Oddly enough, I keep having these random urges to post at something like 4 in the morning. It could be that I'm just coming back from BS-ing with the guys down at Quad 3 at this hour and I finally can get my mind far enough away from my Engineering to do something creative.
I was thinking today after trying to play devil's advocate in an affirmative action debate that I might be slipping. Bear in mind, this is an affirmative action debate at LeTourneau, so the only real argument is how good the argument is and the relative strength of the rhetoric being used. So, I'm like "damn, these people can't see beyond their own noses... LU myopia strikes again." And in a fit of insight, I decided that the best way to combat this would be with a good strong dose of Chauvinistic rhetoric to stir up the women in the very least.
Sidebar, at one point in time I was a very overt Chauvinist. I don't know if it was the echoes of Junior High, the lack of much female contact, or just my cynical mind striking out at a random target (probably a combination of the three) that lead to my taking up a very Chauvinist standpoint. Now mind you, I'm still anti-feminist and against anything that NOW comes up with, but I think my Chauvinism is seriously starting to slip.
Back to the debate, so I posted a note about how if I was hiring logically superior people and was hiring all men for this very prestigious and profitable position, should I be forced to hire logically inferior women. Now granted, I didn't take a firm enough stance on my Chauvinism and used lots of qualifiers like men are "usually more logical" and women are "usually less able to make mathematical connections" instead of going all-out like I should have, but even so... I almost felt as though an old and familiar part of my being had abandoned me and that my reasoning processes were somehow lesser for it. Even if I only need him for playing the Devil's Advocate and occasionally upsetting people, I need the Chauvinist damnit!
And then a cool sets over me... and I remember that my anti-feminist and Chauvinistic rhetoric aren't so far gone. I DID just bust out my old, why people are stupid and why women are the stupidest people papers and am going over them for a revision. I can feel my skills returning and the angst and cynicism that have too long sat unchannelled, burning for release. Maybe it's just that I'm a tad rusty... and I hope so, because I don't want to be around me when I'm not the Chauvinistic Pig... I wouldn't know this interloper that replaced him.
Oddities seem to be coming out of the woodwork at a freakish rate. After some heat appears to be coming (and we haven't seen much yet, it's mostly still rumors) the Yellow Project has taken a strong step in the direction of keeping some loose control over its membership. The best part is, it's not even censorship... it's more or less just a guide to writing and writing in such a way as to not needlessly offend the community at large while still being thoughtful. I am honestly very impressed and think I want to be a part of this. Even if it does tend towards a tad clique-ish, the leadership behind the project appears to have taken an intelligent stance. Props to Elliot, Dunny, and whomever else is in charge. I'm heading over to submit for linking...
Word has it that I won't be able to be a Senator next semester because I'm a Chapel Felon. I need to speak with my Parole Officer (Wilcoxson) on this to be sure, but word has it that if you're a registered Chapel Felon and you want to serve your community, you're out of luck. My RA suspects that not even time will purge my record. No clean starts for me, I'm a Chapel Felon. Well, at least they don't take away my right to vote in meaningless campus elections. I almost wish they would.
Ironically enough, the last post I made was with regard to having freedoms stripped away here at good 'ol LU. Roughly 48 hours (and change) later, here I am informing you that it would appear that admin is on the prowl. We have had one confirmed hit that Chaplain Carl (at least) is monitoring blogs for use of profanity. This was in reference to a thinly veiled attempt at stripping the chaplain position from one poor soul. As I told someone earlier today, it looks like the first volley of missiles flew overhead and I think I just heard the first one hit.
I'm not sure exactly what is to be done and what can be done. Although I dutifully continue to link to the Yellow Project for the good of the idle passer-by, I fear for those who are linked from it. The sad thing is that I don't even know what administration is about to come down about, whom on, or anything. All I know is that everyone seems to be working the same MO: get rid of anything offensive and wait for more word. If you get word before I do, the email is href="mailto:masteromega@hawkbats.com">masteromega@hawkbats.com, or you can just post it in the comments.
