"He has probably lived a more exciting life than I have."
-Dave Libby
So, it has been sometime since I did the Chicago Marathon. It took place on October 11th, 2009. I ran 26.2 miles with roughly 33,000 people. It was one of the best days of my entire life. For those of you who have no clue what it's like, you feel pretty good about things when you cross that finish line. I first started thinking about doing the Chicago Marathon literally the day after I finished the Des Moines Marathon of 2008. When I had done the race in 2008, I had a painful experience that diminished my performance significantly. The constant striking of my feet on the ground really got to me, so much so that I remember coming to the 19 mile mark, feeling like I was running on nails, and I finally stopped and walked. I then proceeded to walk and jog, walk and jog to the finish. As I was doing this I was frustrated, and I knew that I was not reaching my full potential. That's what motivated me to do another Marathon. There were two facts that motivated me to do the Marathon in Chicago. One was the fact that it's CHICAGO, and the other was my Mother. My Mother has an unbelievably bad habit of overparenting. After my race in Des Moines, she gave every opinion that she has from her sorry excuse for experience in athleticism to let me know what she thinks about how I should do things. I can tolerate a lot of things, but I don't tolerate people patronizing me. So I registered for the Chicago Marathon because sometimes she's an idiot. I registered on the day of the Super Bowl on February 1st, 2009. I then proceeded to train as best as I could for about eight months. I hit a challenge during the summer. I sweat a lot, and my body simply cannot push itself due to the dryness of my body. So, I bought a Camelbak. I don't know if you're familiar with them, but it's basically a backpack that holds fluid. I remember reaching Ansborough Avenue, just right next to Northland Lubricants, and I emptied that sucker. The benefit of having the Camelbak was not just from rehydration, but also that having it added some weight that I carried that I would not carry during the actual race. I remember having a few frustrating moments during my training. One thing to understand is that a really good run involved me running as long as two and a half hours. During that time you NEED a motivational tool. That tool can come in the form of another runner(s) running with you. But my motivation came from my Ipod, with music to keep me pushing myself for so long. After these very exhausting runs, my legs were quite sore. I received an e-mail from the Chicago Marathon saying that one way to recover is to take a cold shower/bath to reduce the swelling of your body. Because of that I would bathe with ice made from freezing water in gallon-sized ziploc bags. I still remember feeling my thighs afterwards, still somewhat cold. It was awesome! Unfortunately, in the few weeks before the Chicago Marathon, I got some bad shin splints. I had to buy some gel pads to put in my shoes to cushion the blow when I strike the ground. It was too early to buy new shoes, which would have only made it worse. So I drove all the way to Evanston, IL from Cedar Falls on Friday October 9th. I then took the El to my friends place, Jacob Whalen. The day after that I got to my Cousin's place, and he lived closer to the race than I could have ever asked him to. Thank God for Philip's proximity to Grant Park! The day before the race on Saturday I remember getting a bit of a headache. My only guess is that it was caused by the fact that my cousin's apartment was on the 29th floor. I remember going on a bit of a jog on the street, seeing people everywhere. And then I started to pray. I prayed to God that he would make this as good of an experience for me as possible. Also, on Saturday, Philip drove me to McCormick Place to receive my bib, my chip, and some goodies. Martine, Philip's wife, fixed us pizza for supper and then I fell asleep. I woke up at about 4:30 a.m. I looked at the wonderful view of Chicago, which included some of the river. As I recall, my headache was completely gone. Then, I started to pray for the other runners too. I never looked at the other runners as rivals, more as companions. They motivated me to keep plugging away the same way that I motivated them to plug away too. It's because of this that I never really cared about my place that I finished NEARLY as much as my actual time. I walked to the start of the race, and in no time it was PACKED. I guess that's what happens when 46,000 people congregate together. It was cold outside roughly at about 30-35 degrees Fahrenheit. I managed to get much further in the start of the race by hopping over the fence to the beginning. And then, we started to move at about 7:30 a.m. As mentioned before, in Des Moines I was upset due to the pain in my feet. To take care of that, I lathered the bottom of my feet with lubrication, and it became a nonissue. For the first 15 miles or so, I had a quite constant pace of about 8 minute miles. Then, I kind of slowed down. My first 5K was about 25 minutes and my last was about 30 minutes. I remember as I was nearing the end, my thighs felt like concrete. I crossed the finish line and it was a beautiful day. I walked forever, grabbing an aluminum sheet to wrap around my body to keep my body heat. I was offered a beer, which did not taste well, so it was quickly discarded. And then I finally got to my gear check. I grabbed some altoids, and drank some water. It felt good. Then, I grabbed my cellphone and sent a text message to as many friends as it would allow (10). My message said as follows.
