This is pretty late, but I'd like to invite everybody to my fraternity's big Fall party.

This weekend, Saturday, November 5th we're opening the party to all people. Doors open at... about 10pm I think.

It's a really sweet party. We've spent the last three weeks building a giant tunnel maze out of cardboard boxes. It is three levels high, contains multiple secret rooms, and is absolutely pitch black. It is really awesome, and I highly recommend it.
The party's kind of busy (400+ guests throughout the night), so it's better to come the Friday before. Make sure to check with me before you come, becauseit's guests only on Friday - a brother must be responsible for you.
I will probably be out Friday night, at Xavier University, with Ephraim, Rob and Kevin. That same Saturday is a really interesting team 3-weapon tournament in Cincinnati. I'll probably be back just in time/a little late for Maze.

So, it's not the best time to visit me, but the party will still be running, and I'll be around Saturday night and Sunday.

Jump-roping is great. It can be a really quick workout, especially if you can do multiple double-jumps (analogous to sprinting). Also, it is great for footspeed, agility, and stamina. I highly recommend ankle weights when you jump-rope, especially if you're good at it (fast and efficient).

I would have recommended the sweet (or so I thought) jump-ropes that I've been using. They're not uncommon: black, "GoFit" synthetic polymer ropes with ball bearings in the handles.
However, just now my second such jump-rope, like the first, broke after just a moderate amount of intense use. I am disappointed with that brand. Does anybody have any recommendations for me?

Until I get a new rope, bodyweight exercises will have to do. Grrr... running is boring.

I participate in a forum with some of my friends. Sometimes, we discuss political issues. Recently, a thread was started with a summary of personal views on certain issues. Here's most of my post:

Economic Macro
Free markets yield the most wealth for everyone, as competition is ensured. Tariffs for gov't income are one thing, but trying to prevent native companies from outsourcing labor is something else. It seems selfish and self-destructive to me, to try forcing companies to hire overpaid American workers. I am for globalization.
Micro
Basic economic theory says that GDP is maximized at a certain level of taxation and government spending. I'm not a fan of subsidies and lots of regulations, but if it's going to happen, I prefer it on a local level (federalization). Although there is a danger of local big companies "buying" local officials, it's generally best to customize things to the specific environment.
Price controls are harmful. Why, NYC, why?
Social Services
Most people can take care of themselves, especially in a capitalistic society in which primary and secondary education is paid for. Most people have the opportunity to secure resources for after they can no longer work. Let them do so.
Those that can not, the disabled, should be taken care of by the government. Also, children can't exactly take care of themselves if thier parents are neglectful or abusive; so, the government adds a social service part to that criminal justice issue.
Foreign Policy
Government should secure our national security. I can appreciate the charity that our government doles out, in terms of resources (#1 donor in the world) and military power (through which the oppressed are freed). However, I don't think it's the government's place to take our money and give it away to others - let us do that ourselves, if we so choose (we should).
Religion and State
Well, the Constitution says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This seems to encourage congress not to regulate religious practice, at the most.
All beliefs should be tolerated (although certainly not all actions should be). I would love to see Catholicism become the national religion of the United States and have it taught in all of our schools. I don't think that such a development would violate the constitution.
All of our laws force people to do stuff they don't want to, or not do stuff they do want to. Their foundation is a morality that is mainly Christian. Citizens need to learn to live with that, even if they're trying to change it in the meanwhile.
Government Operations
Privatization of schools would be a great development. The government might need to set up and run some in remote areas, though. Use the government's money to give people vouchers for education. This would be very empowering to the poor, and would totally negate the relevance of controversial curriculums (to an extent), since the family is choosing their school.
Less oversight over everything would be good. The government is waaay too big. I would like to see LESS government funding of research, among other things.
Military Operations
I suppose if we need uber military power to protect ourselves, or we have it already, we might as well put it to good use saving the oppressed abroad. It seems that such liberating has been a side affect of our aggressive pursuit of security. I don't see why we have to be much more powerful than everybody else, though. We're in a good position to secure such standing, but... I don't think it's worth the money.
Privacy
Certainly, privacy presupposes life and a certain amount of safety - it'd probably rank higher (less fundamental) as a heirarchical need. I think a common-sense approach here would be best. In dangerous times, make efficient sacrifices of privacy. When threats are low, let people enjoy a little more privacy.
Constitution Interpretation
We friggin' ELECTED the legislators to write the law. I do NOT like the judicial branch changing what our representatives decided. If there's some rulings based on the intent of the law, well, there's some room for that within common sense. In general, however, it seems to me that our judicial officials are being too loose with their "interpretations."
Social Controls
People were given free will and it is not our place to make them choose right over wrong, or believe what is true. However, it should be one of our highest priorities to motivate one another to believe and do what is right. The government and its laws are a medium for this motivation. "Clockwork Orange-" like brainwashing is too far, since it takes away free will. However, it's ok to legislate morality, from banning killing innocents to banning blasphemy.