Incidentally, if any administration has the balls to come out of the shadows and into the fore on this, email me. I severely doubt that the administration here would do this, noting the marked tendancy towards cowardice, misinformation, and rule by heavy-handed edict... but who knows? I've been proven wrong before.
Your rights to freedom of speech have been stripped, the presses have long since stopped printing anything other than government propaganda, your weapons to resist with were stripped years ago, and those who refuse to conform dissappear in the night, never to be seen again. You may certainly vote, but only in that ephemeral sense that you know you're voting in an election for a puppet figurehead. The only real power you have is to leave or to join a revolutionary faction, and the latter is akin to signing your own death warrant. Further, trial by jury of peers was disbanded and there really hasn't been any freedom from illegal search of your house since the government took control of housing and forced you to live in a house they provided for you. In short, all that remains of the Bill of Rights that you once cherished is that to a grand jury in a capital matter... but the problem therein lies with the fact that you know the grand jury is rigged against you. No rights to call your own, no freedoms, and as much responsibility as you could care for. What manner of place is this and where is the land I once so treasured? Welcome to LeTourneau friend, freedom left you at the edge of the bubble.
I love how at LU we can have so many people who come to a University where we are supposed to be brimming with ingenuity and yet can't think for jack shit. At the risk of sounding trite, I'm going to go wander over to Webster Online and look it up so I'm not talking out of my ass...
Here we go, ingenuity is the noun form of the adjective ingenious. So, for the Engineers out there: if you are described as ingenious, you display ingenuity. That aside, here's a definition:
1 obsolete : showing or calling for intelligence, aptitude, or discernment
2 : marked by especial aptitude at discovering, inventing, or contriving
3 : marked by originality, resourcefulness, and cleverness in conception or execution (an ingenious contraption)
synonym see CLEVER
Aha! It makes so much more sense now. Ingenuity is no longer a marked intelligence, but just a marked ability at making things work. It makes so much more sense now, and I'd even be willing to bet that we're the one's that took the intelligence out of ingenuity. God bless LeTourneau, where we go to chapel because we have to (although to be fair, the quality isn't exactly begging for voluntary attendance), have our opinions given to us by our professors and peers, and we try to conform to the norm. Just last night as I was out and about, I was informed that my appearance scares people and that they stay away from me because of that. My response? "Good, I really don't want to be dealing with someone stupid enough to let that drive them away anyways." Is that the best response? Nah, I should probably try and be outgoing towards everyone so as to drive off the myopic social idiocy that runs rampant in this place, but the fact of the matter is that I don't have the time, energy, or impetus to go righting all of the wrongs around this place. Frankly, there are too many of them.
So... maybe we should go find us a better word than ingenuity. I'd go for intellectual ass-kicking sets us apart, but something tells me that the board wouldn't go for it. Other suggestions?
FRIDAY!!! Free at last! Missions emphasis week has been an interesting experience at least. If nothing else, they bring in some real kick-ass speakers and some people who know more about going out and doing something for God than the typical speaker that is brought in.
It's been brought to my attention that Dr. Carl deigned to respond to a thread on the forums about chapel (note: getting on requires a valid LU email and also requires a valid LUsername and password if you're outside the great firewall). His response (paraphrased because I'm too lazy to go look it up) went something like, 'If you don't like what's going on, come talk to me about it. I can't do anything about what I don't hear about. I'm doing the best that I can with the money I'm given and am open to suggestions and input.'
Dr. Carl also alluded to chapels that he can't do anything about by saying that there are some chapels (cough, Bud) that are expected and he can't change. All in all though, I'm thinking about going and talking to him to give him a word of encouragement and let him know what I'm thinking and I suggest that you all do the same. After all, he may not be a campus personality like Del was, but as he showed by the Survey Chapel earlier this year, at least he's not going to bend over and take whatever admin wants to do to us. Even so, bear in mind the man doesn't have a whole lot of power and is doing the best he can being wedged between the administration and a budget.
