Why Does Everyone Stay Up Until 2AM?

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It's New Year's Eve, and so most people, including many who don't ordinarily stay up late, will not only stay up late to welcome the new year but also to party long into the night. For me, it seems fairly silly, because I learned about Circadian rhythum and cyclical behavior as a Biochemist.

When you stray from a regular schedule, your body struggles to compensate. It programs activities based on patterns. So, in the morning, nobody will be available to do anything, and most people will not do much because they'll be so exhausted from the night before. It's sad tis true, tis true, tis pity and pity tis, tis true.

Nothing good happens after midnight.

Securities Monetary and Otherwise

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If 2009 taught you anything, it should teach you that financial security is an illusion. A penny saved is subject to government fiscal policy, and that last farthing may be all that you have.

When I was told earlier this semester that I would no longer be teaching, the department chair was apologetic. He asked me if I had depended on that income for financial decisions. I told him that I counted only on what I already had in the account. Even that's not guaranteed.

Vice President Biden made comments during the campaign that cost me money. He criticized WaMu as unsolvent, and that created a run on the bank. I had 50 shares of WaMu that are now worthless, and it locked up about $6000 of money while it was transferred to Chase.

Other people lost everything.

Money for me is just a storage medium. I convert my time into money until I find something for which I consider it worth my while to trade my time. Then, I spend the stored time on whatever that is.

There is a simple secret to wealth- never spend more than you have.

Why I Live a Moral Life

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A long time ago and in a faraway land, the King's favorite coachman passed away. He had known him all of his life, and it pained him to have to select another, but word was noised abroad throughout the kingdom that the King sought a new personal coachman.

The applicants traveled from far and wide to the palace. The king's chamberlain put them through a series of tasks that tested their skills, their mettle, and their loyalty. At length, only three candidates remained. They were told to prepare for a personal interview with the king, after which the king would choose a new coachman.

The first coachman was the finest horseman in all the land. He could command horses with ease, and had broken many in training. The army depended on him for their mounts. He entered the throne room, bowed in a most obsequious manner, and approached the king when bade. "How far," the king asked, "can you drive the coach from the edge of the Cliff of Tyranil without falling off?" The Cliff of Tyranil was renown for the fact that it lay along a major merchant route with a neighboring kingdom. It was carved into a granite ediface and as such had little room for error. The cliffs were hundreds of feet above the surrounding countryside, and at the bottom lay the sharp crags of the granite carved out for the road. Everyone who fell off the cliffs died.

A smile crossed his face. "Why, your majesty," he beamed, "I can get six inches from the edge without falling off." The king thanked him and bade the second applicant enter.

The second man entered. He was one of the most accomplished merchants in the land. He had made the treck along the Cliff of Tyranil many times and brought much wealth to the land. When asked the same question, he too beamed with pride, puffed out his chest and boasted, "Your majesty, I can get within an inch of the edge of the cliff without falling off." The king likewise thanked him and asked for the final applicant.

The last applicant was a farm boy. He came from a regular family. His father had served valiantly in the army but had retired several years before. The boy lacked the keen eye that made his father such a fine archer, but he was unafraid of hard work. Nobody had thought when he made his way to the palace that he would survive to the final accounting, but here he stood. The king stepped off his throne and lifted the boy's head, as he had bowed himself low on the floor. "Dear boy," the king smiled, "If you were my coachman, how close could you get to the edge of the Cliff of Tyrandil without falling off?"

The boy rose. He looked at the floor. "Sire," he paused, "If I were your coachman, I would keep as far away from the edge of the cliff as I could."

All of my life, people have chided me for the "fact" that I have "missed out" on many things that are part of life. Just weeks ago, I was told that I had missed the prime of my life. However, I chose a long time ago to stay as far away from the edge of the cliff as possible. As such, when I take an account of my life this year, I am no worse off than I was a year ago, and that is a good thing indeed. Many dangers have passed by me, and for that I am extremely grateful to my Creator. He is good to me.

Hence many are called but few are chosen, and why are they not chosen? Because they set their hearts on riches and the things of this world so much that they do not learn this one lesson, that true greatness is predicated on righteousness. If you would be truly great, be greatly true.

What Do You Look For?

