Those UNL jokes just make more and more sense...

[Rant]

We have these things called cross walks at UNL. Now normally cars occupy the streets, but when pedestrians need to cross and there is too much traffic, what do they do? Press the walk button right?

Well UNL students (9/10 at least) don't. They will bunch up in groups on the edges of the road waiting for the walk symbol to magically appear on its own. Then after two lights or so, they get frustrated and just cross in front of traffic.

Usually I press the walk button, but lately I've waited to see when someone else will and it usually takes a while. Seriously. HOW HARD IS PRESSING A BUTTON?

[/Rant]

on cardboard boats and late night math

Today I designed a cardboard...well....box i suppose. It was to be used for crossing the Larson Lifestyle center pool. Turns out they didn't have enough cardboard, tape, or time to complete my design. After doing some quick math i think that's probably ok because i over-engineered it.

After completion the boat would have displaced about two gallons of water by itself, and with the girls in it, it would have displaced about 34 gallons. The carrying capacity of the boat before reaching a safety margin of 2 inches above waterline (not counting buoyancy from pontoons) was 1,440 lbs. The boat itself was strong enough that the weight wouldn't have been the issue. I used triangular tubes that were stacked on each other to provide a skeleton for the floor and corners. This would have effectively distributed any vertical load laterally We hypothetically could have put more weight in as long as the pontoons in the bottom layer of the boat remained sealed. (I'm guessing it would sink around 1600 lbs)

The best thing about this boat, had it been built, is it would glide nicely across the water. With only the two girls inside it would have rested very high in the water, allowing for a quicker crossing (less drag) of the pool. It also would have been quite water resistant.


That is all my tired brain can process. Goodnight all.

So tired, why?

I'm waiting for my mind to wind down. You know on those days when maybe you've physically exerted yourself too close to bedtime, and its time for sleep, but the mind is like "huh-uh". Ya.

No fears though. I have wisely spent my time creating new gmail accounts for fun haha. More file storage FTW.

Oh and would someone please bump the record player that is playing the soundtrack to my life? It's skipping again. Except don't make it go to the next song, I'd really like to hear the rest of this one. Thanks.

"she's always sick and dying" - Kenny. I just want you to know Kenny that I literally could not stop laughing at this one. Maybe only like 1% true...and it really didn't fit into what we were talking about. Still hilarious though!

Goodnight all.

dreams

Do they always mean something or is your brain simply knocking a few circuits loose during the night in its attempt to rewire things? I generally hold the opinion that our dreams usually don't mean anything.

I truly had the most bizzare dream last night though. So incredibly vivid and real that i still can remember details, which is strange because normally i forget my dreams soon after waking. I suppose in this case it doesn't matter if it means something or not, because either way its a good thing. This was from WAY back in the memory banks though, so im wondering what triggered it.

you have my attention!

Wow today was strange. Certain people in my class were acting really weird. That's all I'm gonna say.

Also....wow. (and thank you!) God has continued His trend of amusing Himself by making the impossible in my life, possible. Thereby thoroughly confusing/astounding me. God I promise I am in no way offended :) This must be a sign that I still need to work towards better communication with You. I didn't even ask You about this recently! You simply are an amazing God, with a great sense of humor i might add. I think not enough people give You credit for that (sense of humor). Too many see You as an angry, vengeful God, or just non-emotional. We were made in Your image so humor has to be part of You!

So to all who might read this; God really does want to be involved in everything in your life, and sometimes, I believe, likes to make something amazing happen so that you're left thinking "Wow...He is all powerful. He really can do ANYTHING!". Just trust Him. Literally give your worries to Him.

H words

Humidity. Who knew such a relatively un-talked about thing could make such a difference? (ok well i know it makes a big difference but you don't hear people talk about it much) It smells like spring.....I feel happier....more people are smiling today.

Sometimes I feel like coming out of winter is like coming out of a dark, depressing, battle. You've fought for months, and on the horizon the first gleams of sunlight break and splash onto your face. You stand up and feel something stir in your soul. Hope. New life is about ready to burst forth. You breath in deeply and can't help but feel that no matter what happens, everything will be ok. Even your body feels like it has more energy.

