The art of forgetting....

You may think that forgetting things is easy; for some people it indeed is. I have known a few persons who seem to be able to do it on demand.

In my life (though not long yet) I have heard the phrase "I forgot" more times then most word combinations I can think of. While I will be the first to admit that it is a useful skill (and indeed art), I am still surprised by the audacity with which some wield this little phrase. You could be in the middle of telling someone how lazy they are for not doing something, and then BANG! They hit you with a "I Forgot" (or sometimes "I didn't remember")! It is simply not acceptable to actually admit either one of two things: one, that you chose to ignore the thing you claimed to have forgotten, or two, that you CHOSE to place such a low priority upon whatever thing it was, that you indeed forgot, but it was due to laziness/personal choice.
While I am certain that all of my readers have said they have forgotten something in the past, I wish to present here a few things that can help you convince someone that you really have forgotten something (only use these helps when you truly have forgotten and have said so).

1. Only smile when you say "IF" (I forgot), if you are a known forgetter, and everyone believes you, because it is true tat you have forgot, and they know this through experience. If you smile it may give some people cause to think that you are either lying, or just being obnoxious.

2. It may be that you have a very fast brain and that makes it possible for you to blast out an IF before the questioner has even finished speaking, but to me it just seems like a PLANNED forgetting when you bite the bit to say IF.

3. Be apologetic. I cannot stress this enough. A cocky, know it all, unrepentant forgetter is bound to have a disbelieving audience.

4. If you truly did forget then you aught to try and make recompense with the person. "Gee, I am so sorry Fred. I thought that you said to pick you up at west dock, not east. Wow, your really wet, I didn't know it was raining that hard. Was it really six hours? I will get you a new hat since that one is ruined..." I think that you get the point.

5. DO NOT GROVEL! you should not have a some kind of prepared speech! It once again makes you seem to have done the forgetting intentionally...

If anyone has any other ideas, feel free to post them!

What is literature?

There is a question that has puzzled man since the dawn of books. Maybe even longer. What is literature? After much study and many trials, I have come to a dual definition of the word literature.

The first (when compared to the second) is by far the easiest to understand and wield in your vocabulary. It is also the easiest to use without earning scorn from listeners. Definition one is: Literature, being any kind of printed material. The second is: Literature, being writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. I did warn you. How in the world can I use the word literature safely in a conversation, when I am referring to a book that I consider to be a beneficial. Well my objective in this post is to put forward what I consider to be a tool (not infallible) to determine whether a book classifies as literature (NOTE: the book does not necessarily have to pass all of the points) .

1. Worth. Does the book contain any apparent attributes, whether spoken or implied, that reflect importance in subjects that are of notice, such subjects exampled are (but not limited to): objects of permanent public interest, philosophies, worldviews, political opinions, and the psychology of various natures.

2. Quality. Is the writing content not only sufficient, but also above the norm? NOTE: quality is not the same as whether you ENJOYED the book. A lot of people like comic books, but is the writing exceedingly good in them? I would not think so.

3. Lasting. An oft overlooked requisite for true literature. Will the book be looked at as a good book twenty years from now? Or fifty? Or even in centuries? The topic/theme of the book should be one that lasts beyond the immediate decade after its printing.

4. Engaging. There many books that posses all of the above qualities, yet are not at all enjoyable to read, in any circumstance. The writing may be good, the subject of import, and the work it self stood the test of a number of years. However, a real piece literature must also be in some way captivating in nature. If the book does not in some way compel the reader to some emotion or thought process, has the author really accomplished anything? Literature should reach out to you, grasp your mind, and either entertain or en-knowledge you (If the later, then it must do so in an enjoyable way). If you have to pull your own teeth to get yourself to read the book, then either the book is NOT literature or you are are at fault, being an impatient judge of books (this is often the case with some of the older classics).

NOTE: There are many other things that people say effect whether or not a book should be classified as literature. This quick check list is NOT meant to be completely comprehensive, and should be treated as such.

