Robert's Ramblings for 4 August 2008

I can't believe that it is August already.  This summer went by so fast.  My senior year will start up in a little over 3 weeks.  The good news is that I will be out of this funk I have been in recently.  The bad news is that I will be thrown to the dogs once more.  At least this will be the last year.  Afterwards I am leaving this city.  There is absolutely nothing here and there is no reason for me to stay.

PLANS, PLANS, AND MORE PLANS

Well if I am going to pull this off, a lot of things need to happen before now and May.  Over the next three weeks, I will create a plan of attack that I will stick to.  As long as I plan things strictly and correctly, I should have plenty of time to do what I need to do.  To be honest, I need to keep track of every hour of the day so that time is not wasted.  I have just begun the process for one of my goals now:  get a driver's license.  Right now I don't know a thing about driving and my movements will be very limited if I cannot drive.  Right now, I am searching for a good driving school that will teach me what I need to know to get my license, unless anyone wants to teach me for free...

The next thing I need to do is make sure I graduate.  Everything afterwards means nothing if I don't have a degree.  This means I need to pass the rest of my classes, hopefully pass with A's or B's.  While in school, I am trying to make myself more marketable to employers.  This means going for the minor in Statistics and becoming fluent in French.  These goals are reflected in my schedule for this semester.  In addition, I need to take advantage of the opportunities this school provides.  In other words, I need to make a few visits to the Career Center so that when the job fairs and interviews come along, I will be prepared.  While I am at it, I may need to speak with a few more people.

In the highly recommended category, I really do need to get in shape.  Granted, I haven't gained weight in the past year or so, but I haven't lost any either.  Plus there are multiple benefits for being in good shape.  I'm sure I don't need to explain.  I will also need to watch I eat.  This food is not healthy and I realize that I eat a rather large portion of food when I control how much I can get.  I don't have a bottomless pit anymore.  I think that is one of the reasons why my rear end is so big.  I will also need to get appointments with the doctor and dentist.  I haven't seen a doctor since 9th grade and a dentist since who knows when.  My yellow teeth aren't going to be a turn-on for employers or anybody and I need to make sure I don't have any diseases which will knock me off the face of the planet earlier than I expect.  For some of you with sick and dirty minds, no, I do not mean blood testing for an STD.  I am still a virgin and I plan on staying one.

All of these are just sub-goals.  My mission is simple:  To perform at the highest, not higher, highest standard that I demand from myself and others.  The highest standard is perfection.  Now I know that I will never reach perfection.  There is only one perfect person to walk the earth and that is Jesus Christ.  That does not mean we shouldn't try.  I am expected to make the right decisions at all times.  This involves doing what is right, not what is the easiest or what the popular opinion is.  If this means stepping on a few toes, so be it.  I will not let the low physical, mental, moral, and ethical standards of others hold me back.  How come the world we live in is such a mess in the first place?

IMPROVEMENTS AND DISCOVERIES

Recently, I was going through my laptop and cleaning out some of the programs that I don't use.  At that point, I rediscovered Windows Media Center, so I decided to do some snooping around to see what exactly it can do.  As I found out for myself, a lot.  My music comes out a lot better.  I can view photos and videos from my computer or from most places online including Youtube (with the right plug-ins of course).  Right now, they are working on Internet TV, however I can watch a few things online including news.  Of course, I decided to buy a TV tuner for my computer so now I can watch TV anytime on my laptop.  In other words, I will never need to buy a TV.  I can't wait to get a place of my own so I can get an XBOX 360 and completely spoil myself.  Windows Media Center comes with Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate editions.  For as many complaints people have had about Vista, I haven't had any problems.  So do not buy all of the crap that Apple is saying about Macs.  Macs really do suck.  How come most of the software is made for Windows only and not Macs?  How come most of the software Apple makes works for Windows but not vica versa?  Windows rules!!!

TUNE OF THE umm... MONTH I think:  Longhorn

QUOTES OF THE MONTH:

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway.  You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't."  -Eleanor Roosevelt

"Most people rust out due to a lack a challenge.  Few people rust out due to overuse." -Unknown

"You should not live one way in private, another in public."  -Publilius Syrus

"A schedule defends from chaos and whim."  -Annie Dillard

"For what I have received, may the Lord make me truly thankful.  And more truly for what I have not received."  -Storm Jameson

WHAT ELSE?

