The Daily Adventures of Mercat

[Error: unknown template qotd] Tolerance, education, and integrity.

I think we got caught up in mocking ourselves, and the media has become so sensationalist because of it, even just in the last eight years-- focusing on more extremist points of view, making us think that's the kind of folks who live next door.

We need a breath of fresh air. Take a step back from where we are and ask "what are the facts?" And learn to listen to them.

Sensationalism breeds fear, and fear breeds hasty action. We're too scared to realize what freedoms we are removing... How we are cutting out the very pedestal we stand on.



Okay, that's my preachy spot for today. :D Just my thoughts.


Also, it was my motherboard. I no longer have a computer at my disposal... and I don't think I'm going to be able what I *want* to buy (eepc that runs Ubuntu) because it won't run AutoCAD or MATLAB. Woo. /sarcasm

There are so many things to say and they have all been said in better ways than I could have.

I did not think I would be that nervous. I did not think I would care so much. I did not think I would almost cry at his speech. I am pleased that McCain's concession speech was so gracious. After all the Obama-blasting ads and honestly, anything involving Palin, I was finding it hard to tell myself he's still a good human being and he's as human as the rest of us. But his speech made me proud of America (and, uh, rather embarassed by his Republican crowd) and Obama's speech... Holy crap. [EDIT: Also I totally did not expect such a landslide as they are reporting it?! I thought it was more neck-and-neck. Perhaps this is just due to the sheer numbers of red-staters in Greene.]



Can I just say that it's nice to have a President (-ELECT, I know) who can give a damn speech?!

Right, so, if you know me at all, you probably know I hate politics. I hate that it becomes very advertisement-, name-calling-, and non-logic-based, often formed by popular thought that may or may not have basis in actual facts. Which is extremely frustrating for me, my brain operates pretty logically.

But in seeing the creeping numbers of political comments I've come to realize that I've been focused on Hopewalk so much this month that September is almost over and it's actually getting close enough to presidential election time that I should pay attention. It's sort of like Christmas now, where it's so advertised that you don't want to get involved too early and burn yourself out, or, at least it is for me. But I think October is a good starting point, especially when there's so much to go over beforehand.

So what I'm saying is I'll try to keep my political posts to a minimum as it's not something I greatly want to discuss either, but as a voting citizen it's definitely my responisbility to suck it up and figure out the best vote for me, so I'd like to encourage you to discuss and encourage or argue (whichever your point of view may be) your politics with me. I like to know when and where I'm wrong, because I try to make my statements based on the education I have and if I'm missing information, I want to know, and I'm not afraid to admit I was wrong and change my mind on things.

So, yes, politics, my first presidential election, *oy*.


Linking this because I think it is very well-written and not at all legalese: http://penknife.livejournal.com/363899.html


Feel free to share other good links if you have them, too. =) I should probably check Science Debate 2008 and see how that's going...

WOW, WHAT THE FUCK, AMERICA.

I hate bringing up politics because it usually creates a lot of drama and I still feel completely clueless about it (the arguments and logic of politics is not something I've ever really understood; my mind is all too logical I fear), but I MEAN DAAAAAAMN. This is both LOLARIOUS and FUCKING SCARY.


What a world, you know?

Damn, I have been busy lately. Recruitment chair + Hopewalk chair + overly busy POD year + total bitch prof for wastewater = Diane not getting any sleep, yeah?

I have an entire page in my art history notebook full of things I've meant to talk about, just thoughts that strike me about life or me or things in general. I think this happens more in art classes because we're analyzing the art in relation to how people look at life.

And I keep wondering stuff about why I particularly enjoy surrealism and fantasy art as opposed to other movements (perhaps disregarding art nouveau and art deco as those are styles rather than movements?), especially with respect to Yukio Ozaki (my ceramics prof from last semester)'s comments about not crafting, but making art. I don't know, I sort of have a problem with that.

I feel like despite the fact that yesterday was possibly the worst day ever and it fried my brain so much (probably from crying out of frustration? I definitely was >this close< to snapping all day long, so I definitely cried enough), I am still having a good year. Wednesday was an AMAZING day because the weather was cool and GORGEOUS, and we had a little Chaminade meetup which was all nice and emotional and warm fuzzies and that sort of deal. But the weather the most reminded me that for some reason, even as beautiful as Hawaii was, there's something about the fall that I can't grasp or describe that is absolutely perfect. I just get this feeling of perfection when the weather gets that way... It's beautiful. And then yesterday was a total bomb (minus the LHC not blowing shit up, lol) but today I was happy again. I don't know why, because I didn't get to sleep in or anything. But then going home for dinner listening to the radio I just realized that music, especially radio music for some reason, never fails to make me happy. It brings me back to some sort of happy time, I'm not really sure what; I'm consciously reminded of different high school events but it's not that, it's more of a subconscious happiness with a little of that reminiscence thrown in. So, I don't know. Hopefully tomorrow is a good day, too.


By the way, September 11th totally snuck up on me, as did Talk Like a Pirate Day. So I watched a History Channel special which made me cry, which I'm glad it did because it kind of helps me realize how big that was, which I don't think I understood at the time. I mean, being an emotional person, I was upset and it was obviously devastating, but I didn't understand the impact. I forgot my cousin's aunt worked at the Pentagon, and I didn't really comprehend, I don't think, that this was the first attack ever on American soil. (Blah blah blah Pearl Harbor HAWAII WAS NOT A STATE THEN) BUT. Yeah. Despite the fact that everyone hates that it gets used politically as an excuse for everything, I'm glad people still take the time to teach everyone and remind everyone what it means.

And now, I think I'm going to go listen to For the Fallen, and wish I had our original recording of because I think there was more passion in it, but I need to post a recording of it or something, because it's an amazing song written by a local composer about 9/11. Anyway, yeah.

And life goes on.

I've come across a few interesting articles lately, thought I might pass them on.

I actually have no idea what this is, but it seems pretty interesting on the first read. (And to be fair I mostly just scanned it, my thoughts were a bit too scattered at the time to really try to understand it.)

Dude versus Dad, or, too much insight into why I take a lot of things too seriously.

Post-Americanism. I don't know about you but I am all for a slice of Humble Pie. You should never get too cocky about yourself, it leads to big disasters. Also? The sense I get from that article is "America no longer holds the records for biggest stuff!" Uh, hello current events, but the world can't go on forever with a My Cock's Bigger contest. We're starting to see the effects of overpopulation and limited resources as it is. I think it's a good thing that we're not at the top anymore and I'm hoping we can use, to put it stereotypically, good old American ingenuity to put us in a new direction for a BETTER planet and not just a BIGGER one.


Oh, and another thing about Iron Man: I guess it's doing pretty damn well this weekend. GOOD FOR IT. I think we need more movies like it, in the "plot is not boringly overdone" genre. Also, I forgot to say when reading the credits, yay Lucasfilm for ILM and Skywalker Sound. I kept thinking those props guys must have been having a field day. ( SPOILER )

also the fact that it's been nearly a decade since 1999 and SEVEN YEARS almost since 9/11 is continuing to blow my mind.

Also I think I posted about this before, but I have a strong desire to build something similar for severely less than $3000. My only problem is my lack of experience in programming and robotics, but honestly, remote control + iPod dock + projector + media system doesn't sound too terribly challenging, unless you're insistent upon a universal remote.