It looks like today is going to be another great day. Clock time 3:44.
I then walked more and more, and then finally I got to my cousin's apartment. I took a bit of a rest, and then I took the subway to Evanston, and I finally arrived back home at about 1a.m. There was an e-mail I got from Bank of America that claimed the event attracts a whopping 1,500,000 spectators. After having done that event, I suppose that that figure is possible. One memorable spectator that I saw at roughly the 17 mile mark had a sign that said to us "Release your inner Kenyan". For those of you who don't know, the last seven Chicago Marathons have been won by someone from Kenya. My first thought when I saw that was something like "Easy for you to say, jerk." So, it has been a good two months since that day. What has happened since then? I've given my body a rest. I tried to change my ways, growing some facial hair just to celebrate, working on an enormous lego set of the volkswagon beetle, etc. I am not interested in doing another marathon next year. It is my intention to move on to other things in my life. To have a healthier social life and to excel in my career. Someday, I'd like to start a family and prove myself. Having done this race, I am capable of rising up to almost any challenge that life throws at me. For those of you who think that we're nuts, you have a point. But, simultaneously, when you cross that finish line, it's a feeling unlike any other. One dissapointment that I have in my life is my academic performance at Iowa State University. During my time as a student, I was not confident in myself. It hurt my GPA, I didn't have as great of an experience as I would have liked, and that's a shame. But, more recently, I faced this challenge of 26.2 miles without even a microgram of fear. Because of this, I am more proud of my performance in the Chicago Marathon than I am of my performance as an Iowa State student. In the beginning of this post I have a quote from a man named Dave Libby. I knew Dave from work. The thing about him was that he had a striking resemblance to the actor Sean Connery. I told him that and he smiled, saying that he has heard that before. And then Dave told me that Sean Connery has probably lived a more exciting life than he has. When I look at what he said, I think to myself that I don't want to feel that way about my life. I want to have enough happy memories in my life. Call me crazy, but crossing that finish line on October 11th, 2009 will always be one of them.
Youtube video of the start of the race.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBL4elz-yi8
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Untitled
God. God is Everything. Every second, Every atom, everywhere, everytime. It's God. What is God? Who is God? This is something that we wish to know. A long time ago I once learned that there are two ways of knowing something; mentally and emotionally. For instance, many people know mentally that their parents love them. After all, when parents mention that fact as many times as they do, it tends to be true. But it might be that some don't know emotionally that their parents love them. Not until they see tears in their eyes when they see you stand at the altar, or when they are not in a bad mood when one of them changes your soiled diaper. So, when I say that there are two ways to know something, mentally and emotionally, you know that I'm right. Meaning that people can know of God's existence one way, but not the other. The two "Knowings" of God's existence are so distant from one another. One is knowing from the brain, the other from the heart.
