I Heart Guns

I am not sure how I feel about the news of Charlton Heston's death. It is kind of shocking. I mean he is such a revered actor and Gun Toting badass that I don't really know how to feel. He brought life to the roles that he portrayed on film and probably took the life of many people by encouraging more people to own guns.

What do you guys think?

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose

Spring Break. We need a break. We all do. College students everywhere just need one week where they can just sit and do nothing. Maybe a bit of drinking. Maybe a main-line a little PCP. You know, guy stuff. Doesn't matter what we do or where we do it. This week is for me.

This is the ideology that surrounds spring break. MTV shows us from Cancun just what college spring break is all about.....Bad Decisions. Any channel, not just MTV, has their own idea of what a real spring break is and they all revolve around poor decision making. While TV and other facets of college life tell us that drinking, sex, and drug use are what making up the bulk of bad decisions made on spring break, that is not entirely true. I have abstained from all of the above, yet have made truly truly bad decisions during this spring break.

During this epoch, I first veered off course when I purchased the ever addicting Rock Band for the Xbox 360 Console. I don't even have an Xbox. Yet, I thought it would be a swell idea to buy this anyway. What makes this worse is that I had a moment of realization amid this temporary insanity. I had the Rock Band in both of my hands, because it is way too large to fit in just one hand, and I looked among my fellow Costco shoppers. Hundreds of people, some can barely meet the sustenance level in their finances, buying food for their families. I saw this, took this in, but still walked out with the game.

After this, I chose to spend some mornings just drinking coffee and watching Kathy Griffin specials. I could go on with how I spend other days but I fear I may be too dismayed to even reminisce about yesterday's sluggish endeavors.

The point is, that you don't have to be an alcoholic, a sex addict, or a coke head to unappreciated the life you have been given. You can do it by being selfish and not spending every waking second showing love to.....well....anyone.

The week is not over...do something that makes someone, anyone, feel loved. Please....also, don't buy Rock Band.

A Meditation on Yogurt

I, Reid Volk, am going tackle a topic that is very difficult. I do know full well that this may turn my friends, family, and possibly my local Yoplait dealer against me. Yet, I do feel like I need to address this issue....so here it goes...

I do not understand why people put Yogurt into their bodies. Notice that I did not say eat or drink. This is because you cannot eat or drink Yogurt, you ingest it.

If you say that you eat yogurt your fooling yourself. While some may make the chewing motion while this stuff is in their mouth, there is nothing to chew. It will say this again because it is something that needs to be repeated...There is nothing to Chew! You might as well try to drink it, but ah Ha! my next point!

You cannot drink this stuff either. It's just a tad too thick. One company tried to market a drinkable yogurt and I was so angry that I held my breath until I passed out. Drinkable yogurt is really just Vitamin D Water, or Dairy Water. Neither of these are comforting to me and that is why I don't buy this filth.

In Essence, you ingest it. In order to do that, one must grab a spoon or a spork (Thank God some people still find this a useful utensil). Then, one must dig into the plastic container to retrieve this "food." Which is a whole other reason not to touch this stuff, how demeaning is it that you have to take a least a half hour to dig into a container, just to enjoy this product. It's homework in a cup and nobody likes homework. Once, you get this stuff out, you then have to put it in your mouth and your mouth has to decide what to do with it.

While a person could just tilt their head back and experience this gelatinous mold slither down their throats, most people prefer to just push it around with their tounge until it is in a position to swallow.

On top of this, what is the point of putting it in your body?

There are very few calories, so you cannot claim your ingesting it just to get some good calories in you. Also, If you claim that your eating it because its a low calorie snack, then your an idiot because while it may be low in calories, its not filling. If its not filling then its not worth eating because then as soon as your done, its like you never ate anything at all. Tylenol is more filling and at least you won't have a headache afterwards from trying to figure out why the hell you ate it in the first place.

Overall, yogurt is filth. There is no reason why anyone should eat it. If you really feel like you must get your yogurt "fix". Then dig your fingers in the container and rub it on your tounge because other than that, yogurt is absolutely worthless.

Worthless

Unadulterated Time, That's All I Ask

I really hate growing old. Not so much for the mushy skin and insatiable urges to get coffee at Macdonald's at all times of day (Seriously, look at an old person at Macdonald's, chances are they have a piping hot cup of coffee)

No, the reason I hate growing old is that friends don't really like to hang out, they like to "meet." It's never, "Come on over, lets eat bugles and watch Outbreak backwards so it looks like the people are getting better" anymore. Growing older reduces it to, "Hey man, I have some time from 12 - 1 tomorrow. Want to grab lunch?"

