Saturday, October 31, 2009

[Insert Witty Title Here]

This is where I post some introductory sentence about the weather, unless I happen to have a topic lined up. This is where I apologize for posting about the weather and promise not to talk about it.

Here's where I think of a topic. In this sentence, I provide a few introductory remarks and/or background information regarding the topic. Here's where I introduce the haiku.

Here's where I put the
Haiku which is pertaining
To the theme I choose.


Here's a sentence that starts with "that's right" or "seriously." This is where I elaborate on the meaning of the haiku. Here is where I go off on a long and rambling multi-sentence tangent. Here's where I come back to it saying "in any case."

At this point, I add on any other announcements or ideas I might have, which may or may not pertain to the initial topic.


Here is where I explain the origin of the witty title and why it is so ridiculously clever if you don't understand it.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Skuggs

If you've been paying any attention to my Twitter feed (if you aren't, you should. If only just to follow me), you will see that I put up a new haiku.

Whoever thought of
Wearing Uggs with skirts should be
Stoned to death with Uggs


I wrote and posted this haiku from my phone as I was walking to lunch. I counted 5 different people, walking in the feels-like-40-degree weather wearing skirts and Uggs. Let me count the things wrong with this picture (a list that could go on for much longer than this post).

First: It is freezing cold outside. Do not wear a skirt. Function before fashion. Oh, and not dying of swine flu before fashion as well.

Second: Uggs + Skirts = A no-no. Uggs are for winterwear, skirts are for summer. That would be like wearing your winter coat with a skirt (oh wait, people do that).

Third: Uggs in Ithaca are a no-no. There is a ton of salt used here, and they WILL be eaten alive by it before the 6 month winter is up.

Fourth: Uggs in general are a no. I'm sorry to anyone who likes them, but they are simply not practical. It would be like me walking around in the freezing cold wearing my house shoes, it's just not right. Only, you spent 80 dollars on those house shoes, they're uglier than house shoes, and they give you the illusion of having actual protection on your feet. They will absorb moisture like a sponge. They will easily be pierced by the smallest thing on the ground. Oh, and they're ugly, did I mention that? But I guess it's your money you're wasting.

And when I say "stoned" in my haiku, I mean killed by any means necessary that involves an ironic death brought on by Uggs. This could be resultant of a beating with Uggs, a stoning with Uggs, asphyxiation with Uggs, or the creation of an epic weapon using Uggs and a combination of scrap metal found around the Foundry (the art experiment building here).

I personally vote that anyone who wears Uggs with skirts be called a "Skugg" (a clever combination of "Ugg" and "Skirt"). It's about as attractive a word as the outfit is.

Sorry to any Ugg fans I'm offending.  As I said, it's your 80 dollars. And it will be gone within 1 winter. You could buy a pair of real boots for less than that, and they may last you your four years here.

Here We See The Trash Can, In Its Natural Environment

I'm going to open with a haiku, to be different (yes, no weather reports!):

Here at Cornell the
Trash can is an extremely
Elusive species


While you may think that college campuses are breeding grounds for trash cans, with them littering all over (get it, litter?), loitering outside of buildings, and lying on curbs. Sadly (or happily, if you discriminate against trash cans), this is not the case. In fact, there are very few trash cans. As a result, litter can be found quite frequently around campus. I often will pick up a bottle that someone has thrown on the ground, will sometimes have to walk up to 5 minutes or more before coming across a trash can. And then I throw away a perfectly good bottle. If I wanted to recycle it would be a 30 minute walk.

Seriously Cornell? Really? Here we are, in the middle (well, edge of) Ithaca, New York, known for a large population of hippie left-wing activist liberal democrats obsessed with recycling and all of that other environmentalist stuff, and yet it is harder to find a trash can on campus than it is to find a republican. And if you're looking for a recycling can, that's harder to find than a republican at a Cornell Democrats' meeting. Ash tray columns for smokers, however? No problem. Of course, those are probably better than recycling bins, but I favor the alternative: Rejecting anyone who runs and spreads carcinogens to other people like they're giving out candy on Halloween. Only other people don't want this candy. And it smells like cigarette smoke. And you get cancer instead of cavities.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

"Teller Of Untruths, Teller of Untruths, Your Britches Have Combusted"

Remember when I said I wouldn't make a second post? I lied!

I have two announcements to make:

The first, I will make in haiku form:

Although I fail to
See the appeal, I have made
A Twitter account


Don't worry though, all of my posts will still be made. I will just use the Twitter to put in haikus, and random updates. You can find me here. I will also link it so that you can read my Tweets here.


The second announcement is my second vlog post! This one is not a formal post, but rather, a song! There is no haiku hidden in it, so do not search. A formal post will come later this week or something.

(Be sure to give it a 5 star rating on youtube! Or whatever you feel it deserves (5555555peerpressure55555)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMr0Dkaj8wk

The title I learned from a MLIA story, and if you're able to figure out what it means, you win 2 brownie points!*

*There is no physical value in brownie points, nor can they be redeemed for actual brownies. You will, however, gain some degree of personal satisfaction and a virtual pat on the back. Offer expires 11/12/09.