This brings up a topic called Intelligent Design. I first became aware of Intelligent Design when I had read a book called "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Intelligent Design and Darwinism." In it, the author brings up facts about this world (and to an extent, this universe) that clearly suggest an intelligent creator. Take this for example. If a vehicle started driving in Cedar Falls, Iowa and managed to reach Los Angeles, California, chances are that there was someone in the vehicle directing the steering wheel, pushing on the accelerator the right amount, pushing on the brake the right amount, etc. Surely, there was a driver, and he/she was directing the car. I know, I know, I shouldn't call you Shirley. Anyways, the driver was intelligently directing the car to its destination, just like how, I believe, God directs anything and everything to its destination. There are elements in life that scientifically suggest Intelligent Design (ID). One huge component of ID is organisms that are irreducibly complex. This type of organism has multiple parts working together that if even one part is removed, the entire system falls apart. One common example used is a mouse trap with all of its parts that together make something useful, but without, make something useless. Another example that I came up with on my own is the bicycle. Take away the bike chain, the pedals, the tires, the handlebars, whatever and you don't really have much of anything useful. The reason why a bike is in fact so useful is because someone who knew what is necessary for a bike designed it....intelligently. A well-known irreducibly complex organism is the Flagellum. It has a built in "rotor" that it uses to propel its body through the water that it swims with. Now, Flagella are microscopic, so you can imagine that they don't move very fast. But what if a flagellum were say, as big as a boat? Well, then that flagellum would swim roughly 60,000 miles per hour!!!! Holy cow! The reason why, is because the flagellum has multiple protein parts working together as an irreducible complex system. The one and only Harvard Professor Dr. Berg has referred to the organism as the most efficient machine in the universe. This is just one of many signs of ID. The aforementioned book is a great read, and I hope, worth your time. And it could very well convince you (or just reaffirm the fact) that God exists. Meaning that now you mentally know that God exists. But what about emotionally? Remember, there's a big difference. And, to be honest with you, I don't know that God exists emotionally nearly as much as I know that God exists mentally. I just wish that I had some answers on how to solve that. I mean, it's a beautiful world and I'm glad that God is looking out for me so well, but it might be that I don't feel his presence as much as I should. Don't worry, I'm working on it. Until we meet again, God Bless.
This brings up a topic called Intelligent Design. I first became aware of Intelligent Design when I had read a book called "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Intelligent Design and Darwinism." In it, the author brings up facts about this world (and to an extent, this universe) that clearly suggest an intelligent creator. Take this for example. If a vehicle started driving in Cedar Falls, Iowa and managed to reach Los Angeles, California, chances are that there was someone in the vehicle directing the steering wheel, pushing on the accelerator the right amount, pushing on the brake the right amount, etc. Surely, there was a driver, and he/she was directing the car. I know, I know, I shouldn't call you Shirley. Anyways, the driver was intelligently directing the car to its destination, just like how, I believe, God directs anything and everything to its destination. There are elements in life that scientifically suggest Intelligent Design (ID). One huge component of ID is organisms that are irreducibly complex. This type of organism has multiple parts working together that if even one part is removed, the entire system falls apart. One common example used is a mouse trap with all of its parts that together make something useful, but without, make something useless. Another example that I came up with on my own is the bicycle. Take away the bike chain, the pedals, the tires, the handlebars, whatever and you don't really have much of anything useful. The reason why a bike is in fact so useful is because someone who knew what is necessary for a bike designed it....intelligently. A well-known irreducibly complex organism is the Flagellum. It has a built in "rotor" that it uses to propel its body through the water that it swims with. Now, Flagella are microscopic, so you can imagine that they don't move very fast. But what if a flagellum were say, as big as a boat? Well, then that flagellum would swim roughly 60,000 miles per hour!!!! Holy cow! The reason why, is because the flagellum has multiple protein parts working together as an irreducible complex system. The one and only Harvard Professor Dr. Berg has referred to the organism as the most efficient machine in the universe. This is just one of many signs of ID. The aforementioned book is a great read, and I hope, worth your time. And it could very well convince you (or just reaffirm the fact) that God exists. Meaning that now you mentally know that God exists. But what about emotionally? Remember, there's a big difference. And, to be honest with you, I don't know that God exists emotionally nearly as much as I know that God exists mentally. I just wish that I had some answers on how to solve that. I mean, it's a beautiful world and I'm glad that God is looking out for me so well, but it might be that I don't feel his presence as much as I should. Don't worry, I'm working on it. Until we meet again, God Bless.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
A Great Film that I'm betting you haven't seen
This movie is one that has a deeper meaning to me than most. It is a film about people with Asperger's Syndrome. The movie is called Mozart and the Whale. It stars many actors/actresses, but the only recognizable one is the one and only Josh Hartnett. Yes, ladies, I know that you think he's cute. Anyways, the film addresses many issues that people with AS deal with. One fact is that people with AS are the way they are and they don't understand how other people perceive them. That is, until those people tell them. In the movie, there is a romance between the character Donald and the character Isabelle. These two have their difficulties concerning their condition. It is very difficult for any neurotypical person to understand people with AS, and it is very difficult for any person with AS to understand neurotypical people. But as people with AS progress over time, they are capable of fitting in to the society that they are a part of. And I am constantly doing that.