Out of general amusement and lack of anything better to put up (generally)... I have decided upon a new idea... a contest of sorts. Whoever comes up with the best quote or thought for the week needs to send it to me and you can have a free mountain dew. I figure that the amusement out of this is worth the $.50 it's going to cost me. If everyone's ideas suck, nobody gets the dew. Starting immediately and running until (about) next friday afternoon.
To all of those of you interested in getting yourself or your floor involved in the LeTourneau Senate's newest political party, curretly named The Subversives... email me or talk to Shem. Currently, the plan is to get as many floors involved as possible by the beginning of Fall 2003.
What is the Subversive Party about? We're about three things: getting money to groups that need and deserve it, turning Senate into a group that represents the students, and using that voice to tell the administration what students really think. Realistically, goal #1 is acheivable and #2 and 3 will come with time. The more of you that decide to go out as senators and join us, the easier this will be. The plan right now is that we're going to be forming a voting bloc and on as many issues as possible (especially the important ones) we need to vote from within that bloc. Think you've got what it takes to be a supporter but don't want to join Senate? Talk to us anyways, we'll need your influence in your living area to support this.
Great things happen on 1B! And I happen to miss half of them.
Tonight, for whatever reason Doc decided to talk to his girlfriend over webcam in Toad's room. He doesn't have his own computer, so I guess Toad might have just extended the offer and it was either that or no talky-talky at all. In any event, so Doc is sitting in Toad's room along with Toad... Toad playing DAOC and Doc teleconferencing with his girlfriend. Damian walks by, and recalls that Doc had been messing with him earlier in the evening. He proceeds to walk into Gecko's room...
"Hey Gecko, I need your help with something. Could you come here a second?"
"Yeah sure... what's up" as he wanders out
"Doc has been really messing with me and I was wondering if you could go in and moon him" points into Toad's room
"I can do better than that!" rips his pants off and charges into Toad's room
Toad and Doc in unison: "GECKO!!! NO!!!"
Only too late did Gecko realize what had happened. He turns and leaves, Damian having fled the instant Gecko dropped his pants. Fortunately, Doc's girlfriend seems to have found this and the subsequent abuse of Doc amusing. Unfortunately, I think we broke Gecko and Doc... Gecko being the second or third time we've really broken him.
So words of warning:
1) Don't be like Doc (having said earlier this week, "I don't think you guys can shock me anymore")
2) The RA can't save you (and in a lot of cases, doesn't care to)
3) Don't underestimate Damian's sneakiness
4) Gecko will get naked, given the impetus and the oppurtunity
5) You can't be paranoid enough
They did it... the bastards found me! Actually, just one very Limey Brit found me, and not even via the sole link that I buried in a Haloscan somewhere.... he cheated. He went and used the link-logs from Elliot's server. How cheap and well... wait, that's what I probably would have done. So congratulations Dunny, don't link to me, and come by and get your dew.
On unrelated news the Cynic is working on the development of a league of subversives. Not sure what of LeTourneau we're going to be subverting... but there's always something that's going to need a riot. If we have the resources and venues in place to do it now, it'll make our jobs that much easier when the time comes. So if you think you have what it takes to join the League of Subversives, drop a line in the comments... because I'm too lazy to answer my email!
Wow... sleep is a wonderful thing. Every Sunday I start to think that I really should get to a church and then I realize that the last two churches that I have faithfully attended in Longview have gone from middling to decent and downgraded to total crap and in once case resulting in a church split... lovely. So instead, I go to Waffle Shoppes with my old roommate and a guy from Flooders and sleep in Sunday mornings. Maybe if someone recommended a decent church to me and dragged me there, I might go. Otherwise, I sit around on Sunday and sleep and occasionally do homework.