Weekend of the Loving Parents

And today is another beautifully ugly day. By which I mean just plain ugly. It is almost the weekend!

This particular weekend happens to be parent's weekend, during which freshmen's parents will come visit them. My parents are already here, and got here last night. They brought me additional necessities, including Izzes, Reece's Cups, juice, and my winter coat. I know this wasn't a a lot of background, but heres my haiku:

Parent's weekend is
Just an excuse for parents
To come and visit


I know this may seem incredibly obvious, but think about it. If it weren't for parents weekend, would parents ever come visit their kids? Would their kids let them? I think not. It also allows them to bring supplies, as mine did, and if you're close to home they can bring that pile of laundry that you sent for them to do for you.

I know this post was incredibly short, but I will be posting a vlog post tonight (yes, I know it's not the weekend).

The title is an obscure reference to Night of the Living of Dead. It was going to be "living" parents, but I accidentally typed "o" and realized that it worked better.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

DumBoards

Well, the day is still incredibly gross. It's stopped raining but the sky is still gray and the ground is still wet and gross. Why on earth do I keep giving you weather updates? It's not like you care. I guess that's just the first thing that comes to mind, and it's the easiest thing to start with when I'm lacking ideas (not that I ever have writer's block). I have decided that the best thing to do in this moment in time would be to look around and choose a random object on which to base this post.

*scans room*

I have espied (I love that word) a SmartBoard behind me. For those who don't know, a SmartBoard is an interactive white board which uses a computer, allowing the teacher to do all sorts of fun stuff such as writing on powerpoints, drawing mustaches on republican senators (not that any of my teachers have ever done that), lecturing without having to be at a computer, or cursing at it in frustration. The final of those activities is what I have chosen to write about.

SmartBoards could be great
If professors could figure
Out how to work them


Most professors and teachers have absolutely no idea how to work these boards. They may attend some two-hour seminar on how the boards work, but they'll come out retaining about as much information as an ADHD six-year old attending that very same lecture (probably less, once I think about it). We could invest more time and money into forcing these professors to learn how to work the boards, but chances are that in the end they will rarely, if ever, find use for it, even if they know how to work it.

Facebook is the Opiate of the People

Well, I wish I could say that it's another beautiful day, but sadly- it's not. The weather outside looks like some 8 year old's massive-Ithaca-scale vinegar and baking soda volcano gone horribly wrong. But don't worry, I'm not here to talk to you about the weather. Although I'm not yet sure what to talk about.

Today is Wednesday, and if you are a returning reader, that means it's waffle Wednesday! Although if you're a new reader I suppose that it's still waffle Wednesday.

I know this is a little overdue, but if you're on Facebook, you've probably noticed that the layout has been changed yet again. This is not because of it being easier to use, or easier to program, or any sort of convenience. And here's my haiku:

Facebook changes its
Layout simply because it's
Cruel and sadistic


That's right, I said it. The new Facebook is not about convenience or improving Facebook or anything. It's all about controlling the masses. Facebook knows that it can, so it does. It's as simple as that. It knows that even if it changed its name to Assbook, changed it so that users had to use their tongues to input the data (not sure how they'd do this, but they could find a way), and changed the language to text-speak with a collection of impossible-to-read excuses for words (although I guess that's already happened), people would still use it. It's all a conspiracy I tell you! Congress pays Facebook so that it preps our youth for accepting defeat later in life! Generation X wouldn't stand for this, and neither should we! Rather than boycott Facebook, which seems like the logical thing to do, I vote that everyone angst about it as much as possible and hope that the angst somehow wears off on the overall Facebook mainframe until it miraculously turns back to normal. So pretty much just keep doing what you're doing.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

I Do All My Own Stunts

So I have a huge research paper to be writing today. Don't expect an evening post. I had meant to lock myself in the library for the entire day, but I doubt that will end up happening. I ended up somehow scheduling myself with something at 11:15, 12:30, 1:30, 3, 5, and 7. Yes, busy day.

I had no idea where I was going with this post, so I just glanced at the books on my shelf, searching for inspiration. I came across Bill Bryson's Shakespeare: The World As Stage (which I've been meaning to read), and a random haiku came to my mind, so I decided to post it.

All the world's staged
And all its men and women
Merely stunts people


I say "people" instead of "man" in order to be politically correct. And to have the right number of syllables. No idea why I thought about this. It's pretty deep though. Ok, not really, but we can pretend it is, right? Like everything that happens in life is fated and we are merely the stunts people who are victim to those happenings. Or not. Try not to read too deeply into any of my stuff, it's not deep.

