Balance

Without hate,
There is no love
Without evil,
There is no good
Without death,
There is no life
Without you,
I am not me

Self-Awareness

I'm reading a great book titled, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey (sorry,no italics on my phone). In the beginning he says a lot about self-awareness, and how it is the difference between us and animals.

In my experience, a lot of people simply "sail through" life. Carried by the winds of time to our final resting place. However easy this may be, it is essentially living as an animal. Without use of our self-awareness ability, we are living by our conditions, conditioning, and genetic makeup.

What we need to do is step back, and become aware of why we act a certain way; why our life is such; why we react to certain stimuli without thought. Through this process, we can become proactive in our thoughts, our actions, and most importantly: our life.

Great Android App

For all of you with an Android powered phone, check out this great exercise app! It's called CardioTrainer and it is an excellent motivator to get healthy. It keeps track of how many calories you burn and how far you've traveled. As your calories burned and miles go up, so goes your badge. A small emblem of your progress is displayed in the pull down bar. With a new color every 200 calories or so. This shows your calories for the past seven days, and when dragged down, shows what activity you completed each day.

The best part of this app is, it's free! Find it in your market today, and start getting motivated!

Gone

Green trees, blue lakes
Gone
Howling wolves, chirping birds
Gone
Blue skies, mountain air
Gone

From a match, from an arrow
No
From them, from you
No
Ignorance, lack of concern
For Mother Nature's bountiful harvest
Gone

T.S.A. Security Measures

This has been a hot topic for some time. Although I won't say whether or not I agree with the TSA's tactics, I do have some interesting thoughts for you all to think about.

First of all, I believe these tactics were too reactive. Security measures like frisking and full body scans should have implemented a long time ago. It has been known long before 9/11 that commercial airliners are a target for terrorists. It could be argued that had these measures been going on before a tragic event occured, would said event have even been allowed to occur? Terrorists and criminals alike will always find ways around security measures, but it is still essential that everything is done to prevent anything from happening.

Secondly, I believe Americans critizism of these security measures to be hypocritical. If, for example, the government did not implement these measures, and another attack on our soil occured, Americans would most likely complain that more security measures were needed. It seems to me that Americans are never happy with the way the government handles anything.

If we want to be and feel safe traveling on airplanes, there needs to be a constantly high level of security. If everything is not done in order to protect Americans, and another tragic event happens, who will then be to blame? The government for not wanting to offend airline passengers, or Americans for being easily offended by security measures often found at common events like night clubs or concerts?

Intermission

So I really dont't have anything to write about today. Nothing exciting happened, except for restarting my exercise routine that I stalled a week ago. But, now my back hurts. It's a sign not to stop exercising. I suppose I'll push through the pain tomorrow and work out again.
And by the way, if you enjoy this blog, you can sign up for email updates in the upper left hand corner. I promise to have some more interesting material soon. Maybe an essay on the Civil War? Just kidding, that would take too much work on my part. Although, I could probably just ask my mom to recount her experience...

Well, I'm off to watch Dancing With the Stars...I mean, um, something totally manly. Good night!

Double A

"I don't have a quote this time. Sorry. Here's a random picture from my phone"

Double Freakin' Rainbow!

Afternoon Blogosphere-

Check out this narly double rainbow I caught on my way home today. It was amazing. It wasn't one of those cheap, dim, fake looking rainbows you see on mostly sunny days, this one was surrealistic. It seemed to emanate from the ground! And the background, all dark and gloomy, perfect! This absolutely made my day.I actually made a video of it which I will post on here later, unless technology defeats me once again. Oh, and Omni Fio Ob Causa is latin and loosely translates to mean: Everything happens for a reason. Which totally relates to this rainbow. I usually don't leave the house after 5pm.

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."  ~John Muir

Solitary

  Solitary

                He was a tall man, thin but not overtly so. His glasses accented his silken face, with their dark rims blending into his salt and pepper hair. His unyielding posture said everything you needed to know about him. His demeanor was stoic and solemn, never giving in to emotion or hysteria. His home lies just outside a great city, with poplar sidings and dark oak window frames. Giant pine trees stand interspersed around his home like guardians of the natural world. It was a tranquil setting, best enjoyed by those with the capacity to be delighted by the magnificence of Mother Nature, or so that is what he believed. He never invited anyone to his home, not even his one and only daughter. His wife passed before he bought his home, and the rest of his family is now with God. He loved that his property was so pure and untarnished. It thrilled him to know that he was the only inhabitant of this twenty-acre land.