Anyone can join the forum. The address is http://www.alaerth.net/forum/index.php

Feel free to post your own response in that forum, or as a comment to this post.

OH MY GOSH IT'S A FREAKING MIRACLE!!!!

Unbelievably, I actually scored a 40 on my MCAT.

I hope you can appreciate how re-truckin'-donkulous that is. The average is about 27 for test-takers, and 30 for people who get into med school (the test is out of 45). My intellectual and scholarly peers got about 33. Many people who are much smarter than I did well with scores of 36 or so. 40... it's like St. Gemma was whispering answers in my ear or something. 40 is about 99.8th percentile, which puts me in the top 75 or so out of the appx 35,000 applicants. I don't feel like I belong there, but hey... those are the results.

Is this a sign from God that I should become a doctor??

Feel free to celebrate this amazing phenomenom with me at any time - it's not like my grade point matters much anymore!!! Umm.... just kidding, mom!

WOOOOOOOO!

My midterms went ok.
I'm finding out my MCAT score soon!!

I'm going back home for break. Whenever I go home, there are too many people that I want to spend time with while there is too little time. I've been trying to spend more time with my family and my girlfriend on recent breaks. Unfortunately, that means I've seen less of my old friends. In particular, there are a few different "groups" of friends that I haven't spent time with lately.
However, it seems now that my old core group of hometown friends, whom I spent most of my leisure time with (Vann, Jon, Pat, Dave, George, and in the last few years Jason, Brandon, & Matt) is pretty dispersed - most all of them have moved out of town. I'm sure much of my recommitted time will come from moments I would have normally spent with them. I really do hope to catch up with some of those other friends, though (Dave, Carl, Andrew & Devin..., Mike & Liz, Nick & Alex, Justin, Colleen...). I guess we'll see who's home and how things turn out. Of course, I also have a take-home exam and homework and reading assignments and...

Aaah, my nose hurts when I press it to the grindstone like this, but I also find it very satisfying to study hard and solve challenging problem sets.

Cute story:
I went to class yesterday (Tuesday) knowing that I had too much work to do. While chatting with a friend, she mentioned her upcoming tests, saying, "...and then there's this one, but that shouldn't be too bad..."
It seems I didn't realize that this class also had a test scheduled for tomorrow. The news nearly crushed my spirit.
However!... The professor soon began speaking, and before long, he announces, "Yeah, so I didn't realize it, but this classroom is unavailable on Thursday." (We're not supposed to have class at the time we do, but it's convenient for everybody). So in the end, he decided not to have the exam tomorrow. Instead...
Take home test!
'twas a miracle.
Of course, now I've got some more work for over the break, but...

WORTH IT!!!

Disappointing.

Myself, that is. Actually, I should say that I am disappointed in some of the things I still choose to do. I've been quite neglectful of my studies lately, and my sleeping when I should attempt is crashing and burning. What a great time for it, too, considering that it's midterms week and I have lots of tests and homework assignments. There is probably a correlation.

