Global Warming and the End of the World

I'm sure that everyone is familiar with the impending Doom that has come upon us. Every day, it never fails that there is some sort of article/news item that references Global Warming. Today, there were links to two different stories on the Yahoo homepage that were related to Global Warming. The first was a story that talked about the top ten "surprising" results of Global Warming, which it now appears is being blamed for the increase in allergies--rather than lifestyle choices that cripple the human immune system--and animals moving to the hills? What? Let me quote the article; "Starting in the early 1900s, we've all had to look to slightly higher ground to spot our favorite chipmunks, mice and squirrels. Researchers found that many of these animals have moved to greater elevations, possibly due to changes in their habitat caused by global warming." . . .OK, I guess it isn't because of the increased presence of humans in their natural habitats.

The second article was about "Earth Day" which will take place tomorrow in an effort to increase awareness of Global Warming. How is this going to happen? 26 cities around the world are going to turn off the lights. . . on their tourist attractions. I guess that's cool, more power to them.

Human caused Global Warming has got to be the greatest scam in the history of the world. I don't deny that the Earth may be getting warmer, but first of all I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing, and I don't believe it is because Americans like to drive SUV's. See this article for logical scientific evidence that points out significant flaws in the human caused global warming theory and provides evidence for another reason entirely; www.thenewamerican.com/node/7009

Also, Michael Chrichton's State of Fear, while a fictional story, brings up some very good points about climate change and is researched quite well. Plus, his books are always good.

Anyway, I've vented enough now, but I'll probably address this issue in the future as I encounter other fun articles that forecast the end of life as we know it.

I'm from the mountains. . .and I'm lookin' for a wife?

I was talking to one of my friends the other day, and they mentioned to me that I need to change my approach to dating and women. You see--and this is probably the only time that I am going to explain this--Joseph can't talk to women without turning into a monkey who doesn't speak coherant language. It just doesn't work. So what does he do? Not much. So, my friend said to me that I need to change my approach and do what the first brother in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers does. Now I haven't seen that movie in a long time, but the essence of the idea is that the brother comes down out of the mountains and starts going through the town proposing to random women. I think this might be a close approximation of what he says: "Hi, I'm from up in the mountians and I'm looking for a wife. . . I won't be in town long." Maybe I'll watch the film again to see the more subtle nuances of his approach, because that's exactly my situation. I'm from the mountains! I'm from the last real wilderness in the United States! People don't call me "the Bear" for nothing. And I ain't going to be to town for long. . .hehe. I don't know that this is going to work on the local women; I don't think they're really that into "mountain" men. Though, as far as mountain men go I've got much to offer besides the thick beard that I grow to help keep my face warm in the bitter cold. I can sing, dance, play guitar (for those lonely winter nights, woot!), cook, whatever. . . I'm a cultured mountain man, and that's worth something, that's worth a lot.

Anyway, onto more important things. . . Today I was offered a job for the National Park Service. I am going to be rolling in the dough this summer--which is good because lately it has been rolling out. I can't even describe how happy this makes me. All I can say is boo-yah! Boo-yah (with a clenched fist and flexed arm muscles)! I'm going to be a carpenter/maintainance worker/mountain man for the trail crew of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest and most rugged of all the National Parks in North America. Meaning, I get on an ATV--with a shotgun in my hand and tools at my back--and travel through the rugged land and fix things for eight days, then I wrastle grizzly bears and other leisure activities for six days. Boo-yah! I get to party in paradise and make a lot of money at the same time.

I'm in the middle of class as I write this. I should probably be paying attention, but I don't really care that much. I've become much less devoted to school than I used to be in the past. It's pretty shameful. Oh well. After four straight years of the grindstone--five in total--and no end in sight, I'm not going to be too hard on myself. That's why Alaska will be so great for me; I've been gone so long. Alaska will restore my soul.

My Homage to Ballroom Dance

Ballroom dance is the third best thing in the universe--trailing after women and the sun, both of which are kind of essential to the existence of Ballroom dancing in the first place. But I swear, there is so much stress involved. . . it evokes emotions kind of like when Pippen and Gandalf are sitting together watching the roiling black clouds that indicate the advance of Sauron's horde of bloodthirsty orcs coming closer and closer (ok, that's not the greatest of analogies, but my mind is kind of blah-ed out right now, and when that happens, LOTR happens).

I got good partners this semester--which was magnificent because last semester I never did find a Latin partner, and only found a Standard partner about two weeks before competition. Anyway, I thought things were going to be really great for the BYU Nationals, but somehow as it got closer and closer, I kept feeling less and less prepared. This isn't an unusual feeling I know, but this was a lot more intense than I have ever felt for a competition before. I felt like a train on tracks that were suddenly going to end in the middle of a bridge. . . devastation, destruction, imminent death! Luckily none of that happened though, just a significant portion of high level stress. Actually I'm kind of pleased with how things turned out for the most part. I made it past my first round of open competition--which for most people really is kind of a pathetic accomplishment--and I danced well enough in all of my other events (except the Gold Bar Tango, I don't know what happened there. . .) that I can feel good about how things turned out. The sad thing here is that I suddenly have a small perception of how well I could have done. With proper preparation, enough to feel confidence at least, I could have acheived much more than I did. Oh well, this is a common occurence for humanity.

What all this boils down to is that Ballroom Dancing is awesome. There is nothing like two people, a man and a woman, moving together in harmony; the result is absolutely beautiful, divine even. . . of course, this isn't exactly the result when I dance (I look stoned in my picture up there), but I try.

Everybody should, really.

An observation of Humanity and my resulting Ire

I was sitting by myself at a table in the Terrace (a segement of the food court in the Student Center of Brigham Young University) yesterday working on an application on my laptop, when I was joined by a small group of people. I didn't really think much of it, and for the most part ignored their converstaion. I little while later a girl, whom I know, walked by. She apparently, knew one of the other guys at the table. After a"Heyyyy," he stood up and gave her a big hug. They small talked for a minute or so and then she left and he sat down. I don't think she even noticed me, which isn't surprising; I don't draw attention to myself. I thought about talking to her, but I didn't. Once she was gone the guy she had been talking too turned to his friends at the table and said, "I hate that girl. She's really annoying. I'm only nice to her because I like her friend." My Blood began to boil. How shallow, how thoughtless, and how juvenile. I can't even come up with words descriptive enough to convey the contempt and anger that I began to feel at this point in time. For the whole rest of the day, and well into the night this event was in the back of my mind. The really sad thing is that I didn't say or do anything; I didn't even challenge him to a duel. I just sat at my computer and smoldered.

I don't know where I am going with this. . . I guess what I want to express is a desire for people to be better and more devoted friends, to be less shallow, and more forgiving of things that we consider flaws in other people. That is my moral thought for the good of humanity.

Thanks for listening.

Good morning, and good luck to me

So I decided to start this blog for no other reason than to give me a forum so that I can voice my narrowminded views of the world--and respond to other people's narrowminded views of the world--without actually entering into any sort of real discussion. You may or may not be interested, but I'll probably voice my opinions on all sorts of politics, current events. . . whatever I feel like talking about at the time, or at least what has aroused my ire enough to get me to write about it. I can express myself better through the written word--I think.

Also, as a self proclaimed "writer" I guess it would be beneficial for me to start getting the word out, so, you--as a rabid fan I'm sure--may get the rare chance to read sneak peeks of my eternally-in-progress projects, just enough to arouse your curiosity. The name of my blog, by the way, is actually referring to this. Serran is the fantasy world that I live in.

Let's see, was there anything else that I wanted to cover in my maiden posting? No I don't think so. I hope you enjoy my future postings.