Oh yeah, and I play Dark Age of Camelot quite a bit... but I do that anyways. Whenever I'm not boycotting the things I do online out of sheer boredom (blogging, posting on a Bulletin Board or 3, and Camelot) I seem to spend a whole lot of time on my computer on Sundays. Either that or I wander down the hall and watch movies and anime.
As some of you may or may not have guessed, it's been a long bumming day and I'm somewhat well-rested and have been reduced to rambling at this point. Ah well, it's good to be able to ramble and since I refuse to release the link to my blog, there's nobody around to care. Maybe I should release it or maybe I should just sit on it... Ah, an idea. The first person to find The Vengeful Cynic's blog and identify whom said Vengeful Cynic is (and Shemuel doesn't count) gets a Mountain Dew.
Ah... the joys of a Monday where I can get up at 1 PM and not feel the least bit guilty about having missed classes. Isn't Martin Luther King Jr. Day great? Wait... we got a holiday off, what's up with that? No Veteran's Day, no Labor Day, but we DO get Martin Luther King Jr. Day off. Not to do the man any disrespect, but I should think that holidays commemorating everyone who has ever fought for this country and everyone who has worked hard to make this country great should carry a little bit more water than a holiday to commemorate a man who died getting a segment of the population more rights. And he didn't get them the right to vote, or the right to be citizens, and slavery was abolished almost 100 years previous to his attempts.
Is this to say that we should belittle Martin Luther King Jr? By no means. But I think this is another classic case of LeTourneau bowing to the pressure of being politically correct. After all, we were founded on a military hospital, we can get away with just paying a cursory nod to the US Veterans, right? And we all work, so we can just celebrate Labor Day amongst ourselves, right? But woe to ye who ignoreth Martin Luther King Jr. day for ye shall be hunted down and harried by Civil Rights Activists until the end of time. And so at LeTourneau we ignore our veterans and those who work to make this country great and we bow to the pressure of some unseen outside spectre that causes us to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. God bless LeTourneau... hopefully with a dose of some sense sometime soon.
It's 4:30 in the morning, I've gotten 2 hours of sleep in the past 48... and I feel like blogging. Damn, it's like a creativity lightning bolt hit me. Thanks Shem, you broke my knees and made me try this out and damned if I don't love it.
Spent the last 10 hours playing the devil game (Dungeons & Dragons for the uninitiated) and enjoyed myself immensely. Anyone else play? And who of you have been told by a Christian that Dungeons and Dragons is a horrible thing?
Probably my favorite pet peeve, and one of the reasons that I get along with people like Shem so well, is that I can't STAND when people condemn something without understanding. So Dungeons & Dragons has magic in it? It's a FANTASY universe. CS Lewis had magic in his Chronicles of Narnia and most sane people didn't give HIM shit about it. And of course there are the famous incidents of suicide related to D&D from the 70's. Let's not bring up the fact that the guys involved were psychologically and emotionally messed up and quite possibly clinically depressed, the fact of the matter was that the catalyst was Dungeons & Dragons, so we're going to condemn it. Even moreso because we don't understand it. I mean, if we don't understand it, that can't be a good thing can it?
Just some food for thought...
Now, on to the first order of business... It has been brought to my attention that the vast lot of you are supposedly of an intellectually superior stock (at least the variety that blogs and read blogs), so I have a question for the masses. What is to be done about the state of affairs around here, if anything? Is anyone else dissatisfied with the censorship and stifling of any dissent on campus, the coverup of the administration of any unpopular information, and the wanton abuse of students who don't fit into the "mold", while at the same time blowing sunshine and happy thoughts in the ears of those students who fit the "Ideal LeTourneau Student"?
Can we really do anything at all, or is it all just a big happy thought? Can we do anything about the school giving away our money to fund Impact dinners at Olive Garden and The Outback Steakhouse while at the same time telling us that they don't have the money to finance basic costs of many extracurriculars.
Oh yes, and what to do about Senate....
Foolishly enough, I guess I've decided that it's time to venture into the world of blogging. Thank you to all the LUsers that have pushed me in this direction... your stupidity has made it happen.