It kind of brings to mind (for me) the whole Lord of the Rings vibe. How evil was oppressing everyone around and when evil was finally conquered there was more light, more green, more happiness, more hope.

Here's to you spring. *raises sobe bottle and clinks glasses with mother nature*

The drama queens...

So every mon/weds/fri I have a schedule that leaves me with an hour between classes in the morning. My favorite thing to do, has been to go to the student lounge in Old Father Hall and listen to music.

Well just about everytime now these two girls show up (probably freshman from how they talk) and they talk about the "drama" in their lives. They talk ridiculously loud, so its not like im snooping on the their conversations.....if anything im turning my music up a little louder to drown them out. Well anyway the darker haired one is usually the big talker, and she likes to talk about how all of these guys are always all over her and how she can't just be friends with anyone. I think there might be a slight ego inflation there.

I got wise to this after a few days and decided to reside in the farther east section of the student lounge. Guess where they came and sat today? Yep. Thats right. Not only in the east section, but at the table right next to me. Thankfully it appears as though they have homework thats distracting them for now.

I really feel like im sitting next to a highschool girls table in the lunchroom.
Its moments like this when i wish i wouldnt have showered and then eaten a bunch of garlic or something.

a bit on a lot

8 days. That's how long I've been doing 100 situps/day, and 30 pushups/day. On top of starting back up in the lifting of weights thrice weekly. Honestly i can't say as ive gained a lot of strength but i have been noticing my abs are not nearly as shy as they were. There is defenite fat loss occuring :)

On another note i quite possibly had the most fun possible in a group project the other day. We went and played basketball and just hung out at the rec center at UNL for a while, then ate at buffalo wild wings. Yes. You heard me correctly. I got points for doing that. The only requirement was that our "hangout time" was documented via pictures. Which i will upload when i get copies of them, but they are pretty funny.

I must also make a note to mother nature. Would you please bring all your snow at once in the future instead of spreading it out over like 5 days? It would get us all snowdays and allow us to enjoy your beautiful snow! Perhaps by operating a not-so-enviournmentally-friendly snowmobile. Just think about it. We'll talk more later. I have some questions about storm chasing this coming summer.

Also props to our good Lord. He continued His trend to prove to me that He does care about the little things, and, well, maybe the not so little things too.

Goodnight.

All time favorite quote

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”- Theodore Roosevelt quotes (American 26th US President (1901-09), 1858-1919)

seriously? Really? Come on...

to the random UNL student (she was on her phone) that i passed walking today.....what is wrong with you!?!?!? I mean every college has its drug problems don't get me wrong, but since when do people PUBLICLY talk about the next drug deal that they're going to do. How absurd! Did you not realize that everyone around you could hear you? (it was a fair number of people)

Yes that's right folks, ms. jane doe has informed the world of how much pot she will be selling somebody this weekend. Even where she wants to meet! It's people like this that must make our nations average IQ level so low.

hosanna

This song came on Pandora today. I really like the chorus. I play the verse a little differently though because I don't like the chords they use. For all of you that know what im talking about i automatically start playing the bass guitar everytime i hear this song come on :)

I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes

I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

[Chorus]
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest [x2]

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith

I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

[Chorus]

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

[Chorus x2]

Hosanna in the highest

mis-information correction station

This is something I've been meaning to rant about for a while.

situation #1.
Many people claim they know someone who knows a guy who has a friend whose brother's coworker developed some chip or some magical device for cars that doubles/triples/whatever their gas mileage.

situation #2
Oil companies are in bed with car companies and car companies are making cars less fuel efficient so we have to buy more gas.