Last time I went to confession, the priest recommended that I consider why I am doing such things ("things" including staying up late and not studying enough - 'twas one of the sins I confessed). In fact, this online journal is a part of that effort.

So, why am I not studying and doing homework when I should? Why do I start another episode of Robot Chicken or Yakitate Ja-pan when it's already 3:00am?
I suspect that it's escapism - a poor method for dealing with stress. I don't think that's the whole story, though. If I just wanted to forget about my worries, I could just friggin' go to sleep (although stress often follows me into my dreams). Have I formed a habit of doing such things, perhaps? Or, maybe I do it for the enjoyment - I do like sitting down to some entertaining animations, while munching on some flavored oatmeal.
So, I think that the primary factors that motivate these poor choices are stress relief, pleasure, and habit.

It's time for a solution.

I've decided to change my living habits. I am going to go to bed at about midnight. Furthermore, I'll stop snacking after dinner (I used to eat at about 11pm), which may help. That done, I plan on waking up at about 9-9:30am. I'd like to do this on weekends, as well as weekdays.
My main concern is getting thrown off by late-night parties at the house, which are not uncommon on weekends. Also, I often stay up really late the night before a homework assignment or test is due - that should stop. I suspect that consistency is going to be key, so that it is habitual and self-enforcing; that is, I get tired at about midnight, so I go to bed.

I've already cut down on my snacking. I lost about 5lbs (165 from 170). I'm not so sure if this is good - I want to be big and imposing. However, I can definitely see the advantages in being slim and fit. Hm, I'll bet the fasting I do on Fridays (bread and water fast; typically, I just eat 6 slices of bread and drink a lot of water for the whole day) is probably reducing my calorie intake by about 10%.

Please support me in this effort to go to bed earlier. I suspect that it will be difficult, especially if I'm in a phase of heavy video-game playing, or if I'm working on a good tv or anime series.

Now that it's getting cold, I'm wearing long pants (jeans or cargo pants) again. Typically, when I wear pants I also wear ankle weights. Often, if people notice them, they ask me, "why?"

My stated reason is that it's training: wearing ankle weights makes my legs stronger.
I wonder if that's true?

I started wearing ankle weights when my dad recommended them to me, and offered to buy a pair. I can definitely feel the difference when I walk around, and they make climbing stairs significantly harder. I think they help a little bit in daily use. More-so, they make running or jumproping a better workout for the legs.

They kind of stand out, though. I don't wear them with shorts, because they attract too much attention; I'd probably get a little self-conscious.

If you plan to get a pair, I have two recommendations:
1) No plastic clips. I went through about three pairs that had a plastic clip that the strap wound through. It broke over and over again. I had one pair with a metal clip, which was ok, and my current pair uses a velcro strap that wraps all the way around.
2) No powder. My first pair lasted a year or two, but eventually the iron-filings, which made up the weight, started leaking out of the worn-down cloth shell. My current pair pockets many iron bars, which can not slip out.

Walking around at night, one sees tiny specs floating about in the streetlights. It looks like snow... how beautiful. Except that those specs are little bugs - similar to mayflies. They are everywhere. Our vestibule and north stairwell ceilings are coated with the little buggers. Don't breathe too deeply...

I have been interested in doing martial arts. The purpose would be for fun, for competition (in sport-like style) and for exercise. I'm not really interested in martial arts as a practical self-defense; if that becomes a concern I'll learn Krav Maga (a practical fighting style developed in Israel and used in the armed forces there and here) or better yet, get a CCW (permit to carry concealed weapons). Also, I'm not looking to do any exercises in the ritual/mental/philosophical aspects of martial arts.

Transportation would be hard to work out for a local dojo. However, Case has sport clubs for Aikido, Kung-Fu and Tae Kwon Do. Kai joined the Kung-Fu club, and I've attended two practices. It seems that practice consists of exercise and then forms. For forms, you memorize a routine of moves. It seems they also have a sparring and competition aspect.

I'm thinking about joining their club. Dues are $50.00 per semester.