Like most days, he sat in his black leather trimmed recliner, surrounded by books of all shapes and colors; stacked sometimes ten high on the hardwood floor that covered his living room. The great authors always stayed close by: Tolstoy, Faulkner, and Dostoevsky, all the men who were given the gift of literary genius. Before these however, he reads the Bible. It gives him hope for a better tomorrow, as he gently turns each page with his forefinger and thumb, breathing in each word. He was in the middle of a pivotal scene when the phone rang. He exhaled, annoyed, and reached towards the nightstand next to his recliner. “Hello?” he asked.

“Dad, it’s me! How are you?” a soft voice beckons.

“You know I’m fine, what do you want?”

“Oh, nothing, I was just calling to see how you’re doing.”

“Well, I’m no different today than the last time you called” he says, increasingly irritated.

“Okay, would you like to meet for dinner this weekend?” she begs.

“No, I’m busy.” He hopes this will shut the conversation off immediately, to no avail.

“Alright, how about next week then…”

“No, not next week, not this weekend,” he yells.

“Dad, I’m worried about you. I haven’t seen you in 6 months.”

“Well, I’m fine. Goodbye!” He hangs up, abruptly ending the third phone call this week from his daughter, who lives just forty miles away on the opposite side of the great city.

                His blood boils and he becomes uncomfortable in his place. He quickly gets up and makes his way towards the window overlooking the pasture behind his house. He rests against the windowsill, staring out into the wild, hoping to see a fawn taking its first steps, or a warbler taking flight from high up in the pines. He takes a deep breath, exhales slowly, and finds his way back to his chair. He lifts up the Bible and stares at the pages, with their sides encrusted in gold. Something is nagging him in the recesses of his mind. He wonders if maybe he should have given his daughter a fighting chance at rekindling their relationship. He quickly shakes off this feeling, but can’t go back to reading. He sets the book down, and prays. He asks God for one thing and for one thing only, solitude. He begs for freedom from nagging family and to never have an encounter with a single human being, for the rest of his life. He begs God to rid him of all people, family and strangers alike, so that he will be able to read his books in peace and quiet.  And it was so. He feels a calm settle over him like a warm blanket. Feeling composed and worry-free, he goes back to his readings. Free interruptions, he picks up a heavy book. He exchanges the Bible for The Idiot, one of Dostoevsky’s classic works. He starts from the beginning, focused only on the words on the page, nothing else.

                Without a single disturbance, years pass by like seconds in the day. The old man reads relentlessly, from morning till night, from sunrise to sunset. In his dreams, he sees golden pastures rise before him under blue skies. Every day is filled with pages of other worlds, created by great minds many years ago. His days are joyous and wonderful. He could not imagine life being anything else. And it was so; every night he inserted one of his best bookmarks into his current literary indulgence, laid the paperback on top of another, and adjourned to his place of slumber. There he rested until morning, where he resumed the readings of the night before, still enchanted by the narrative of places so calm and tranquil.

                Life was comfortable for the old man, until one morning when he awoke to an excruciating pain in his chest. Before the first breath of the day could pass through his lips, he fell to the floor in agony. On his knees, he clutched his chest with both hands. Pain radiated throughout his body as he writhed on the floor. He reached for the phone, grasping it in both hands. Suddenly, a painful jolt passed through his body from his chest, radiating down into his bones. The phone dropped from his hands. He picked it up and dialed 9-1-1. Still, in tremendous pain, he listened as the line continued to ring and ring. A minute later, no one answered. PLEASE HELP ME he exalted to whoever would be on the other line. No one was there. He hung up and dialed the number to his daughter; but again, no answer. A second shockwave of pain rattled through his body, throwing the phone from his grasp. He reached towards the Heavens and begged of God: Please God, help me! You’ve got to help me! I’m dying! There was silence

Commas, Oh Commas, How I Despise Thee! - Tips On Proper Comma Usage

Good Afternoon Blogosphere,

Double A here with some more informative information (what?). Lately, I've been trying to improve my writing and speaking skills, by reading a couple books on grammar and punctuation. In my reading, I've found that the comma is the most devious of punctuation marks. It can ruin your sentences and entire paragraphs when used incorrectly.

