Tetris

"Quick James, get in the fucking car! We got five minutes to get outta here before the guards show up."

"Just one more minute, I think I've almost got it now."

"Quit dicking around James, we got what we came here for, now lets GO!"

"Just...gimme a second ok?? I'm so close..."

"Thats it, I'm outta here. You can fend for yourself. Goodbye James."

"Wait, you can't just leave me here! MICHAEL!! Fuck, FUCK!

"Hey you! Stop! Put the device down and raise your hands where we can see them! We WILL shoot!"

"Go fuck y---"

--

"What a crazy bastard. First time I've ever seen someone care so little about their own life. I've been a guard at ElectronoCorp for almost 13 years now, and we've had people try to steal our software before, but this was something else."

"I know Mac, it's unbelievable. I'm just glad we caught his accomplice before he escaped with all of our new programs. We could've lost tens of millions in pirated sales if he managed to copy everything before we could stop him."

"I still don't understand his partner though. I mean, I know our virtual reality Tetris program is fun, but dying for it? It just seems crazy to me."

"Well, he did top the high score list at least. I guess his life wasn't a complete waste."

Mayonnaise Jar

I had heard about this before, and when I got it in a viral email, I decided to share it on my blog. Note I did not actually write this, I just like the message.

When things in your life seem almost too much

When 24 hours in a day is not enough

Remember the mayonnaise jar.

A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the
jar was full. They agreed it was.

Then the professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous yes.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided. “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—family, children, health, friends, and favorite
passions. Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.”

“The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else—the small stuff.”

If you put the sand into the jar first, he continued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

“If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.”

“So. . .pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner.”

“There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first—the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

WTF is up with the weather?

I'd just like to take another brief moment to comment on the weather. What the FUCK is going on!? Ok, so it's February, and the majority of the state has had zero snow. Not only that, but we've had a stretch of 60-70 degree weather. Don't get me wrong, I love the warm weather, but I swear I'm gonna be pissed if it gets cold again. Please don't tease us, Mother Nature. I'm already in spring mode and I can't wait to wear tees and shorts again. I don't want to have to go back to hats and gloves. Now, if the rest of the country was experiencing the same thing, I wouldn't be nearly as frustrated, but the fact that weather.com's headline is "More Snow Ahead for Mid-Atlantic," I just don't know what to think. Really? More snow? The top half of the Mid-Atlantic has been getting hammered ALL WINTER and we've had balmy, 60 and 70 degree weather for most of February. It just doesn't make sense. Literally less than 500 miles north of us is cold temps, snow, and ice. I'm so confused. It's been like this all season. Please explain yourself, Weather.

Sincerely,
Sky Young

In Defense Of...

Marijuana. It amazes me how such a benign, natural substance is viewed by our government as a Schedule 1 drug. Even cocaine, which is a much more dangerous substance, is listed as Schedule 2, meaning it has some legitimate medicinal use. Why is it that one of the least harmful drugs that we can put in our bodies is illegal, where as a million other pharmaceuticals come with severe and sometimes fatal side effects? It just doesn't make sense. I could go on and on about why mary jane should be legal, but I don't want to preach. Anybody with common sense and an open mind could tell that weed is not that dangerous of a substance. If our government trusts people with the responsible usage of alcohol, surely people could be trusted with the safe usage of recreational pot. I feel that the social stigma in America towards marijuana is changing, with greater access to information to a larger number of people. By the time our generation is in charge, I believe there will be more sensible drug policies enacted on a national level. Its only a matter of time.

The Wave Plays FloydFest

I just want to take a moment to plug my band on my blog. The Wave, as we are known as, is a fresh hard-driving band out of Virginia’s cradle of original rock, the Charlottesville Matrix. Headed by lyrical sage and guitar wizard Willie DE and backed by the punching/counter-punching percussions of Avery Sandridge, the mercury mobile bass parts of Simon Evans, and the mellow side-winder sax work of Sky Young (thats me), The Wave blends basic blues with soar and dive sorties that keep the audience up and dancing—and their spirit-minds in motion too. For the 5th year in a row, we will be playing at the highly acclaimed annual music festival, FloydFest, which takes place in Floyd County, Virginia. This is the 10th year since its founding, and the first year we are no longer listed in the"Under the Radar" line up, but instead in the main line up. Needless to say, this is quite exciting for us, finally rolling with the big dogs. If you're interested in our sound, check us out at www.thewave-music.com or visit us on Facebook. You can download a free song from our new EP simply by joining our mailing list. Hope you like what you hear!

No Time for Facebook

Thursday, February 10th:

8:42-9:30 am - Woke up. Turned on my computer out of habit. Opened up browser, almost typing in "facebook," but instead, checked vcu email. Closed out browser, put computer to sleep. Carried on with morning routine.

Estimated time saved: 10 minutes

12:01-5:30 pm - Back in dorm. Grabbed a bowl of Mini Wheats, headed upstairs. Sat down at desk, contemplated going on facebook. Instead, clicked on iTunes and pull up my half complete playlist of favorite rock songs. Resumed listening and adding new songs. Later, cleaned room, went out to do errands, ect.

Estimated time saved: 1 hour

9:38-12:45 - Back to the room for the day. Facebook is tempting now, but I resist. Work on homework, read, visit friends in GRC, eat a snack, go to bed.

Estimated time saved: 1 hour 45 minutes

Total estimated time saved: 2 hours 55 minutes

Although it was hard, by not using facebook all day, I converted 3 hours of my time into other, overall more productive uses. I certainly am not about to stop using facebook altogether, but this experiment showed me that by cutting down on the amount of time spent having that website up, I will have more time to do other things, hopefully increasing my productivity at school. 

Wake Up Softly

Wake up softly

With you by my side

I turn my head

And see your smile

As it

Steals across your face

Into your eyes

Blanket warm above us

We’re half-buried in the sheets

Feel the sun

As it

Kisses my cheek

I close my eyes

And hide with you

Away from all the world

Just you and me

Just you and me.

Being Born

Starting out as an embryo, it's safe to say I've come a long way. Being born into this world, however, was quite a momentous point in my life, something that I will never forget, but yet can't quite remember. But if I could remember it, it would've gone something like this:

Me: Holy shit! What the hell is going on?? (I had quite the colorful vocabulary as an infant) I was so comfortable inside my dark, cosy little room. What is this sensation that I'm feeling? It's as if something, or someone, is cutting right into my living space. Light, once again I see light! But as I get older I know I won't remember the word for it. I'll have to learn everything over again, except it'll all be a different experience, because I am in a different body with different parents living in a different location then my last life. After all, what would the point of another life be if you knew everything already? Uh-oh, what's going on now? I can tell I am moving, being carried, pulled away by great, big hands. They could probably destroy me in an instant if they so chose to do so. WAAAHHHHHHH I DON'T WANNA LEAVE!!! I LIKED MY ROOM JUST THE WAY IT WAS! Oh well, nothing I can do about it, I'm just a baby.

Mom: Holy shit! This is going to be so painful when I finally wake up from this C-section! Good thing I'm highly sedated right now. God, I can't wait to see my first baby boy! Oh! There's his head! Eww it's all weird and squished-like. I wonder if my head looked like that when I was born. I can't wait to hold him! He better grow up to be a good kid for it to be worth all of this pain I'm gonna feel when the anesthesia wears off. Of course he will, he's my baby.