So, one of today's political issues is education on the origin of life in public schools. I was reminded of this at a satirical website, which you may have seen:
http://www.venganza.org/

The controversy seems to center around evolution, which is currently taught, and intelligent design. Of course, those terms mean different things to different people. Many people believe that the two theories are mutually exlusive; however, many others, such as myself, know that they can both be true, to a certain understanding.
Even so, I'm not sure where to stand on this one.

Evolution is certainly supported by a fair amount of evidence. Studies on species STRONGLY support micro-scale evolution. Macro-scale evolution has been evidenced by biochemistry and some of the historical sciences (archeology, etc.). Evidence specifically for the origin of life evolving from inorganic matter is a lot weaker, but still exists. Some studies have shown self-assembly of biological molecules and cell-like spheres from inorganic compounds, in conditions that are supposed to be similar to primordial earth.

Intelligent design has its evidence, also. Certainly, there is the authoritative evidence from the billions of believers, many of whom are (or were) intelligent and well-educated. Also, there is philosophical evidence, with logical proofs (Greeks philosophers, etc.). Finally, I've always thought that the existence of miracles, some of which have been scrutinized, is great evidence for religious thought such as intelligent design.

So, both are theories with some evidence. Intelligent design is admittedly a theory with religious elements; however, the theory of evolution also has religious elements if it is taught with any assumptions about God's existence, role, or lack thereof. Some might consider it unconstitutional to teach religious material in schools due to the separation of church and state. You might be aware, however, that all of our laws are based on religion (Christian, even). The separation refers to institutional churches.

In the end, I believe that intelligent design is true, and worthy of being taught. However, indoctrination of such a religiously-tied belief might be an obstacle to religious freedom.

So... what do you think?

If we used vouchers instead of forcing people to pay for public schools, then this would be much less of an issue. Unfortunately, people don't have much of a choice of where to send their children - especially the impoverished. Perhaps I'll post on that subject another time.

Are there any snacks better than a bowl of (instant, flavored) oatmeal? It's quick, healthy and filling. I probably eat 5 bowls each week.

Well, I went "home" for the weekend.

My mother picked me up, as she often does. I spent Friday with my folks and my brother Tom. We had dinner, played some parlor games, and they bought me some gifts. I was happy to spend the day with them; I feel as if I am in great debt to my parents. Not only for the huge amount of resources they've given to me, but especially for participating in giving me life itself. I know that my dad especially just wants my brothers and I to spend time with him, so it's good that Friday was dedicated to my family.

Saturday morning I drove 2 hours to Kalamazoo, MI to pick up Vann. On the way, I called "911" for the first time ever, to report a motorcycle going over 100mph and weaving through traffic. How adventurous! From there, we went to Grand Valley State University (GVSU), where the students were putting on a Rennaisance Faire; the group is led by my girlfriend, Kristy.
We arrived late, but not too late for the show I was in: my fencing coach, Cliff Suttle, and I put on three demonstrations/fencing promotions for crowds of 20-50 throughout the weekend. He did all the talking, but the crowds always cheered more for me. I wonder why... was I the underdog?
Afterwards, I drove Vann back and we drank a little brandy and irish cream (separately), which he bought for me. Kristy also gave me a nice mug gift that weekend, which was engraved.
In all, Kristy was pretty busy, as expected. I spent most of my time hanging out with Cliff, which was nice. He's a great man, whom I admire and respect.

To finish the story, I returned home (late) on Sunday, and went to a party put on by my relatives on my father's side - the Palmers. This is my dad's sister's family, whom I feel less close to than the families on my mom's side. Perhaps it is just because I see them less often... although I saw them almost every week while my dad's mother was still alive.
The party was to celebrate the birthdays of myself (9/29), my brother Joe (9/28) and my father (9/16).

Afterwards, my mother drove me home, and I arrived in Cleveland at about 10:00pm. I feel a deep appreciation for the sacrifice she made for me. After all, she must've returned home at about 1:00am that Monday morning.