Since our precious news media are covering these issues so thoroughly, I don't think I need to talk about the following issues:  Brett Favre, the Olympics, Favre, Manny, Favre, our economy, Favre, high gas prices, Favre, the Presidential campaigns, and most importantly, Brett Favre.  Honestly, there has got to be something else to talk about besides old news.  How about some new, more important news?  Actually, that may be a bad idea because the media never brings good news.  It's always bad news, even worse if it deals with African-Americans and violence.  Screw the media.

C'est la vie.

Robert’s Ramblings for 29 June 2008

Yes, I have been that busy since the last time I posted. I have more or less been working 5 hours per day, 6 days per week on top of taking a couple of classes. I should be fortunate that I get one day off per week because I honestly need it. That said, there are a lot of things that I feel I need to comment on, so this may be a long post.

TEEN PREGNANCY

As you may have heard about, 17 girls in a small Massachusetts high school have become pregnant in the past year. For more details, read this article: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html?cnn=yes. In the previous year, there were only 4. I personally believe the principal on the idea of a pregnancy pact. Given the increase in pregnancies, the reactions of the females, and who they had sex with, there is plenty of evidence. It is not helping that Hollywood is making it sound acceptable. Movies like Juno and teen role models like Jamie Lynn Spears getting pregnant make females think that it is okay to do such a thing. It is not. Teens are not ready to be responsible parents. They don't know the first thing about raising a child and they will regret their decision once the children are born.

This case isn't the only reason I am talking about this. A little while ago, my 16 year old brother got a girl pregnant. Now I never envisioned him thinking about having sex at this point, let alone handle a child. I already had my words with him about making this "18 year mistake". On top of this, their plans for taking care of the baby are disturbing. They actually plan on trusting my "mother" with the baby over the day. If she couldn't raise all eight of her own children properly, if at all, what makes her think she can take care of her first grandchild? I know I should be a supportive uncle, but I didn't think I would be an uncle this soon. If I were older, I would take custody of the child myself. I don't know if I should get involved or stay out of it. Getting involved would mean dealing with my "mother" though and that is one thing I don't want to do. I should probably have a heart-to-heart talk with my brother at some point.

We have to do a better job of convincing teens not to have sex and if they do to at least have protection. Birth control, condoms, whatever it takes. If you cannot afford condoms, you cannot afford a child. I have said this time and time again, if you are not ready for a child, having sex, especially unprotected, can, and will eventually, lead to an 18 year mistake. To be honest, my "father" made that mistake five times and my "mother" an additional 3 times. Proof: My "father" skipped town on us and my "mother" doesn't have custody of any of the kids and hasn't gotten any back that she has lost. The last 4 children have been adopted. Granted there wasn't too much of a choice on the first one, but the other three is due to her reckless lifestyle and who she trusts her children with. With most of these teen mothers, they either don't know who the father is or the father is in and out of jail. Taking care of a child is a full time job and I am impressed that Barack Obama has agreed with me on that. (see below…) I don't think that these children are ready to have children and we need to stop endorsing it.

OBAMA VS. MCCAIN VS. OTHER…

I have no idea who I am going to vote for in November, if I vote in November. Neither candidate has swayed me one way or the other. I also feel that I shouldn't have to comprise my views for anyone. Between Iraq, their views on gay "marriage", and border security, I feel as though I cannot go for any Democrat. However, I agree a little more with Barack Obama than I do with Hillary. I was also impressed with the speech he gave on Father's Day: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DaRXa9crAx0. I feel that Obama may actually have a better chance to help the African-American community, which is something that most presidents and candidates have done or even thought about. He is also young and hasn't been too influenced by politics.

That said, I don't think McCain is enough of a conservative for me to vote for him. To define what a conservative is, please read this article: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/25/beck.conservatives/index.html. While McCain does support staying in Iraq for as long as necessary and in strong border security, he leaves much to be desired. A conservative believes in family. A family includes a husband, wife, and children. A child needs a mother and father, not two mothers or two fathers. However, John McCain has not come out and publicly opposed gay marriage. For me and many other Christians, that is a MAJOR turnoff. I personally have no tolerance for homosexuality whatsoever. McCain is not a true conservative but a centrist. While it is not a bad idea to reach across the aisle, you have to do it on the right issues and this is not one of them.

The article mentions a major point. People sacrifice their values in order to vote for a certain party. And there is no guarantee that the people who we elect are going to do their job. "The "R" and the "D" don't matter if the people we elect don't follow through on their promises." I refuse to compromise on my values as a conservative. I believe in picking the person who is the best for the job and to vote for "None of the above" if any of the above don't fit the bill. So I will vote for "None of the above" in November.