As a frustrated hearer of these things its time to speak out. yes. BOTH SITUATIONS ARE NOT TRUE. Let me explain it very plainly. The primary ingredients to gas mileage are Air/fuel ratio, RPM, VE (volumetric efficiency), ignition timing, drivetrain loss (there are more but these are some big ones)

I'm only going to write in depth on one of these, the air/fuel ratio. To achieve optimum combustion you want all the gasoline to be burned with all the oxygen in the air. There should only be reactants from this, if there is leftover gas or oxygen than the combustion was less than ideal. It takes 14.7 parts of air PER PART of gas to create an ideal combustion in a gasoline motor. 14.7 is what cars are programmed for under light throttle cruising applications. If it gets leaner, it can cause detonation, to rich and you are just wasting gas. THERE IS NO MAGICAL CHIP THAT CAN OVERCOME CHEMISTRY. Your uncle's brothers friend's coworker (or whatever) is a phony.

Now as far as the other things, sure they can be improved. But to what cost? Creating a drive train with substantially improved efficiency would be a very expensive venture leading to the cost of purchase being much higher.

Other things such as ignition timing are usually programmed for optimum efficiency(as optimum as possible) from the factory, while allowing for variables to make sure all the idiots out there don't wreck their cars.

In this economy making a car that gets truly amazing gas mileage would be a HUGE selling point. There is no financial gain for a car company to purposely hurt its fleet's mpg.

There I am done.

last year in review

(So im sort of stealing Emily's idea. Shhh dont tell)

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Took a Literature class...that wasn't required.

Was in a wedding. Two actually....

Jumped a snowmobile

there's plenty more....

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Didn't make any last year. Hoping to keep the one i made this year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No

5. What countries did you visit?

None :(

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Less stress.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Starting from the beginning; valentines day, August 3rd(i think..?), cant remember any others. Valentines day becuase I went swing dancing and had a blast.
August 3rd because Luke and Amy's wedding was really fun.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Getting to know who I was. Saying no to drama. Putting to rest very old memories that were long overdue in getting dealt with. Exploring my musical talents.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I failed myself towards the beginning. I let myself be drawn into a life I didn't want. I also lost much money and time to girls that didn't deserve it.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Started out the year with Mono. Since then i've had maybe one cold? I also got tendonitis in my forearms and shoulder, ripped my finger apart with a sawzall, and got my top two wisdom teeth out. (thats kinda like an injury right?)

11. What was the best thing you bought?

An exhaust system and programmer for my car.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Some of my close friends. They set me straight again when i started to fall into a bad life.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

A long time friend. A former love interest. And a classmate that really surprised me. (3's not bad right?)

14. Where did most of your money go?

probably divided equally between my car, and getting nickle and dimed by question #9. The car was clearly the better investment. I now have a faster, more reliable, more fuel efficient, better sounding vehicle.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going snowboarding in March 2008. Playing for Acrofest.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

lol a song by fergie. I don't remember which one. Long story.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? Much much much happier.

ii. thinner or fatter? About the same probably weight wise. Maybe a little leaner.

iii. richer or poorer? About the same.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Spending time with God. Getting to know more people at Union. Playing music. Working.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Chasing fruitless relationships. <----(time waster)

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Well....for 2008 i spent it at home. Recovering from getting my wisdom teeth out :-)

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?

Yes. Unfortunatly. I learned much though. I'm not afraid to love again, but I will be much more cautios about it.

23. How many one-night stands?

Zero.

24. What was your favourite TV programme?

Probably Mythbusters. Actually no...Planet Earth. I absolutely love that show. I would like to go with them if they ever go to film another series of it.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Don't hate anyone. I have absouletly no interest in being friends with a few people though.

26. What was the best book you read?

The Namesake.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

My friends of BERT. Andrew Peterson maybe?

28. What did you want and get?

no drama. The last fourth of 2008 I got my wish :)

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

Not sure.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Went bowling. Then had a party at Ben Yancer's house. Nancy made awesome peach cobbler (or something like that). It was a good Birthday party.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Its hard to say. It got more satisfying the longer the year wore on.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Not much different than now.

34. What kept you sane?

My good friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Hmmm.....if your talking celebrity crush type "fancy" then I'd have to go with either Jennifer Garner, or Selma Heyek.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

I hate politics. I didn't really get involved with, or discuss much of it.

