February 2009

Way to go Steelers! Great performance! Yeah, I'm from Pittsburgh - so of course I'm a Steelers fan. Apparently, some folks around here got pretty wild. To say Pittsburghers are dangerous creatures is an understatement - and that was us in a good mood!!! Ah, sweet humanity!

As you can see, my mood is rising - despite a few setbacks. Apparently, the University of Pittsburgh does not have as much care and respect for its alumni - especially continuing students like myself. At this rate - I am seriously considering not giving them much credit or respect in return. Respect is earned - and they've swiftly lost mine. They are doing their damnedest to make my research and future coursework more than a little difficult - due to the insane administrative folks here. So, after finishing up a couple little research projects I am currently working on - I will have to change my venue and strategy. Oh, don't worry - my research will continue - I've got a nice line up of mini-projects planned. When scientists and other scholars publish their articles - they give credit to the university or other organization which assisted them in their efforts. Sadly, I will not be giving Pitt any credit. Though I do not believe that it bothers them any. Also, at any time in the future when I have money to donate - Pitt will not receive a single red cent from this lady. Sorry chaps - but you lost - big time!!!

Currently, I'm doing a bit of housecleaning - both online - and the usual type. I am also working on increasing my mood and energy level. I've been through a rough year - in more ways than one. I get angry with myself if I take it too easy - I'm just not the homebody type. There's things to be done - both big and small. Money making things - career building things - and research to be done and dealt with. I'm much better at networking than I was just a few years ago. Plus I have those nice degrees to back me up. At least on that score, I'm ok. Yes, I do plan on continuing my education. I'm what we call a lifer. I'm one of those multiple streams of income type of person - though I do prefer to tailor them to my own interests which gets to be a bit tricky sometimes. Basically, I am going to work to fund my own research projects - most of them scientific in nature. You don't actually think I sat through, paid for, studied, and worked myself like a madwoman through a BA in History and Philosophy of Science along with all the geology classes for fun, do you? Hell no! It was hard work - and I EARNED THOSE DEGREES - through hard work, determination, persistence, and perseverance. Anybody who tries to deny that I earned them, will get short shrift from me. Actually, I will not associate with them in any way. I won't even acknowledge such a person even exists. They are morons and losers.

I like to stockpile reading materials for the deep freeze shots. I did get a few more Alan Dean Foster, Pip and Flinx books - but not nearly enough. Not the whole series by a long shot. I did pick up Quofum a couple weeks back - I'll read it right before the final book, since it supposedly sets the stage for the finale. I also picked up a couple Dr. Who novels - Shining Darkness and The Doctor Trap. I've already read Shining Darkness - they are pretty quick reads for me. It was a typical fun, action adventure with two rival organizations - one trying to destroy/control all the mechanicals [robots] in the Andromeda galaxy and the other trying to figure out what they are up to and doing whatever it takes to stop a galactic disaster. I wonder who the "Doctor" is stylized after? I guess one would have to look onto the history of the series to find out. I have a few good guesses - considering the time when the tv series started. I just don't want to extrapolate at this point. Maybe I'll add it to my mini-research projects list.

So, why am I doing mini-research projects? Because I want to! It's my life and nobody dictates my path but me and possibly God - or the Universe - however one wants to look at it. I am a curious adventurer and a typical scientist type who likes to get to the bottom things - at least to my own satisfaction. On a professional note - I am doing minis because I need to practice doing and finishing various projects to completion. I know my own strengths and my own weaknesses - and as far as research projects go - I need to hammer out the weaknesses in my writing and get practice on things that could use a little upgrading. Why? What for? So that I can make a beeline for a Ph.D in the field of my choice. It's my own testing ground - my own obstacle course. I also don't want to look back on my life and regret not having accomplished as much as possible and to at least my own satisfaction. I guess it's the perfectionist in me. I'm trying to compensate for the fact that nothing in the Universe is perfect - except God - if you want to believe in such a being - which I happen to.

Am I an idealist? Partly - actually secondarily! I'm more of a realist. I consider myself to be an idealistic realist. What's that philosophy about? I live in the real world - as do the rest of us - and all things. The real world is not perfect - it was designed that way. This does not make it inherently evil or full of sin as some religious nutters like to claim. There is always room for improvement - something to strive for. Goals to set - strategize - plan out - and accomplish. As long as those endeavors are intended to help, improve, make life easier, etc. they benefit humanity and the Universe is a better place in which to live. I look at it this way: God, the Perfect Creator - gave us two gifts: life and free will - with one Golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I do not want folks to kill me - so I will not kill them - and truly, I just do not want to. I do not want to hurt folks or make their lives miserable - and I don't want folks to do those things to me - so I do not do these things.

The concept of true evil? Yes, I hate to admit it - but I do believe it exists - despite what my mother told me. When you choose - of your free will to go out into the world and do harmful things to others. I am not talking about accidentally - I mean intentionally. I also do not mean things - material objects, etc. - I mean against other people. Putting an innocent person in jail - is not justice. Attacking in any way - anyone who has done nothing against you - is not justice - it's just wrong. If a person - or a group of persons - chooses to do harmful things to someone who has done nothing against them - out of some sort of greed, selfishness, or some sick glee - that is evil. If you get any sort of joy, happiness, or satisfaction of any kind out of harming innocent people who have done no actions against you - then YOU ARE EVIL. Plain and simple. Evil is stupid, ignorant, and arrogant. Choosing to be evil or do evil acts is for losers - and as we all know - LOSERS NEVER WIN!!!

Most people the world over are harmless imperfect humans - that is our nature. Yes, I am talking about the vast majority of humankind: men, women, children, adults, gay, straight, etc. - eight billion and growing. There are a few who claim to be human who are inherently evil - they delight in harming and killing and destroying others' lives - for the sheer pleasure of doing so. I've had my fair share of run ins with such nasty creatures. I do not like having to deal with them at all - sometimes I am forced to. Usually, I just ignore them entirely - let God deal with them. They always end up losing in the end anyways.

Lastly, I am trying to teach some people some valuable lessons about life and how to treat others. A message from a fortune cookie once said: do not give a man a fish - instead, teach him how to fish. Lately, I've found myself making an effort to teach some acquaintances about friendship, loyalty, respect for others, respect for themselves, self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and standing up for themselves appropriately - among other things. I'm trying out various strategies to accomplish this - and so far, they are working - if only in incremental amounts. But then, it only takes one grain at a time to build a mountain. Or maybe I should say - one incremental plate movement. And I'm off.... En Garde!