The Good: It is a very wholesome film. It demonstrates how we are.
The Bad: There is some heartbreak in the movie. There is some confrontation as well.
The Ugly: There are some really weird moments in this film. But, after about the first half hour, things are much better. There is some bizarre behavior, and it could be a turn off.
Overall, this movie had a really deep meaning for me. When God put me on planet Earth, he decided that I would be different. I have had a few challenges because of it, but I am getting there. When you finally finish the film, I truly hope that you will walk away feeling good about watching it. I know I did.
The Good: It is a very wholesome film. It demonstrates how we are.
The Bad: There is some heartbreak in the movie. There is some confrontation as well.
The Ugly: There are some really weird moments in this film. But, after about the first half hour, things are much better. There is some bizarre behavior, and it could be a turn off.
Overall, this movie had a really deep meaning for me. When God put me on planet Earth, he decided that I would be different. I have had a few challenges because of it, but I am getting there. When you finally finish the film, I truly hope that you will walk away feeling good about watching it. I know I did.
Monday, April 27, 2009
A Great Film that I'm betting you haven't seen
Well, here we go again. I will do my best to have this be monthly. This month goes to a film that made me think, and plays devil's advocate. How far would you be willing to go in order to stay in business at work? Are you willing to be drastic and absurd? Maybe even reckless? Will you lose your way with God when you do so? The movie that I'm referring to is called Network. It starts out with a news show that is going down the tubes because of its poor ratings. And then, the news anchor does something that is unthinkable. The movie delves into the issue of right and wrong. After watching the film, one must think about what's important in life.
The Good: The acting is superb, the storyline is just as great. And, best of all, it's a movie that you haven't seen.
The Bad: This film exposes some truth in showbiz. People love shock appeal in entertainment. The bad thing about this movie isn't what they show, it's that its partly true. The Saw movies, Hostel, Jerry Springer, etc. all demonstrate that people love shock appeal.
The Ugly: There is a large amount of foul language in the film. In fact, Jimmy Stewart turned down a role in the film because of that.
All in all, after you view this fine film I believe that you will have much to think about. Feel free to leave any comments.
The Good: The acting is superb, the storyline is just as great. And, best of all, it's a movie that you haven't seen.
The Bad: This film exposes some truth in showbiz. People love shock appeal in entertainment. The bad thing about this movie isn't what they show, it's that its partly true. The Saw movies, Hostel, Jerry Springer, etc. all demonstrate that people love shock appeal.
The Ugly: There is a large amount of foul language in the film. In fact, Jimmy Stewart turned down a role in the film because of that.
All in all, after you view this fine film I believe that you will have much to think about. Feel free to leave any comments.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Big Five
This post has a different meaning than the other posts. I felt the need for some levity, so I decided to have a comedic, laugh-out loud post in this one. The question that you have is, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS The Big Five? For a brief amount of time, I have been thinking about the days when I was a kid. Of course, when people move on over time they change, but when you're a kid, you're a kid. Now, The Big Five are the "five things that I thought were cool as a kid that I think are dumb right now." Stop right there. Hopefully, there is some excitement running through your mind right now. Oh wow, I wonder what he has in store for this. Here's another question. Have you, the reader, ever pondered this thought yourself? Well, the qualifications for The Big Five were just things that I have recalled over time that in my younger years I adored, and presently I laugh at, uncontrollably. There are of course, some things that did not make the list. I will start off with The Honorable Mentions.