TUNE OF THE MONTH: Headstrong by Trapt

QUOTES OF THE MONTH:

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." -Rick Cook

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." -Galileo Galilei

"Nothing is as simple as we hope it will be." -Jim Horning

"An intellectual is a person who has discovered something more interesting than sex." -Aldous Huxley

"People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves." -Salam Hayek

PLANS, PLANS, AND MORE PLANS

Yes, I am getting a well deserved vacation this weekend. I will be spending the entire Fourth of July weekend in the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. I am actually going to get a chance to relax so I probably won't post a new blog next week. Then again, I have posted a blog in a long time.

I have actually managed to create a website and I will try to update that as soon as possible if I don't get caught up in game playing. It is at http://andrew.cmu.edu/user/rlu. If anyone has any ideas on what I should put on there, please let me know.

Right now is the time to start thinking about what I am going to do after I get out of here. And when I say think, I actually mean do something about immediately. I don't want to get caught sitting on the sideline when an opportunity arises. Don't wait for something to happen to do; make something happen (I think I had this as a quote of the week at some point.). I need to be aggressive about going out and doing the things I need to do because right now, I am not. I really need to go back to the attitude I had in high school. "Screw everyone else. The only one I need to get a damn about is me." I know it sounds a little selfish and mean, but you don't argue with results.

C'est la vie.

Robert's Ramblings for 10 May 2008

So far, I can say that at least a few stages of my transformation have come along nicely. I have been able to keep my room clean for a prolonged period of time. I recently did some spring cleaning and I have, for the most part, have gathered everything that I don’t wear anymore or refuse to wear. I plan on donating those when I have some time this weekend. At this point, I have more or less replaced most articles of clothing that I had back in high school and during my first year of college (except for the good stuff). I feel that this symbolizes a turning point for me and my life. This experience has shown me that I am not the same person that I was in high school and I am not the same now as I was when I started school. I have grown in more ways than one (college food does me no favors) and I am a better person for it. At this point, my grades are also better now than they were freshman year. By sacrificing time for myself in order to focus on my studies and to work (it does help that I can do homework and stuff on the job), that has helped me keep my focus on the things that have to be done. In life, sometimes one has to sacrifice the things they want to do in order to do the things they have to do.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that there has been some, umm…, regressions. My relationship with Jesus Christ is not as strong now as it was before. I seem to have lost some of my personal identity. I don’t know who I really am. These will be the next things that I work on. I need to establish who I am and what my place is in this world. I also need to have everything set up so that when I do graduate next year, I will have a job, a place to live, etc… As I said once, I want to know what I am doing the day after graduation. Since graduation is Sunday 17 May 2009, the next day is a Monday and I want to be working then. I don’t want to end up like one of my coworkers who are worried about what to do after graduation.

A cyclone passed through Myanmar earlier this week. Tens of thousands are dead and more can die in the coming weeks because of poor sanitation conditions and starvation. This was a massive natural disaster and usually when something like this happens, help comes in from all around the world to help people out. Usually the country would just let the people in, however the government has refused to let aid workers, who are trained in disaster relief, into the country to help. They have finally decided to let supplies come in but the government took the shipments, put labels on it, and hand it out, trying to convince people that they gave it to their citizens. However, many are still suffering and aren’t getting the help that they need. The government is more focused on having their referendum passed, solidifying their power. Most of the citizens know that it will be rigged anyways. As a result, their citizens aren’t happy and neither is the U.N.

My question is this: What the bleep bleeping bleep is the government? Hello, a cyclone just passed through your country, leaving it in ruins. Your people are suffering. They have no food, clean water, or sanitation. They are being contracted with illnesses. Many are dead and many more will be soon, especially if they don’t get the appropriate aid soon. And yet, you are just concerned about having power and convincing people that you have power. This is just going to alienate your citizens and the rest of the world even more. Also, if you don’t do something soon, there’s going to be no one to rule over. Either that or you will get ran out of your own country. Usually when something happens to you and people are willing to help you get back on your feet when you have nothing left, you are supposed to shelve your pride and take it, not act like total idiots…

Tune of the Month: Time to Rock n' Roll by Lil' Kim

Quotes of the Month:

“When you go into court, you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.” –Norm Crosby

“Everywhere I go, I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them. There’s many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.” -Flannery O’Connor

“Some men just aren’t cut out for paternity. Better they should realize it before and not after they become responsible for a son.” -Lois McMaster Bujold

