boredjm's Xanga

BAD SCHOOL!

Fri, 16 May 2008 02:48:51 GMT

All of this week, I've been assisting friends and piers in writing their research papers in order to pass English 4, a graduation requirement.

All these years, I've considered myself to be a poor writer. It seemed so. I was never the kid who got the highest grade on a paper. Well... except twice... but that's not important. Anyway... my point is that it is so surprising how unprepared people are for their futures.

In the second grade, I learned the differences between different types of words. There were your action words - verbs, describing words - adjectives, and person/place/thing words - nouns. Add in adverbs and articles and you're pretty set, right?

Stylistically speaking, I think I'm the worse writer I know. I mean, I manage to pass all the standardized national tests etc. AP English blah blah... but so do A LOT of people.

You'd think... that other students, 18-year-olds, would be able to string sentences together to form ideas. They stopped having spelling tests when I ended the 5th grade. I was writing 5+ page stories by the time I was done with the 3rd grade. I was doing Algebra in middle school. Yet, I have friends in high school, who write sentences fragments... paragraphs consisting of only simple sentences... don't know what MLA is... ask me what a "Work Cited" page is...

It's a nightmare, but it makes sense, because people complain about the California high school exit exams. It's the easiest standardized test I've ever taken, and I know people who've failed in consistently for the last two years. Hopefully they pass this year, but...

I know people who are failing Algebra. Well, it's not just algebra, the class is split into two years for some students. Algebra A and Algebra B. You take two years to learn Algebra. How hard could it be?

California has the 49th worst educational system in the United States, and our "Governator" plans to cut even more money from an institution already struggling.

I hate to say this, but if we allowed natural selection to do it's job, I think this problem would have solved itself. I'm not insinuating that we should start a genocide on stupid people, but I think something needs to be done. It's ridiculous. Have you ever had an 18-year-old person ask you if they could use "This paper is about" in their research papers? "Can I use 'I' in my research paper?"

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but come on.

Do you believe that teenage mothers can still be successful at life? Why or why not?

Fri, 16 May 2008 02:23:13 GMT

I believe it can be done, but it is much more difficult.

It's still best to avoid having children as teenagers... or even in your early twenties.

Yikes.

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

In your opinion who is the greatest actor of all time?

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:24:26 GMT

I think Marlon Brando kicked ass. His movies are classic! I still can't believe he's dead.

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

Delegating Responsibilities

Mon, 12 May 2008 22:16:51 GMT

I've noticed that a lot of people are whiners.

I appointed my VP to run the meeting a few weeks ago, and she left me a nasty email saying that it was completely unfair to delegate the meeting to her without giving her warning.

In my head... I'm thinking: She ran for VP to take responsibility whenever necessary. It wouldn't matter if I did not give her a day's notice before hand that she would run the meeting. Not only this, but I gave notice a week ahead of time that a meeting was coming up. So... did I do something wrong? Is she not to assume responsibility at a moment's notice? Also... how hard is it to run a half-hour meeting? How hard is that? Whiners.... ahhh...

Another time I delegated power to the Treasurer to go to a meeting and sign up our clubs for drinks sales. Before I emailed him saying he would do it, I thought to myself... the Treasurer should be in charge of managing all fundraisers. He's going to the sign up meeting anyway, it wont be a big deal. Who cares?

Nasty email.

"WTF! You don't give me warning in advance? [BTW, this email was also a week in advance and he was already going to this meeting anyway.] This is ridiculous. I'm going for tennis, but how could you simply appoint me to this. I'm guessing we're selling soda, even though we never discussed it." [But, OH we discussed this at the last meeting! aj;dfkjad;lfkja;sdlj I guess he was not paying any attention.]

So... what do I do? I ignore it, and let it go. Then I let it fester in my mind, and then write about it on my Xanga. This is what happens. I hate my job. It's so unrewarding. Jessica Mac was right. Sooooooooo right.

Oh well, it's over.

Soooo ironic. I'm whining about whiners. I'm such a hypocrite.

Bleh

Sun, 11 May 2008 18:12:55 GMT

It's mother's day.

I baked my mom a cake.

I should have used piping, but maybe next time.

I'm supposed to be at a party.

Yippeeeee!

I'm supposed to be decoration baskets.

But I am not.

I have an exam tomorrow.

I'm not prepared.

This bites.

Anyway....

Yeah...

LET'S GO TO A DODGERS GAME!

I'm so in.

Class tomorrow...