The Honorable Mentions are parts of my childhood that although there may be a sufficient amount of stupidity in them, I am not embarrased to say that they were a part of my life sometime ago. I don't know if these deserve a Silver or a Bronze Medal, but either way it probably doesn't matter. Now, I shall name them off, and I will choose one of them as the Grand Consolation Victor. Because March Madness is going on right now, I guess that this will be like the NIT. A bunch of characters not good enough for the thing that everybody REALLY cares about, but hey, the winner is after all the winner. So the nominees for the Grand Consolation Victor are..........
Power Rangers
"After ten thousand years I'm free! It's time to conquer earth!" Yep. Some of you probably remember hearing Rita say those words at the beginning of every single silly show in the intro. Maybe most of you only remember the constant, senseless fighting. Especially with those clay goober men who never spoke. What were those guys called? I'm going to look it up on Wikipedia right now.....(five minutes later).....Putty Patrollers?! That's what they were called? Seriously, I don't remember that. It's just been too long since I have watched that classical tv show. The reason why this is in the NIT, sorry The Honorable Mentions and not The Big Five is because I still love the Power Rangers. I have their theme song on my Ipod. And the truth is that for those of you in my age group, chances are you watched it too. And you liked it. Moving along.
The Spice Girls
"Yo, I'll tell you what I want what I really really want." Okay that's enough. I first feasted my eyes (and of course, my ears) on the Spice Girls when they performed on Saturday Night Live. I just looked online to find out that that was in 1997. Of course I bought their cd after watching them perform, and I have been a fan of their, uhh music ever since. I actually do still listen to wannabe and Say you'll be there. Should I feel guilty for listening to this team of vocal talent? I don't know. But since I don't feel too bad about it, it's only an Honorable Mention.
Stretch Arm Strong
I never actually owned one as a kid, I just thought they looked cool.
Tether Ball
During recess when I was a kid, this was an optional activity to do. Sometimes I did try it out. Here's my question. How do you win? This was a bad idea from the start.
The movie Robin Hood with Kevin Costner
If I recall, I did manage to see this film in theaters. You have to understand. I was OBSESSED with this movie as a kid. I probably watched it 100 times. I even remember one time when I had to go to bed, and my older brother didn't, I got mad because he was watching it because I was missing out.
And the winner is........(maestro).........
Power Rangers!!!!!
You know how in the Oscars when someone wins the award for whatever work they did for whatever movie it was, the orchestra ALWAYS plays the theme song for that movie as they walk towards the podium? I guess that if anyone who worked for the Power Rangers tv show is seeing this they should play the theme song over and over and over as they walk to Cedar Falls, IA to my apartment so that I can give them the award. Or, maybe not. Here's my question to you. Did you really expect it to be anything else? Now, remember, I am not embarrased to say that I liked Power Rangers as a kid. That's why it's not eligible for the Big Five. But I do admit that it's dumb. Now onto the Big Five!!!!!!!!!
All right, let's just get right to it. I'll mention them and then I'll select the winner. The nominees are.....
Bowl cuts
I have no doubt that you all remember these. The truth is that I saw kids with these EVERYWHERE!!! ALL THE TIME!!! They looked ridiculous. I don't remember ever getting one, but as a kid I was probably toying with the idea since they were so common. What a bunch of gangsters. One thing that comes to mind about this is the famous saying from the cop in the movie Dumb and Dumber. "Come on give me that booze you pumpkin pie hair cutted freak!" No, he did not have a bowl cut, but it's almost as bad. Moving along.
Pogs
These circular pieces of garbage (POG's) have the word DUMB written all over them. And I loved them as a kid. I remember they were referenced in the movie Jack with Robin Williams. He (a ten year old) is arrested and his pogs and slammer were confiscated. Unless if I'm mistaken the intent of this activity was to hit a stack of pogs with the slammer to cause as many of the pogs to do a one hundred eighty degree turn in mid air to land on the floor thereby those are yours. Definitely, a bad idea to start with, but it sure did sell. I feel like I should look in the mirror now and ask myself, WWHHYY!?!?!? Moving along.
The Macarena
Shoulder blades, neck, hips, hips, shake your hips, and then rotate your entire body ninety degrees to your left. I don't get it. I remember that I was first introduced to this dance in seventh grade. My Mom even warned me that this dance was not going to stay popular for too long. I asked myself why.
