Will You

Is bottled water better than tap water? It’s not like tap water is particular dirty; it does have to go through a filtering process. Plenty of bottled water is perhaps filtered just as much, or maybe less. Plus, bottled water uses plastic, and it sure does cost a lot to ship it, bottle it, and make the plastic. Tap water also has fluoride in it……………

Can things really become worse, purely because of the perceptions it has taken? If people think Yao Ming is really overrated, is he? Can what those outside of this thing’s direct contact really affect the actual, absolute quality of whatever is being judged? Can a musician(s) become terrible, overrated, and despised to someone just because of the way others think about it? Are we so gullible? Are we so needy that outside perceptions will affect what we think of something? Of course it will happen, but can it happen in a drastic manner? If someone says Alex Rodriguez sucks at the clutch, and always has, does that mean him hitting in a few game winning RBIs or HRs in the playoffs mean he got lucky for a game? Can that restaurant suddenly have bad food once you start to despise their waiters? Can a band start to become watered down once others have caught on?

Does anybody else reading this ever get annoyed at people who are overtly trying to, or are trying to seem to be, green? Actually, screw that, this can be anything really, not just being green, any other little niche too. Maybe they just try to shove it on you too much, but really, whoever said they were (insert here?) in the first place. Maybe you just played a benefit concert for that old dude who lost the election way back when, you probably got there in gas-guzzling private airplane, not to mention the stretched hummer you used to get to and from the airport.

I think its nice to know that something’s a bit funny with little kids running around at night (Halloween specifically) asking for money? Aren’t cute little kids with money in a box also completely defenseless little kids with lots of money that are just waiting to be tripped. Plus, their candy is probably going to get taken, or at least crushed on the floor. You’d UNICEF could think of better ways to advertise and get donations, rather than well, getting little kids beat up, because well, that’s kind of the opposite of what their supposed to do...

I honestly wondered what would happen if people just sat down, and wrote one big long paragraph on why, specifically why, they loved such a poet, musician, band, author, painter, filmmaker, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. Would you kind of gain an insight into them selves?...maybe see why they appreciate that particular thing so much? Who knows I guess…

Dead weight

-dgitaldelay

April's Theme: Pride and Prejudice

Wow, talk about a big, big drought.

This month, April, we've had only 13 articles (including this one), compared to last month's 25. Oh well, 25 will still be the record for now.

Back to the subject. April's theme was: Pride and Prejudice. I was really hoping for a lot of good articles, but as it turns out, 'pride and prejudice' is just too much of a good theme. Both pride and prejudice are extremely strong and varying things, which made it harder to write about. Everyone has their opinions on what 'pride' and 'prejudice' is.

As usual, the following is a summary for April's articles. If you would like to view any of them, locate the article title under the month 'April' on the right side of the blog, under 'Blog Archive'.

Faux Pas: Feeling like reading something random?
HELLO, Greetings, Salutations...: One word, one world.
Hard to Explain: What's the real meaning of 'malaise'?
Hypothetically Speaking: Real-world, humorous dramatization of prejudice.
The Privilege of Childhood: We all had our good, young days.
A Matter of Life and Death: Life is simple...or is it?
Now There's Just No Point: Walking blind isn't the only problem in life.
And I'm the only one to blame: Pride can speak a lot for itself.
To Here Knows When: Who and what do you consider yourself as?
Pride's Gettin' in the Way: The little pest that gets in everyone's way.
Warning: Not for Cavity-Conscious People: All sweet-tooth s welcomed!
Pardon Me: Darn, give me a break, Pride!

Even though we had only a small amount of articles this month, they had strong messages in each and every one. Quantity doesn't always necessarily mean quality!

Thanks for voting in April's polls. Let's cheer for next month's theme: Desperation and Greed!

-the clam.

The Privilege of Childhood

It's back to babbling about random-stuff-that-doesn't-relate-to-the-theme.

This time, I'm going to delve back into my past...way, way back. The time when I still chewed on tissue and swallowed gum and made sound effects with my mouth while playing action figures.

Childhood is seriously the best time of our lives. We get to play, mess around, have fun, and not ever have to care about the world. We had people that watched over us, we had people who fed us, and we could eat everything we wanted and not have to worry about your health (well, maybe not the tissue and gum).