37. Who did you miss?

A few people.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

I've met a couple great new people. Its been a good year for that. God has really blessed me.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:

It's ok to say no. Straight up, simple, plain, NO. This will prove invaluable in 2009...I have no doubt.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I'll have to get back to you on that one.

This is a really Nerdy post.

Did you know that you can mathematically prove why some sounds sound good to our ear, and others sound like they are clashing? That's just awesome. I never really looked into it before. I knew it was possible but i never understood much about the way it worked.

I saw a wave graph of two notes. C and E. The waves intersect at predictable, repeatable intervals. I guess this makes sense thinking about how it sounds. Then another graph of C and D was displayed. The dissonance was clearly visible. The two waves looked terrible together.

This makes me think people can sometimes be compared to sound. Sometimes my "sound wave" looks like this when combined with someone else's:



























Then other people make it look like this:




























So much nicer.

Can I explain this? No. Can I describe the exact differences? Usually no. But its obvious. Kind of like how you couldn't verbalize all the mental calculations needed to throw a ball through a hoop, but actually doing it is easy.

The last third of 2008 has really been great for good graphs in my world. Props to awesome friends. Here's to the impending 2009 and hoping none of you out there have any interactions of the first graph kind.

10:11pm and no one around...

Right now....10:11 pm, I'm trying to work on my Anthropology paper. How well is that going you ask? Well, I'm writing this....so it must not be going that well. In an attempt to study better, Im going to perform a mental memory flush......

I have like ten billion little things running around in my head so here goes. (in no order)
1. Why do teachers like to leave 50% of the coursework for the last 20% of the semester?
2. Why is it so hard to make time for reading Jesus books and devotions, but so easy to spend time researching car parts or playing my guitar?
3. Why doesn't winzip just give their product away for free. Practically everyone i know pirates it anyway...
4. Why can't I seem to concentrate on anything for more than 20 mins?
5. Why can't computers just work right all the time, instead of forcing me to draw out my computer skills sword and force them into submission?
6. Just how dangerous is x-ray radiation?
7. What does anesthesia feel like? (I'm gonna get to find this one out over Christmas break)
8. Who really controls how much oil costs?
9. Why can I look at a girl and think she is cute/attractive/awesome and that she has qualities I want, and yet whatever it is that has previously motivated me to get a girlfriend in the past, is now gone. Now I'm deathly afraid of drama and am scared that ANY girl I date will be as drama queen-ish as my previous GF's. (with one exception) It's like my subconscious is telling me "STAY AWAY FROM THEM! They'll just use you. They'll eat your time and money and make you feel like poo!" and then I tell it "NO! you shush! They are pretty and smell nice and I like them!". Then my subconscious and i get in this big argument...so far it keeps winning. I guess thats the skeleton in my closet :s
10. aoleiusrlasjdlfenflsdnflewjflsjdfljlawekjflsdkfffalse;sjfljsfl!!!!!!!!....?
11. Why is it so hard to say no? Plain, simple, no. "Hey Ryan do you want to (insert common group activity)?" I should just be able to say "no thanks, I don't want to." I just know people will then ask "why don't you want to do (whatever)?" and then get all upset. Prepare yourselves, Ryan is learning how to say no.
12. When are we gonna get snow for real? Im talking like two or three feet of it.
13. Why do some teachers really just not have a CLUE about their students, when they've been teaching for longer than I've been alive?
14. Why can't more time exist for friendships?


Anyway thats a little bit of what my mind is running through. Ugh....I don't know if that helped. I apologize to the zero people that read this for that boring post. Free speech sucka!

#00046

That's the ticket number I held tonight at the concert in Elkhorn, NE. Andrew Peterson and friends shared their musical talents with us, and I am completely speechless. I wish I had half of their talent and knowledge. It was simply amazing. Thanks go to Ben and Emily who have been introducing me to this music. Wow. I didn't take pictures, but the sounds of guitars, cello, banjo, slide guitar, piano, drums, cymbals, mandolin, bass, and voices still fill my ears.

In other news I am trying to figure out where all my free time is going. I mean lately life has seemed pretty busy and that is WITHOUT having/chasing a significant other. How the heck did I have time for a girlfriend before lol? Priorities I guess eh? Anyway its all good because Ive been really feeling content with that, so much so that I almost feel wierd about feeling so happy being single. What irony!