“If you want to be respected, you must respect yourself.” –Spanish Proverb

Hilary Rodham Clinton, there are times in life when it is worth it to keep fighting. There are also times to realize that you can’t run. You’re done. Barack Obama has more or less kicked your butt. You claim to be for the people yet you really haven’t taken a close look at your supporters. They are either old or aren’t going anywhere with their lives. Either way, they are not going to help us advance into the future and will only hold us back. Also, if you honestly don’t want McCain to become president, then the Democrats need to unite now instead of taking sides and beating the crap out of each other, no matter how entertaining it is to watch. You can’t draw the people that really matter, the educated people and African Americans (because we have our own issues to worry about that no one has addressed) and if you think you could possibly win at this point, you are delusional. Mrs. Clinton, you are running out of time, money and supporters. The end is at hand. The demographics leaned in your favor in Indiana and yet you barely win while getting slaughtered in North Carolina. You misjudged the American people and it’s about time you realize that. If you really care about the people and your party, step down now. (THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT FOR BARACK OBAMA OR JOHN MCCAIN. I JUST WANT HILARY TO SEE SOME SENSE.)

C’est la vie.

Robert's Ramblings for 30 March 2008

It was time for a new title for this blog. It’s not like I am really updating anybody on anything and what I usually end up doing is rambling anyways so I figured this would be an appropriate name for it. If anyone else has any suggestions, please tell me.

I’m surprised that I didn’t post a blog during “spring break” and I use that term loosely. I guess that I have been busy as of late so I haven’t really had time for me. When will this viscous cycle ever end? Maybe I just need some time off for me or better yet a vacation. At the very least, a back rub would be nice. It doesn’t help that I have been obsessing on a few things lately. I was in a state of confusing and chaos until today. But enough about my troubles…

I’m getting better in filling out my NCAA bracket. There is still some hope for me this year which usually isn’t the case. Usually, I am done by the second round. At the time of me typing this, 3 of the 4 teams that I picked for the Final Four are still in. In order to get this right, it takes a certain amount of brains, heart, guts, insanity, and luck. After that, you have to hope that there are no “Cinderella’s” or as they are called nowadays “George Mason’s.” That term may be changed to “Davidson’s” if this keeps up…

This is not fair: The NFL is considering creating a hair rule. I know that the NFL wants to crack down on things nowadays and is concerned about player safety, but this is ridiculous. This is about freedom of expression. If the man wants to wear his hair down, let him. Troy Polamalu is aware of the risks of letting his hair down. He was even tackled by his hair. Just leave him be. It’s his trademark anyways. Everyone else is just copying him. And if they do make this new rule, at least name it after him. No wonder they call it the “No Fun League.”

Tune of the Week: I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly (Yes I am digging into the vault with this one.)

Quotes of the week:

“The cost of living is going up and the chance of living is going down.” -Flip Wilson

“The only way most people recognize their limits is by trespassing on them.” -Tom Morris

“Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt to you is determinism; the way you play it is free will.” -Jawaharlal Nehru

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” -Will Rogers

“Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.” -Albert Einstein

I have officially come to the conclusion that thugs don’t care about the value of human life, whether it is their own or somebody else’s. Yesterday, there was a shooting right across the street from Manchester Elementary School. This took place after school got out but while after school programs were in session. I can understand if you don’t care about your life or the life of another “adult”, but leave the children out of this. I said I wasn’t going to talk about these thugs anymore but this is out of control. It’s one thing to be afraid of walking through your neighborhood at night, but children should not have to be scared in broad daylight on the way to or from school, let alone directly across the street from it. During an interview on Friday, I could tell by the tone of the mayor’s voice that he is pissed. Just watch the news story here. As one resident rightfully said, “The streets don’t belong to them, they belong to us,” and I couldn’t agree with him more. This needs to end right here right now. This nonsense was too far a long time ago.

Ce n’est pas vie.

Underwood Update for 21 February 2008

One would think that a new semester is supposed to bring a fresh start and a new beginning. Our batteries are supposed to be recharged after a month of vacation. Unfortunately, that is not the case for me. I only had eight days off for all of winter break and spent the vast majority of the break waking up at five or six o’clock in the morning. I sleep in more while I am at school than I am away from it. The classes themselves are not fresh starts either. Your survival in them depends on how you survived previous courses. Some people just drop the class and take something easier when things get too tough but not me. I just try to suck it up and focus on the light at the end of the long tunnel. But for what? At the end of the tunnel is just more pain, more suffering. But then again, that has been the story of my life (which I should get back to writing at some point).