I hate cats. Well... technically, I don't. I just hate Hello Kitty.

May 15

Wed, 07 May 2008 21:01:20 GMT

I got an email from an environmentalist group a few days ago with some really good news. A judge has ordered that the Bush Administration make a decision on putting the polar bear on the endangered species list.

Dear Julia ,

Polar bears have had it rough in recent years, and global warming is only making the situation worse. That's why we joined the Center for Biological Diversity and NRDC to sue the Bush Administration and seek Endangered Species status for the polar bear. Well, after months of delaying an announcement, just long enough to sell off oil leases in polar bear habitat, the Bush Administration has finally been ordered by a judge to make a final decision by May 15th.

Polar bears are in real danger of becoming the first mammal to become extinct as a direct result of global warming. Last year, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) predicted that the world's polar bear population was likely to diminish by as much as two-thirds by 2050 - including every single polar bear within the United States. In fact, scientists predict that the Arctic could be completely ice-free in the summers as early as 2012. Listing the polar bear under the ESA would require that polar bears be protected. The only way to do that is to protect their Arctic ice habitat, which means reducing the pollution that causes global warming.

This ruling is great news for the polar bear and an important step toward protecting the entire Arctic ecosystem from the impacts of global warming.

I'll be sure to keep you posted once the decision is official.

I'll be in touch with you soon,

Melanie Duchin
Global Warming Campaigner, Alaska

Poor polar bears.

*Ethanol is retarded. There has to be something better.

What makes someone a "good person"?

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:31:32 GMT

Good intentions.

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

There's cool weather in May in Southern California

Mon, 05 May 2008 21:49:52 GMT

NOW THAT IS WEIRD.

I've been thinking about a lot of conversations I've been having lately with people concerning the supposed end of the world.

Here's a review for all of those who are rusty on the subject (using a few excerpts here and there):
-The Mayas created a calendar with remarkable accuracy and complexity. Other than the Aztec calendar, the Maya calendars are the best-documented and most completely understood.
-"The Mayan Calendar is something profoundly different than just a system to mark off the passage of time. The Mayan Calendar is above all a prophetic calendar that may help us understand the past and foresee the future. It is a calendar of the Ages that describes how the progression of Heavens and Underworlds condition the human consciousness and thus the frames for our thoughts and actions within a given Age." (keep in mind, this is just a general idea from several sources)
-The calendar was based on a ritual cycle of 260 named days and a year of 365 days. Taken together, they form a longer cycle of 18,980 days, or 52 years of 365 days, called a "calendar round."
-The 365-day year was divided into 18 named months (uinals) of 20 days plus one month of 5 “nameless” days, called Uayeb.
-The Mayans pretty much marked everything on stone slabs and pillars marking important dates and events. They have this long count system on the stone slabs that starts on 4 Ahau 8 Cumku (3113 BC) as the base date for the start of the present era, due to end in AD 2011.

So.... will the world end?
Part of me wishes it would but all these years of studying and reading and working and "saving the fun for later" would have all been a waste. I would have invested all my hard work and time into nothing.

I'm kind of getting annoyed with all this talk about the end of the world. So what if the world were to end soon - what would you do about it, really now. I guess... if the world were to end, I would avoid doing work-study in college and just file for loans so I don't have to work and have a blast in college.

Do you believe in all this doomsday business?

Okay, if this isnt a good example, I don't know what is. This was today's Non Sequitur

If I had eyes in the back of my head, I would have told you that you looked good as I walked away. -Jack Johnson ;]

What are some things you appreciate your mother for?

Sun, 04 May 2008 23:17:35 GMT

Her cooking.

I know with Mother's Day coming up, I should be able to think of more lovable traits about my mother, but... I just cant...

Eh... I love her - that's all that really should matter, right?

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

Driving

Sun, 04 May 2008 23:12:21 GMT

Honestly, I've labeled a lot of people as poor drivers, but as of today I've decided to label myself as a horrible driver.

I deserve to have my license revoked and get kicked off the road. That's how horrible I am. I mean... they always say that Asian chicks make horrible drivers, and I thought... hey... I am not too bad.

But... I am indecisive by nature, and have a very short attention span, so no matter how much I excel at all that I truly put my mind to... I was never meant to be on the road.

No, I am not being too hard on myself as a new driver. I'm horrible at driving. What's the next step?

I don't know. I guess, I'll just walk in college... and then... perhaps move to a city where driving becomes undesirable. Who knows?