I guess if I think about it, I know where a lot of my free time is going, and, for the most part, Im perfectly content with that too :)

Culture

I'm reading the book "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri for my Lit class, and it's really reminding me of my love for culture.

The story that starts off with a newly married Bengali couple, headed to the United States so that Ashoke, the man, can start his teaching career. Ashima, his wife, spends a lot of time reflecting on memories of home, and inwardly struggles with homesickness. The story is set in the 1960's and the only communication with her home halfway around the world is through letters. A few phone calls happen as well, but those are primarily the source of bad news.

This book makes me wish I had the chance to grow up in such a culture. It makes me understand better how people from other culture's react to ours. Ironically, I think I better understand one of my exs now. It makes me as an american want to drink in that culture; to soak up as much as possible and learn every custom and tradition. In a unique way that is so different from American life. Perhaps, somewhere out there a Bengali child wishes the same thing, but reversed.

Every page elicit's a new "wow", and a new understanding for everything american. Its shocking, the comparitave general lack of respect for family and others that american's have, when viewed from a very culturally different background.

I hope this does not fall on deaf ears when I say this, but in a world thats rapidly becoming more and more modernized (westernized) when you see a glimpse of culture, cherish it and respect it. Try and understand it and learn from it. Be patient with it, becuase it might disapear faster than you think.

math and tiny things

From 11:30am, until 8:15 pm, I was doing Differential Equations. Yuck. The test was difficult i must say, but I am a little proud when I think of how much work I put into it. I know without all that studying that I would have surely failed it.


Well I'm almost done with classes until break. Tomorrow. Today actually. I am worried I will be bored. I am the kind of person that needs social interaction to survive. Don't get me wrong I need my alone time once in a while like everyone else, but friends rejuvenate me. I once had a an ex that said "Friendships drain me....". It's pretty obvious why that one didn't work out :)

My brain is frazzled. If I were to type more, I would either wind up, A.) writing too much and boring people, B.) writing too much, and saying things I would regret, or that would hurt others, or C.) attempt to make an analogy of my life that has WAY too many references to math, physics, and science.

I know option B might seem strange, but I have to edit almost everything I write initially. Apparently the filter between my mind and the keyboard lets things slip sometimes, or wants to anyway, and then the conscious part of my brain has to say "whoa there partner". I guess my subconscious can be pretty rude and straightforward. I honestly kind of like it sometimes :)

Am I just too distractable?

I can no longer listen to the radio when I read a book. I just wind up tapping my foot to the beat, and thinking of harmonies in my head, or that some other instrument would go good with it. All the while forgetting that I'm supposed to be reading. How annoying...why can't I read to music?

In other news props to Amazon.com for sending me a copy of "He Still Moves Stones" by Max Lucado for 6$. That's right. Hardcover edition, shipped to my door, for a grand total of 6$. Plus I didn't have to drive anywhere to get it, so no money in gas was spent. Anyone else read this book? I ordered it becuase there are small snippets from that book in my devotianal book "Grace" by Max Lucado, and I really liked those small segments.

We'll tommorow I have a 3 page paper due that currently has not been started. Peace!

honey nut cheerios

So last night was the main event for AcroFest. I was honestly going with the idea that it would be fun to hang out with the people I was going with, but that the actual show would not be that impressive. Boy was I wrong! I really enjoyed it, plus it was free for me (and others). A coach of another team was very kind and allowed us in the back door. It was a very random thing for him to do. Thank you sir!

Except for the way-too-loud-microphone, it was really cool. It makes me miss gymnastics very much. So much so that i decided to reincorporate some gymnastic exercises into my workout routine today. The exercise i think, is referred to as a "skull crusher". Not sure on the real title. Bascially its doing a handstand and lowering yourself until your head almost touches the ground and then pressing back up. I also added the seated handstand press and I expect to be sore tomorrow. :)

I like honey nut cherrios. There ya go....that ties in the title. haha.