Jnco's
What else do I have to say? These things were dumb. Unless, for some reason you need to sneak a briefcase into school, you had no need to wear one of these. Here's the worst part about it. I was thinking about getting some, and I was actually thinking about working out so much as a kid that they were going to fit me, because my legs would be that big. I don't think that I could have made my legs that big if I had simultaneously poked every single artery in my legs with a pin. Do legs have arteries? Anyways, I thought that they were cool because it would be cool to have legs big enough to need to wear those gangster garments. I am ashamed.
Super Soakers
When I was a kid, I was always interested in what the highest Super Soaker there was available. Super Soaker 3000? Forget that, Super Soaker 5000 is there right next to it. I really did like those things as a kid. And, yes, they were dumb. They always ran out of water. I recall that one function that I did use them for was to water the trees. Kind of like how a cd of the Spice Girls would make a good coaster for drinks. Hey, they're good for something.
And the Winner is.........
Jnco's!!!!!
They were dumb. And I admired them as a kid. Shame on me. No, shame on the individual who Ryan Larson was at that time. Good grief.
Well, there you have it. For those of you who took the time to read all of this, you have a very important task ahead of you right now. You yourself must choose your own The Big Five as soon as possible. This has been a lot of fun for me to tell you what the Big Five are. Let me give you an idea of how much fun it has been. Let's say that there's this little kid named Edward. Edward is outside with a super soaker in his right hand. Of course, in his left hand he has a slammer with a stack of pogs. As you might have guessed, Edward has a bowl cut. Edward is also wearing Jnco's and yes, you'd better believe it, Edward is doing the Macarena!!! I guess that Edward is standing up while doing all of this. Man, this kid Edward is a good multi-tasker isn't he? So, let's recap. Edward has a bowl cut hairdo, a water gun in his right hand, a slammer in his left hand, and he's doing the macarena in his Jnco's. I have had more fun making this list than Edward. We all know that Edward is having a blast right now, but if you can trust me, yes I had more fun making this list than the amount of fun that Edward is having right now. Because what is the only thing more enjoyable than having The Big Five all at once as a kid? The answer to that is, of course, making fun of that kid. So, I ask that all of you go out, now, and choose your The Big Five. Enjoy.
Amen.
The Honorable Mentions are parts of my childhood that although there may be a sufficient amount of stupidity in them, I am not embarrased to say that they were a part of my life sometime ago. I don't know if these deserve a Silver or a Bronze Medal, but either way it probably doesn't matter. Now, I shall name them off, and I will choose one of them as the Grand Consolation Victor. Because March Madness is going on right now, I guess that this will be like the NIT. A bunch of characters not good enough for the thing that everybody REALLY cares about, but hey, the winner is after all the winner. So the nominees for the Grand Consolation Victor are..........
Power Rangers
"After ten thousand years I'm free! It's time to conquer earth!" Yep. Some of you probably remember hearing Rita say those words at the beginning of every single silly show in the intro. Maybe most of you only remember the constant, senseless fighting. Especially with those clay goober men who never spoke. What were those guys called? I'm going to look it up on Wikipedia right now.....(five minutes later).....Putty Patrollers?! That's what they were called? Seriously, I don't remember that. It's just been too long since I have watched that classical tv show. The reason why this is in the NIT, sorry The Honorable Mentions and not The Big Five is because I still love the Power Rangers. I have their theme song on my Ipod. And the truth is that for those of you in my age group, chances are you watched it too. And you liked it. Moving along.
The Spice Girls
"Yo, I'll tell you what I want what I really really want." Okay that's enough. I first feasted my eyes (and of course, my ears) on the Spice Girls when they performed on Saturday Night Live. I just looked online to find out that that was in 1997. Of course I bought their cd after watching them perform, and I have been a fan of their, uhh music ever since. I actually do still listen to wannabe and Say you'll be there. Should I feel guilty for listening to this team of vocal talent? I don't know. But since I don't feel too bad about it, it's only an Honorable Mention.
Stretch Arm Strong
I never actually owned one as a kid, I just thought they looked cool.