I may edit this further at a future time....
Enjoy!

Filters

Life is a box of filters; you never know what kind your gonna deal with today.
~My Dad

Only recently did I realize how much of my time is used cleaning, scrubbing, changing, and altering filters. You might think that you are safe, reading your book, then suddenly out jumps the AC filter. It then mugs you, ruins your clothes and sucks the life/energy out of you. This has happened to me more times than I can count on grass blades. However every single time I am surprised and shocked. Or maybe I am settling in for an evening of restful pastime (reading/video games/movies etc.) and then, horror of horrors, the pump on the pool is going off, telling me that it needs to be either cleaned up or switched out (our pool is one of the huge inflated deals, above ground). Invariably the job takes longer than it ought, however there are sufficient times that it goes quickly to get your hopes up every time, thus crushing your hopes most of the time. My particular UN-favorite is the pond filter. This usually entails scrubbing pond scum off of a filthy green mess that once was a pump.
Recently my Dad and I made a super human crusade to rid the pond of all the green icky stuff on the walls and in the water. However my Dad thought it wise to remove the Koi fish first. He filled a big plastic bin with hose water and took the net and scooped the fish into the bucket. Then he and I proceeded scrubbing the pond and emptying it of all water. Well while this was going on nicely I noticed that the Koi were not looking so well. One or two and begun to start floating near the top on their sides. We sped up measures drastically upon realizing this. Within five minutes all of the fish were back in the nice clean pond. Within half an hour all six Koi were dead, floating at the top. We learned after ward that the chemicals in tap water are not quite right for some kinds of fish. That was a sad day in the house. It is referred to with sorrow as the "Fish-assacre". However there are rebels that refer to it as the "Fish-ocoust". W have now put a UV clarifier in and finished up the pond overall overhaul. After some tests were run (which would have been smart to do before the fish were put in a bucket or back in the pond), we are now confidant that the pond is ready to be inhabited again. For future reference always fill the plastic bucket with pond water.

There are of course Oil filters, and language filters, and brain filters, however at this instant nothing worthy of notice comes to mind. In summary: Be forewarned. If you undertake a job involving filters, you may get a WHOLE lot more than you nightmared of. NEVER attempt to remove fish from a pond (unless you are fishing) without reading up on it first. ALWAYS leave a comment if you have read one of my posts.

Thanks for reading,

Cool video

I thought that this was a rather cool and well done video. Its simply amazing that people have such talents! It is sped up greatly, but you should be able to see the majority of the technique.


Learn how to draw at 5min.com

Near random stuff.....

Alright, this post will be more based on *gulp* my doings. It will also include a few photos (scary, I know).

A couple of months ago I learned something new. There are HILLS in north Texas. Anybody from the northwestern area of the USA will say that they are NOT hills, only slight rises in the dirt.
I know better, since I take the surrounding area into account when determining the definition of geographical terms. I was privileged to go on a hike in the said HILLS. Some pictures were taken. Here are some of them:

A cool bridge from the hike.....


Here is Joe Pool lake, as seen from one of the hills.


And finally, here is a picture of a hill.



I also have gone to Six Flags in Arlington around 6 or 7 times (season pass). While I would not call myself a roller coaster junkie, I would say that as of this second I would not hesitate to ride any roller coaster that I know of. I think that "no hands" heightens the experience. I have my Dad to thank for pulling me out of the misunderstandings that many people hold toward roller coasters. They are fun, not scary (either that or scary can be fun). They are safer than riding in a car (or using a pencil for that matter). People get more back injuries from biking. The quality family time is superior to most activities (though occasionally it can be worse than most activities). And the lines aren't so bad if you go during the week (yes you have heard horror stories of three hour lines). But I think that overall the experience is less stressful than some make it out to be.

Here are some photos of the rides..

Titan and Texas Giant... (Giant is the wooden one)


Here is the Batman....


And lastly we have the Mr. Freeze.

I hope that you have enjoyed the assorted info..... Be back soon!