A comma is supposed to indicate a break, or pause. It also separates clauses. If used properly, the comma will make your writing eloquent and smooth. On the other hand, if used incorrectly, commas will, make your sentences, seem choppy, short, and make them difficult, to read. Notice how all the commas littered across the previous sentence make it difficult to read and comprehend. Commas should be used lightly and appropriately. They should make a sentence easier to read and easier to understand.

Choosing where to insert commas is a difficult task indeed. Commas can sometimes be inserted where, in normal conversation, there would be a pause. But this is not always the case. Commas, like all punctuation marks, help the reader understand the intention and meaning of a sentence. For example:

While I was eating the cat, scratched at the door.

Now, with the comma where it is, the meaning of this sentence is a person, eating a cat, while something scratches at the door. Grammatically speaking, this sentence is incorrect in more ways than one, but never mind that. If we remove the comma all together, look what happens:

While I was eating the cat scratched at the door.

Notice how as you read this sentence, you naturally want to pause. This inclination to pause, depending on the  intended meaning of the sentence, should be where you insert the comma. Obviously I have never and will never eat my cat. Notice I said my cat, ha!

Commas can make or break your sentence, so make sure to insert them in between clauses, when you want the reader to pause (be careful with this one), or when you want to make the intent of the sentence obvious. Have a great one!

Double A

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is."

- Yogi Berra

Poems by Aaron A.

Day and night shake hands once again

Day’s reign is over, night comes out to play

Leaving no one behind

Each with an objective,

One a little more kind.

Light is gone for now

Despite the way I lived my day

Darkness covers up my putrid thoughts.

Waters down my sordid ways.

Day and night say hello and goodbye again

The night covers imperfections

With a silken glaze

Warm yet unforgiving

In its gaze

Day and night, once again take a bow

Forgetting the warm glow

Embracing the metallic light

Inducing panic into the night

Once again I stand up

Shake hands with my day

And thank the night

For its ways

Movie Review: Flash of Genius

How far would you go to prove your right to one of the automobiles’ greatest inventions? In Flash of Genius, Greg Kinnear plays Robert Kerns; a college professor and amateur inventor, who  improves upon one of the automobiles’ simplest yet greatest safety feature: the windshield wiper. Despite such a great discovery, he is forced to fight with Ford, one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the country for the rights to his invention.  Through lawyers and obstacles abound, Robert Kearns is determined to fight for what is his.

Flash of Genius depicts a typical 1960s family, living the American Dream in Detroit, Michigan. In an instant, Kearns discovers an invention that will change the automobile industry forever. Inspirational and up-lifting, Flash of Genius is a must-see.

I’d give it 9 out of 10 stars, for its excellent acting, easy to follow plot, and its ability to keep you on the edge of your seat. 

Kitty in Kaptivity

This…is Oliver Ahlquist. I am the feline companion and captive of Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Ahlquist. While they were away, I successfully hacked into their supercomputer using a screwdriver and duct tape. This is day 1,945 of my captivity. It is my goal to escape these humans, and find my way back to The Big Litter, or what humans like to call the beach. It’s where all the cats destine to go; save for being seized by the Catcher. He stalks the night, looking for felines on their way to The Big Litter. Most never make it, BUT I MUST!

For nearly Five and half years, I have mastered the art of Deception. When the humans beckon me, I act uninterested and begin to act busy, either by grooming myself or feigning sleep. The Humans have even attempted to give me drugs; a green, foul-smelling grass I’ve heard can kill one of us in an instant. I eat it, and then throw it up later; usually   on something Expensive. During my captors leave, i grow Strong by clawing at the carpet and practice darting into and out of rooms.

I grow stronger by the Day, with the hopes of one day making it to and out of the swinging wood they call a door, and into Daylight. I feel my captors presence drawing near. I Must adorn to my typical place of rest as not to rise suspicions.

Signed,

 

Blood Donation

Hearts don't really look like this....