If one day I become a famous poet (that made me laugh), let it be known that my works do not have deeper meanings and ridiculous metaphors that can be found in poetry. And by found, I mean beaten out of the poem with a stick. I can imagine poets such as John Donne being like "What? No, I did not write this poem about life struggles and the social stratification. It was supposed to be a clever metaphor for loss of virginity. What are you on?" (this is in reference to his poem "The Flea") Seriously, while most poems do have some sort of meaning, it is usually much, much, more plain than might be interpreted. If my poems are ever discussed in an A.P. English class, the discussion should be no longer than one sentence.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Sociology 01100110 01110101 01101110

Today is another beautiful fall day. Perfect for leaf stomping, pile romping, or just plain apple chomping. From my position right now, I can not see a cloud in the sky, which makes sense considering that the angle does not allow me to see the sky. But I'm sure that if I could, I would not see clouds. It's a perfect day for tanning, if you don't mind the 50 degree weather.

I'm going to talk about sociology, but first, allow me to share a story from class today, which I found entertaining. Our professor was talking about impression management and such (I'll discuss this later), and was asking the class about dates, and the different basic things one might look at on a date. He was looking for answers like politics or religion, but phrased the question saying "look at." My friend raises his hand and says "her face." The people who got it laughed. For those who don't get it: You won't get far on a first date if you don't look at the other's face.

In sociology today, we viewed a short portion of Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam, meant to showcase impression management and the dramaturgical perspective (Google it: I couldn't answer your question). Which made me think about sociology.

Sociology
Lessons could simply be a
New movie each day


Think about it. I swear, almost anything I learn in that class could be expressed in a part of some movie out there on the market. Any aspect of sociology be it social networks, social action and agency, McDonalization of society, rationalization (get it? It's self-contradicting and irrational! Aww, gotta love Soc. jokes), or any of a number of more exciting topics, could be expressed in some movie or another. Movies ranging from Play It Again Sam to Supersize Me, The Lord of the Rings to Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Monty Python's Holy Grail to Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times are all completely relevant to various sociological issues. I'm sure all of you are as deeply intrigued by this as I am. Trust me, if you were taking Sociology 101, you'd want to be watching these movies in class too.

The numbers in the title are binary for "fun." No, I don't speak fluent binary, although I can do a pretty good binary solo. You win a pat on the back if you got that joke. If you didn't, watch this. That is all.

Crush Their Spines

I have a confession to make.

When autumn finally comes around (if you could even say that Ithaca has a fall), I like to jump on dry leaves. I know, I know: It's amazing. Some may say that it's childish. Some may say that it's just plain silly. Others may say that its a metaphor for oppression and race-based discrimination, but I think those people would be reading too deeply into it. In any case, it's incredibly fun, and that's all that matters. When you live in a world with 6 month winters, its a good idea to take advantage of the short and sweet things autumn brings (by sweet, I don't mean taste... leaves are not especially tasty. Well, dead leaves that is... by which I mean crispy and brown. That took me a while to rule out lettuce). I guess what I'm trying to say is no, I take absolutely no shame in crushing fallen leaves with all of my might without a metaphorical meaning in it (all of you psych majors out there, please stop psychoanalyzing me. Thank you). Now, for my haiku:

Jump on fallen leaves,
Drink cider, carve your pumpkins,
Make good use of fall


That's right, I am encouraging you to get out there and enjoy fall while you can. Before you know it, snow will be here and you'll wonder why you didn't get a chance to drink your unfair share of cider from the dining halls (no wonder they run out each weekend); carve horrible, indecent, and occasionally offensive jack o' lanterns to place on your porch; or step on every crumbling leaf and pretend that you're crushing the spines of all of those who have done you wrong in life (not that I do that). So stop reading this, and go outside! Unless of course you're reading this at night, or if it's cold outside. Or if it's not fall right now where you are.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Field of Dreams

Well, it's the morning after my 100th post. I will be updating that vlog about once a week, so look for it around the beginning of the weekend. Not sure what to talk about now...

It is an absolutely beautiful day outside. Cold, but beautiful.

In a few minutes, I will be taking a trip to a cornfield maze. It's going to be absolutely epic. Now what can I talk about... I have absolutely no idea. I'm tired.

One never outgrows
Cornfield mazes or any
Fall-fun-kids-type-thing


Yes, it may seem a little childish, but cornfield mazes are amazing (no pun intended). It's strange how when people say "no pun intended" they usually do actually intend it. Or maybe that's just me. I always fine that inadvertent puns are more clever than regular ones. So that makes this one clever because it was not intended. Shhh. Back to the point!

Go to a maze, if you're old, you'll have fun, if you're young you'll have fun. Unless you have really bad memory... or if you're alone and happen to be running from a psycho killer (qu'est que cest?) in the middle of the night with no moon out. But even that might be fun, depending on what you're in to. They really should turn mazes into haunted house type things during Halloween. Silly farmers, who aren't actually real farmers, but still. It must take a lot to cut an entire cornfield into a maze. Or alot not to, if you're a farmer. I personally could never run a farm, I'd have to much fun running over things in a tractor.

This post was lame. I apologize. I'm tired. I'll post again later if I have time, and maybe I'll think of something funny.