I must admit that there are many things in my life that I would regret that I would redo if I ever had the chance. There are however other things that I don’t regret or things that I wouldn’t change in my life, even if it were for the better. I wish I would have said some things to some people earlier. Maybe they would have understood me or felt the same way I did. I may not get the chance at those. I wish I would not have shunned some people away like I did. I either shunned them away or I just became so busy that I didn’t have time for them anymore. If I did that to you, I am sorry. However I don’t regret saying some things to some people and shunning some of them out of my life. They just meant more harm to me and would result and my failure. Those people held me back for too long. I also don’t regret not going to my prom. Some people still complain to me about it until this very day. From what I heard, it sucked and so I am not sorry. I may only regret not going for one reason and one reason only…

Somebody please tell me what is the big deal with birthdays. I have never ever seen a point to them in my life. What exactly are they supposed to mean? We are another year old, big deal. We get older by the second. Life generally goes like this: You are born, you live your life, you die. Every living creature goes through the same process. What makes one day different from any other? The same goes for any type of anniversary. What is the big deal? What exactly are we supposed to be celebrating and why? I know that I am being somewhat of a downer but I never saw the point.

I am sounding so moopy (is that a word) and depressed right now. I’m just not the type of person who gets excited about the little things. Maybe I’m just waiting for something bad to happen. Maybe I need a change of scenery; this city is starting to get to me. Maybe I’ll do that this summer.

Tune of the Week: "I'm Comin" by Silkk the Shocker

Quotes of the Week:

“You better live your best and act your best and think your best today, for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other tomorrows that follow.” –Harriet Martineau

“It is only by following your deepest instinct that you can lead a rich life, and if you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, then your life will be safe, expedient, and thin.

“Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation.” –Henry Kissinger

“Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success.” –Oscar Wilde

“Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.” –Charlie Chaplin

Roger Clemens is about to be indicted on perjury. Recently, he had a chance under oath to tell the truth about his connection to performance enhancing drugs. Not only did he most likely lie about doing them, he couldn’t even keep his story straight. Clemens came off looking like a bumbling fool. His ex-trainer may have had credibility issues before but his story lines up with the stories told by others, including Clemens “friend” Any Pettite. If somehow, someway, what Clemens has been saying is the truth, I will apologize and leave him be, but I have a hard time believing him. If not, his career will be left in ruins along the likes of Pete Rose and Barry Bonds. It’s about time the sport was cleaned up but it’s sad that it took the act of our federal government to do something. They are the ones least likely to do anything productive.

If there is one thing I despise more than anything else, its liars and cheats. There is no reason to cheat in any game, sport, or in life and there is no reason to lie about anything. I can tell when someone is lying or trying to cheat. People will appreciate you more when you tell the truth and lies hurt everyone who is involved. Cheaters will always get caught because it takes lying to cover it up. Plus it hurts the integrity of the game. It devalues the efforts of those who are trying to make it up the ladder the hard way. The reward is a lot sweeter when you actually earn it. What are supposed to tell the next generation when we tell them that their heroes lied and cheated to get where they are? What happens when the example isn’t set for them? What happens to the state of this planet when everyone starts looking for shortcuts? What happens when no one is there to guide the children in the right direction? Or are we already at that point? But for now,

C’est la vie.

Underwood Update for 6 Janurary 2008

The holidays are a time for celebration. However, what really peeves me is the fact that some of these holidays are celebrated the wrong way. Granted, New Year’s is New Year’s, but Christmas is not supposed to be celebrated with a tree with presents underneath. There is no such thing as Santa Claus, hence no red suit, no flying sleigh, no reindeer, and no Rudolph. There is also no Frosty the Snowman or any other crap like that. Giving gifts and stuff is nice but that is not the point. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ. That is what we are supposed to celebrate. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for what you have, not gorging on every edible item in sight. And none of the holidays are about shopping. All of these “sales” are ridiculous. Stores only do that to get people inside the store where everything is marked up. That’s why I normal don’t go into those stores. I am also not much of a shopper. I am not a female and I’m cheap. If I go shopping, I know exactly what I am looking for and I am usually done in 5 minutes, unless the checkout lines are long.

The one that bug me about winter break is that there is absolutely no internet access at my aunt’s house. Fortunately, I took care of all necessary business before I left campus, but I will only be available online when I am working. Most of the mail coming in right now is junk mail, but I just hope something important doesn’t come through. Another thing that bugs me is working 5-10 hour days. Sitting at a desk for that long gets boring and tiring, especially if those shifts start at 7 or 8am. I call that cruel and unusual punishment. However I don’t complain when my paycheck comes. Then I realize that most of it goes towards books. Why do they have to be so expensive???

