because in most cases of DID the personality types act to the world in predictably similar ways, only a little bit different. Also it has been debated whether this form of DID actually exists partially because it has such a low prevalence rate.

Now looking at the prosecuting aspect it is actually worse to sentence someone to be incarcerated in a mental institution than it is to actually put people in prison in many cases. This is due to the fact that most people who's pleas of insanity are allowed eventually get lost in the system as a mental patient.

So to the question no they definitely should not be held criminally responsible. Both for reasons of precedent and because legally (especially with such a small population)the system is suppose to uphold the ideal of sparing innocent people of wrong prosecution.
Those with mental disorders need to be helped by doctors not put into a prison where their disorder will most likely be exacerbated. And those stupid enough to subject themselves to a mental institution and possibly be stuck there for the bulk of their lives and put under the (sadly) shitty care that is offered to those deemed dangerous in the mental health care system for that period of time. well too bad buddy: you are retarded (ironic statement?)

Re: Q&A 1 DID

Just because I know you're probably doing some sort of school project on this:

I can't decide, just yet. It calls upon the entire "temporary insanity" excitement. I suppose the only way you can really draw the line is with something subjective, like the DSM. It's the only preexisting diagnostic tool fit to handle this kind of conversation. Otherwise, you're going to encounter issues regarding various levels of psychosis or whatever you'd want to call it.

Take serial killers. We've proven that their brains function differently, so how can we determine that someone experiencing temporary insanity or someone suffering from DID is not liable for their actions and someone with an anatomically different brain be held accountable for killing? That's where the DSM comes in handy with a definitive yes-no in regards to whether something is classified as a syndrome.

Unfortunately, the primary use of the DSM is insurance, which is really not a comparable paradigm. So, hell, let 'em off the hook. Put 'em in treatment (because they probably should be). If the argument against holding them accountable (presumably, jailing) is that it's unethical, because they can't control themselves, that doesn't mean it's unethical to hospitalize them or something. It's protective, it's beneficial, and it's more ethical. Hopefully.

But hey, what do I know?

Q&A #1

Just looking for some opinion:

Should individuals with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) be held criminal responsible for their crimes?

And...go!

Lost in the Week.

Something I discovered today:
Bon Iver. Honestly, I'm a little shocked at how far behind I am on this one. Anyway, I'm hoping at least a few of you are even further behind on it than I am. It's nice to have a bit of a break from my current trend of music. I threw up four songs that I've been listening to a lot, recently. I've got to admit that my interest in Bon Iver was perked by Kanye West.

So much for getting away from what I usually listen to. But guys, really, I'll try and avoid just posting a metric shit ton of hip hop or rap or whatever it is you guys think I listen to. Because neither of us want that. Neither. Uh.

Oh man. This is gonna be tough.



I've started working in a psych lab just this past week, doing social psychology experiments. Haven't got a chance to run any, just yet, but we're in the prep stage. It should be pretty interesting, tampering with the door-in-the-face technique that a lot of you have probably learned about. Feel free to ask if you've never heard of it/can't remember. Considering I should probably learn to explain it in my sleep, now.

And that's cool and all, but it's really brought to light the fact that I need to start making decisions about my life that I've been putting off for the last few months. Well, years. Specifically (in this conversation), it's my running debate of pursuing clinical psychology or branching off into the social psychology sphere. I've essentially been telling myself that I'll keep pursuing what I consider to be the harder one of the two, and the one I prefer, until I realize that it's no longer attainable. That is, I'll keep working to become a legitimate clinical psychologist until someone says that I'm not qualified. Then I'll switch to social psychology and perhaps a run at marketing, or even law.

Really, I just think I'd look good in a suit.

The problem I'm facing is that until someone actually says those words ("Andy, you don't have what it takes."), I'll never know when it's time to call it a career. But this lab had got me thinking that I'd thrown in the towel, and decided that social psychology is the way to go. Then, as the ball in my brain started rolling, I realized that no, I wasn't ready to give up. So next semester, when my commitment to my lab is up, I'm going for a position in a clinical lab. I've also been looking into grad school, recently. I suppose, ever since I received an email about Ryerson's clinical psychology graduate program. Yeah. That'd do it.

I think I'm just afraid that if I postpone this decision too long, I'll find out that I'm chasing a pipe dream just a minute too late and both my plan and my backup plan will pass me by.

But I'm not going to let that stop me from taking the risk.



It's fall. Winter's just around the corner. How do you guys feel about that? Personally, I feel like this year's going a lot faster. I like that, but at the same time I feel like I should be a lot further ahead than I am. It's troubling.



Files:
Skinny Love - Bon Iver
The Wolves (Act I and II) - Bon Iver
Re: Stacks - Bon Iver
Blindsided - Bon Iver
Lost in the World - Kanye West ft. Bon Iver
here

I want to start off well

I rode a bike today for the first time in years. Literally. Gave credence to the expression. Literally. This stuff has always been my bike. But I want to start over, I want to give this another go with a new approach. Something more open and friendly. Something grand and diverse.

This is my new place to talk about things I learned today, feelings I have about the events of the world, opinions on protocol or society. A place to share the things I hear and see. And it's your place too. All you have to do is ask and you're part of the community. Part of the team. Write about something you discovered or whatever the hell it is you've always wanted to say. Ask the questions you've always wanted people to answer or try to answer.

We're going to set up a mediafire account so sharing songs you love or things you wrote can become even easier. When you get added to the community you'll get the password for the account and you'll be able to add any files or grab any files you desire.

If anyone else has any other ideas about this experiment, then all you have to do is say it and we'll try and implement it. Everyone will be able to post, but I'll keep the admins low just so nothing gets too intensely crazy. I will totally take any suggestions, though. Give me a better name and I'll drop this one.

I'll try my best to post as often as possible. And I'd love it if we could manage to get some debate up in this bitch. Throw a Re: on your post and have at it.

But really. On to the good stuff.