Grab lunch? I can grab lunch any time of day. Grab lunch means touching food in an abrasive manner, not two people spending valuable time together. Also, I never feel like I want to meet someone if they want to "grab lunch". They are going to eat at that time anyway. I don't want to have to try to steal attention away from your club sandwich. If you really cared about getting together with me, you would say, "Let's hang out and maybe we can fit in a blooming onion at Chilis if time permits."

If you want to see me, see me. Don't include me into your daily schedule. It doesn't show that you care at all. It just says, "hey you mean a lot to me, I am just unwilling to fit you into my schedule."

That's all I have to say about that

The Beatles Place in History

Why them? While Then? Why Now?

How are they just seen as probably the most universally lauded band on this earth? Was it just the time period? Was it the music? Or was a lost generation looking for something to give them hope and the Beatles were it?

This is sad because I am going to one day be considered a "historian" and I am already starting to think like one. While the Beatles write absolutely beautiful music that is in itself "timeless", I believe the culture of that period made them the legends that they would be for generations after John Lennon was killed.

When the Beatles were creating music, America was in neckdeep in the turmoil of the communist scare. Father Russia was breathing down our necks and like a teenager, we weren't giving into his demands no matter how horrific the stakes were. This was also the hayday of the Civil Rights Movement and things weren't looking up.

So when the Beatles touched American soil for the first time in 1964, we needed them.

Khaliq Nizami states that, " Once a social idea appears at such a stage of human suffering it grips the masses and becomes a material force. "

While someone could say it is a stretch to think that the Beatles were a social idea, I don't think it is a stretch at all.

It seems that the phrase "All you need is love" isn't dormant on most people's minds.

At that time, people were just looking for love. No War, No Segregation. While you cannot make that general assumption for all strata of society, it was enough of the population to make the entire idea of the 1960's that of uprising and reformation.

The "war" in Vietnam is over. Minorities have the right to vote. Yet the ideas of the Beatles still spark the nations interest. While a familiar tune can go a long way, the idea of hope and love that encompase the Beatles music is timeless as long as we are alive. For there is a new war and the struggle for civil rights is far from over even though it isn't as actively in the limelight.

In the midst of all of this, all we long for is love. All we need is love, even when it seems so out of reach. That is why I believe the Beatles live on to this day and will spark the minds of generations to come.

I am not an expert on anything, if you have any comments or disagree, let me know.

Late Night Dining

Oprah has told countless Americans to not eat before they go to bed. I know that Oprah is broadcast to many nations, but America is the only country stupid enough and sufficiently equip to gorge themselves before bed time. I just had a large burrito and I am not feeling so well. The sad part is that it didn't even seem like a good idea at the time. It is like when you are locking your keys in your car and you are watching yourself close the door. Depressing. Anyway, My botched knowledge/rationalization tells me that if I drink extra coffee in the morning, the little kick the caffeine gives to my digestive track will even me out. I know this doesn't make sense. That is why nobody ever locks their keys in their car just once.

These blogs may make a reader think that my life is coming out of its hinges. It is not. The last blog has helped me put more time into the Bible, yet I still watch Lost. I am not perfect, yet as time goes on I am slowly learning that the scales are tipped in the wrong direction and I just need to take the time to recalibrate.

Life is good. My girlfriend got a blog. She is amazing. I will put a picture of her up here soon. She is soooooo beautiful.

Listening: Mars Volta, Nada Surf

There is Never Enough Time for the Things that Will Pass Away With Me

I don't know what it is. I am sure this transcends all generations, but it seems there is never enough time to do the things that I want to do. "What I want to do" is usually meaningless things that will not advance me in this life. Unless your idea of progress is being able to recite musing facts from ABC's Lost verbatim.

That example hits close to home because as I am sitting at my new job, I am dreaming of finally getting home and watching the third season of Lost. As I dilligently/belligerently look how to stream episodes online, I am careful not to get a glimpse of messageboard spoilers that might give away crucial facts. This would of course would put a damper on the "fun" that I have lined up for this evening.

Why am I dreaming of this crap? I know my life is but a vapor but it seems I have chosen to focus on what Jack and Kate are doing on this Island. I do believe, that the Bible has all the answers and everything that I need to shine in this lifetime, yet I do not give 1/8 of the time to the Bible as I do to trying to find out what the hell is happening on a single episode of that God forsaken show.

This is tonight and tonight will be over. Yet, there is always a chance to get "Lost" lurking over mine and everyone's head. That need to fill and consume. Engage. Consequently, the fantastic people running our nation have found out how to channel our needs for their good.

This is a very Lost blog. It meaning and in importance/coherence. But it still lingers. We cannot seem to put our fingers on these feelings. But they are alive and if we don't strive to break from them, we will always appease them. Which is why I am here right now. Writing to you guys. Just filling myself until I need some more.

Listening to a lot of: Killswitch Engage, Slipknot, Ryan Adams (Odd?)