Tether Ball
During recess when I was a kid, this was an optional activity to do. Sometimes I did try it out. Here's my question. How do you win? This was a bad idea from the start.
The movie Robin Hood with Kevin Costner
If I recall, I did manage to see this film in theaters. You have to understand. I was OBSESSED with this movie as a kid. I probably watched it 100 times. I even remember one time when I had to go to bed, and my older brother didn't, I got mad because he was watching it because I was missing out.
And the winner is........(maestro).........
Power Rangers!!!!!
You know how in the Oscars when someone wins the award for whatever work they did for whatever movie it was, the orchestra ALWAYS plays the theme song for that movie as they walk towards the podium? I guess that if anyone who worked for the Power Rangers tv show is seeing this they should play the theme song over and over and over as they walk to Cedar Falls, IA to my apartment so that I can give them the award. Or, maybe not. Here's my question to you. Did you really expect it to be anything else? Now, remember, I am not embarrased to say that I liked Power Rangers as a kid. That's why it's not eligible for the Big Five. But I do admit that it's dumb. Now onto the Big Five!!!!!!!!!
All right, let's just get right to it. I'll mention them and then I'll select the winner. The nominees are.....
Bowl cuts
I have no doubt that you all remember these. The truth is that I saw kids with these EVERYWHERE!!! ALL THE TIME!!! They looked ridiculous. I don't remember ever getting one, but as a kid I was probably toying with the idea since they were so common. What a bunch of gangsters. One thing that comes to mind about this is the famous saying from the cop in the movie Dumb and Dumber. "Come on give me that booze you pumpkin pie hair cutted freak!" No, he did not have a bowl cut, but it's almost as bad. Moving along.
Pogs
These circular pieces of garbage (POG's) have the word DUMB written all over them. And I loved them as a kid. I remember they were referenced in the movie Jack with Robin Williams. He (a ten year old) is arrested and his pogs and slammer were confiscated. Unless if I'm mistaken the intent of this activity was to hit a stack of pogs with the slammer to cause as many of the pogs to do a one hundred eighty degree turn in mid air to land on the floor thereby those are yours. Definitely, a bad idea to start with, but it sure did sell. I feel like I should look in the mirror now and ask myself, WWHHYY!?!?!? Moving along.
The Macarena
Shoulder blades, neck, hips, hips, shake your hips, and then rotate your entire body ninety degrees to your left. I don't get it. I remember that I was first introduced to this dance in seventh grade. My Mom even warned me that this dance was not going to stay popular for too long. I asked myself why.
Jnco's
What else do I have to say? These things were dumb. Unless, for some reason you need to sneak a briefcase into school, you had no need to wear one of these. Here's the worst part about it. I was thinking about getting some, and I was actually thinking about working out so much as a kid that they were going to fit me, because my legs would be that big. I don't think that I could have made my legs that big if I had simultaneously poked every single artery in my legs with a pin. Do legs have arteries? Anyways, I thought that they were cool because it would be cool to have legs big enough to need to wear those gangster garments. I am ashamed.
Super Soakers
When I was a kid, I was always interested in what the highest Super Soaker there was available. Super Soaker 3000? Forget that, Super Soaker 5000 is there right next to it. I really did like those things as a kid. And, yes, they were dumb. They always ran out of water. I recall that one function that I did use them for was to water the trees. Kind of like how a cd of the Spice Girls would make a good coaster for drinks. Hey, they're good for something.
And the Winner is.........
Jnco's!!!!!
They were dumb. And I admired them as a kid. Shame on me. No, shame on the individual who Ryan Larson was at that time. Good grief.