So today (which feels like Sunday but is Saturday) I donated blood. Went in early this morning, right after breakfast. I never knew there is a United Blood Services center near my apartment. I'm feeling a little dizzy, even 4 hours later. I really enjoy giving blood. It literally saves lives, and on a more selfish note, gets you a free physical. Which came back positive, I mean there was nothing negative about it. Blood pressure and everything is great.
I really recommend that everyone give blood at least once a year. It's an opportunity to give life back to someone who needs it. And it is actually good for you, well mainly men. It decreases the iron content, or hemoglobin, in your blood. Please Google: United Blood Services (which sounds like a fancy name for a club for vampires), to find a blood donation center near you.
I hope you are enjoying your weekend. Remember, friends don't let friends drink and drive!
Double A

The Giver of life gave it for happiness and not for wretchedness.”

Thomas Jefferson quotes (American 3rd US President (1801-09). Author of the Declaration of Independence. 1762-1826)

AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

So, you may have heard the news: AT&T is buying-out T-Mobile. You might be wondering how this is going to affect the average T-Mobile customer. Well I’ll tell you, IT’S GOING TO SUCK!

T-Mobile has been around since 1990, and is currently owned by Deutsche Telekom; a German telecommunications company. Since its inception, T-Mobile has racked up more than 150 million customers worldwide, making it the tenth-largest mobile phone service provider. It has consistently come in second overall in customer satisfaction, always beaten by Verizon. In third place we have AT&T, who has ranked worst in customer satisfaction for many years, and owes a lot of its customers to the Iphone (the Iphone was only available to AT&T customers until recently).

AT&T’s financial legs have been the Iphone. This is because there is nothing else to like about AT&T. Its customer service sucks, its data plans suck, and its service sucks. Are not all of those things exactly what a service provider is supposed to provide? To expand, AT&T does not have unlimited data plans; who doesn’t have unlimited data plans?! I’m serious, why else would a company not provide an unlimited data plan unless its primary concern was profit and not customers. Regarding service, it just plain sucks. I had AT&T for many years, and rarely did I ever have more than one or two bars.  This has a lot to do however, with AT&T’s service and coverage; they don’t come close to what T-Mobile or Verizon provide.

So AT&T sucks, but why is this merger bad for T-Mobile customers? There are many answers to that, the first being, new phones. Yes, you will have to purchase new phones once this merger goes through. This is due to some technical mambo-jumbo about frequencies. Secondly, what sounds like a good thing is really a devil in the shadows: more cell towers means more coverage, right? Sure, more coverage, but the quality of that coverage, especially for data, is terrible. The reason for this is the super powered Iphone, which clogs up AT&T’s network like a crimp in a water hose. So now, when you are in the middle of Nebraska looking for a signal, you might actually find a bar or two, but don’t expect to be able to hear the person on the other line. Yuppie boy in San Francisco is busy messaging pictures of his 12 cats to his girlfriend. Lastly, we have customer service. Ah, customer service, the science and the art, when it’s great, it’s wonderful; but when it sucks, it ruins your day like the sight of Ryan Seacrest ruins mine. AT&T is known for its horrendous customer service. It ranked almost dead last in customer service in a survey of mobile phone customers. If you do eventually get someone, they will most likely speak English poorly and constantly try to sell you something. Oh and by the way, you will likely pay more overall, for everything: your phone, service, and data. This is called (okay I made this word up) a pseudo-Monopoly. Sure you can change service providers, but are you really? They’re betting on that you won’t.

What can you do to fight this merger? Jump ship! Get out of there. If your focus is money, go to Cricket or Sprint or even one of those pay as you go phones (seriously, don’t get those phones, they are terrible).  If you are okay with how much you’re paying for service, go to Verizon. Their customer service is ever so slightly worse than T-Mobile’s, but I’m sure you’ll be more than happy. In fact, this is my plan as soon as my contract is up.

In conclusion: AT&T is the devil, Verizon is Heaven on earth.  There is no more T-Mobile. Oh, and AT&T sucks (I’m hoping if I say that enough it will subconsciously make you pay the early termination fee and move to Verizon, or any company other than AT&T, who really sucks). 

Love Always,

Double A

Quote of the Day: "The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer"

                                          Edward R. Murrow