It's also the time we do completely absurd things—you know, the things that we look back on and we start laughing, "Oh my god, I did WHAT? I so did not walk down an aisle hand-in-hand with a flowergirl holding a pillow with a ring on it." ...yes, I did that.

One of the things I laugh about myself were my imaginative stories that I wrote. Here's an excerpt from a story I wrote, Mike and the Mystery of Tike, way back when I was eight years old:

"There lived a boy named Mike MaCarthy. He just loves frogs and toads so much that his parents bought him a toad. He named it Tike. One day in school, his best friend Mark said that he loves frogs and toads too but his parents wouldn't let him. Mike was sorry for him. Mark even said he tried to go to the pond and catch his own toad. But Mike knew that he wouldn't catch it because he isn't even good at catching a ball!"

Yeah, that was one of my better-grammared one (by the way, I left it genuinely as it is). If you're wondering, the story goes on and Mike had to 'solve the mystery' to find his lost toad. Turns out, his friend took it.

One of other 'mystery'-themed stories was Where's Kim?:

"One morning,, the Tyson family was getting ready for a trip to Las Vegas. "Hurry up kids! We're about to go!", shouted Mr. Tyson. "All right!", yelled both of the sisters, Kathy and Kim...While Mr. Tyson was driving, both sisters played. Kim was 6 years old so she played with kid stuffs. Kathy was 13 so she write, draw, and do what other teenagers do."

Same as before, I left it genuinely as it is, grammar and all. The story continues on, and Kim gets kidnapped while sitting at a McDonald's restaurant, where her sister failed at her babysitting skills. They went on a wild goose chase, and eventually tracked Kim down at the MGM, where the kidnapper was about to blow up a bomb. They managed to save Kim in time. YES, I know, lengthy and weird...but that's what I thought was 'cool' back then.

Anyways, I would dive into my old second grade journal, but I feel lazy. But I'll tell you, you'll be laughing on the ground by the time I finish telling you what I wrote in my journal...but I won't, so sit right where you are.

And yes, I did make funky sounds while playing with my action figures. Hey, it was fun you know.

-the clam.

Warning: Not for Cavity-Conscious People

Alright. Because I feel a bit hysterical at the moment, I'll veer off from the month's theme. This is probably the longest gap in between the previous article and a new one (DD's article wayyy back on April Fool's).

Okay. Let's get to the point. Who doesn't love (except for cavity-conscious people):

CANDY!!

In fact, I'm chewing on a very delectable piece of Milk Dud. Yummy...nysh caramel shenter with uh thin layer of shocolate. –swallows- Excuse me. That small caramel sticky-bomb can get extremely sticky to your teeth. It barely allows you to even talk. Kinda' like peanut butter.

It's good to have candy once in a while (emphasis on once in a while). I don't want to be blamed for the five cavities you're about to have just by reading this article.

Ooh, how about Whoppers? A crunchy center with a nice, layer of milk chocolate on the outside. Not as cavity-dangerous, and much faster to consume than a Milk Dud. I find it funny how they come in giant, quart-sized milk cartons.

Both of the candies mentioned above are manufactured by Hershey's. I love Hershey's. Their milk chocolate bars and white chocolate bars are really sweet...and yummy. Haha, I consider everything yummy. I become untrollably hyper after eating a Hershey's bar.

What other chocolate bars are there? OH! Crunch is also good. Those pesky small little rice crispies all scattered within the chocolate. The Three Musketeers, Milky Way, and Heath Bars. De.lic.ious!

"Baby Bottle Pop, Baby Bottle Pop! You can lick it, shake it, and dunk it!" I know that sounds a bit...weird. But that was the 'in' candy back then. Past popular candies also include Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, and Ring Pops. Hey—that doesn't mean you should go propose to your girlfriend with that. She'll slap you in the face (or laugh like a maniac...and then slap you in the face).

Or, if you'd like a more fiery taste, try Hot Tamales. They'll give you a nice sting. Don't eat too much though...you'll be crying.

You know what, I'm really lazy right now. I'll just throw a bunch of names out there. Hershey's Kisses, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kat, Almond Joy, Snickers, Skittles (three cheers for Skittles!), Take Five, Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers, Jolly Ranchers...they're all so sweet and perfect –mouth waters-.

Hungry for candy? Just be careful...think of your poor teeth.

-the clam.