Well, there you have it. For those of you who took the time to read all of this, you have a very important task ahead of you right now. You yourself must choose your own The Big Five as soon as possible. This has been a lot of fun for me to tell you what the Big Five are. Let me give you an idea of how much fun it has been. Let's say that there's this little kid named Edward. Edward is outside with a super soaker in his right hand. Of course, in his left hand he has a slammer with a stack of pogs. As you might have guessed, Edward has a bowl cut. Edward is also wearing Jnco's and yes, you'd better believe it, Edward is doing the Macarena!!! I guess that Edward is standing up while doing all of this. Man, this kid Edward is a good multi-tasker isn't he? So, let's recap. Edward has a bowl cut hairdo, a water gun in his right hand, a slammer in his left hand, and he's doing the macarena in his Jnco's. I have had more fun making this list than Edward. We all know that Edward is having a blast right now, but if you can trust me, yes I had more fun making this list than the amount of fun that Edward is having right now. Because what is the only thing more enjoyable than having The Big Five all at once as a kid? The answer to that is, of course, making fun of that kid. So, I ask that all of you go out, now, and choose your The Big Five. Enjoy.
Amen.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Asperger's Syndrome
One thing that I want to mention, and will likely mention a number of times is that I have a mental condition called Asperger's Syndrome (AS). It is a form of autism. Over the years, after being diagnosed, it has been my task to learn what it means, what it doesn't mean, so on and so forth. One of my favorite sources on the subject is www.aspergerssyndrome.org. On that website is a script of a speech that Lars Perner gave about AS. Dr. Perner is a professor of clinical marketing at USC. If I'm lucky, some day I could meet him. He himself has AS. When I read what he had to say, I did see myself in much that he said. The truth is that I do talk to myself sometimes. We have good conversations. Another fact is that it's harder for me to understand the people that I know, while it's hard for people to understand me. Why do I have the fact that the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second memorized? I don't know. In fact, I don't understand why it's surprising that I can do that. I didn't make the rules, and I'm progressively learning them. All that I can tell you is that the neurons in my brain work differently from the norm. And that's why I am who I am. There will be much more discussion on this later on.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
A Great Film that I'm betting you haven't seen
All right, here's what's up. This post is meant to be dedicated to a movie of my choosing that is not very well known by any means, but was, I think, a fantastic film that you should not miss. I am considering how often I will try to post one of these. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to put them up monthly. And yes, you guessed it. To signify the fact that this is that kind of post, the font is in red. The first candidate is a very thought provoking film called The Lives of Others. It takes place in East Germany, right before the Cold War comes to a close. Here's how it goes.
The Good: the ending was my favorite thing about the film. To see the characters' reactions to everything that happens is VERY interesting. Another memorable moment is a joke that is told by a gentleman at lunch.
The Bad: the film is in subtitles because all of the dialogue is in German. If this automatically turns you off enough to know that you don't want to watch it, you're missing out. But I can understand that it's not what you wanted to hear.
The Ugly: It is rated R. There is one scene when a man is with a prostitute. But, I think that if you can handle those brief moments, it will be worth it.
I fully understand that you might be wondering why I have spoken so highly of this movie, yet not told you many specifics. And that's only because I want you to go see it. If you do, feel free to comment.
The Good: the ending was my favorite thing about the film. To see the characters' reactions to everything that happens is VERY interesting. Another memorable moment is a joke that is told by a gentleman at lunch.
The Bad: the film is in subtitles because all of the dialogue is in German. If this automatically turns you off enough to know that you don't want to watch it, you're missing out. But I can understand that it's not what you wanted to hear.
The Ugly: It is rated R. There is one scene when a man is with a prostitute. But, I think that if you can handle those brief moments, it will be worth it.
I fully understand that you might be wondering why I have spoken so highly of this movie, yet not told you many specifics. And that's only because I want you to go see it. If you do, feel free to comment.
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Title
As you all should be able to see, I chose the title What A Wonderful World for my blog. Why did I choose this, over anything else? I wanted to relate the fact that I am perfectly allowed to discuss any topic that I darn well please. The title What A Wonderful World demonstrates the notion that I have the freedom of such widespread subject matter. In a more serious tone, I also once watched a Youtube video while the very famous song of the same title was played in the background. The video was footage of the absolutely unforgettable atrocities that occured during September 11th. Whoever made that video chose that song for irony. The last thought or feeling that anyone should have during the attacks on 9/11 should be What A Wonderful World. But maybe in times like those, we tend to not take things for granted.
Pilot
Well, this is my first post on my very first blog ever!! Hi, my name is Ryan Larson. Don't worry, they'll start to get more interesting than this real soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)