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So, I asked a friend to provide her own wish list for her partner because it made me think about my own. I will one day provide mine, but I post this for now. Keep in mind that this girl and I vary greatly, yet we seek similar if not identical things. Interesting.

hahaha my equal in brains talent and wit. im not a huge partyier .... maybe like once a week go out tops im more of a snuggler movie night on a rainy monday i like driven men has goals high goals able to obtain them finacially stable ..... not mediocre ..... i want kids adventually .... not a stay at home mom type girl maybe im like 50/50 on it...hed have to be okay with me bring home income too ..... i need someone strong and desisive because im not .... hahah im a pisces look us up were typical female emotional hear ton our sleeve type ppl ....im a dreamer i need a doer ..... best of both worlds .... pphysicaal like taller but not super tall like 5'10 ish to 6 foot average guy height fi tend to like darker hair and darker eyes but my ex has medium hair light eyes so idk .... and like i like built in shape guys not juiced up steroid joes .... haha but tone to built and im a sucker for a coy cunning almost evil smile but its not .... haha just micheif perhaps ....

Courtesy in Communication

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When you come to me to discuss something, it means you have already given it some thought. Please do me the favor and allow me time to rationally and prayerfully consider my own thoughts and feelings on the matter before I respond. If you rudely attempt to force a response, I will simply shut off my phone and ignore you, especially if I am tired or in a bad mood. Phones are a privilege, and instant gratification is the business of fast food companies, not mine.

If you were tired or irate, how would you like me to regard you?
If we have already agreed to discuss it in person, how do you think I will respond if you try to force the conversation earlier?

Cell phones are not a tether by which you can keep me in check, and if you insist on regarding them as such, I will assume you do not trust me. I am one of the best men I know, and if you cannot trust me, you do not deserve me as a friend, let alone anything else.

As of today, I will no longer respond to texts or voicemail or emails immediately, unless you are a blood relative or my wife/child, of which I currently have none. Please make a note for personal reference. If I choose to, I will respond, but that discretion lies as always with me.

Oh, and while we're on the subject, don't drop by uninvited. That's rude too, especially if I am in the middle of something and otherwise engaged. It is not that I don't care or am involved in something bad, it is that I am already involved in something that deserves my attention because it was there before you came. Furthermore, if you force it at work, you in effect rob my employer of my contribution and attention, for which he pays me great sums of money.

If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911...

Kill this Bill

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For the second time in American history, the socialists in Congress want to impose by fiat national healthcare on us. Both of the last two Democrat presidents have pushed this, irrespective of the fact that a majority of the citizenry opposes the measure. When it's convenient to their agenda they claim we should follow the will of the people. Otherwise, they tell us, as Senator Reid has told me, that the people don't know what's good for them. They are elitists.



It's only a matter of time. Yes, I made this image myself.

Call your senators. Get them to defeat this bill. It will result in the death of liberty, I promise.

Tiger Woods is Human

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I have a slightly different point of view on this subject than most people I know. The friends I have who have spoken thus far have been excessively critical in light of evidence and allegations of infidelity. I believe in fidelity and chastity, but I also know that man is mortal. Just because you have not yet done after the fashion the media alleges does not mean you never will. Ten years from now if they were to be accused of infidelity, what would they like said of them?

The media likes controversy. Just because something is said doesn't make it true, and just because something is true doesn't mean it ought to be said. Many people have been accused of things they did not do, and many other people have gotten away with things they've done. I am very sensitive to unfounded allegations and accusations. It seems we've forgotten the Duke LaCrosse case. I have not. We do not know all the facts in the case. We don't even know for sure if he had an affair. Sure, there are suspicious circumstances, but that doesn't mean that your worst fears are true.

Tiger Woods, like every person who reads this, is a human. Everyone is subject to and victim of the foibles of youth, which for some to a greater degree than others leads them into error. What matters most is not that you fall but what you do after you have fallen. Get up and finish the race, because life will get hard. There will be bumps and bruises, paths to choose, and times you might lose, but if you do your level best everything will work out for the best.

Finally, the best comment I heard on it comes from my best friend who said:

Whatever he may have done - if it isn't illegal - it's none of my business.

What makes the private lives of rich and powerful people either any of our business or any of our interest? The state troopers were only able to cite Tiger for reckless driving. The story should have died there. Instead, people who once liked him are shocked to discover that he's human and they distance themselves.

Do I like Tiger Woods? Not really. I don't really like golf. I played nine holes once at a reunion in IL, and I shot a 102. Do I like what he has done with himself? Yes. He led the way down a path that few take, and that, the poet Frost wrote, makes all the difference.

Be the first to forgive. Some day the accused might be you.

Mannheim Steamroller

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Since it's December, I switched my Disney mix tape out last night for my Mannheim Steamroller Christmas mix cassette in my car. Car2-D2 blew a speaker last week, so I can't play the songs as loud as I usually do, but I have enjoyed listening to these songs again as part of my Christmas festivity, which usually lasts into the first week of April.

They have some good instrumental pieces. The few songs that have voice are appropriate, but I love this music for the way it makes me feel. Merry Christmas.