On New Year’s Day, I actually took time to sit down and watch a hockey game on TV. The Penguins beat the Sabres 2-1 in a shootout outdoors in Buffalo. I actually enjoyed the game and I definitely loved the outdoor environment which you don’t usually see in hockey. I thought this was a good idea from the start and it worked to perfection. If I were the NHL, I would do this again because it drew a crowd not only to the game but to their television sets.

I’ve updated my calendar to reflect my schedule for the rest of the winter break and my class schedule for next semester. It’s a bit friendlier and more spaced out than I originally planned, but sometimes, plans don’t work. Life has the habit of throwing curveballs. The people who succeed can hit those curveballs. The rest just strike out. I can’t believe that just used a baseball analogy…

Tune of the Week: Hell Will Be Callin' Your Name

Quotes of the Week:

“Promises that you make to yourself are often like the Japanese plum tree – they bear no fruit.” –Francis Marion

“First weigh the considerations, then take the risks.” –Helmuth von Moltke

“People seldom become famous for what they say until after they are famous for what they’ve done.” –Cullen Hightower

“It’s not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

“When you have given nothing, ask for nothing.” –Albanian Proverb

“We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it.” – Roald Dahl

“Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.” –Mark Twain

“In my many years, I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.” –John Adams

I’m still not making any New Year’s resolutions. I said what I felt about them about a year ago and that is not changing. If I were to make some, they would include having a stronger relationship with Jesus, keeping my focus, improving my grades, and weight loss. I have to be realistic though. I will fail on most of them if not all of them. I do need to get some things done before this year is done like do an internship, start searching for a job after graduation, and learn how to drive. These would help prepare me for May 2009. So 2008 is a big deal for me considering what needs to be done. Oh well….

C’est la vie.

Underwood Update for 26 November 2007

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks, hence the name. Well I have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful that I am still alive and that I have my health and some of my sanity, at least I think I still have that. I am thankful that I am still in school. I am also thankful that I am not as cramped up as I was on Friday. Lesson: Stretch before and after any physical activity, like football. I am also thankful being able to type this on my new laptop. God certainly answers prayers. It may not be when you want it or how you want it, but it is on His time.

I am also thankful that this semester is over. Of course that means exams and finals are right around the corner. There aren’t that many homework assignments left but in one of my classes, the final exam is 40% of the grade. That is a huge opportunity to raise (or lower) my grade. If I can just make it through December 17, I’ll have a month to work and relax, mostly work though. I know right now that I probably won’t go to graduate school yet. I’ll probably just get a job first. I can work in most places with my degree and it will give me an opportunity to really get settled.

Sunday, 18 November 2007 never happened. The Steelers did not lose to the Jets…

I thought that the BCS couldn’t get more chaotic than it already was, but boy, was I wrong. Missouri has climbed from out of nowhere to #1 while West Virginia is at #2. I never thought either one of these two teams were national championship caliber teams, but considering that everyone else before them who had the ball lost, this is what we have left; well these guys and #12 Hawaii who is undefeated. Where is their title shot at? In this long and confusing season, they haven’t lost. They should get a fair shake at the title. The NCAA should either fix the BCS or scrap it and revert to a playoff, although I don’t even think a playoff will settle all of the dust from this year. At least it’s almost over. All Missouri have to do is avenge their loss to Oklahoma while West Virginia has to beat Pitt who have been horrible this year.

I thought that the Patriots were going to go 16-0 this year. However, after last Sunday when Philadelphia almost beat them, I believe that there may be some flaws in the Patriots. If the Eagles can expose those flaws and almost win, then a better team, like the Steelers should be able to follow the blueprint that the Eagles and Colts wrote and possibly beat the Patriots in 2 weeks. I didn’t think the Steelers had a chance before but after last night, I am singing a different tune.

Theme of the Week: Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand

Quotes of the Week:

“We Americans live in a nation where the medical-care system is second to none in the world, unless you count maybe 25 or 30 little scuzzball countries like Scotland that we could vaporize in seconds if we felt like it.” -Dave Barry

“If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record we have ever known.” -George C. Marshall

“The guy who takes a chance, who walks in the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed.” -Gordon Parks

“It’s not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required.” -Sir Winston Churchill

“Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” -William Faulkner

Now I am just procrastinating now and it’s time for me to get back to work. Time waits for no one.

Case Closed